JJK May 2012 by Indo Multi Media

Inside

19 pages of hot summer style guide

e U s s i a i L s e e n o v d a n i r n i t Places

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vol 19 no 05 May 2012

sit i v t s

eg r o f e

rest Top ur ana d baants rs 8

idr 35.000

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o st n o as e r May 2012

Whisper “See you soon…”

while you wish Bon Voyage to nature’s children

Enjoy the occasion of blessing turtle hatchlings embarking on a journey of life, cruising the seven seas in search of adventure. Enjoy the pleasure of a tree top drink, bump into a familiar face who might give you a wink.

May 2012

Vol 19 No 05 May 2012

74 Record Going global: with Deborah Iskandar 134 Small Talk with Kevin Mangan and Adam Clift

78 Cover Story Exploring Indonesia: ten places you must visit before you even think about going abroad

May 2012

136 Afterthought Thank you for smoking: when non-smokers are sent into exiles

and we call it home.. 83% of total area is dedicated for Landscape with Garden & Pools 2 Private Lifts to each unit Advanced Security System Located in Kebayoran (area of South Jakarta) Great access to CBD & International Schools

www.pakubuwono6.com inquiry@pakubuwono6.com

Jl. Pakubuwono 6 No. 72 Kebayoran Baru Jakarta Selatan 12120. Indonesia

Sales & Leasing Office 5 May 2012

(021) 725 9988

Vol 19 No 05 May 2012

9 10 16

Contributors Fast Forward Rewind

Play

27 The BIg J The governator cometh: who is ideal to lead Jakarta? 30 BookS Celebrating the ordinary: on Jennifer Eganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pulitzer Prizewinning novel

31 fIlm The parent trap: kids and films for adult 32 muSIc The god who sings: Morrissey, the man you love to hate to love

34 gadgeTS Wrath of the tablets: Samsung Galaxy 7.7 vs iPad3 102

36 commuNITY The runner: a man who runs to save others

Pause 41 VaNITY Things that you should have to colour your summer 126

62 culTuRe The language of education: multilingualism in schools

Taste 95 kITcheN uPdaTeS 98 ReSTauRaNT ReVIeWS Tea Spoon + X9 Bar and Kitchen 100 ReSTauRaNT Talk Cassis 102 food Talk Burger wars: a mission to find the best burger in town 108 chef WaRS Kevzer Zorlu vs Philip Walasary 110 dRINkS Bluegrass Limoncello + California Lemonade 112 ToP TaBleS + BaRS

Travel 120 BalI Pemuteran: the beauty of north-west Bali 126 JouRNeYS Eight reasons to visit Tokyo

46 IN Vogue Heartbreak hotel 56 lIVINg Life in a green house: an eco-friendly residential in Jakarta 60 aRT A day at the museum: is art preservation and education in Indonesia too reliant on private sector?

May 2012

Before you read 15 things you will learn this issue

SULAWESI

AT E

BORNEO

RA PAPUA

The small island of Nias

JAVA

is a hidden paradise for surfers worldwide, The waves are said to be better than in Maui, Hawaii.

BALI

page 90

Here are the candidates for the future governor of jakarta:

BULE GILA

Kevin Mangan and Adam Clift are the two bule gila who rode a bajaj from Thailand to Jakarta page 134

Adding a sculpture or unique lamp to your reading space might just boost your reading mood page 54

Chef Kevser Zorlu from Anatolia Turkish Restaurant, in Kemang, is one female chef with a strong fist yet motherly touch

FAUZI BOWO

page 108

JOKO WIDODO

“The Raid” or even “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II”

Tanah Teduh ALEX NOERDIN

Make sure you vote for the right one page 27

the better, for this spring/summer 2012 fashion trend

page 56

page 41

on Jalan Benda is own by Aksan Sjuman and Titi Sjuman page 112

iPad

The screen of the latest iPad might be equal to a mini LCD television page 34 8

May 2012

The bigger your sunglasses,

is your answer to escape Jakarta’s hustle and bustle

The small cosy cafécum-bar of Largo

Previously an investment banker, Deborah Iskandar became the managing director at the famous auction house Sotheby’s in Jakarta, pursuing her passion for art page 74

aren’t suitable for your children page 31

Deborah Iskandar

wine culture is taking Jakarta by storm, from wine and food pairing, to wine and cheese expo this May page 10

The ever so controversial British singer

Morrissey will be performing live in Jakarta page 32

OHD Museum

in Magelang, Central Java, is your answer to the lacking of “appropriate” museums operated by the government page 60

Skytree, a 634-metretall digitalrelay tower is one of the eight reasons why you must visit Tokyo soon page 126

May 2012

PUBLISHING President Director Ajie Kusumantoro Head Of Operations Patty Abidin Advertising Sales Jakarta sales@indomultimedia.co.id Melanie Wahyu Harry Sutanto L.D. Michael Dewi Puspa Saraswati Sri Neni Supriyanti Marketing marketing@indomultimedia.co.id Trias Agustiawati eDITORIAL editor@jakartajavakini.com Group Editor-in-chief Unggul Hermanto Group Copy Editor Simon Pitchforth (TA) Editor Yohanes Sandy Asst. Editor Shannicka Nofrena Tamar Editorial Assistant Belinda (Intern) Design Consultant www.brownfoxstudio.com Brown Fox Studio Photographer Maulana Rizki Head of Production Agus Muslim Production Staff Nuridin Muhidin Fahri Sugeng Susanto Traffic traffic@indomultimedia.co.id Ratna Aryani Circulation circulation@indomultimedia.co.id Pandu Guritno Siti Turyati Advertising Sales Bali bali@indomultimedia.co.id Ayu Oka Trisnawati

Head Office

Globe Building 3rd Floor Jl. Buncit Raya kav 31-33, Jakarta 12740 T: 021 7918 7008 F: 021 7918 7009 Bali OfficE

Pertokoan Kuta Center Block B2 & B12, Jl. Kartika Plaza, Kuta - Bali 80361 T: 0361 919 0756, 919 0765 F: 0361 756 354 Printed in Indonesia by PT. Indonesia Printer

JJK is published monthly by PT Indo Manca Media â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a subsidiary of Indo Multi Media Communications Group. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors. The Publisher does not accept responsibility for the contents thereof. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of the Publisher. All trademarks and rights to the name JJK is reserved by PT. Indo Manca Media under license no: 466/SK/MENPEN/SIUPP/1998

May 2012

Contributors

Yohan Handoyo

Sebastian Subakti

Joezer Mandagi

assignment Food Talk on burgers

assignment Reviewing Teaspoon and X9 Bar & Kitchen

assignment Culture on multilingualism in schools

“The only menu available consists of a blackboard that sits atop the serving counter and which only lists a handful of light dishes and drinks. The diminutive menu includes dishes such as spirelli pasta with bolognaise or mushroom sauce, beefy lasagne, wings platter, ugly meat pie and crusty herb potato wedges.”

“Missing the whole point of multilingualism as outlined above usually leads to problem number two, where parents become utterly convinced that in order to support their children’s education, they need to converse with them in English 24/7. This can be especially counterproductive when the parents in question are not fluent English speakers themselves.”

Peter Stephenson

Mia Maria

Aulia R Sungkar

assignment Reviewing “A Visit from the Goon Squad”

assignment: Art on museums

assignment Interviewing Deborah Iskandar, managing director of Sotheby’s Indonesia

“It’s time to put seven different fast food chains to the test. Buns, patties, lettuce, sauce, fries, cheese, beef bacon and those pesky pickles will all be put under the JJK microscope for what promises to be a bruising battle.”

“Conjoined yet separate, the chapters of ‘A Visit From the Goon Squad’, like the characters whose lives they describe, form a collection, each one exquisite in isolation but gaining depth and meaning by association. Almost from the beginning I struggled to resist the urge to read these chapters out of order as if the author’s fracturing of sequence - which covers a period from the 1970s to the not too distant future - and the anomie many of her characters seem representative of, invited yet another disordering intervention.”

“In fact, the museum that has most assiduously dedicated itself to the steady acquisition of Indonesian art over the past few years, by appointing experts to study Indonesian art history and by consistently showing an interest in keeping and preserving Indonesian art, is the Singapore Art Museum. Yes, Singapore. Yep, you are right, another country.”

“The recent Sotheby’s Hong Kong Spring Sales 2012 included modern and contemporary Indonesian paintings set alongside masterpieces from other Asian countries. Among the many offerings exhibited at the auction were works by modern Indonesian artists such as Hendra Gunawan, Affandi, S Sudjojono, Ay Tjoe Christine, Samsul Arifin and Rudi Mantofani.”

May2012 2012 May

11 11

Fast Forward Music gigs, clubbing events and other happenings around town

deisha tamar

EVENTS

Wine and Cheese Expo May 11-27

May 2

Pro Indonesia The British Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, in association with Santa Fe, will be hosting a seminar for expatriate professionals who are working in Indonesia this month, with guest speaker Sendy Widjaja. Mercantile Athletic Club, World Trade Centre, 18th floor, Jl. Jend Sudirman Kav 29-31, www.britcham.or.id May 5

Rugby tournament Get your team ready for the 2012 Crown Jakarta Komodos 10s rugby tournament, organised by The Jakarta Komodos at the British International School. www.pitchero.com/clubs/jakartakomodos

May 10 April 14-May 6

Russell Peter Notorious World Tour

This exhibition comes to the Salihara Gallery this month, curated by Mella Jaarsma, a Dutch national living in Yogyakarta. The exhibition will showcase artworks relating to domestic experiences and encompass themes of environment, identity and history.

Get ready to laugh out loud as this Canadian comedian performs at Istora Senayan, promoted by Ismaya Live.

Domestic Stuff exhibition

Jl. Salihara No. 16, Pasar Minggu. T: 021 789 1202 12

May 2012

feature exotic leather, finished leather, leather handbags and bags, leather accessories and various other leather goods. Halls B & C, JIExpo, Jl. Griya Agung Sunter Agung Tanjung, T: 021 2664 5131, www.indoleather-footwear.com

Istora Senayan, www.ismayalive.com

will all be ready for the tasting and visitors can test their wine knowledge at the Wine Challenge as well as take in the pastry-chef show. Multi Purpose Hall La Piazza, Jl. Kelapa Gading Boulevard Blok M, www.wineandcheeseexpo.com

May 11-27 May 10-13

Wine and Cheese Expo

May 12

Organised by Krista Exhibitions, this leather expo comes to Jakarta International Expo this month and will

This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wine and Cheese Expo will feature wines and cheeses from all over the world. Products from France, Germany, Australia and more

Enjoy a classical Javanese Kelono Mask dance accompanied by gamelan music while dining on

Indoleather & Footwear Expo

Indonesian dining

May 24-27 Russell Peter May 10

Indonesia Tourism and Cultural Expo Find out about Indonesian tourism and culture at the Jakarta Convention Center this month. You can plan your next trip across the archipelago here. Hall B, Jakarta Convention Center, www.gwn-ina.com. May 27

The Scottish way First held back in 1975, this annual Scottish event comes once more to Lippo Karawaci this month. Be entertained by Scottish dancing, pipes and drums, or get involved in the hammer throwing competition and test your strength. Lippo Karawaci, www.jkthighlandgathering.org

May 27 May 12

May 24 & 26

Cricket fans, register your team of between six and nine players at your local pub to join The Jabodetabek Pub Cricket Sixes 2012 tournament, which will be held at The Graham Yallop Oval in Pancawati in Ciawi this month. Trophies, awards, free-flow beer and top BBQ food will be up for grabs.

Inter Milan fans, this is the event for you. FC Internazionale Milano are coming to Gelora Bung Karno Stadium this month to play two matches against both

Pub cricket

Javanese and European cuisine from the secret kitchens of Yogyakarta’s Royal Palace.

Italian stallions

www.taman-olahraga-pancawatiinternational.com

May 28-30

Branded Shopper

May 12

Fashion show for a cause

www.bwajakarta.org

The first EPL Masters Indonesia Cup 2012, which will be held at Istora Senayan, is an indoor football competition in which master players from English Premier League sides such as Manchester United and Liverpool, along with EPL All Star Master and Indonesian Masters, will be competing against each other. Master players attending will include the legendary Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Andy Cole. www.rajakarcis.com

Lara Djonggrang, Jl. Teuku Cik Di Tiro 4, Menteng, T: 021 315 3252

The British Women’s Association has been around since the early ’70s and the group is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this month by throwing a charity fashion show.

Footy masters

the Indonesian national team and U-23 squad. Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, www.rajakarcis.com

This two-day shopaholic fest comes to Thamrin Nine, UOB Plaza this month. Hunt for the best fashion and accessories here, as well as craft, automotive and health products. Thamrin Nine Pre Function Ballroom, UOB Plaza/ANZ Square, Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 10 Jakarta, www.bazaarjakarta.com May 2012

FastForward

GIGS

May 10

Morrissey

May 1

Avenged Sevenfold Maybe having a “Nightmare” isn’t so bad after all when it is being sung by Avenged Sevenfold. Heavy tunes such as “Beast and The Harlot”, “So Far Away” and “Dear God” will be rocking Pantai Karnaval Ancol this month. Pantai Karnaval Ancol, www.rajakarcis.com

Kelis, May 5

“The More You Ignore Me the Closer I Get” is just one of Morrissey’s legendary hits. This live performance down at Tennis Indoor Senayan is proving pretty hard to ignore though and has generated a huge amount of publicity. Tennis Indoor Senayan, www.rajakarcis.com May 12

I Slank U, the Journey of the Blue Island One of Indonesia’s most legendary bands, Slank, is throwing a concert to celebrate the group’s 28-year journey this month. Slank will be collaborating with several musicians, including Titiek Puspa, Raisa and Maliq & D’Essential, and ten per cent of ticket sales will be donated to the Syair Untuk Sahabat Foundation, which focuses on children with HIV/AIDS.

May 2

LArc-en-Ciel World Tour 2012 To celebrate their twentieth anniversary in the music business, this cult Japanese rock band has organised a world tour to 14 cities around the world, and comes to Gelora Bung Karno Stadium this May. Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, www.rajakarcis.com

Mata Elang International Stadium (MEIS) Ancol, www.rajakarcis.com May 19-20

Area 62

No this isn’t some alien site but a special two-day musical event for Indonesian musicians up at Ancol Eco Park. The line-up includes KLA Project, Naif, Gigi, Kahitna, Rif and Project Pop. Ancol Eco Park, www.rajakarcis.com

CLUBBING EVENTS

you can without having to worry about paying the bill, if your team can win Eastern Promise’s monthly pub quiz that is.

May 5

Jl. Kemang Raya, Jakarta 12160, T: 021 7179 0151

Dimensions Playground is celebrating its fifth time out with the party of your life. Prepare to set the dance floor alight to tunes by Kelis, Gorillaz Sound System, Saint Etienne and more.

Every Thursday night

Playground’s big five

Senayan Tennis Park, www embassyplayground.com May 26

Dash Berlin This Dutch progressivetrance DJ, who has been spinning discs in clubs for ten years now, winning numerous awards in the process, comes to X2 down in Plaza Senayan this month. Time to party hard once more! Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8, Plaza Senayan, 4th floor, T: 021 572 5559 KLA Project May 19-20

may 29

Pub quiz Drink as many as

May 2012

Bikini party

Head down to Red Square after work for a fun, Thursday-night bikini party, with sexy dancers and awesome music. Ladies get to sip on lychee martinis and cosmos for free from 10pm until midnight. Plaza Senayan Arcadia, Jl. New Delhi No 9, Pintu I Senayan, T: 021 5790 1281

rand Zuri Rezise-Oke.indd 1

May 2012 4/17/12 11:42 AM

May 2012

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Rewind events that took place in the not-so-distant past

Yohanes Sandy + Deisha Tamar

vin+

Wine night

la lights The keraton

Jakarta’s palace Starwood Hotels & Resorts proudly launched their newest Jakarta hotel in late April. The Keraton at The Plaza is a Luxury Collection Hotel and is located on top of the famous Plaza Indonesia. The hotel’s name is derived from the Javanese word keraton, which means palace, in order to reflect its vision of making every guest feel like royalty. The Keraton itself stretches from the eighth to the twentysecond floors of the Plaza Indonesia building and features a wealth of facilities, including a restaurant and a lounge. www.luxurycollection. com/keraton

May 2012

Happyville LA Lights, one of Indonesia’s most famous cigarette brands, held a fun music and art festival called Sayfestville at the swimming pool complex of Gelora Bung Karno Senayan from April 13 – 14. The two-day event featured American pop singer Colbie Caillat, as well as top-notch international DJs such as Alex Barck and Rasmus Faber. Besides solid performances from these international artists, music enthusiasts were also entertained by local musicians such as The Groove, Indra Azis and more. Along with the world-class music there were also film seminars to check out and noted Indonesian director Joko Anwar was on hand. Various art performances, including some live graffiti art, also livened up the proceedings.

cassis

The dynamic duo On March 27 and 28, Cassis held a very special dining event that featured the talents of top French chef, Philippe Marc. Chef Philippe, who has vast experience in the realm of French cuisine, with a little help from Cassis’ own Stephane Simond, created three- and five-course menus for diners to choose from.

On April 4, Vin+ held a Wine Pairing Dinner at its Plaza Senayan Arcadia branch. The food served at the party was prepared by new Vin+ chef Djoko Sarwono and he managed to pull off a super lobster bisque appetiser, with a creamy finish that was beautifully emphasised when paired with a 2009 Shaw + Smith M3 Australian Chardonnay. The Wagyu-tenderloin main course was paired with a Chateau Haut Barreyre 200, and the wine’s strong tannins were softened by the quality meat. This year, Vin+ will be opening a new branch in Bandung, with a Bali branch to follow in 2013. mea label

Mea and you Government owned retail company, PT Sarinah (Persero), has just launched its very own Mea label. Three talented Indonesian fashion designers, Sapto Djojokartiko, Tasya Ascobat and Rosso, were hired to create a collection which combined modernity with ethnic touches to launch this new brand. Mea was officially launched on March 27 and was dreamt up to commemorate Sarinah’s 50 years in the retail business. The new Mea label can be found at the Sarinah Department Store in the Sarinah Building on Jl. MH Thamrin.

May 2012

Rewind

hotel indonesia kempinski

Kempinski cares

On March 24, Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta held a health seminar that was supported by doctors and specialists from MRCC Siloam Jakarta. Focusing on tuberculosis, the seminar was held at a government housing project in Tanah Abang and aimed to raise awareness among surrounding families about this deadly disease.

hacienda

Stogie time On Tuesday April 10 down at Hacienda, Jakarta’s preeminent Mexican restaurant, Courvoisier presented a very special Chocolate & Cigar event that featured plenty of Courvoisier VSOP Brandy, as well as complimentary Cohiba cigars, courtesy of Cuban Cigars Indonesia, and a delicious chocolate fountain. The assembled stogie fans were serenaded by live music from Los Paraguas and indulged themselves shamelessly into the wee small hours.

BMW M5

Fast and luxurious BMW Group Indonesia has just launched the new BMW M5, the latest generation of the 5 Series. The highperformance sedan was launched at Senayan City on April 4 and the launch was followed by an exhibition at the mall’s atrium, which ran until April 8. The M5 is one of the finest sport sedans in the world and can blast off from 0 – 100km/h in just 4.4 seconds.

Hacienda Bar and Grill, Plaza Senayan Arcadia Unit X-105, T: 021 5790 1444

the diageo reserve indonesia world class 2012

Cocktail wars

The Diageo Reserve Indonesia World Class 2012 competition came to Ego Ultra Lounge in Plaza Senayan recently. The competitors, who consisted of talented Indonesian bartenders sourced from top watering holes across Jakarta, were asked to create a Ketel One Vodkabased cocktail using a selection of local spices that had been especially chosen for them. The winner was a cocktail called Cooper and Sour, which was created by Aldi “Upady” Mustakin from Union Brasserie, Bakery & Bar. 20

May 2012

El festival de espana

Spanish revolution

To conclude last March’s El Festival de Espana, Social House held a special semiprivate party on March 28. Named Spanish Revolution, the party was attended by socialites and the city’s crème de la crème, who were all pampered with some succulent Spanish dishes specially prepared by guest chef, Tim Bartholomew. DJ Joyo and DJ Hogi were in charge of the entertainment and dished out some upbeat grooves to the assembled beautiful people.

Discovery Center-Oke Rz.indd 1

Bintaro Jaya-Oke.indd 1

4/16/12 5:57 PM

May 2012 4/17/12

11:53 21 AM

JJK x Indonesian Master

Westwood wins again Wonderful Westwood successfully defends CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters presented by PNTS

May 2012

ee Westwood overcame fatigue to win his first title of the year and 38th career victory with a successful title defence at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters presented by PNTS on Sunday. The world number three golfer completed a marathon of 32 holes as he returned on Sunday morning to finish the third round before closing with a final round two-over-par 74 for a winning total of 16-under-par 272 at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club. The Englishman defeated former Asian Tour number one Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, who returned with a 67, by two shots while India’s rising star Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shiv Kapur finished in tied third place at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club. Westwood, who finished tied third at the Masters Tournament two weeks ago, held a dominant eightshot lead going into the final round but tiredness began to kick in on his homeward nine as he shot one birdie and three bogeys. “Today was hard. It is never easy playing in these conditions and I had to play 32 holes. It was draining out there and I was really feeling it on the back nine. When you are in contention and under pressure, it seems to zap your energy faster,” said Westwood. “You never know how to play with such a big lead. You don’t know if you should attack or defend. It is

quite hard to get your mental attitude around it. It was a case of staying patient and calm and playing the holes correctly. It was exhausting,” he added. Westwood, who won US$118,875 and a batik jacket, which is afforded to every winner of the tournament, hopes to replicate his winning performance this week in the three remaining Major championships of the year. “Hopefully this will kick-start my year. I’ve played well without any wins so hopefully I can go on and win other tournaments. It is tough when you are the favourite because if you don’t win then it will be disappointing. There was a lot of pressure so I’m glad I did it,” added Westwood, who turns 39 on Tuesday. Westwood is the 10th player to successfully defend his title on the Asian Tour. The last successful title defence was by Lu Wen-teh of Chinese Taipei, winner of the Taiwan Masters in 2007 and 2008. Thai star Thaworn, winner of the Order of Merit in 2005, birdied the last two holes to claim his best finish of the season. “I felt tired after the 12th hole but I held on. I couldn’t really hit my shots properly so I’m quite surprised with the way I finished. I haven’t won in a while but I’ve come close this season so I hope to keep the momentum going,” said the 12-time Asian Tour winner. May 2012

JJK x Indonesian Master What Players Said About The Tournament Thaworn Wiratchant Thailand

FOURTH ROUND 67 (-5) – TOTAL 274 (-14)

Lee Westwood England

FOURTH ROUND 74 (+2) – TOTAL 272 (-16)

Bhullar, who won his first Asian Tour title in Indonesia in 2009, posted his fourth top-10 finish on the Asian Tour this year and was delighted with his battling performance. “Indonesia is one of my favourite destinations. I won my first title here. Obviously when I play here I have a lot of positive memories. I’m quite confident my time to win will come really soon. I went through a slump last year but I guess that’s part of the game and I’m over it,” said 23-year-old. Lee Sung of Korea, who was born with a hearing impairment, turned in 32 to narrow Westwood’s lead by three but his title hopes were dashed after shooting three straight bogeys from the 10th hole followed by two more dropped shots on 15 and 16. “I lost concentration out there. That has been the story for me since last year. I really need to maintain my focus if I want to win again,” said a devastated Lee, who won on the Asian Tour in 2007. Other partners include the event’s Presenting Sponsor Pelayaran Nasional Tanjungriau Service (PNTS), Garuda Indonesia (Official Airline), BMW (Official Car), Metro TV, CocaCola (Official Drinks Partner), Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta (Official Hotel), Thiess Indonesia (Main Partner), Navigat Energy (Main Partner), Pertamina (Main Partner), Linc Group (Main Partner), Salonpas (Main Partner), Hush Puppies Golf (Official Apparel) and San Miguel (Official Beer), BlackBerry (Official Handset), Srixon (Official Ball), Ricoh (Official Office Equipment) and Casillero del Diablo (Official Wine). 24

May 2012

Hopefully this will kick-start my year. I’ve played well without any wins so this is the first one and it was the start of other wins so hopefully it will be the same this year. Today was hard. It is never easy playing in these conditions and I had to play 32 holes. It was draining out there and I was really feeling it on the back nine. When you are in contention and under pressure, it seems to zap your energy faster. It was difficult today with an eight shot lead and birdied the first but you never know how to play with such a big lead. You don’t know if you should attack or defend. It is quite hard to get your mental attitude around it. It was a case of staying patient and calm and playing the holes correctly. It was exhausting. This weather is hard when you play 18 holes. I felt quite drained around the back nine. You are going to make mistakes out there but it was fatigue more than anything else. This was physically demanding. The fact that I had a big lead and people got closer to me and I saw the leaderboard. Those last four holes were tricky and Thaworn was two back so I had to grind it out. It is tough when you are the favourite because if you don’t win then it will be disappointing. There are 150 odd players and a lot can happen in a golf tournament. You can get on the wrong side of the weather and stuff like that. It is always tough when you are expected to win. There’s a lot of pressure. It was nice to win this week.

