Jakarta News

Cost of Living Jakarta 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:51:00 +0000

The information below is an updated version of a post I made back in 2010. Some things have got more expensive somethings less and I have introduced more currencies and items.
The prices are an average price, from my last shopping trip at either Carrefour or Giant and from experiences I have had recently.
The rental prices for apartments are again average prices based on prices where I am currently living.

Useful Information Jakarta and Indonesia

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:11:00 +0000

Below are a fair few websites I have put together to help find things across Indonesia and Jakarta if you are searching for information.
I have provided links direct to websites or to other sites such as wikipedia and you can go from there. The list also is not an complete list as, well, that's what Google is for but this should help you with some information I am sure.


Banks

http://www.klikbca.com/default.html?langID=2

http://www.permatabank.com/

http://www.bni.co.id/

http://www.bri.co.id/

http://www.bankmandiri.co.id/index_en.asp

http://www.cimbniaga.com/

http://www.danamon.co.id/

Entertainment

Cinema

http://www.blitzmegaplex.com/en/index.php

http://www.21cineplex.com/

Expat

http://www.expat.or.id/

http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.org/

http://www.expat-blog.com/en/directory/asia/indonesia/

General

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/id.html

Health

http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/destinations/asia/indonesia.php

Legal

Diplomatic Missions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_in_Indonesia

Visa Rules

http://www.learn4good.com/travel/indonesia_visa.htm

Weather

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/6301224

Living

Supermarkets

http://www.carrefour.co.id/

http://www.lottemart.co.id/

http://www.hypermart.co.id

http://www.alfamartku.com/

http://indomaret.co.id/

Malls

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_shopping_malls_in_Indonesia

Property

http://ljhooker.co.id/

http://www.rumah123.com

http://www.indoproperty.com/

Media

TV Satelite

http://www.indovision.tv/

http://www.telkomvision.com/

Newspapers

http://www.thejakartapost.com/

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/

www.straitstimes.com

http://www.kompas.com/

Nature

http://www.indonesianfauna.com/

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/index.php?region=Indonesia

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Indonesia/description_indonesia_volcanics.html

http://www.volcanolive.com/indonesia.html

Nightlife

http://www.jakarta100bars.com/

http://www.whatsnewjakarta.com

Other

Couriers

http://www.posindonesia.co.id/

http://www.fedex.com/id/

http://www.tnt.com/express/en_id/site/home.html

http://www.dhl.co.id/id.html

Driving in Indonesia

http://www.driving-in.com/indonesia/

Maps

http://maps.google.com

Phone Networks

http://www.telkomsel.com/

http://www.xl.co.id/

http://www.indosat.com/

http://www.telkom.co.id/

http://www.telkom.co.id/

http://www.smartfren.com/

http://www.tri.co.id/

Tourism

Guide Books

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/indonesia

Hotels

http://www.agoda.com/asia/indonesia.html

http://www.asiahotels.com/indonesia

Tourist Information

http://jakarta-tourism.go.id/

http://www.indonesia.travel/en/activity/detail/85

Travel

Airlines

http://www.airasia.com/id/en/home.page

http://www2.lionair.co.id/

http://www.garuda-indonesia.com/

http://www.sriwijayaair.co.id/id/welcome

http://www.citilink.co.id/

Trains

http://www.kereta-api.co.id/

Taxis

http://www.bluebirdgroup.com/

http://www.expressgroup.co.id/expressweb/

http://www.gamya.com/home.html

http://www.whitehorse.co.id/main.php?SiteCatID=4

Shipping

http://www.pelni.com/

http://www.indonesiaferry.co.id/ I hope some of it helps

New Years Eve Bali

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:20:00 +0000

Yep, another blog about Bali. This time New Years Eve. I can promise you this for 2012, there will be at least 2 more posts regarding my adventures on the Island of the Gods.

This year, I decided to spend the New Year in Indonesia but not in Jakarta, as I have already done that and so to keep everyone happy, Bali.
We flew on the Friday with Air Asia (click here for that story), stayed at the Masa Inn in Poppies 1 for 2 nights (click here for that post) and had a thoroughly good time.

Currently Bali Airport is undergoing a huge redevelopment. This means everything is going to change. So walking out of domestic departures, everything has changed in appearance, lots of white fencing and limited signs and the inability to turn right. So we followed the throngs of other people and headed towards the international terminal. We were looking for our driver as we had pre-booked a car for the rest of the day. Eventually we found the driver and had to walk through the international departure and arrival area into the only pick up and drop off zone, which was unsurprisingly total chaos with security guards blowing whistles to prevent people from stopping, which they did, regardless of whistles. Tourists, touts, sellers, taxis, guards and god knows who else all milling around to either get in or out of the airport.
I consider myself lucky as the taxi queues for both domestic and international where huge and seemed never ending. Anyway, we eventually got into the car and headed to the hotel to check in quickly and then off out again. We landed at 1.05 and got to the hotel at 2. Traffic and the airport slowed us down.

We were going to meet some old friends of mine from England who I had not seen for over 5 years. They were staying in Kuta as well. They had been travelling through Australia and New Zealand and were spending their last 3 weeks of their travels holed up in a 5 star hotel resort in Kuta. The Ramayana. Very nice it is too.

After meeting and greeting we whisked them off into the traffic where stayed still for a while and then moved out of Kuta and head to the Rock Bar at the Ayana Resort in Jimbaran. The Rock Bar is simply lovely, and well placed to enjoy an afternoon and early evening of gazing across the sea and to watch the sun set. We arrived before 4pm with the idea that it would not be crowded like the last time we visited in November. How wrong we were. The queue was already 30 people long and so by the time we got to go down to the bar itself it was 5.30pm. Cloudy and warm, the place was great. Cold beer and good company, we watched the sun set and enjoyed our time there immensely.

The mountains were visible in the east and the sunset in west made for a beautiful view all round.

By the time we left it was already dark and so we headed back into Kuta at a snails pace. The traffic itself was either crawling along or a dead stop. I have seen Kuta loaded with traffic but this was the worse yet, I guess it being at New Year, it did not help things along.

The next day after a sleep in, big breakfast at Swell in Poppies 1 and then coffee in Starbucks Kuta Bex, we headed to meet our friends again. Mark and Jeanette at their hotel and then spend the day with them. We sat about in the Ramayana Hotel and it was truely a nice place to stay. Clearly out of reach of our budget but nice none the less.
Having been asked what our plans were for New Years Eve, Mark and Jeanette presented us (Yovita and I) with free tickets to the Hotels New Years Eves party, free cocktails on the beach, all you can eat Buffet and midnight cocktails which was a complete surprise and a really nice thing to do. We said yes.
Heading out of the hotel we ended up in a bar for some lunch time beer at the Discovery mall before walking back to Kuta beach in the rain and arranging to meet later.

It had started to rain and managed to keep raining all afternoon, which was OK as we were in our hotels taking it easy. We had agreed to meet Mark and Jeanette at 6 in order to get on with the free cocktails and so umbrella up we headed from the Masa Inn and off for a night of great fun.

At the Ramayana, we met up and then we were escorted through the traffic and then to the beach where the hotel had fenced off some of the beach, put up some tents and handed out free cocktails.The rain had stopped and the event was very nice. It ended with a traditional Balinese dance of some sort which well was ok, if a little baffling to watch.

The view again of the mountains was fantastic, I have never seen them so clear before and the sunset and creases in the clouds also was interesting to me, perhaps one too many cocktails before dinner!

The Balinese Dance was again a very strange affair with the men all chanting and waving their hands. The women were beautifully made up and looked amazing. The monkey god looked fairly annoyed and so the tradition dance continued until someone killed the evil god and cheered. Then we went back to the hotel in a big swathe of western tourists, like some great big bule parade, watched by the locals in bemusement and probably huge amusement.

Back at the hotel we were crammed into lots of round tables, each with a waiter or waitress and we got on with the hat wearing and eating. The food was amazing, lots of fresh seafood, salads, fruits, meats, veg and so much of it, The queue for the food seemed never ending but the quality was fantastic. I gorged on quality beef, huge prawns and crabs, pork, satay, oxtail. The deserts were equally good. And so after about 2 hours of eating and ignoring the cabaret show and power outages we decided to head to the beach to see the new year in.

Well all I can say about that was. WOW.Getting to the beach was fairly simple, however on the beach was thousands of people milling about as the biggest and wildest firework show went on over and around us. It seemed everyone had fireworks and wanted to be better than the person stood next to him or her. There was in the distance professional firework displays which were amazing but the locals and their desire to light up the sky was simply better. We stood in the same spot for 2 hours watching the fireworks of all shapes and sizes go off around us. The noise and lights and colours was tremendous.

Whilst the fireworks were amazing so was the light show from the mobile phones!!! As everyone was videoing the event. We all got carried away that we missed the announcement for new year as the beach erupted into what seemed a war zone with the amount of fireworks being let off in huge quantities everywhere.

Eventually we left the beach and then fought our way home to sleep off the nights entertainment. From the main shopping street at Kuta, past Hard Rock to Kuta Bex and then up Poppies 1 was awash with revelers and party goers. It took an hour to get through the streets to the hotel.
As new years go it was different, sober but most enjoyable and with fantastic company made the evening and seeing in 2012 so much better. So thank you for that.

If you want to sample some of the fireworks and noise they produce, the clip below is just 30 seconds of the 4 hour plus marathon of fireworks on Kuta beach.

Enjoy

Air Asia Bali

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:14:00 +0000

I do go on a bit about Air Asia now that everyone can fly, I suppose I want to moan a bit about them but also praise them and then again explain how bizarre I still find flying with them is.
I have just returned from Bali where I celebrated New Year with my fiancee and some good friends from England.

For a change we took the 10am flight out as it was a nicer time to go and the last flight out of Bali (10.55pm) to Jakarta as it was the best option to enjoy another day in Bali.

However, despite these flight times we were sent SMS's informing us to be at the airport and ready for checking in 3 hours before we were due to fly, ie. 7am and 8pm. Great.

So we took the easier option of online check in and getting our boarding passes, which I must say is a great thing to do as it cuts all the hassle out of the airport. All you have to do is follow the instructions online, have a printer available to print your boarding passes and hey presto! you are checked in and ready to fly. We checked in for both the flight to Bali and the return on the same day.

The seats allocated again were bizarre as we purchased the tickets together. We were allocated 'hot seats' or seats at the front of the plane on the way out but not sitting together and on the way back, we were allocated seats right at the back of the plane but together.

