Indonesia Expat - Issue 207

I S S U E N O . 2 0 7 | 14 – 2 7 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 18

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 PAT. B I Z

ISSUE 207 Indonesia expat

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ISSUE 207 Indonesia expat

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Indonesia expat

issue 207 Chief Editorial Advisor Bernhard Eduard Frese editor@indonesiaexpat.biz

Editorial Assistant letters@indonesiaexpat.biz

Sales & Advertising Dian Mardianingsih (Jakarta) Dipa Siagian (Jakarta) Wahyu Atmaja (Bali) ads@indonesiaexpat.biz

Distribution & Admin Juni Setiawan admin@indonesiaexpat.biz

Finance Lini Verawaty finance@indonesiaexpat.biz

ART & CULTURE Li Cunxin, The Ballet Star Who Could Never Really Leave the Stage

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FEATURE Disconnect and Find Yourself

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TRAVEL Bena and Tololela: Preserving Tradition in Flores

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FOOD AND DRINK Do You Yakiniku?

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FITNESS Swim and Sway Those Kilos Away

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SPOTLIGHT Add Respect to the Repertoire

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SCAMS IN THE CITY Swipers Still Swiping

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JAVA The Betawi – A Look at the History, Culture and Cuisine

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TRAVEL ADVICE Safety in Hotels

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FAMILY Raising Healthy, Happy, Expat Children in Indonesia

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WORTHY CAUSES Makawan Bali: The Ultimate Super Food for Pets

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DUA TANGAN CUKUP Saving Papuan Children from Chronic Disease and Food Crisis

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BUSINESS Explaining Indonesian Retirement Visas

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HUMOUR The Games Children Play

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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EVENTS

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CLASSIFIEDS

DEAR Readers,

Marketing Consultant Edo Frese edo@indonesiaexpat.biz

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In this issue Kenneth Yeung takes a look at the perils and pitfalls associated with online dating and gives some ideas on how to avoid falling into the age-old honey trap. Expat blogger Rinka Perez returns with a follow-up to her very well received article on loneliness with some tips and tricks for raising happy and healthy children while enjoying the expat lifestyle and all its benefits. If you love Japanese food and you are looking for a new place to try, our Clandestine Critic has been snooping around a popular Yakiniku restaurant in Plaza Senayan and gives us the low-down. All in all, we have an interesting collection of stories for you this time around and I know you will enjoy reading them just as much as I did.

Until next time, Edo Frese

Contributors Brian Aylward Andy Barski Caranissa Djatmiko Karen Donald Graham Duncan Vivani Kapoor Rinka Perez Hans Rooseboom Eamonn Sadler Ani Suswantoro Kenneth Yeung

OBITUARY

Editorial Enquiries letters@indonesiaexpat.biz

Goodbye, Terry.

Subscriptions subscriptions@indonesiaexpat.biz

Events letters@indonesiaexpat.biz

Published by 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.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our good friend and IE contributor Terry Collins. Terry passed away peacefully at his home on February 8.

He was a very popular and well-known writer, probably best known for his Jakartass expat blog and as the co-author of Culture Shock, a humorous guide for new arrivals in Jakarta. Terry lived in jakarta for more than 30 years and leaves behind his wife Lily and his sons Sam and Jesse. He will be greatly missed.

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ISSUE 207 Indonesia expat

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Art & Culture

Li Cunxin, The Ballet Star Who Could Never Really Leave the Stage Chinese-Australian dancer Li Cunxin has been enjoying his long yet productive retirement for years, and he has chosen to trade his ballet shoes for travelling across the world to teach young talents and be a motivational speaker. After an 18-year absence, the ballet star who came into prominence during the height of Mao’s cultural revolution finally made his stage comeback.

BY CARANISSA DJATMIKO

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him. They were invited to perform in the International Ballet Gala at Taman Ismail Marzuki.

ne fine morning in September, I had the opportunity to observe a ballet workshop.

I was told that it was a masterclass that was going to be led by a prolific dancer. Yet, for some reason, it still did not occur to me that I was actually going to meet one of the world’s most prominent figures in the ballet industry.

After giving the workshop, Li says that he was very impressed by the local talents.

