Indonesia Expat - Issue 159

LO TH I S I V E EA N IR I S S U E N O . 159 | 10 – 2 3 F E B R U A R Y 2 016

J A K A R TA • J AVA • B A L I • L O M B O K • K A L I M A N TA N • S U M AT R A • S U L AW E S I • W E S T PA P U A

W W W . I N D O N E S I A E X P A T. B I Z

issue 159 Indonesia expat

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Indonesia expat issue 159

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Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers, Editor in Chief

Angela Richardson angela@indonesiaexpat.biz

Management

Edo Frese edo@indonesiaexpat.biz

Editorial Assistant

Caranissa Djatmiko letters@indonesiaexpat.biz

Sales & Advertising

Dian Mardianingsih (Jakarta) Felicitas Suwono (Jakarta) Yongky Dhanunalendra (Bali) ads@indonesiaexpat.biz

Distribution & Admin

Juni Setiawan admin@indonesiaexpat.biz

We also had the pleasure of interviewing two amazing young couples: Milu Evans and Crille Rask, and Amanda Stek and Joel Berends.

Discover their love stories on pages 17 and 20.

Love comes in all shapes and sizes, as does the content in this, our Love Issue. In our Feature Story, we discuss polygamy in Indonesia, a nation whose own forefather, first president Sukarno, had more than five wives. Although still legally accepted in Islam, many are turning their back on the practise. Find out more on page 6.

In Outreach, Hans Rooseboom caught the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Green Commodities Head, Andrew Bovarnick, while he was in Jakarta, to learn of the UNDP’s plans of making the palm oil industry sustainable in an attempt to prevent a further cataclysmic event during this year’s dry season in Kalimantan and Sumatra. Very interesting stuff.

Indonesia plans to open up investment opportunities in the tourism sector, giving foreign ownership in bars, restaurants and the like. What’s behind this bold gesture, and will it have a positive impact on a struggling economy? Please turn to our Business Feature story on page 8 for the full story.

Packed with great reads, we do hope you love this issue as much as we do.

Graphics

Frederick Ng

Finance

Lini Verawaty finance@indonesiaexpat.biz

Contributors

Gail G. Collins Terry Collins Karen Davis Simon Pitchforth Daniel Rahimi Hans Rooseboom Keimmy Xu Kenneth Yeung

When it comes to work, you really should love what you do, and in the case of Dutch expat and President Director of Danone AQUA, Charlie Capetti, this is indeed true. We interview this business leader to learn more about the sustainability plans for the world’s largest bottled water producer, and find out his thoughts on whether Indonesians should be entitled to free drinking water.

In Lifestyle, our Clandestine Critic brings you the lowdown on Gia, a romantic modern Italian eatery in Jakarta, should you still need to make plans for Valentine’s Day. Gail Collins takes us on a tour of the Minahasa highlands in Sulawesi, and Terry Collins explores the history of jazz in Batavia (Jakarta) and Indonesia.

Angela Richardson

Editorial Enquiries

letters@indonesiaexpat.biz

Subscriptions

Letter to the Editor

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Events

events@indonesiaexpat.biz

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PT. Koleksi Klasik Indonesia Alamanda Tower 25th floor Jl. T.B Simatupang kav 23–24 Jakarta 12430 T: 021 2965 7821 F: 021 2965 7821 Office hours: 09.00–17.00 Monday–Friday Indonesia Expat is published bi-weekly by PT. Koleksi Klasik Indonesia. Opinions Expressed in this publication are those of the writers and the publisher does not accept any responsibility for any errors, ommisions, or complaints arising there from.

No parts of this publication can be reproduced in whole or in part, in print or electronically without permission of the publisher. All trademarks, logos, brands and designs are copyright and fully reserved by PT. Koleksi Klasik Indonesia.

Dear Editor, I very much enjoyed the article you wrote on irresponsible journalism.

Personally, I think that it is one of the most crucial issues that one should be aware of when it comes to journalism in Indonesia.

Celebrating the values of democracy, it appears that media in Indonesia forget that they take on the responsibility of reporting and delivering facts on behalf of the people. This, of course, comes with a great deal of commitment and full understanding that whatever

information they present has an effect on the people. Sadly, the media here often rely on speed and ‘drama’. I hope that journalists and the media can grow out of this and start playing the role they were meant to play, with truthfulness and responsibility.

Thank you and keep up the good work!

Sandi

Dear Sandi, Thank you for your email.

We’re glad you enjoyed reading our Op-Ed piece about responsible journalism. It indeed is a worry. I have experienced reading articles about me on the internet, with quotes which I never even gave. It’s best to stick with reputable media sources that are committed to reporting objectively and give you the facts you deserve.

Angela and the IE Team

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On The Cover

Milu Evans and Crille Rask. Photo

by Crille Rask.

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Indonesia expat issue 159

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Issue 159

Contents

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Feature Story

Polygamy is Still Tolerated in Indonesia, Advocates and Activists Speak Out

Expat Business Featured With Slowing Economy, Indonesia's Tourism Sector Ready to Take on Foreign Investment Business Profile Danone AQUA: Committed to Healthy Hydration

Expat Lifestyle Food and Drink GIA: Italian Dalliance Music The Kids Went Wild in Batavia Travel Beyond Bunaken: Touring the Minahasa Highlands

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Meet the Expat Couple Milu Evans and Crille Rask

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Scams in the City It's All in the Mind

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Expat Outreach

Meet the Expat Couple Amanda Stek and Joel Berends

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The Environment Could Accountability in Sustainable Oil Palm Prevent Further Forest Fires?

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Worthy Causes Wedlite: For Richer or Poorer

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Announcements

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Observations Swipe All My Tears Away

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Events

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Business Directory Classifieds

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Polygamy is Still Tolerated in Indonesia, Advocates and Activists Speak Out The guiding principle of Indonesia's marriage law is monogamy – one man with one wife – but polygamy is still tolerated under certain circumstances.

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man, who prefers to remain anonymous, going only by the name of Agung, owns a clothing shop in North Jakarta. In the store, two polite women in hijabs occupy the front desk, while Agung takes inventory in the back. “They are both my wives,” explains Agung without looking away from a stack of T-shirts. “We work here together while [our] kids are at school.

Sometimes one of us stays home while the other [two] come [into the shop].” Agung and his two wives practise polygamy.

BY KEIMMY XU

The marriage practice of polygamy has been hotly debated in Indonesia for years.

Some consider it normal for a man to take more than one spouse, while others see it as unjust behaviour that undermines women’s rights everywhere. Throughout Indonesia’s history, male political leaders, influential figures, and even clergy have adopted the tradition; including the nation’s first president, Sukarno, who took more than five wives.

With the history of polygamy in Indonesia in mind, academics believe the practice is relevant to life and culture in the nation as we see it today. Islam considers polygamy as ‘mubah’, which means it’s not technically prohibited, but not really recommended either. Religious law mandates that a Muslim man is allowed to have up to four wives, so long as he is able to treat them all

fairly. This, of course, is a subjective rule up for interpretation. For activists, it’s an egregious ambiguity that warrants further scrutiny.

Prophet Muhammad (believed to be Islam’s final prophet) adopted polygamy during the last eight years of his life. According to the Islamic scholar Ibn al-Atsir, polygamy was used by Muhammad as a strategy to improve a woman’s social position in the Arab feudal system. During the seventh century AD, women and widows had low social status in society, and men were allowed to marry as many times as they wanted.

As the story goes, prophet Muhammad started to criticize the arbitrary behaviour, and soon restricted the rules of polygamy.

Muhammad asked his friends with several wives to divorce some of them, and just keep four.

If we look back to the eighth and tenth centuries, before Islam was introduced in Indonesia, most of the kings of ancient Mataram (the famous Hindu–Buddhist kingdom in Central Java) took more than one wife as well. Polygamy today is prohibited in Hinduism, according to scriptures, and academics believe the practice was only used as a political tactic at the time.

Indonesia’s polygamy issues are controversial to say the least. In 2003, high-profile Javanese restaurateur Puspo Wardoyo took four wives. He then instituted an event called the Polygamy Award at Hotel Aryaduta in Jakarta.

This event aimed to promote transparent polygamy and to recognize men who successfully applied polygamy in their families. The event attracted a tidal wave of public attention, and quickly became one of the highest trending topics in the media at the time.

Apart from hundreds of invitees, protesters from various organizations across Indonesia also attended the event. The Indonesian Women's Association spoke out against this event and polygamy in Indonesia at large, claiming the custom promotes violence against women.

Polygamy flared up as a hot issue in 2009 due to the inception of the nation’s ‘Global Ikhlwan’ polygamy club. The club originated in Malaysia, and has garnered more than 300 members in Southeast Asia to date. It was officially established in Bandung with 38 members that year.

The club once again spurred controversial debate among several organizations.

Indonesia's highest Islamic clerical body Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), was asked to ban the club. However, MUI responded to public outcry, saying that Indonesia is a democratic country, where anyone has the right to set up an organization so long as it causes no societal harm.

In July 2015, the defense ministry issued a circular letter stating civil servants were allowed to have more than one wife under certain conditions in Indonesia.

This decision received a slew of criticism from activists and the media. The ministry responded, saying the decree was in fact meant to discourage officials from polygamy. As the conditions were extremely difficult to fulfil, officials wouldn’t want to find themselves in breach of the law, said the ministry.

In order to have more than one wife, the civil servant must submit a statement from his wife or wives. He must also be found in stable financial condition to support all of his wives and children under one roof. If a polygamist employee didn’t meet all the requirements, he would be convicted in a court of law, and be fired from his position.

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Keimmy Xu is a freelance journalist, translator, and Mandarin teacher in Jakarta.

She explores a variety of issues related to human interest, politics, and philosophy in Southeast Asia. For more information, please visit www.contentcollision.co.

Polygamist Narjo fails in his bid to woo 17-year-old as his 10th wife (Image courtesy of Coconuts Jakarta)

Throughout Indonesia’s history, male political leaders, influential figures, and even clergy have adopted the tradition; including the nation’s first president, Sukarno, who took more than five wives.

Again in 2015, Indonesia was shocked when yet another polygamy club cropped up. The community known as Forum Keluarga Poligami Sakinah (Sakinah Polygamous Family Forum in English) began as a WhatsApp messaging group. The chatroom acted as a social sharing space for polygamous families. It wasn’t long before it became a full-fledged organization. Since its inception, the group has grown bigger in Indonesia, and recently held a meeting with around 270 members in Sumendang, West Java. This group aims to discuss obstacles faced by Indonesia’s polygamous families, and build a plan to file a judicial review of Indonesia’s official marriage law from 1974.

Forum Keluarga Poligami Sakinah also believes Indonesia’s regulations complicate the practice of polygamy. The guiding principle of Indonesia's marriage law is monogamy – one man and one wife.

Polygamy is tolerated but controlled under certain conditions. According to the 1974 marriage law, permission to have more than one wife is granted by the courts only if the applicant’s wife is “unable to perform her duty as a wife”, suffers from physical defects or an incurable disease, or is incapable of producing offspring.

Polygamist Syech Puji (43) during his wedding ceremony to minor, Ulfa (12) in 2008.

Today, there are no official statistics on how many people in Indonesia are polygamous due to a high number of unregistered marriages. Most polygamous families are formed by men through illegal or unregistered marriages.

“The important [thing] is that we love each other,” says Agung, with a smile at the back of his clothing shop. “Our life works for us.

That is all we care [about].”

Jane Shalakhova (from left), Adam Lyons and Brooke Shedd have found happiness as a “throuple” in Los Angeles. (Image courtesy of NY Daily News)

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EXPAT BUSINESS FEATURED

Amidst Slowing Economy, Indonesia's Tourism Sector Prepares to Take on Foreign Investment

BY DANIEL R AHIMI

Facing an economic slowdown, the Indonesian government is set to revamp laws on foreign ownership in certain sectors, starting with tourism investments.

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Daniel is a Jakarta-based freelance journalist covering a variety of issues related to finance, business, and politics in Southeast Asia. For more information, visit www.contentcollision.co.

To many foreigners, doing business in Indonesia has long been an attractive opportunity. The country is strengthening in terms of spending power, demographics, and diversity.

It’s also becoming a world-renowned hotspot for tourism.

Sizeable companies looking to do business in Indonesia without a local partner must usually set up a foreign investment entity.

Indosight, a market entry service for foreign businesses in Indonesia, says this typically means a firm must have around US$1 million in capital on paper, with 25 percent of that amount paid upfront into an Indonesian bank account. This is not an easy thing for small or medium-sized enterprises looking to tap into the nation’s tourism sector. If foreigners want to be cowboys about it – and many do – they need to find a trusted local partner to act as the business owner. It happens more often than some might think.

Soon, however, these all-too-familiar woes may no longer apply. The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) recently said it would allow foreigners full ownership of bars, cafes, restaurants, and sport centres in an attempt to bolster interest in the nation’s tourism sector. Indonesia's travel and leisure space is arguably on the brink of thriving, as more than 9 million tourists turned up from overseas in the past 12 months. However, due to the strict limitations on foreign investment and the volatility of the nation’s political landscape, many businesses have been hesitant about bringing their money to Indonesia, opting instead for neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Thailand.

It seems as though Indonesian officials have taken note of missed opportunities, and are now rethinking their strategy, with regard to foreign-owned businesses.

“With this revision, we are trying to build a perception that Indonesia is more open.

With this rule, we believe the investment commitment could increase by 50 percent from last year,” head of BKPM Franky Sibarani recently told reporters. Last year, Indonesia eased the visa requirements of 84 countries for tourism-related purposes.

BKPM now claims it has been working on increasing that number, further solidifying its resolve toward a booming tourism economy.

Unfortunately, the prospect of legally doing business in Indonesia comes with caveats, especially in the case of foreign ownership in businesses that take money out of the local economy. Most sectors have caps in place that limit foreign ownership to a maximum of 51 percent, as of 2014; the latest official revision of the government’s Negative Investments List. Historically, foreign firms have been made to jump through hoops just to operate legally in the archipelago.

By the end of this quarter, BKPM says it will have also revised Indonesia’s Negative Investments List. The list states all the sectors in Indonesia open to foreign investment, as well as the maximum percentage of ownership foreigners can have in each space. Relaxed ownership laws are believed to take effect in several sectors, including film, e-commerce, manufacturing, and warehousing.

