Jakarta News

Adapting

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:34:00 +0000

Jeremy has been home now for 2 weeks and is 16 days old. Sleep deprivation has not yet sunk in but it is getting close. His astonishing thirst for food is amazing and is yellow poo is intriguing, the smell is nothing but a smell and ignored.

His sleep pattern and food pattern has not set yet but he is sleeping most of the afternoon and some of the night. We are getting about 6 hours of sleep through the night and maybe some through the day if lucky, which of course does not really happen but it sounds nice.
No TV now as there is no time after work but to eat and sort stuff out and then help Yovita and spend time with Jeremy. So I am back to reading and staring and in the early hours of the morning, spending my time thinking I want a cup of tea before going back to sleep and waking a little later.

Jeremy has grown a few centimetres and has put on weight. He has become a little bigger and he has become very restless and moves all the time.

We are now using milk bottles as well as breast feeding and have gone straight to nappies as the cloth ones just stain and are not really suitable for us.

We have not taken him outside the house yet, only to the hospital for a check up, which was all good and so he is not yet used to sunlight and when he goes onto the balcony we have to be careful of the light and the heat so he is not up there for long. He is however totally ignorant of the noise outside the house, from the motorbikes, the mosque, the repair shop, the man with the horn selling his sweet corn which is good but he does react to voices close and far which is good.

My time at the moment is just work and home and chores and thats about it. I managed to sneak Yovita out of the house today for a quick 30 minutes for coffee (the nanny was in control while we were gone) and that was the first time out for her for a while as well which was nice.

As Bob Dylan once sang, 'Times a changing'....

Coming home

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Fri, 10 May 2013 06:08:00 +0000

Sunday the 5th and Monday the 6th

Sunday is far quieter in the hospital than any other day, mainly because it is not open except for emergencies so the trickle of visitors and odd patients makes it a very tranquil place. Waking after a long period of sleep there was nothing to do and no one really bothering us. Breakfast was at Starbucks which was nice.
Yovita its getting better and walking is a little easier for her so that helps.Jeremy is still a milk fiend but appears to be calming down and a little more restful. He slept more yesterday.
Our good friend Andy turned up for a quick visit which was great. The crying and breast feeding made him leave quite quickly but it was still great to see some one different.
With the family back everyone managed to stress Jeremy out mainly due to the noise and the raise in temperature in the room which he did not like and so panicked and would not stop crying. This meant him being taken back to the baby room for observation, a stressed out mum and all the family moved outside. He stayed there until 4pm.
So once we knew he was going to be OK, I managed to sleep and Yovita just rested. No sooner was I in full dribble mode when some more friends arrived, Jamie and Fiona. Again it was great to see them and they were delighted as were we when Jeremy came back all happy and hungry. Leaving Fiona with Yovita we snuck out for food and some well needed beer.
On return more visitors were there but they never stayed long and once they and our friends left, Jeremy seemed chilled and sleepy and spent along time with me while Yovita managed to eat and shower. He went back to the baby room around 9.30pm and so we could sleep. 6 hours later a nurse was in the room with a breast pump as Yovita needed to provide milk for JD and now she is starting to produce quite a lot and so he won't go hungry which is good. By 4.30am it was definitely time not to sleep as the room was filling with cleaners nurses and do on and Jeremy arrived around 6am but was gone again by 8am for tests and blood taking which cannot be pleasant to watch but necessary.
Hope fully we can go once we have seen the doctor today and hopefully that's by 2 pm as well I want to go home, Yovita wants to go home and Jeremy needs to come home.

Very excited about going home

Monday

Possibly the best Monday ever because that was the day Jeremy got to come home after 3 nights at the hospital. Sleeping as bad as the previous nights meant another early start but time with Jeremy before he went off for the usual inspection and things. Breakfast again was at Starbucks and a chance to rest a little and then when back wait for the doctors and the physiotherapist to see Yovita.
The doctor came and said see you next Tuesday after making sure the stitches were OK and that Yovita was doing well which she is. We were then told we could go home but had to wait for the physiotherapist to instruct Yovita with some exercise routines to help the milk flow.
Finally the baby care nurse came and gave us lots of packages and a booklet all about Jeremy before carrying him to the waiting taxi for our journey home.
Once home he was put straight into the cot. I got changed and went to work to discover packages and parcels from friends and family.
Back home we settled down for a long night and got it. I guess 5 hours max sleep through the night but to be expected after all.

Not so happy to start with at home

But soon got over that!

And now that Jeremy is at home, the fun begins!!!

The first few days

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:10:00 +0000

Last Friday (May 3rd at 1.50pm) I became a father to Jeremy. The most life changing and inspiring moment ever I have encountered.

Below are my thoughts and what I saw from the day. The post will be in two parts.

Friday 3rd May

So after 40 weeks the decision was made to induce the baby and go from there. We have been going to YPK Mandiri in Menteng which is a mother and baby hospital and with the permission of our doctor was allowed to induce the baby a few days early with the warning of a c-section if the induction failed. We checked in and went to a ward where Yovita was checked out by a midwife and then the doctor paid a visit and explained that due to the position of the baby's head the chances of induction working was only 15% successful and so we agreed to have a c section.

This was at 11am and the delivery would take place at 1pm.

Yovita was then put on a drip and had blood tests and anti-biotics pumped into her while I signed here and there on some bits of paper to allow the operation to go ahead. I also had to change into the hospitals medical clothing, wear a hair net and a mask to cover my mouth. The footwear I had to wear was a pair of crocs! As I write this I am sat in the recovery room wearing a blue gown and no shoes but I digress.
15 minutes after Yovita was taken to the operating theatre I was sent for and stood by holding her hand as the doctors busied them selves with the delivery. About 5 minutes later at 1.50pm Jeremy was born all purple and pale but screaming and kicking which is the best sign. He was cleaned and put under a hot lamp while the nurses cleared his noise and throat.
They then gave him to Yovita to nurse, maybe to help ignore the fact that the doctor was sewing her back together at that point but also to help Jeremy feed but it was so cold in the room that the feeding never took place.

After that I went with the nurses and Jeremy to weigh and measure him. He weighed 3230g and was 48 cm tall with his head being 34cm which I am sure is important. Then he was tagged and put in an incubator and once he had opened his eyes, whisked away to the baby room.

So I phoned mum and broke the happy news to the world.

Yovita is now in the recovery room under a hypothermia blanket sleeping and recovering. JD is screaming somewhere I hope and I am sat waiting for the next thing to happen which I guess is the move to the private ward. I have just returned from a quick bite to eat so I am feeling better.

In the operating Theatre

Just been weighed and off to sleep

Saturday 4th May.

I think we eventually got to sleep about 11 pm on Friday. Yovitas family showed up around 8 pm and stayed a while.Jeremy had long since gone to the baby room and Yovita was still spinning from the pain killers so being the dutiful host I showed them some photos and then they left. From 12 midnight there was someone in the room every hour checking on Yovita and probably doing other things as well and finally with boiled eggs being presented for Yovita to eat at 4 am it was time to wake up and get up.