I felt tired after the 12th hole but I held on. I couldn’t really hit my shots properly so I’m quite surprised with the way I finished. I haven’t won in a while but I’ve come close this season so I hope to keep the momentum going. My putting has been very inconsistent this year. My hitting is okay

just want to build on this. This is a good stepping stone for me and hopefully I can carry the momentum. I really like the golf course at Blackstone. I was up there after three rounds and I like it. It is undulating and you need to work a lot on the greens. It is sort of a course that suits my game. It demands accuracy and somebody that hits a lot of greens. It will be a pleasant change after playing the last two weeks in this weather (rain). It will be nice to play four rounds without any delays.

Gaganjeet Bhullar India

Shiv Kapur India

FOURTH ROUND 67 (-5) – TOTAL 276 (-12) It has been nice. I’ve been playing well the whole day and missed a couple of opportunities in the back nine. This (eagle on 18th) is sort of reward for patience. When I hit the shot in the air and I told my caddy that this is going to be really good and I knew what I needed to do to finish third. It is always nice to finish that way. It was about eight feet from the hole. I’ve been playing well. I always had about one round that has been letting me down. I haven’t been finishing off tournaments. I always had one round which has been a hiccup so it is nice to string four rounds together and finish the way I did. It has been frustrating but you have to take the positives out there. There are great players out there who haven’t won and I finished second a few times. I’ve been knocking on the door and lost in a few play-offs. I know my time will come. I just got to keep doing what I did. Obviously this week you had Westwood in the field you were playing for second after the first round. It is nice to get myself in contention and back to where I feel I belong. I

FOURTH ROUND 69 (-3) – TOTAL 276 (-12) I played well on the weekend. I’ve been playing well in the last couple of week. Indonesia is one of my favourite destinations. I won my first title here. Obviously when I play here I have a lot of positive memories. This is one of those golf courses that suit my eye. The time will come really soon (winning). I’m playing well again. I went through a slump last year but I guess that’s part of the game. During that time, I worked really hard to come out of it. I’m feeling good. Mentally I’m prepared and ready to win. Apart from that I’ve been striking the ball really well. You need to have a combination of striking and putting to win tournaments. The moment those things combine, I’m confident I’ll win. I guess I travelled too much last year. I played about 35 weeks in Asia, Europe and also tried the US PGA Tour qualifying school. This year I’m going to work on my schedule where I’m not going to get myself into a hectic situation. I’m really looking forward to the second half of the season and a couple of big events. I’m feeling really positive.

Scores After Round 4 272 - Lee WESTWOOD (ENG) 65-68-65-74 274 - Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 72-69-66-67 276 - Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 72-70-65-69 Shiv KAPUR (IND) 68-71-70-67 277 - Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 74-68-66-69 278 - BAEK Seuk-hyun (KOR) 72-70-68-68 279 - Angelo QUE (PHI) 69-73-68-69 LEE Sung (KOR) 68-71-67-73 Bernd WIESBERGER (AUT) 70-68-72-69 281 - Berry HENSON (USA) 69-73-69-70 Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 71-73-66-71 Masanori KOBAYASHI (JPN) 69-68-74-70 Zaw MOE (MYN) 68-67-75-71 282 - Scott BARR (AUS) 74-69-69-70 Ben FOX (USA) 73-70-68-71 SIDDIKUR (BAN) 71-73-67-71 Jonathan MOORE (USA) 73-72-68-69 Adam GROOM (AUS) 72-69-70-71 Kieran PRATT (AUS) 73-65-69-75 283 - Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 68-75-68-72 Darren BECK (AUS) 73-71-69-70 Antonio LASCUNA (PHI) 70-72-70-71

May 2012

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May 2012

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THE GOVERNATOR COMETH / IPAD 3 VS SAMSUNG TABLET / the parent trap

THE BIG J

The governator cometh With Jakarta’s citizens soon heading to the polls, it’s time to size up an ideal candidate fit for the superhuman task of running this crazy city BY Simon Pitchforth

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n July 11, Jakarta’s citizens will be heading to the polls to elect a new governor. The new metropolitan big cheese will have the perhaps unenviable task of tackling the Big Durian’s multifaceted problems. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of potential

candidates for the job this time around. Incumbent governor Fauzi Bowo will be standing for his second term in office, although he’ll probably have to come up with a few more concrete pledges than he did last time around. Up against Pak Fauzi are a number of potential candidates

who are currently being hyped up by the country’s voracious media. The well-liked mayor of Solo, Joko Widodo (popularly known as Jokowi), is one of the candidates in the running after impressively transforming his city of origin. Alex Noerdin will be the Golkar Party candidate and the

May 2012

current governor of South Sumatra launched his campaign on the back of his self-declared success in organising and hosting the recent SEA Games in Palembang. The fact that the said games were tainted by an alleged massive corruption scandal has been neatly airbrushed out of the picture by Mr Alex’s campaign team and he has vowed to solve the city’s traffic woes in just three years if he is elected. Well, let’s just say that we won’t be holding our collective breath on that one. Three other gubernatorial candidates (Hidayat Nurwahid, Hendardji Soepandji and possibly Faisal Basri) will also be throwing their hats into an election ring which, to mix metaphors for a moment, will be a six-horse race in total. It’s fair to say that governor Fauzi hasn’t really set Jakarta alight during his first term in office and the city’s problems remain as intractable as ever. Jokowi is seen as a good people’s candidate and a figure able to challenge the comfort zone of the country and its capital’s political elite; however, Jakarta’s problems can at times seem to be almost insurmountable. So, here’s a quick roundup of the most pressing issues that a fantasy Jakarta governor should address if he (or indeed she) is to make any dent at all in the city’s endless sea of troubles. Firstly, our gubernatorial hero (Governator?) should be as free as it’s possible to be from the taint of the money politics that dominate this country and which so often lead to insidious corruption and political paralysis. Alas, it has been decreed by the powers that be that candidates will have no restrictions at all put upon their spending during the upcoming campaign, although they will have to account for any donations that they receive. Hopefully this will keep vote buying to a minimum. Jokowi could become a dark horse in the race and pull off a surprise 30

May 2012

CANDIDATES

FAUZI BOWO

JOKO WIDODO

ALEX NOERDIN

if voters decide to plump for a political paradigm shift in the capital, despite the candidate in question not having the resources of Fauzi Bowo at his disposal. Secondly, and as pledged by Alex Noerdin, our putative Governator should put some serious effort into attacking the capital’s purgatorial traffic snarl ups. Evidently, only 20 per cent of Jakartans use public transportation and the Indonesian capital is the largest city in the world not to have its own subway system. News stories touting the imminent construction of an MRT system slated to be operational by 2016 have been splashed across the media in recent weeks, but this is something we’ve been hearing for years now and tomorrow never seems to come. The pointless concrete monorail pillars on Jl. Rasuna Said rather suggest that any MRT project could also be bedevilled by avaricious politicians dipping their sticky mitts into the honeypot. Private and foreign investors have been burnt before

our gubernatorial hero should be as free as it’s possible to be from the taint of the money politics.

in Jakarta, so why would they return for a second roasting? An upgrade of the city’s rusting fleet of buses may be a more realistic proposition in this context. Thirdly, the capital may have avoided any biblical flooding this year, but the neck-high sogginess, huge financial losses and sad tales of personal disaster of 2002 and 2007 may well return again in the future. Some progress has been made on this issue in recent years, with the presence of the East Flood Canal (KBT), as well as the repairing of drains and regular river dredging. However, when the next big one hits, the city could well find itself paralysed once again. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) insists that claims of a five-yearly flood cycle are a myth, although those who have previously had to catch a rubber dinghy round the corner to the local supermarket may take issue with this statement. Of course, ultimately, nothing can be done about Jakarta’s low-lying geographical location and its subsiding soils, and a plan to move the Indonesian capital to the city of Palangkaraya on the island of Borneo has been seriously floated (if you’ll pardon the pun). However, so much more could still be done to protect Jakarta from another serious soaking. Finally, our Governator superhero should take a sober look at poverty in the capital. The recent rise in the price of petrol at the pumps will inevitably lead to a higher rate of inflation in Indonesia, which will in turn see general poverty increase before it decreases. On the plus side though, we look forward with bated breath to a new Rp. 25 million (US$ 2,750) house for the poor project that is currently being developed. In a world in which first-world social compacts that date back to World War II are currently under attack, as austerity measures bite and the trickle-up global “free market” economy sputters, there’s perhaps little hope of meaningful change regarding Indonesian and Jakartan injustice and inequality. Of course, if people start to organise and press their demands in the public arena, then it could be different story. Politics shouldn’t just be about pushing a lever every five years after all, even if there were a superhero candidate standing.

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May 2012

PlayBooks

A Visit from the Goon Squad Jennifer Egan, Corsair, 2011

!!!!!

Celebrating the ordinary Jennifer Egan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is the perfect example of American literary realism

espite regular attempts to undo the apparent naturalness of their relationship, realism and the novel are hard to prise apart. And over the decades their commingling has spawned a gaggle of robust, highly successful offspring. One of the most important – and sometimes self-important – of these is the American novel and its pinnacle, the “Great American Novel”. Other nations have followed suit so that realism has become not just a literary style with a monopoly on how readers see the world, but the archetypical expression of a nation. One of the latter day masters – and shapers – of the American form is Don DeLillo whose massive “Underworld” (1997) remains a masterpiece of structure and whose earlier “White Noise” (1985) has proven to be one of the most influential of the last 50 years. The scope of the American novel is so vast – as vast, eventful and dynamic as the nation itself – that the descriptive value

May 2012

of the term is moot, yet examples of it retain shared features. It is episodic and character driven; its characters are imagined from a point of view of individualism, the notion that people make choices, often the wrong ones, and that they are the product of these; and it has an atomic view of society that regards each of its members as self-contained, but mobile and prone to collisions that alter trajectories, sometimes wildly. Modern and postmodern examples of the form are in equal parts cynical and optimistic, embracing the egalitarian view that everyone’s everyday life is as valuable and as worthless as every other, and that everyone has the potential for redemption and vertical mobility in both directions. In this regard, Oprah and “Keeping up with the Kardashians” are both extensions of American literary realism and its global syndications, as are social networks like Twitter and Facebook, and reality television, which oscillates between celebrating the ordinary, making ordinary people into celebrities, and either deflating or deifying those who have achieved celebrity status. These examples also highlight the question of the direction in which life and art imitate one another; like that between science and science

fiction, the relationship is complex. Jennifer Egan is a novelist more aware than most of how realism and its offshoots might influence the ways people make sense of their lives and vice versa. Conjoined yet separate, the chapters of “A Visit From the Goon Squad” (winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for literature), like the characters whose lives they describe, form a collection, each one exquisite in isolation but gaining depth and meaning by association. Almost from the beginning I struggled to resist the urge to read these chapters out of order as if the author’s fracturing of sequence - which covers a period from the 1970s to the not too distant future - and the anomie many of her characters seem representative of, invited yet another disordering intervention. I was interested to note in the “liner notes” section of the highly recommended special iPad/ Phone/Pod edition I subsequently downloaded, that the chapters were written in different sequence too and sometimes years apart. Each is told from the perspective of a particular character, and details events and times alluded to elsewhere in the novel by another of its characters. Music and the music industry is a current running throughout the novel as is Egan’s interest in social networks and the digitisation of culture. This is evident both thematically and in terms of style. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the penultimate chapter, “Great Rock and Roll Pauses”, written entirely as a PowerPoint presentation. In any other writer’s hands this could come across as mere gimmickry, but here that ubiquitous scourge of lectures and business meetings is charged with startling emotional depth and fragility, evidence of Egan’s rare, unsettling gifts and the persistent power of the novel to interrogate through twists and turns the strangeness and uncertainties of the real. –peter stephenson

Oprah and “Keeping up with the Kardashians” are both extensions of American literary realism and its global syndications.

PlayFilm

The parent trap Who’s ultimately responsible for kids watching adult films, the parents or the cinemas?

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ast March, Indonesians were excited to welcome home the internationally acclaimed film “Serbuan Maut” (more widely known as “The Raid”). The film has garnered plenty of positive reviews from world-renowned film critics since it was first screened at the Toronto Film Festival last year and tells the tale of an Indonesian SWAT team trapped in an apartment by ruthless mafia types and merciless thugs. The film is packed full of brutally breathtaking martial arts scenes and has been rated R (adults only) by the Indonesian board of censorship. As well as proving a surprise international hit, the film has also received plenty of positive feedback from the Indonesian public, judging by the money that the film earned at the country’s cinemas during its opening weekend. Despite the film’s adult content, however, many parents have insisted on bringing their kids with them to see “The Raid”. And although some decided to leave the theatre after only 15 minutes, many remained watching with their offspring until the end. What a shame. Since the 1960s, plenty of studies have found that aggressive or violent movie scenes are not suitable for kids. The US-based Kaiser Family Foundation, for instance, undertook a study back in 2003 that revealed

that nearly half of the parents surveyed stated that their children mimicked violent behaviour, similar to that portrayed on television or in popular films. Such aggressive acting out inevitably finds its way into the schoolyard, but who should ultimately be held responsible for this phenomenon? We are not really sure whether Indonesian parents are unfamiliar with this movie or if they are simply ignorant. Without doubt though it is the parents who have the primary obligation to filter what their kids should or shouldn’t be watching, and in this hi-tech era in which smartphones rule the world, doing a quick bit of research about a given movie is just a few keystrokes away. What about the cinemas? Are managements responsible for filtering their audiences? Well, some of them do do this in fact, or at least attempt to. When a crack JJK team was queuing for tickets for “The Raid” last month, we witnessed a member of staff warning a family with kids who were about to see the film. However, the reaction from the family was shocking. They simply ignored the warning and told said member of staff that it was their right to bring their kids to watch whatever film that they deemed fit. In their mind perhaps lies the notion that an adult film is one that involves nudity. Certainly violent films are seen as family entertainment in this country whereas the merest whiff of flesh can cause people to faint or explode with righteous indignation. In the final analysis though, business is business. Money comes first and studios will still let family groups watch films that are not really appropriate for children. And so it all comes back to us parents. We Upcoming films should aim to be wiser you may wrongly think when choosing films are kid friendly for our kids to enjoy, as nowadays even superhero The Dark Knight Rises films are punctuated Modus Anomali by cruel and sadistic The Avengers scenes. Don’t be fooled The Dictator by colourful or amusing looking promotional Snow White and posters and do your the Huntsman research before you head G.I. Joe: Retaliation out for an afternoon at The Twilight Saga: the cinema. Childhood is a Breaking Dawn Part II precious thing after all. – YOHANES SANDY

May 2012

PlayMusic

The god who sings

he American piano-playing songstress Tori Amos, on one of her “Summer of Sin” bootleg CDs, tells the story behind the dedication of her rendition of Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger” to Morrissey. She had just walked off the set of a TV show only to find the English singer replying, “What the f*** do you know?” to her compliment of, “Hey, I really like your music.” Her raging rejoinder of, “Who are you trying to sell your records to in America, you small-d**ked f**khead,” certainly pulled no punches. But after three decades in the music business, Morrissey remains a polarising and often controversial figure. Our melancholy antihero still resolutely refuses to address the subject of his sexuality and Morrissey’s sly and often coy public appearances have created a rather 34

May 2012

horrific. You can’t help but feel that the rarified celebrity aura around the man Chinese are a subspecies,” said the lifelong that seems to repel and attract in equal vegetarian and animal rights advocate, who measure. Indeed, the miserable and yet also abandoned the stage at the Coachella effeminately Wildean look that he inspired festival in California in 2009 due still stalks the world’s high to the smell of cooking meat. streets, many years on from So what is it about this the Thatcher’s Britain that The Morrissey Live in legendary Mancunian poet Smiths dissented from. Jakarta and performer extraordinaire The media have amplified May 10 2012, Tennis that enables him to still the noise around Mozza by Indoor Senayan Tickets available from boast legions of devoted becoming particularly adept www.rajakarcis.com fans? Perhaps the first step at cherry picking the most to unravelling the unique contentious quotes from the Morrissey enigma is his past man’s endless stream of blunt, as a solitary teenager who became a unpredictable opinions. One infamous British icon without compromising any of recent example of this came when he his personal beliefs. A poet possessed of told The Guardian his views on a news a lyricism that combines heartbreaking story that discussed the fate of animals in romantic angst and social alienation with Chinese circuses and zoos. “Did you see the a coruscating, barbed wit that remains thing on the news about their treatment of undimmed. –Luky Annash animals and animal welfare? Absolutely

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Morrissey, that barbed enigma wrapped in a melancholic riddle, is ready to hit Jakarta

ALBUM REVIEWS

THE MAN YOU LOVE TO HATE TO LOVE Steven Patrick Morrissey was born on May 22 1959 in Davyhulme in Lancashire, in the Greater Manchester area of England. As a youth, Morrissey was drawn to art, particularly music and films, and he regularly sent letters to a New York Dolls fanzine, as well as penning a tribute to James Dean and sending numerous opinionated tomes to Melody Maker, a weekly music magazine. Morrissey came to prominence after forming the alternative rock band The Smiths in the 1980s, where his way with words and powerful vocals combined with Johnny Marr’s rich music to create an alternative rock legacy that has stood the test of time. Despite only being together for five years (1982-1987), The Smiths have been praised as one of the most important bands of all time and the band’s legend has spread around the world over the years. Smiths by name and nature, the band offered a meticulously crafted and immediately distinctive style of guitar music in an age of synthesizer glitz. At the time, “Flashdance” was a hit at the box office and Michael Jackson and Madonna were storming the charts, but the band found success with a signature sound that wedded raw post-punk guitar to songwriting classicism, haunting melodies and mournful vocals that plugged into life’s darker side. This sound helped define the subsequent Brit Rock movement but was never bettered, and disaffected youth were drawn to the band like moths to a flame as they moped in their bedrooms. Against all the odds perhaps, Morrissey remains one of the leading male singers in the global music industry. And after nine successful albums and countless examples of tawdry, capricious and hostile behaviour from Moz, he nevertheless remains a god to many. A combination of acerbic barbs, black humour and pure melancholy, Morrissey will always be, in the words of Alternative Press magazine “the man you love to hate to love”.

Madonna

Bruce Springsteen

!!!!!

Madonna is a cultural colossus of course, a mythical figure among selfpromoting divas and drama queens. The fact that she can’t sing that well has never seemed to matter much, as Madge is a true post-modern icon of our times. The original famous-for-being-famous star. An idol whose notoriety and drive eclipse her modest allotment of talent. It is hard to differentiate Madonna’s MDNA (a cheeky pun on MDMA?) from her previous albums though and from those of her E! Entertainment-headlinegrabbing young peers. Once she croons her own name (minus the vowels) on the euro-dance heavy, “I’m Addicted”, the album can only appear to be coasting through a cosy nostalgia trip. Even the Nicki Minaj cameo rap on, “I Don’t Give A” (“There is only one queen, and that’s Madonna, bitch.”) doesn’t really energise. Sure, the signature, pumping electro-pop brims with post-divorce dance floor raunch and gets in the face of young pretenders Rihanna, Gaga and Perry, but nothing else on offer here suggests that this 53-year-old mega diva can still lead the hardbodied pack in sweat-soaked celebration. Even when she deploys Minaj’s offbeat persona and M.I.A.’s nu-rave presence, chanting her name cheerleader style on the album’s first single, “Give Me All Your Luvin”, it seems that there’s nothing really new under the Madonna sun.

It seems like the American dream and its dark underbelly is still fuelling The Boss’ creative vision. Springsteen here tries to reflect the current economic downturn through visceral lyrics such as, “If I had me a gun, I’d find the bastards and shoot ‘em on sight,” (from the track “Jack of All Trades”). “Wrecking Ball” is a protest album that plants itself firmly against a backdrop of the country’s malfunctioning democratic values. It deploys various biblical references and is executed in a compelling combination of digital-age production and Springsteen’s vintage rock sound. The songs are mostly woven into folk, blues and country templates but are also flavoured with samples, synthesizers and orchestral strings. From rollicking, whooping numbers like the opening, “We Take Care of Our Own” and the album’s title track, to the Irish reels of “Easy Money” and “Death of My Hometown”, Springsteen continues to boldly articulate his critiques of society and capture the fine-grained textures of everyday life. Although the original Springsteen template may have been constructed from typical archetypes such as fast cars and rebellious thrill-seeking, his ability to stay original and tackle more serious issues, while absorbing different genres into his material, still proves magical enough to be both disturbing and liberating at the same time. The jazzy/ post-rock triumph of “Land of Hopes and Dreams” and the gospel homily, “Rocky Ground” (which even includes a rap), show that The Boss has lost none of his raw power. –Finnegan Pan

MDNA

Wrecking Ball

May 2012

PlayGadgets

clash of the tablets So how does the new Samsung 7.7 galaxy Tab shape up against the equally up-to-the-minute iPad 3? also equipped this terrific new tablet with an improved A5X dual-core chip and a quad-core GPU, which makes the already pretty slick iPad menu swiping and HD video run smoother than ever before. On the downside though, although the swish new screen can process high-definition images, the iPad camera hasn’t received any upgrade this time around and is a mere five-megapixel job borrowed from the iPhone 4S. Worry not though, as the camera can still record video in full HD.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 The haRdWaRe

This one comes with a 1.4GHz dual core Samsung Exynos CPU as well as 1Gb of RAM and 16Gb of ROM. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 sports a 7.7 inch Super AMOLED Plus screen which can generate a resolution of 1280x800 and a razor-sharp pixel density of 196dpi. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 is a nicely designed gadget and boasts built-in GPS, WI-FI connectivity, Bluetooth 3.0, a three-megapixel rear-facing camera and a two-megapixel front-facing camera. Storage wise, the new Sammy has a 16Gb capacity which can be expanded with a microSD card. Moreover, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 can also be used to make phone calls!