Experts say there is a high chance of seeing major changes when the updated Negative Investments List comes out in April. While not all sectors are expected to see the same leniency as tourism, analysts believe most industries could see foreign ownership caps spike up to anywhere between 60 percent and 70 percent.

The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) recently said it would allow foreigners full ownership of bars, cafes, restaurants, and sport centres in an attempt to bolster interest in the nation’s tourism sector.

But it’s not all great news for foreigners.

Chairman of BPKM, Mahendra Siregar recently revealed that the government has chosen to reduce foreign ownership in other sectors. In onshore and offshore oil and gas drilling services, for example, foreign ownership will now be capped at 75 percent, as opposed to the previous 95 percent.

There are speculations as to why the government is choosing to revamp laws now. The news comes hot on the heels of reports that Indonesia is facing slow and stunted economic growth. But even with the declining state of the economy, opening up prospects of full ownership of tourist ventures like bars and restaurants to foreigners has reignited interest from overseas investors.

“In the past, people were always interested in investing in Indonesia. However, the restrictions on ownership meant that we would have to find partners, who most of the time wouldn’t have the same goals that we did, causing the deal to fall through,” explains Raja Lalwani, a private investor from Dubai looking to enter Indonesia’s restaurant market. “Being able to have full control opens us up to more opportunities than we had previously thought of.”

Lin Neumann, managing director at the American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, believes that due to President

Joko Widodo’s promises to ease investment restrictions, the Chamber must also make sweeping changes. “The trend has been to restrict investment. For the first time in ten years, you have a president saying the opposite,” he recently told reporters.

This is contrary to previously implemented laws. In the past, Indonesia completely ended foreign investment in the retail sector, as well as heavily limited it in the agriculture and electricity industries.

Reports claim that foreign shares in some oil and gas companies saw ownership drop from 95 percent to nothing at all. Analysts believe that although restrictions weren’t as heavy on investments in tourism, the increasing number of legal regulations applying to the surrounding sectors caused investors to become sceptical that Indonesia’s tourism would not suffer the same fate.

As with most claims from the government, rumours and speculations abound, and not much can be said with certainty at the moment. The proposed policy changes have already seen increased opposition from officials and lawmakers, which means there will be a lot of back-and-forth discourse on the matter before people like Raja Lalwani will be able to open up a bar on the beach in Seminyak.

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EXPAT BUSINESS BUSINESS PROFILE

Danone AQUA

Committed to Healthy Hydration

BY ANGEL A RICHARDSON

Bottled water company AQUA was founded in 1973 by the late Tirto Utomo. When Utomo passed away unexpectedly in 1993, his family was faced with a difficult decision regarding the business. They approached the multinational company Danone, who shared the same values and principles, and the merger was born in September 1998. We meet President Director of Danone AQUA, Charlie Capetti, a Dutch national who has been with Danone for 17 years, seven of which have been in Indonesia.

You’ve been with Danone for many years, from Sales Director in the Netherlands to President Director in Indonesia. Tell us what your role at AQUA Danone entails today.

My role in AQUA is to work with my team on the long-term sustainability and short-term ambitions of the company.

We set out a vision for this company and work consistently with all people here to deliver that vision. I see it as my job to create conditions for our employees to thrive in AQUA and develop themselves professionally. There is not a single day that is the same.

Has your experience as a Lieutenant in the Royal Dutch Navy in 1990 had any impact on the way that you conduct business today?

After graduating from University I was an Economics teacher at the Royal Dutch Naval College. In those days in the Netherlands it was compulsory to serve your country. I learned values like discipline, respect and not giving up when you want to achieve something; values I consider relevant for successful leadership.

Your water comes from 13 springs and 18 factories in Indonesia. What makes your water healthy? How is it processed?

We are very picky about the selection of our springs and follow a strict criteria regarding selection. We carry out scientific research looking at mineral content and other compositions that tell us if it meets the AQUA taste profile, which is influenced by the minerals. We look at the amount of water the natural area has without

supermarkets, done through our own distribution centres, of which we have 14 all over Indonesia. How the product flows is an incredible spider web.

We also have a unique distribution method called AQUA Home Service, or ‘AQUA Ladies’, where we currently empower over 7,000 women in Indonesia to sell AQUA from their homes. We select opinion-leaders and help them build a business selling drinking water, mainly by the gallon using delivery boys on motorbikes.

We have an ambition that everywhere in Indonesia you must be able to find AQUA.

upsetting the water balance. Then we drill and see if we can find the water, and we check to see how much we can take. If the composition is not good, we stop.

We make sure our water is fresh, tasting good, and meeting health standards. We filter it, of course, with a complex filter system, and then apply Ultra Violet light which kills micro bacteria. You cannot drink the water when it’s on the line, but after a few hours it’s ready. The whole process is natural.

We will be opening factory number 19 in April in South Sumatra.

Danone AQUA is a publically-listed company. What are the projections for 2016?

We are the biggest water brand in terms of volume in the world; about ten times the size of Evian.

The growth of our business comes mainly from two factors: growth of the population (1.5 percent per annum) and growth of the middle class. Households will switch from boiling water to safer, packaged water. Moreover, modern trade grew rapidly, particularly in mini-markets which have helped us grow exponentially.

Consequently, projected growth in the bottled water industry in Indonesia is around 10-12 percent per annum.

You have approximately 2 million sales points across Indonesia. How is distribution managed?

I think indeed this is one of our key strengths. We use 75 family-owned distributors who have been part of the business since the beginning. We have 220 depots that distribute into wholesalers that then go to the warung and the toko.

85 percent goes through this system, and the rest goes through mini-marts and

Danone AQUA has 12,500 employees in Indonesia. How does your company ensure personal and professional development?

I don’t know where to start! We have very extensive training programmes for all levels, from operators to executives, leadership trainings and very specific functional, technical programmes. We ensure development of our people via four principles: 60 percent is on-the-job training, 10 percent classroom training, 10 percent online/digital training, and 20 percent through networking. As a result, many of our people are typically long-term employees for whom working at AQUA is a career instead of a job.

How do you help those who do not have access or means of accessing clean drinking water?

AQUA is committed to proactively contribute in this field through an ambitious WASH (Water Access Sanitation and Hygiene) programme aiming to improve the health of thousands of families around Indonesia. Water committees are formed and trained to design the facilities, monitor the works, and ensure proper management long-term. Three types of community groups are targeted: villages surrounding AQUA factories, and remote villages in NTT and NTB through our ‘1L for 10L’ initiative. Currently, the WASH programme has provided benefits to more

BUSINESS SNIPPETS

Ownership of Homes or Residences

by Foreigners in Indonesia

BY MICHAEL S. CARL AND MIF TAHUL KHAIRI

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SSEK LEGAL CONSULTANTS

Indonesia issued Government Regulation No. 103 of 2015 regarding the Ownership of Homes or Residences by Foreigners Residing in Indonesia (GR 103/2015) in late December. GR 103/2015 entered into force on December 28, 2015.

property market. Speculation included the possibility that foreigners domiciled abroad may be permitted to own homes/apartment units in Indonesia. However, that is not the case under GR 103/2015, which requires foreigners to have a legal stay permit to own a home/residence in Indonesia.

Changes GR 103/2015 does not introduce any radical changes, as foreigners residing in Indonesia could already own homes or apartment units in the country under Government Regulation No. 41 of 1996, which was revoked by GR 103/2015.

Significantly, foreigners must sell their homes to a qualifying person within a year after relinquishing their legal stay permit.

This is an important consideration for any foreigner looking to acquire a home in Indonesia as a long-term investment.

There had been some speculation that the government, as part of the economic stimulus packages it has been introducing since last year, would make major changes to the rules on home ownership by foreigners, in order to stimulate the

Important points in the new regulation GR 103/2015 addresses the previously ambiguous provision concerning qualification of foreigners who are eligible to own a home in Indonesia. GR 103/2015 stipulates that foreigners who hold a legal

I come from a country where I can drink water from the tap; it’s a human right. We hope that Indonesians one day will also have that choice.

than 130,000 people in 18 districts, and will continue to grow.

What is Danone AQUA doing to reduce its impact on the environment, namely plastic waste, through your CSR project AQUA Lestari? Are there plans to go largescale in these endeavours?

Our business model involves plastic, whether we like it or not. There are a lot of things we can do and have been doing. I made sure we stopped the plastic wrapper on the lid and now our bottles are 100 percent recyclable. I see huge opportunities for us to go further. The technology is there.

AQUA developed AQUA PEDULI (Plastics Waste Recycling Programme) in 1993 as a form of social responsibility to manage plastic waste. Since 2010, 600 scavengers from three cities – South Tangerang, Bandung, Denpasar – involved in our Scavengers Empowerment Programme (PEP) have been empowered to improve their quality of life through access to healthcare and increased recycling expertise.

In Tangerang, we collect 80–90 tonnes of plastic per month, which is crushed in machines and mainly exported to China for recycling. Every month this unit makes enough profit to pay the pemulung, cover costs, and make profits. This project is scalable and I’d like to see this replicated in other cities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) does not consider bottled water an improved or sustainable solution to water access in Indonesia, and other similar countries. What would you say to this?

As the pioneer of Indonesia’s bottled drinking water industry, AQUA continually

stay permit – diplomatic stay permit, official stay permit, residence stay permit, limited stay permit or permanent stay permit who give benefit, conduct business, work or invest in Indonesia – may own homes/apartment units in Indonesia.

GR 103/2015 also introduces the following provisions that were not in the previous regulation: • Homes owned by a foreigner in Indonesia may be passed by inheritance. If the heir is a foreigner, the heir must also have a legal stay permit in accordance with the prevailing laws and regulations.

• Indonesian citizens marrying foreigners do not lose the right to own title over land insofar as the title to the land is not part of the marital property. This must be evidenced by a notarized prenuptial agreement.

sets the benchmark for the application of innovative technologies geared towards improving the production process and products. Packaging remains a challenge for the bottled water business, but somehow the impact on the environment is limited by high recycling rates.

We have four pillars in the AQUA Lestari programme: Environment and Water Protection, Green Company, Product Distribution and Community Involvement and Development. These pillars are realized by implementing various social and environmental programmes ranging from upstream (catchment area), middle (AQUA water source area) to downstream.

Do you think there will be a day when Indonesians will have access to clean and free drinking water? And if so, what will this mean for your industry?

Yes, of course. I come from a country where I can drink water from the tap; it’s a human right. We hope that Indonesians one day will also have that choice. Until then, we consider it our duty to make AQUA available as much as possible to provide as many Indonesians with a healthy hydration option.

What are the principles that Danone AQUA holds dearest to its heart?

At the heart of AQUA’s reason for being is a very simple goal: to make available – to as many people as possible – healthy, clean, and pure drinking water that is full of the natural goodness essential to long-term health. We want to do it in the most sustainable way; making sure that everybody in our ecosystem can benefit from AQUA. We make sure whatever we do, we make others part of our story.

• GR 103/2015 allows foreign ownership of a landed house under right-of-use (hak pakai) not only on state land, as before, but also on freehold (hak milik) land owned by an Indonesian.

• Foreigners may buy and own a landed house under right of use (hak pakai) for an initial period of 30 years. This may be extended for an additional 20 years and further renewed for 30 years. If the right of use (hak pakai) is on freehold (hak milik) land, the consent of the owner of the freehold land will be required to extend.

GR 103/2015 provides that the grant, release or transfer of ownership of a home or residence by a foreigner will be further stipulated in regulations to be issued by the National Land Agency.

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EXPAT LIFESTYLE FOOD AND DRINK Our Clandestine Critic has dined all over the world, everywhere from threeMichelin starred restaurants in Monaco to street stalls in Shanghai – so this discerning palate has pedigree. The quest for truth and the elimination of mediocrity in Indonesia’s emerging dining scene is finally here!

Italian Dalliance

BY THE CL ANDESTINE CRITIC

Our expert epicure continues an undercover operation to bring you the truth about Jakarta’s dining scene. No spoon is left unturned in the quest for honest, balanced reviews, from long-established favourites to the hottest new tables in town.

This month, Tuscan temptress Gia.

Valentine’s Day looms again, with the inevitability of a congenitally receding hairline. Whilst every pseudo-journo/ blogger in the city panders to the day’s commerciality by rehashing press releases about special ‘romantic’ menus, I – ever the anarchist – have chosen to fight the good fight for those who find themselves sans soulmate this year (no comment on my own situation. The Critic doesn’t disclose).

Instead of seeking a spot for dinner à deux, I went hunting for more fertile ground… something suitable for those doing a little hunting themselves.

My mind went immediately to Gia. Opened a year ago in a random if grandiose office building, Gia’s darkly sophisticated interiors could be perfect for an evening of food and flirting. Hoping to start things off in the right direction, I took them up on their offer of an aperitivo – a pre-dinner drink, usually strong and bitter, in order to whet your appetite. I desperately wanted them to get this authentic idea right, but sadly it arrived after the first of our courses, and thus slightly negated the point. Still, it was a good drink. I’m usually a sucker for a Negroni but was delighted to see its cousin on the menu, Lo Spritz Veneziano (Rp.115,000). An Aperol Spritz is Venice’s signature aperitif: Aperol with Prosecco and a marinated olive. It was served beautifully, with a fancy, large single ice cube.

As I grappled with the existential crisis that is alcohol deprivation, Executive Chef Tommaso unexpectedly appeared to advise us on the menu. I give him top marks for that. Not all chefs – in fact, hardly any – bother to do this; either because they are not actually there, or because they don’t value interaction with the customer. Chef Tommaso had some off-menu specials to tell us about. He spoke with passion and sincerity – clearly this is a kitchen that cooks from the heart.

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Pasta is the ultimate lovers’ dish. Many a first date has hung in the balance of a successful pasta – this one would have done the job nicely.

First, Portobello in Fonduta (Rp.125,000) was a meaty Portobello mushroom grilled with black truffle and parmesan ‘fondue’ – a rich, creamy sauce that contrasted well with the earthiness of the mushroom. Offsetting the sauce was a zingy mesclun salad with beetroot matchsticks and pumpkin seeds.