So you arrive at T3, Jakarta airport and after showing security your boarding pass outside the terminal you are allowed in and then ignoring anything to do with checking in, proceed via starbucks for 1.5 hours to the departure lounge where at last you pay your 40,000 rupiah airport tax, show some id and get checked in.
Thats it. You are then free to board the flight when it gets called.
This flight was earlyish so we boarded early and then took off late due to the amount of flights taking off at once.

During the flight the pilot wished some one a happy birthday just before the usual notice about drugs and the death penalty, lovely.

Getting off the plane at Bali we were all directed to transit as there was no one really bothering to show anyone the way, so I just ignored them all and headed to the door I am familiar with, walked through arrivals and out into Bali Airport, which I will save for another post.

Bali was great.

Again at some point during our stay in Bali an SMS arrived telling us to be at the airport 3 hours before the flight leaves. Now as we had already checked in, I was not sure whether that necessary still we headed through the traffic to the airport and arrived there at 8pm.
We went to the check in desk but they did not want to know as we had boarding passes and so we on through to the departure lounge.

Being Air Asia, you expect delays. The website in the day said everything was on time, but that was clearly just a lie.
The flight to Bandung was late to take off and we were told at some point around 10pm that our flight was delayed and we would not depart until 11.30pm. Great.

Eventually we saw the Air Asia ground crew setting things up and then were told that we would board in the next 10 minutes, so we got up and queued. When we went to board, no one took a look at id's and so we were just let on to the plane, some armed with 3 or 4 pieces of luggage and the scramble for storage space began.
The flight on the way back was very bumpy but the usual. Crammed into tiny seats for just over an hour and trying to sleep while the plane jumped and rolled through the clouds and storms around Java.

Instead of going to the Air Asia terminal where all the other Air Asia planes were, we had to get off at T2 and the walk through some of the terminal, down some stairs and then stuffed into as few buses as possible and then taken to T3 and let off and out into Jakarta.

I should comment, when we were getting off the flight, the cabin crew clearly had to be somewhere and were already off the plane and away. I saw some of them in T3 walking out to transport before the passengers.

So another great flight and fun time with Air Asia. I cant wait for my next flight with them, I going from Bandung.... Should be great

Galaxy 10.1 Crashes

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:22:00 +0000

So, there I was happily using my tab for the use it was designed for; killing pigs with eggs, updating 4square and reading the news when for some and unknown reason it died. Simply froze and then went blank, no power, no life, nothing.
Sat in the departure lounge of an airport waiting to fly off for a holiday did not leave me that impressed,, not in the slightest.
So after a few deep breathes, I went to my phone and did some online searches and hey presto, I eventually got it back working again and it is now as good as ever and a lesson has been learnt, which is nice :)

Here are 10 things not to do to get it working (as I tried them all and none worked)

shaking it
dropping it
stroking it nicely, its not a cat
shouting at it
looking at it with forlorn
crying
generally looking pissed off with the world and yourself
repeatedly pressing the 3 buttons (volume and on/off) in sheer desperation
removing the sim card and then replacing it
being sad

Instead, try these things, but do so at your own risk and with out blaming me if things get worse

do try to switch it back on, if that does not work, then leave it a while a try again
plug in the charger to see if the screen will show a charging battery, if not don't despair
hold the power key and the + volume button, this might get the start up screen, if it does, you are off
hold the power key and the - volume button, this might get the start up screen if it does, you are off
hold the power key down and press the screen (at the same time) for between 8 and 30 seconds and that might restart your tab
Search the net for 'reset galaxy tab 10.1' and follow the advice there.

If your tab asks for a factory reset, this means it will wipe all your SD cards memory. Think wisely before you say yes to that. Also I have no idea if this works for any other type of tab so I would direct you to point 6 because the information I have provided is for the 10.1 tab only.

Option 5 worked for me. I never had to factory reset so I was lucky.

Just saying

Farewell 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:51:00 +0000

Wow, that was one big year for me. In some ways it was annus horribilis what with the loss of a dear friend and teacher and the aftermath.
However on the other hand it was a magnum anni (a great year) of which I am listing through the months through this blog post.
This is my last post of 2011 as well, as I am off to Bali to celebrate the end of this year and to welcome in the new year and all the promise and hope and excitement it brings with it. Oh and maybe just maybe, too drunk to blog but never too drunk to phone mum and dad. Bali is 8 hours ahead of England so that just makes things so much better. I can call people in the afternoon and wish them happy new year before passing out. Cant wait...

January
I celebrated the birth of 2011 in Frome, my home town with my cousin Emma in the Wheatsheaf, coming up for air around 1am, Kebab and sick on the way home and then hungover for the rest of it.
Tony drove me to the airport and Helen said goodbye. Such good friends.
Flew to Jakarta, then flew to Bali. Proposed to my girlfriend, on her birthday and agreed the date for the wedding in 2012.
Started another year with English First, welcomed new teachers and waved old teachers goodbye. And went again to Bali for the annual conference. Ended up in a gay cafe in a power cut with friends and well a night which should be forgotten.

February
Trips to Singapore due to visa issues. Saving money and arranged for another year in the apartments after loosing the will to live after looking at Kosts in Tanjung Duren.

March
Earth hour in Starbucks with low level lighting and the rest of the place lit up like a Christmas tree. Visits to malls and it seems working lots and lots but still the weather was nice.

April
Sighting seeing through Jakarta again which is always great fun. Trip to Kuala Lumpur for the day with teachers and my fiancee which was great fun.

May
Visa time after another trip to Singapore. Bacon sandwiches and Strongbow in Muddy Murphys which was a welcome relief.
Time out in Yogja for a weekend which was great and nice to see Merapi and the cool and lovely Java countryside.
My blog reached 10,000 visitors which was exciting and it was also threatened to be closed by lawyers of Gary Larson who claimed I breached copyright. Best not call them names just in case they are still checking.

June
A month of mourning as one of my teachers died. Took time to move on but I have.
The center celebrated my birthday with a cake and it was a nice surprise amongst all the sadness.
Took a day trip to Paris Van Java ( Bandung) by train and enjoyed the journey and the day out.

July
Big party at Planet Hollywood with lots of kids and someone called Petra Sihombang. Managed to watch Harry Potter finally as major movies started coming back into the country after a brief spell of absence.

August
Idul Fitry came and went and I spent the time in the city, avoiding the noise and the traffic which was nice. Huge riots in England caused shockwaves across the world and was saddening to see. Managed to get my SIM for another year after a trip to the licensing center in Dann Mogot.
Took a day trip out to Bidadari Island, 20 minutes from Ancol.

September
I dont remember doing anything useful in this month at all. Work work work...

October
Said goodbye to Blackberry once and for all and welcome back Nokia as I changed phones again for the 3rd time this year.
Trip to the unknown and unfriendly wildlife sanctuary at Angke Muara.

November
Had the chance to stay in the Mulia Hotel at Senayan which was nice and very posh. 3rd trip to Bali and to sort out the wedding with our wedding planner. Visited the 'Rock Bar' and plan to return very soon.
It was nice to return to the island although Kuta is becoming more ugly by the day.

December
Annual conference with English First in the Morrissey hotel next to Jalan Jaksa was a great couple of days and very upbeat.
Spent some time away from work before the Christmas break shopping and taking it easy. Christmas in the Akmani hotel and lunch at Eastern Promise made Christmas far more special.
Now flying to Bali to meet some old friends to see in the new year and enjoy the last moments of a challenging and difficult year.

Overall life seemed a little quieter, I did manage to visit 5 different countries (if you count the stop over in Qatar on the way back here), get to Bali 4 times, Singapore 2 times, Malaysia once. Visit some of Java. Get 3 different phones, and a Tab.
I also did the most exciting thing ever, I got engaged and organised a date for marriage and it is all sorted out , pretty much.

So, 2012? Lots of things in store I think. Marriage, a new home, See family and friends here, work, Travelling more. And that is just for starters.

And well there we are thats my year all wrapped up. I will leave now wishing each and everyone of you, a happy new year full or success and good fortune. Happy 2012. Bring it on...

Christmas in Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:20:00 +0000

Spending Christmas in Jakarta was to me not the best of choices as I have always managed to celebrate it somewhere other than here (England, Lombok and Bali) but it seemed 2011 did not give me a lot of choice so I decided to move into a hotel and try to enjoy Christmas in Jakarta.

I moved into the Akmani (hotel review here) hotel in the city, near Jalan Jacksa and Sarinah. Not far from Grand Indonesia shopping village, the Monas and Gambir railway station, so it is close to most places and easy to travel out from there. The hotel was nice overall and that helped the day.

A couple of weeks ago I attended the annual works pub quiz at Eastern Promise in Kemang and while I was there, reserved a table for Christmas day as they seemed to have all the trimmings and the food etc to help make the day special. So I was looking forward to that.

I took a couple of days off work before the school finished for the holidays to chill and enjoy some extra time. It also allowed me to go Christmas shopping and get some bits and pieces I needed. I did my shopping in Central Park as it is next door and for a change, it was quite enjoyable. I do like being stared at in ladies fashion stores as I look at skirts and tops for my fiancee. Makes it far more fun.

Christmas Eve came and so I loaded all the presents up and headed into the city. Checking into the hotel I settled down for a bit, before deciding to go for beer and food. I ended up in Ya uhdas restaurant. The restaurant is a great place to eat and drink and the food is mainly european and well priced. The curry was good and the beer cold. The restaurant used to be in Jalan Jaksa but it moved. To get there, go past the Morressey hotel. When you see a Permata bank go right and look for a building with orange and yellow railings and awnings. It always looks closed but it never is.

Stopping off in the local Hero at Sarinah, I loaded up with beer and snacks and settled into the hotel for a night of bad TV, internet and time with my fiancee. At midnight I spoke to many friends in England, wishing them happy Christmas as they are 7 hours behind and that was good.
At 6.30am I spoke to some sober friends in England as they were just about to celebrate Christmas day and I had already started!

Gifts opened and played with (in the corner), breakfast and then out for coffee and then to Kemang.

The AC for some reason was not working or switched on in EP (Eastern Promise) and that made it more cosy and hot. Our table was ready and the place itself was fairly packed. The meal offer was standard christmas farye for 185+++ but instead of plated food, it was actually a buffet which was really good. The food was hot, well prepared. The turkey and Gammon was really nice and despite no sprouts, everything else I would eat for Christmas was there.