Yovita slept as badly as me and was in some pain because of her operation and stitches but finally managed to eat some rice porridge for breakfast which was good. Jeremy arrived at 6 am smelling very nice and so Yovita could feed and start to know her new son while I just watched still unsure what to do, eventually I managed to sneak out for some food at around 8 and has a peaceful breakfast in McDonalds. Before 9 am Jeremy went off for some tests so when the family arrived 30 minutes later they were not too impressed.
More family arrived around 10, not sure who but they were; aunts our something. As they left, Jeremy arrived so they were called back were happy because they could see him and then left. What happened next was an hour of photos as Jeremy was not too hungry or sleepy but happy to be photographed so every one was happy.

The doctor came a little later and told us we could go home Monday which is the best news and the drip and things going intoYovita following the operation could all be removed as well. Yovita is now eating which is great. Jeremy is insatiable in his quest for his mothers milk and we spent most of yesterday evening picking him up feeding him and then trying to put him todown to sleep but to no avail.

In the afternoon, I quickly popped home to get a few things and ate in Ya udahs restaurant as I was starving. Its a great place with overly rude waitresses in a hurry to serve you so you can eat and leave but don't let that put you off.

We finally gave Jeremy to the nurse around 9.30 pm so he could rest and we could sleep. By 10 pm we had both passed out. Still by 4 am Sunday morning, everyone was awake and food was was arriving and nurses were coming in and out. Jeremy arrived at 6 am and fell straight to sleep as did we for the next hour.

Saturday looking about

Top man

The next few days will be in the next post.

Waiting

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:15:00 +0000

At the beginning of April we were hoping for an April baby but with May in sight, it appears that won't be the case.
We have had scares and contractions and dilations and many trips to either midwives and doctors but all are saying the same thing. Wait.

The excitement reached a new height on Tuesday when during the weekly check up the doctor turned round and said 'today' and we were led off to another room where Yovita was wired up to a machine and after 30 minutes sent back to the doctor who said 'not today' and so we went home but it has to be soon.

We will visit the doctor again on Tuesday who I am sure will say the same and we will wait until the due date which is the 7th of May. After that I guess the baby will be induced.

Happily I am teaching my wife to be patient and just wait for the time to be right rather than rush the birth and considering I am a very patient person and am told far too many times a day 'wait ya' I am doing just that, being patient.

Through all this waiting, everything else is on hold. So its work and home and home and work. We managed to sneak out for breakfast today and a few hours in a coffee shop which was good but yesterday we stayed home, er waiting. Actually I spent the afternoon sat in the sun drinking but it still counts as waiting.

not really any help

I have a feeling it will be May 1st, not because it is also the same day as my fathers birthday but because its labour day here! and that will mean the city will be full of demonstrators protesting about fuel prices, salaries and things and the during the afternoon riot a bit to make the day complete, therefore bringing Jakartas frail road network to a complete stop and preventing us getting to the hospital easily.

won't be any help either

So if there are demonstrators than can read, read in English and read this blog, do me a favour, go demonstrate at home. Its easier to get to, you will be just as ignored as you will be here and if you get tired then there's your favourite chair to rest it.

Customer Serivce

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 08:46:00 +0000

In order to appreciate what customer service is I suggest you go and work in a fast food chain or in a supermarket dealing with people who quite frankly on a good day should not be allowed out of their homes due to the fact they believe that everyone and everything owes them something, which of course they don't.

Having spent a good 16 years in customer service and also being a customer service manager for my sins I fully aware of the need to be polite professional and quick however from experience of service here in Jakarta that is not always the case.

However for a change I can actually write about good things and good service which I have had over the past week. Not from BCA, or the laundry or Carrefour because lets face it I am not a miracle worker but from Permata Bank, Hypermart and SmartFren.

I hate slow too but thats all there is

I dislike Smartfren as the 'I hate slow' advertising does not really reflect what speed it offers for mobile internet users and on a good day, it does not offer anything more than dial up speeds. Still I still use them as it is consistent and does not go down just goes slow.

So last Friday I tried to top up Pulsa through my on line banking with Permata only failing twice and having no pulsa and money taken from my bank account.

A phone call to Permata bank on Monday morning to an English speaking customer service person got me a reference number and a guarantee of it being sorted in 7 days. Then an email in English to SmartFren got me a very polite email from them after 8 hours and an acknowledgement that there was an error in the system and I will be refunded.

"thank you for your trust using the product Smartfren.

In connection with the email you send regarding the purchase of credit constraints through your Permata Bank account, we apologize for the inconvenience. After we checked from your Smartfren number 08xxxxxxxxxx172 the transaction is failed, please kindly you can wait for three days work minimum for refund proses from your Bank to your account.

Should you require any further information, service request, or any form of assistance related to Smartfren products and services, you may also use the following customer channels:"

3 days later the money owed was back in my account. This was followed by a phone call from Permata telling me the money had arrived and the issue was resolved.

Good Stuff

Also last week after the latest debacle with the laundry we decided to go and buy a washing machine and so we went to Hypermart in Pejaten Village because they always have great promotions on electrical goods over the weekend. We purchased a washing maching 400k less after discount and it was delivered the next day free of charge and without complaint.

Lets hope I can add to this list of companies here which manage to impress me with their service.

Sunda Kelapa Harbour

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:58:00 +0000

More new teachers and yet another opportunity to visit parts of the city. The city tour is always something I enjoy and look forward too as not only do the teachers see and maybe learn more about the city, I get to choose where to go and normally this involves going somewhere different as well as the usual places and so this trip was not really any different.
We set off from the house loaded with tempe and headed this time into Tebet and then into Manggarai and into Menteng. Passing toilet stores and wheel chair stores which were interesting to see as I have never seen so many crutches, wheelchairs and toilets for sale anywhere else!

In Menteng we passed a nice small park called Surapati Taman which while we were passing had a small band playing and many people taking it easy. I had not seen that before, so again something new.

The goal was to go to the fish market at Muara Angke with a quick stop at the Sunda Kelapa harbour to see the old boats. It being a car free Sunday we managed to get stuck in the traffic after the event and so it longer than expected. And I wanted to get into the harbour another way, so we detoured via Mannga Dua / Ancol and passed the famous Alexis Hotel ( no we never stopped, I am not that brave ) and then into the port through the smaller entrance. We paid 3000 for the car and after a few boats being loaded with cement all of us got out and started walking.

Bobbing about in the water was an old man in a rowing boat who said that he would row about the harbour for 100,000 rupiah but accepted 30,000. We gave him 50,000 at the end as we never had the right money and it was worth it to be honest.
So 3 of us get into this very small boat and duck as we pass under the bows of the ships and then head towards the harbour wall beyond which lies Singapore. What ever the old man was doing was certainly not rowing as we just stayed in the middle of this tiny bit of sea until we all started rowing. We rowed up and down, waving at the fishermen and the men in the ships who looked rather bemused by us before we decided enough fun had been had and got back to dry land. Sadly the boat never had an engine because I would have loved to have further inland and to see whatever there is to be seen, maybe next time.

Our driver had managed to drive off so we continued to walk through the port and after many photos with the workers there, finally found the car and then went to Batavia Marina for a well earned beer and some top food.

Never reaching the fish market, I have vowed to go there next time I organise a city tour with my teachers and will make sure that is the first place we go and not the last.

Easter Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 09:57:00 +0000

Well Good Friday came and went and then Saturday did the same and Easter Sunday wandered by all relatively innocuously to be honest.