The beetroot got a bit lost but the seeds were a nice touch, as was the fine aged balsamic vinegar drizzled over the top.

We sipped and supped, all the while watching the comings and goings of Jakarta’s beautiful people out on the terrace. In the evening this outdoor space is preferable to the smaller indoor bar. It is lit up with twinkly lights, abuzz with cigarettes and cocktails. The crowd is a nice mix of well-heeled locals and expats.

Presently we were distracted by more food.

Pasta is the ultimate lovers’ dish. Many a first date has hung in the balance of a successful pasta – this one would have done the job nicely: Scoglio (Rp.155,000), a seafood linguine featuring prawns, mussels and squid in a white wine, garlic and chilli sauce. The chilli had a good kick, and was also candied on the side. The pasta was nicely al dente, but admittedly I was hoping for more generous pieces of seafood, even though the mussels were as sweet and fresh as any I’ve eaten here.

Triumph came in the form of Agnolotti Del Plin (Rp.190,000): braised beef ravioli in truffle butter with veal jus and fresh shaved

GIA Jakarta

black truffle. I am usually sceptical of quite so much truffle on a menu, but the one place I can forgive it is with pasta – it’s a match made in heaven. The ravioli were a gorgeous deep golden colour, which Chef Tommaso later explained is because of the egg yolks in the homemade pasta. I expected to be bowled over by the truffle sauce, but it was the beef that did it: there was so much flavour packed into those little morsels, which had been braised with wine and lots of herbs like sage really coming through on the palate. Delicioso.

We shared a piatti secondi of Dentice Al Vapore (Rp.205,000), a steamed snapper fillet with – supposedly – a puttanesca sauce.

Sadly though, this was a puttana without the high heels. The key ingredients were there: olives, tomato, capers, garlic…but they were given such a light touch – presumably for fear of overpowering a gently-flavoured, sweet fish like snapper – that they lacked the salty pungency of a classic lady-of-the-night sauce.

Desserts were intriguing. Overall the savoury dishes are fairly traditional – there is saltimbocca and osso bucco on the menu; nothing too out-of-the-box in the name of trendiness – and I really like that about Gia. They’re not pretending to be nouveau for the sake of it. Except with the sweets.

There was Burrata Pannacotta (Rp.85,000), with cinnamon ‘soil’, black pepper and berry-beetroot jellies. The burrata itself was

Sampoerna Strategic Square, South Tower Lobby Jl. Jendral Sudirman No.Kav 45-46, Jakarta

great, and the meringue pieces were not bad. But the strange addition of faddy ‘soil’ seemed out of character, and the little cubes of jelly seemed like a case of technique over taste.

So too with Crostatina Cioccolato (Rp.95,000). The pastry was good, and the dark, creamy chocolate filling was decently flavoured but had an odd gritty texture. The caramelised walnut on the top was successful, but I wondered why we needed the glazed popcorn (again, it seemed to be just for modernity’s sake) and ‘crispy honey’ went slightly unnoticed.

There was also another ‘soil’ – this time of chocolate brownies. What is soil, really?

It’s just crumbles of something that was once a larger piece. Perhaps I’m too old to be impressed by this? In any case, I would say stick to what Chef Tommaso does best: golden oldies like grandma’s tiramisu, cooked with love.

All in all, Gia is a great choice for both couples and single-and-mingles. The atmosphere is urbanely grown-up, perfect for those looking to see-and-be-seen, but in a less obvious way than at Loewy et al.

Linger at the bar for an aperitif, cast an eye around the room, and dive in to some of Jakarta’s top Italian fare.

Mamma GIA Cheque Please!

Food: Rp.1,085,000 Drinks: Rp.255,000 Service: 10% Total: Rp.1,621,400 (inc. taxes) for two

+62 21 5795 3300

www.ismaya.com/gia

issue 159 Indonesia expat

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EXPAT LIFESTYLE MUSIC Terry Collins, aka Jakartass, is currently researching A History of Jazz in Indonesia.

The Kids Went Wild in Batavia

BY TERRY COLLINS

Joey Alexander's nomination for two Grammy Awards has created a heightened international interest in Indonesia's jazz scene, yet he is not the first child prodigy to emerge here playing jazz piano.

"The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician."

- Louis Armstrong

Jazz arrived in what was then the Dutch East Indies nearly a century ago, in 1919, and its entry represented a socio-cultural shift among the Dutch and Indo-European teenagers, much as the advent of rock ‘n’ roll did in the mid-’50s in the USA. Because nothing happens in isolation, it is important to consider why.

According to the second complete census survey of 1930, the population of Batavia was 435,000 having grown from 306,000 in 1920, while the population of the Dutch East Indies was 60,727,233. Of these millions, just 240,417 were people with European legal status in the colony, and about 75 percent of those were ‘Eurasians’, the children of Dutch men who had taken ‘native’ wives for the duration of their contracts here.

There were also a number of foreign traders, including British, who were 'in need' of entertainment and amusement such as that experienced in Europe and the United States. This was provided by upmarket hotels that had their own house bands, theatres and a network of official Sociëteit Concordia, which offered theatrical and musical performances with dancing at weekends.

Jazz grew out of ragtime music (‘ragged’ rhythm), which originated in the red-light districts of African-American communities in St. Louis and was popularized by the publication of sheet music for piano performances by Ernest Hogan. Another African-American, Scott Joplin, registered Maple Leaf Rag in 1899; the earliest surviving recording of the tune is from 1906 by the United States Military Band.

Ragtime was popular in Batavia. For example, in May 1913 the Elite Cinema and Deca Park Theatre, which had live vaudeville acts, featured the American ragtime comedian and dancer Tom Richards.

On 26 February 1917, the all-white Original Dixieland 'Jass' Band (ODJB) recorded two sides of a shellac 78rpm disk, Dixie Jass Band One Step/Livery Stable Blues, which are considered to be the first jazz recordings.

Ragtime went out of style.

Just two years later, jazz (no longer ‘jass’) arrived in Batavia with the San Franciscobased Columbia Park Boys Club’s act – a group of 42 missionary boys. Their eclectic programme included singing, dancing, tumbling (gymnastics), with marches and 14

Indonesia expat issue 159

jazz played on cornet, trombone, trumpet, and saxophone, with percussion. A reporter from the daily newspaper of the East Indies, Het Nieuws van den Dag dismissed the Boys Club show as a “sort of cocktail entertainment”. Although he found it amusing, the “loud and noisy music” gave him “stomach cramps”.

But the new music proved popular, particularly with older teenagers. As phonographs were already part of household furnishings, the heavy shellac discs were brought into the country from, it is suggested, Shanghai via Singapore. Live music surfaced too in upmarket hotels whose in-house staff bands, known as ‘string’ bands because banjos and violins predominated, soon began to include jazz in their repertoires for matinee and weekend dances.

CD reissue of first 'jass' (jazz) record

Another band on the scene at the time was prosaically called The Original Jazz Band.

It is now notable for its drummer: Moh. Aroef was the first recorded Indonesian jazz musician.

In 1926, a number of Filipino jazz musicians enlivened the scene, and 1928 saw the visit of a real American jazz band, that of drummer Jack Carter touring Southeast Asia after finishing a contract at the Plaza Hotel in Shanghai. Their live sound being so much better than recorded ‘platen’, they inspired the young local musicians.

A new band was formed at the end of that year with sax, trumpet and trombone, with Moh. Aroef on drums. They secured regular gigs in the restaurant of the Deca Park Theatre (north side of Koningsplein) on Saturday evenings after the film show, and at the Railway Hotel whose manager was Paatje Vos. At the end of 1926 he became manager of the newly opened Tjikini Swimming Pool at the Zoo (now Taman Ismail Mazurki), and the band, now called the Swimming Bath Orchestra, played the Sunday matinees, which started at 11am.

“The visitors first had a swim for half an hour and spent the rest of the matinee dancing to the lively music. At two o'clock they went home for their afternoon nap.”

Yes, it was a time of leisure for the very few.

Bands came and went as the personnel left school, were posted outside Batavia or returned to the Netherlands, so we jump to 1930 and the entry of Charlie Overbeek Bloem to the scene. Born in 1912, he was just six years old when he took his first step to fame by playing Paderewski's Minuet in G at Schouwburg Weltevreden, now Gedung Kesenian.

Bloem was to prove a musical driving force not only in Batavia but also nationwide.

At 18 he was leading a trio, the Jazz-OManiacs, which played in the King Willem III School hall. He was also a key player in The Silver Kings, named after a cigarette brand. They had gigs at elite hotels such as the Hotel des Indes, the Batavian Yacht Club and other society venues such as Sociëteit Concordia in Bandung, regularly broadcast live on the radio.

In 1936 the semi-professional band recorded two sides of a 78rpm disc for HMV, Dinah and Ma He’s Making Eyes at Me, which, sadly, doesn't seem to have survived. In early 1938, Bloem resigned from the band and focussed as a solo pianist broadcasting live on Saturday nights on the government-approved radio network heard throughout the archipelago.

On December 7 1941, when Pearl Harbour was attacked, jazz in the Dutch East Indies came to an abrupt end as all able-bodied men were mobilized and despatched to their defensive positions to prepare for the Japanese invasion. The next chapter in A History of Jazz in Indonesia began in late August 1945 when Charlie Overbeek Bloem was released from the Japanese internment camp in Bandung.

It wasn’t long before high school and vocational college students decided to form their own dance bands playing the new music. However, it wasn't in Batavia but in Makassar that the first band was started. In 1920, W.M. van Eldik formed the Black & White Band with his violinplaying 17-year-old brother-in-law Wage Rudolf Supratman, now better known as the composer of the country's national anthem Indonesia Raya. They played at weddings and birthday parties.

The Batavia Jazz Band formed in 1922 with a line up of six banjoists, two C-melody saxophonists, a pianist, an acoustic bassist and drummer, all of whom had Dutch names. However, Pater who played the trombone and Geduld the cornet player were possibly from Suriname, the Dutch colony in the Caribbean. All were amateur, but their influences stretched to Ted Lewis and Paul Whiteman as interpreted from sheet music.

The following year the band folded and two of the banjo players, brothers Wim and Piet Bruyn van Rozenburg joined with four other students at King Willem III School to form The Royal Jazz Band, but on violin and alto sax respectively. They took their name from Koningsplein (King’s Square, now Monas) because they had a regular booking at the Railway Hotel on the east side, where Gambir Station is now.

The Concordia Society Building in Surabaya, 1850–1900

King Willem III School. The land in Jl. Salemba is now occupied by the National Library

Favehotel Kemang

Substance over Style While many serviced hotels in Jakarta exist to provide guests with budget-beating convenience, not all of them offer enjoyable experiences. But with the influx of business travellers in the capital, serviced hotels must learn to meet travellers’ need for some downtime in a comfortable environment.

When people think of serviced hotels, they might think of small lodgings, obsolete furniture, and most of all, disappointing aesthetics. Indeed, serviced hotels have become experts in luring guests with their reasonable (and often ridiculously low) prices.

Serviced hotels oftentimes promote facilities like free WiFi access and 24-hour services that should be considered more as necessities rather than privileges supported in all hotels. Think of it this way: why would anyone, even those who travel for business purposes, decide to check into a hotel for its fast wireless connection when restaurants, cafes or malls can also provide it?

Fave Hotel Kemang is one solution that understands that hotels do not merely function as places to conduct business, go through emails, and sleep; they also serve to feed guests with a pleasurable experience. Located in the expatriate hub of Jakarta, Fave Hotel Kemang wishes to please guests with style, functionality and good value.

From the outside, this serviced hotel immediately attracts with its sophisticated exterior.

The rooms provided further bring you to a world of colour, with a touch of bright pink decorating the space. There are two types of room: the Standard Room, complete with facilities like personal safe, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, work desk, shower, bathroom, slippers and telephone; and the Standard Room with Breakfast, which provides the same facilities including breakfast for two. Guests can additionally request for either a double or twin bed.

Unlike other serviced hotels that strictly offer bland facilities, Fave Hotel Kemang provides a swimming pool where guests can swim while overlooking the city’s skyline, dotted with skyscrapers. By the pool is a casual dining restaurant, Lobbyn located on the rooftop where visitors can enjoy dining in the open air and under pretty lanterns. Visitors here can enjoy choices of Indonesian, Asian or Western cuisines and also live music every Friday.

Fave Hotel Kemang proves that serviced hotels are more than places for travellers to rest. More importantly, they understand the need for business people and travellers to get the most pleasurable experience, even with a limited amount of time. After all, affordable prices should never be an excuse to substitute quality.

Favehotel Kemang Jl. Kemang 1 No. 6 Jakarta - Indonesia t: +62 21 718 1320 t: +62 21 2952 9039 e: KemangInfo@favehotels.com

issue 159 Indonesia expat

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EXPAT LIFESTYLE TRAVEL Gail Collins writes internationally for magazines and has co-written two books on expat life with a solo project entailing the long-haul, oil-rich Indonesia’s Banyu Urip field in2015. She feels writing is the perfect excuse to talk to strangers and learn about the world around her.

BEYOND BUNAKEN

Touring the Minahasa Highlands

Mahawu from the rim of the 180-metre wide crater. From there, the vista of Mount Lokon, symbol of the Highlands, looms on the horizon.

BY GAIL G. COLLINS

Divers dig the underwater magic of Bunaken’s world class reef. The biodiversity is unmatched, but even experienced divers needs 24 hours of decompression before flying out. Many wonders lie above the water line in the countryside surrounding North Sulawesi’s provincial capital, Manado.

Single and multi-storied raised houses – to counter the rains – boast many details, like porches or symmetrical staircases, so if the devil enters, he will have two ways out.

Abundant fruit and vegetables provide self-sufficiency with a focus on spices, such as clove, nutmeg and vanilla. Arabica coffee, which thrives in such mountainous conditions, was introduced by the Spanish and brews a fragrant morning cup. A ride in a bendi, a horse trap bedecked in vibrant flags and tassels, makes for a fun tour of the flower street and historic Sacred Heart Church. Then, it’s time for a steep, short walk up to a pleasant perch above it all.