Ate all my food, and certainly drank all my wine. Thats was nice. The original wine was unavailable so I opted for the house red with arrived in a Jacobs Creek bottle, now whether it was Jacobs Creek I could not tell you but who cares, it was wine and it was good and it went well with the food and it made me smiley and helped the day along lovely. The food as my place clearly shows was great and the fact EP provided Christmas Crackers as well made the meal far more fun and homely. It was a good choice to go there for Christmas.

Taxi back to the local Hero for more beer and then an afternoon of drinking and TV only leaving the hotel for Pizza and some coffee and then back to the hotel for TV and yes, more beer.

I phoned my parents around 8pm to wish them Happy Christmas, as is family tradition, mum was already on the gin and father was watching Morecombe and Wise on TV so they were happy. For me, this has to be the most difficult time of the year, as I do miss my family and friends back home. However, everyone back home and my fiancee have been wonderful and so the homesickness has been kept at bay.

So, Christmas in Jakarta is certainly not the best place to celebrate it, if you like lots of activity and Christmas spirit. But if you are in excellent company, have good food and fun times then it does not matter where you are as that feeling can still be felt.
Boxing Day (26th December) was spent taking life easy and doing not much. Watching the football now and thats a nice way to end the Christmas festivities.

Friday, I am back off to Bali for New Year. I am meeting old dear friends from England which is great and it will interesting to see the New Year Celebrated in Balinese / drunken Australian style. Can't wait.

Happy Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:23:00 +0000

Just a quick note to say to everyone who stops by to read my blogs and notes.

Have a happy Christmas and a joyous new year.

Good old Norad is ensuring Santa gets about safely... Worth viewing for the sheer fun of watching him deliver the presents around the world.

Sorry if this page is slow to load

Transferring Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:49:00 +0000

Well Christmas is nearly upon us and so that means, food, presents, trees, family, good times, parties and ultimately happy memories. There is also the spiritual side and the religious side but to be honest, that really is not my understanding or approach to Christmas but I do feel I approach Christmas in a christian way, peace and goodwill to all men and the like...

Still thats not really my point to this blog. What is, is the tedious and often complicated process of uploading photos to computers etc from phones and vice versa when pictures are taken. I am sure many new phones, pads, tabs, pods, netbooks, laptops, PCs, Blackberrys etc will be unwrapped and loved on Christmas day and then used to the battery dies and of course charged again and repeated many many times.

I take lots of photos with my camera, tab and have to then push them all together through bluetooth or cables to and fro my netbook. However for some reason I found a programme which seems quite usefully to do all this for me. The program is called Dropbox and it is so far one of the most useful things I have found for my computer.

Very simply, Dropbox allows you upload photos from any device that has access to the internet and then it shares it with other devices that are connected to the same account, for free and immediately. I currently have it installed on 4 devices and the sharing and then storing and swapping of photos just happens straight away and with out any fuss (as long as you are signed in of course).

For most platforms and devices it is simply called DropBox, for my Nokia I am using Cool Box.

No doubt some of you will have some concerns about security or safety of materials uploaded but I don't and so I just get on with it. However I am sure the small print on their site explains everything well enough.

So click on the picture and take a look.

December nights

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:17:00 +0000

Its been a while since I wrote about anything normal since my last posts were all connected to my last trip to Bali. Since then its been the same and usual state of affairs, work eat sleep and the occasional dodging of rain through the week and weekend.
Actually perhaps a tad more exciting than that. The battle for the sink was eventually won and the ants have left that theater of war for now and I am sure are sat inside the wall somewhere, plotting their revenge and new plan to try and invade my apartment and take it over. I am sure they might have realised by now that they should just call it quits and head next door, where perhaps the resident is a little more friendly towards these melon carrying fiends.

At some point over the last few weeks I managed to sign for another year with English First. I am delighted with that decision and I am looking forward to another year working with great people and the students who are an endless source of fun and energy, even when they have national exams or the worlds worries on their shoulders. A few laughs and the present perfect and they seem to be more relaxed and cheery. Now to work hard for the year after or what ever will happen at the end of 2012.

Speaking of work, EF Indonesia had its annual conference in Jakarta. I am calling it annual despite being Bali for the 2011 conference in January. Still the conference was held in the Morrissey Boutique hotel at the end of Jalan Jaksa in Menteng. My review of the hotel can be found here

The conference was fantastic as usual and I am looking forward to the new books and ideas and technology being rolled out through 2012. Should be great and so much fun to teach and study.

Actually it seems I am going to promote my company a bit more as I have been doing more than teaching recently. We had a colouring competition a couple of Saturdays ago and that was great fun. 82 kids from 3 to 9 busy shading in a picture in order to win a trophy and cash. It was a fun Saturday morning and time well spent.

5X3Y3Q6EMSNP

Then the weekend just gone, the annual EF SWARA pub quiz in Eastern Promise, Kemang took place. 9 rounds of insane questions or insanely hard questions for the teachers to answer, all with happy hour beer prices and top food. I believe I will be there for Christmas dinner this year as the menu looked good. We will see.

All my Christmas cards and postcards have been written and if you dont get one, dont complain. I did ask everyone through Facebook, if they wanted a card to send me their address. Some did, the others never. I have lost more addresses than I care to remember but still, those I could remember have had cards sent out.

I am not really doing anything to spruce up the apartment for Christmas. Not much point really, as I wont be in it for most of Christmas and it would be only me to see it anyhows. So the cards I get will do. Next year, a tree and the usual other stuff I will do.

However I leave you with a picture of the tree at Central Park, billed as the 'tallest musical light tree in the country' or some nonsense. The photo is not very good. Nor is the tree.

Last years

Far nicer

Bali Beaches

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:45:00 +0000

Having returned from yet another trip to Bali (3 this year so far) I must admit to being refreshed and more relaxed from the time spent there. Bali for all its faults and the list is growing is still a place for me to relax and feel at peace despite the noise and chaos all around.
We flew Air Asia and arrived late at night so everything was either closed or closing as 10 or 11pm seems to be bedtime for most bars and restaurants and if you want later then you need Legion and the noise, mess and drunk loud tourists letting go and partying it out, probably to the bemusement or annoyance but acceptance of the locals.
We stayed at Pesona Beach Inn in Poppies 1 again as it is cheap, clean, big rooms and very quiet and restful.

The reason for the trip was not only to chill and enjoy the island but to meet our wedding planner, visit the hotel where we will be married and to visit the famous 'rock bar' in Jimbaran and generally have a great time. I think we did that down to the last letter and for a change I was sad to leave and return home.

We had hired a car for 250,000 idr for 10 hours not including fuel but including driver and so at 10am the next day we got in and headed towards Echo Beach.
Echo beach far away in time, is a favourite 80's classic song of mine and so the actual to chance to visit a beach of the very same name had to be to good to miss. It is also know as Canngu Beach and is about an hour from Kuta heading west.
The beach is find sandy one and has some great surf and huge waves. There are some man made water break things which prevent the aggressive sea from eating away a temple and eroding the coast line further. Still it was a nice place and I think somewhere to return to for a long visit.

Not sure the photos do it justice but the weather was glorious and the sound of the sea and the waves and the place was simply great

After some factory outlet shopping and some lunch we headed for Jimbaran and found a most delightful beach way off the beaten track but next to the entrance to the Ayana resort complex.No signs just a road and then at the end of the road is of course another temple. To get to the beach you have to climb down through the rocks and then is amazing.

So quiet apart from some fishermen and that was it. We stayed about an hour, getting burnt and then we headed for our next beach and to get to it, into the very expensive and exclusive resort Ayanna Resort and the some what famous Rock Bar.

Rock bar is a great place with greatly priced menus but worth every penny. You have to sign in, wait to be called, wait to be transported down the cliff edge in a trolley and then shown to a table. You are given free snacks, free ice cold towels and umbrellas to shade yourself from the sun. There are steps to the beach. It was a great place to watch the sun go down.

Last but not least was the infamous Kuta beach. Now I have been going to Bali frequently since 2007 and in that time the beach has been reshaped, restyled, cleaned, covered in trash, covered in dead fish etc but honestly, this was the first time I had seen it so clean and it was really stunning.

The water was cleaner than normal and the waves still big and noisy and excellent for surfing. I have so many photos of the beach and the sunset, I should really create another blog with them all in. You never know it might just happen.

That was my last Bali adventure but not the end of them. Always more to come....

Hotel Accommodation Bali New Years Eve

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:55:00 +0000

Trying to find accommodation in Kuta, Bali 5 weeks before New Years Eve was a bit of a mission over the weekend even though I was staying on the island. I will be back next month for 2 nights over New Years eve and I wanted to be in Kuta where the most fun can be had and it's the most lively spot. However, after checking over 30 hotels, guest houses, travel lodges, losemen, villas, backpackers both on line and walking into different places I was met with full over the seasonal period or you need to book online or we only have rooms if you are staying 3 or more nights.

It seems that all of Bali's hotels have already been booked up from the 23rd December to the 2nd January.

The days of walking into a hotel in Bali over Christmas seem to be disappearing. 60,000 rooms apparently have been built around Bali in various forms of lodgings so believing everything was full took some time. Asian Rooms, Wotif and Agoda all had hotels available but I don't want to pay 4 million a night upwards and even a local Bali hotel search site had a warning to book different times than the dates I wanted.

Now this is not to say that all hotels will be full if you just arrive but the price will hurt I think and if you are planning to just turn up, be prepared to do some leg work and spend some time finding a room. Poppies 1 is almost full, therefore I will make the assumption Poppies 2, Legion and then into Seminyak is also filling up fast.

Still I eventually found rooms and have some great rooms for a higher than normal price but they will do and they look wonderful. You will know more in January. But for now....

is not the nicest message you want to hear when planning New Year in Paradise.

Air Asia Indonesia

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:19:00 +0000

I seem to write a lot about Air Asia, now that every one can fly but I guess that is because something always happens when I do fly with them, good or bad but still it happens, however on this occasion I thought I would bring the world up to speed with what has been happening down our neck of the woods Air Asia
Last week all Air Asia Indonesia flights from Jakarta were moved to the highly polished and badly signed Terminal 3 at the airport, which has to be ultimately the best thing that could have happened. Why? well mainly it is simply the nicest part of the airport and the newest and shiniest part.

Now in Indonesia you can fly from different airports to different places in Asia but hardly anywhere inside the country.
From Jakarta you can fly to Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore internationally yet only to Yogyakarta and Bali no more than 6 times a day. Thats it there is no other route from Jakarta to Medan or Makassar, but just the 2 destinations. I guess that the other routes are not profitable so they withdrew the service.
The prices for flights are dependent on the season, time of flight and the promotion Air Asia is having.