Having said that, he stressed that it is important for dancers here to establish a systematic method of training. “I was professionally trained for seven years from age 11 to 18. That’s the crucial age for dancers to develop a great level of discipline and professionalism. I feel that the talents are definitely here but you need to develop a professional environment to help these dancers thrive,” Li explained.

By the time I arrived at the dance studio there was already a group of young ballerinas and journalists sitting on the side, taking notes and watching the dancers pointing their feet and doing their pirouettes. As I decided to join these journalists, I realized that the great Li Cunxin was standing right before my eyes.

For around two hours, Li taught a number of routines to the dancers. As an instructor he was calm yet assertive, patient yet observant, highly skilled yet approachable.

Of all the qualities I discovered in him while he was teaching these young dancers, his joy and passion were those that really caught my attention the most.

Li was willing to share his story and love for dancing after the class. He believes that teaching young talents gives him the pleasure of passing on the knowledge and experience he has gained throughout his dancing career to future generations, especially after having gone through such a long journey in life and having worked with so many great artists from around the world.

COURTESY OF DANCELINES.COM.AU

of how lucky he was to have received such a privilege when many of his relatives were still fighting for a decent quality of life.

Struck by the words of his brother, he returned to his studies with more dedication and eventually found himself falling for the beauty of ballet.

Li’s journey in ballet started when he was just 11 years old. “Ballet was a gift to me,” Li said. The sixth of seven sons, Li was raised in a rural area in China during the end of Mao Zedong’s catastrophic “Great Leap Forward”. In 1972, he was ultimately selected by the Chinese government to attend Madame Mao’s dance academy in Beijing, an opportunity that he initially took in order to lift his family out of poverty, but which ended up completely changing his own life for the better.

Years later, Li began developing his international career. By 1979, he was rewarded with a scholarship to study in the US for a year and soon after he started a romance with a young ballet student from Houston, Elizabeth Mackey. In love and astonished by the freedom and democracy found in the US, young Li thought of defecting. He was briefly incarcerated by the Chinese Ministry of Culture in Houston and threatened with deportation, but was eventually released. He got married to Elizabeth, secured his legal status in the US and went on to become a principal dancer at the Houston Ballet. The marriage did not last, and at the age of 38 Li decided to retire and become a stockbroker in Australia.

At the beginning, Li struggled with his dancing studies and did not enjoy it at all.

But his motivation to turn his family’s fortunes around kept him going. One day Li came home and confessed to his brother how much he hated studying ballet. To his surprise, his brother reminded him

“I was managing a very successful department in one of the largest stockbroking firms in Australia and dancing at the same time for the last two years of my dancing career.” he remembers. “The pressure was getting unbearable and I couldn’t really do both.”

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He adds: “I felt that at the age of 38 I really had danced pretty much everything I wanted to dance. I was lucky, a very lucky person. I worked with the most famous choreographers and teachers, danced on the most prestigious stages in London and New York, and had done all the wonderful roles in ballet. I felt that I was pretty much satisfied with what I had accomplished. So I was ready to retire and I think that was the right decision.”

During his retirement Li spent much of his time inspiring others by sharing his journey.

He travelled across the world to become a motivational speaker, not just in dancing but also in other kinds of industries. His journey was eventually documented in an international best-selling autobiography that was published in 2003 and made into a Hollywood movie under the same title, Mao’s Last Dancer. In 2012, he was approached by the Queensland Ballet to become the company’s Artistic Director.

He accepted the role, although the 56-yearold continues to travel the world in search of amazing talents.

When Li was asked by the Australian embassy to teach a masterclass in Indonesia he happily obliged. He visited Indonesia for the first time in 1996 to perform in a tour and was excited to come back bringing two of his dancers from the Queens Ballet with

During his second visit to Indonesia, Li felt that there was more enthusiasm within the country’s ballet and dancing communities.

As an Artistic Director, he believes in the importance of fostering cultural exchange and hopes that his visit to Indonesia will be the beginning of more collaboration.

This will hopefully help his ballet company become “a powerhouse” in the Asia Pacific region.

Li admits that he was planning to come out of retirement and return to the stage at some point. Over the years he has frequently been asked to make a comeback but did not exactly know if that would be a good idea.

He did not immediately refuse the offer and if it was going to happen he wanted to make sure that it would happen at the right moment. That moment finally came last December, when he made his stage comeback in a special performance of The Nutcracker in Brisbane.