Look down on the Tomohon from Mount

Lake Tondano

Minahasa

Vihara Buddhayana statues Kalimantan

Bali Sulawesi

Minahasa Highlands Province

North Sulawesi Kit houses

Mount Mahawu

Capital

Manado

Province Population The city itself hosts a public museum – filled with traditional costumes, weapons, ceramic ware and independence history – plus a broad range of hotels and restaurants. Still, nothing can beat the lofty views three volcanoes provide of the old city and sapphire sea. Only an hour’s drive from the dock, the cooler climes of outlying villages offer diversions ranging from wooden kit houses to a Buddhist temple to fresh fish dinners on the lake, and of course, markets filled with local goods. The warm, welcoming Minahasa people create an inviting place to lose oneself or to break away and linger longer.

Outside Manado, a verdant landscape awaits. Dotted with neat, framed houses and fenced gardens, the countryside has a European feel. Despite the numerous 16

Indonesia expat issue 159

churches left over from colonial influence, there is great respect for all beliefs. Head south to Vihara Buddhayana in Kakaskasen, where a scarlet flame sculpture and a sevenstorey pagoda dominate the complex. The climb rewards with a spectacular sight, and as one quickly realizes, volcanoes are visible from nearly every location. The temple grounds' entryway is studded with golden Buddhist statues and teachings.

Further on, stop for a picnic at Kali Waterfall to delight in nature before continuing south to Tomohon. Known locally as the City of Flowers, the village sits in the saddle between Mount Lokon and Mount Mahawu. Neither of these sleeping sister volcanoes has been active since the late 1700s, but previous activity throughout the region has blanketed it with fertile soil.

2,270,596 (2010 census)

Nearby Woloan boasts a main street of wooden houses for which the Minahasa are known. Single and multi-storied raised houses – to counter the rains – boast many details, like porches or symmetrical staircases, so if the devil enters, he will have two ways out. The kit homes are not samples, but available for sale, after which they are dissembled, trucked and rebuilt onsite. Go ahead and bargain with a builder.

From there, drive alongside rice paddies outside Rurukan en route to Lake Tondano.

The immense lake, nearly 4,300 hectares, is east of Mount Tondano and surrounded by hills. Many fisheries line the shore, some with restaurants attached. A fish dinner doesn’t get any fresher, and a freshwater catch is touted to be sweeter than their salty sea-going relatives.

Alternately, Lake Linow is a small, colourful, water-filled crater. Small vents punctuate the crater wall, emitting hot gases and fluid.

The vacillating chemical mixture causes the lake to fluctuate from red to green or blue. Watch your footing, regardless of the concrete-like appearance of the water’s edge.

Pulutan affords the chance to purchase pottery. The cottage industry utilizes selfmade, simple equipment to shape the clay by hand. A native pot, used to slowly cook a stew over wood fires, could be a useful reminder of those emerald hills.

Not for the faint of heart, Bukit Kasih, or Hill of Love, rises with a 1,000-step staircase, complete with balustrades.

Near Kawangkoan, the monument represents the five religions of Indonesia, but sulphur’s corrosive characteristics have left the spot less than lovely.

Completing a loop back to Manado, stop into Gardenia Country Inn. The resort can provide an overnight stay, and the restaurant, supplied by its lush gardens, can provide a sampling of local cuisine.

Minahasans enjoy their dishes with liberal chilli, so be forewarned. The bubur, or porridge, is a favourite. A grandson to Sam Ratulangi, who was an independence hero and local educator and for whom the international airport is named, owns the establishment. Leonard’s wife, Bernadette, is a hobbyist cook and gardener, and the restaurant became an outlet for her passions.

Indonesian Airlines

Garuda Indonesia, Batik and Lion Air

What to do

Vihara Buddhayana, Mount Mahawu volcano and rim walk, Tomohon, Woloan wooden houses, Lake Tondano Restaurant or Gardenia Restaurant for local cuisine

What to bring

A sense of adventure and awe, good walking shoes and cash to purchase pottery

Where to stay

Gardenia Country Inn www.gardeniacountryinn.com Highland Resort & Spa www.highlandresort.ing

If days allow, travel east from Manado to Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve.

The park covers three mountains and 8,700 hectares. Rainforest conservation began in 1919, but habitat devastation and hunting still threaten many species. It is possible to see a variety of wildlife, including tarsiers; a tiny, indigenous primate; cuscus, the Sulawesi bear; and birds, such a macaques and hornbills. Rafting, trekking, dolphin tours and many outdoor adventures also are available.

The word Minahasa derives from the local language, meaning ‘to become one’, yet the diversity – from the sparkling seas to the panoramic volcano rims – of each wonder is unique to behold.

EXPAT LIFESTYLE MEET THE EXPAT COUPLE Karen Davis is a NYC artist and writer

Meet Milu Evans and Crille Rask

A Love Story

BY K AREN DAVIS

Crille, tell us a bit about yourself.

Crille: My dad is Swedish and my mum is from Portugal. From the time I was 15 until 25, music was my thing; I mostly played guitar and sang, but I can play just about any instrument and write my own music.

I created a clothing brand which did well; we had over 25 accounts in Sweden alone.

Then I got into TV production and reality TV shows, working on Survivor.

Do you have any Survivor stories you can share with us?

Crille: This was Survivor for Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Things happened; a guy had a stroke, in Malaysia two guys were in a tent and a tree fell on a guy and killed him. I had to sit with the corpse for four hours until the police finally came to deal with it! I never questioned my sanity as much as during these shows, during rainy season. I’d see burn marks on the ground from where lightening struck! The conditions on these small little islands in the middle of nowhere were really hard.

But what I’ve done most is menswear marketing and events. I still represent Rhythm, which can be found at Drifter shops. I’m a surfer and started photographing just a year ago, but my main gig is representing Rhythm.

And what’s your background, Milu?

Milu: I help Crille with management and he helps me with promotion. We make a good balance business-wise. I actually come from a very different professional background; I studied Spiritual Anthropology. It is more about Shamanism; how young westerners are hijacking old spiritual paths because in our capitalist system we lack ritual and meaning in our lives, and need that sense of belonging and fulfilment. I studied tribes in Venezuela and in Kenya. My main job was working at a children’s charity, in disaster relief and child slave labour. I was never in the fashion field!

Milu, how did you go from working for children’s charities to fashion?

I spent two years very ill with an undiagnosed but serious sickness. I was bedridden and did spiritual healing. I

realized the work I had been doing took a lot of my energy, so I started making things, like boots! It really took off when I put them on Instagram! The boots are made in Bali and I sell internationally. Crille and I have started a public relations firm, where I manage the online media and he does the content creation.

How did you two meet?

Last July I read an interview of Crille on a travel blog. It fascinated me; it was about the commodification of nature and being present in nature, creating trades to be able to live in it. This guy who was just an Instagram identity to me, but he seemed too perfect to be real. He followed me on Instagram, and when he friended me on Facebook we started talking. Then we started talking on the phone and fell in love over the phone like such wierdos after 6–8 weeks.

I was coming to Bali, and although my family lives here I wanted to get my own place. It turned out that Crille was going to Europe that time and offered me his room!

So I stayed in his room before we even met.

This love story became more intimate when I moved in with his stuff all around me.

He walked up to me and gave me the best airport kiss a girl could ever have!

Crille: I was away shooting a wedding and came back earlier than planned. We met for the first time at the airport!

Milu: I was freaked out! We had already discussed the most intimate areas of our lives. But as soon as we saw each other, it was love! He walked up to me and gave me the best airport kiss a girl could ever have!

Where are you going in Europe?

Crille: We’re going to my hometown to meet my family. We may go to Morocco and have some adventures. I went to Jordon a while ago and it is one of the best trips I have ever done. It taught me a lot. The people are happy. The Bedouin have heavy and beautiful stories and I got a whole new insight into Islam.

Where’s your favourite surf spot?

Crille: Medewi – it has nice waves and is quiet.

Where is your favourite romantic spot?

Our home! Our bed!

What brought you to Bali?

Milu: I came here to do production after my mum had sourced my product here.

Crille: I was in Malaysia working on Survivor and I randomly came here.

Everyone was coming here. I came for a week and I really did not like it! The second time a year later I met my best friend, Made

Wick and his beautiful Balinese friends. I got to be good friends with fellow Balinese musicians. I went and played in Jakarta with Superman is Dead for 100,000 people.

Made knew everybody and we surfed, laughed, played music. He was my reason for returning.

If you could have whatever you want in Bali, what would it be?

Milu: I would continue to be entrepreneurial, but I just want a nice little home to make babies in. We would like to interlace our success into contributing to Bali, giving back. I have been thinking to go in a new direction, perhaps midwifery.

What are your future plans?

Crille: I’m about to do my own accessory label. I won’t say exactly what it is, but it is adventure accessories. I mainly want to build a family!

What is your advice for finding happiness?

Crille: Stay busy being happy! It is the only way to measure a good life. All you live with is all you die with!

Milu: Live authentically. Happiness is different for everyone. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing as long as it makes you happy!

To get in touch, email Crille at info@raskal. com or Milu at miluevans@gmail.com issue 159 Indonesia expat

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Kenneth Yeung is a Jakarta-based editor

It’s All in the Mind

Hypnotism – when defined as the act of putting someone into a trance and under your control – is not real. But in Indonesia, many scam victims insist they were hypnotized, as if they were powerless to prevent themselves from being swindled.

BY KENNE TH YEUNG

I was conned once. It was back in 1994, when I was a tourist in London. Sitting

by Westminster Bridge, I was approached by an immaculately dressed, well-spoken stranger. He claimed to be a professional golfer, who had left his wallet in the back of a taxi and needed to borrow 100 pounds to get to a tournament. He promised to repay the money. Being youthfully naive, I gave him the money. I never saw him again.

What about hypnosis therapy, where people pay money in the hope of quitting smoking, losing weight or growing bigger breasts or a longer penis? Paying someone to help you achieve positive thinking and self-discipline may have benefits, such as alleviating symptoms, pain, stress and anxiety, but it won’t cure diseases or reverse baldness.

At worst, some hypnotherapists plant dangerous ideas in people’s minds and foster self-delusion.

It was a costly lesson in scepticism.

I certainly wasn’t hypnotised. I had merely been duped by a conman’s persuasive patter.

Indonesia’s most famous magician, Deddy Corbuzier, sometimes performs hypnotism on TV shows. He once pretended he could make viewers sitting at home be unable to stand up – and even asked them to Tweet photos of their subsequent immobility. But first, he carefully explained that people who did not wish to participate should lift their feet off the floor. I was willing. I focused intently on his instructions, planting my feet firmly on the floor, palms pressing down on my thighs. Alas, when Deddy commanded “Try to stand up,” I stood up.

So, what is hypnotism? According to Greek mythology, Hypnos was the god of sleep, who lived in a cave surrounded by opium poppies and other narcotic vegetation.

Then in 1842, a Scottish surgeon named James Braid coined the term ‘hypnotism’ to describe the process by which people could be put into a trance-like state induced by visual and mental focus on a single object.

The official dictionary of Indonesia, Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, goes further. It defines hypnosis as “a sleeplike state induced by suggestion, putting a person under the influence of the individual who gives the suggestion, after which the subject becomes completely unaware”. Nonsense.

Yes, a person can be relaxed to the point of daydreaming, where they go along with someone’s suggestions, but they retain a level of awareness and cannot be forced to do something against their will. You can only be hypnotised if you want to be – unless perhaps you have been beaten, shocked or drugged.

Movies and TV shows have convinced many people that a swinging pendulum or mesmerizing gestures and words can cause a person to fall into trance and then follow orders. There are also stage shows, where performers command willing subjects to engage in buffoonery.

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Indonesia expat issue 159

Another TV hypnotist, Uya Kuya, finds attention-seeking celebrities, such as bigchested actress Julia Perez, who are willing to go along with cringingly lowbrow antics, like scratching their heads when they hear trigger words. Such clowning may seem harmless, but it’s dangerous when it makes people believe hypnotism is real. TV shows featuring hypnotists should be prefaced and concluded with announcements that hypnotism is phony. Otherwise, people will think there really are ‘mentalists’ who can control them for nefarious purposes.

The Indonesian media invariably supports the myth that scam victims were hypnotised. The Riau Pos reported on January 28 that a man carrying Rp.40 million to pay for his upcoming wedding party was resting at a small mosque when a stranger hypnotised him and persuaded him to part with his cash.

In another case, Iskandar (34) from Aceh province was robbed in late January while taking a bus to the North Sumatra capital

POLICE TIPS ON AVOIDING HYPNOTISM 1. Malevolent hypnotists cannot influence those who disbelieve hypnotism, because hypnosis depends on self-suggestion and exploits our fears.

2. Be suspicious of strangers who strike up a conversation, as hypnosis requires persuasive communication.

3. Don’t listen to strangers who tap you on the shoulder. You become susceptible to suggestions when you focus on their words.

4. Keep your mind busy when in public places. A vacant mind is wide open to suggestions.

5. Beware of sudden drowsiness, nausea, dizziness, or chest tightness.

It may be caused by telepathic forcing. Expel negative energy by praying according to your beliefs.

6. If you are latah [afflicted by a psychological disorder involving imitative behaviour and sometimes vulgar language] try to be accompanied by a friend when in public, because being latah makes you more susceptible to following orders.

7. Beware of people suddenly gathering around you for no reason.

Move to a crowded place or go to police. Hypnotists may work in groups but pretend not to know each other.

8. If you start slipping into a different state of consciousness, command yourself to snap out of it.

of Medan, where he had intended to purchase a bicycle. Four well-dressed men boarded the bus, introduced themselves as healers and gave Iskandar a massage.

Arriving at his destination, he noticed his roll of banknotes, amounting to Rp.8 million, had been removed from his pocket. He told police he was hypnotised.

Also in Medan, university student Isra Purnama (23) was robbed last month while on her way home after a lecture. A motorcyclist asked her for directions to a doctor’s clinic on the pretext that his mother was unwell. He convinced her to get on his motorbike and hand over her bag for safekeeping up front. After driving a short distance, he dropped a piece of paper containing the doctor’s address and quickly stopped the bike. Isra dismounted to pick up the paper and the man sped away, taking her bag of valuables.

Naturally, she declared she had been hypnotised.

People also claim to be hypnotised via phone calls from scammers, whether it be buying them telephone credit or transferring funds for bogus investments or job offers.