As a low cost airline they are just that. Professional but cheap. Nothing wrong with the planes but the crews look tired and in need of a break and the ground staff at times lack any kind of desire to help. But again thats not always true as I have received so great help and service from the people working for the airline.

So Terminal 3, is a vast new terminal and big and airy and quite nice to relax in before your flight.

The terminal has been changed now so that there is an international departure check in and a domestic check in. All self scan and if you need to check luggage in then there are open desks. It is really simple to do and if there is any issues someone will help you.
Through the sliding doors you enter into another vast space where there is GM Baki, JCO, Circle K, some ATMs etc and a few screens telling you all the flights are late. You can either go to the arrival gate and wait for people or go up the escalator to the departure lounges and shop in the massively over priced and useless Keris (they have large pieces of luggage for sale, not sure how you get that on the plane), an overpriced book store, some small restaurants, a typical airport Starbucks high on smiles, low on cleaning tables and not much else. There are more screens here and there still not telling you much.
The tannoy is equally as bad as the place is not designed for the use of a sound system acoustically but it still gets its fair share of usage.
To the left is the international lounge which is all behind glass and screens and to the right domestic departures. You pay your 40,000 idr to leave just before you go into the departure lounge. Forget what the ticket states for the departure gate, there is only one way down to the aircraft. The screens inside do not tell you anything about your flight and the only tannoy announcements you hear are for someone to board the flight to Singapore. However boarding the plane is simple, easy and hassle free.

Coming back into the airport the arrivals is of course on the ground floor and you have to walk to the building from the aircraft. This huge cave of a building is soul less and empty of life when you walk through it and the conveyor for your luggage is signed but never moves quickly.
To leave you just walk straight and thats it. Security might glance at you but nothing more. Walk past the restaurant with the live music welcoming you to Jakarta and then follow the signs to the exit. In true Indonesian style only one set of exit doors will be operational and then head into the chaos that exists outside all terminals at Jakarta airport. Taxis and Buses and people trying to sell you taxi bus or other vehicle rides.

The main taxi company for T3 seems to be Diamond, and I cant use them. Gading again seem to be there, cant trust them either. White Horse premium is pushed and pushed but they are way too expensive. So you sit and wait for a normal cab (Blue Bird, gamya, Express etc) while the taxi people push and shout at each other to gain service. Its a mess. And as it is T3 it is a way from the main terminals so there are fewer taxis.
There is a bus to T1 or 2 and that runs every 5-10 minutes and from T2 you can get a bus into the city to Blok M or Gambir railway station.

The taxi ride into the city is metered and you have to pay a surcharge to different zoned parts of the city as well as the tolls which is 12,000 at Pluit.

Despite my moaning, T3 is the nicer of terminals and is more relaxed and clean and cool than T1 or 2 and I ultimately do enjoy flying with Air Asia as they do what they say on the tin, they fly people in the air through Asia.

5 Star hotels Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 13:43:00 +0000

The best thing about working is looking forward to not working and this week has to be no exception to that rule. I have been busy and not really stopped all week and so knowing the weekend was on its way was the best thing to look forward to.

Despite the normal duty of working Saturday morning, I was eager to get there and therefore eager to leave. Taxi booked for 1pm and then to the city for fun and to relax.

On Sunday last week someone from the maintenance department in the apartments paid a call telling me that water was leaking from my bathroom into the corridor below and that someone needed to come and fix it. So without too much fuss it was arranged for a visit on Monday and then to be repaired on Tuesday. As normal, nothing ever goes to plan so the visit never happened on the Monday and then on Tuesday 2 scruffy looking men knocked on the door armed with a bucket and a hello mister and proceeded into the bathroom and with the door closed behind sweated and sorted the bathroom floor out. An hour later, they left the bathroom and went away leaving a lot of mess, dust and dirt for me to sort out and the shine taken off the floor. I suspect the bill will arrive soon for their company. It can wait to be paid. Still no one has called since about leaking water so they must have done the trick.

The taxi booked for Saturday unsurprisingly never arrived and so seeing it was such a hot and dry day I wandered away from work to look for a taxi, which eventually I found. We sped at great speed despite the traffic into the city and to Plaza Senayan where I was meeting my Fiancee.

Currently in the city and country are the SEA games or the South East Asia games, a bit like the commonwealth games only more so and so the traffic and amount of buses has increased dramatically as have the lack of taxis free. Still after getting to the Plaza, we go and eat in the food court. Fat Burgers are now my favourite burger of choice in the city as the one I had was great.

From there we headed back in a taxi to my overnight stay at one of cities finest hotels. The Hotel Mulia. A hotel of luxury and riches and a price to go with it. After getting through security tighter and more controlled than the international airport here, we were greeted and shown to reception and checked in.

I have been in grand hotels before and 5 star ones across the world but Hotel Mulia stands apart so far, for me, although like the Hotel Boroburdur the entrance and commotion was strangely the same. Lots of people stood about waiting for cars and taxis, lots of cars and taxis and noise and staff in smart uniforms trying to help everyone.

Getting our room key we then proceeded to the elevator lobby (8 in total) got in one and then had to insert the room key to get the elevator to move as they have clever security there.

We were on the 33rd floor although I suggest it was not more than the 7th floor as the numbering was odd and strange.

Still hotel rooms are hotel rooms thats for sure and so this was not to be any different except it was. The room was huge and was spacious yet full of big furniture and plush furnishings.

The view was looking south east over the city and that was amazing.

The best thing apart from the big bed and free fruit was the bath and the endless supply of hot water. I have missed deep bath tubs ad long baths thats for sure.

For a change it was nice to stay in luxury and enjoy the facilities offered by the hotel. In the evening we went out to FX mall for food and some shopping and then headed back to the room.

Sadly our package did not include breakfast so as it was being a 5 star place, I paid for the breakfast which I have to say was on the whole very good. As the hotel caters for lots of Chinese and Japanese there was simply plenty of Japanese food available for breakfast, as well as the normal Indonesian stuff. The western option was OK, not as good as the Borobordur but still waffles and syrup, dragon fruit and 6 different types of cheese helped fill me up!! Coffee was refilled slowly but it was refilled. The breakfast room was brimming with people and we got there early! and it seemed very busy all the time. Well worth the 400,000 rupiah for 2 that I paid.

Eventually time ran out and so we had to check out and leave and head out back into the city. I cant complain. It was a freebie and instead of forking out something close to $300 USD for the stay, I just had to pay for the breakfast and taxis. Now that is great news.

For more details on the hotel click here and an in depth review here

Pouring with rain, from the hotel we were heading into the JCC or Jakarta Convention Center which is next to the hotel and massive in size. Because of the Asian games the place was gridlocked but we eventually got to the JCC and then to find someone who was carrying something very important of mine.

In order to get married, I have to prove my age and this has to be done through my original birth certificate. This is or rather was in England. Luckily my Auntie Pat lives next door to a woman who works for Bath University and the University was part of an European Education fair in the city so through mum and my auntie and a wonderful woman called Sally, I am now reunited with my birth certificate, now I need to careful not to lose it!!!

I was also spoilt by mother to some chocolates from Marks and Spencer, new clothes, English Crisps and from Sally a big jar of Marmite which is simply great. Thank you. Smiles abound we said our farewells to Sally and headed then to Thamrin to get some cheap bedding in the Java Department store and then home to the apartment for the rest of the day.

All in all it has been a fantastic weekend full of surprises and fun and treats and luxury. Roll on Bali in a couple of weeks....

Remembrance Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:19:00 +0000

Next Sunday will be for everyone English, Remembrance Sunday, which is preceded by Armistice Day or 11 November, the day when the Great War ended in 1918. The war to end all wars was the first global world war, engulfing millions, displacing millions and sadly ending the lives of millions. A war that is responsible in some way for many historical events since.

One of the most poignant symbols after the war was the humble poppy. The poppy was a flowering plant which would grow and flower in the war torn battlefields of Belgium (Flanders) where there was some of the worst fighting and then amongst the war graves until it became an iconic and globally known image of the war.

It is worn and used by many countries around the world to help people show their respect to the people who served, fought and died in the first world war and all conflicts since, including current theatres of war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In England, Remembrance Sunday is a day when people stop and pay their respects through laying wreaths of poppies and also holding 2 minutes silence at 11am. London comes to a standstill as the government, the royal family and many veterans of all major conflicts march past the Cenotaph (a war memorial) and lay wreaths there. Also across the country, people lay wreaths at their local war memorial where ever they live.

This act of remembrance is also conducted through out the world where ever there is a war grave and over this week these war graves will also have poppies wreaths laid. At sea as well, wreaths of poppies are ceremoniously placed into the ocean.

In Indonesia, I am sure the Dutch will be laying wreaths in the war graves at Menteng Pulo or Ancol and other places throughout the country. The main war grave for England its Commonwealth nations is in Ambon and going there is not really advised at the moment.

For more information about the Ambon British war grave click here.

For me, I will paying my respects both on November 11 at 11 am for the end of the Great War and then on Sunday again at 11am to pay my respects to those men and service women who have fought and died in order to defend my freedom.

Even though there are no survivors of the Great War left now and the veterans of World War 2 are fading into glory, every day there are countless people fighting in far flung corners of the globe trying to bring peace and freedom to many. Whilst we may not agree with the politics or the reasons why the soldiers there are doing their jobs with determination and care they should not be forgotten or dismissed. Every nation has its soldiers somewhere trying to bring peace to another nation. If in doubt click this. Indonesia for example has nearly 2000 personnel working for the United Nations Peace Keeping Force where as the UK has 450. However the UK is currently involved in 7 major conflicts in various roles through the world which involves thousands of people risking their lives day in and day out.

I hope they are kept safe and do their job as they were trained to do and they all come home to the heroes welcome they deserve, fit and well.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae, May 1915

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Wildlife in Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:53:00 +0000

Jakarta, the sprawling over populated, over polluted, over concreted, over development city is a city I have visited like no other. And everytime I go somewhere different in Jakarta the more I realise that the city is impossible to describe.
The lack of parks and green spaces here is clearly visible yet there are lots of little gardens and green areas either for play or allotments for people growing stuff. Some sidewalks have been entirely turned into garden centres and each plant very well looked after. Amazing.
Yet the city lacks large green spaces or the lungs it needs to breathe. Saying that, after some research through the internet I found the following. Please click each fact to gain more information

Jakarta has 4 million trees
Paris has 480,000 trees the most of any european city
New York has 5.2 million trees
Tokyo has over 490,000 trees

So Jakarta has a lot of green out there, and whether the figure is correct or not is anyones guess but I would imagine it has to be somewhere near true. However the number of trees here is not as many as there should be.