I was glad of the break for Friday and then another normal weekend of half day working and the rest of the weekend off to relax.

Friday was spent shopping for stuff for the baby and we managed to get a bumper and a baby bag for all his needs. We ended up in Pejaten Village which is not too far from home and spent most of the day there, eating and wandering around before getting back and chilling out for the rest of the day.
I spent the afternoon on the balcony reading enjoying the view and sunset with a few cold ones to pass the time and ended up watching TV for the evening which is fairly rare for me as I normally just read or sitting with Yovita chatting in the evening.
Around 11pm I noticed a very large electrical storm passing. I took a look for a while and then decided to take some photos with my Galaxy Tab rather than my camera. Taking photos of lightning is no easy task thats for sure but I got some pictures which have now made me more determined to photograph the weather and all it has to offer a bit more seriously. Jakarta has some great weather patterns. Lots of storms and lightning, weird coloured sunsets and suns due to the pollution and very clear nights with the moon showing and I like all that sort of stuff.

Sunset looking away from the sunset

Rainclouds forming over the city and house

Typical night scene

Lightning in the distance

More lightning

Saturday I had to work in the morning so that meant no lie in but by 2pm I was home albeit wet from a storm. We had to go Cilandak Town square (Citos) to see if the store could repair my wedding ring with has cracked open. They said they could and to come back in 2 weeks. We shall see. They also said it will cost 25,000 rupiah, that bit I did not believe.

Eating in Fish and Co I ordered a beer and luckily only the one because I was charged 45,000 for a bottle of Heineken before tax. The fish good. The beer good but so expensive. Water next time.

Sunday I got up late and we proceeded to Ambassador to look for maternity things and spent a few hours wandering around in there before we left feeling hungry and went next door to another gigantic mall Kuninghan City. Looking for restaurants we found ourselves in Mothercare. Much later we left with stuff for the baby before eating and having time to relax.

We got home just before the storm and with enough time to water the plants before it rains solidly without stopping for over an hour. It was a big storm which lasted from 4 until 6 and then lightning lasted until 7.30pm.

As I had nothing better to do because my my internet provider sets the speed at reverse on a Sunday I went had a look. And the sunset was a golden and orange and there was a rainbow and lightning, bright sunshine and also rain all at the same time.

Panoramic of the sky from sunset to rainbow

Sunset

Rainbow

Easter was not really celebrated any other way in my house. No church was attended and no gifts given. But I have been assured Easter chocolate is on the way....

Countdown

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:32:00 +0000

The baby's arrival is imminent and Yovita will start her maternity at the end of the week for 90 days. We have been busy with the buying, washing and visiting such exciting places as Mothercare, The stores in Ambassador, Matahari baby section and other intriguing places to get the bits and pieces we need in pretty much of a hurry.

My mum and Yovitas family have been very helpful so far with lots of stuff being given to help us and it all is proving very useful.

As the day draws nearer and I am now talking weeks rather than months, we have already started to pack the baby bag and plan out the next steps from there.

I am sure once Jeremy has arrived my blog will take on a different slant and direction but I determined to keep writing and posting as much as I can about everything I do and see still as well as my new life with my son.

Laundry

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 09:04:00 +0000

I have been using laundry services here for a good few years now since I have lived on my own and it has made more financial sense to choose this way than get a washing maching and an Iron and then spend my days washing and ironing my clothes instead of doing anything else. And for 7000 a kg everything always comes back clean, pressed and smelling fresh.

However as with most things everywhere in the world, machines break down and systems are never faultless and so over the years I have lost a tie here and there, some socks and more recently some T-shirts and shirts and now all my shorts.

Socks and Ties are not that important. But the t-shirts and the shorts have travelled with me for a very long time. 7 years to be exact but thats not really the point.

So after moving house we have also moved laundry service to one which is more popular but same price and in the last 2 weeks I have 2 pairs of expensive shorts go missing. After visiting the laundry to complain several times, they have said that they will check and let us know if they have gone missing they will pay 45,000 idr as a form of compensation. 45,000 is nowhere near the price of the shorts or the other clothes lost.In fact that is about a tenth of the price to replace with new.

Not being Indonesia in size, I guess my shorts would be sort after as I am an English 36 around the waist and so would be ideal for someone here who is struggling to find new shorts to fit. The other more concerning point is that; on the odd occasion I have had extra clothes (t-shirts, underwear etc) in my clean laundry and I have always returned it as I have no desire to wear strangers clothes especially pants and I do find it weird that other people or rather the locals here don't.

If you see anyone in Indonesian who is wearing that 'FROME' t-shirt, it is mine, it is the only one in this country and it is not theirs. Do tell them that. Ask them where they got it. If they say 'in a shop in Frome' then it is truly theirs. Otherwise its mine. Take their photo so at least I can see how they look!

The shorts too in this picture have also gone missing only last week.

So after all this, I have had to go and buy new shorts which in my size and the fact I am more than particular in style and colour led me to Senayan City to buy them. I guess the 45,000 I will get will cover the cost of the taxi if nothing else.

I guess I should buy a washing machine. I will put that on the list....

Passport Renewal update

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 03:32:00 +0000

After a month or so of waiting I am now the proud owner of a new Passport. It has taken a month mind and the first news I received telling me it was on its way was through the Credit Card charge which appeared but no actual direct contact.

My first post about the process is here: http://mylifejakarta.blogspot.com/2013/02/british-embassy-website-for-indonesia.html

But back to the process.

I send my passport details, photo etc, to the UK consulate in Hong Kong via FedEx through their International Priority mail back in February and it left on a Tuesday and arrived in Hong Kong on the Friday. So much for it being a priority!
Still it was almost fun to track my envelope as it was shipped through Asia.

Then nothing.

The credit card charge actually happens regardless of whether the passport renewal form is correct or not which is not very helpful but there is nothing you can do. I was charged $1895 HK dollars which is the 2.6 million rupiah for the process.

Finally on Wednesday this week, I was handed an A3 DHL envelope and being hardly able to contain my excitement, I found 3 small pieces of paper. One to tell me that my Passport is being processed and will be sent to me direct from the UK via DHL and 2 receipts for charge.

The actual fee for the Passport was $1640 with another $255 HK dollars for the posting and packaging of it to the UK.

And that was that.

Finally Yesterday, Another bright yellow envelope again A3 size arrived this time with my shiny new passport and an invitation to be Organ Donor.

So I am now the proud owner of 2 passports, one which is brand new and is not needed at this moment in time and the other which is being processed by Immigration somewhere in the city.

All bit of a drama really.

Trip to Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 07:25:00 +0000

One of the drawbacks of living and working in Indonesia is that you have to go to out of the country at certain points to renew your working visa and if your visa is like mine then that means annually.
At some point over the past few months there has been a glitch in the system resulting in Immigration not being able to grant me permission to renew my existing visa and so since January I have been on a tourist visa which is apparently perfectly legal and not dodgy at all and I have accompanying letters to prove it. I also never saw my passport for 2 months as it was living in Immigration either at Kota Tua or in Kunginhan and the panic from above has resulted in me getting a new passport as my current one has less than 4 empty pages left and that is a source of concern and technically makes life harder when you try to leave the country, however as that is a source of discomfort that is all I am prepared to say about that in my blog.