Police in West Kalimantan on January 24 arrested five men for fraud involving hypnotism, which had netted them Rp.660 million – peanuts compared to the vast sums squandered by legislators on comparative studies abroad.

Allegations of hypnotism have even been made by Jessica Wongso, who is suspected of murdering her friend Mirna Salihin on January 6 by putting cyanide in her coffee.

After Jessica was interrogated by police, she complained to the National Commission on Human Rights that she had been hypnotised.

And when people recently joined a cult called Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar) that combines teachings of Islam, Christianity and Judaism, the Indonesian Ulema Council declared that Gafatar’s adherents had been controlled by satanic hypnosis.

And so it goes on. Police in 2007 issued eight guidelines (in yellow box) on how to avoid being hypnotised. Reproduced here in English and slightly abridged, they’re mostly sensible, except the bit about “telepathic forcing”. Remember, you can’t be hypnotised, but you can be scammed if you don’t practise scepticism.

issue 159 Indonesia expat

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EXPAT OUTREACH MEET THE EXPAT COUPLE

MEET AMANDA STEK AND JOEL BERENDS

Paying it Forward When and where did you first meet?

JB: I thought my journey ended upon our first meeting. Love struck me in the fourth grade when I first ran into Amanda at the drinking fountain outside of our respective classrooms. She was with her best friend.

I mustered the courage to say hello and, sadly, the girls didn’t even acknowledge my existence and they walked away. Fortunately, the journey did not end there.

What qualities did you find in each other that you believe are important to have in a spouse?

AS: Joel is a glass half full (or always full) kind of guy. He has tonnes of energy that only increases throughout a busy day. He is funny and always wears a smile. He is committed to and passionate about his job – teaching kids how language and literature can help them understand the world and get to know people worlds or generations away from them. Most of all, he is supportive, caring, compassionate to others, and loves God. How could I not marry him?

JB: What I admire most about Amanda is her strength, commitment, and focus.

Amanda challenges me, is patient with me, and she makes me a better person. A commitment to make each other better is not all warm fuzzies, but is so important.

What brought your lives over to Jakarta?

JB: To put a long story short, Amanda had research interests here, and I landed a teaching job at a Christian international school in Lippo Karawaci. We moved here two days after our wedding, in 2009, and stayed through 2011. After a two-year stint back in the US, we returned to Jakarta in 2013. Amanda took a job with a US-based company, and I returned to teach at the Kemang campus in the same school system where I taught previously.

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Indonesia expat issue 159

Amanda and Joel are originally from Michigan in the United States, and have spent 4.5 years living and working in Jakarta. Amanda works as a programme manager of development projects in Asia with Social Impact Inc., and Joel is a lead senior school teacher at SPH international school. We talk to them about their marriage, their baby girl, and their commitment to helping others.

Amanda, you’re a programme manager at Social Impact, Inc. You and your team of local monitoring and evaluation specialists evaluated a US$30 million USAID governance programme – can you tell us more about this?

AS: From 2013 to 2015, I worked as the team leader of a monitoring and evaluation team for a USAID project. The project focused on improving public services in 20 districts in Indonesia – public services like healthcare, education, and business licensing. Together with my excellent team, we completed two rigorous impact evaluations that allowed us to measure the programme’s positive impact in treatment schools (or schools that received the development project’s intervention). I now work as a programme manager, managing evaluations of development projects in the Asia region – all with the ultimate aim of making international development projects and organizations more effective.

Joel, you’re the lead senior school teacher at SPH in Kemang. What do you love most about teaching?

JB: My students fill me up with joy. There is nothing better than stepping into an environment where meaning is discovered and developed in communion, and I get to do this each day while working alongside wonderful and deeply committed teachers.

I love my job.

You have a 10-month-old baby girl – how have you found parenting in Jakarta so far, especially as you’re both busy professionals? Do you have any advice for other would-be parents in Jakarta?

Being a first time parent in Jakarta is – well – probably similar to being a first time parent anywhere else in the world. It is full of sleepless nights, worries, bottles, crying

– but also amazement, wonder, laughter, and pure joy. Both of us have found that, though our work continues to be busy, we lead a much more balanced life now that we have a little one to come home to, take care of, and love. She keeps us focused on the here and now, and reminds us about what is really important in life.

As for advice for would-be parents in Jakarta, ask for help and receive help, and find communities that you can turn to.

That first fever or the first bump can be scary, and even scarier when you are in a foreign place. But if you find fellow parents that have gone before you, lean on them.

They leaned on others when they were in your shoes – and they can help ease your fears as you fly through the early days and months of your child’s life. And if all else fails, get a massage!

Amanda, in 2010 you wrote a letter that was published in the Jakarta Post titled Child Health: the Time for Disregard is Over. In it you said that “advocacy for improved laws and commitments by the international community and the government of Indonesia are needed.”

Since you wrote this letter, have you noticed any significant improvements in child health in Indonesia?

AS: In that article, I was encouraging readers to learn about maternal and child deaths in this country and to do something about it. In the last few years, I have seen courageous government officials, health clinic workers, and everyday citizens work to address preventable fatalities like maternal death. For example, in a district in Aceh – Aceh Singkil – a donor-funded programme helped build partnerships between community health centres, traditional birth attendants and midwives

that resulted in more women choosing to give birth in health facilities.

How does expat life in Cambodia compare to Indonesia?

We only lived in Cambodia for four months during Amanda’s graduate school fellowship.

It is, therefore, hard to compare to Jakarta where we have spent 4.5 years. We did love Phnom Penh, however. You could easily ride a motorbike from one end to the other – that is not the case in Jakarta, unless you have a few days to commit to the task! In Jakarta, we have had enough time to establish genuine community – in our church, where we live, and in our work places. Traffic or not, we have loved our time here.

How do you both usually spend Valentine’s Day? JB: We often make a really nice meal together; however, this usually means pouring a glass of wine for Amanda while I do the cooking.

For us, it’s more about setting aside quality time to be together than it is chocolates and flowers.

Joel, is your Bahasa as good as your wife’s?

JB: It’s nowhere near hers. But I use what little I have, shamelessly.

If you each had one wish for the world, what would it be?

AS: That those in power would use that power to improve lives and reduce suffering.

JB: That all of us would choose, each day, to love one another.

To get in touch, please email: amanda.stek@ gmail.com and joel.berends@gmail.com

EXPAT OUTREACH THE ENVIRONMENT

Could Accountability in Sustainable Oil Palm Prevent Further Forest Fires?

Hans Rooseboom is a long term resident of Jakarta. He has visited nearly all of Indonesia's provinces and worked for many years in Ambon, Aceh, Manado and Java. He now enjoys a leisurely life, playing tennis most mornings and writing his blog and other articles.

BY HANS ROOSEBOOM

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Green Commodities Programme (GCP) are working with oil palm stakeholders to ensure this sector’s contributions to the national economy become sustainable in order to prevent further forest fires and deforestation.

The disastrous forest and peatland fires of last year are still fresh in our collective memory. Only a few months ago, when the rains started to assist the firefighting efforts, did the haze clear and could life in the affected provinces on Sumatra, Kalimantan, in Singapore and parts of Malaysia, return to normal.

But it was also predicted that the next round of fires was just around the corner – the El Niño climate anomaly, still being strong, is expected to continue with severe droughts in early 2016. This did galvanize many national as well as international authorities and organizations into action.

Plans and programmes that had been on the table for quite some time suddenly were activated together with decisions on how to navigate the road to mitigation ahead.

One of the main players in this context is the UNDP Green Commodities Programme. Its Global Head, Andrew Bovarnick, recently spent a week in Indonesia to conduct meetings with government officials in the ministries of agriculture, forestry, cooperatives and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), representatives of provincial and district authorities, oil palm estates, NGOs and other stakeholders.

Bovarnick spoke to Indonesia Expat about the programmes designed to ensure that the oil palm sector's contributions to the national economy become sustainable, starting by describing the extent of the UNDP GCP's involvement in the oil palm sector in Indonesia.

In partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, GCP is involved in setting up and strengthening a multi-stakeholder action plan to achieve sustainable palm oil production. GCP also works closely with the Indonesia Palm Oil Platform, which was launched in 2010 by the Ministry of Agriculture. Its main objectives: 1) increasing smallholder productivity 2)

The number of smallholders is estimated at between one and two million, a number that clearly needs to be specified more precisely, while also geo-referencing the location and size of their holdings.

improving environmental management and monitoring of the oil palm production areas 3) governance and mediation – especially in respect of empowering communities, and land ownership disputes.

Cooperation and information sharing among a large number of stakeholders of different hues is enormously difficult. But the fires of last year have instilled a feeling of urgency and a conviction that, without major changes in the operating procedures of the sector, more and more severe disasters are unavoidable. The division is standing with its back against the wall, so to speak. Cooperation and aiming for the same positive, sustainable outcome is the only viable path.

This multi-stakeholder approach, quite obviously, requires a change in attitude and behaviour of the stakeholders. Our discussion then centred on how this could be achieved as the opportunity cost of change is very high – in other words, making the sector sustainable will cut deeply into the current income levels enjoyed by palm oil producers.

The standard method of expanding operations is still to [legally or illegally] encroach upon primary forest, which has the additional advantage that it yields investment funds from the sale of the felled commercial timber.

Increased production and incomes can, however, also be achieved by increasing productivity, in particular of the smallholders through effective extension services and training, and ensuring access to good quality seeds and capital.

According to Bovarnick, “multinationals cannot prevent palm oil deforestation on their own, as around 50 percent of the fires are smallholder-linked.”

It is thus vitally important to include them in the action plans for sustainability. This will only be possible by improving the

size of the smallholders' plots.” He adds, “Up-to-date maps with these features are unfortunately not yet available. And without this information it will not be possible to design the programme of extension and training.”

Andrew Bovarnick, UNDP Green Commodies Programme Head

By improving these yields an almost doubling of their incomes could be achieved, without expanding the area cultivated, which typically involves the illegal encroachment upon protected forests and national parks.

productivity of their plots – at the moment they produce less than half of the yield (per hectare) of estates. By improving these yields an almost doubling of their incomes could be achieved, without expanding the area cultivated, which typically involves the illegal encroachment upon protected forests and national parks.

Increases in productivity are not only the most important option for raising the incomes of the smallholders, but also of the large estates. Where Indonesia's estates produce on average 30 tonnes per hectare, the equivalent yield in Malaysia is 60 tonnes per hectare. As in the case of the smallholders, if the productivity were increased, so would the production without felling and burning another hectare of forest.

But according to Bovarnick, a very important problem will need to be solved first: “Mapping the exact boundaries of the estates, together with the location and

The data improvement programme would also need to cover the indigenous forest dwellers, who at present are victims rather than beneficiaries of the developments [achieved by the oil palm sector]. Better data and information about these communities, their sites and nomadic movements, the location of their water resources, hunting grounds, gardens, sacred sites, burial places and all other aspects of their lives, would strengthen their claims to land and avoid land disputes.

UNDP GCP's main partner is the Ministry of Agriculture. There are, however, many other public and private authorities with interests in the oil palm sector. In order to avoid overlaps and duplication of efforts due to organizational problems, co-chairs have been created which give management positions and decision-making power to, for instance, representatives of the Ministry of Forestry. It seems to work reasonably well.

“But, of course, integration and transparency remains a problem as the number of stakeholders and organizations is very large, and what's more keeps growing,” says Bovarnick.

After the Ministry of Agriculture launched the Indonesia Oil Palm Platform, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (KADIN) created the Indonesia Palm Oil Pledge. The mission was to create an environment in Indonesia which enables and promotes the production of sustainable palm oil that is deforestation-free, expands social benefits, and improves Indonesia’s market competitiveness.

“Cooperation and data sharing is clearly of the utmost importance. We'll eventually get there," and according to Bovarnick, most likely a lot faster than initially predicted.

Image courtesy of Sime Darby Group issue 159 Indonesia expat

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EXPAT OUTREACH WORTHY CAUSES

Wedlite

For Richer or Poorer

BY CAR ANISSA DJATMIKO

While some people have the money to realize the wedding of their dreams, others find themselves breaking the bank to make it happen. Wedlite, the first wedding financing platform in Indonesia, aims to solve this problem.

schedule for survey. And within the next four or five days, the loan will be disbursed, unlike banks that could take up to three weeks for disbursal.

Today, the company has attracted an average of 300 applicants per month and a total of approximately 3,000 since it was established.

Interestingly, 40 percent of Taralite’s costumers (which include Wedlite) come from Sumatra, although Viktor has yet to figure out how. “I thought our website is very high-tech and only people in Jabodetabek (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi) would feel familiar enough to use it, but apparently people in other areas are pretty comfortable using our website,” he says.

Wedlite’s very first costomer discovered the website about three weeks prior to his wedding. As Viktor recalls, “He actually rushed us, he told us: ‘Frankly speaking I don’t know how to cover the remaining expenses of my wedding.’”

repay the loan, which is shown in the amount of earnings per month and liabilities they currently have. In some cases, applicants do get rejected for their lack of repayment capabilities, and unstable income. Applicants, typically young people, who are still studying, not working, but are planning to get married would naturally get rejected. The same goes for people with unstable incomes, for instance multi-level-marketing agents.

Accordingly, Viktor notes that it is important to educate people to manage their money wisely. “As much as we want to help, I think it is also our responsibility to educate people about the hazards of over-borrowing,” he advises. If a person, for instance, earns Rp.10 million a month but has already spent half of it to repay the debt, then Viktor fears such a condition is unhealthy.

Along the way, Viktor realizes that weddings are not the only event requiring overwhelming amounts of money. Although many mistake him for supporting big weddings, he personally finds the whole process to be counterproductive, and instead encourages people to invest in areas that are far more crucial like healthcare and education.

Despite various ethnic groups and religious beliefs, Indonesian weddings traditionally involve hundreds or even thousands of guests in ceremonies and receptions which can often last for days.

Indonesian nuptials are notoriously expensive, costing an average of US$6,000 or roughly Rp.87,000,000. A major problem, however, is that the average household income is only approximately US$284. A majority of Indonesians sacrifice their prized possessions, have to save up for years, or borrow money to pay for their dream wedding.

Banks’ low approval rate for consumer loans motivated Viktor to find a better solution.