Anyway I digress.

After seeing a photo in blog JakartaDailyPhoto.blogspot.com about mangrove in Jakarta and then after some research I eventually found the place and what I could see there. So feeling like the intrepid explorer, I took a taxi with my fiance to Muara Angke, North Jakarta. Helps if the taxi driver knows where that is. Sadly he did not.
So after leaving Pluit, you head west and reach another part of Jakarta which is more like a frontier town than part of a bustling metropolis. Snarled with traffic of course but the chaos was worse and the feeling was more foreign and more unfamiliar than any other part of Jakarta I have been too. On one side of the road small housing and shops and the other large signs for apartments, golf, huge gates to guarded coastal housing areas and a total lack of natural presence. It took over an hour to find this Muara Angke and then another 30 minutes to find the entrance to the conservation park.

Finding the entrance was not easy but we stopped the taxi, paid and wandered in. On walking up the steps into a small entrance area, there was no information and no one to see and it looked run down and unloved.

We carried on into the conservation area and were eventually met by a ranger of some sorts and some workmen, who seemed fairly displeased we were there and told us firmly and politely that we needed paperwork to enter the conservation area or pay 10,000 each. We paid. Someone mentioned 50,000 of course but we paid the 10,000 and went further in.

The wooden walkway was in need of repair and there were workmen working as slowly as they could at fixing them watched by the birds and monkeys that were hanging around.

All the moaning aside. Once we started further into the park, the area opened up, silence returned, fresh air could almost be breathed and the only noise other than the aircraft overhead was the chatter of birds in the reed beds and trees and the noise of monkeys ahead. The area is beautiful. You could forget where you were within an instant.

So what wildlife did I see in the park. Well there are lot of butterflies for a start. The water is teeming with life, the plants the trees, the mangrove all visible and apparent. There were lots of birds of all sorts in the distance that rose up and settled down. Egris and Heron type birds. All very noisy.

I saw lizards and a baby monitor lizard roaming freely. With the swamp and marsh land, you could almost imagine seeing crocodiles waiting to attack something or someone. There was also a family of monkeys near the entrance and also on the walk. The second bunch of monkeys did not seem to bothered I was near but were also not too friendly to the idea of letting me walk through them as they did what ever monkeys do.

So there we have it. Real nature in the city that no one really knows about or seems to care about. I am certain like most places here, if the Muara Angke Conservation park was developed and financed it would be a huge draw to tourists to visit a wilderness not far from Starbucks and to experience a landscape and the joys of being in it.

I hope to return there again soon not armed with bits of paper as I still do not know whose permission I need to get in but with my camera and a wish to explore it further. Now how do I charter a boat to see it from the other side?

Nokia 700

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 09:34:00 +0000

My love affair with Blackberry, Blackberry messenger, being wired to the internet seamlessly and effortlessly and have all the creature comforts a top of the range executive phone could offer has finished exactly a year after it began. In that time I went through 3 different phones (Curve, Bold and Torch).

I guess my frustrations with Blackberry are over exposure in terms of communication and being contactable 24/7. Luckily for me the lack of robust and continuous phone signal where I live slowed down the amount of messages. In the past couple of months, there is almost no signal after 9pm until around 5am for some unknown reason.

How long I remain with IM3 I don't know but as there is nothing better at the moment, I guess until I move away from Tanjung Duren.

So, my last Nokia was my best Nokia, a touch screen music phone which I loved but went all fruity as it was the 'in thing' and went back to keypad and eventually with the torch back to touch screen. But it was a sliding phone and eventually to be honest I got bored of sliding it up and down to type etc. Knowing owning a Blackberry was coming to a close I started looking around for another phone. Samsung are great but not something I wanted really. The tab is OK for me but not a hand phone. I don't want an Apple. That really leaves Nokia, the old faithful but not really up to date but has more to offer than Blackberry in respects of free applications, quality cameras and simple operation.

The Android market is good but limited as I am in Indonesia and Apple is too controlling. Nokia it is then.

After searching through the extensive list of phones I settled for a Nokia 700. Its a touch screen, simple to use and the most upto date phone Nokia has released. It was not expensive and does everything I need it to do. Also the camera is great and the phone is both responsive and quick. Sadly like everything connected to phones it is let down by the signal and the service offered by Indosat but I will cope.

It has 4 home screens all of which can be modified and changed to what you like. However it is very small and I am not and I have big hands and fingers but the keyboard is easier to use and more responsive than my torch. It is far simpler to type and correct which is useful.

The phone does not have specific software for Twitter or Facebook but here in Indonesia there is a free mobile service for Facebook and setting up mobile Twitter is a piece of cake. Email no issue and it is all push which makes its simple to use.

So pretty much it is idea for me, despite its size and weight I am sure I will be happy with this for a while and I cant see me going back to Blackberry in a hurry (unless it is free, fully paid for and part of a job I required to do and as I cannot see that happening for a while, lets not worry about it).

Before I start ranting about Central Park, I should say, this phone feels fun unlike the Blackberry which is professional and serious. And Fun is more a challenge. Oh and it has Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja for free. :)

So in order to purchase the said phone required me to go to a store and buy it. As I was in Central Park Friday evening with Yovita hunting for a place to eat, we popped into the Nokia store and on seeing that the Nokia 700 was available decided to go and buy one after dinner. On return to the store after eating, they would not take a debit card as they has already reconciled the money (30 minutes before closing) and so I would have to come back on Saturday and to get price cheaper (they charge for cards anyway) I would need cash. Central Park Nokia store wanted 3,130,000 rupiah and also to come back at 3pm to see the same sales girl who was keeping a phone for me.

After finishing work on Saturday I went to Puri Mall and visited the Nokia store there. I had the cash with me and they had the phones for sale. The cost was 3,060,000 so 70,000 cheaper than Central Park and they had all colours whereas CP did not have black. So I bought the black one. Within 15 minutes I had the phone, tested the headphones, battery, set the phone up, got the receipts and was heading home. Easy.

Today after breakfast in CP I went to the phone accessory shops to find a holder for the phone. Much to my displeasure and relative surprise, it was a straight no 'we don't have' from 4 different shops. There was not even a hint of help. I guess because I am western and don't speak Indonesian but this is another example of sales prevention by stores towards people. Seems it happens a lot to me. Annoyed and angry I went to Carrefour.

I made it round Carrefour with relative ease and despite dead fish in the live fish tank, people totally ignorant of other shoppers around them hitting you with trolleys, flies walking over the fruit, I got everything I needed, did not have to queue (gasp) and even my cherry tomatoes, which never have a barcode and therefore means someone has to get a price from somewhere, was dealt with quickly and promptly.

And the best thing is The Walking Dead is on tonight, series 2. Should be great.

A guest blog from a Londoner :0)

noreply@blogger.com (starkravingsober) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:17:00 +0000

Firstly, I would like to thank Luke for the invite to write a guest blog for him. I've known Luke for years, we met originally in Malaysia when he helped me escape from a German lesbian who was stalking me through a rain forest (true story); Luke has been one of my closest friends ever since.

I was briefed to write something which demonstrated stark comparisons and current issues, so welcome to the ramblings of a mad woman; here we are and off we go...

I was away from the UK three years in total, half of which was spent in Asia where the bartering system is alive and well. I initially enjoyed (then later found rather exhausting) the interaction between a shop keeper and myself. In the independent shops full of tourist tat, clothes, jewellery or cell phones, one can't go in, pick something up, then simply ask how much an item is and expect to be given a fixed price.

No. No. No.

Instead, there is a time honoured game played between the purveyor and his customer; the item must be presented to you by the shop keeper, never the correct item, but something that is similar to in many ways, but not quite what you had in mind that will just have to do you for today as there is nowhere else that may stock anything like what you wanted. As an example, one may forget buying one’s favourite shampoo, you may have the local knock-off equivalent that probably smells better but just doesn't seem to ever rinse out in the shower. This seems fair enough until your hotel owner has great joy informing you that this is, in fact, dog shampoo therefore making you wonder precisely how far down the hippy trail you have accidently wandered.

The initial price tag of the item may alter according to many variables; for example the time of day (possibly higher when he's just setting up for the day or lower if you are asking for the "sunset price") or maybe the perceived wealth of the customer (the price for a poor local farmer will be substantially lower than that of a rich American backpacker). I've been told that the perfect barter results in the buyer feeling as though he's been ripped off a little and the seller experiencing the discomfort of feeling he could have charged more for the item at hand. Quite how they are both going to know that they have reached that point is anyone's guess, I can't say that I've ever been able to walk away knowing this is what has happened.

This is worlds away from the First World system of commerce; to the point that, when I returned to Europe, I had to have a friend go to the supermarket with me the first time for moral support. I drifted through the revolving doors and was faced with a gargantuan warehouse stuffed full with a world of goods, all stacked neatly and labelled with the price. One could merely glance at the shelf to find out the value of the item, none of this guess work that I had, up until so recently, been subjected to. The total cost of a basket of goods could be predicted and if anything it went down thanks to 2-4-1 deals and the like.

Utter bliss...

Until, that is, I went to the check out.

Here, dear reader, I was confronted with the "Self Service Checkout". Instead of being greeted by a smiling checkout chick asking me if I wanted to pay by cash or card (no, I don’t have a frigging loyalty card), I was subjected to making a ritual offering to the demon who lives inside the magical touch-screen box. It progressively traumatises the unsuspecting shopper by a number of methods. Frequently it falsely accuses you of attempting to steal the 19 pence Value Strawberry Yogurt because the scanner didn't really scan it before you put it in the bag (even though you would swear on your Grandmother's grave that you hear the demon "beep" it's accent half a second ago). It asks questions such as "do you have any of your own bags?", thus making one confront the reality that one has forgotten their eco bags and therefore is helping to destroy the planet just a little bit more by using up 2 of their shiny new bags; which they then charge you tuppence each, just to really piss you off.

Lo-and-behold the miserable shopper who puts their purse on any of the touch sensitive scales; thou shalt burn for tickling of such sensitive technology. And Cashback? You must be joking! The belly of the demon needs feeding! It is not about to serve you your wealth, don't be so very silly. How very dare you for such a thought crossing your mind.