So finally I was given the nod and told I would be off to Singapore for the day to renew my visa for the year and on Friday last week I went.

The day started at 3am because I had a taxi booked at 3.30. By 4.15 I was in the airport terminal and queuing to check in for the 6.30 flight to Singapore with Lion Air. You have to pay the airport tax at the counter of 150,000 idr and then from there get through immigration. Immigration depending on the officer and the mood he or she is in can be either really simple or very stressful with them asking far too many questions about what you have been doing, where and with who. Luckily for me I am just stamped out and there were no problems.

I have not flown internationally for a year and so the departure area whilst still shut and depressing at 4.30am has changed a little. Starbucks is still there if you turn to the left and head towards gate D and now before that is Old Town Coffee, which as I was too lazy to walk to Starbucks was a welcome place to sit and drink rather good coffee and also they do some great fried eggs on toast.
Fuelled up and full of coffee I met one of my teachers who was also getting her visa and went to the boarding gate.
Jakarta Airport has actually installed some security, belts and shoes off, phones etc off and in a tray and lots of manual checks which was both annoying and good to see at the same time.

Even at the Airport, there are traffic queues

The flight from Jakarta to Singapore was on time and no problem. Nothing of any real interest happened nor should it. I was next to an exit so I had extra leg room and that was good. I cant sleep on planes so I remained awake while the man sat next to me did a good job at trying to keep the whole flight awake with his snoring.

Landing at Singapore we traversed the security, got stamped into the country without any issue, got into a Smart Taxi and $23 Sing Dollars later were with the agent who collects and processes the passports. The meeting place is by the Hilton hotel and for new teachers and people working in Indonesia it all seems a lot dodgy but it works so why worry.
By 10am the day was ours and for the next 6 hours we were free to do what ever we pleased. My teacher went off on her own and I stumbled to a restaurant to eat and wake up.
After a while I got bored so I took a walk ending up in a place called Redhill. From there I jumped on the MRT to China Town.
China town was busy and bustly and there was quite a lot of things to do there. I had a good wander round and then got suddenly tired and bored and so jumped back on the MRT and back to ION mall and Orchard Road.

At 4pm the Agent arrived at the designated meeting spot (McDonalds) and with my passport and visa all correct, I met my teacher and we jumped back on the MRT to the Airport to catch the last flight home and get some sleep.

Lion Air was only 25 minutes late taking off so we got back around 10.40pm and after another hassle less Immigration encounter we were met by our driver and took home. With my teachers living and working in Puri Indah it is now a mere 20 minutes on the toll from the airport and once she was dropped off, it was or rather should have been a fast tol road home. However, Indonesia being Indonesia and Jakarta being Jakarta, we did not realise that once 10pm comes then all the trucks that are banned from entering the city during the day, enter the city and so it took an hour to go from Meruya toll to Tomang where we promptly got off the toll and 40 minutes later, I was home.

It was a good but rather long day (at 21 hours all ) but I am pleased to have my visa and for a change it was a good trip and a nice day away from the city.

Happily enough I wont have to go back for some time now which is even better news....

Yamaha Bike Service

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 08:47:00 +0000

Compared to Honda there are far fewer service or repair shops for Yamaha. Living in an area full of motorbikes there are hundreds of little stores that service or allow bikes to be serviced on site. Opposite my house there is a bike repair shop which deals mainly for punctures and tyres, the odd oil change and the owner is always to happy to put more air in your bikes tyres for you. I use him now and again. He helped sort out my chain when it was too loose and for 5,000 rupiah I had the chain tightened and the tyres checked. You cant argue with that.
However, me being me and having a total lack of knowledge or interest in how any machine works I am more than happy to have my bike serviced in a Manufacturer approved Yamaha repair shop so that I can feel more confident that the bike is OK, well maintained and wont let me down.

I have found luckily in every area where I have worked or lived a reliable Yamaha service repair shop and they have all been OK except the one in Kebon Jeruk which managed to damage by front wheel when it replaced the tyres for me back in April.

A service center

http://mylifejakarta.blogspot.com/2012/04/yamaha-bike-tires.html for that post.

My bike is a Yamaha Jupiter MX 135cc and is just over 3 years old and has just over 19,000km on the clock which is good. It has been serviced 12 times but not as regularly as it should have been but it still goes fast enough.

To date the following has been replaced:

Oil (many times)
Brakes front and back (several times)
Tyres
Spark Plugs
Throttle cable
Wheel bearings
Chain and mesh
Coolant
Air filter

and the cost for all that is no more than 2 million in 3 years which is pretty good in my opinion. Add the fuel costs I have spent over the last 3 years of lets say 8.5 million and that's 10.5 million spent over 3 years which is fantastic.

Breaking down the service costs for parts

Basic Charge 40,000
Brakes 75,000
Brake pad 15,000
Oil 29,000
Bearings 83,000
Missing cover screws 2,000
Throttle cable 60,000
Spark Plug 12,000
Chain and Sprocket 159,000
Oil etc for chain 20,000
Brake shoes 52,000
Coolant 36,000
Air Cleaner 35,000
Tyres each 200,000

These are what I have been charged and so don't quote me as I am sure the price will be different here and there but it is a good guide.

I also normally Shell for fuel rather than Pertamina mainly because the service is quick and friendly, there are no queues and the actual fuel is slightly better for the engine, however I do sometimes use the subsidised fuel and it does save me money. 50% normally. But riding home after a long day, I really just want to get home so stopping in a Shell station and refilling takes about 5 minutes tops whereas Pertamina can be double and they will spill the fuel and not clean it up where as Shell does!

The bike today

When the time comes to replace the bike through old age and a feeling of the real need for something else then I will continue with Yamaha. I have had a Honda but up to now (as I touch wood) my bike has not stopped, broken down or refused to start ever, the Honda did.

British Embassy Website for Indonesia

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 12:01:00 +0000

Some help and a moan about help for Passport renewal from Indonesia. The changes have been made only this week.

The site http://ukinindonesia.fco.gov.uk/en/ has undergone some kind of enhancement and improvement process by which all information regarding passport renewals goes to this page:

https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports ,

where it will give you 3 boxes to check and then provide the forms for you. So its quite friendly, however what it omits to tell you is whether you still need to just copy the page in your existing passport containing your photo and details and just send that. The old site used to. The reason it used to advise that is because if you are in Indonesia you are likely to be stopped and your passport is required for proof of legal entry here. This information is sort of crucial and is missing.

Also the link http://ukinindonesia.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/ takes you to a page with the link http://ukinindonesia.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/ which has another link in blue http://ukinindonesia.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/# WHICH DOES NOT WORK and even if you copy it onto the browser and press enter it will take you to exactly the same page.

So if you want to go any further you need to go here: https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports and follow the instuctions already mentioned.

From some frantic searching if you go here it very simply tells you what you need to send (your passport is not apparently required according to this site but dont blame me if it is)

http://uk-passport-service-guide.com/british-passport-hong-kong/

So here is what I am doing as I need to renew my passport.