The SofTWaRe Unfortunately, Siri hasn’t yet brought its dulcet tones to the new iPad, although there is Voice Dictation to check out. With this facility, you can produce text by dictating instead of typing. It’s the ultimate hands-free experience!

The SofTWaRe

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 comes with an OS almost identical to that found on the 7.0 Plus, 8.9 and 10.1 Tabs. The device runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb, and an Ice Cream Sandwich update should be available soon. The new Galaxy Tab also comes preloaded with Samsung’s own TouchWiz UX overlay. The deSIgN

Weighing in at just 335g and 7.9mm slim, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is even thinner than the iPad 2. The 7.7 also boasts a sleek buttonless design that makes it quite an attention grabber. The BaTTeRY

To run this monster, Samsung has plumbed in a 5100mAh battery that can last for between eight and nine hours of heavy usage, or up to 12 hours of moderate usage, 36

May 2012

iPad 3

The haRdWaRe

without needing a recharge, an impressive achievement for a gizmo with such a slim profile. VeRdIcT

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 gets almost everything right: its size and dimensions are perfect, it’s lightweight and it boasts a terrific battery life, a fast processor and a quite gorgeous display. We would, however, recommend that you wait for the Ice Cream Sandwich update before splashing out on this one.

This is the one that rabid Apple “fanboys” (and girls) the world over have been waiting for. The all-new iPad 3 (officially called The New iPad) boasts a hugely impressive screen which, it is claimed, is the best ever seen on a tablet. The iPad 3’s 9.7-inch Apple Retina display features 3.1million pixels and an amazing resolution of 264ppi, making it seem like a mini LCD television. Edges are super smooth and text is sharp as a needle, making e-books, websites and documents so much easier on the eye. Apple have

The deSIgN The iPad 3 looks almost exactly same as the iPad 2, however it’s slightly thicker and heavier than its predecessor. The battery With a bigger battery, Apple claims that the iPad 3 can last for a full ten hours of casual WI-FI surfing or nine hours if you’re streaming cellular data. The Retina display definitely sucks a lot of juice though. The VeRdIcT The iPad 3 has no competitors so far in terms of its sumptuously high-definition display. Unfortunately, some users are reporting that the screen can get rather hot after a long session in use. The Voice Dictation function also doesn’t work particularly well and makes a fair amount of mistakes. Still, everything else chugs along perfectly. –yohanes sandy

May 2012

PlayCommunity

The runner A gold-hearted Scotsman runs to save others from cancer BY Yohanes Sandy

is just an ordinary guy and a busy director of PT. Harum Energy Tbk, but this Scotsman also has a heart of gold to be proud of. He likes to make a difference and to help other people, especially some of the more disadvantaged members of society. A few years ago, he ran the length of the Sahara desert to raise funds for kids with cancer in Jakarta, and this year he ran from Jakarta to Bali along a jaw-dropping 1,250-kilometre route in only 25 days. We caught up with Scott in the cosy Lobby Lounge of the InterContinental Jakarta MidPlaza to talk about his extreme feats of endurance running and how he rises to each and every challenge. 38

May 2012

How did all of this running start? Actually, the idea arose

spontaneously. When I first came up with the idea, I was thinking about how I could raise a lot of money by trying something that had never been done before here in Indonesia. I had never heard of anyone attempting to run from Jakarta to Bali, so that’s how this all began. Are you an athlete? No, I’m not

an athlete, I’m just fit. Maybe people see me as an athlete but I have honestly never classified myself as one. [smiles] What motivated you to try this?

I wanted to help people and to make a difference.

Why did you choose Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa and Mary’s Cancer Kiddies? Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa

(YCAB) is one of the best foundations in Jakarta and Indonesia and I just liked the idea of how they help kids that have had to drop out of school. They help them and give them hope. They teach them about micro-financing and offer them skills, such as the ability to fix electronic equipment, and these skills can be used to earn money later. As for Mary’s Cancer Kiddies (MCK), well they have been close to my heart for some time now. The charity race that I joined in the Sahara was for MCK, who offer financial support to sick kids from poor families. They used the money for various treatment programmes.

Maulana R izki + scott thompson

K Scott A Thompson

The foundations Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa This foundation’s vision is to bring equality to every child, so that they can live life to the fullest. Kids are given hope and the opportunity to be independent and transform their world. The YCAB mission is to empower five million young people through holistic youth development programmes, education and access to finances, and these elements are converging to enable truly sustainable independence by 2015. The funds raised by Scott Thompson will be used to open five educational homes (Rumah Belajar) for a total 700 underprivileged students and school dropouts per year. www.ycabfoundation.org

Mary’s Cancer Kiddies Founded in 2003 by Mary Binks, MCK is run by a small group of volunteers in both Jakarta and Hong Kong. The goal is to ensure that Indonesian children from financially disadvantaged families have access to the medical treatment they need and to help them through difficult times with dignity. www.maryscancerkiddies.org

No, I’m not an athlete, I’m just fit. Maybe people see me as an athlete but I have honestly never classified myself as one. How many kilometres per day did you run? For the first 23 days, I ran

an average of 50 kilometres per day. I started at seven in the morning and it took me from between six and a half to seven and a half hours per day, including meal breaks. What about your sponsors?

I was initially aiming to raise around Rp. 1 billion for this charity but I end up earning around Rp. 3.8 billion. Before I started the run, I sent out proposals to many companies trying to sell them logo space on my running outfit. Gold-sponsor spots on the front of my outfit cost Rp. 100 million each, and this money was paid directly to the foundations. The pride-of-place platinum-sponsor spot on the top of the front of my jersey was taken by

PT Harum Energy, who paid Rp. 500 million for the privilege. The small spaces on my back I sold for Rp. 50 million each and I also allocated space for partners such as Adidas and G4S, a private security company. Adidas supplied all of my clothing and G4S sent two bodyguards to accompany me during my run. What’s the most unforgettable experience that you’ve ever had during one of your marathon runs? They way I’m greeted in

each and every district always surpasses my expectations and people are always so nice to me. When I was in Probolinggo heading towards Pasuruan, for example, a couple travelled for 100 kilometres from Situbondo by ojek just to greet me and shake my hand. They explained that they had seen me on TV and I was really touched. The finish itself was also quite emotional as my brother had flown over from Hong Kong to run the last 10km with me. Reuniting with my wife at the finish line was a moment of relief and happiness. Any plans for the future?

I have to be very careful with what I say here, lest my wife become mad at me. [laughs] I believe I will do something unique in the future. I already have a few ideas and maybe I can bring one of them to fruition over the next couple of years. May 2012

Bringing Bali closer to you Hidden treasures...

fine cuisine... pure bliss...

May 2012 Out Now AvAilAble in All mAjor bookstores And news stAnds. 40

May 2012

www.hellobalimagazine.com

May 2012

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hot suMMer couture / heartbreak hotel / liFe in a green house

vaniTy

Sunny days This is the coolest way to keep the sun out. Summer has finally arrived, and it has come with these superb spring/summer 2012 eyewear collections. This seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sunglasses are big and bold. Big silhouette and colourblock details are used at marc Jacobs and dior while round frames and retro geometrical shapes make an appearance on the Balenciaga, gucci and giorgio armani eyewear collections. Try and combine the big, retro and edgy cutting of the sunglasses with your contemporary and minimalist wardrobe. Size does matter: this summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coolest guys will be those wearing the biggest frames. From top Marc Jacobs, Dior, Balenciaga, Gucci, Giorgio Armani All pieces are available at Optik Melawai

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Hot summer couture It’s summer holiday time people! Bought your bikinis yet, ladies? If you haven’t, then get ready to feel like a child in a sweet shop as we present to you the best in summer apparel from leather accessories to footwear and every possible colour and style

Carried away

From runway to holiday The secret to stylish urban travel this summer can be found in the more subdued offerings of designers and labels such as Gucci and Giorgio Armani. These smart pieces look best without added adornments and the spring/summer 2011 catwalk style should now be confined to festivals and holidays in far-flung places, as a 2012 city break demands a more pared-back approach.

At any other time of year, luggage is perhaps the most overlooked accessory of them all (unless you lead the jet-set life). Come June and July though it becomes a hugely important element of one’s look. You want to make sure that yours stands out at the airport so that you’ll be the chic envy of every other traveller, instead of embarrassingly lugging some battered old luggage through the arrivals hall. Step forward new fashionable choices from Bally and Louis Vouitton.

Revel on! Revlon’s latest hot collection offers a marked departure from the beautiful and innocent colours generally making a splash this season. Revlon have blended pinks and other bright colours in their latest lipsticks and also offer the shimmer of the beautiful Revlon Violet Starlet Luxurious Color Blush-on, in a lush celebration of the beautiful woman in us all (well, half of us). Choose from one of three delicious palettes, High Pigment Revlon Colorburst Lipstick and Revlon Superlustrous Lipgloss. Sheer dazzle.

May 2012

Chosen shoes Walk BaBy Walk! THERE aRE BEacH HoliDayS aND THERE aRE ExoTic HoliDayS ouT iN THE WoRlD’S FoRESTS aND DESERTS. THERE aRE alSo ciTy HoliDayS THougH aND, lET’S BE HoNEST, a DEcENT uRBaN WaRDRoBE REquiRES JuST aS MucH plaNNiNg. NEW SpRiNg/ SuMMER 2012 FooTWEaR collEcTioNS FRoM caMpER, NiNE WEST aND STEVE MaDDEN SHoulD BEauTiFy youR RaMBliNgS.

Eye candy From old towns to the dance floor, the quintessential Asian holiday has always been a prints affair, but this spring/summer 2012, classic stripes and floral and abstract designs will also be providing a fantastic springboard for your urban wardrobe to shine. From Coast London to Karen Millen, this summer’s urban, feminine fashions have been given fresh energy with the addition of bright green or red footwear, while cover ups have also been given a lift through the use of bold patterns.

Check your neck Guys, offset your skinny but tanned torso with this playful necklace from Thomas Sabo, which recalls classic fairytales with its beautiful sparkling silver accents. Perfect by the dance floor or pool, or worn with a white summer shirt or a vintage T-shirt, this one is part of new spring/summer 2012 collection, which means that it’s a good thing it’s on our shopping list

Watch out! Swiss-made TechnoMarine Watches have just launched their spring/ summer 2012 collection. The collection is available down at the Watch World store in Plaza Indonesia and features a sporty range of chic watches, including this bright and nautically coloured timepiece, which boasts a cool, rubber, detachable detail and chronograph dials. Top wrist candy for globetrotting adventurers. Awesome guys!

Sundae girls True to its obsession with organising and communication, fashion and accessories label Guess has come up with some stylish holiday solutions for this summer. The brand’s new collection of leather and vintage-detailed bags features shapes and sizes for every eventuality, and includes special internal pockets for essentials like your iPad and makeup equipment. Match this leather-bag collection’s zip-up case to your luggage for the ultimate in travel accessory chic.

Tempting wardrobe Marks & Spencer have stamped their classic London style on their latest spring/summer 2012 holiday collection, which exudes seasonal sophistication. Classically snug summer dresses come with a range of accessories that include wide belts and gloves of the softest leather. Meanwhile, the gents can also get their fashion fix via shirts, jumpers and new accessories. May 2012

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Let’s get lost! Flat shoes or sneakers are one of the holiday’s biggest looks this season. It’s easy to love shoes, and it’s easy to buy shoes, but what is it about a shoe that makes it just right for you? Well, for one, you’ll actually need flats to get there in time to bag these Staccato shoes. Yellow with patent leather and woven flats become “best friends” with the colour pop of trendy cutting. For the brave and the stylish heart, there are the linea strappy sandals and fancy sneakers. For day wear, sneakers with leather material take on a casual chic edge this year. Now the only question is, which style is yours? Your true love is here. We promise! From top, counter clockwise Bruno Premi, Staccato, Staccato, Monomio, Thieves Some High, Staccato All pieces are available at 1,4,5 Linea; 2,3,6 Staccato

May 2012

Retro eyes If you’re planning to make eyes at anyone, it had better be in a new pair of Bottega Veneta shades from their spring/ summer 2012 collection. Retro inspired and featuring gradation details, they have a distinct sense of Old Hollywood glamour about them. Take your pick from green army, brown and black with pink or blue lenses. Launched to celebrate the second in a series of short films exploring the enduring female love affair with Bottega Veneta, these frames are available from Optik Melawai.

Summer hair

Beach babe BoRED oF TRENcH coaTS, TiRED oF ScaRVES, FED up WiTH aNklE BooTS? WEll HoW DoES a BikiNi gRaB you? you’RE iN luck, BEcauSE THE lauNcH oF MaNgo THiS MoNTH BRiNgS WiTH iT EVERyTHiNg WE loVE aBouT SuMMER HoliDayS, FRoM a cool SuMMER DRESS WiTH colouRBlock DETailS To STyliSH SaNDalS aND accESSoRiES To FiNiSH THE look.

The age-old issue of frizzy, uncontrollable holiday hair has been solved by the clever folk at Sunsilk, or so they claim. Use one of their summerholiday treatments before you leave and this combination of conditioner and blowdry finishing should give you bags of summer style to take you from the heritage sites to the bars with ease.

Summer dreaming On super-hot summer days, there’s no beating the beaches of Bali or the Maldives, with their cool cerulean seas and clear, clear skies. Wardrobewise, it’s all about adding glamour to your usual beachy wardrobe: tank top, tube dress and skinny pants with floral prints. Bali is, after all, the party destination of choice and new collections from Topshop and Topman should give you a party-filled holiday season to remember.

Bags of fun Demand more style from your travel bags as this year’s summer holidays roll around. Tod’s has just launched some new and brightly coloured leather luggage. Derek Lam, a creative director with taste, has made the heritage look both modern and stylish.

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May 2012

Heart break hotel Photographer Nicoline Stylist

Patricia Malina

Chekka

Undeniable admiration

On Jil: Dress, Nine Twelve. On Arthem: White shirt, Jeffry Tan. Blazer, Magistus House.

Lust at first sight

Opposite page On Jil: Dress, ASK. Blazer, Jeffry Tan. Weave Luggage, Voila Store. On Arthem: Blazer, Magistus House. White shirt and gray pants, Jeffry Tan.

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The sweetest temptation

On Arthem: Shirt, Topman. Pants, Topman. On Jill: Cut-out satin shirt, Nine Twelve. Necklace, Raoul. Fuschia skirt, Jeffry Tan.

May 2012

A heart thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been conquered

Opposite page On Jill: Mint green dress, Jeffry Tan. On Arthem: Blue shirt, Raoul.

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May 2012

Be here now, baby

On Jill: White sleeveless top, ASK. Polkadot pencil skirt, Argyle & Oxford. On Arthem: Shirt, Topman. Blazer, Jose Homee. Pants, Topman.

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Ass. Photographer: Melvin & Neo Asst. Stylist: Velda Anabela Make Up Artist: Pricilla Myrna

May 2012

A heart that wonders

On Jill: Mint green top, Argyle & Oxford. Skirt, Jeffry Tan. Bag, Raoul. On Arthem: Shirt, Jeffry Tan. Jacket, Jose Homme. Pants, Topman. Bag, Raoul.

Mad mad love

Opposite page On Jill: Twelve May 2012 Dress, Nine55

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The reading room Put aside your boring bookshelf and bring in a unique-looking lampshade to give a personality to your precious reading room. Of course, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that the perfect reading chair is not just comfortable, but stylish at the same time From left Standing light by Cahaya (Jl. Kemang Timur No. 35B, T: 021718 1718), Chair by Kare Design (Senayan City 6th Floor, T: 0217278 1222)

May 2012

reading essen essentials Fan Chair DESIGNED BY TOM DIXON, THIS IS HOW THE CLASSICAL WINDSOR CHAIR LOOKS LIKE IN A POST-MODERN ERA. Available at Ambiente

La Chaise AN ICON OF ORGANIC DESIGN, CHARLES AND RAY EAMES DESIGNED LA CHAISE IN 1948, INSPIRED BY “FLOATING FIGURE”, A SCULPTURE BY GASTON LACHAISE. THIS CHAIR ISN’T JUST ELEGANT, IT HAS ALSO BEEN DESIGNED TO MAKE ANY SEATING POSITION COMFORTABLE.

Night Clock

Available at Decorus

THIS BEAUTIFUL NIGHT CLOCK WAS DESIGNED BY GEORGE NELSON IN 1948 AND HAS BECOME AN ICON OF MODERN DESIGN. Available at Decorus

Lean Lamp MADE FROM CAST IRON AND WITH A HIGH GLOSS POWDER COAST FISNISH, THIS GORGEUS LAMP IS DESIGNED BY TOM DIXON. IXON. ITS HIGHLY DECORATIVE FORM IS ALSO FUNCTIONAL WITH A STRONG AND DURABLE ANTICORROSIVE ANTI SCRATCH SURFACE. Available at Ambiente

Tanah Teduh

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May 2012

Life in a green house A new residential project by the name of Tanah Teduh is offering a place to live

in harmony with the natural environment that surrounds Jakarta BY Deisha Tamar

May 2012

magine a place where you can live in harmony with the natural environment that surrounds you. In a dense and polluted city such as Jakarta, imagining such a spot might be quite an ask, if not almost impossible. A new residential project called Tanah Teduh is offering exactly this though – a new way of living, where one can escape the city’s hustle and bustle and get in touch with nature and oneself. In 1965, more than 35 per cent of Jakarta was considered “green space”. However, the years have gone by and the population has risen until today, only 65km2 out of Jakarta’s total area of 662km2 can be so categorised. Yet even then, the government census counts even cemeteries and flower shops, as well as city parks, as “green space”. This is where Ronald Akili steps in, an enterprising individual who is looking to bring back a little green space and make it freely available to Jakartans. 60

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Tanah Teduh is being developed by Ronald, a young entrepreneur, who also happens to be the owner of the trendy bistro, bar and beach club, Potato Head. He is being helped by Andra Matin, the project’s principal architect. Ronald is also tapping the talents of nine other prominent architects: Adi Purnomo, Zenin Adrian, Antony Liu, Ferry Ridwan, Wendy Djuhara, Ahmad Djuhara, Eko Prawoto, Yori Antar and Tan Tik Lam. “All of the architects involved in this project were chosen carefully by me and approved by Ronald. We want people who possess strong and unique characteristics and who have a good understanding of Indonesian culture. The end goal is that each house built on Tanah Teduh must have its own unique features,” explained Andra when we caught up with him recently. The idea for the project first surfaced back in 2006, when Ronald invited Andra to see a piece of land that he had just acquired in Jati Padang in South Jakarta. Andra

quickly suggested that they do something with the two-hectare plot. Therefore, in early 2007, the development of the current project got underway. This process included consultations with Professor Gunawan Tjahyono from the University of Indonesia and the late Professor Heinz Frick, from Soegijapranata Catholic University in Semarang, who was known for his holistic approach to architecture. The challenge at the time was to construct buildings that preserved the contours of the land that they sat on, including the trees. The Tanah Teduh vision was to build eco-friendly yet modern and contemporary houses. Each Tanah Teduh dwelling has its own distinctive architecture and features, making it unlike any to be found in any other local townhouse project. One example of this is the presence of a rambutan tree standing proud, slap bang in the middle of one of the houses, dividing the building in two. This unusual design emphasises the determination of

Tanah Teduh

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ThE hOUSES IN TANAh TEDUh WILL BE READY FOR OCCUPANCY BY JUNE OF ThIS YEAR.

Ronald and Andra to make their project as environmentally friendly as possible. Andra also told us that, “The houses in the complex are all built with local Indonesian materials, none are imported.” The Tree House by Adi Purnomo, for example, was constructed using ironwood from a demolished pier in Samarinda, while another house uses terracotta shingles and wooden frame to bring an avant-garde architectural feel to the traditional kampung house.