In 2015, Wedlite was founded under the company Taralite. Wedlite provides digital consumer loans specifically for weddings, while its main company Taralite cares for other purposes.

Unfortunately, those opting to borrow money are often rejected by banks. Founder and chief executive of wedding financing platform Wedlite, Abraham Viktor, reveals that banks will usually respond reluctantly to those seeking this kind of loan. “If people come to the bank and tell them that they want to borrow money for their wedding, the bank would be very defensive about it,” Viktor said.

Viktor believes that both Wedlite and Taralite not only help people by providing loans, but also makes sure that they go through a more convenient process compared to borrowing from banks. As an online-based platform, Wedlite simply requires applicants to make an account on their website and fill in the form.

Afterwards, costumer service will call them to confirm the data submitted and arrange a

Dua Tangan Cukup

“Wedlite is actually a part of Taralite.

What Taralite does is provide online loans for wedding purposes under Wedlite.

But they’re not only for weddings, also childbirth, education and more,” Viktor elaborates.

Indonesian nuptials are notoriously expensive, costing an average of US$6,000 or roughly Rp.87,000,000.

In healthcare for instance, even those who are covered by the national health insurance scheme, Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial (BPJS), may not be entirely spared from the responsibility of paying for hospital fees. Viktor strongly supports people who borrow for the sake of their children’s future, education, including up to University level.

Another applicant, a public figure from a popular local television station, could not afford to pay for his wedding due to some internal issues with the station. Eventually, these people were able to carry on with their plans and were grateful for stumbling upon Wedlite.

Both Wedlite and Taralite not only help people with consumer loans, but they teach people the value of investing in the long run. If a wedding is truly worth splashing out millions of rupiah on, one should at least remember that it is not the most important part of the journey and understanding where money should be invested is the key.

Having said that, not all applicants are approved unless they have the capacity to

As Viktor says, “I think what matters is the marriage not the wedding, right?”

For more information please visit their websites: www.wedlite.com or www.taralite.com

Actions From Across The Archipelago

Ministry of Environment and Forestry Invites the Public to Join Hari Peduli Sampah 21 February will be Hari Peduli Sampah Nasional, which translates to the National Concern for Trash Day. Accordingly, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry is asking the public to partake in BERGERAK Untuk Indonesia #BebasSampah2020 (Take Action for Indonesia #FreeofTrash2020), where volunteers take charge through different initiatives each year; this year’s action to carry out clean ups at sites spanning the nation, from cities, beaches, mountains, to tourist areas.

This movement was born to remember the tragic event that took place in West Java in 2005, where a landslide of garbage left hundreds of people from Cilimus and Pojok dead. Today, nearly 11 years after the tragedy, Indonesia still suffers from the problem of trash with its lack of awareness and understanding of the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.

What is even more upsetting is that Indonesia is recognized as a country that significantly contributes to global trash production.

According to the Wildlife Education Center, Indonesia produces 11,330 tonnes of trash per day. Another finding by Jenna R. Jambeck from the University of Georgia, states that Indonesia currently holds second place as the country that produces the most plastic waste in the oceans.

Although many people remain unmotivated to take action in the fight against trash, some groups are working to raise awareness of this issue through ways like clean ups and social media campaigns.

Aside from the social media campaign #BebasSampah2020 and their national clean-up this month, other groups like one in Bandung are developing an application called bebasssampah.id, which the public can use to send information regarding trash.

Make sure to join Hari Peduli Sampah Nasional on 21 February in your neighbourhood to help raise awareness about the global trash problem. For more information, visit http://bergerak.bebassampah.id

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Indonesia expat issue 159

One Eleven wins Worldwide Best for Romance Award

Bali One Eleven Bali, a luxurious property of nine adult-only villas situated in Seminyak, announces its win in the Worldwide Best for Romance category of the prestigious 34th Condé Nast Johansens Annual Awards for Excellence 2016.

The criteria for the award looked at the privacy provided by the property, bespoke services for couples and design aesthetic.

Ms Helen Fox, General Manager of One Eleven says, “We really appreciate the recognition from our partners and the positive response from the reviews of our guests through the online voting process and local expert reports, featured in Condé Nast Johansen's most recent guides. This

PT Adhi Karya Persero Tbk enters the hospitality market

reaffirms what we believe in, a philosophy that centres around service, privacy and contentment.”

To celebrate this win, One Eleven Bali invites couples to honour their love with I II Romance. Valid throughout the year with a two nights and three night’s package valued at US$1,100 and US$1,650 respectively, this specially curated package comes with a romantic dinner for two in-villa or a Zen Omakase dinner at Shiro Sushi/Sake Bar, a one-hour spa treatment for two in the privacy of the villa’s own spa gazebo, and a celebratory pitcher of Sangria.

High season rates are applicable from 15 July to 31 August 2016 and 23 December 2015 to 6 January 2017 at US$1,290 for 2 nights and 3 nights at US$1,935.

Archipelago International plants tree seeds in Balikpapan for One Million Trees Day Balikpapan

Indonesia PT. Adhi Karya Persero Tbk (ADHI) continues to develop and optimize their assets. After successful expansion in property, ADHI has now expanded into the hospitality business.

ADHI has built and manages a network of GranDhika hotels in several major cities in Indonesia. In the next five years, the company has targeted to develop and manage a minimum of four GranDhika hotels in Indonesia: Hotel GranDhika Iskandarsyah Jakarta, Hotel GranDhika Setiabudi Medan, Hotel GranDhika Pemuda Semarang, and Hotel GrandDhika Bekasi. Hotel GranDhika (4-star) targets the business traveller, and the leisure and family market. On 20 January, Hotel GranDhika Iskandarsyah Jakarta became the group’s first hotel in operation.

Hotel GranDhika Iskandarsyah Jakarta has 239 rooms with four room types: Deluxe, Executive Deluxe, Premiere Deluxe and GranDhika Suite. Guests can also savour a variety of delicious Asian and Western dishes at Palapadi Restaurant, which has a 150-seating capacity. Hotel GranDhika Iskandarsyah Jakarta also has a cosy and relaxing Temoe Lounge suited for gathering or hanging out. In addition Hotel GranDhika Iskandarsyah Jakarta will also develop other F & B outlets for The Executive Lounge and rooftop.

Hotel GranDhika Iskandarsyah Jakarta is equipped with a business centre, fitness and wellness centre, travel agent, 11 meeting rooms, a swimming pool and kid’s pool. Also available are three basements for parking. Meanwhile, this hotel also has a strategic location, close to Blok M terminal, shopping centres and government and business districts.

Around the world, January 10 is known as One Million Trees Day, a day to remind us of the importance of tree preservation and conservation.

Archipelago International, through its brands in Balikpapan and East Kalimantan, showed its support and concern for the environment by holding a tree-planting event.

The event was held on the morning of Saturday 23 January in Bendali III, Balikpapan, joined by the employees of Favehotel, NEO, Quest, and Aston and attended by the Head of the Board of the Environment (BLH) of Balikpapan City, Mr. Suryanto.

The tree planting was inaugurated by Mr. Suryanto, followed by the staff

who planted 50 seeds. Archipelago International also made an agreement with BLH to not only plant the trees, but also to continuously ensure the preservation of the trees in the future.

“Indonesia is one of the most beautiful and diverse countries on the planet. We hope the generations to come can enjoy the same beauty we all do today. It’s only through initiatives for conserving forests, animal diversity, water, energy, clean air and other eco-friendly solutions in all sectors of business which will help maintain Indonesia's beauty. Every step counts just like every seed counts,” said Tenaiya Brookfield, VP Sales & Marketing of Archipelago International.

EU and ASEAN officially establish the European Union (EU) Mission to ASEAN (EEAS), Brussels; H.E. Derry Aman, the Director for ASEAN Dialogue Partners and Inter-Regional Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia; H.E. Francisco Fontan Pardo, EU Ambassador to ASEAN; and also H.E. Vincent Guérend, EU Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam.

Jakarta An official inauguration ceremony was held for the formal establishment of the European Union (EU) Mission to ASEAN. The ceremony was attended by H.E. Le Luong Minh, Secretary General of ASEAN; H.E. Patrick Child, Director General for Budget and Administration, European External Action Service

Both H.E. Patrick Child and H.E. Le Luong Minh marked the ceremony by unveiling the plaque. Stressing the significance of the EU’s overall relations with Asia, Patrick Child hopes to strengthen the strategic partnership between EU and ASEAN. “We look forward to elevating the EU-ASEAN partnership to the strategic level, as we truly believe that our respective regions have a lot of benefit from each other’s experiences and agendas, as we are, after all, ‘partners in connectivity’, as you say in ASEAN,” he said.

Similarly, the target of this mission is “relatively straightforward but at the same time very ambitious” according to Fontan Pardo, as the EU tries to improve the relationship with ASEAN that in essence

is already very strong in cultural, economic, security, maritime and more sectors.

On a bilateral level, Vincent Guérend also discusses the importance for EU and Indonesia to have a two-way communication. The ambassador reveals that the two have long managed to work together particularly in areas like education and climate change. Speaking to Indonesia Expat, he further highlights the benefit of this form of interaction on establishing international ties. “We also want countries providing more high-tech assistance to have a mutual strategic dialogue with Indonesia on the global issues, either climate change or security. As a matter of fact, just a few days ago there were several more conversations between Prime Minister Marsudi and High Representative Mrs. Mogherini on the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia because they’re both very actively trying to diffuse the tension.”

The EU Mission to ASEAN was opened on 8 August in Jakarta, aiming to preserve and improve EU’s engagement with ASEAN and accomplish a strategic partnership. issue 159 Indonesia expat

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* Answers in the next edition!

CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1. Leaf of book etc (4) 3. Forceful in utterance (8) 8. Wander (4) 9. Attractive (8) 11. Rude - tasteless (10) 14. Quick look (6) 15. European Capital (6) 17. Apparent (10) 20. Appalling (8) 21. Flier - spell in prison (4) 22. Meat shop (look!) (8) 23. Cosy (4)

DOWN 1. Breakfast dish - spell in prison (8) 2. Protector (8) 4. Principality (6) 5. Wild pansy (10) 6. Tidy (4) 7. Prison for 21 (4) 10. Worker at forge (10) 12. Of the people (8) 13. Less fancied competitor (8) 16. Merchant (6) 18. Plump fish (4) 19. Fragments to sprinkle on roads (4)

ANSWERS TO ISSUE 158 ACROSS — 1. Bishop 4. Limpet 8. Meant 9. Wrecked 10. Ethical 11. Trawl 12. Diplomats 17. Lit up 19. Legless 21. Pickled 22. Noble 23. Petard 24. Wasted DOWN — 1. Bombed 2. Smashed 3. Optic 5. Inertia 6. Pukka 7. Tiddly 9. Well oiled 13. Popular 14. Sherbet 15. Slip up 16. Ostend 18. Tacit 20 Ganja

Someone please, make it stop!

Spotted in North Jakarta by Benji Send your funny pictures to letters@indonesiaexpat.biz

IS MADE POSSIBLE BY:

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Indonesia expat issue 159

OBSERVATIONS Mr. P is the voice of the people. Sorry, people.

Swipe All My Tears Away

BY SIMON PITCHFORTH

Internet dating has seemingly got the whole world by the proverbial short and curlies, and Indonesia is no exception.

Sites such as Tinder, Badoo, OK Cupid and Grindr (should you be of an alternative disposition) boast a seemingly endless number of amorously hopeful men and women, only a relatively small percentage of whom have lied about their ages (I really am 23 and a half though, scout’s honour).

Should you be interested in throwing your hat into the online dating ring then you'll first need to create your own profile. First, upload a few photos of yourself looking pert and fluffy and then type in a few indicators as to what any potential mate may be letting themselves in for (e.g. age – 39 7/8, hobbies – cooking, putting things on top of other things, drinking own urine, etc.).

When your profile is ready, then it's time to trawl through a few possible matches. Simply swipe left in abject terror or swipe right indicating your interest and hope for the best. When you match with someone who has also swiped right on your profile, it's then time to engage in a bit of facile banter and exchange a few bland inanities with your potential beau before finally arranging to meet in the flesh at a branch of Starbucks for a vanilla latte frappuccino thing that resembles a cup of shaving foam with rabbit droppings in the bottom. Enjoy a quick chat over your drinks before either saying goodbye and never seeing each other again or jumping into bed together first and then never see each other again.

As we move into the month of love and one million tinder accounts start pinging away like oversexed pinball machines, it’s clear that cyber dating is riding the wave of the future. Alas, Indonesia has always had a somewhat ambivalent relationship to both the Internet and to young couples dating, and it is against this background of a nation increasingly yoking religion to its time-honoured authoritarian political chariot that the Tinder rebels seek either a soul mate or seven and a half minutes of grunting and sweating.

We'll have to see if the ominous shadow that the Shariarization of public life is increasingly casting over the Indonesian body politic ends up spawning the now traditional anti-Valentine’s rhetoric this year. So far though, I've heard no direct mention of the evils of Internet dating sites from the country’s more firebrand leaders. Previously however, MUI clerics and local mayors have inveighed against Valentine's Day and young love in general, declaring such things to be haram, i.e. prohibited under Islam, and also raising that old sawhorse of ‘Pergaulan bebas Barat’ (Western liberal social norms). It’s a broken record that I'm

sure we'll be hearing a lot more of here over the coming years, and indeed the country's LGBT community is currently in the fundamentalist crosshairs.

The history of sexual repression is a long and sad one, and such repression is surely one of the great driving forces of religion, as the stifled energies of the seething primal id (in Freudian terms) are channelled into a vigorous defence of chastity. At its most extreme, you have young men with AK-47s in one hand and a copy of the Koran

While first timers feel like a kid in a candy store, agitated the swiping right through an infinite human smorgasbord of potential partners, after a while one's romantic pallet tends to feel a little jaded.

in the other sublimating their sexual tensions through militarism. Not to mention Catholic priests getting up to all sorts as a consequence of their enforced celibacy.

The recalcitrant stain of terror that lingers on the fabric of the modern world is essentially puritan in character, and decadence, in all of its forms, be it sexual or even gastronomical, is its enemy. As HL Mencken once famously wrote, "Puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere is having a good time." Mind you, at 250 million people and rising, plenty of folk in Indonesia have clearly been making the beast with two backs, in spite of the increasingly dogmatic edicts. Still, if you can't beat them join them, as the old cliché goes, and with this in mind, the more devout among you may wish to try Indonesian Islamic dating sites such as Islama.com or Singlemuslim.com (but it’s holding hands only, I’m afraid).