I have completed the relevant C1 forms. I have had them checked by another Englishman who recently sent off for his renewal to make sure they are correct. I have new passport photos following the advice https://www.gov.uk/photos-for-passports neither of which are counter signed as they are just for renewing my passport.
I have filled out the credit card payment form and signed, this can be found on the overseas-passports site along with the C1 (this is called the blank application form) the online one can be used if you have Adobe reader but I do not.

I will copy my details and slide it all into an envelope, take it to DHL pay around 300,000 for recorded post and send it here:

British Consulate-General
RPPC - 5th Floor
1 Supreme Court Road
Hong Kong

and wait at least 4 weeks for a new one to be delivered to me.

So really quite a simple process.....

My next challenge is to get a list of train times from Jakarta to Bandung out of the Kereta APi website. Wish me luck!

A storm

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 16:25:00 +0000

Not the perfect storm by any means, but a storm that was strong enough to flood parts of the city, bring it to a standstill and clear up the air a little. The bulk of it lasted for an hour but it finally stopped raining around 7pm. Now its all clear skies and stars...

Before as the clouds move over the city

Heavy rain is spreading

The view is starting to disappear with the sheer volume of rain falling

And the rain has blocked the view completely with in 30 minutes of it starting to rain

But after another twenty minutes the rain has passed and the buildings become visible again

Until the view is pretty much back to normal

This is what I can see on a clear sunny day

Been a while since I have seen a storm like that although I know I have been in far too many but I am normally working when they happen and just look out of the window and then move on.

I am sure the result of the storm has been pretty bad for many but I am also pretty certain that it will be seen as a blessing with Chinese New Year tomorrow.

Work

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 11:26:00 +0000

I get the odd comment from people that I lead the lifestyle they can only dream of. One which appears to include little work, lots of photos of blue skies and palm trees and presenting a positive picture. Which on the whole it is. Mainly because I live in a tropical country which has an awful lot of blue skies and palm trees. I also work 50 hours plus a week. That bit perhaps is not so widely known.

I work for English First Indonesia and my centre is in Puri Indah, west Jakarta. I have worked for EF for 6 years now and despite some western peoples opinions I enjoy the work, the environment and the lifestyle it affords me.

The reception area of my centre at Puri Indah

I start work somedays at 8 and some at 11 and never finish before 7 as a rule. I also work almost every Saturday morning. I don't complain about that because I understand that is something that is required of me and I agreed to doing it and enjoy it so why moan? I also travel through the city every day on a motorbike to get to work and back and that normally takes around 45 minutes each way. The reason I live so far from work is purely a personal one for my wife and a decision which I made. The journey by bike is pretty straight forward except experiencing life of death moments every day and due to the pollution I am sure the air I breathe is the same as smoking 30 cigarettes a day.

My work is always fun, never dull, always challenging and teaching and training always has its rewards and so I am never bored. Just lke working anywhere else in the world, there are good days and bad days but every day is different as are the people I work with.

My team is a mix of western and Indonesian teachers and staff. I have worked with teachers from many western countries and backgrounds who are here for many different reasons which adds to the fun.

Working for the worlds largest provider of English language teaching also has its merits, such as its ability to provide new and exciting courses, training, promotional opportunities and so on.

However, working and living in Indonesia for me is different to working and staying in Indonesia. The difference being the lifestyle and the responsibility. Now being married with a child on the way, life is more real for me, in the sense that there is very little difference to how it used to be for me back in England (except I was not married nor expecting a child) but the rest is the same. Bills, Shopping, making ends meet etc. These things are the same throughout the world.

So, when I do get the opportunity to post photos and comment about how wonderful it is out here, it is exactly that. I am fortunate that I can if I choose go somewhere in a country of islands and be on a paradise island with in a couple of hours. That is something I am grateful for and which makes living here so much better. I am also in the middle of a city of 20 million people and that also has its rewards and fun bits.

With a family to support now, the trips are less frequent. Moving to the house we are in now in a way helps make up for that. Why? well this is the first time I have been able to blog outside in the cooler evening air, with blue skies and whispy white clouds above, looking out at the tall and not so tall buildings to the north and listening to some guy at the local mosque telling us all something before its prayer time.

Sitting here is exactly what I need now and I shall continue to enjoy it for a long time coming.

Why complain about that?

Moving House

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:45:00 +0000

Moving house is never easy however for me it was not hard. The rent was up on the place we called a house. The house which was burgled, ran out of water, was built on top of an ants nest, had water running out of the walls and was never really that great, but it was our first home and finally it was empty again as the rent was up and we had no desire to stay another year.

Back in October we put a deposit down on a house further into Mampang. It was still being built and it will be ideal for the baby which will be arriving in May.

Unfortunately I had to work away upto Friday and so the majority of the packing was left to my wife and the maid. Also we had to pay the money to the landlady upfront before Saturday and so by the time I arrived home from the conference and we got to the bank, we were unable to transfer it electronically but took the cash instead and popped round to pay and get the keys.

After walking through our new house, we notice the roof was leaking and a few other issues which left me a little miffed but the landlady lives next door and has stated she will sort out all the problems and she is being good to her word. So we left to go back to finish the packing.

Goodbye to that

Hello to this

Saturday morning came and by 8.30am we were ready and all we needed to do was wait for the truck and the men we had hired to do the dirty work.

They arrived and 3 trips later all was moved and the old place was locked and the very unenjoyable task of unpacking began. First thing first, fridge on and beer back in! priorities.

Then some cleaning and sort the bedroom out. After a good few hours, It was all clean, done and put away. All we needed then was Indovision to come and reinstall the TV and it was like we always had been there.

During the day, workmen were on the roof sorting that out, and they have assured me it wont leak again. It is raining hard now so its a good time to check. One of the ACs was leaking and they have fixed that, and now they need to come back and do some painting.

Sunday saw us going Ace at Tebet Green to get some bits and pieces for the house. So we choose the furniture and other things we needed. We asked for delivery and they said Wednesday at the earliest. They then asked us if we were member and we said no and so they said no to delivering the things we wanted to buy. After more discussion they then said that they could deliver but it would cost us 150,000 idr or 10% of the purchase and still Wednesday. After asking if I could pay with my Permata debit card and they then saying no, I left. No deal, left the things on the counter. Walked out vowing never to return.

The wife then called her neighbour who's truck we used on Saturday and got him to take us to Ace at Pejaten. This time, armed with credit cards and a truck we bought more there than we would have and had no issues with service or anything and was done within an hour. The cost of the truck was 2 pizzas for him and his family. A far nicer delivery charge.

So now we have more furniture and the place is coming together nicely.

The balcony, my favourite place

Tuesday we woke at 4am to the notion that there was a power cut only to find it was just our house which had no power. After 8am we spoke to the landlady who told us the house used Pulsa top up for electricity so off we went to buy some and then typed in the code in the meter and the lights came on and the water ran. Now that we know, we can budget the electricity and spend our time sat in the dark saving money.

And finally, Indovision came and erected the satellite dish and we have HBO and rubbish TV again. Joy.

So its taken a week and few stresses to get in and settled but we are. It is a lovely house with a great view, big rooms and space to put things. It is modern and new. It has big gates at the front and is in a far safer area than the last house. There is a Padang restaurant around the corner and a coconut store opposite as well as everything else within walking distance including an ATM so it is better located. Taxis will have to be booked but at least they will come. The local mosque does scream a bit during call to prayer but it cant be heard in the bedroom and after this long it liiving in Indonesia the call becomes more background noise than anything else.

