THE Blue Bird taxi slows down as it approaches Jalan Kwitang in Central Jakarta. A man aged about 35 catches up with the familiar blue vehicle. A foreigner sticks his head out of the taxi's window. "Want to change some money, Mister?" asks the street moneychanger. The transaction starts immediately with a question about the price, continues with some bargaining and then the deal is made.

The foreign man then hands over several hund