It’s generally female sexuality that has traditionally borne the brunt of social repression. Friedrich Engels’ writing in The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State offers a materialist reading of history regarding this issue that is bound up in notions of social class. Men of

standing, he notes, like to leave whatever worldly chattels and possessions that they have accumulated to their sons.

In order to achieve this however, they have to know that their sons really are their sons, and for this to be achieved strict monogamy has to be imposed upon women. Thus the move to a class-based society, private property and the nuclear family had the effect of disempowering women and circumscribing their behaviour under patriarchy.

The fundamentalist clerics may be micturating into the wind however, as online dating increasingly grips the collective psyche of the nation's youth. If our entire lives are lived virtually through our devices, as they increasingly are, then perhaps something vital is getting lost along the way. For example, I've recently discovered the joys of online shopping (only about five years after everyone else). I'm especially fond of ordering stuff from Bukalapak. com as this saves me the bother of having to trawl around various shops looking for what I'm after.

Ultimately, perhaps something is being lost here. One can order the latest Dan Brown novel from Amazon for example (possibly due to the embarrassment involved in having to ask for it in person at a bookshop). However, perhaps one is missing out on the relatively rich, nuanced experience involved in going to a bookshop, browsing, chatting to the staff, having a coffee, fantasizing about removing the spectacles of a bookish fellow customer of the opposite gender, etc., etc.

All of this is lost if you're simply sitting behind a screen clicking a mouse, and Internet daters are probably also falling victim to this malaise. While first-timers feel like a kid in a candy store, agitated by the swiping right through an infinite human smorgasbord of potential partners, after a while one's romantic palate tends to feel a little jaded and one becomes somewhat deadened to affect.

Don't get me wrong, it's wise to find someone that you are compatible with and you can't blame somebody for weeding out cyber dating profiles of practising Satanists or ultra health freaks, who have moved beyond veganism to a diet of broken furniture. The classic romantic scenario of eyes meeting across a crowded room seems to be increasingly consigned to the desktop OS trashcan of history. A prearranged, pre-vetted first meeting in a striplit coffee shop kind of lacks the frisson and spontaneity that Shakespearean sonnets are made out of. Oh well, autre temps, autre mœurs.

issue 159 Indonesia expat

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If you want your event to be posted here, please contact +62 (0) 21 2965 7821 or e-mail: events@indonesiaexpat.biz

EVENTS

JAKARTA Arts & Culture

Ombak Ombak Ide Exhibition 1 January – 15 February 2016 Pascal Hierloz, familiarly known by his nickname Paisi, is holding his fifth solo painting exhibition at Rumah Jawa Galler y. The works of this French-Canadian artist are inspired by Indonesian culture, specifically Balinese.

Aside from displaying his works of art, Paisi will also be launching his second book titled Paisi in Bali. Garin Nugroho, filmmaker and cultural observer, will be inaugurating the exhibition. For more information please contact Grace on 0821 1158 5566.

Music

Mus Mujiono Live 12 and 13 February 2016 This Februar y, Motion Blue Jakarta presents Mus Mujiono live. With hit singles like Arti Kehidupan, Halo Sayang, Satu Jam Lagi and Surat Cinta, the famous jazz musician has even been coined the ‘George Benson of Indonesia’. Fans can finally catch him live and also during a meet-and-greet opportunity after his performance.

Door Opens: 6pm Show starts: 8.30pm Price: Rp.250,000 (not inclusive of welcome drink) For more information please visit www.motionbluejakarta.com

Fariz RM Anthology, Akustikonzerto Live 19 and 20 February 2016 Motion Blue Jakarta presents Fa r i z R M A nt holog y, Akustikonzerto. Beginning his career in 1977, the musician and visual artist has released 19 solo albums and an additional three with other artists. Best known for songs like Barcelona and

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Indonesia expat issue 159

Sakura, Fariz RM has made his mark on the Indonesian music industry. This time, he will be performing his first ever acoustic gig. Fans can further catch him in person during the meet-andg reet oppor tunit y a f ter his performance.

Door Opens: 6pm Show Starts: 8.30pm Music Cha rge: Rp.400.000 (inclusive of welcome drink) For more information please visit www.motionbluejakarta.com Valentine's Day Special

February 2016 Delights at the Mulia, Mulia Resort & Villas February The Mulia, Mulia Resort & Villas is holding a series of festivities this month. On Valentine’s Day, take your partner to Pure Love at Mulia Spa, where the two of you can have a couple’s treatment with a hasmine passion fruit body scrub. On Sunday, families are invited to Sunday Lunch where kids under the age of 12 can dine free of charge. For other programmes please visit www. themulia.com

Colonial’s Valentine’s Day 14 February 2016 Take your spouse or partner to a romantic dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Colonial Restaurant in Kemang. From 8 to 14 February, the restaurant is inv iting g uest s to a Pre Valentine’s Celebration w ith several promos and packages.

An early bird package is available from 11 February at Rp.475,000 and Rp.525,000 from 12 February onwards. The promo includes Prix Fix Four course Romantic Dinner by Chef Zulkarnaine; wine and champagne; a rose and some sweets for the couples; and Colonial’s very own dining vouchers. For more information please visit www.colonial-jakarta. com

Valentine’s Day at Fairmont Hotel February 2016 Celebrate this year’s Valentine’s Day at Fairmont as the hotel

offers you a number of special programmes including romantic dining, spa treatments, stay pa ck a ge s a nd more. At t he Peacock Lounge, guests can enjoy an afternoon tea set consisting of cakes, sandwiches, scones and assorted sweets for Rp.588,000. At the Italian restaurant, Sapori Deli, guests can enjoy the f luffy and delicious Italian pastry, Zeppole with f lavours like raspberry, vanilla and cherry. For a romantic dinner with a skyline view, guests can take their partners to VIEW restaurant, where female guests will be treated with a special box of chocolates. Romantic Getaway room package is also available from 12 – 14 February 2016. For more programmes and information please contact +62 (21) 2970 3333 or email the following for reservations: diningreservations.jakarta@ f a i r m o n t . c o m (d i n i n g reser vations) reser vations. jakarta@fairmont.com (room reservations)

Valentine’s Day at InterContinental Jakarta Midplaza February 2016 I n t e r C o n t i n e n t a l Ja k a r t a MidPlaza is taking love to the next level this Valentine’s Day with a choice of two exclusive dinner options. Rasa will present a st ylish BBQ buf fet dinner amidst a décor of red and pink especially for couples in love for Rp.488,000++ per person. The dinner includes live music and an instant photo booth for couples to take fun shots together. At Scusa, guests can share an intimate Valentine’s Day dinner with a sophisticated six-course menu of culinary perfection with free flow of Trivento Sparkling Wine.

For more information please visit www.jakarta.intercontinental. com Conference

Retail Banking Technology Conference Indonesia 24-25 February 2016 Ba n kTech A sia is a lea d ing banking technology conference that brings together key industry influencers and decision makers to discuss strategies and explore new products and solutions.

This year, BankTech Asia will be coming to Jakarta to focus on discussions about the retail segment. The global banking industry may be rapidly changing, but the retail segment will remain a strong source of revenue for banks worldwide, as they bring in almost 60 percent of total banking revenues. This conference will take place at Sheraton Hotel, Gandaria City. For registration and more information please visit www.banktechasia.com

Indonesia Summit 2016 25 February 2016 Indonesia Summit 2016 will see a group of Indonesia’s key opinion lea ders in discussion about issues in the business industry, particularly those concerning the president’s performance thus far. Opportunities like digital entrepreneurship appear to give new hope for investors. How has the government done so far under Jokowi’s presidency? To review and quite possibly debate on this issue, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Minister of Trade Thomas Lembong, Minister of Finance Bambang Brodjonegoro and Minister of Energ y and Mineral Resources Sudirman Said, will serve as key speakers.

Additionally, Group Managing Director of Indorama Corporation A m it L oh i a a nd P r e s ide nt Director of Blue Bird Group Noni Purnomo will also attend this discussion. The event will take place at the Shangri-La Hotel.

Email: asiaevents@economist. com Education

Philosophy Class: The History of Ancient Greek Philosophy 5 – 26 March 2016 Komunitas Salihara is back with classes on philosophy. This year, they will be discussing four main branches of Ancient Greek philosophy: Phusikoi, Sophism, Platonism and Aristotelianism.

Phusikoi is familiarly known as the Pre-Socratics; Sophism is commonly praised for being a great facilitator of democracy; Plat on i sm ser ve s a s one of the most widely talked about traditions in philosophy; while Aristotelianism borrows A r istotle’s way of think ing, presented more realistically. As a lecturer at STF Driyakarya, Jakarta, A. Setyo Wibowo will be taking over the philosophy class.

Pr ice: Public—Rp.200,000/ Student—Rp.175,000. Visit web: http://salihara.org

Java Jazz Festival 2016 4-6 March 2016 After 11 years of success, the largest annual jazz festival in Indonesia is back and they are

returning with an exciting lineup. For the 12th edition of Java Jazz, the festival has confirmed BadBadNotGood, Boney James, Candy Dulfer, Hiatus Kaiyote, Level 42, Patti Austin, Relish, Richard Galiano New Musette Quartet, Rick Braun, Ron King Big Band, and ‘Blurred Lines’ si nger, Robi n Th icke. Th i s year the event will take place at Jakarta International Expo (Jiexpo). Tickets are available for Rp.400,000 (daily pass) and Rp.1,000,000 for a 3-day pass.

Leading up to the main event in March, Java Jazz Festival is also holding a series of pre-events in malls, clubs and restaurants starting this month. For ticket purchase and more information please visit www.javajazzfestival. com

UB40 Greatest Hits Live in Concert 1 April 2016 Unemployment Benefit Form 40 (UB40) is coming to Jakarta!

Originally from Birmingham, England, the reggae/pop band is coming to town to promote their latest album ‘Greatest Hits Live’. With more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, the band has achieved a great deal of international success, including a four-time Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album and one for Best British Group at the Brit Awards. The band’s success has also accounted for over 70 million records. This year, fans will get the chance to witness the band singing their hit singles including ‘Food for Thought’, as well as two US Billboard chart-toppers ‘Red Red Wine’ and ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’. The event will take place at Istora Senayan Jakarta. www.ticketonfire.com www.karcis.co.id Networking

Jakarta Business Networkers Make the right connections to help develop and grow your business over br e a k f a s t . At Ja k a r t a Business Networkers (JBN), all attendees are encouraged to help other attendees by exchanging referrals and introducing them to their target audience. JBN is all about helping you grow your business. Promote your business, personal brand or portfolio each week to the rest of the attendees and explain to the group the type of referrals you would like to receive. JBN professional networking sessions

are from 7-9am every Thursday at Mercantile Athletic Club, WTC, Sudirman. RSVP: info@ jbnetworkers.com

BALI Festival

BaliSpirit Festival 2016 29 March – 3 April 2016 Make the most of the New Year by joining over 230 daily classes in yoga, meditation, healing, dance, and music in BaliSpirit Festival 2016. The festival brings dozens of top international performers and musicians to Ubud. In 2015, BaliSpirit succeeded in attracting 7,000 festival-goers who came together with a united goal of celebrating music, dance, yoga, and healing. In 2016, participants will also have the chance to be involved in seminars focusing on healing, health, spirituality a nd persona l development .

Early bird tickets are on sale for US$550 (VIP) and US$450 (full-festival pass). For more information please visit www. balispiritfestival.com

SOLO Music

Michael Learns to Rock Live 11 February 2016 Alila Solo presents the hugely successful Danish band, Michael Learns to Rock. Taking place in the Grand Ballroom, guests will enjoy the music of one of Denma rk ’s most suc cessf u l bands, having sold over 11 million albums worldwide. Singing all their hits in English, Michael Learns to Rock appeals to a global audience and will be sure to put on a spectacular show. Fans can enjoy a meet-and-greet session with the band while dining at the Grand Ballroom balcony, which is available exclusively at Alila Solo.

Please contact solo@alilahotels. com for more information.

Christian Bautista Live 14 February 2016 Alila Solo is pleased to welcome award-winning singer Christian Baut ist a to per for m at t wo exclusive concerts on 14 February 2016. After a fun-filled evening, extend the celebrations with some post-concert relaxation at Alila Solo. Known for his beautiful romantic ballads and platinumselling albums, Bautista promises to deliver a performance that will capture the essence of this very special day. For more information please contact solo@alilahotels. com

INDONESIA EXPAT DIRECTORY

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Start getting paid for who and what you know, by referring these people to us. No selling involved, you simply refer your client/s, or bring them to one of our regular Property Expos and we’ll do the rest.

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issue 159 Indonesia expat

27

HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL? Looking for something to buy? Looking for staff? Selling property?

Or need a place to live? Why not place your classified ad with Indonesia Expat! Your classified will be placed once for 2 weeks online and once in our printed version which has a circulation of 16.500 copies bi-weekly.

Next deadline: 16 February 2016 CONDITIONS Personal classifieds Commercial classifieds

Free of Charge (50 words max) Rp. 100,000 (0–50 words) Rp. 200,000 (50–100 words)

Property listings are considered as Commercial.

Adding an image incurs an extra charge of Rp.150,000. Business Listings can only be placed on the Business Listings page (p.30) Send in your classifieds to ads@indonesiaexpat.biz

JAKARTA Jobs Available DE A L S T R E E T A S I A s e e k s Ja k a r t a - b a s e d R e p or t e r.

DE A L ST R EETA SI A , t he Singapore-based digital media startup, with a presence across all ASEAN countries and India, is looking for a dynamic and driven Journalist with strong reporting skills, as well as knowledge and interests in online journalism, to cover deal f lows in South East A sia’s largest economy.