Some panoramic views

We still have to get more things for the house and also start getting things for the baby so I guess by this time next year we will have got it all sorted. I am hoping we wont have to move again for a good couple of years. Whilst not that stressful, I can think of better things to do over a weekend.

Trip to Anyer

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 08:44:00 +0000

Recently as part of a team building exercise all the staff from my centre at EF Puri went off to Anyer for a weekend of socialising and games and relaxing. This is the second time I have been to the west coast of Java and it was a nice break from Jakarta.

We set off in a big rain storm and passed through the countryside of Java which is mainly fields and trees and small villages with big industries in the distance and by 4pm we were somewhere near the coast.

Anyer is close to Jakarta and it is a popular get away from the city and only 3 hours from the city. You take the toll to Cilegon and then head off the toll past the huge industrial plants of Kracatau steelworks and then over a bumpy road you eventually start seeing hotels, villas,beaches and the sea.
The coast line is not really that amazing as the beaches are small and the sea is wild but the sea is reasonably clean and on a clear day you can see the islands where Kracatau (Kracatao volcano) used to be and where the new island is forming deep in the Sunda Straits. You can also see the tip of Sumatra as well.

The trip to Anyer was pretty much an uneventful affair as the bus hurtled along the toll way. We did pass some flooded fields and went through some very heavy rain but that was pretty much it. We stopped at some Indomart for a toilet break and some snacks and then headed off to the beach resort that is Bulakan Beach.

We arrived there at 5.30pm and once the rooms were sorted out (29 of us into 4 rooms) time was our own until 7.30pm when we were to eat. So, we all wandered about taking photos and chatting.
After dinner, the need for some beer took over and so a few of us wandered off out of the resort to find some. We were shown to a small hut that sold stuff. It took a while to find as there was a power cut and so the whole place was pitch black. The small hut did indeed sell beer but at 23,000 for a can of Anker we decided to search elsewhere.

This is where I slept

This is involved a 2km wander down a pitch black pot holed road in the middle of nowhere dodging the holes in the road, cars, motorbikes, motorbikes with no lights and trucks carry huge excavators and stuff. Eventually a small bus trundled past and stopped a little further down the road. The driver locked rather stunned when 3 western men climbed on from nowhere and then got off again 600 metres later as we had found an Indomart and so happy once more. It did not sell beer.

At the end of the pier

The whole pier

The beach

Views of the beaches and coast

night time lights

waiting to eat

Leaving there armed with coke and more snacks we walked back in the relative safety of random lights as the power had been restored and once we eventually got back to the resort, went and sat in on pier refusing offers of durian from the locals there.
Around 9.30pm, there was another power out and then it decided to start raining. Not just a little drizzle but a full on storm. So in the dark, with the waves crashing below, the rain belting down and the thunder crashing over head we stayed on the pier for over an hour because we could not see the way back, and wind, rain and waves made it a little more impossible to do so. Once the rain had died down however we were treated to an amazing lightning storm which was very impressive. We eventually got to the villa at 11.30pm.

The next morning the storms had waned and blue skies started breaking through. I wandered about taking photos before breakfast and then after breakfast we had some team building games which were, er, fun.

It was quite nice once the sun started shining

The best bit was when the boss instructed everyone must swim in the sea and no-one was exempt. Throwing in the admin staff into the sea was very satisfying, although I did apologise for getting her veil wet but she seemed not to mind and swam off!

The swimming and larking about lasted for a few hours and with the sun out and the air clear, sunburn hit a few of us.

Finally blue skies

Teachers and staff

Where we stayed

Once we had all showered and sorted ourselves out, we ate in the restaurant opposite the hotel and then clambered back on the bus for the return trip home, which like the trip to Anyer was rain filled and quick.

It was a good weekend away from the noise and chaos of the city and a fun time was had by all. Next year I think we will go to Puncak.

For more information about the place we stayed go here:

http://www.bulakanbeach.com/
http://placestostayindonesia.blogspot.com/2013/01/bulakan-beach-house-carita.html

Flooding 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 09:56:00 +0000

When I arrived in 2007 into Indonesia, the city of Jakarta suffered its worst flooding for 5 years with some parts of the city 4 meters deep in river, sea and sewage water. Living in the west of the city near the airport made it near impossible to get into the city however also being new to the city I knew very little of it anyway, Jaksa, Senayan, Grogol and that was about it. So yes the floods were a disaster but never really affected me.

Due to its geographical location, Jakarta has basically been built on marsh and swamp or reclaimed land from the sea. There are 13 rivers which pour through the city all being fed from the hills and mountains in Puncak, through the over populated city of Bogor then into the urban sprawl of Greater Jakarta, through the city and then into the sea. However with the urbanisation of flood plain, river banks, lack of planning, drainage, control, rules, care etc this has meant that the city now floods into a great big mess resulting financial and personal loss and the further disruptment of already disrupted people.

However, like 2007, this year I missed the majority of the flooding because happily enough as the rain was coming down in buckets I was heading to the hills and a conference in Bogor so, all I got to see was the new paper reports and pictures and the wife telling me the roof was leaking in the house.

For many alas, it has not been so simple. The city to the west (where I used to live) is still under water as it is in the north.

The map below gives a good idea of the size of the floods, use the zoom key to explore it better

Some one once told me it was wise to live on a hill, not at the very bottom but on a hill nevertheless as you will never experience flooding. And so I have always done that. Saturday I moved house and I moved again to a street on a decline into a small river so there is no chance of flooding, plus my drive or car port at its very highest is at least 80cm higher than road.

The floods here have been terrible for rich and poor and I do feel sorry for almost everyone, except this perso below n in his car. A roller here can cost over a $1 million USD more than 95% of all Indonesians will earn in their entire lives, so driving it through the floods and then getting stuck, what were you thinking?serves you right. The driver even had a policeman to help get him out of trouble.

These people above however show how the rest of the affected had to deal with getting to safety. I am sure the girl is being helped by an emergency rescuer. Good for you. And I hope they get the help they need.

That said. Since I have arrived back in the city on Friday, the trains have begun to run again, the Transjakarta busway is running almost normally with the exception of a couple of routes and where I am the city is hot and dry. I hope the last few days is the only very bad rain the city gets. But as it has not stopped raining in Puncak behind Bogor for over a week, the rivers will continue to be full and the chances of it all going away are limited for the next few days to say the least.

Some links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Jakarta_Flood

http://www.google.org/intl/en/crisisresponse/2013-jakarta-flood.html

http://www.thejakartapost.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21055978

2013

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:19:00 +0000

Well 2013 is now in full swing and everything returns to the status quo it was before Christmas and the New Year Period. For me, that meant sobering up from a most fantastic New Year out in West Jakarta, stood in the rain, wearing 3 sizes too small flip flops, drunk, listening to bizarre Dangdut and watching the local police and security guards dance while the women look on probably bored but somewhat amused.
The city shut down its major road and 200,000 people trampled all the plants and left lots of litter and had a thoroughly good time seeing 2013 in.

Jakarta celebrating 2013

My head hurt thats for sure. Burger King saved the day....

A day later and its back to work and off we go again. 8 days in and sadly the celebrations and holidays are fading fast and all is left is the Christmas chocolate and some beers in the fridge and they are going fast.

