Blogs from Bogor, Java, Indonesia, Asia

Within an hour and half drive from Jakarta, tucked behind the new-to-be-developed compound of Trump Development in Lido, lies Bodogol National Park. It’s one of the 54 national parks in Indonesia. I was pleased to see a lush green forest covering the area of 20 hectares which are relatively untouched by the weekenders from Jakarta. Despite its proximity to Jakarta, Bodogol was relatively unknown; perhaps, it’s not easily accessible. The road heading to the park was not paved. It’s a muddy and gravel road, passable only by motorbikes or 4WD vehicles. As we drove towards the park, not only our eyes were rewarded by the sight of greenery, but also our lung was pampered by the oxygen-rich fresh air. Forest has been my sanctuary and my refuge to keep my sanity intact. I could live not ... read more

Writing this blog, I realized that my second week in Indonesia has already past. It is amazing how many new experiences a person can have in that short lapse of time. I’ve gone through amazing “highs” and some tiring “lows”, all leaving an unforgetable impression. On my real first day in Bogor I decided to go for a walk in the city centre. This was already my first “European” assumption about how the world functions. After trying to explain to several people what I was looking for, the word “shopping” finally got me in the good direction. Immediately, the right Angkot was stopped for me to take me down-town. The city is full of these mini vans taking you where ever you need, if you have time. The different bus lines sort of have a route, ... read more

Saturday, 15th February 2014 My Perfect Saturday in Jakarta Happily, I hopped onto a commuter train from Gondangdia Train Station to the city of Bogor about 60km south of Jakarta. This was a sort of adventure for me given that train announcements were made only in Bahasa Indonesia and I was probably the only foreigner throughout the 90 minutes commute. But as a train lover, I always cherished those times on the trains during my overseas travels. It was fun even though the crowd was a bit overwhelming at times. In fact, on my journey back to Jakarta Kota Station, I had to stand throughout the whole journey. My legs were tired but this was probably the only chance for me to experience train travel within Greater Jakarta region. The train cars that plied their routes ... read more

Na alweer een stevig ontbijtje uitgecheckt en busje in op weg naar mini Indonesia. Mijn moeder vertelde dat ze wakker geworden was van een lichte aardbeving deze nacht, niet verwonderlijk op een vulkaneneiland als Java. Helaas Jakarta zou ons niet laten gaan hebben zonder een laatste file: twee uur op de tolweg van zo'n 15km, we kregen wel een laatste zicht op het met smog bedekte centrum en sloppenwijken tussen de twee banen van de autostrade in cadeau!!! Volgende halte was mini Indonesia, een soort Bokrijk met de verschillende bouwstijlen van elke Indonesische provincie, een kabelbaan, treintjes. Het park lag er een beetje doods bij, misschien omwille van de eerste dag van de ramaddan? Verder heeft het ook zijn grandeur van zijn opening 30jaar geleden wel verloren (toen Davids ouders het bezocht hadden), het lag er ... read more

I am very pleased with my research team. They are super organized and are getting through all necessary interviews quicker than expected (which means I get to go back to my oasis in Jakarta a day early). I also don’t feel like I have to hover over them to make sure everything goes according to protocol. The research capacity here in Indonesia is quite high. But as in other countries, data collection is often an uncomfortable process. My research manager called yesterday evening to say he was going straight home rather than meeting me for a debrief meeting because he just spent the last couple of hours doing an interview while sitting next to a chicken coop and was not smelling so nice. Yesterday morning I sat in on a focus group with women from a ... read more