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Blogs from Jakarta, Java, Indonesia, Asia - page 6
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November 17th 2010
Angkor and BFCE - Revealed Oomph I like songs and tunes that has an Oomph. It is when they let they let the music almost die out only to increase the intensity in one almost violent blast. Winding down and then all of a sudden give it full throttle again. That is an Oomph. Of course this is just the name it has in my head. I'm sure there is a more scientific name for it, but it will always be Oomphs to me. I'm a sucker for Oomphs. Like in "Fly" and "Gorecki" by Lamb. Or "Regrettable" by Red Snapper. Even "Fly on the Wings of Love" by the Olsen Brothers had a very nice one towards the end and I'm sure that it was because of that Oomph that they won the Eurovision Song ... read more
November 8th 2010
October 22 Despite being a night person, Debby emerges from her tomb at 6.30am to have breakfast and then drive me to the station. With memories of Myanmar railways rumbling in my mind, I am pleasantly surprised by this train which proper seats and a bathroom with running water and everything. Yannie, a CS friend of a friend in Phnom Penh, kindly meets me at the station. There is a huge storm and a lot of SMSing on BlackBerrys and we get in a taxi where we remain for some time. Traffic is moving at about 2 miles an hour so there is plenty of opportunity to examine Jakarta’s endless skyscrapered terrain, especially as we seem to double back and go in a circle. But Yannie has lived in Jakarta for more than 20 years and ... read more
Jakarta: In My Imagination (Thank God I can put the overly dramatic TV Images into perspective!)
Published: November 9th 2010Asia » Indonesia » Java » Jakarta
November 5th 2010
Travel days 53 - 63 In my opinion, Jakarta (and Indonesia more generally) is misunderstood and its image as presented to the outside world is quite negative and (very unpleasant) from the reality of this relatively new visitor. (I just completed my third trip yesterday). That being said, it isn't always the most comfortable place to stay when compared to places like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia or Brunei. (Firstly, and not part of my ad hoc math equation at the bottom, "M" is not for Muslim but for moderation and magic. Jakarta still has a lot of magic amidst the filthy and crowded mess most people can't get past talking about) More importantly, it is not "T" for Terror that we often think about from the news for Jakarta but "T" for transportation. The city still lacks ... read more
October 28th 2010
Haat en liefde. Met dat gevoel verlaat ik Indonesië na bijna 7 weken. + Je krijgt hier overal alle aandacht: Hello mister, beautiful, chantik!! I love you! Hello mister! - Je krijgt hier overal alle aandacht: Je kan nergens rondlopen zonder aangesproken te worden. En op een of andere manier zijn de mensen hier een stuk opdringeriger dan in Thailand, Laos en Cambodja. Vooral in Kuta, zoals ik al eerder beschreef. + Indonesiërs houden net als veel Aziaten van herhaling als het om muziek gaat. Soms is dat niet vervelend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaYYvpXrd2A - En soms heel erg vervelend...: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKP1t3gQ_o0 + Alle lieve katten in Gili en het feit dat honden daar verboden zijn. - Al die rot honden in Ubud. + De meeste mensen zijn superlief! - Op Bali reizen er bijna alleen maar stelletjes rond. + ... read more
Le grand départ approche
Published: October 12th 2010Asia » Indonesia » Java » Jakarta » Kepulauan Seribu
October 12th 2010
Moins de 5 semaines, avant ce fameux grand départ... Et il reste encore tellement de choses à faire.... -Faire une dérogation à l assurance maladie(permis à tous les 7 ans) -Recevoir tous les vaccins necessaire -Visite chez le dentiste -Renouvellement de plusieurs documents qui viendront à échéance pendant notre absence(carte de crédit, permis de conduire...) -Recherche sur internet et dans les routards sur les premiers pays ou nous comptons aller -Rédiger un itinéraire brouillon (qui va surement changer en cours de route) -Préparation minutieuse de nos sacs à dos, pour voyager le plus léger possible(moins de 6Kg/ch)comme lors de notre dernier voyage aux Indes en 2008 -Réacheminement de courrier -Préparation des rapports d'impots - etc.etc. Bref, si vous avez des suggestions importantes,elles seront appréciées A la prochaine ... read more