The successful candidate will be someone who has experience in covering M&A and private equity from Jakarta. He or she is fluent in both English and Bahasa Indonesia, and can write quickly and concisely under deadline pressure. He or she should have proven experience in reporting and breaking news for a financial newspaper or real-time news service. CVs to be sent to Joji Phillip via email at jojiphilip@ dealstreetasia.com Are you a food blogger? Are you passionate about telling the truth about restaurants in Jakarta and Bali? Indonesia Expat is looking for a food critic! We’re looking for a freelance writer who is able to critique food and drink and service at restaurants. You will be reviewing one restaurant every fortnight and be able to write up your review in time for deadlines and to a professional standard.

Experience as a food critic is a must, as is excellent written English. Hungry? Send a sample of your previous work to letters@ indonesiaexpat.biz and include ‘Food Critic’ in the email title.

Looking for Work

ads@indonesiaexpat.biz for competitive advertising rates and get noticed through our printed publication, e-newsletter and on our website.

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Indonesia expat issue 159

Ne e d a Per son a l A s si s t a nt/ Executive Assistant/ Administrator? Hello, I'm Marsha (39 years old), I'm Indonesian looking for a job as an PA/EA/ Administrator. I've been working with some company in Jakarta for several years and some expats as well in Jakarta as a PA and I have the recomendation letter as well.

If you need more detail information, please don't be hesitate to contact me. Mobile : +62(0)81293818676.

Email : lemonmarsha26@gmail. com Volunteer Community theatre group seeks volunteer producers! The Jakarta

Players is a non-profit community theatre group, established in 1968. We produce high quality theatre productions in English, with the aim of donating proceeds to local charities. We are currently looking for volunteer producers to join our fun and dedicated team!

If you enjoy organizing events, have a keen eye for detail, and love meeting new people, this could be the volunteer position for you. You will be helped by our experienced producers along the way, so no experience is necessary - just bags of enthusiasm! Serious candidates only. Please email us at thejakartaplayers@gmail. com if you're interested and we will contact you for an interview.

Services Spanish Tutor: Learn Spanish at your place with a DELE-certified examiner from Spain. Most of my students come from International Schools (JIS and BSJ). Please call me (Raúl) +62 (0) 821 1050 2786 Email: unascartas@yahoo.com Bahasa Indonesia lessons for expats living in South Jakarta, Kuningan, Country Wood, BSD, given by instructor with 20 years experience. Flexible schedule. plea se c a ll Pa k Cha ir uma n +62 (0) 812 103 7466 email chairuman1942@gmail.com Berkah Rejuvenate: Interior/ e x t e r i o r C o n t r a c t o r. F r e e Estimate just c a ll/fa x: Tel. + 6 2 (0) 21 5 6 9 8 0 4 2 2 / Fa x . +62(0)2156980423 New in Indonesia? In need of Bahasa Indonesia Tutor? Low tutoring fees at only USD10 per hour. After office hours lessons available. In need of translating documents from Indonesian to English or vice versa? Email me at: bahasaprivate@gmail.com Property For rent 300 houses at Kemang, Cipete, Cilandak, Jeruk Purut, Pondok Indah. Big gardens, swimming pools, USD 2,000 5,000. Phone: +62(0)816859551 or +62(0)8170093366.

For rent: beautiful apartment at Gardenia Boulevard. 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and kitchen, furnished ready to use, walking d i st a nc e t o Pejat en v i l lage mall, cheap. Rental fee only at Rp.8,500,000 negotiable. For detail and pictures please contact

me: Anastasya +62(0)8121195757 or anastasyafr@yahoo.com Nice apartment available in Kemang at The Mansion at Kemang per 1 March 2016: Kemang Raya 3–5, Unit N2807.

Mo n t h l y r e n t U S D1 , 6 0 0 ,excluding internet/TV, electricity and water, including maintenance of aircon system. Deposit USD 1.600. Floor 28. View to the south.

Fully furnished (amongst others washing machine + dryer, TV, refrigerator, two sofa's, electrical stove, bed). Total space approx.

89 m 2 . Please contact me by e-mail p.jahman@gmail.com or by phone +62(0)81311281731.

Apartment for Rent at H a m p t o n ’s P a r k , P o n d o k Indah, south of Jakarta. Brand New Fully Furnished unit 2 bedrooms 58sqm, More info Please call +62(0)8121008927 (maharaniproperty) I have 1 piece of land for sale in prime area:Address: Modern Land Golf 4. Area: 490m 2 . It is a big benefit as this land is located at 2 corners. Next to big golf course. Strictly secured and peaceful area within 24/7. Luxury facilities. Many convenient shops and big mall surrounding. Letting it go @ Rp.4 billion - super cheap!

Further negotiable & Contact: M r. C h r i s + 8 4 9 01 3 1 0 0 6 8 (Whatsapp/Viber/Facebook) anytime for viewing land.

1 terrace house for sale in North Jakarta at Semanan area. Details as follows:Address: Semanan block G 1 no 12 jakarta barat.

Area: 200m2. Nice house at the compound quiet and pieceful road. Nearby kingdergarten/ primary school/church. Many convenient shops and food/ restaurant surrounding. Super good for investment. Letting it go for only Rp.2.2 billion - super cheap! Further negotiable & Contact: Mr. Chris +8490131 0068 or Ms. Jamie +849038888 05 (Whatsapp/Viber/Facebook) anytime for viewing land/houseDirect owner, no agent.

N ic e hou s e r e a d y f or r e nt ideal for family with children in Cilandak (behind CITOS).

Located in nice area, 24 h security and community pool. Close to CITOS, Carrefour, business of f ices-Talavera , A lamanda building and other business offices. Close to International School-JIS, French School, ACG.

1 living room. 1 dining room. 3 bedrooms + all attached with bathroom. 2 bedrooms for maid/ driver. 1 bathroom for maid/driver 1 storage room. 1 kitchen and 1 wet kitchen. Land line: 1. Furnished/ Semi furnished/Empty. Minimum lease one year. Lease USD3,000 per month. Common monthly ex pen se s for pool, ga rbage collection, security are include lease fee. Picture request via email: c.virginia76@gmail.com.

Appointment for viewing by SMS +62(0)8119502075.

Others Dear all. Is anybody selling their piano? Please inform me.

Kindly regards, Rina. UI Depok. +62(0)85782464801. (SMS) Looking for someone to come to my home to teach my 11 year old how to sew. Live in South Jakarta near Kemang. +62(0)8119413596 We a re look i ng for a I ATA approved large dog air travel crate for a husky. Please contact me +62(0)81510000072. Nadya Looking for Household Staff Part time driver wanted. Seeking a part time driver for ½ day Tuesday, Full day Thursday and full day Saturday. Required for taking my pembantu shopping on Tuesday, and taking the kids to and from after school activities on Thursday and Saturday. Perhaps your driver is looking for extra work? Please sms or WhatsApp me on +62(0)8118061421.

Household Staff Available Driver available part-time or full-time, South Jakarta. Pak Rohmani has a current badge, background check, and security screening from the U.S. Embassy.

We recommend him as a driver because he is trustworthy and good-hearted. Rohmani is very familiar with all areas of Jakarta and diligent with keeping the vehicle and garage areas clean.

He handles vehicle maintenance and small errands of any kind reliably. He is very accurate in keeping records of his working hours, receipts for park ing, maintenance, and errands, and keeping track of the change from all the cash he handles for us.

Rohmani’s English is adequate and he always arrives early for work. He has not complained or asked for money or had other inconvenient situations. He is

always well dressed, polite, and in good spirits. Please contact us at joeshuri@gmail.com, or Rohmani at +62(0)81213986050.

L ook ing job a s pa r t time maid.I have some experiences and references letter. I can do cleaning,washing,shopping and cooking(western food).my english is good. I'm looking job around Tangerang and Serpong area. please feeling free to contact me at +62(0)81906324901.

I want to recommend a trustworthy couple who live in South Jakarta. We only used Ibu Sarti's services for 1 month since she was only a live-out maid and due to our lifestyle we wanted a live-in. Her cleaning is amazing, she is very active and has a sweet personality. Her English is near non-existent but that wasn't much of a problem.

She had a routine, we trusted her with our apt key and she would arrive and do her thing, pretty much none stop. Her husband has experience working as a guard and gardener and they can be reached at +62(0)87883164044.

They have worked with expat families and have references.

You can email me if you have any questions mayan_81@hotmail. com

we need to downsize. Please contact yantiii@gmail.com or +62(0)8118444621 (Whatsapp ONLY). Pick up only, from Kemang Selatan. List of items for sale are below; if you are interested and wants to see pictures, please reque st . BA L I N E SE T E A K 4-poster bed 200x200cm Rp.15 million. (Mattress additional a n d n e g o t i a b l e) . I K E A HEMNES king size bed black with mattress 160x200cm Rp.7 million. IKEA HEMNES chest of drawers white Rp.900,000.

IKEA HEMNES writing desk with drawers and shelves black Rp.3,000,000. IKEA HEMNES Bookcase Black Width: 90 cm, Depth: 37 cm, Height: 197 cm.

Rp.800,000 . IKEA HEMNES coffee table black Length: 118 cm, Width: 75 cm, Height: 46 cm Rp.700,000. IKEA HEMNES TV console table black Width: 149 cm, Depth: 47 cm, Height: 57 cm Rp.600,000. LOMBOK st yle L a mp sha de pot ter y black 1.5meters high approx Rp.300,000. MOTHERCARE 1 pair soft folding baby bed rail (blue) Rp.350,000. LIGHTNING MCQUEEN battery powered car ride on Rp.2 million. PINK SCOOTER battery powered ride on Rp.900,000.

BALI

Automotive

Jobs Available

Toyota Fortuner 2,7G Luxury Wagon (2013) bla ck colour.

Company owned and serviced Xenon Headlights, LED lights, Navigation System, Bass Box in the trunk. Recently repaired by Toyota workshop therefore free of bumps and nicks. Price Rp.320 million or USD 23,000 Email: jp.wienold@gmail.com

Looking for Day Trading Talents.

Sw iss Banker is look ing for day trading talents to build a team in Bali. Must have basic understanding & knowledge of markets (Equity, FX, futures).

Pa r t time tra ders welcome.

Students & Graduates welcome.

Please contact Ueli at <ueli.wick@ gmx.net>. Or +62(0)8123747 2893 (SMS or call).

For sale! Kawasaki Z250 2013 —Only 13,400km. New tyres, power commander, raised handle bars, custome muf f ler. Ha s been handled with care. Never dropped. Only asking Rp.41 million/negotiable. Please contact Marc at +62(0)81285589449 if interested.

2009 Nissan Serena Highway Star. Rp.150,000,000. Automatic transmission. 65,000km. We have owned since 2012 and the car has been wel l ma int a ined w it h regular oil changes and routine service, great condition with minimal scratches and no major cosmetic f laws. Car pet wa s covered with custom-fit rubber flooring the week that we bought it. Has rear camera monitor and DVD-compatible and Bluetooth e n a bl e d s t e r e o. Pa s s e ng e r monitors are not working but can be fixed. Rear seats rotate, slide and lay completely flat and can be arranged to create two beds (see photos)—fantastic for when traff ic gets really bad!

Phone: +62(0)8131688227 1, ryanjohnlenz@gmail.com.

For Sale For sale: a large (3ft by 1.5 ft or 90cm by 45 cm) teak writing table for Rp800,000. If you would like to see a photo, please message me at +62(0)85888882924.

We are moving back home after 2 years in Jakarta and have a few items for sale, mainly because

for Rent with King Size Bed, TV, Makeup Table, Closet and A/C, in City Center of Surabaya. Contact: +62(0)85735588888 (Henny).

JOGJAKARTA Volunteer

L i t t l e C a r e Fo u n d a t i o n i n Jog ja k a r t a is look ing for a responsible volunteer to help ma nage our t wo Childrens’ Creative Centres in Pa kem, S l e m a n , Jo g j a k a r t a . T h e Indonesian children aged 7-14 are learning English, with other educational activities. See our website on www.littlecare.org.

Seriously interested? Please contact us on pukaanna@yahoo. co.uk or call +62(0)811268445.

PELABUHAN RATU Property for Rent Beach house for Rent. Very well maintained and exclusive Villa (500 m2) with swimming pool next to the beach. Nice desig n, beaut if u l ga rdens, estate of 10,000 m2 with a lot of privacy and wonderful sea views.

Nearby Cisolok , 40 minutes from Pelabuhanratu, 1 hour from Sawarna beach, 4 hours from Jakarta. Expat leaving Indonesia. Attractive price, staff available, long term rental, only for serious candidates. We can send you further details. E-mail : albertus1957@gmail.com

Property

Getaway to Ubud, Bali – Stay at Steph and Dave's Private Villa in Ubud, Bali, Villa Damee: 3 Bedroom Private Pool Villa in rice fields. Authentic Balinese stay in a traditional village. 4.5 kms from Ubud. Quiet, peaceful setting – in the rice fields. Sleeps 6 - ideal for family or couples. Free daily breakfast. Driver avail on request.

Your own personal villa cook.

Yoga and meditation platform.

Cocktails ser ved poolside at sunset. Complimentary guided local village tour. Security 24 hrs Read latest guest reviews on trip advisor. Special Kitas rates available. www.villadamee.com E-mail: info@villadamee.com Others Elegant silver Guess ladies watch, excellent condition.

Original price 2 million, sell for 1.5 million o.n.o. Call Ika +62(08)573901293 (Sanur, Bali)

SURABAYA

Discover Villa Gamrang Beach house and ex per ience our hospit a l it y. V i l la G a m ra ng (Nea rby Cisolok , 4 hours ‘drive from Jakarta and 1 hour drive from the still unspoiled Sawarna beach ) is designed to offer guests a beautiful nature, complete privacy and luxury.

Listed (Jan 9, 2014) in the "Top 100 Holiday Beach Houses ", Guardian Newspaper. Stylish interior, outdoor terraces, sea view, spacious garden, private swimming pool, 4 bedrooms , 3 bathrooms, complete kitchen, TV and Wi fi. Idyllic place to relax & enjoy a long weekend. Separate guesthouse with 1 bathroom and 2 bedrooms. Friendly staff a nd fem a le c o ok . In hou se catering. Prices starting from IDR 2,100,000 per night ++ up to 10 persons. Villa Gamrang is highly appreciated by expats and Indonesian families. For Reviews and Reservations. www.villagamrang.nl or just mail us directly at villagamrang@gmail.com

Property Room for Rent in Surabaya City Center (Ladies Only). Big Room

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