Every time you can't make the bastard machine work, you have to summon the utterly uninterested teenage assistant (who hates the demon machine far more than you and I may fathom) to kick it into submission for you. Each time you think that you are going to get arrested for that yogurt that didn't scan, or maybe that you told the demon that the Capsicum was red and not green. Don't get your Capsicums muddled up, the demon knows the truth that lies beneath...

By the time you've left the shop you are in a worse mood that you were when you went in, but this time you will have no one to shout at.

Not healthy. Not healthy one bean.

What's any of this got to do with anything at all though?

In these days of rioting, occupations of various central business districts (Wall Street, Auckland and London being three of which I'm currently following), dwindling family values where people feel more and more disempowered and have increasingly distant relationships with the people who we share our cities with, it is sad to see that yet one more valuable human interaction has been so swiftly whipped away out of our daily lives from before our very eyes. We are becoming more and more distant from the people who share our living spaces which has created loneliness and isolation from within the crowd.

I'm not technophobic by any stretch of the imagination, I have techno-joy and am usually inseparable from my Android phone and laptop, but it's the fighting with unfeeling, uncaring, unknowing computers (such as the self serve checkout ) instead of working with fellow humans which worries me. How are we to correct this when people are being replaced by beeping machines containing demons which need to be satisfied?

Although bartering drives me to distraction, I loved the social challenges it brought and the lessons it taught me; how to be good natured in defeat or gracious in victory, how to develop and maintain a relationship with an individual or team of individuals in a constructive way which can then be built upon over the time that I am a patron of the establishment. By removing the human, we've not only lost the opportunity for personal growth, but also a degree of community adhesion. These simple daily interactions create social conversation; about how the area is developing and forming, what Mrs So-and-so is up to these days or the state of the local council. If local people are not engaged in conversation with their neighbours here, then where are they to do it? Not in the pub, people are too busy getting drunk and forgetting to treat each other nicely. Not in the coffee shops, people are too busy reading and poking their iPhones. Not on the Underground, people are too busy looking at anything other than each other to avoid interacting with the person that who they are nose to armpit with during crush-hour.

Without these forced social interactions, in places such as the local shops, society will eventually fail to talk to each other.

Then what?

I've already figured out that were I ever to find a job that allowed me to work from behind a computer at home then I would never have to leave the place ever again. Everything can be mailed to me from Ebay etc and groceries delivered from Sainsbury’s Online.

Will people eventually become segregated into those who hide behind their computers and those who are the invisible servants who create and deliver the goods?

Is this the city in which you wish to live?

I sure as hell don't.

Come out into the city and play with us, there is a whole world to talk to :0)

Mid October

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:48:00 +0000

The more I live and travel through the city the more I feel I see, learn and understand and therefore can rationalise why to everything I see and hear. That way it helps me accept and continue to appreciate what it is I have and how lucky I am to live in another country.

It also makes me realise that I actually know about living in two countries and therefore I know twice as less than before. Perhaps I have a better perception now and deeper awareness of what is going on around me, not that it makes any difference as it would happen any way whether I was here or not.

I often, I think, mention life as an expat and the challenges it brings and whilst you can settle as an expat you are and remain an outsider to everything as you will never catch up with the way of life in the country you move to, on the flip side the life you left behind is almost as alien now as the one being led.

The world is such a big place when you travel it but when you are in one place, big becomes small and foreign becomes familiar but the questionable remains questionable.

There are 400 Sumatra tigers left and they wont last long thats for sure. It is a huge shame and their possible extinction is such a tragedy to witness but actually I don't believe there is anything anyone can do about that now.. The worlds insatiable thirst for cheap Palm nut oil,exotic hardwoods and the most simple of reasons, that man needs to farm to support his family is creating the deforestation and loss of habitat for tigers and wild animals in general. People protest, raise money and demand action but it won't happen. The desire to change is not strong enough. The people who live in these areas want what we have and want to be rich and happy and successful and not be ignored and feel important. When that is their focus, what difference will a few less trees make?

Those watching CNN, or reading the Guardian etc and see reports about the loss of natural habitat get very upset. Start typing on their Macbook about how disgraceful this is, then get into their BMW, and head to the shops for new clothes a nice meal and then return to the family home and forget about it.

They expect someone far far away living a difficult life with little government support to sort it all out for them. Nah it wont happen.

In the city there are people who entertain passer-bys with monkeys dressed in dolls clothes or hats and they treat these animals terribly and it is a sad and cruel thing to watch. Some watch, some pay, some clap, some walk on by. But this form of entertainment has been going on for so long that is almost cultural and part of life where it happens. Will it be stamped out? No. Is it really important ? In the scheme of things, Yes I guess so but in real terms I can't say it is as there are more pressing issues at hand.

The Jakarta Globe published some amazing facts about the wages people are earning.The article can be found here and it is about the need to spend money repaving roads in the slum areas of the city.

I quote "Data from the city’s social affairs agency say there are 7,315 street children in Jakarta, while the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) estimates that this year there were 363,000 people in the capital surviving on no more than Rp 355,000 per month. - 355,000 = less than 26 quid a month."

So however much we moan and groan and complain really, is it worth it? If I thought about it I would think none of us would want to live on that money and certainly would not be prepared to give up our creature comforts to try to. Yet and I try to explain this to my students when I am feeling philosophical.

Children with limited education who spend their time flying kites and making do with what they can find and living best they can compared to the children stuffed in the back of the Alphard with TV screens in headsets, playing on their Blackberrys and using their PSP, growing fat on KFC and sugar, who are actually happier.

You decide. Its all relative.

So it's Mid October, the wedding deposit has been paid, and the countdown to having a holiday has begun. Its been a while since I stepped foot on another island (Bidadari is not included as it was a day trip) and so I am more than looking forward to that. I am beginning to realise I do need it.

I have been working lots and spent the weekend at Puri Mall supporting the center in an Education Fair. I must say those 6 hours went by so very.....

But I did my bit, it was a useful and purposeful exercise and I am sure to think about doing it again if I am told to.

Getting back from Puri Mall to Central Park was harder than it needed to be as I got into a Bluebird. Bluebird is the most trusted and used Taxi in the city. However this driver did not know where Taman Anggrek was so I got out and got into a Diane and took the toll. The toll was nose to tail rammed and so it took over 45 minutes to do the 8 kilometers back. The traffic and the lack of manners by the other drivers was outrageous. Seriously sometimes you have to wonder what is wrong with people who show no respect for other people on the road. Driving 2 ton killing machines you would think that perhaps they should. I don't see the argument 'Gods will' and 'only God knows our destiny' as an excuse to drive badly putting you, your family and me in harms way.

Still I got back and just before the sky burst and the rain fell heavily for an hour. I was going to use the Heavens opened but I had just spoke about god so I did not want to make another religious reference.

However I have has some successes such as learning to transfer money into a Mandiri account from Permata with limited assistance. Correctly setting a network 3 internet account and keeping my tab in credit. Using Microsoft Office 2010 effectively, downloading free Ebooks from the internet. Can't say where from just in case someone reports me. And most amusing of all being described as Edward Cullen. Ha Ha Ha, got to smile at that one.

Time to find some Max Brooks books. Bring on World War Z

Happy times and have the most Sunshiny days

Updates and things

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:19:00 +0000

Just some updates I thought might be useful to share and some thoughts which I felt are prudent to share looking at what is being read or visited through my blog pages.

If you are looking for the update to trains to Bogor - scroll down

I got a lovely letter from Google the other day telling me that they had pulled a blog post from another of my blogs due to a copyright complaint and to visit a website to review the complaint. They also told me to amend it or delete it or have the whole blog deleted. I have yet to sort the post out and despite looking the website they told me to go to, I found nothing.
Odd really as the post was just random facts about Indonesia, information that can be found freely available in books, blogs, news sites etc. And whilst I understand intellectual property rights of the owner, the internet is full of copy, imitation and recycled information. As the phrase goes - Imitation is the best form of flattery. I have never not said that some of the things I have found or added to my blogs were all my own work but rather shared from other sites. Quote is from a certain Charles Caleb Colton (1780-1832).
My photos which I put on my blog are often downloaded by others to which I am often amazed and delighted that people take them, I have put a small comment on my blog about it , but I also acknowledge the fact that by putting my pictures out there, then they can be used by others. I don't feel angered or annoyed by these things as its a choice.

This picture seems to be the most downloaded image from my blog

Still moving on.

I want to update on this blog page some information connected to another blog page 'Trains to Bogor' as I feel things have changed so drastically that some of the information is out of date.

The express train is no longer running from Bogor to Jakarta and vice versa, instead all trains stop at all stations and whist there are AC trains etc, the journey now takes a while longer.

Something else I learnt about trains is a way people get robbed by people on them and this happened to a friend of mine just recently. While waiting for a train, she was using her phone near the platform edge when a train rumbled by. Her phone was snatched from her by someone leaning far out of the train and looking for things to snatch and then once they have something, the people they are with pull them back in. She could do nothing as the train keeps going and there really is not anyone to complain to. So be careful. I know of people riding as passengers on motorbikes having bags ripped off them by other motorcyclists and recently a teacher had people attempt to stop her car by telling her her tyres were flat. Her car was surrounded by bikes. Luckily she kept going.

I guess everything is pretty much the same to getting better in many many ways. I have recently been able to rediscover the joys of reading popular modern fiction of all sorts thanks to an e reader and access to many free torrent e books, so much so I am over-whelmed by books to read and now often just switch off the TV and read for a few hours. I have some far collected about 250 free Ebooks from different sites and of different types. Horror, war, fantasy, crime thrillers everything to keep me amused. I have also found more books for school in PDF format which are proving again useful.

I really enjoy reading, be it books, papers, blogs, you name it. I wish I could inspire the students I have to read and enjoy reading as I feel it would help their studies, their understanding of the world, their creativity, their thought process, everything but alas. It is not meant to be. However we do offer reading classes for 3-5 year olds and the classes are full and the students seem to be progressing and that is such great news.

And on that note, time for a read

Taxis in Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 10:59:00 +0000

Some information about Taxis in Jakarta, some rules and some things to know.

So here is a list

Bluebird
Express
Gamya
Putra
TransCab
TaxiKu

Koperasi
Dian

Indah Family
Diamond
Borburdor
Indo Taxis
Taxi Cab
Mersindo
Royal City
PrimaJasa

Silver Bird
Tiara
White Horse

And I am sure some that I have forgotten or look so dangerous I have not mentioned them. But those are pretty much the bulk of the taxi companies in the city.