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October 4th 2010
Hello Again! Lets talk about the past few months (June-Sept '10)! :) I get to start with probably the most amazing trip of them all! A 5-day live aboard boat trip from Lombok to Flores! (June '10) I was planning on doing this trip by myself, but luckily, last minute, I heard about a friend of a friend (from Amsterdam) who was travelling around Indonesia and keen to find some travel buddies. So I met up with Marlies in Sengiggi, a touristy beach village in Lombok. We clicked within minutes and started the Gin &Tonics! The next day (Day I) we got to meet the group which we would spend the next 5 days with, in a very confined space (I did not particularly book a luxury cruise ship...) Late afternoon we got moving and watched ... read more
July 30th 2010
I have arrived! Flights were pleasant, minus the 8 hour layover in Doha which ranks in my books as one of the most boring airports the world over. But it was clean at least, and despite charging something like $5 for a coke (note: my calculations were likely confused by exhaustion and a complete lack of understanding for the local currency), I managed to survive the layover without any severe trauma. We borded our connecting flight in 46 degree weather (did I mention this was at 8am?) and 9 hours later, the scenery had changed from desert wasteland to bright lush islandy green. A bit surreal but a welcomed change. We landed in Jakarta and then the real fun began. After being the second last person to receive my beloved backpack, I was welcomed with the ... read more
July 14th 2010
Jakarta, Indonesia July 6, 2010 Confirmed. We are infatuated with Jakarta. Since we had to fly in and out of this city, we were able to sniff out suspicions from our first visit as we readied to return home. And yes, the dining is de-lish, the contradictions are intriguing, and club scene is epic. I’m not sure what others do in Jakarta, but we did a lot of wandering in different neighborhoods to get a feel for it all. And of course, we ate and drank our way through all this wandering. We also visited Mesjid Istiqlal which is the largest mosque in all of Indonesia. It was designed all mod in the 70s and is very welcome to visitors although you cannot go to the prayer rugs downstairs. Only Muslims and Bill Clinton (Yes, really) ... read more
July 8th 2010
Jakarta (ook Djakarta) is de hoofdstad en regeringszetel van de Republiek Indonesië. Het officiële inwonersaantal van Jakarta bedraagt 8.961.860. Het verstedelijkte gebied, waar Jakarta deel van uitmaakt heet Jabotabek en heeft ruim 23 miljoen inwoners. Jakarta is het politieke, economische en culturele centrum van Indonesië en de grootste metropool van Zuidoost-Azië. De stad heeft een lange geschiedenis, waarin ze onder verschillende namen bekend stond: Sunda Kelapa (397-1527), Jayakarta (1527-1619), Batavia (1619-1942) en Djakarta (1942-1972) en sinds 1972 de huidige naam. Sinds Indonesië in 1949 onafhankelijk werd, is Jakarta de hoofdstad van het land. We starten onze 1e dag in de hoofdstad met een bezoek aan Tanjung Priok. Deze haven is eind 1800 uit praktische overwegingen aangelegd, omdat voor die tijd Batavia/Jakarta slechts een kleine haven had (bij Pasar Ikan), waar gr... read more
July 6th 2010
We will try and add to this as much as possible - if we discover a new species, you'll be the first to know! Hi all! We arrived yesterday at Jakarta airport at around 4 o clock, but had to wait FOREVER to get our suitcases back. A "Losari Tours" rep drove us to the hotel, where we fell asleep within an hour. Claire slept for about 15 hours. Today we have....napped. Breakfast was bizarre: Prawn crackers, green jelly, egg fried rice, rice, noodles, sausage (we think), mushroom pasta, chocolate cake and sauce, watermelon. Tea. Toast. Amazing! We checked out the swimming pool and spa but got scared off by the lack of women. Instead, we've dialed up a massage each in our room for this evening's entertainment. We're not leaving the hotel today because we're ... read more