Only 20 houses have been built on the land and it’s important to ensure that there is space for future residents and for nature itself. This is also in line with South Jakarta land regulations regarding a limitation on population densities in certain areas. A swimming pool made out of a natural lake, a clubhouse, a fitness centre and a jogging track are just some of the facilities being offered by Tanah Teduh to its future residents. A natural reservoir in the area is also used to recycle water, so that the residents can reuse it to water their plants or flush the toilet. In addition, and this should be wonderful news for Jakartans who have become accustomed to unpredictable rain and flooding, the Tanah Teduh complex also promises to be a flood free area, as well as not contributing to floods elsewhere. Ronald’s desire to maintain the authenticity of the land and its houses means that the 20 houses built will only be available for rent. Andra is worried that

owners might change the architecture of their houses and destroy the ecological balance of the area, which has been carefully planned over years. When asked about the type of people that he expects to occupy the houses in Tanah Teduh, Andra answered: “Most likely expatriates or people who have enough knowledge or appreciation for the environment – because the houses there require special treatment from the type of people who don’t mind sweeping the floor every day, in preference to cutting down a tree.” Andra is hopeful about the future of Tanah Teduh. “I want people to see Tanah Teduh as a fun and serene oasis. I hope that this project will become a catalyst for other architects and developers, to let them know that in order to create structures, you don’t need to damage the environment. I also hope that Tanah Teduh can be a medium through which we can promote Indonesia to the world, not only its culture but also the fact that we, as Indonesian architects, are able to create a significant project.” Ronald is furthermore planning to write a book about the Tanah Teduh story, from the very origins of its development until the present, which he hopes will be sold worldwide as a way of promoting and gaining more recognition for the project from people all over the world. The houses in Tanah Teduh will be ready for occupancy by June of this year, although renting is already possible. Prices range from US$ 4,500-5,500 per month for a minimum lease of 24 months. May 2012

A day at the museum Is art preservation and education in Indonesia too reliant on the private sector? BY Mia Maria

orget nights at the museum, even the daytime is becoming a frightening time at Indonesia’s museums. A lack of care from the government regarding the collection, recording and preservation of Indonesian art is an ongoing problem and a bleak future seems to be ahead. Minimal acquisition of Indonesian art has conspired with minimal care at public museums to produce this situation. Museum Senirupa dan Keramik (The Visual Art and Ceramic Museum) houses about the closest thing that the country has to a 62

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proper collection of Indonesian modern-art, though it contains no contemporary art and minimal programmes designed to boost public interest in its exhibits. In fact, the museum that has most assiduously dedicated itself to the steady acquisition of Indonesian art over the past few years, by appointing experts to study Indonesian art history and by consistently showing an interest in keeping and preserving Indonesian art, is the Singapore Art Museum. Yes, Singapore. Yep, you are right, another country. Support for the arts was the

responsibility of the Education and Culture Ministry until the last cabinet reshuffle. Now however (from early 2012) it has become the responsibility of the country’s Tourism Ministry. Interest still seems minimal though and so Indonesia has come to rely on the private sector for the preservation and archiving of its art. Most artworks end up in the residences of private collectors, meaning that they become inaccessible to the wider public. Private museums have now started to spring up across the country and in the first half of 2012, two new private museums of note were opened. One is the Sunaryo Sampoerna in Surabaya, while the other is the New OHD Museum. OHD is short for Oei Hong Djien, who is better known as Dr Oei Hong Djien. Dr Oei is a dedicated collector who has spent much of his life collecting and preserving Indonesian art, from the modern art period to contemporary works. His impressive collection numbers some 2,000 pieces. The New OHD Museum was inaugurated on April 5 2012 in Magelang in Central Java, and sits in an old tobacco warehouse that has been refurbished to provide about 600sqm of exhibition space. Up-and-coming young architect, Gregorious Supie, worked on the project and a huge, metal artwork by Entang Wiharso greets visitors to the building. The entrance hallway then takes visitors out into a yard in which Yusra Martunus has created a green art space of stainless steel, moss and grass. This artistically green open-yard flooring was constructed from 60x60 art works by various Indonesian artists, such as Titarubi, Handiwirman Syahputra, Angki Purbandono and many more. Dr Oei himself opened his previous museum, which was attached to his residence, some time ago now and the good doctor is often on hand to greet visitors and give extensive private tours of both his modern-art and contemporaryart museum sections. On my first visit, I was greeted with a chat over a cup of tea, followed by a mesmerising tour of his collection. From then on, I knew I had fallen in love with Sudjojono’s work for life. Works on display included Sudjojono’s 1956 effort “Perusing a Poster”, which evoked the golden era of Indonesian modern art and filled me with admiration. Understanding the need to provide an open space that offers fixed opening hours to the public without compromising his privacy, Dr Oei decided to open a new museum, one that also aims to provide a space in which to introduce and educate the public about Indonesian art. Dr Oei is also aiming to display only good quality art, as he realises that the country has

MI A MARIA

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suffered from a lack of proper museum management by the government. At the moment, the new museum displays around 50 works, including paintings on canvas and boards, as well as sculptures. There are also around 75 sketches, drawings, watercolours and pastel works to check out. To inaugurate his new museum, Dr Oei began by exhibiting his collection of work by the five maestros that he believes to be the most influential in Indonesian art: S Sudjojono, Hendra Gunawan, Affandi, Sudibyo and H Widayat. His hope is that the museum will become a place for research and study, as well as offer a decent introduction to good-quality Indonesian art. There is still a big need, however, for other collectors to open their collections for public viewing. The sorry fact of the matter though is

Private museums have now started to spring up across the country.

that Indonesian art often moves straight from artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; studios to collectorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; private spaces. This means that the public has limited access to good art that deserves to be enjoyed, studied and socialised among the society that influenced it in the first place, as well as on the global scene. Museums can also serve the needs of a formal art education and understand

the need to reflect the global scene in an egalitarian environment that evades the big-money market. So do these generous private museums mean that the Tourism Ministry can relax and continue to leave things at the mercy of the private sector? Well, there are still problems surrounding private museums. Private museums are usually somewhat bereft of curatorial expertise and people who can research and contribute their knowledge to the preservation of the artworks on show. Moreover, the fact that such private museums begin with private collections can tend to mean that personal opinion wins out over non-biased research and study. Such museums are undoubtedly better than nothing, but the creation of a strong and thoroughly researchbased record of Indonesiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art history desperately requires neutral institutions. May 2012

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nce upon a time, private schools seemed to be almost de rigueur for any discerning parent wishing to give his or her child the best possible education. Today though, this trend has shifted towards international schools â&#x20AC;&#x201C; institutions that adopt an international curriculum, follow international standards, are internationally accredited and usually teach bilingual (or even multilingual) programmes. Such schools include the widely renowned Sekolah Pelita Harapan International, Jakarta International School, ACG International School and various other establishments located all over the country.

May 2012

The language of education Broken English does not count as multilingualism by Joezer Mandagi

The benefits to be gained by putting your children through an international academy are considerable, especially in an increasingly global environment. Transferability across other international schools the world over is a major plus point for families who are constantly on the move or who are looking at the possibility of overseas postings. Similarly, an international learning environment can prepare the professionals of tomorrow to better cope with the culture shock that will come with one day becoming part of a global workforce. This is obviously where the bilingual or multilingual instruction part comes into play. The international curriculums part doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hurt either, along with a

more diverse faculty and generally better facilities. All that being said however, for the average Indonesian family, picking an international school is more often than not a matter of prestige. There is a strong perception that any sort of international curriculum is superior to local offerings and will thus guarantee a better academic pedigree. The astronomical amount of money needed to get a prospective student into â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and through â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an internationally accredited school is just the icing on the cake and is in itself of major appeal to status-conscious parents. Unsurprisingly though, just as it is with practically any prestigerelated trend, international May 2012

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Missing the whole point of multilingualism as outlined above usually leads to problem number two, where parents become utterly convinced that in order to support their children’s education, they need to converse with them in English 24/7. This can be especially counterproductive when the parents in question are not fluent English speakers themselves. Maybe this comes down to decades of treating English as a collection of tenses, vocabulary items and various other language structures to memorise, instead of an actual means of communication. Or maybe it’s simply the typically Indonesian cavalier attitude towards correct language – any language. Either way, this usually leads to bits of attempted dialogue that are painful to listen to. More than one exasperated mother has been observed to reprimand an errant child with the warning that, “Nanti mama angry sama lho!” Things also take a turn for the worse as maids and babysitters are increasingly encouraged—and quite often required—to help with the Anglicisation of their ward’s speaking habits. One particularly stellar example comes from a babysitter exhorting her charge to “cookies yang di hand dimamam.” Another one comes from a pediatrician’s office where playtime for the little patients (and their attending maids) was punctuated by exuberant screams of “Catch ball! Catch ball!” A more cringe-worthy variant was heard at a local swimming pool, where one unlucky child had to endure calls of “Itu bobolnya di-catch!” (Note: these examples are actual snippets of conversation caught by the author, who was in all instances understandably perplexed, yet mightily entertained at the same time.) An even better indicator of how people disregard the processes of learning when employing multiple languages can be found among the very professionals whose job it is to be able to read, write or converse in multiple languages in the first place. To illustrate, in the animated movie “Rango”, one of the characters exclaims, “I stand corrected.” The Indonesian subtitle however reads, “Aku tetap benar,” which

A large number of parents tend to equate so-called “multilingual education” with “classes in English”.

means, “I am still correct.” Naturally, less literal figures of speech such as, “You have got to be kidding me,” do not fare any better. While movie subtitles might not count as serious business, official documents do. Several years ago, a legal translator had the misfortune of being assigned to evaluate, edit and retranslate portions of a regulatory document on mining operations. Why was she considered

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schooling is not without its fair share of misconceptions and possible missteps. One particularly touchy subject is the perceived superiority of international schools versus local options, with critics pointing out, for example, the fact that of all the Indonesian students who have won awards at the various International Science Olympiads, most – if not all – hail from state and private schools. Perhaps the most common – as well as the most hilarious, flabbergasting and exasperating – fallacy though is the perception of school language departments, or to be more precise “multiple-languages” departments. A depressingly large number of parents tend to equate so-called “multilingual education” with “classes in English”. This idea quite naturally then evolves into the notion that a child’s education – both in and out of school – should be carried out exclusively in English. There are two problems with this view. One, that’s not how bilingual or multilingual education works, and two, one does not simply walk into the realm of casual daily conversation in English when it’s only your second language. Starting with problem number one, it’s worth noting that multilingual education is also referred to as first-language-first education, due to the fact that under this system, students start out learning in their mother tongue and only gradually transition to using a second (or third or fourth, etc) language. This way, a multilingual student will then be able to freely move back and forth between learned languages instead of abandoning their mother tongue at some stage of their schooling. And no, this is not simply a nationalistic sentiment, as studies have shown that “children whose early education is in the language of their home tend to do better in the later years of their education.” (Thomas and Collier, 1997.) The operative word here is “gradual”. During the initial stage of a multilingual programme, classes are conducted entirely in a child’s mother tongue. Then, while they are still pursuing increased fluency in their first language, students are introduced to the spoken form of a second language. Later on literacy (reading and writing) in this second language is developed. Finally, students will be taught using both languages on an equal footing. So, to illustrate, a truly multilingual child is one who can chat in Indonesian with his parents at home, discuss her math homework with her non-bilingual teacher who has come to the country all the way from the UK, and hold a simple conversation in Dutch with her grandmother who lived through colonial times.

unfortunate? Mainly because of sentences such as, “Women who give suck to baby cannot work in hole underground.” It took several hours of furious head scratching before it finally dawned on her that what the original translator had in mind was, “Female employees who are breastfeeding are not to be assigned to subterranean work posts.” Admittedly, the work of professional translators and interpreters might not necessarily be indicative of how today’s students will speak tomorrow. It

does, however, perfectly illustrate how underestimating the nature of learning new languages can be disastrous – or at least incredibly embarrassing. So, is it worth the time, effort and money to get your child into a school with an international curriculum, international accreditations and standards and bilingual or multilingual classes? The answer is, of course, a solid yes. However, it pays to appreciate exactly what all of those fancy terms actually mean. More importantly,

it pays to realise how and why parents can both help and hinder their children as they learn to become part of an increasingly globalised world. Or, put simply, considering how much time, effort and money it takes to get your child into an international school which offers bilingual or multilingual instruction, it’s only fair to let them worry about getting your child’s language skills up to par. In the meantime, you can relax and focus on teaching your children the language of their home. May 2012

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Understanding social-emotional development

atthew struggles when playing with his classmates. Recognizing that Matthew needs extra help in learning how to ask to join in the group, Miss Camille, decides to read the children a story about taking turns and asking to join play during group time. On that same day, several times during centre activizties and outdoor play, Miss Camille reminds Matthew to “ask to play.” A month later, Matthew still has difficulty entering play and asking to play with toys. Why did Matthew still have difficulty learning the skill? Perhaps Miss Camille did not provide enough opportunity to practise in his class, so Matthew quickly forgot how to use his new skills. Or possibly Matthew is clueless when or where he can use this new skill. Erik Erikson, one of the leading psychologists in Early Childhood Education states that the major developmental issue for young children is

May 2012

the balance between the freedoms of taking initiative versus guilt. Erikson believes that the psychosocial crisis occurs during the “play ages”. That is roughly between three and six. He describes that children of this age group begin to plan activities, make up games, and initiate activities with others. Children that are given this opportunity, will develop well in: 1. Establishing a sense of initiative. They begin to imagine and broaden skills through active play, which enables them to imagine things; 2. Feeling secure in their ability to lead others and make decision; and 3. Cooperating with others. Tutor Time as a wellknown Early Childhood Education organization around the world is very much aware of being very careful and sensitive to facilitate the socialemotional development in the school setting. In adjusting activities for social-emotional development, instruction is

more effective if it is embedded in the meaningful activities and contexts that occur throughout the child’s day. Tutor Time teachers are experienced and well-trained in applying 3 teaching strategies: 1. Skill Acquisition: Teachers demonstrating a new skill to young children by giving a concrete example of when and how to use this skill. For example, when packing up the snack plate, teacher said: “Look, I am tidying up the plate and cup.” 2. Skill Fluency: Establishing child-directed activities by setting up several activities at the same time in Tutor Time classroom setting giving students opportunities to practice their skills so they can use it with ease. The practice may include encouraging the child (“How can you wait until it’s your turn?”), reminding the child to use her/his skill (“I know you are upset because it’s not your turn yet, what can we do instead?”), and identifying situation that calls a child to use her new skill

(“Look, there are two chairs in the computer centre, John and Ally are already there, what can you do while you are waiting for your turn?”). 3. Skill maintenance and generalisation: Tutor Time teachers continuously promote the use of the child’s skills in any situation. Providing a specific feedback/positive reinforcement when a child successfully uses the skill is one of the best strategies in generalising young children’s social-emotional skill (“I saw you guys played together in the block area, and you took turn in building up that tall tower. I am very proud of you!”) Social-emotional development in early childhood is influenced by a child’s relationships with the important adult in his/ her life. Providing holistic experiences, support and encouragement is an important element in quality care. Tutor Time’s life-experiences setting help young children develop their social competence.

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anguage acquisition is a natural process for a child whether learning English as a native or second language. It is important that the teacher can speak English fluently, but even more importantly, schools must pay attention to the mix of nationalities. Whenever a class has a large portion of non English speaking students who speak a common language, the children will be quite slow in learning English because the language of friendship often remains the common language, not English. When children need English as a medium of play, they will learn English quickly. Practice, Practice, Practice! A boisterous school is a happy school, a place where children are exercising their speaking skills. Teachers need to engage children in conversations, offering models of more complex sentence structure

and more description in their speech. Children need to practice their communication skills with friends. During group activities, children should be given opportunities to join in discussions sharing their ideas and learning to take turns speaking. Oral language will only develop through PRACTICE. Vocabulary building should be an ongoing activity throughout the entire day. Teachers expand the sentences of their students. “Yes that is a truck. It’s a BIG RED truck.” Story telling is an important component of a well-balanced

Components of a good english-language preschool English language programme. Children learn to express and create stories of their own or retell previous stories. Drama carries this one step further in repeating/creating actions and dialogue within the framework of a play. Writing down stories as told by a child and then reading it aloud creates astonishment and illustrates to a child that his/her own words can be written. This is an important concept for literacy. Older children, who are learning phonic sounds can be encouraged to “write” their own stories in a self expressive use of letters and symbols. Books and story time are essential to language development. They introduce new vocabulary

Discovery center Jl. solo 9, menteng, T: 021 314 5443

Jl. haji abdul majid dalam 28, cipete T: 021 765 7040 www.dicoverycenter.co.id

and stimulate discussions: What do you think will happen next? Or Why do you think that happened? Perhaps the easiest way to improve in English is through song. Music is a universal medium. Actions and props (photos, puppets, objects etc) united with a catchy melody entrance young and old alike. Interestingly, shy children who don’t feel comfortable singing aloud at school, often hold concerts for their family at home. May 2012

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Entry requirements Enquiries by expatriates of all nationalities and local families are welcome. Our Admissions Officer will arrange for a tour of the school and a meeting with the Head of School. Prospective parents and students are asked to bring along the latest school reports to assist discussions about how best we can meet each studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s educational needs. Curriculum basis At AIS, the curriculum from Foundation through to Year 10 is currently based the Australian Curriculum and the Victorian AusVELS framework. We will be converting to an entirely Australian Curriculum programme during the next few years. Our senior secondary students (Years 11 &12) are certified by the ACT Board of Secondary Studies. This qualification is recognised and accepted by top universities around the world.

A guide for expat parents

ustraliaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly interactive teaching approach encourages student participation and develops confidence, effective communication, analysis and problem solving skills. These 21st century skills are highly valued by leading tertiary institutions and employers who are increasingly seeking individuals who have the ability to think creatively and work effectively in teams. The formal curriculum is supported by after school activities, individual and team sports, community service projects and opportunities for students to take on leadership roles. Parents are welcome at all times; many play an active role in school community events and school governance. AIS has a well-earned reputation for inclusivity. This has been built on the belief that all children, no matter their nationality, 70

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religion, language or learning potential can thrive in a school that recognises and responds to individual learning needs. Our objective is to constantly provide opportunities that help every student to work an appropriate level in each subject area and therefore reach his or her full potential. The key to success is providing the right learning environment staffed by caring teachers who love to teach and nurture each childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special talents. Each class has a qualified expatriate teacher as well as a local Teaching Assistant. Classes are small with the maximum number of students set at 22 at most levels. This helps us to create and maintain a friendly and supportive family-oriented environment.

General Information: The AIS Primary Campus (Preschool to Year 6) is located in Kemang and the Secondary Campus (Year 7 to Year 12) is located close by in Pejaten. All classrooms are equipped with the latest in teaching and learning technology, have instant connectivity to the world wide web and are designed in a way that allow teachers to harness the enormous educational potential of the internet. Additional facilities include an air-conditioned gymnasium/auditorium, pools designed for learners and advanced swimmers, covered sports multi-court, large turf football field, all-weather futsal field, dedicated computer labs, a wide range of specialist rooms and fully serviced canteens.

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A path to the realisation of children’s potential

very parent’s wish is to see their children competent, selfdisciplined, socially well adjusted, happy and able to fully actualise their potential. At the same time many parents wonder if they can make that wish a reality and if they can find an education system that really allows their child to be a life-long learner. Jakarta Montessori School (JMS) is a school that can assist parents in this endeavour thanks to its consistent adoption of the Montessori educational system. Montessori is a type of education based on the research of Dr Maria Montessori. Her philosophy supports the fundamental theory that a child learns best within

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a social environment that supports each individual’s unique development. Under the Montessori education system, multi-age grouping can be found in each class, promoting vertically integrated, peer group learning. The children work in a prepared learning environment that is child centred and beautifully arranged with learning materials to aid the child in the exploration of new ideas. At JMS, we help your children to understand the world in which they live and their role in it, both now and in the future. To this end our curriculum is an integrated one with emphasis on selfdiscipline, independence, a freedom with attached responsibility, and a tolerance and appreciation of all other

cultures and traditions. You only have to see the children’s enthusiastic faces to appreciate that such an environment is good for your child. They are happy and eager to attend school each day, often asking parents if they can come back on weekends. We pride ourselves in providing an extensive allround education, supporting not only your children’s academic development but also their social, emotional, physical and linguistic skills, through our prepared environments both within the classroom and outside in the school grounds. Established in 1986, Jakarta Montessori School caters for both Indonesian and Expatriate children with every class being supervised by Qualified Montessori Teachers. JMS is the only Montessori School in Indonesia which is fully accredited with Montessori Centre International, London. The school is also affiliated with the International Montessori Council in the USA. It is situated in a green

area in South Jakarta, where the air is clean and fresh and the environment is healthy and tranquil for your children. We have a purpose built school with excellent facilities, which is designed with the Montessori Method of Education in mind. We have large classrooms with outside areas for the children to learn about nature and enjoy the fresh air. We cater for Toddlers (18 months-3 years); Pre-school (3-6 years); Primary (6-12 years). Other facilities include a multifunction room, where children do yoga, drama, gymnastics and music, a library, computer room, kitchen and cafeteria. We also have a wonderful large outdoor area where the children are able to play sports and develop their gross motor skills. This includes a futsal/ basketball/volleyball/ badminton court; Jungle Gym; playhouse; swings and slides. We also provide school buses with chaperones, for a pick up and drop off service.

Jakarta Montessori School Jalan Durian No.10, Jagakarsa, Jakarta Selatan, 12620, Indonesia T: 021 727 2162 Email: jms@cbn.net.id www.jakartamontessori.com

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Proud and outstanding achievers

or 30 years, BINA NUSANTARA Group has maintained a fine reputation for innumerable positive contributions to the country. And since 1998, one of its units, BINUS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Simprug, has proved the commitment in providing a strong foundation for further study and instilling a love of learning. BINUS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Simprug is proud to be one of the few schools in Indonesia which offer under one roof all of the three internationallyrecognised and world-renowned IB Programmes: Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP). Furthermore, BINUS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Simprug meets the ISO 9001:2008 quality management standard for its operations. The school-wide values of BINUS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Simprug align with the IB Learner Profile to guide the children to be proud and outstanding achievers, locally and globally. In line with school’s vision as “a worldclass community of proud and outstanding achievers”, the teaching faculty at BINUS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Simprug is made up of trained, qualified and experienced professionals from Indonesia and overseas. The dynamic and diverse group of teachers

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adds to the school’s international feel and helps to provide the students with a clearer perspective on the values of internationalism. All teachers must hold a recognised degree in the subject areas or education levels that they teach, and a large proportion of the degrees are postgraduate. Specific IB training is facilitated by the School and by the IB. opportunity to go to top schools, universities BINUS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Simprug and destinations in various countries is also fortunate to have amongst its faculty to experience new learning contexts. IB workshop leaders, IB DP Examiners, and These special programmes IB School Visiting empower the students with new Team Members. social and cultural awareness As part of BINUS BINUS International as well as inspiring them to INTERNATIONAL School Simprung learn best practices from other SCHOOL Simprug’s outstanding schools and their commitment to provide Jl. Sultan Iskandar students. For example, selected the very best for Muda Kav. G-8, Jakarta students will sit in classes at Selatan 12220 students, teachers and top Schools in Singapore, China, parents, it has formed T: 021 724 3663 Thailand and Australia. links and networks ext. 4120-4122 BINUS INTERNATIONAL with other schools and www.binus-school.net SCHOOL Simprug offers over 30 institutions around different Afternoon Coaching the world. These Programmes (ACP) / Co-curricular partnerships allow the Activities (CCA), which inspire the students school to engage in a variety of endeavors towards the end results of enrichment, such as student immersion programmes, leadership & achievement. The results can teacher collaboration, parent seminars be shown by an impressive array of gold and strategic development of the school. and silver medals for first, second and third Immersion Programmes happen places locally, nationally and internationally. every year. Selected students have the

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Record

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[Q&A]

Going global The managing director of a Jakarta-based international auction house raps with JJK about his belief that Indonesian art is set to scale even greater heights on the international scene by Aulia R Sungkar photography MAULANA RIZKI

veryone has his or her own view of the meaning of art. For an avid art collector such as Deborah Iskandar though, art is about more than just the design of objects and artefacts. “To me, art is an appreciation of the sophistication and delicacy of striking elements of artistic forms such as painting and sculpture that one can enjoy anytime and anywhere. Art is also an interesting topic for discussion and study, one that you can share with your friends, especially if they are collectors themselves,” she explains. Born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama in the US, Deborah first came to Jakarta as an investment banker in 1991 and has been living here ever since. A certified public accountant, Deborah’s savvy in the fields of finance and business enables her to deliver quality advice to clients, not only about building their collections but, no less important, also regarding the harvesting of profit from shrewd investment insights. Deborah’s passion for art has spurred her to embark on a 16-year journey through the international art scene. In 2008, she was asked by Sotheby’s, one of the world’s oldest auction houses, to help them establish a Jakarta office and she has headed Sotheby’s Indonesia since 2009. Her main duties include offering advice to clients seeking to build their art collections through Sotheby’s. The recent Sotheby’s Hong Kong Spring Sales 2012 included modern and contemporary Indonesian paintings set alongside masterpieces from other Asian countries. Among the many offerings exhibited at the auction were works by modern Indonesian artists such as Hendra Gunawan, Affandi, S Sudjojono, Ay Tjoe Christine, Samsul Arifin and Rudi Mantofani. May 2012

Record Affandi’s iconic “Man with Cockerels” was among the top-listed Indonesian artworks and the piece was expected to go under the hammer for a price of US$ 250,000 or more. “There have been Indonesian paintings that have sold at previous Sotheby’s auctions for hundreds of thousands or even US$ 1 million or more, including works by I Nyoman Masriadi and Hendra Gunawan. Hendra is in the top lot at this year’s Hong Kong Sales. His painting “Snake Dancer” sold for a cool US$ 1.8 million last year. This time around, the auction is featuring four of his paintings,” Deborah says prior to leaving for April’s Hong Kong Spring Sales 2012. Given how highly Indonesian paintings are currently valued by an esteemed auction house such as Sotheby’s, are these Indonesian art objects really worth the investment? Some

Could you give us a brief outline of your decades of experience in the Indonesian art world? I started

collecting art in Hong Kong 20 years ago. My first foray was in contemporary Russian art. Paintings can become like your children in fact when you hang them on the wall and enjoy them, and indeed my real kids have grown up with art in their rooms. I have not stopped collecting but I have changed my focus over the years as prices have surged. I think at present that Indonesian art still offers the best collecting area in the current market, but if the prices of Chinese paintings start to consolidate, then it could all get May 2012

IN YOUR OWN WORDS, HOW DO YOU SEE THE FUTURE OF INDONESIAN ART AND THE ARTISTS IN GENERAL? I think it is excellent.