I have also broken the list into segments to help you understand how I have rated them. The top list is contains all the taxis I take on a frequent basis.
The next list is some I will take if there are none from the top list. The next lot well, I would rather walk. That leaves Silver Bird etc which are premium taxis and the ones we all would like if we could afford it.

Bluebird - blue taxis with a white sign on the car roof., costs the most as higher fees, start at 6,000 rupiah. In my experience, some drivers like to go slow, take longer routes and try to rip you off however on the whole the drivers are polite and the cars are well looked after. The drivers never fall asleep which is nice. Most Indonesians prefer this taxi. If you are new it is your best bet.
Bluebird also has fleet called Pusaka Lintas which are fine as well.

Becareful when hailing a blue taxi as there are many others that copy the colour and sign which makes life more interesting and they will rip you off.

All other taxis carry a sticker saying 'Tarif Lama' which means the old price. This starts at 5,000 rupiah and goes up in 180 amounts.

Express - White with a yellow sign. Friendly knowledgeable drivers. Drive quickly. Most drivers are trust worthy.

Gamya - Green Nissans with white roof signs, I say this as nearly every other taxi in this list is a Toyota Limo. Pretty decent drivers, seem to know their way around. Cars are clean. Some drivers are sleepy.

Putra - Old Blue Protons with yellow roof signs. There are new cars. Drivers are honest and know their way around. The meter is normally on the floor so it is not easy to see what the price is. But they are reliable.

TransCab - Orange Protons with Yellow Roof sign. TV monitors on the headrests. Drivers polite and cheerful. Never had a problem with Transcab

TaxiKu - Yellow with white signs. Will pay the tolls to the airport for you. Not my favourite as the last couple of times I have taken one of these the driver got lost, was rude, fell asleep or was chatting on his phone. But if you have to, they are ok.

Then

Koperasi -currently upgrading from green and orange protons which are about 50 years old to white Limos. I dont mind them. The drivers often are very sleepy as they work all the time but I have never been ripped off by them. In an emergency no worries.

Dian - Great fun in old white Toyotas with Diane signs on the roof and a blue stripe along the side. Often the AC does not work but the drivers seem happy. Never had a bad experience well not many. Again in an emergency....

Below. As I rule I would not take these as they do not appear to be that big companies and the stories from others have not been supportive of them therefore in my mind that means danger and huge cost.

Indah Family - Might still be blue if still about. Were ok. Don't know now.
Diamond - have a licence to run from T3 at the airport. Would rather walk
Borburdor - No
Indo Taxis - No
Sepakat - No
Taxi Cab - Never taken perhaps never will
Mersindo - very few about
Royal City - Light blue, never taken
PrimaJasa - Same as the bus company. Used once, ok but there are not a lot them about so not too sure.

If you have money

Silver Bird
Tiara
White Horse

All are luxury cabs and come with premium prices.

Silver Bird use black Mercedes or Toyotas The bigger hotels have them hanging around.

Tiara are from Express and use Alphas. So a big van with windows. There a few always at Plaza Semanggi.

White Horse. New to me, I think using big black Hyudais'. That is all I can say about them.

Some rules.

Becareful when you flag them down as from a distance they all look the same as a rule (remember most are white or blue toyotas)
Insist the driver locks the doors.
Insist the meter is on
Sit in the back behind the front passenger seat as it allows you to see what is going on.
Be aware of where you are and where you need to go. Look lost and frightened and be prepared to go on a long trip.
If you cant pronounce the name of where you need to go, don't expect to get there quickly.
Understand the driver may not know where he is or where to go as the city is big and if it is to a new mall or area the driver may not know it.
For Tolls have money ready. The driver will pay and then either keep the change for another toll booth or give it back.
If you only carry 100,000 notes don't expect the driver to be able to break them. Tolls are good for that. Always carry low denomination notes so it will be easier than asking for change as sometimes drivers dont have any.
If the driver is fasting or it is either first thing in the morning or late at night, keep an eye on him as he might fall asleep.
If you fall asleep you might find you be paying more.
If you are stuck in a taxi when the rains have flooded. Either get out and get wet or take the risk of paying an awful lot.
If you need to book a taxi, Blue bird are the easiest to arrange and the most reliable.
From the airport you have to pay the tolls, a surcharge and then the normal fair. Make sure the ride is on the meter. For me from the airport to Central Park it is 11,000 extra so it costs about 80,000.
It is hard to give costs from here to there as it will depend on the route, the driver, the car, the weather, the traffic and so sometimes it is cheaper or more expensive. However for a 30 minute ride expect to pay a minimum of 40,000 average.
Drivers dont like short trips and so may refuse to take you or set a price.

Over the years I have been here. I consider nearly all taxis I have taken have been safe and reliable. Apart from one driver crashing when he fell asleep and having to change the wheel with him or the odd occasion getting lost I have found the taxis here no bother. With everything in life just becareful.

Life in Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 10:07:00 +0000

I have spent a few days pondering this blog as I was not sure and still am not entirely sure what to write but there is a need for me to write out some of things stored in my head. The blog to some could be the same as the Pensieve, which Dumbledore used in the Harry Potter stories, using it to store memories to allow the mind to fill up with new ones.

My blog has just passed its 2nd birthday and is moving into its third year and so most of the pondering I did was really to understand how to write and celebrate that fact, however as I am still writing on an almost weekly basis I saw no real reason to celebrate that much. My blog has been for me a huge and welcome distraction and it is now almost a hobby where I can bask in my time out in Indonesia, not that it is drawing to a close but things are changing for me in quite some big ways in the next year or so and that means more learning experiences and challenges. Happily not all is changing and that I can feel at peace with but I have a feeling that the coming 'blog year' will be huge.

I don't think my style has changed too much although I am partial to adding photos now to illustrate my point or help visualise my experiences and thoughts over time. I also feel that I am more settled and understanding of some things that happen in Indonesia and perhaps can even can rationalise them to help me explain and survive them.

The traffic here always worries me but I am not now surprised when all I see it a sea of traffic. The dirty rivers, the ramshackle housing, the lack of concern for safety, the happy smiles, the spirit, the sense of community is all around me but yet I am still a stranger and onlooker when it comes to actually being here. An expat is just that, someone who is not in their homeland but in someone else's homeland and trying to live a near as possible normal life.

This time last year I was planning a trip to England to see my friends, my family and it was a terribly exciting time for me and when I got home it was the best and a relief to be there, yet I still wanted to return here as, well, Jakarta is exciting. Hot. Smelly, Next to near perfect beaches and paradise islands. I felt my life was here as I still do. England was great and getting back I did feel both belonging and also being a stranger. So much had changed or moved on, redeveloped and so much had not grown or moved. Both were comforting but also slightly depressing as I missed so many things. Family weddings, Friends weddings, My parents etc.

This year I am not planning a trip to England but Christmas is nearly all sorted out, New Year is almost sorted out and my next year is again almost sorted out. The use of almost should not be underestimated as often for me, almost is good as it gets for planning things and trying make things happen out here. Almost is as good as saying yes but without the certainty.

I seem to spend a lot of time thinking and considering how to improve what it is that I write and perhaps make it have more direction or a more focus topic base but then I think what use would that be when the sole purpose of writing is a chance to record my life in Jakarta and therefore everything and every time I write it does just that. Sure, there are times when no matter how you look at what I do, living here is humdrum. Work, food, sleep, work, food, sleep etc. Visiting the same places, seeing the same things but no matter where someone lives, unless he or she is not tied to one place of work doing the same day in day out then routines must come about. I still wont really write about my work that I do as I feel it would damage or create a different set of readings for those that read them and by writing about my place of work and therefore my employer it would be against some of my beliefs. Noting down things I have done, reactions and concerns can be considered as negative and that might work against me, so that's why I don't write about work in any detail. It is however safe to say, working here and doing what I do is one of the major reasons that keeps me in Indonesia and in Jakarta.

Recently I have not really had the opportunity to visit or travel due to being very busy and working 6 days a week. I am still running around the city and visiting different places and restaurants. Taking random trips off on the bike into Tebet or other areas of the city. I possibly share some of those places more on Four Square or Twitter as they seem to be my preferred 'social networks' if I had to choose. I still view and use Facebook but not as much as I used to. I don't find it hold too interesting these days and there is nothing new with it. I do like to know what is happening to friends and family through the world but it has lost its shiny exterior now and it is become rather mundane. The recent set of changes have not really bothered me either as well it is simple enough to understand. Google + as far as I can tell is mute and so few of my friends use it, there is no point in using it either. So twittering random things and checking in everywhere keeps me amused more than most things these days.

I think I will write a blog about taxis.

Have a good day

Heat in Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 11:13:00 +0000

It has been so hot here in Jakarta for the past couple of months making the air drier and dustier, the nights hotter and more uncomfortable and the wish for rain so much stronger. Reservoirs are running low, fields are drying up and there is no clear idea when the rainy season will return.
However there has been some indicators to a change in the weather with 2 showers albeit heavy ones in the evening this week and then last night some serious rain for an hour.
It rained fairly heavily on Thursday night at Puri and into Grogol and so the journey home was slower and more cautious as there were an awful lot of deep puddles.
Riding on Friday and today I have spotted so many new holes and dips in the ground, mainly where there were new cables laid and then the holes filled in, they have all sunk and this is the main riding line for bikes so that will mean waiting longer and riding very carefully. I am hoping that someone in authority has visited many streets to identify where the water does not drain away and get someone to fix that. I suspect that the drains and gullies are blocked by rubbish and dirt and debris and perhaps if we are lucky that will be sorted out.
After seeing and hearing the rain last night, I was instantly brought back to the fact that its going to be hellish getting home at night in the rain and I can only hope it rains through the night or between 11-4 in the day when I am working!!!!
Still the rain has washed some of the dust and dirt of the bike but I am sure it has added more.

The city seems now to be back to normal but the traffic seems to be not quite right as some days there is no traffic and others you cant go anywhere, perhaps it is me as I have been going to work at different times but it does seem weird at the moment.

I have a feeling and I do hope I will be proved wrong that this rainy season will be a big one. When I came here in 2007, one of the first things I was told was that Jakarta has big rainy seasons every 5 years. Which becomes quite important and relevant. I came here in 2007. There were terrible floods through the city. It will be 5 years next year. 2012 could be another big year for floods. Mind 2008 was not much better!!!!

Happy days.

