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Blogs from Bogor, Java, Indonesia, Asia
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October 14th 2012
Taman Safari, is a wildlife conservation site some 80 kms / 2hours away from Jakarta. Its nestled in the hills around “Puncak Pass” (another weekend getaway for people living in Jakarta & Bandung) ,hence boasts of moderate temperatures for the animals to thrive. Having been to both Sanctuaries /national parks (Corbett Natinal Park, Kanha National park, etc) and zoos, I kind of found it fun going to Taman Safari, the concept of which is basically something in between. A sanctuary is for the enthusiasts, its literally the wilderness & doesn’t guarantee you spotting animals (3 days of loitering around with all six senses on high alert & all you get to see is tiger’s shit and elephants footprints); and in a zoo animals are caged in small confinements. Whereas here, they are let loose in parks ... read more
July 20th 2012
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
June 6th 2012
And on to Bogor, leaving the last of the Javan highlands behind, back to the sweaty cities for the final legs of my trip. I experienced the infamous traffic (as if Indonesia ever has traffic that is anything but) along the Puncak Pass, and it wasn't even a weekend, which was supposed to be when things really heat up. Regarded somewhat as a distant suburb of Jakarta, Bogor is your typical rough-and-tumble Indonesian city. Aka Kota Hujan (Rain City), apparently with storms almost every day. It was of course no exception during my stay here, at the Pensione Firman.... read more
May 11th 2012
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
May 9th 2012
My time in Indonesia this trip has been a bit frustrating so far, mostly because the IRB (in the U.S.) delayed our start. I spent an extra few days in Jakarta waiting for paperwork. My team was trained and ready to go, already having scheduled several interviews. But, bureaucracy requires extreme patience. Right now I am sitting in a little community center in the backstreets of Bogor, an hour outside of Jakarta. One of my fieldworkers is leading a focus group discussion with 8 men. They are all sitting on the floor on a rug, eating snacks we brought, half of them wearing a traditional Muslim head covering. They hardly notice me sitting in the corner of the stuffy room. The field worker is leading them in a photo elicitation exercise where he shows them photos ... read more
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February 8th 2012
The last few days were spent in Bogor, a city about an hour outside of Jakarta that was the first to implement a policy banning smoking in public spaces. In 3 days we had meetings with the City Health Department, walked through a local clinic (where many people had TB—good thing I get tested for it after each trip), talked with the chief of the civil police, visited an anti-tobacco NGO, and met with the local media. We were at the NGO when the media came for our meeting We just wanted to ask them a few questions about their coverage of the policy and enforcement and community reactions, but they ended up photographing and video recording us, furiously taking notes when we were the ones looking for information. The journalist from an online news source ... read more
December 3rd 2010
Bhavatu Sabba Mangalam Wow. 10 Days Vipassana meditation course completed with almost flying colors, and all I have to do is describe it. Well, not so easy so I have spent a few days figuring out how to go about it. What the hell is meditation anyway? If you are anything like what I was just a couple of weeks ago, you only have a vague idea what meditation is. Something like sitting cross-legged and concentrating really hard and then you would be able to levitate within a few hours or read peoples' minds. I guess the best way to get an understanding is to simply just try it. If not the full ten days then at least 10 minutes. Even though I'm definitely not qualified to instruct anyone in Anapana or Vipassana meditation then here ... read more
July 6th 2010
Het door Hollanders bezette GG guesthouse Happy Valley verlaten we om op weg te gaan naar onze laatste bestemming van de rondreis; Jakarta. Onderweg even iets totaal anders zien, Taman Safari. Helemaal niet typisch Indonesisch maar wel leuk om ff wat anders te doen. De wegen rondom Bogor zijn ook vandaag weer een totale ramp, alles potdicht en het duurt dan ook tot in de vroege middag om het park te bereiken. Leuk om te zien hoe de “wilde” dieren hier, veel anders dan de Beekse Bergen rondlopen onder de hoede van parkrangers die bij een dreigende ontsnapping van een katachtige uit hun leefgebied met een druk op de knop het toegangshek van het gebied sluiten, weer wel Indonesisch. Na de safaritocht willen we naar Tama Mini in Jakarta maar voor de 3e dag gooit het ... read more
July 5th 2010
Ooit 13 keer de Eiffeltoren opgeweest, 13 zomers zonder onweer meegemaakt, 13 vrijdag de 13e meegemaakt zonder incidenten, nee? Nou da’s niet erg maar ooit meer dan 13 uur in de file gestaan dan? Ook niet, nou wij wel! Op de weg van Bandung naar Bogor op zondag tijdens een groot festijn (In Bogor). Indonesië laat zien waarom het toch een derde wereldland is, organisatievermogen van een loden deur. Amper Puncak voorbij voorbij of het rampzalige scenario ontvouwde zich, Puncak is de naam van een pas op het Indonesische eiland Java die men passeert, als men van Bogor naar Bandung reist. Letterlijk vertaald betekent puncak top. Het hoogste punt van de pas bevindt zich op ongeveer 1500 m hoogte. Aangezien dit een hoog gelegen en daardoor relatief koel gebied is, was het al voor de tweede ... read more
March 7th 2010
The plan was only to see the lovely Sakura, and what a great surprise it was when we found out that sakura garden is not the only place of attraction within the area. Sakura garden is actually a part of Kebon Raya Cibodas, a HUGE botanical garden located at Cibodas, Bogor. It is a good place to simply unwind and give your lungs a chance to breathe some fresh air Here’s more information about KRC (information is in Bahasa Indonesia) : Kebon Raya Cibodas Website How to get there? Getting there commuting was an adventure itself. Here’s how I did (and survived ) it ! 1. Since I am living in Jakarta, a good starting point will be BLOK M bus terminal. Find for a KOPAJA bus number 66 going to Manggarai. Pay Rp. 2000,- and ... read more