We have a lot of talented artists who need our support. We have a growing economy and a strong collecting market, so the future looks bright.

In terms of South-East Asian art, Indonesia and the Philippines are currently the two most prominent countries.

collectors do consider art as an alternative form of investment because the prices of many masterpieces tend to rise as time goes. I am presently seeing many Indonesian paintings appreciate in monetary value in comparison with the past, although I don’t really encourage clients to buy art purely for investment purposes. The main gain to be had from a painting is its enjoyment value. While many do realise financial rewards from investing in art, it is usually those collectors who buy out of a passion and love of the art in the first place. Those individuals who buy art solely as an investment are usually disappointed, as they are never willing to spend money on the really top items.

interesting again. As a professional, I have always had to buy on a budget, so the best advice I can give is to buy the best you can afford and hold on for the long term.

HOW DO YOU COMPARE THE INDONESIAN ART SCENE WITH THOSE OF NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES SUCH AS SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA, OR PERHAPS CHINA? In terms of South-

East Asian art, Indonesia and the Philippines are currently the two most prominent countries. Both countries have vibrant art scenes supported by a huge number of talented artists, galleries, dealers and collectors. Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia are smaller markets and not as well established, with a relatively limited number of top-quality works available on the market. I think that South-East Asian art, as a whole, still doesn’t compare with Chinese art yet though. Chinese art attracts huge international interest, whereas South-East Asian art is still predominantly an Asian only market. DO YOU THINK THAT SOUTH-EAST ASIAN ART WILL CATCH UP WITH THAT OF CHINA IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA? Why not?

I’m happy to see that South-East Asian artworks, particularly those created by Indonesian artists, have been moving into a more internationalised categorisation in recent years. South-East Asian artists, including those from Indonesia, are now more frequently invited to hold travel shows and to exhibit in Asia and even in the US and Europe. Also, there are more international collectors these days and yes, we are finally stepping up to the international level. There may still be a long way to go, but we’ve made a very promising start. IN YOUR OWN VIEW, DO YOU THINK THAT INDONESIANS UNDERSTAND THE PHILOSOPHIES THAT UNDERPIN PRICELESS MASTERPIECES BY INDONESIAN ARTISTS?

Absolutely! There have been a number of great collectors in the country.

Former President Soekarno was one of the greatest Indonesian art collectors and he amassed a fabulous collection of Indonesian art. Indeed, many renowned Indonesian art collections are in the hands of the country’s private collectors who are overjoyed that their investments have paid off, especially since they did not primarily buy for investment purposes. Also, they understand that owning a unique piece of art is a means of preserving its history. Behind every masterpiece there is surely a history to tell. WHY DO YOU LIKE TO LIVE IN JAKARTA?

Jakarta is a highly vibrant city and there are so many places to go, including restaurants, exhibitions and even now international concerts. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST FRUSTRATION OF JAKARTA LIFE? Traffic. [grins] WHERE ARE YOUR TRAVEL DESTINATIONS? AND WHY DO YOU LIKE THOSE PLACES?

Between Christmas and New Year, we always travel domestically. Last December my family and I visited Padang and Bukittingi, which were both beautiful. I love adventure travel and Indonesia has so many islands to explore, as well as vast cultural differences. HOW ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD?

Padang food. My husband is from Padang. [chuckles] WHAT ARE YOUR WEEKENDS LIKE?

Relaxed. I am so busy during the week so weekends are when I can spend time with my husband, my two sons and my daughter. I like to cook on Sunday night and spending time with my family is truly an incomparable source of happiness. TO CONCLUDE OUR INTERVIEW, COULD YOU OFFER OUR READERS SOME TIPS REGARDING INVESTING IN ART AND COLLECTING ARTWORKS? As with

any investment, you have to do your research. You have to find a style or period that interests you. Some people prefer contemporary art to works by the Indonesian masters, for example. It is also important to find out about the artists in question, especially those residing atop the fame list (as generally agreed by curators, galleries and art-market experts), including their market prices and recent trends. You should attend gallery openings, auctions or simply go to a museum to check out current trends and you should also explore within your budget. The basic principle is to buy the best that you can afford.

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Exploring Indonesia

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From an island of gigantic lizards to a land that mirrors that of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lord of The Ringsâ&#x20AC;?, here are ten mesmerising domestic destinations that you must visit before you even think about going on holiday abroad

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Raja Ampat Why Raja Ampat is, without a doubt, a true diving paradise. Situated off the western coast of mainland Papua, Raja Ampat means Four Kings, and according to local myth, the monarchs in question were hatched from four eggs out of seven that were found by a local woman. Recommended diving areas here include Wayag, Misool and Fam. Manta rays,

pygmy seahorses and a wealth of unique underwater species can all be swam with in Wayag, while Misool is famous for its blue water mangrove. Corals, soft corals and sponges are the main attractions at Fam. You can also dare yourself to take a rather morbid excursion to a sacred burial cave in Wawiyai village, where locals bury their deceased family members by inserting their dead bodies into hollow tree trunks and then putting them in a cave

along with all of the deceased’s possessions. –dt Getting there Garuda Indonesia, Express Air and Batavia Air all operate flights from Jakarta to Sorong. From Sorong you can either take a speedboat, which holds up to 15 passengers, for a one-hour, Rp. 2 million ride, or hop on a ten-person longboat for a three-hour, Rp 1.2 million ride to the islands. Stay Liveaboard dive boats: Damai (www.dive-damai.com), Raja Ampat Explorer (www.

komodoalordive.com), Pearl of Papua (www.papualiveboard. com). Koranu Fyak Bungalows (Robben Sauyai, T: 0812 4854 9459), Misool Eco Resort (www.misoolecoresort.com). Important note Before you go leaping into the water here fully kitted out with flippers, tank and wetsuit, you need to have obtained a permit from the local police, for which you’ll need three copies of your passport and your Indonesian Visa (if you hail from foreign shores).

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Tanjung Puting National Park

Leakey, a rehabilitation centre for orangutans. There you can make friends with primatologists from all over the world, who frequently visit the Tanjung Puting National Park to study its primate population. The finest hospitality in the area can be found at Eco Lodges, where Julia Roberts stayed during a visit to Tanjung Puting a few years back. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;YS Getting there Kal Star Air and Trigana Air operate direct flights from Jakarta to Pangkalan Bun, the nearest airport to Tanjung Puting National Park. Stay Ecolodges Indonesia (T: 0361 747 4205, www.ecolodgesindonesia.com)

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Why Tanjung Puting National Park is a haven for nature lovers, eco warriors and primate fans. The Dutch colonial government created this park back in the 1930s for the protection of the native orangutans and proboscis monkeys. Later, in 1977, the park was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve before officially becoming a national park in 1982. In addition to the aforementioned species, the park is also home to a number of other endangered animals, such as gibbons, clouded leopards and pythons, as well as insects such the giant Bornean butterfly. You can join a tour here, which will take you on a river cruise, as well as to Camp

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Komodo Island

Why Home to some of the largest living lizards on the planet, Komodo national Park is made up of Rinca, Padar and Komodo. The biggest of the three islands, Komodo Island doesn’t just boast the world-famous flesh-eating dragons, but also other endangered species such as the Timor deer – Komodo dragon’s favourite meal – and orange-footed scrub fowl. Underwater, the national park is also a haven for sightseeing with its over 1000 species of fish and over 200 types of coral reefs. Diving, therefore, is naturally the main tourist activity in this area. The original inhabitants of Komodo, the Ata Modo people, still live in and around the park. However, due to the migrations of people from its surrounding islands, there

is no one with pure Ata Modo blood left and the culture and language here have been slowly replaced by those of the settlers, who are mostly fishermen. –BB Getting there The easiest way to arrive in Komodo is via Labuan Bajo in the west of Flores or Bima in Eastern Sumbawa. Local tour operators also organise boat charters from Bima or Labuanbajo to Loh Liang and the smaller parts of Komodo National Park. Stay The Chez Feliz Hotel (Jl. Prof W. Z, Yohannes, Labuan Bajo), Waecicu Eden Beach (Waecicu, Labuan Bajo), Centro Bajo Hotel & Resto (Jl. Sukarno Hatta – Flores Main Road, Labuanbajo)

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Manado Why Whether you’re looking to dine or dive, Manado has it all. Long celebrated as one of the best diving spots in the world, Manado’s Bunaken Island attracts scores of tourists every year. Located on the northern tip of the huge island of Sulawesi, Manado is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia and has a rich and well-preserved Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese colonial heritage that encompasses a 16th century church and a war monument. Aside from its maritime and historical tourism, Manado is also known for its culinary daring and, as the saying goes, the Manadonese will eat anything with feet! Don’t be shocked if you find delicious dishes here made from dog meat, bat or even jungle rat! If you’re not into bizarre delicacies such as these, then more conventional dishes such as ikan cakalang or ayam rica-rica should do the job and are enjoyed all over Indonesia. Start your Manado day with some diving, snorkelling and all things related to the beautiful sea and end it with a feast while taking in the sunset over the island of Old Manado. –YS

Stay Aston Manado City Hotel (Jl. Sudirman No.128, Manado, T: 0431 888 8989), Novotel Manado (Jl. A. A. Maramis Kayuwatu Kairagi II, T: 0431 818 889), Swiss-Belhotel Maleosan (Jl. Jendral Sudirman Kav. 85 – 87, T: 0431 861 000), Santika Premiere Seaside Resort (Tongkaina, Bunaken, T: 0431 885 8222). 84

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Getting there There are daily three-hour flights from Jakarta to Manado. Note that there’s a time difference between the two cities.

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Why Lombokâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new international airport (uninspiringly called Lombok International Airport) aims to provide the world with more access to the island many predicted would rival Bali. As a response to the opening of this new airport, investors have started to open their piggy banks and authorised resort projects which will eventually make Lombok look even more similar to Bali. Many, especially those who depend on the islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tourism for a living, are excited about this prospect, but many, especially those who label themselves as niche travellers, are lamenting the

possibility that this enigmatic island will become a giant tourist magnet. The beaches on the west part of this island are often crowded during the summer, and so are the three Gili Islands on the north-west. However, more and more knowledgeable tourists are presently exploring Lombokâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s southern side, including the lesser-known gilis near Lembar. The east side of the island is drier in climate, but not less beautiful and still less explored. Getting there Daily flights from Jakarta are available. Stay The Oberoi, Lombok (www. oberoihotels.com), Hotel Villa Ombak (www.hotelombak.com), Queen Villas and Spa (www.villaqueen.co.id)

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Lombok

Flores

different-coloured crater lakes and spectacular views. –DT Getting there Many airlines operate between Jakarta and Flores’ main city of Maumere, including Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air. You can get around Maumere and Flores easily using public minibuses (angkot), or motorcycle taxis (ojek). Labuan Bajo is a 30-hour bus ride from Maumere (Rp. 150,000), although it’s now possible to fly to this up-and-coming spot from Jakarta. From Labuan Bajo, you can take a quick boat ride out to the small islands. Kelimutu lies five hours from Maumere by bus (Rp. 60,000).

Why Located in East Nusa Tenggara, Flores means flowers in Portuguese, and the island was indeed once colonised by this historic seafaring nation. Flores is a hidden Indonesian jewel that is finally starting to attract more and more visitors. Sanggar Bliran Sina in Watublapi in East Maumere shouldn’t be missed. Here you can see firsthand how the local women hand produce the area’s traditional dyed ikat cloth, using local cotton to ensure high quality. Diving can be enjoyed in Labuan Bajo and at the small islands surrounding it, which include Seraya, Kalong and Kanawa. The Kelimutu National Park in Moni, Central Flores is also a must and the volcano here boasts three

Stay Sylvia Hotel (Jl. Gajah Mada No. 88, Maumere, Flores). Or you can check www.floresexplore. com for more information on various accommodation options on the island.

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Why Are you looking for picture perfect Indonesian landscapes similar to the ones seen in Peter Jackson’s “Lord of The Rings” trilogy? Then head to the island of Sumba, which is located in East Nusa Tenggara in the eastern part of Indonesia. Sumba is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands and is one of few places in the world that still follows a living tradition of megalithic burials. In fact, in East Sumba people still live in traditional houses, and ancient traditions and ceremonies are deeply 88

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integrated into everyday life here, although the area is also modernising. Horse breeding is a common occupation in Sumba and the milk produced is distributed to various cities across Indonesia. The chance to explore vast and beautiful savannahs and take in some day-to-day local horse breeding is definitely a trip to die for. Each year, the people of Sumba hold the Pasola Festival at the start of the growing season. During this traditional event, men from each village arm themselves with bamboo spears and fight on horseback until they

bleed. It is believed that if your enemy bleeds a lot, then your farm will be fertile. On top of all of that, Sumba also boasts some beautiful beaches. –YS Getting there There are direct flights from Jakarta to Waingapu (East Sumba) almost every day. From Waingapu you can continue your trip by car or bus. Stay Hotel Merlin (Jl. D.I. Panjaitan No. 25, T: 0387 603 000, Hotel Sandalwood (Jl. WJ. Lalamentik No. 25, T: 0387 61887), Nihiwatu Resort (www.nihiwatu.com), Sumba Nautil Resort (www. sumbanautilresort.com).

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Ambon Why Ambon is the administrative centre of Maluku in eastern Indonesia and boasts an enormous bay that loops around from the airport to the island’s capital of Kota Ambon. The island boasts timeless villages and tropical splendour galore and also makes a great jumping off point for the idyllic Banda Islands, which are undoubtedly one of the last tourism frontiers left in the world. Between 1999 and 2002, Ambon was rocked by an inter-religious conflict but potential visitors can rest assured that Ambon is now very much back in business. In Kota Ambon itself, visitors can enjoy the 09

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delights of the Pattimura Memorial, as well as the Francis Xavier Cathedral. The island of Ambon is also the main area in Maluku to enjoy decent scuba diving and its high-visibility waters are filled with coral-encrusted volcanic pinnacles, shipwrecks and red-toothed triggerfish. Ambon is probably best known for its muck diving though and various weird and wonderful creatures can be spotted here, including a bizarre jet-propelled form of frog fish that was first spotted back in 2008. Dive heads should contact Maluku Divers (T: 0911 323 882) or Blue Rose Divers (T: 0911 323 883). –SP Getting there There are daily flights to Ambon from Jakarta and the airport lies a delightful 30km drive around a perfect arc of bay from Kota Ambon. Taxis and a regular minibus service are available. Stay Swiss-Belhotel Ambon (Jl. Benteng Kapaha No. 88, Ambon 97124, Indonesia,T: 0911 322 888, www.swiss-belhotel.com/ Indonesia/Ambon), Aston Natsepa (Jl. Raya Natsepa No. 36, Ambon 97582, T: 0911 362 257, www.astonambon.com).

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Pulau Weh

Why Pulau Weh sits at the northernmost tip of Indonesia just off the coast of Aceh, a fact marked by the island’s Indonesia Kilometre Zero Monument. Weh basks in the Indian Ocean and if you’re an avid diver or snorkelling fanatic, then its deep underwater canyons and vast array of colourful marine life shouldn’t be missed. Indeed, Pulau Weh offers some of the finest diving in the country, and considering which country this is then that’s high praise indeed. Weh’s beaches are not huge but if you’re not a diver then there are other ways of spending your time. JJK recently had a fantastic few days of cycle touring around the island enjoying absolutely stunning views, deserted country roads and mischievous wild monkeys. – SP Getting there To get to Weh, fly to Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport and bag a taxi into Banda Aceh (around 16km). It’s then worth spending a few hours here

and checking out the sites of what is undoubtedly one of Indonesia’s most pleasant cities before heading on to Weh itself. Aceh’s northern coast also offers some spectacular scenery and beaches. To get to the island, catch a boat from Uleh-leh, which is situated some 5km from the centre of town. The boats cost between Rp. 50,000 and Rp. 90,000 and leave at 9.30am and 4pm. Stay Freddie’s (Jl Bahagia, Santai Samur Tiga, Sabang, T: 0813 602 5501, www.santai-sabang.com.), Yulia’s (Jl. Kilometer Nol, Iboih, T: 0813 7727 9989).

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Nias

Why This island in the western part of Sumatra may be diminutive in size, but it’s a hidden gem for surfers. Nias is internationally renowned as a surfer’s paradise and some even claim that the waves here are better even than those that can be enjoyed in Maui in Hawaii. During the 1960s, Nias was part of the hippie surfing trail. Gunung Sitoli serves as the capital city of Nias and is also the home to the island’s only museum, the Heritage Museum (Museum Pusaka Nias), which has a collection of over 6000 cultural objects. Just two hours from the capital lies Teluk Dalam, and Lagundri Bay’s legendary Sorake beach, a surfing hotspot beach with waves that reach up to 5 metres in height and travel for a full 150 metres. This is no place for beginners to the sport! One of the most celebrated traditions in Nias is its famous stone jumping (lompat batu) ritual, which can be found down in the Bawomatauo area. During this iconic ritual, young men jump over a two-metre-high stone wall to mark their rite of passage into adulthood. In the past, the top of the jumping wall was even covered with sharp bamboo! –dt

Stay Oichoda Losmen and Surf Stay (Sorake Beach, Botohilitano, Teluk Dalam, T: 0812 6376 5554). 92

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getting there To get to Nias from Jakarta, you’ll need to fly via Medan (two hours), aboard any number of airlines, including Mandala and Citilink. You can then take a 45-minute connecting flight to Nias with Merpati Airlines, which offers flights to Gunung Sitoli. You can also catch a bus to Sibolga, a town lying some eight hours from Medan, and then take a three-hour ferry ride over to Gunung Sitoli.

Advertorial

New Queen Villa brings 5-Star Flair to Gili Trawangan Villa Queen and Spa, is the newest five-star hotel at the small island in Lombok’s north-west coast. Sitting on 1.7 hectares of quiet coast, Queen Villa mixes the modern with traditional offering peace and privacy to all-out fun and frivolity to its guest. The hotel started operating in November 2011, and is gearing up for its grand opening bash in May. Although Gili Trawangan is labelled as “the party island”, with nightly entertainment from traditional Indonesian dance to modern band – the idyllic little island also boasts shady white sand beaches and crystal clear blue waters that are home to a myriad of marine species including rare blue coral. Trawangan is a constant visual paradise, as the morning sun rises from behind majestic Mount Rinjani on the Lombok mainland, casting its sparkle over the island and its waters and then sets in spectacular style against the dramatic backdrop of Bali’s sacred Mount Agung nearly 80 kilometres away across the Lombok Strait. “All the pleasures and beauty of Trawangan, including entertainment ranging from modern to traditional, is available here at Villa Queen and Spa,” said Goya A Mahmud, general manager of the five-star luxury property.

Timber from Borneo has been used in the construction of most buildings including the lobby, guest rooms, restaurants, bars and spa. While the furniture have been carved at handicraft centres at Jepara in Central Java. The distinctively-shaped thatch roofs are woven from the dried grass typically used on traditional Lombok houses. Each month, Queen Villa and Spa honours a Trawangan tradition by hosting a full moon party at Vodoo Bar and Club, with a capacity for 200 people and Rp 2 billion sound system. The hotel is also currently developing a Dark Moon Party stage show. Queen Villa & Spa has a total of 125 rooms: 40 cottage rooms, 74 deluxe rooms, 10 luxury villas and a royal suite villa. The room range from Rp 2 million for a cottage room up to Rp 7 million for the royal suite villa. Other facilities including meeting room for 80 people, Le Queen fine dining restaurant, Voodoo Bar and Club, Taman Gili pool bar and Imperial Dragon oriental restaurant, Bee Diving, Queen’s coffee house, Queen’s spa and free WiFi internet access. www.villaqueen.co.id May 2012

ArchipelagoUpdates

JAKARTA

THE RETURN OF MANDALA Mandala Airlines has returned to the Indonesian aviation scene after a complete revitalisation by its new shareholders – Saratoga Group and Tiger Airways. At the moment Mandala will only serve flights between Jakarta Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta - Medan. Other routes will be announced shortly.

SOLO

OLD SCHOOL SOLO Solo will hold their annual art event, Mangkunegaran Performing Art, from May 11 – 12. Except to see plenty of traditional Javanese performing arts at Pura Mangkunegaran Solo.

www.tigerairways.com

MAKASSAR-YOGYAKARTA

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? Campina, a big ice cream brand, will hold a talent search that focuses on modern dance for high school students in Indonesia. Concerto: My Music My Dance will tour five big cities such as Makassar, Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Palembang and Yogyakarta to find the best dancers in the country. The talent search will start on May 5 at Panakkukang Square in Makassar and will be close at Ambarukmo Plaza in Yogyakarta on June 10. For more details check their Facebook account: Concerto FUNtastic

SURABAYA

JAPAN IN SURABAYA The Gallery House of Sampoerna is hosting an art event where Soho Konishi – the master of oshie, a Japanese art that uses traditional Japanese paper (chiyogami) stuffed with sponge or cotton to create three-dimensional artwork – will be giving workshops to participants. This event lasts until May 13. House of Sampoerna, Jl. Taman Sampoerna No. 6, Surabaya, T: 031 353 9000, www.houseofsampoerna.museum

MANADO

SILOAM GOES FAR From this month on, Manado will be able to boast a Siloam Hospital. This hospital will be equipped with the city’s first MRI 1.5 and CT Scan 128 and other state-of-the-art health facilities such as Fluoroscopy, 4 dimensions USG, mammography and dental panoramic.

YOGYAKARTA

Jogja gets musical

BELITUNG

LODGING IN BELITUNG Aston International is opening a new beachfront four-start resort and convention centre in Belitung. The hotel will feature 145 rooms and suites and meeting rooms plus distinguished facilities such as a restaurant, sky lounge, recreational area, spa, swimming pool and a well-equipped gym. www.aston-international.com

May 2012

The musical “Laskar Pelangi: The Musical” became a big hit in both Jakarta and Singapore, and it will finally come to Yogyakarta from May 25 – 27. The curtain will go up at Jogja Expo Centre with ticket prices starting from Rp.100.000. Ticket box: CAMPUSMAGZ office, Jl. Veteran No. 5 Muja Muju, Yogyakarta, T: 0274 854 7385

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May 2012

Taste

BURGER WARS / RESTAURANT REVIEWS / TOP TABLES + BARS

KITCHEN UPDATES

BITTER SWEET Hotel Indonesia Kempinski is celebrating May with chocolate galore and, for the entire month, chocolate-themed fun can be found at the hotel’s various outlets. Chef Kevin Curry has created a number of enjoyable events, from an adult cooking class to chocolate and coffee pairings to a lavish fashion show down at Casa D’Oro.