New York and 9/11

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:51:00 +0000

I am sure we all have memories of the 9/11 attacks on New York as it was so widely reported through the world and made the Americans realise that they were like the rest of us, targets for terrorists and that despite its military, economic and financial power it was just as open to attacks as the rest of the world.

Being English, I have been brought up through times in the countries history when terrorists attacked and killed English people. The IRA and the conflicts in Northern Ireland left a legacy of bombings, dead and violence in both England and Northern Ireland. I remember having to clear buildings of customers as my business had received bomb threats and special worded messages which could mean the threat was real. Clearing a building of 1000 people in 10 minutes was no fun and worrying and scary and exciting at the same time. Telling my regional director I had closed my business got a different reaction, but for the safety of the public we did this time and time again.

Some parts of England were less lucky, Manchester and London both experienced huge terrorist threats and damage and death through the years and many people throughout England can tell stories of how these things impacted on their lives.

Eventually peace and reconciliation and talks over came these issues and the threat of violence towards the English and the Irish has all but gone.

So when the terrorist attacks took place in New York, the world took a step back full of shock and wondered if the Americans were not safe then who was.

For me I had been to New York before the event for a holiday and never had the time to go up the twin towers (the world trade center). Had I gone up them, then I could have seen the curve of the earth (on a clear day) and marveled at New York from up high.

Then in 2001 I had the opportunity to attend a wedding in upstate New York as a school friend was getting married to a New Yorker. It was the best trip. 5 school and drinking friends plus wives or girlfriends spending a week together in New York for a great friends wedding. I still consider it one of the best trips I have been on and I can still remember some it quite clearly!!!

We were in New York at the start of September and spent our days after the wedding in Brooklyn, taking the subway into the city and either did sightseeing or drinking or both. We also watched an England football match while we were there. It was dismal match but lots of fun. We saw all the sights, Empire State, Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, watched a show on Broadway. Went to Times Square at night and so on.

The night before we were all due to fly home to England we went to a huge party and ended up in a complete mess as you do, especially when you are treated as family or distant cousins with all you can eat and drink provided free.

The flight home was a night flight so we had all day in New York and we ended up outside again the Twin Towers, in Dunkin Doughnuts if I remember rightly. I used an ATM in the building as needed more cash. I have that receipt somewhere. Anyway there we are on a bright and sunny September morning wondering what to do. Led on the floor looking up at the towers thinking what to do. Do we go up and see the view, do we go shopping or do we just go drinking or do we do it all?

Well, we ended up shopping and then going drinking for the rest of the day. We went to a store call Century 21 which I guess was kind of factory outlet.It was very close to the towers and was destroyed later that week. Eventually we just wandered around and then left and went to a bar and spent the rest of the day there.

That was on the 7th September 2001. By the 8th we were home and life was going back to normal. Our friend in New York was back working in Wall Street we were back at work and one of my closest friends was heading out to America for a holiday.

On the 9th I was back at work and with my colleagues in the warehouse working. We had a radio and it was playing radio one. There was a news broadcast that a plane had hit the twin towers but there was little else said. Then another report about it and the news started to grow.

Some employees were getting other news mainly from Sky News showing live images as the events happened. My business emptied and people seemed to be at home watching the news as the images were too real, visual and stunning to be ignored.

By the time I got home it was just reruns and repeats on the news that's all but it remained on all channels for days.

I could not reach either of my friends who were in America. My friend in New York was OK, covered in dust but otherwise fine. My friend flying to San Franciso was diverted but got there eventually. Everyone I knew was safe and sound.

From there is recent history, The war in Iraq, The war in Afghanistan, the hunt of Bin Laden and his death. The rebuilding of New York and the increase in security getting into America as a visitor.The attacks have changed many things and the aftermath and effects from it have changed everyone's life in some way.

In 2006 I was travelling through Malaysia on a train and was eating lunch with some Malaysians. They asked me if I was American as they felt the country was a terrible place and they (the Americans) were doing terrible things to the world and making life harder. They admitted to hating Americans. Luckily I could tell them I was English and that cheered them and then when I said Tottenham Hotspurs were a good football team, they paid for my lunch! but that sentiment about Americans followed me through the world as often I was asked my opinions about Americans at that time. I can't quite really remember what I said but I could not agree that I supported president with his decisions but I did support the troops where ever they were fighting and the need to get them home safely and quickly. Not just the Americans but the British and everyone elses.

At the end of 2006 I took another trip to New York before coming here and again it was just amazing. I have to say if I could I would love to live there. The city is so vibrant, alive and interesting. Ground Zero as it was called then was a big building site. You could take a subway train that ran past it and under it. We had lunch just up from the area and spent time looking at the memorial that was put there and is still there. It was very moving and poignant and there were many many people there paying their respects and wishes. It was sad to see but also good to see how people remembered it.

Sadly I don't have the photos of my other trips. I wish I did. But these are of the ground zero site January 2007.

Lets hope this 911 passes peacefully everywhere.

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Days out Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Luke Regler) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:56:00 +0000

So you arrive in Jakarta decide you will stay a while and then think where can I go from here using my hotel as a base. Well straight away the choices seem limited but here is a list of places you could get to and back in a day from Jakarta.
West Java is vast and there is a lot of nothing out there to see but looking past that and you will find some treasures I am sure.
So day trips away without a plane or boat will involve all directions except north which is the sea. There are tolls roads to Bandung, Bogor and Merak. A decent rail service to Bogor and Bandung and countless buses everywhere else. Your enemy will be traffic so be prepared for a long ole day.

1. Bandung - Take the early train and head into the Paris of Java. Get into the city and see the sites, shop or rush up to the volcanoes around the city to see sulphur, steam, mud pools and hot springs.
Museums a plenty and there is plenty to see and it has a good vibe and is pretty laid back. Lots of older colonial buildings still. The traffic is dreadful at times but it is a break out from Jakarta.
2-3 hours by car, 4 hours by train.

2. Bogor. Small city on the verge of being swallowed up by the ever spreading Jakarta. Cooler and expect rain but there is lots to do in the city.
Visit the botanical gardens, see the presidents palace. Wander around the streets looking at vendors selling all sorts. The market outside the railway station is great.
There is a puppet factory in the city and also a gamelan and gong factory to visit.
Some amazing cafes with views of the volcanoes and moutains and city from high up. I recommend the gardens and to find the museum and the old dutch graveyard.
1 hour by train, 1 - 2 hours by car

3. Tamam Safari. Up in the hills (Puncak) around Bogor is Taman Safari. Full of all things animal and worth a visit to see penguins, tigers, orang utans etc. The Zoo is highly involved in conservation and it is a huge place. Once you have driven through the animals then you can get up close and personal with all kinds of things there.

4. Still in Puncak, you can go Para gliding, gliding etc

5. Tea walks in Puncak are popular. Wander about a tea plantation in the early morning air to feel fresh and enjoy the beauty of tea trees before enjoying a cuppa.

6. Rafting. Travel another hour and you can be in Suka Bumi where you can go rafting towards the sea or even off roading. The rafting takes about 3 - 4 hours and it is not that dangerous but it is lovely to watch the world go by.

7. At the end of the day you could ignore all that and get to Pelabuhan Ratu, a coastal town and lovely views of the ocean. Big Waves for surfing and a decent beach is worth seeing. If any time then head off either direction along the coast and enjoy the southern coastal cliffs and ocean.

8. Volcanoes and Mountains are always fun and in West Java there are a fair few. Gede is one which is next to Bogor and you can climb it for the sunrise but you need a guide and it takes 2 days. But you can still find the waterfalls and there is another botanical garden to be explored. It is cooler and fresher. Monkeys and snakes are also worth looking out for.

9. For a break from the now, you can go and visit the Badui Villages (pay to enter of course) and see some communities who have ignored all technology and modern ways.

10. Moving more west and the hills and mountains remain impressive. Keep heading west and you will hit the coast and the gateway to Sumatra at Merak. Not much going on in Merak but it is a coastal town and full of traffic and chaos and ferries.

11. Little south of Merak and you will come across the coastal resorts of Carita, Labuan and Anyer. All 3 lie on the flat sea and volcanic sands. On a good day you can see Krakatau smoking away in the sea. You can visit it but it is best you get a very early start as it is a few hours into the ocean. And Anyer is at least 3 hours from Jakarta. Beach sports and water sports are available here. You can see the bats at night and visit waterfalls etc up in hills. There is still evidence of the tsunami following the big eruption of Krakatau in the early 19th Century.

12. Depending which way you go to Anyer you will either go past the vast and huge Krakatau steel works and the decay and industry it brings with it or you can take the more scenic and mountains route via the hard to pronounce but well preserved and looked after Rangkasbitung. A small town in the hills. A nice square and very tidy.
Sadly you wont have time to go further south to Ujung Kulon national park as the roads and distance make it too far to travel and you need a few days there at least.

13. Before Merak is a the historically interesting Banten. It used to be the main port of Java and it still has industry and shipping there. There is some old dutch ruins and some tombs of famous moslems to see. Also you can walk out to the bird islands depending on tides and see lots of different sea birds. On the bus its about 2-3 hours.

14. Somewhere a little closer is the area between Banten and West Jakarta. Head off out of the city via Dann Mogot and through Kalideres into Tangerang and then out of there and once you pass the other enterance to the Airport then you are into the country side and lots of fields and flat country to see. The mud flats and salt flats from the Java sea get closer and closer and by just turning right into small roads might take you into small fishing villages. Keep going and the roads become smaller and the people friendlier and the views of the ocean get better.

Now these trips still need organising and thinking through as even a day trip here can be arduous. I have visited most of these places in a day or overnight but all are possible to do if you get up early enough (i.e. leave before 6am) and are prepared for a lot of car time. The train trip to Bandung is stunning as the train winds its way through the mountains. The road trips is not as good but it gets you there quickly.
Buses go fast and once away from the city they dont slow down even though the roads get smaller and maybe less flat.
West Java can be accessed relatively easily and if you decide to stop over for the night then the amount you can get done will double and good times will be had.

In Jakarta you can hire cars and drivers by the day and this is an excellence way to get to these places as the drivers know where to go and how to drive there safely and quickly. Fill a car up with people and the cost per person reduces. Car hire prices vary but lets say 400k for the day for a car plus driver. Fuel, tolls and food for the driver maybe 200k and then a tip could be 50k each person. So with a car carrying 4 people thats 800k or 200k each. And that is not a bad price.

Some links

http://www.kereta-api.co.id/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anyer

http://www.bandungtourism.com/

http://www.magnetadventure.com/plg2/