The plans for the year so far look like this:

January I am off to Carita with my colleagues and also Bogor for a conference. I should also be in Singapore for a day all being well. I also move house
March, we are off to Bali if the doctor says yes.
May I will be a Father and the nappy days begin....

Actually I have done nothing since New Years day apart from working and it all gets a bit busier for me outside after this weekend. I am looking forward to that.

NYE in England

noreply@blogger.com (starkravingsober) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 17:43:00 +0000

Mr Lukey has asked me to guest write for his blog again, and I'm thrilled and happy to do so :0)

It is a big honour to be asked not once, but twice to do this for anyone, not least as he has taken so much time and effort to make this a page worth reading as well as a valuable resource for anyone wanting to know how to travel painlessly and in comfort in Indonesia.

I have a small confession though, my brief was to write about Christmas in Blighty and put up some nice pictures; this I cannot do as I wasn't really paying much attention last week and didn't get my camera out. Sorry.

I can make a few notes about New Years though. I moved from London to Bristol in the UK a few weeks ago to be with my partner Mr ChrisP. From the short amount of time that I've spent here, I've discovered not a lot and, as such, wasn't holding out for a particularly exciting NYE. I did find a nice looking event at a place called the Southbank which was offering Swing Dance, some circus stuff and a Ska band; so off we went.

Turned out to be a lovely village hall kind of set up with a bar and a buffet; people of around our age group who wanted to have a nice night out and not get drunk and pass out in the middle of the M32 motorway by 8pm after glassing some random dog walker. Actually having fun things to do and interesting things to watch made for a decent distraction from ourselves and the wine list too.

The Aerial Silks lady:

Mr ChrisP has a very good habit of folding lots of little bits of paper into various animals and then leaving his trail of creative litter where ever we go.

The couple who shared our table ended up having an instructional session with him; this later escalated to balloon modelling (yes, we came with our usual bag of circus tricks), but for some reason I didn't make a record of the plethora of balloon dogs that came next.

The Ska Band was very good too, more melodic than shouty so kinder on the ears than other groups I've heard recently :0)

I drove us home at midnight, as once we had finished singing Alde Lasagna, some pissed bloke had decided to start smashing a chair into the floor and the back of Mr ChrisP's legs and break beer glasses at the same time.
I've had years and years of putting up with that behaviour, time to go home now.

We woke up this morning, New Years Day 2013, to find not a cloud in the sky and decided to go out to Weston Super Mare to go see The Sea.

Tide was out, so people were out on the sand getting their trainers soaked and the wind in their hair. We opted to go on The Grand Pier on the search for a cup of tea.

Ended up doing better than that though and found a posh Tiffany Tea Room and had a fancy pants Afternoon Tea there.

Also took the opportunity to play with the new 100x zoom binoculars we'd bought in the sales, you could see the fleas on a dog's back on the island of Steep Holme across the water.

And naturally Mr ChrisP couldn't resist his dose of ARRRR for the afternoon.

New Years Resolutions? Not made any. I guess I'll try to be happy this year, concentrate on making a place for myself in the West Country and may come and visit Mr Lukey in a few months time.

Stay well world :0)

And Happy 2013 xxx

Farewell 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 17:17:00 +0000

My final post for the year is a mix of things and some flashy gifs. I am sad to see this year end and delighted it has. I am looking forward like every new year with intrepidation and excitement but 2013 will be the biggest year of my life so far, and this one was huge.

So dear readers to help you with a list of New Year greetings here you go.

ARABIC سنة جديدة سعيدة

CANTONESE sun lin fi lok / kung hé fat tsoi

CHINESE (MANDARIN) 新年快了 (xin nian kuai le) / 新年好 (xin nian hao)

DUTCH gelukkig nieuwjaar

FINNISH onnellista uutta vuotta

FRENCH bonne année

GERMAN glückliches neues Jahr

HINDI नया साल मुबारक

INDONESIAN selamat tahun baru

GAELIC bhliain nua sásta

ITALIAN buon anno

JAPANESE 明けましておめでとうございます

KOREAN 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (seh heh bok mani bat uh seyo)

LAO sabai di pi mai

LATIN felix annus novus

NORWEGIAN godt nyttår

POLISH szczęśliwego nowego roku

PORTUGUESE feliz ano novo

PUNJABI ਨਵੇਂ ਸਾਲ ਦੀਆਂ ਵਧਾਈਆਂ (nave saal deeyan vadhaiyaan)

RUSSIAN c Новым годом

SPANISH feliz año nuevo

SWEDISH gott nytt år

THAI สวัสดีปีใหม่ (sawatdii pimaï)

TURKISH yeni yılınız kutlu olsun

VIETNAMESE Chúc mừng năm mới

WELSH blwyddyn newydd dda

ZULU unyaka omusha omuhle

Found all this on the net and through Google Translate, if anyone is wondering and yes all the gifs here I found using the word free.

Some musings:

“Hope
Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
Whispering 'it will be happier'...” ― Alfred Tennyson

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow" - Albert Einstein.

And one to consider more...

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. ~Bill Vaughan

Happy New year one and all.

Farewell and goodbye 2012,

Welcome 2013.

2012 in pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:04:00 +0000

2012 is nearly over and 2013 is almost here. I will post more before 2013 but here is my year in photos.

January

Fireworks. Bali Beach on New Years Morning and at Central Park for Chinese new Year. A great way to start the new year

February. Moving to my first rented house in Mampang.

Skip to May as nothing really happened in the next 2 months. Well nothing it seemed I took photos of.

May

A flurry of all things English as Debenhams started selling Jubliee stuff at English prices. But made me feel proud.

Bali. Say no more

A sunset in my house

The Wellmen trying to sort the well out. They did, but it got worse and we eventually started to run out of water. Things got better once it rained but that was in October.

June. My birthday. A trip to Bandung to see the volcanoes and the month some thieving bastards broke into my house and took valuables, laptops, wedding rings and clothing. Bastards.

Happier times in July. I spent a week with my parents in Bali and I also married my partner and best friend Yovita.

August saw city tours and the peace and quiet of Idul Fitry hitting Jakarta. So I went to the zoo.

Birds on view at Pramuka Bird Market

Komodo Dragons at the Zoo and the ever helpful sign explaining where everything is, which is designed to be unhelpful.

Bung Karno Stadium was also visited at 6am on a Sunday morning....

And of course there is always room for a shot of Sudirman empty during Idul Fitry.

Nothing much happened in September, except smiley doughnuts and me riding into Pasar Baru twice a week for work.

October saw the return of mangoes and my wedding in the local paper in England.

November brought big rain and the nightmare of walking into a mall to find hundreds of Man Utd fans all chanting 'we're going to wembley' and 'glory glory Man Utd'. Wrong.

So then there was December. Hotels, Christmas, crazy floods and its not over yet...........

The Mulia.

Panoramic views from the Mulia and Millennium hotels respectively.

Gifts from Home and the Tree at Eastern Promise.

Floods.

There we go. a whole year in 30'ish pictures. Every picture a tale to tell and a memory to share or something like that.