GET T Y IMAGES

T: 021 2358 3800

May 2012

TasteKitchenUpdates

rEd Top

SPARKLING SAPPHIRE After months of extensive renovation work, the Red Top Hotel on the famous Jl. Pecenongan has officially relaunched its watering hole under the new name of Sapphire Lounge & Bar. This chic new bar embraces modern design and contains two karaoke rooms. The new bar, which was previously known as Velvet Lounge & Bar, also offers top-flight cocktails and wines from around the world, as well as some delicious bites.

T: 021 350 0077

riTZ-carlTon

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER Every Saturday night, chef Ken Lee of The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place will be preparing Chinese delicacies at Pacific Restaurant & Lounge. Lee’s dinner creations will range from suckling pig to red barbecued veal shanks to delicious, and this all-you-caneat deal is being priced at Rp. 228,000++ per person, inclusive of free flow Chinese tea. T: 021 2550 1993

TaMani kafE grill

TAMANI HEADS SOUTH In early April, Tamani Kafe Grill launched its Australian Beef Festival promotion, which includes five new dishes built around Australian meat. Items such as tender beef steak, Black Angus grill and Korean bulgalbi are now main dishes down at Tamani Kafe Grill.

Jl. Kemang Raya No. 5, T: 021 791 8077

MEl’s MEaT facTory

MEAT FOR ALL

four sEasons

Reasonably priced steak restaurants can now be found across Jakarta, and many of these eateries offer the kind of quality cuts that could previously only be found at premium steakhouses. A proven winner is Mel’s Meat Factory on Jalan Lamandau in the Barito area (near Blok M). Located on a street corner, close to the famous Burger Blenger, the restaurant proudly boasts a warung concept, but its meats are imported from the US and Australia, and there are even a few selections of wagyu to be had as well. The homemade sauce here is delicious and is made using a secret family recipe that has been around for generations. The Japanese-style sauce also works really well with the meat. Jl. Lamandau 4 No. 18

MOTHER’S SPECIAL DAY Why not treat your mum to some delectable treats at Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta this month? On May 13, three of the hotel’s outlets will be offering a selection of succulent promotional delights that are hard to resist. Seasons Café will be serving up a capacious Mother’s Day Brunch that is set to feature a wide range of delicious dishes. The hotel’s famous Steak House will be hosting a Mother’s Day Special Surf and Turf promo for all the carnivores among you, while the hotel’s Chinese restaurant, Lai Ching, is offering a dim sum buffet that should put a smile on your old lady’s face. Book now to avoid disappointment.

T: 021 252 3456

Mandarin oriEnTal

PADANG ORIENTAL ThE park lanE

Cinnamon at the Mandarin Oriental Jakarta will be presenting a Padang Food Festival from May 7 – 12. Gorge yourself on spicy West Sumatran culinary treats such as satay Padang, beef rending and some sweet bubur kampiun. This indigenous treat is priced at Rp. 268,000++ per person.

BEEF STIX

T: 021 2993 8888

T: 021 828 2000

May 2012

The Park Lane Hotel Jakarta’s celebrated Stix bar is holding a US meat promotion until May 15. The Stix chefs will be whipping up a wide selection of dishes made from US meat and over 15 dishes are on offer, ranging from starters to soups to main courses specially tailored by the Stix chefs, in both Eastern and Western styles. Whether you are looking for a chunky US steak or a Mongolian-style firepot US beef bowl, Stix is the place.

May 2012

Teaspoon

ucked inconspicuously in to the corner of a ruko complex, just a couple of doors down from the ubiquitous red-and-white banality of a Circle K in Kemang’s hot new Jl. Benda area, this humble little café had us scratching our heads with regards to its opening hours. Only open from 3pm until 9pm, we had to return a couple of times before finally managing to get through the front door. Once inside, it took us a couple more minutes before we finally realised that no one was going to come to our table to take our order. Towards the rear of Teaspoon we caught sight of the counter where customers are supposed to place their orders and help themselves to the available condiments. This self-service modus operandi, in combination with Teaspoon’s raw

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approach to interior decorating, really evoked for us one of those humble, European-style cafes where the owners actually serve the patrons themselves. Moving on to the grub, don’t expect to be handed a full menu to choose from here. The only menu available consists of a blackboard that sits atop the serving counter and which only lists a handful of light dishes and drinks. The diminutive menu includes dishes such as spirelli pasta with bolognaise or mushroom sauce, beefy lasagne, wings platter, ugly meat pie and crusty herb potato wedges. Meanwhile, there’s the dessert section, which is the owners’ pride and joy (they are selfproclaimed “dessertarians” by the way). The menu features two types of chocolate mousse that employ kiwi and almonds as key ingredients.

RATING

!!!!! CUISINE International SPEND Rp. 100.000 for two

Teaspoon Jl. Benda Raya, No. 54, Kemang, T:021 8077 2977

Apart from the listed items on the menu board, there are also daily specials that are promoted solely through the Teaspoon twitter account. As we found out through our research when trying to locate the place, Teaspoon’s ugly meat pie is apparently the one dish here that everyone has been raving on about. Cut into a triangular pie shape, there’s nothing unattractive about the actual look of the meat pie. The only ugly thing about the pie was the blob of mayonnaise on top, which actually overpowered the overall taste of the dish. The pie itself was actually quite tasty and would have been even better if it had come with some sort of gravy to enhance the meaty flavour. Our desserts of kiwi chocolate mousse and fruit jello were also pretty decent and we could see daylight through the bottom of our dishes after devouring them. The chocolate mousse proved to be a particular favourite, as it had been rather intriguingly layered. Instead of just filling the dish with mouse, Teaspoon actually put in the extra effort of layering the mouse with some sort of chocolate sauce and some interestingly textured kiwi chunks. Even though the menu at Teaspoon café is still a little too small to make it a regular visit, the comfy ambiance of the place made us feel as if we were actually in our own living rooms. It would be lovely to see the owners coming up with some new dishes to extend their menu with. –sebastian subakti

maulana rizki

TasteRestaurantReviews

X9 Bar & Kitchen

maulana rizki

wooden contrasts that give the place e don’t usually go out something of a tavern feel. of our way to review clubs. Open only after 6pm, X9 is initially However, after getting mostly filled with expatriates from stuck at Kemang’s busiest around the neighbourhood, intersection who are looking to take a couple of times during advantage of the happy the after-office rush hour hour. After ordering a recently, we decided to x9 Bar & kitchen Castillo Building, draft beer, which is very check out X9 Bar & Kitchen Jl. Kemang Raya, reasonably priced at Rp. to save ourselves from No. 10A. 30,000 a pop, (Rp. 25,000 further traffic madness. T: 021 7179 4491-92 during happy hour), we Located in the Castillo decided to try some bar building just before grub to accompany our McDonald’s, this hip bar and brews. As with the drinks, the X9 kitchen takes up the space that used to food is also reasonably priced, which house Koi Kemang. As we said before, encouraged us to order up a few bar the traffic at the McDonald’s Kemang snacks, as we thought that they would intersection is some of the mostprobably be served in tiny portions. feared in the area, especially after Starting off with orders of crispy 5pm, and so this new bar and kitchen fried mushrooms, chicken wings can serve as a good rest stop in which and X9 nachos, we discovered that to knock back a couple of brews and the portions here are not nearly as wait for the jams to subside. undersized as we thought they would Heading inside, we can definitely be! They’re not humongous either, confirm that this one is primarily a mind you, but proved large enough to club, as views of the street outside give us some real sustenance while are nicely blocked in order to ensure we continued knocking back the beer. the requisite neon-lit ambiance. Of the three starters that we Dominated by floor-to-ceiling brick ordered that night, the chicken walls, the interior of X9 is done out in wings were probably the tastiest and a raw and rustic theme and features

RATING

!!!!! CUISINE Bar snacks SPEND Rp. 200.000 for two

reminded us of the chicken wings at Wing Dome, with their crisp texture that is able to hold a sauce well. The sauce itself though needs a little adjustment, as it was slightly on the tangy side. The other interesting dish that we managed to sample that night was the rather unusual oxtail pizza. This proved to be nothing extraordinary, although the chef’s creativity in incorporating oxtail meat into a pizza topping deserves a heads up. –ss

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pasta with grilled prawns, are still on offer. Stephane has also created a number of new dishes to join these old favourites and some of these are seasonal, which means that they are only available when the ingredients themselves become available. Check out the steaks, the fish dishes, the lobster or the 12-hourbraised French pork belly. The new Cassis lunch menu also offers some delicious and reasonably priced bites. The oneto three-course lunch set menu is perfect for those who take their lunches as seriously as their dinners but who don’t have two hours to burn. As for desserts, the famous Cassis crème brûlée is still wowing taste buds. Alternatively, check out the four different soufflés on offer.

The unique

Cassis Cassis’ Chef’s Table is the perfect place to impress your friends and business colleagues

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homey feel to the elegance of the new interior and in the evening, the lighting helps the dining rooms and bar to show off their darker and sexier sides. At the back, on the way to the restroom, a large rectangular hole has been carved out of the wall that separates the kitchen from the restaurant to reveal a little bit of the life in the Cassis kitchen to diners.

The setting

The food

The Cassis management chose an award-winning New York-based design studio, Yabu Pushelberg, to help them refresh their look. The refurbishment of this popular restaurant was completed late last year and the results are quite stunning. Large windows and doors dominate the frames that wrap the elegant and contemporary interior, and the new Cassis exudes class but in a non-intimidating way. During the day, there is a

For a long time now, Cassis has consistently delivered top-drawer, classically French fare in a fine-dining setting, and in a similar vein to its recent facelift, the kitchen staff, led by the affable Stephane Simond, has also rejuvenated the Cassis menu. Old favourites, such as the unbelievably good signature, pan-seared foie gras, which comes served with caramelised apples and a blackcurrant sauce, as well as the tasty angel-hair

Cassis’ new Chef’s Table offers the perfect opportunity to impress your friends and business colleagues. You can consult with Stephane directly and he will create a menu tailored especially for you and your colleagues. Moreover, during the course of your dinner, the chef will pay frequent visits to your private dining room to chat with you and your guests. On top of that, Cassis’ executive chef is also offering cooking classes for between five and ten people (Rp. 600,000++ per person). Classes are held from 11am to 12.30pm.

Pavilion Apartment Retail Arcade, Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur Kav. 24, T: 021 5794 1500, www.cassis-gourmand.com

Pullman Jakarta Indonesia

Introducing Our New Kahyangan Teppanyaki Restaurant Now Open. Our new teppanyaki restaurant is under the legendary Kahyangan Restaurant brand, renowned for serving Jakartaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best shabu - shabu and has the highest reputation for food quality, service and style. Enjoy a wide range of mouthwatering teppanyaki delicacies with special recipes by chef Hidemaro Hodaka.

New attitude hotels for business travellers. www.pullmanjakartaindonesia.com For further information and reservations, please contact us: Wisma Nusantara Building 28 th Floor | Jl. M.H. Thamrin 59, Jakarta 10350 - Indonesia T. +62 (21) 31 92 11 11 - F. +62 (21) 31 92 33 33 - E. kahyangan@pullmanjakartaindonesia.com

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TasteFoodTalk

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wars Let the battle of the baps commence By Yohan Handoyo Photography Maulana Rizki

May 2012

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ho can resist a juicy, thick burger – complete with crisp lettuce, onion and some sliced tomato that tastes like it’s just arrived fresh from the farm? Top it all off with some sliced cheese melting tantalisingly, a side order of crispy, golden-brown fries and an ice-cold coke and you simply can’t resist can you?

BURGER KING WHOPPER

Well, i know i can’t. We all know though that in reality, the burger photos behind the counter sadly rarely match the one on your plastic tray. The bun is, more often than not, flat and dull, the patty is pale and never well-browned, the sauce is messy and the veggies are pathetic. and so we think it’s time to put seven different fast food chains to the test. Buns, patties, lettuce, sauce, fries, cheese, beef bacon and those pesky pickles will all be put under the JJK microscope for what promises to be a bruising battle. So, loosen that belt a couple of notches and come with us on a journey that even Elvis would be proud of.

Note: after testing all of the above burgers, I realised that the cheese inside in every case was of the processed variety and thus didn’t contribute much to the overall flavour. Perhaps the only contribution that this stuff makes is to your accumulated calories. My suggestion is that you don’t waste your money on it.

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The bun here was nice and fluffy, although it squashed flat pretty rapidly when i started to get stuck in to it. The veggie content was minimal and the tomato was not ripe, lending an unpleasant acidity to every bite. at least the pickle was nice and crisp. i also liked the tasty sauce and the smoky taste of the beef, although it was also a little bit dry.

The fries here were just OK. Well fried. Well seasoned.

WENDY’S STACKER MELT

This one looked highly appetising in the photo, with a beef patty that was bigger even than the bun, and a sizzling slice of beef bacon for good measure. in real life though, the Stacker Melt turned out to be a bit of an ugly duckling. although the bun was nicely soft and warm, the patty proved to be somewhat dry and tasteless, while the cheese and the beef bacon didn’t add much flavour either. The sauce really dominated the overall flavour and there were no veggies or pickle to provide some relief.

Wendy’s describe their fries as being natural cut with sea salt. What they mean by natural cut perhaps is cut with their natural skins on. And the sea salt? I didn’t get the sea salt reference as these fries were not seasoned at all. The fries tasted starchy too.

McDONALDS’ CHEESE BURGER

The bun here was awful: sticky and flat. The sauce was tasty but there were no veggies and only a miserly single slice of pickle. The patty was very thin and tasteless and the cheese – seriously, can anyone taste the cheese in a mcd’s cheeseburger?

The fries here were just OK. Well fried. Well seasoned.

May 2012

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FAT BURGER’S CLASSIC FAT BURGER With Additional Cheese & Bacon

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A&W DELUXE CHEESE BURGER

The buns here are okay, but the Wendy’s ones are still much better. What i liked the most here was the grilled patty. it took a while for my burger to be delivered but it was worth the wait as it was thick, tasty and juicy. The veggies were fresh, with a nice crisp pickle. The bacon was also nice and crisp, and curly at the edges, while the sauce was delicious. When it arrived, the burger looked bigger than its competition, not because it had a visibly bigger patty but rather because it contained more lettuce, which is just fine by me.

This one proved to be the worst of the pack. The bun, the patty, the veggies, the cheese, the pickle… all dire. a&w &w should do a bit better than this before having the cheek to add the word “deluxe” to this one. The only consolation while tucking into this one was the ice-cold root beer, which was heavenly.

The fries here were just nice. Well fried and well seasoned.

The fries here were very oily. I didn’t even eat them in fact.

May 2012

CARL’S JR WESTERN BACON CHEESE BURGER

okay, before i review the next burger, i’d just like to say that a big plus point at carl’s is the self-service bottomless beverages, tissue, ketchup, salt and pepper. great! The bun of this one was soft but flat. The breaded onion ring was a smart and tasty way to add flavour and texture to the burger, although sadly it was the only veggie in sight. The BBq sauce proved to be nice and tangy and went well with the charbroiled patty, which was nice and moist. i particularly like the combination of fried onion and the beef taste. The cheese was not cheesy enough here though.

The fries here were similar to those served at Wendy’s, but tastier. In fact, of all the fries I tried for this article, I rate the Carl’s Jr efforts the best.

MOS BURGER PREMIUM WAGYU BURGER

although overall this burger was nice, i was disappointed with the term premium wagyu, as i was served a thin and dry patty. Wagyu shouldn’t be like this! if they called this a regular or classic burger, i might have given it a higher score. The bun here was thin and flat but the veggie freshness and crispiness was outstanding. The savoury sauce was also full of flavour. The patty really turned me off though.

The fries here were of a decent quality: thick, nice, tasty, well fried and well seasoned.

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TasteChefWars

Battle of the kitchens Two of the city’s finest chefs go head to head in our cuisine questionnaire BY yohanes sandy + deIsha tamar

Turkish by birth, the executive chef of Anatolia Turkish Restaurant in Kemang discovered her passion for cooking while helping her mother in the kitchen when she was only a little girl. Before taking over at Anatolia in 2010, she managed her own catering business for eight years. As a female chef – most chefs are still male – Kevser always tries to give a more motherly touch to every dish she makes to make it more memorable for her customers.

Philip Walasary

Not a stranger in the Hyatt Jakarta family, Philip was actually the chef de cuisine at Grand Hyatt Jakarta before he moved to Dubai a few years ago. And after spending a year in Dubai, the halfAmbonese-half-Dutch chef is back here and responsible for all the food for Grand Hyat Jakarta’s banquet, coffee shop, room service and Grand Club Executive Lounge and Fountain Lounge.

R&B

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Kevser Zorlu

Kitchen music?

Turkish classical

Meat

Meat or vegetables?

Both

Hamburgers with double cheese and the lot

Secret fast food love?

Meat kebab

Bubur ayam (chicken porridge)

Favourite breakfast?

Turkish breakfast: olive and cheese

Mouli

Most useless kitchen utensil?

Robocop blender

My mum’s cooking

Last meal?

Bubur ayam (chicken porridge)

Drink more

Best hangover cure?

Lemon and salt

Black and hot

How do you like your coffee?

Turkish coffee

Paniki (Manadonese dish made off bats)

Most bizarre food you’ve eaten?

Scorpion

Strawberries, chocolate, cream... You can gues the rest

Your seduction dish?

Lamb shank

A game of Ping-Pong

What else can be done in a kitchen?

Screaming, dancing, and singing

Pairing knives

Your kitchen fetish?

Well-organised kitchen

May 2012

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TasteDrinks TasteDrink California Lemonade

The idea Pastis is a supine little bar in Kuningan, just next to the Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta. Inside, the joint features an informal bistrostyle ambiance and also a placid garden area which, while perhaps a trifle hot for a lunch date, makes for a rather romantic spot to decamp to with your beau after dark. One for dreamy couples for sure.

Bluegrass Limoncello

The idea Hot on the heels of Otel Lobby, where we imbibed a rather tasty little number last month, comes Bluegrass, which lies within cocktail-spitting distance of Otel in the Rasuna Epicentrum complex. Before we get stuck into Bluegrass’ offerings though, we’d first like to pause for a moment here to inform our readers that the Epicentrum area and its various bars seem to have reached critical after-dark mass over the past few weeks or so. The semi-alfresco and highly modish Bluegrass in particular is a riot of evening activity these days, especially at weekends and on Wednesdays when a DJ hits the decks. The food is also pretty decent down here and you can check out our review of the 112

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lemons. Jakarta types may well have been served a shot at a branch of the popular Italian eatery, Trattoria, and taken a shine to this potent but delicious elixir. The Bluegrass Bluegrass menu on the version tastes pretty JJK website. authentic and the citrus flavour stands The mixture out strongly over the Taking a pew in front of cocktail’s neutral vodka Bluegrass’ 24-metrebackground. It’s a long, stainless-steel lemon lover’s heaven bar, we and fair play asked a to Bluegrass member for having Bluegrass of the a bash at Jl. Epicentrum ebullient making Tengah, Kuningan bar staff to its own T: 021 2994 1660 recommend homebrewed a signature hooch. cocktail. We were encouraged to Why you should drink it check out the Bluegrass Quaffing a few of these limoncello, a blend may well turn out to of Bluegrass’ own be, to quote Douglas house-made limoncello, Adams, “Like having lemon rind, Ketel your brain smashed One Vodka and sugar. out by a slice of lemon Being inveterate lemon wrapped round a heads we accepted the large gold brick,” but challenge. we’d advise getting stuck in anyway. Our tasting notes Limoncello is a When southern Italian liqueur Wednesday nights and is traditionally are raucously rocking made from the zest of down at Bluegrass Femminello St Teresa these days.

The mixture Pastis mixes up all of the usual cocktail suspects and some especially good margaritas. The California lemonade was a more unusual name that caught our eye though and we decided to order a couple up with all due haste. Essentially a blend of vodka, triple sec, gin, soda water, grenadine and sour mix, this deceptively sweet looking pink concoction is the perfect tipple for any self-respecting flâneur looking to gently ease him or herself into an evening of pleasure.

Our tasting notes This is essentially a sweet one but a spiky shard of gin also pokes its head above the meniscus just far enough to make its presence felt. Well, one has to take the rough with the smooth in life after all. Why you should drink it A California lemonade a day keeps the doctor away, or so we heard. This is one seriously health-giving elixir. Trust us, we’re doctors. When After dark in the Pastis garden is the time and place for this one. Pastis also offers a one-for-one beer deal from midday to midnight on Mondays, US$ 5 cuts of tenderloin on Tuesdays and US$ 3 glasses of wine and jazz on Thursdays. You lucky people never had it so good. - SIMON PITCHFORTH

Pastis Jl. Setiabudi Utara Aston at Kuningan Suites Kuningan T: 021 526 0285 www.thekuningansuites.com

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TasteTopTables+Bars Cocktail & Friends

Eat, drink and be merry This month’s must-visit restaurants and watering holes

Why Cheap liquor and an alfresco bar, what else could you ask for? Although this one is located on Jalan Jaksa, which is famous for its budget tourists and down-market patrons, this spot is laid-back, unpretentious and even boasts the odd bit of live reggae music. Cheap and fun. Order A large Bintang. Spend Rp. 50,000. Jl. Jaksa No. 10, Kebon Sirih Largo

Why This cosy place in Kemang makes for a quiet escape. Not only does it offer meals such as fettucini al tonno and some yummy desserts, but it also serves a decent variety of booze, from beer to martini to wine and whiskey. You can also enjoy live performances from Aksan and Titi Sjuman every Monday night. Order The Mexican coffee. Spend Rp. 200,000. Jl. Benda Raya no 7A, Kemang, T: 021 7883 1979 Satu Lagi

Why This place is largely frequented by sports-loving foreigners. Football, rugby and Formula 1 can all be enjoyed here and Satu Lagi has a friendly vibe to it. Pool tables are also on hand if you fancy shooting a few frames. Order Mojitos and white Baccardi. Spend Rp. 250,000. Hotel Kristal, T: 021 750 7050

Bars Bunk

What’s the concept?

The Pullman Jakarta Central Park Architecture wise we have created an industrial style with our plaster-free walls. is perhaps the most beautifully Bunk is actually our lobby lounge, but designed hotel in town. Packed unlike other lobby lounges, we have DJ with wonderful artwork, from performances every Thursday to Saturday. We paintings to statues, the Pullman also cater to mall visitors who want to pop in hotel is itself something of a and relax for a while. masterpiece. Imuthia Yanindra, the hotel’s marketing Do you have any signature and communications Podomoro City, cocktails? manager, rapped with Jl. Let. Jend. S. Parman Our signature cocktail is the us about the Pullman’s Kav. 28, T: 021 2920 0088 Pullman bloody Mary. We have four lobby lounge, Bunk. Why Bunk?

