Blogs from Jakarta, Java, Indonesia, Asia
May 14th 2012
I left Bogor on Saturday since our work there is finished and the left for Palembang in South Sumatra yesterday. The work in Bogor ended kind of strangely. Friday afternoon 2 of the fieldworkers were meeting some anti-tobacco advocates at an office at the train station for an interview. Shortly after I got there, I got a call that the media was there and wanted photos of me. Great. So the driver picked me up and brought me to the station. We were ushered into a room marked VIP, and as soon as I stepped in I saw about a dozen men and one woman, all of them with cameras. People were shaking my hand and speaking to me in Bahasa, but I wasn’t quite sure what was going on. One of fieldworkers translated for me. ... read more
May 10th 2012
This was a trip taken during my first year of college back December 07. Among places visited were Jakarta, Bogor, Puncak and Bandung. Just pictures for now!... read more
February 23rd 2012
Es ist kurz nach Mitternacht, während wir im Taxi vom Flughafen in die 28-Millionen-Metropole Jakarta einfahren. Es sieht irgendwie aus, wie in einem schlechten Horrorfilm. Heruntergekommene Bauten, das wenige Licht wirft sich bewegende Schatten auf die etwas helleren Teile der fast schwarzen Wände, während es von den düsteren Straßenschluchten dazwischen dann vollständig verschluckt wird, obwohl im Diffusen doch ab und zu so etwas wie eine Straßenlaterne erkennbar ist. Im Scheinwerferlicht tauchen vereinzelt kleine Gestalten auf und verschwinden wieder. Wir hören das deutliche klicken, als die Zentralverrieglung verschließt. Es ist schon etwas gruselig, wenn wir dann an der nächsten Ampel anhalten. Und plötzlich schlägt etwas gegen die Seitenscheiben und den Kofferraum. Zwischen etwas, was wie Hände aussieht, erscheint ein verdrecktes und verlebtes Kindergesicht, was man no... read more
February 5th 2012
Yesterday was a lovely end to the week. My colleague sent her driver (who spoke no English at all) to pick me up at 9am to take me to a highly recommended spa. For less than $75 I had three hours of a massage, body scrub, body mask, and a mani/pedi. It was so relaxing! The place was beautiful, with private spa rooms complete with a shower and tub. And the scents of burning oils strategically placed in corners were delicious. After the spa, I had lunch by myself at a Thai restaurant called La Na Thai. Some of the best pad Thai I have ever had. My American colleague who is here for another project later met me at the restaurant, and we went shopping at an antique market. The market was a long line ... read more
February 3rd 2012
Is it possible to fall in love with yet another country? Indonesia has impressed me so far, and I can tell I am going to enjoy working here. Jakarta reminds me very much of Bangkok with its humidity, terrible traffic, migrating food carts, and Southeast Asian faces. People are friendly and pleasant, and the Asian hospitality is a treat. There are no electricity problems, good internet connections, and you can find delicious food wherever you go. I am staying at a high-rise hotel called Hotel Mulia in a neighborhood called Senayan in Jakarta. When you pull in to the hotel, guards use mirrors to check for explosives under the car, and they peek in your trunk and glove box. You have to go through a metal detector and have your bags scanned each time before going ... read more
January 19th 2012
JAVA...Am I Police..? I think in a previous life...I must have been a policeman...not necessarily investigating serious criminal matters...no...I think I was probably a traffic cop...one who specialised in directing traffic. Either way, I seem to have a genetic disposition to such matters...though I am unaware of any forebears who were members of the Force. In many countries I have travelled...we are warned "Do not take photos of police, soldiers or Government institutions". Remember they wiped your photo of a Consulate in Lusaka, Zambia. And there was that soldier in Kenya that demanded my camera at the gate to Maasai Mara alleging I had taken a photo of him..."News to me...you're not getting my camera". "Give him your camera"...my pasty companions on the safari truck screamed, as the soldier came on the truck demanding of me. ... read more
#5: Rainy Days and Mondays....in Jakarta
Published: January 9th 2012Asia » Indonesia » Java » Jakarta
January 9th 2012
Rainy Days and Mondays…..in Jakarta Today was my first day back to work after my 3 week holiday. Overall, I was in a good mood and the day passed very quickly. I got a lot done, attended a few meetings with colleagues, and before I knew it – it was time to head home. But, this is where I made my mistake. I got distracted and spent time at my desk goofing around my computer. Not working mind you, just goofing around - checking airfares and such…. I completely forgot that it is the rainy season in Indonesia! The rainy season actually isn’t as bad as it sounds. I pictured weeks upon weeks of non-stop rain before moving here, but that isn’t how it is. It rains once or twice a day for anywhere between 20 ... read more
Jakarta - Capital of Indonesia (and traffic jams)
Published: December 2nd 2011Asia » Indonesia » Java » Jakarta » Cengkareng
December 2nd 2011
We arrived in Jakarta on the 29th of November at around midday and took a Damri bus to the train station of Gambir - probably the easiest way to get into the city centre. After the comfortable 45 minutes bus ride we refused to take a taxi or a bajaj and walked to JL Jaksa, the "backpacking district" of Jakarta. I expected it to be a bit like Khao San Road in Bangkok but I was completely wrong. It is a very narrow street with loads of traffic and it took us quite a while to find a nice, low budget accomodation. We were really relieved once we had found one and after a nice refreshing shower we started exploring the area around JL Jaksa. It was grey, dirty and noisy. The traffic in Jakarta is ... read more
From Beach Bums to City Celebs
Published: September 8th 2011Asia » Indonesia » Java » Jakarta » Cengkareng
September 3rd 2011
Having spent a week on the beautiful island of Gili Trawangan we really started to settle into the slow and easy lifestyle. Wake up each morning to the sounds of relentless cockerels and men chanting over loudspeaker from the mosque, then enjoy pancakes and fruit salad for brekkie before taking a walk around the island - we figured since we were beach bumming around we should at least do some exercise! After this a lazy lunch on the beach with a few hours soaking in some rays with the odd dip in the crystal clear sea before eating again and watching a film along the beachfront (we even found one 'cinema' that was literally a huge projector on the beach with sunbeds so you could watch a film under the stars). We had considered doing a ... read more
Aug 24-26 End of the Trip - Heading back to Dalian
Published: September 14th 2011Asia » Indonesia » Java » Jakarta
August 26th 2011
I flew out in the morning on Express Air towards Jakarta, stopping in Makassar. I arrived in Jakarta with good time and took a Damri bus into Jakarta to the Gambir bus station to meet Tatang for one last time. We met up as it was getting dark so he went off to a nearby mosque to do his evening prayer. We caught a bemo to his place for the night. I slept in his home again. The next morning I wanted to shop for a new rain jacket (one that would stop rain) so Tatang showed me to the Transjakarta station and got me on my way while he went to work. He told me 2 stops but it ended up being 3, so I walked the last bit. When I got there at 8am ... read more