Getting around in Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 08:16:00 +0000

There are so many variations to the transport here in the city that it is hard to classify them all. The amount of buses and taxis and motorbike taxis and trains and unofficial buses and private cars and hired cars and trucks carrying people around the city is staggering, some days I am certain everyone is one the move. Lets not forget the bimos, bajaij and anything else I have forgotten.

AC buses and non AC buses, executive buses and hole in the floor buses are all here all at once going all over the city.

However you wont catch me on many buses that's for sure. I am uncomfortable on the smaller, noisier, more dangerous ones because they are quite simple a hazard. So I prefer taxis. I wont take Ojeks because I ride and find Ojeks not too careful and they don't provide helmets. I will take the bus, the Transjakarta Bus if I have to because despite all its faults it is efficient at getting people around the city when the bus lanes are not full with traffic slowing it all down. Also when the buses themselves are not over crowded.

Today was one of those days when I braved the busway and took it down into the city, changing once at DukuAtas2 as I was going from Mampang to FX in Sudirman. That's a record 4 times this year!

The cost is still 3500 and for that you get an AC bus with attendant and attendants at every station. A supposedly clear road and a quick tour of the city.
The buses are either Orange, Blue or Grey and every station I have been too has a map or at least signs telling you where you can go but the buses themselves have no such information.

The buses today were thankfully empty, probably because I took them at lunch time so there were many people praying and working. I wont be taking the bus home tonight due to the rain and fact I don't want to be like a sardine squashed into a bus, no, I will take a taxi home. It may cost far more but it will be worth it.

Buses JTM 031 and JET 029 clearly have seen better days and maybe they will be taken out of service for transjakarta and then used by some else here to ride around the city.

The first bus had broken doors and loose wiring hanging out and holes in the floor, while the second bus had loose seats and holes in the floor. Both were dirty. I am not surprised by any of this however, as I can imagine the buses are constantly in service and because it is Indonesia, they wont get fixed until things actually fall off and then they will be repaired at the cheapest least effective way.

All the above are from JTM 031 which goes from DukuAtas2 to Ragnuan. What the blocks are for I don't know

This is from Jet 029 and is definitely in need of some repairs

The stations themselves appear to be maintained there were signs of decorating and repair in several of the stations along the way.

However the trip itself for the money was quick and painless and OK for a now and again option and the views are nice.

Christmas Hideaway

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 02:48:00 +0000

To help celebrate Christmas and also to have a break from city living we decided to check into a hotel for a couple of nights and enjoy the lack of anything to do for a few days.
Last year was the Akmani and it was good but this year it has been the Millennium hotel at Sirih in Jakarta just behind Thamrin.

Millennium hotels are a global chain and from memory I have used the chain before. Once in 2006 for my last trip before Indonesia when I went to New York for New Year and then again in 2007 in Jakarta.

The hotel is a 3 or 4 star hotel and is currently being renovated so getting into the hotel initially required going down into the basement and then taking a lift to the lobby.

I have more about the hotel here http://placestostayindonesia.blogspot.com/2012/12/millennium-hotel-jakarta.html

The view from the window overlooked the city to the east and it is an impressive view which was good.

Panaramic view from my hotel window

To be honest I can't stay in a hotel room for too long as the walls start to close in so we spent yesterday in Central Park and City Walk and both evenings in Thamrim.

We went to Ocha and Bella, the Italian bistro at the Morrisey near Jacksa for some dinner but with pizza being 130,000 idr and pasta dishes at 90,000 we settled for the buy one get one beer and the free bread before moving up to Ya Uhdas restaurant for equally good for as long as you did not want rice because they had run out.

Thamrin at night

Yovita wanted to take me to a new coffee place called Liberica which she found in Pacific Place and also in Central Park so we went to Central Park. The mall is at the end of the day well designed and the gardens and landscaping outside is lovely especially in the morning before the crowds get there and start photographing everything they see. The coffee, yep it was nice.

Liberica is opposite Sogo outside in Trebeca

City Walk, Sudirman

Today the wife is back to work and I am off to ride the buses home and then meet her later for dinner. Should be fun.

Celebrating Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:08:00 +0000

This year, like last the decision was made to stay home in Jakarta and have Christmas day in the city. Whilst not ideal it still sounded like a good idea and in fact it was.
However, unlike last year, I did not stay in a hotel for Christmas rather leaving that to a few nights a night later (another post on that to follow, I am sure) and so we settled down to enjoy the festivities er on TV?

Christmas Eve started with lots of hope and expectation and I wanted to enjoy a decent English breakfast so we headed off to Bangers and Mash in Kemang only to find that it was closed, so from there we went to Citos or Cilendak Town Square and ate in a German restaurant which was excellent.
Getting back home in the late afternoon, beer and rubbish TV was the order of the day and whilst I waited for midnight to come and Christmas day to arrive, I decided to follow Santa as he delivered his presents across the world with the Google Santa Tracker app on Android. I had already downloaded the Norad application and with them both running Santa seemed to be going to different places at the same time and then as it neared 11pm or midnight in Bali, Santa had magically delivered all the presents for Indonesia and was off to Singapore. Now as a believer I was stunned to see that clearly someone or thing had forgotten how silly and odd the time zones are in Asia with Bali being on the same time as Singapore but Bangkok is not as it is the same as Jakarta.... Still.

If you look at the bottom right hand corner it says 23.06

Christmas morning was up early and into the presents and it was a great experience and definitely a Christmassy moment in otherwise lacklustre season. Lacklustre because despite the malls and restaurants ramping up the season greetings with trees, music and Santas etc, the streets and mood around had not moved at all. This was not helped by one of the largest Moslem movements in the country declaring it was 'haram' or forbidden to say happy Christmas or join in in any Christmas celebrations if you were a muslim. What a happy place. Someone commented that it is OK and acceptable to give to Muslims when they are celebrating Ramadhan etc but not for them to do the same when another faith has a major festival. I am generalising with that statement because despite the information from this governing body, everyone I met regardless of faith was wishing me happy Christmas, so I guess the general population can clearly make its own mind up about what is correct or not to say at Christmas but the overtones about lack of tolerance again is worrying. (Read more by clicking the link)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/12/24/mui-nixes-christmas-sby.html

Presents opened, New shirt on, Yovita and I headed again like last year to Eastern Promise in Kemang for Christmas lunch with some friends.

The lunch was fantastic again like last year. It was also a plated affair not a buffet like the year before. Turkey, gravy, Stuffing, all the beer we could drink and a most splendid afternoon enjoying ourselves whilst outside was thundery and raining very heavily.
The day could not gone any better and it was for me one of the best Christmas days for many a year.

Top menu, top food and a decent price as it was tax included.

The girls decided that they wanted to go to a mall for 'decent' coffee and so we left EP and headed towards Pacific Place where they could drink coffee in a cafe called Liberica and the boys went to De Burse for more beer and cheer.

This is the one in Central Park, I am told they all look the same

Finally around 9pm we left the bar and headed our separate ways. Mother phoned to wish us all a merry Christmas which was nice and I hopefully was not too drunk talking to her, if I was then it wont have been the first time.

So Christmas Day in Jakarta this year was well spent and was lots of fun. It wass a national holiday here but out in the streets it certainly did not feel like it as well, life goes on. Next year? well that remains to be seen. I would like to be somewhere else for the day but where, that I don't know yet.