It’s a play on the word “bunker”, which kind of represents the bar itself. From the lobby, its industrial stylings make it look like a bunker, albeit one that comes complete with its own artwork. 114

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different kinds of bloody Marys in fact: the tom yum bloody Mary, the original, the ultimate and the bloody Maria. These drinks are the creations of our bartender and were inspired by one of Andy Warhol’s paintings.

Union

Why Union is simply one of the best bars in town. A long list of cocktails and mocktails are

Immigrant

on hand, and some of these are the unique creations of the bartenders, one of whom recently won a prestigious Indonesian bartending competition. Need we say more? Order Mango jalapeño margarita and Sakura spring or ask for Upay’s awardwinning cooper and sour. Order Rp. 300,000. Plaza Senayan Courtyard, Ground Floor, T: 021 5790 5861

Why Immigrant’s amazingly opulent interior, top food – especially the excellent quality steaks – and beautifully presented beverages have won many fans since it first opened a couple of years back. The balconies and eclectic menu make it a great place for a lazy lunch, while the pumping house sounds, glitzy dance floor and great cocktails raise the roof in the evenings. Order Apple dream martini – a tasty blend of apple, thyme and vodka. Spend Rp. 400,000. Plaza Indonesia, Extension, 6th Floor, #E02-03, T: 021 3983 8257, www. immigrant-jakarta.com

Cork and Screw

Why A one-stop shop featuring a wine store, a great bar and some really fantastic food – brought to you in collaboration with Koi – Cork and Screw’s boasts an enormous range of wines, spirits, liqueurs, port and beers to choose from. On top of that, cocktails such as the excellent Apple Martini really zip off the taste buds, as do the popular mojito and the rather intoxicating sangria. Order St Hallet Blackwell Shiraz. Spend Rp. 500,000. Wisma Kodel, Jl. HR Rasuna Said kav C11-14. T: 021 5290 2030; Plaza Indonesia, First Floor, Unit 127A-D, T: 021 3199 6659, www.corknscrew.biz

Portico

Why Billed as a “terrace bistro”, Portico is a charming little glasshouse that sits in front of the huge Senayan City mall and which offers an extremely pleasant al fresco drinking environment. If you don’t fancy the outdoor terrace, the indoor glasshouse boasts a charming gazebo-style ambiance and lets in plenty of natural light. There are regular outdoor DJ sets down at Portico and some mixological treats to sup on. There’s also a limited but high quality menu of Western and Asian favourites. Order The amazing mango and white chocolate bellini. Spend Rp. 450,000 Panin Tower Ground Floor, Senayan City, T: 021 7278 1641 May 2012

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INDONESIAN Warung Tekko

Why If you are on a budget and craving Indonesian cuisine, this is the place to head for. Claiming to be iga penyet specialists, you can share your dish with friends and save even more money. The restaurant chain now has many outlets across Jakarta, including the ambitious 24-hour Warung Tekko at Pasar Festival. Consider this one a quality version of a classic kaki lima. Order Iga or ayam penyet. Spend Rp. 50,000. Pasar Festival, Kuningan, T: 021 526 3137 AUSTRALIAN Antipodean

What’s the atmosphere like?

This joint is relaxed, intimate and enjoyably spacious. There are plenty of large, comfortable sofas to sprawl on while you spend several hours sampling and sipping fine wines (a tried and tested JJK outing). During the day, Decanter looks like your award-winning architect and interior designer neighbour’s stylish back garden. Current promotions

Restaurants international

Decanter

JJK recommends the Wine Buffet, which you can enjoy every Wednesday from 6pm until 9pm and every Saturday from 11am until 2pm. It only costs Rp. 300,000++ per person (excluding food) and you get to drink as much of the eight excellent wines sePlaza Kuningan, lected by the aforementioned Yohan Menara Utara GF, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said kav C11-14, Handoyo as you can. On top of that, T: 021 5296 3888 Decanter also runs a regular lunch promotion priced at Rp. 110,000 net (the menu changes weekly).

Run by Indonesia’s leading wine brainiac and JJK’s chief food writer, this restaurant is perhaps not the best choice if you’re on a diet, to be perfectly frank. But then again, why would you want to hold yourself back from enjoying some delicious food when you’re living in an increasingly cosmopolitan city like Jakarta? 116

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Food recommendation

The pork dishes here are heavenly and so are the frogs’ legs. The escargots are also pretty damn toothsome.

Why Antipodean means coming from or relating to Australia (or New Zealand), and this café tries to emphasise its Australian credentials. On Saturday mornings, Antipodean is usually busy with hungry customers grabbing a quick breakfast of scrambled egg, chicken sausage and toast, or a banana juice or lassi. The place is also famous for its carrot cake. Order Sweet paprika chicken with chickpea salad. Spend Rp. 150,000. Jl. Kemang Selatan 1, Hero Kemang Complex, T: 021 8796 2386 ITALIAN Pasta Basta

Why This petite restaurant near Hero Kemang serves up some decent homemade pasta and pizza. When Pasta Basta first opened its doors to customers, it only served spaghetti basta (Bolognese) – a secret family recipe dating back to 1962. The place has

now extended its menu to include other kinds of pasta, as well as pizzas. Order Spaghetti basta. Spend Rp. 150,000 (two people). Jl. Kemang Selatan I No.20, T: 021 719 7726 GERMAN Die Stube

WhyThis German restaurant and bar is the brainchild of Patrick Widjaja who was born and grew up in Aachen, Germany. Beers and beefy cuisine remain the two staples that lure in both expats and locals to visit this highlypopular establishment – particularly during the annual Oktoberfest event. Order The sausages. Spend Rp. 200.000. Plaza Bisnis Kemang, Jl. Kemang Raya No. 2, T: 021 7179 3486

their sumptuous dumplings – with thin strips of ginger apparently. Simply put, it’s in the pool of the finest Chinese eateries in the capital. Order The xialongbao (small steamed buns). Spend Rp. 400.000. Plaza Senayan Arcadia, Ground Floor, T: 021 5790 1288 and more branches around town JAPANESE Shabu Shabu House

Why As the name suggests, this eatery serves shabushabu and one of the best in town. If you are a fan of healthy Japanese cuisine then you won’t be disappointed. The thinly sliced beef is served freshly as well as the vegetables itself. Guests can also choose the meat out of choices: wagyu and the regular beef from New Zealand or Australian. Order The shabu-shabu. Spend Rp. 400.000 (for two people). Grand Indonesia East Mall 3A Floor, T: 021 2358 1189

CHINESE Din Tai Fung

Why Its signature dumplings have been the talk of the town since the restaurant’s opening in Jakarta a few years back. The tables at this eatery are even accompanied by a fun manual on the best way to enjoy the complex flavours of

Benihana

Why Benihana’s global brand finally set up shop in Jakarta last year in Grand Indonesia. The huge, softly lit, labyrinthine interior offers a mellow retreat from the bustle of the mall outside and the food is just great. Western-Japanese teppanyaki predominates the menu and the meat and seafood is of a very high quality. Not the cheapest but top notch. Order The Jakarta Special. Spend Rp. 400,000. Grand Indonesia East Mall, 3rd Floor, T: 021 2358 1067 May 2012 Takemory-Oke.indd 1

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TasteTopTables+Bars Sekitei

Why Japanese food is well represented in Jakarta of course, however Sekitei, located in the classy Graha Bimasena private club in South Jakarta, offers a superior experience. The restaurant serves a tasty mix of teppanyaki, sushi, sashimi, tempura, shabu shabu and sukiyaki hot pots featuring quality meats which run up to top-of-the-line wagyu. Order The huge Sekitei special set. Spend Rp. 700,000. Graha Bimasena, 2nd Floor, Jl. Dharmawangsa Raya No. 39, T: 021 725 4278 Asuka

Why With all of the produce shipped straight from the Tsukiji market, Japan, guests can nibble fresh cuts of seafood, and even the rarest dishes like fugu (blowfish) sashimi and milt (fish sperm) tempura. The joint is also under the consultation of Tatsuya Singapore, one of the country’s leading Japanese eateries. Order The sashimi set, especially the premium tuna cuts. Spend Rp. 700,000. JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta, T: 021 5798 8888

Restaurants INDONESIAN

Marco

What are your best sellers?

We have dendeng batokok, grilled barramundi

and black rendang, which has a darker, thicker Previously known as Marco’s sauce than ordinary rendang does. Bofet, this restaurant specialises in West Sumatran Padang cuisine. How do you compete with the city’s many The new name change has also other Padang restaurants? been complemented by a new We believe that we have something modern-minimalist style. extra with which to attract Amriel Aditya, corporate Setiabudi One, customers. We aim to promote communications 1st Floor, Unit B 212 – 216, authentic West Sumatran cuisine manager for the Arya Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. and most of our ingredients are Group, the company that 62, T: 021 520 3221 shipped from Padang to maintain owns the restaurant, authenticity. We also serve dishes chatted with us about that you can’t find at any other this popular eatery. What is Marco?

Since we first opened our doors to the public, we have specialised in Padang cuisine. Under our new concept however, we are now focusing more on grilled Padang dishes. 118

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Padang restaurant in town. Finally, every six months we send our chef to Padang to seek out undiscovered dishes which he then brings back to Jakarta and recreates. He usually visits small warungs in remote areas of West Sumatra when on such missions.

THAI La Na Thai

Why Top of the heap for Thai fare, La Na Thai’s soft, halogen lighting provides a perfect calming balance as your taste buds start to sizzle and fry to that authentic spicy touch. There’s a very wellstocked wine cellar down here but you’ll undoubtedly require some chilled water

as well as you enjoy a chilliand-coriander fuelled feast. The seafood selection is particularly good. Order Soft shell crab. Spend Rp. 600,000. Jl. Dr Kusuma Atmaja no. 85, T: 021 3192 5037 FRENCH Emilie

Why Long known as the best French restaurant in the capital, Emilie has an unbeatable reputation among French culinary pizzazz. The ambience itself is homey and warm and will make you feel like you are in your own home. The food is indubitably good, thanks to the super talented chef, Mikael Robin. Order Le thon rouge. Spend Rp. 500.000. Jl. Senopati No. 39, T: 021 621 3628 Lyon

Why While the light-coloured décor with a brush of the French flag on the glass door looks very much inviting, the attentive menu-of-theday board also keeps it nice and simple for those who are not yet familiar with this fine-dining venue. Fabulous red meat dishes are Lyon’s forte. Another agreeable element is the commendable waiters who readily serve at your beck and call. Order The steak frites ‘à l’échalote’. Spend Rp. 600,000. Mandarin Oriental Jakarta, T: 021 2993 8888

MIDDLE EASTERN Maroush

Why Middle Eastern food is

not for everybody, but we guarantee that you will like what Maroush has to offer.Queen's tandor.indd Specialising in Moroccan food, this joint also provides a shisha lounge for those who love the Middle East version of a cigarette. Maroush has belly dancing performances from Tuesday to Saturday. Every Tuesday to Saturday belly dancing performance is available to entertain the guests. Order The yayla kebab. Spend Rp. 300.000. Crowne Plaza Hotel 2nd Floor, T: 021 5289 2431

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BAKERY Souly Butter Kitchen

Why This corner café might look somewhat tiny in comparison with other flashy Kemang eateries. However, once you step inside and enjoy the homely atmosphere, you will feel like you’ve entered someone’s private kitchen. Due to its growing popularity, Souly has now opened up a Souly Butter Kitchen 2 just a few steps away, so that the joint can accommodate more guests. SBK’s scrumptious green tea éclairs and red velvet and rainbow cakes are hard to resist. If you come with a growling tummy, then Souly also offers heavy meals, such as potato gratin, Italian omelette or classic pasta Bolognese. The café also holds baking classes every month, so keep an eye out for those. Order Chocolate cupcake. Spend Rp. 165,000 (three people without any heavy meals). Jl. Kemang Raya No. 15, T: 021 719 9985 May 2012 Helindo.indd 1

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Travel

PEMUTERAN, BALI / BALI REVIEWS + EVENTS / JAPAN

REVIEW

The Seminyak Resort & spa This newly refurbished resort boasts seven one-bedroom villas with ocean views, and three with garden views along with a larger two-bedroom one. The onebedroom villa with an ocean view is spacious and the semi openair living room, dining area and kitchen are set on a separate wing from the bedroom. The bathroom is large with a cool bathtub and the sunbeds are impressively set on a wet area directly connected to the swimming pool. Jl. Kayu Aya, Seminyak Beach, T: 0361 730 814, www.theseminyak.com

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Pemuteran The world’s largest coral reef restoration project is a natural haven and a far cry from the modernised South Bali BY katy roberts

The topographical make-up of Pemuteran creates a microclimate that sees rolling clouds gather at the tops of the ranges in the afternoon, with no guarantee of rain. Being drier than the rest of the island, the trees and forests are similar to those of northern Australia with spindly eucalyptus and narrow-leafed shrubs dotting the lower slopes and the coastal forests.

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courtesy of the menjangan

ounded as a kingdom by Gusti Panji Sakti, who ruled lands as far away as East Java, Buleleng covers the largest region of Bali. It spreads over lakes, mountains and plains and coastlines in the northern part of the island. The north coast, where Pemuteran lies, is considered by some who live there to be a separate world from the rapacious life in what they refer to as “The South”. The topographical make-up of Pemuteran creates a microclimate that sees rolling clouds gather at the tops of the ranges in the afternoon, with no guarantee of rain. Being drier than the rest of the island, the trees and forests are similar to those of northern Australia with spindly eucalyptus and narrow-leafed shrubs dotting the lower slopes and the coastal forests.

DOS

DON’TS

Take care of the reefs. Do not touch or break pieces of coral when snorkelling or diving.

Feed the monkeys as they can be vicious.

Enjoy the change in pace. North Bali prides itself on its laid-back approach to life, and everyone can benefit from less hustle. Take a local bemo public transport along the route from Pemuteran to Lovina or Singaraja; jump on board with the locals for a friendly experience in road travel. Eat Balinese food. Try the local cafés for their specialities. Be quiet in the forest; the animals are more likely to appear to those who tread softly. The local deer are lovely to observe from a distance. Take either the sunset or sunrise boat trips out to the views of Java. The sight of the volcano rising in the distance is beautiful at any time of day. Make sure you are confident on the roads before you bike or drive yourself up to North Bali. While the roads are good, the mountain route has some twists and turns, and the coastal route has heavy traffic from the port at certain times of day.

Leave anything behind. Be sure to dispose of your waste responsibly. Forget to reapply sunblock when you are in the water: even though Pemuteran may have low cloud cover in the afternoon the sun can still burn. Neglect to take bottled water with you when you go trekking. The coastal routes are flat but can be long, and the forest treks up to the waterfalls require some strength. Be shy. The Buleleng people have great warmth and will welcome you to practise your Bahasa Indonesia when you greet them. Be afraid. There are wild animals and also reptiles around but they prefer their own company and are unlikely to seek you out for attention – apart from those monkeys! Rock the boat! Sit back and enjoy all that North Bali has to offer.

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Getting there Pemuteran is easily reached. The routes are varied, so going up one way and returning down another can be incorporated into the adventure of heading north. When coming out from Sanur, Ketewel and through Ubud, it can be pleasant to head through the pretty market town of Candi Kuning and the Bedugul Lake area over the range to Gitgit Falls, and then down into Singaraja with options of turning right to the North East or left towards the coastline of Pemuteran itself. Alternatively, coming from the Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu side of the island, the drive up the west coast takes about four hours and passes Medewi and Negara before turning slightly inland after Gilimanuk, the port town that links Bali to Java, directly along to Menjangan and West Bali National Park and then along the coastal route directly into Pemuteran.

Things to do Horse riding and turtle hatching Pemuteran has created family-style activities that provide all visitors with the opportunity to enjoy their time. There is horse riding along the beach. This is run by Reef Seen Aquatics (T: 0812 389 124

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4051, www.reefseenbali.com), which also manages the magnificent Reef Seen Turtle Hatchery Project. The Hatchery buys turtle eggs form local villagers who come across them in the sand or dunes. These eggs are then hatched and cared for until they can be released into the open sea. This is something that visitors to Reef Seen can be a part of, and depending on the season it could be the Green Turtle, the Olive Ridley or the Hawksbill that you assist on its way to an independent life.

Eat All the accommodation in North Bali has restaurants and cafes, buffets and barbecues, but if you fancy getting out and about and can get to Lovina, an hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive to the east, you will find a small but growing selection of cafes and warungs that offer a range of eating options. Taman Seliniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at the Taman Selini Resort in Pemuteran has a lovely Mediterranean menu of seafood and Greek style dishes.

Stay Taman Sari Bali Resort & Spa Dusun Pemuteran, Kecamatan Gerokgak, T: 0362 93 264, www.tamansariabali.com Home to Coral Regeneration Programs. Your stay will be replete with informative underwater activities taking place around the area. The Menjangan West Bali National Park, Jl. Raya Gilimanuk, Singaraja, T: 0362 94 700, www.themenjangan.com The lodge and the private cottages are right inside the forest and yet luxurious. The Menjangan organises walks, night treks, boats, bicycles and horse rides for their guests. Matahari Beach Resort & Spa Jl. Raya Seririt, Gilimanuk, T: 0362 92 312, www.matahari-beach-resort.com The most beautiful accommodation with blossoming gardens, a central pool and private cottages landscaped right down to the beachfront. Taman Selini Beach Bungalows T: 0362 94 746, www.tamanselini.com Secluded in breathtaking green surroundings.

Pearl farming Atlas Pearls (www.atlassouthseapearl. com.au) operates a pearl farm off the Pemuteran Coast, about ten minutes by road from the site of the coral garden. The farm is a venture in sustainable pearling complete with a laboratory, breeding tanks and a café-showroom. Visitors can take boats out to the offshore pontoons that take care of the oyster frames and observe the process of nurturing these fascinating creatures which produce the most exquisite pearls. Atlas sends the maturing oysters to the waters of Papua as purity is a large factor in pearl creation, and visitors can sometimes view the oysterladen boats that travel out to the far reaches of the Eastern Ocean.

Trekking Forest trekking either in West Bali National Park or the Menjangan Nature Reserve is a popular pursuit for nature lovers and bird watchers. Particularly spectacular are the Brahminy Kites surfing the warm currents off the heights of the mountains above the flat lands behind the shore.

paul m turley ( underwater photo)

Diving Underwater activities are plentiful, and Pemuteran attracts a committed population of divers who return regularly to explore the reefs offshore and out in the Java Sea around Menjangan Island, which at sea level looks unimposing, even a little dull. But beneath the surface there is such a gathering of species and established gardens it can literally take your breath away. Pemuteran has also become Bali’s centre for Bio-Rock coral reef restoration, the project that rebuilds coral gardens that have been destroyed over time through bleaching – an effect of the warmer waters occurring in response to the El-Nino weather influences – and the past practices of dynamite fishing. While the environmentalists are unable to do much about the weather, the effort put into educating local fishermen has netted great results. Not only do the fishermen no longer use dynamite, many of them organised in village groups are active in preserving the reef. There are some “big names” attached quite literally to the coral regeneration programme. Not far offshore from the Taman Sari Resort, it is possible to see these names and other structures as they play host to a growing garden of coral. There is a beautiful coral goddess statue and a cluster of names like Bali International School, who recently sent a group of students to make a name for themselves in the underwater garden.

The Hatchery buys turtle eggs form local villagers who come across them in the sand or dunes.

Things to see Jayaprana’s grave Unusual pursuits in Pemuteran can include visiting the ancient temples and seeing the site of Teluk Terima, known as Jayaprana’s grave. This site memorialises the sad love story of a prince who wished to marry a country girl only to be killed by the king, who also wished to marry her. The girl, who loved her prince, was forced by the king to dream of the killing and eventually

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TravelBaliReviews

Betel nut

space was used successfully for the recent BaliSpirit Festival and proved a stylish addition to the world-class festival’s offerings. Decorated with bold reproductions of early Balinese photography, the predomination of warm natural tones makes the large space feel welcoming.

the setting Located on Ubud’s main street, almost opposite the Royal Palace, Betel Nut is perfect for both pedestrians and those arriving by car. With high-canopied covers and the food blossoming greenery replete with Supporting the concept of slow ornamental bird cages, the effect cooking, this joint uses local is like dining in a botanical garden. ingredients and presents a menu Long tables encourage casual embracing the whole of Asia. It seating in a lovely almost picnic-like also caters to a variety of dietary atmosphere where you can sit and requirements. The Indonesian enjoy a meal out in the open. selection of dishes is Inside Betel Nut is a broad with a twist: a two-storey bar that traditional sate lilit, is suitable for all Betel Nut, Jl. Raya Ubud, Acehnese and Balinese sorts of functions T: 0361 971 426, noodle favourites, from movie nights to www.decko.com curries and meal-like poetry readings. The soups. Salads have a healthy presence on the menu, and dishes like shredded chicken in banana flower blossom show off the chef’s creativity. He also serves simply delicious grilled halloumi and eggplant skewers with a fresh tomato salad. Fish and seafood are showcased in laksas and curries, while meats are grilled and served western or Indonesian style. The Asian-inspired dessert menu is playful, with a date and lychee wonton, served with ginger cream and ginger-infused brûlée as options alongside the pastries and coconut pancakes. –KATY ROBERTS

Pan Pacific nirwana Bali resort tanah lot What’s the resort like? After its rebranding in 2010, the resort underwent a ten-million dollar facelift. Now, the massive resort – 103 hectares! – is much fresher and sits comfortably in the league of top-notch hotels and resorts on the island. What are the rooms like? All of the 278 guest rooms are now revitalised. We tested the Garden Suite, which is the size of a large one-bedroom apartment. This Suite has two separate balconies, a dreamy bed that makes you feel like you’re sleeping on a cloud, and a living room that’s worthy of the setting for a fashionable house party. The hotel also has Golf Suite rooms which boast great views of the resort’s spectacular golf course. If you’re coming with children, Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali also has ten rooms designed to cater to families. These rooms are equipped with cute bunk beds for your kids, and also a Nintendo Wii. What about the facilities? The hotel’s 18-hole par-72 golf course, designed by Greg Norman, is easily one of the best, one of the most beautiful and most challenging on the island. Integrated with the other hotel facilities, playing here is simply one of the finer things in life. On top of that, the resort’s Nirwana Spa is on offer. Featuring 20 speciality treatment rooms, this big spa complex has an indoor squash court and a gym with machines connected to the internet – yes, you can use Facebook while running on the treadmill.

The rack rates start from US$240++ for a Golf View Room excluding breakfast (valid until December 2012). Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort, Jl. Raya Tanah Lot, Tabanan, T: 0361 815 900, www.panpacific.com

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TravelBaliUpdates

What’s up, doc? The utterly reliable and commendable BIMC Hospital is taking a big stride in opening a brand new hospital in Nusa Dua within the BTDC area. Slated to open officially on May 5 this month, the two-storey facility is designed by the cutting-edge Australian health architecture firm Silver Thomas Hanley with 42 inpatient beds and five top-notch centres of excellence. These are the 24-hour Accident and Emergency, the 24-hour Medical, the Dialysis, the CosMedic and the Dental Centre.

BIMC Hospital, Nusa Dua, Block D, BTDC, T: 0361 300 0911, www.bimcbali.com the first ibis styles in bali Located in Tanjung Benoa, this new hotel boasts 174 exquisitelydesigned rooms equipped with LCD TV, internet connection, and other international-standard amenities. The hotel facilities include a swimming pool, a spa and beauty salon, a fitness centre, a Beach Club and meeting room. A promotional rate of Rp. 780,000 net per night (inclusive of breakfasts for two persons and internet connection) is currently on offer.

Apr onwards

The show must go on Bali Safari and Marine Park entertains the wide-eyed visitor with an enchanting Balinese tale from the twelfth century as told through the “Bali Agung” show. The festive theatre performance is now held daily at 2.30pm. A package ticket into the wildlife park already covers admission to the stunning theatrical stage, which holds 170 dancers and several trained animals. Due to the limited seats, please book early via customer service upon arrival at the main terminal. Bali Safari and Marine Park, Jl. Bypass Prof Dr Ida Bagus Mantra, Km. 19.8 (Golden Line of Bali), Gianyar, T: 0361 950 000, www.balisafarimarinepark.com

www.accorhotels.com May 26

Tit for ted An inspiring occasion for aspiring bright minds, the TEDxUbud (www.tedxubud.com) is an event not to be missed. Be part of an audience which gets the chance to interact with some of the world’s movers-and-shakers in various industries, from business to environment to technology. Videos of taped TEDTalks delivered by current future thinkers are also shown exclusively at the venue. Stimulating, thought-provoking and probably life-changing, the TEDxUbud might hold the answer to your questions on how the world is and will be in the near future.

Fivelements, Puri Ahimsa, Banjar Baturning, Mambal, T: 0361 469 206, www.fivelements.org

May 3

Horizontal rock Let Vertical Horizon rekindle your old flickering memories with a serenade of romantic rock songs. The band is on its Asian world tour and will visit Hard Rock Café Bali, playing smash hits like “Best I Ever Had”, “Everything You want” and “You’re a God”. The concert is held in conjunction with the twentyfirst anniversary of the promoter, Original Production (www.tommypratama.com). Hard Rock Cafe Bali, Kuta, T: 0361 755 661, bali.hardrockhotels.net

May 17

Choco cougar Wildly seductive and ecstatically dynamic, Chocolate Puma’s aural charms will get you hooked right from the start. The Dutch beat duo, Zki and Dobre, has been a force to reckon with in the house music industry, playing under different aliases, once as The Goodmen, whose “Give It Up” single soared to number one in the US dance chart in 1993. Their latest tracks infuse “Tonco Tone” and blaring trumpets into the thumping record, a blend which, the boys say, is all about having fun and not taking things too seriously. hu’u Bar & Grill, Jl. Petitenget, Seminyak, T: 0361 473 6576, www.huubali.com

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TravelJourneys

Tok yo Eight reasons to visit

This month, the Japanese capital welcomes the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tallest tower to its skyline. The famous Tokyo Tower will be overlooked by the Skytree, a 634-metre-tall digital-relay tower. Intrigued? Here are eight more reasons to check out this exciting city

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By Rahadiansyah

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Meiji Jingu This iconic building is steeped in Japanese history, in particular the reign of Emperor Meiji, although the structure of the Meiji Jingu (www.meijijingu.or.jp, get off at Harajuku Station), which stands in Yoyogi Park, is mostly now a replica due to the fact that the original version was destroyed by aerial bombing in World War Two. After heading through the giant wooden gate and passing rows of

sake barrels donated to the shrine by producers from all over Japan, visitors arrive in front of the main building where they are asked to wash their hands with water from a wooden tank as a symbolic act of self-purification. At the door to the shrine, you can pray and then make a wish by writing your heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire on a wooden board or a piece of paper. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re lucky, you may even be able to watch a traditional marriage ceremony. May 2012

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Mori Art Museum The tallest museum in Tokyo doesn’t house a permanent collection. From February 4 to May 27 of this year the Mori Art Museum will be exhibiting work by Lee Bul, a South Korean artist famous for her Cyborgs and Anagrams series. This inspirational and fascinating exhibition will be followed by another show titled Contemporary Art from the Arab World, which will run from June 16 to October 28. Entry tickets cost JPY 1,500, which also includes access to Tokyo City View, a glass-walled observatory which offers an amazing 360-degree panorama of the city from the fifty-second floor of Mori Tower. In clear weather, you will be able to see Mount Fuji in the distance. An even more spectacular view can be seen from the Sky Deck at a height of 270 metres. The Mori Art Museum (www. mori.art.museum) is located in the Roppongi Hills district (get off at Roppongi Station), an upland area that has been transformed into an integrated complex filled with offices, malls, restaurants and tourist attractions. Before leaving this ever-popular area, pay a visit to the museum’s Design Store, which sells all kinds of objects featuring unique designs, ranging from umbrellas splashed with cloud designs to bookmarks in the shape of pools of water.

Bicycle tour Best enjoyed in the spring (April and May), a bicycle tour is the best way of exploring the city’s sprawling streets. Unlike the subway, you won’t be travelling down anonymous dark tunnels under the ground and unlike a bus tour, you will be able to stop wherever you want. At the moment, only two operators run bicycle tours in Tokyo. One of these is Tokyo Rentabike (JPY 6,000 per person, www.tokyorentabike.com), which you’ll find near Naka-Meguro Station. As you set off from the company’s office located in the Meguro-ku area, your expedition will start by following the banks of the Meguro River, which is lined with beautiful cherry trees. You can then head for the boutique area of Daikanyama, which is home to several domestic film stars. Continuing on, you will be able to take a spin around the famous love hotels district before continuing on to Shibuya to check out the statue of a dog called Hachiko, explore Yoyogi Park and Meiji Jingu and stop by for lunch in Takashita Street (better known as Harajuku). Your adventure will finish in the Roppongi Hills area, where

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you can inspect Tokyo Tower and its new rival, Tokyo Skytree. During the tour, you can also try your hand at baseball (Japan’s number one sport) and take a look at the Aoyama Cemetery, Tokyo’s oldest cemetery complex. Tokyo Rentabike is run by Neil Garscadden, an American who came to the city ten years ago to teach English.

Dining and drinking in Ebisu About thirty metres from the entrance to Ebisu Station, or more precisely behind a local KFC outlet, you will find a restaurant district that throngs with diners every evening. This is a favourite place for locals who want to grab a bite to eat and chitchat with their friends on their way home from work. Restaurants line the alleyways and are piled up on top of each other in narrow buildings. An eatery that you simply must check out is Sakanaya Ebisu Ann, which offers authentic Japanese cuisine at relatively affordable prices (yellow tail with teriyaki sauce costs JPY 240). Indeed, it’s quite normal to see people queuing outside

kasai rinkai park offers a great excuse to revisit Tokyo.

the front door here, which is overlaid with a plastic awning in the winter. To sample some takoyaki (JPY 600-700) try kururi, and if you fancy hanging out with the locals while watching an English Premiership game (which are not usually available in hotels), then drop by at The Red Dragon.

Michel Chaudun vs Derriere At the weekend, when many of the streets in the Ginza district are closed to motor vehicles, people wander about from morning till evening, shopping and sampling various tasty cuisine. A unique treat can be found in the basement of the Matsuzakaya Department Store

offers a menu with dozens of kinds of sake (get off at Ginza Station). Michel Chaudun, and shochu to sample, and choose five of originally from Paris, warms his visitors them. Bottles cost from between JPY 326 up with one of the most delicious chocolate and JPY 2,400. drinks in Japan (JPY 945). The thick liquid is placed in a pot and stirred with two wooden sticks. Setting off on the Hibiya-line train in the direction of Hiroo, you will find another delicious hot drink at How to get there Derriere (www.derriere. Garuda Indonesia serves the Jakarta-Tokyo route jp). Established in 1978 in both directions seven at Gaien-Nishi Dori times a week. You can 4-3-10, this cute little jump in a taxi at Narita store offers a variety Airport but if you’re looking of coffees (a latte will to save money, catch the set you back JPY 630) train, which will take you to the city centre, stopping and every cup seems to at several stations along make time pass more the way. The best time to slowly. It will pass even visit is between April and more slowly if you May, as you will be able order its trademark to enjoy the city’s picturedessert, mille crepes postcard cherry blossoms in full bloom. (JPY 525 per portion). In fact, if you arrive after seven in the evening, the chances are you will probably find that all of these tender crepes have already been snapped up by Derriere’s faithful patrons.

Sake Plaza Sake has been a part of community life in Japan for over 2,000 years. At the Sake Plaza (get off at Uchisaiwaicho Station; closed at weekends), not only can you taste this iconic drink but also learn all about it too. Here’s just a brief selection of some of the interesting facts you’ll learn down here: sake is made from fermented rice and has a minimum alcohol level of 13 per cent; sake cups are made from clay or porcelain because they enhance the taste; there are over 2,000 sake producers in Japan; the government licenses three types of sake according to their content, and five types of sake according to their method of production. Managed by the Sake & Shochu Makers Association (www.japansake.or.jp), Sake Plaza has hundreds of bottles of sake made by different producers on display, some of which can be purchased by visitors. If you’re feeling confused about which one to choose, try the testing package (JPY 525), which

Kasai Rinkai Park For those of you who have already visited Tokyo Disneyland, this place offers a great excuse to revisit Tokyo. The three main things on offer at Kasai Park (get off at Kasai-Rinkai-koen Station)

are a boat cruise, one of the largest Ferris wheels in Japan, and Sea Life Park (www. tokyo-zoo.net, entrance: JPY 700). At this latter destination, allocate at least one hour to enjoy the 40,000 species of marine life from all over the planet that live here. Main attractions on offer include various tuna and sharks, which glide around inside a gigantic aquarium; the splitfin flashlight fish from Sulawesi, which can emit light rather like a firefly; fine spotted jawfish from Baja in California; and several Humboldt penguins, which all inhabit the aquarium and its 2,200 tons of water. Japan is criticised in many quarters for its rampant overfishing but Sea Life Park proves that this country does in fact care about the preservation of its marine ecosystems.

Suginami Animation Museum Japan can boast many animation museums, however only a small number of them provide information in English. The Suginami Animation Museum (www.sam.or.jp, get off at Ogikubo Station) is one of these. Offering free admission to the general public, Suginami tells the story of animation in Japan, from 1917 until the current high-tech, 3D era, by way of a variety of dioramas, posters and work tables used by legendary animators. Visitors can also study animation techniques and dub their voices onto an excerpt of a film, as well as watch any of the thousands of films that are stored in the museum’s library. If you know who Doraemon, Gundam or Astro Boy are, then Suginami is the place to revisit your misspent youth. May 2012

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TravelRoamingUpdates

SINGAPORE

Singaporean hospitality The Pan Pacific Singapore has announced that it will be undergoing a massive refurbishment over the next three months. The hotel has been around for 25 years now and will be lavishing SGD 80 million on the renovations and upgrade. The refurbishment gets underway on April 15 and the hotel will gradually reopen to the public from August 1. The newly renovated Pan Pacific Singapore is expected to be completely open and sporting a brand-spankingnew look by September.

MALAYSIA

Jazzy Sarawak

www.panpacific.com

Coming to Miri Resort City in northern Sarawak, this year’s Borneo Jazz festival is ready to syncopate your soul on May 11-12. Borneo Jazz will be showcasing international jazz musicians such as Schalk Joubert of Three Continents Sextet, Nita Aarsten from Indonesia, Tangora, and SLIXS from Germany. The festival is being organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board.

SINGAPORE

www.jazzborneo.com INDIA

Accor conquering India

Get ready to head off skiing in China as Starwood Hotels & Resorts launch a dual-branded skiresort complex this August in Changbaishan in northeast China. The Westin Changbaishan (with 257 rooms) and the Sheraton Changbaishan Resort (with 296 rooms) will both sit beside Mount Changbai in Jilin province. The Sheraton Changbaishan Resort will also be introducing its new Link@Sheraton tech centre.

After opening its first Pullman Hotel in Gurgaon in India, Accor marked its territory once again with the opening of four new hotels in India last April. The quartet consists of the Formule1 Greater Noida, the Novotel Bengaluru Techpark, the Ibis Bengaluru Hosur Road, and the Ibis Nashik. Catering to everyone, from the budget to the luxury brackets, Accor is committed to opening six more hotels in India by the end of 2012, and 90 more by 2015.

www.starwoodhotels.com

www.accorhotels.com

CHINA

Sino skiing

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Sing-art-pore From May 18 to June 2, Singapore is celebrating the arts at Esplanade Park in an event that is being organised by the National Arts Council. Established in 1977, this has become an iconic occasion for Singaporeans, as well as international visitors. This year’s festival completes a trilogy with the previous two years’ themes of Between You and Me (2010) and I Want to Remember (2011). This year’s theme will be Our Last Poems and will examine various myths, legends, thoughts, reflections, puzzling riddles and mysterious stories from India, Malaysia, Indonesia, France, Singapore and other countries. The event will encompass dance, music, film and theatrical performances, with special shows for kids and workshop classes.

www.singaporeartsfest.com AUSTRALIA

Fashionable Aussies Fashion lovers shouldn’t miss this one. Between April 30 and May 4, Australia is throwing its annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week bash down at Sydney Harbour. Expect a who’s who of the Australian fashion crowd and plenty of top socialites. Ksubi, Akira Isogawa and Lisa Ho are just some of the celebrated Australian designers who will be strutting their spring and summer collections on the fashion-week runway.

www.australia.mbfashionweek.com

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where your

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May 2012 Out Now AvAilAble in All MAjor bookstores And news stAnds.

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4RUJAK ULEG FESTIVAL

Rujak uleg is a traditional food most closely associated with East Java and especially Surabaya. The dish consists of boiled fruit and vegetables and is eaten with petis sauce, ground nuts, chilli and garlic. Every year during the city’s anniversary, a Rujak Uleg Festival is always held and this year the event comes to Kembang Jepun on May 13, 2012. Around 1,250 participants are expected to participate in this exciting festival and to put on some unique performances in colourful costumes.

Shopping Festival.

Surabaya Day

n May 31, Surabaya will celebrate its 719th anniversary. The name of the city, which used to be a gateway to the great Majaphit Kingdom, dates back to a battle which took place on May 31, 1293 when Kublai Khan’s Mongolian troops attacked the cities defended by Raden Widjaya. The seafaring Mongolian troops were described as suro (sharks) and Raden Wijaya’s troops, who valiantly defended the land, were referred to as boyo (crocodiles). Combine these two words and you get suroboyo or Surabaya, which means brave or ready to face any danger. With a history that dates back 700 years, the clean and attractive Surabaya is Indonesia’s second largest city and has won many national and international awards. On the day of the city’s 719th birthday, a number of festive events will be put on by the city administration. Here’s a taste of what you can experience down in Surabaya throughout May:

AND FLOWER 1CULTURAL PARADES Everyone knows that Indonesia is a country rich in culture and art. This cultural parade will show off Indonesia’s diverse cultural and artistic heritage, which stretches

from Sabang to Merauke, and will travel vibrantly along the city’s main streets. Starting at Tugu Pahlawan (The Heroes Monument) and finished at Taman Surya, this parade can be enjoyed on May 6, 2012. It’s time to watch and enjoy an exotic multicultural feast from several regions across Indonesia, as well as a few other countries.

SHOPPING 2SURABAYA FESTIVAL

No holiday can be considered complete without just a little shopping, especially when such high-quality goods and great discounts are up for grabs. To celebrate Surabaya’s 719th birthday, the city administration will be bringing the Surabaya Shopping Festival to all of the city’s malls and plazas. The festival runs for a month from May 1 until May 31, 2012.

3TJAP TOENDJOENGAN FAIR

The Tjap Toendjoengan Fair is an annual culinary event which is held down at Tunjungan Plaza and is now entering its third year. The fair offers a kampung (village) atmosphere, as well as some tasty culinary treats and folk music. The Tjap Toendjoengan Fair can be found in the valet-parking area of Tunjungan Plaza 4 and runs from May 17 until June 3, 2012.

THE ELECTION OF 5 SURABAYA’S CAK AND NING TOURISM AMBASSADORS This year’s Cak and Ning Surabaya tourism ambassadors will also be elected this May. The local government will then assign the lucky couple to promote Surabaya throughout Indonesia, as well as abroad. In addition to attending official city events, the ambassadors also have a tourism marketing role to fulfil. This year, candidates are being assessed on their performances, communication in the local language and knowledge of Kota Surabaya. Cak and Ning should be qualified individuals and be able to strive for the preservation of local culture as well as be outstanding Surabaya tourism ambassadors. The Cak is a male ambassador and The Ning a female ambassador, and both of these terms are common in the city dialect. The election will be held on May 26, 2012.

Cultural Parade. Rujak Uleg Festival.

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SmallTalk

It seemed as if the truck drivers were getting paid a hundred dollars every time they passed us closely. passing truck. If our bajaj had rolled to the left, we would have fallen onto the jungle below us. It was a near-death experience in fact. What about embarrassing moments? Kevin Mangan

Adam Clift

[ Charity Trip ]

Kevin Mangan & Adam Clift

KM We didn’t worry about what we ate or drank as much as perhaps we should have done and we got sick. [laughs] I’m stronger than Adam though and when we were at Sigura-gura Dam, Adam got really sick and he threw up next to a teenage couple and I was like, “I’m sorry”. AC It was kind of funny to become a bule gila in a bajaj. Every time people saw us they started laughing, but it was fun though. What about toilet breaks?

This intrepid American and Canadian pair of adventurers drove a bajaj from Krabi in Thailand all the way to Jakarta. We rapped with this dynamic duo about their adventures on the road, which included a near-death experience and making plenty of new friends

KM We enjoyed these at gas stations and hotels and had to learn how to use eastern-style toilets. We’re pretty good at that now. [laughs cheekily] AC Squat toilets are very challenging but as Kevin said, we’re good at using them now.

Where did the idea to drive rickshaw from Thailand to Indonesia come from?

Where was the most difficult area to conquer during your journey?

How much have you raised for charity?

Kevin Mangan The Rickshaw Run is organised by a group called The Adventurist. They put together a race from Jakarta to Thailand in October of last year and this was the return race to Indonesia. I first heard of The Rickshaw Run when one of these challenging races was organised over in India and I’d been wanting to join ever since. That’s why I got so excited when my name made it onto the list for the South-East Asia race.

KM Sumatra’s mountains. We encountered two types of difficulty here: the roads were difficult and the truck drivers were insane! They drove really fast and would pass us with only millimetres to spare. Adam Clift It seemed as if the truck drivers were getting paid a hundred dollars every time they passed us closely. It was scary and they often forced us off the road.

KM The official race charity is called Bird Life International and each team also gets to pick a secondary charity. We chose Action Against Hunger and we’ve raised about £11,000 so far.

How long did it take to finish this adventurously foolhardy trip?

KM [It took us] two weeks from March 10 until March 24. We had to drive at least twelve hours a day and even at night, which was pretty dangerous as our bajaj was pretty much invisible. I mean we had lights but they were not really visible at night! [laughs] 136

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Did you experience any really daring moments during the trip?

KM Yes. It came when we were descending near the western shore of Lake Toba. It was 2am and the road was narrow and steep. A truck was approaching fast and we hit the brake pedal hard. Our tyres screeched and somehow we managed to stop on the dirt at the side of the road, just inches from the

Did you make any new friends during your epic trip?

KM Yes, of course. We met a lot of people and they were really nice to us. We made friends with anyone and everyone and now when I login to my Facebook account there are many friend requests from people we met during our trip. AC Indonesian people are very eager to make friends. –YOHANES SANDY

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Afterthought

Thank you for smoking

ot long ago, I came across a new Jakarta phenomenon that I found a tad mind boggling. No, fortunately it wasn’t yet another celebrity catchphrase and neither was it a new fashion movement claiming that it’s okay for adults to wear Crocs. It had nothing to do with Bike2Work, Walk2Work or Sail2Work and neither was it related to sticking your middle finger proudly into the air when posing for press photos. No, the phenomenon in question concerned a new restaurant that had cruelly exiled non-smokers. Yellowfin Sake Bar & Kitchen in Senopati utilises its air-conditioned indoor area to cater to smokers, while those who hate smoke or who have tried hard to put their dark tobacco-addicted past behind them have been relegated to a hot and humid semi-outdoor area. Now, before you conclude that this is a call to arms and a plea to exterminate all smokers, let me stress that I mean nothing of the sort. In fact, I smoke. I enjoy my cigarettes just as much as the Kopaja bus driver that I saw this morning puffing away on his Dji Sam Soe with an orgasmic expression on his face. So trust me when I say this: despite looking like Jakarta’s smokers might have 138

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I WAS BEING PUNISHED FOR NOT DESTROYING MY LUNGs.

actually gone one up in the world-wide war on tobacco companies and post-coital smokes, we actually have not. That evening, I booked a non-smoking table because I was dining with a non-smoker – I believe that a one-onone dinner with a person who doesn’t smoke should never involve a cigarette – so we were given a table outside. It was indeed pretty hot and the noise from the street made it seem even more uncomfortable. It got me thinking though. Years as a smoker have seen me being sent into alfresco exile countless times, either to become sweaty and bothered in tropical countries or cold and freezing in countries with cold climates as I suck on my tobacco. And now, I was being punished for not destroying my lungs. Once again, I had become an outsider.

There were doors in the restaurant that separated those who like to pollute the earth from the more environmentally aware among us. On my recent visit, these doors were always shut tight, unless there were people who needed to cross the Rubicon from a world polluted by motor vehicles to one merely polluted by cigarette smoke. At one point, I had to use the restroom, which was located inside towards the rear of the restaurant. So I stood up and prepared myself for what would come next. When the door opened, I expected a large amount of smoke to come billowing out from the restaurant’s indoor area, just like it does whenever you open the door to any airport smoking room. But no thick smog emerged from the Yellowfin interior and I immediately felt braver. The restaurant’s indoor smoking area smelt like a mixture of Marlboro, Sampoerna, Gudang Garam and Dunhill all blended together to make an

unorthodox scented oil. It was not unpleasant but it was strong enough to delineate the smokers’ territory. And sure enough, just as I was making my way through the smoke zone, I felt many a smoker’s eyes scrutinising me inquisitively. “Who is this pretender?” they seemed to be thinking. “The tips of his fingers are covered with nicotine stains so why is he sitting outside? And why does he look so nervous? What is he hiding from us?” I returned to my outdoor table in one piece after resisting the urge to have a cheeky secret smoke in the bathroom and suddenly the tension melted away. There were no more watchful eyes and there was no fear of being found out to be a pretend nonsmoker anymore. The evening was pleasant once again. On the way home in the taxi I kept asking myself: is that how good it always feels in the nonsmoking world? And is it time for me to cross the Rubicon permanently? –unggul hermanto

GET T Y IMAGES

One of the city’s newer food joints sends non-smokers into exile

What do you get when you put selected cuts of beef into a classic French Sauce ?

A Demi Glace preferred by Chefs. It’s no wonder KNORR Demi Glace Brown Sauce was chosen as the stand-out favorite in a blind taste by chefs in Asia. And why do they love it ? Simple – they recognize quality ingredients, like selected cuts of beef. This gives the sauce we’ve prepared a robust, meaty taste that even the experts remember.

That’s where our journey ends. And yours begins.

www.unileverfoodsolutions.co.id

May 2012

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