While the internationally acclaimed dancer initially learned ballet to help support his family, he now sees it as an invaluable experience that has made him the way he is today. He continues his mission to show people that ballet can actually have a lasting impact on people and cultures.

I asked him why ballet remains relevant in contemporary society. He said: “Ballet is such a beautiful artform. It is so graceful. And it’s the ultimate dance artform in my opinion because it has such precision, such perfection. And without total dedication and total hard work it’s very difficult to attain that standard. When you get to that standard, no other dance form can be that beautiful. It’s just so complete.”

PADDINGTON HEIGHTS’ ROMANTIC GETAWAY TO LONDON What better way to celebrate the Valentine’s Day than whisking your loved ones away on a perfect getaway to London?

Three years ago, Paddington Heights was officially introduced as a premium apartment tower that instantly became popular in the buyer’s market. Fast forward to 2018, only less than 20 percent of units are available to the public for sale.

Strategically located in the Alam Sutera business district and surrounded by the Alam Sutera mall, IKEA and several large companies and schools, the Paddington Heights Apartment Towers offer direct toll road access and the convenience of living in a fancy community that has everything within a few minutes’ drive away.

Wide-ranging facilities are available at the tower, which include a fitness centre, an infinity swimming pool, a pool lounge, a jogging track, a function hall, rooftop garden with a stunning view of downtown Jakarta and an outdoor cafe. To ensure ease of access and security, the tower also provides shuttle bus route and a 24-hour security system (CCTV).

Aside from Paddington Heights’ undeniable sophistication, the buyers are immediately drawn to the apartment’s beautifully landscaped gardens and panoramic lake view. Paddington Heights understands that luxurious living also comes with a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, it is important for the premium apartment to create an environment that is both peaceful and pollution-free.

This Valentine’s Day, Paddington Heights is inviting loved-up couples to embark on a romantic trip to London for seven days. They will only need to purchase three-bedroom loft unit for Rp.2,5 billion ($149,40 million). Buyers are required to provide 30 percent of the unit price for down payment before receiving a flight ticket. The flight ticket can later be issued based on the date of the down payment. In addition, the Paddington Heights’ London Trip also covers accommodation, as well as shopping vouchers worth millions of Rupiah.

Buyers will get the chance to explore one of the world’s most iconic capital city which features popular sites like Big Ben, the Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Thames River, London Eye and more. London is also widely known for its vibrant arts and culture scene, with myriads of museums, galleries and theatres sprawling across the city.

Limited fifteen units are available for those interested to embark on the enchanting London trip. Paddington Heights is perfect for students attending university at Alam Sutera and also for employees working in the area. It is now available to rent. For more information, please visit www.alam-sutera.com or call +6221 3110 3838 / 537 3838.

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Feature

Disconnect and Find Yourself Ever spent a day without your phone? You should give it a try!

SOURCE: PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

BY ANDY BARSKI I remember growing up in Nottingham, in a house with a black and white TV and no phone. Some of you reading this may already be scared and confused.

"No phone… what the… seriously?"

This isn’t the start of a Steampunk Fiction novel with coal-powered machinery instead of quantum computers and laser beams. This is a true story and it was perfectly normal in those days not to have a phone in the house.

But here’s the thing, there was a box at the end of the road; a nice shiny red one with the word “Telephone” boldly painted on a white background positioned under a fascia with a gold crown on its top that smelt like a public toilet when the weather turned warm. You could feed this magical box a halfpenny coin, put your finger in a dial with holes over numbers and letters, turn the dial in a clockwise direction and release.

You could hear circuits click and cables connect and somehow, quite amazingly, you could be talking to someone miles away arranging to meet at the The Trip to Jerusalem for a pint of best. It was technology at its peak.

We somehow survived this primitive phonelessness.

It hardly seems possible, I know. I mean, doesn’t the world stop rotating if we don't check who called, who messaged, who posted, who liked and who followed?

No phone? Imagine that.

I’m sure the very thought of no smart phone sends chills down the spine of every millennial hipster, but I left mine at home the other day; deliberately and on purpose! I actually left the house with the kids to go to the mall without the one thing that connects us to the rest of the world!

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Don’t tell social services, I might get arrested for some bizarre act of child cruelty. “Excuse me Sir, but we have reason to believe you are deliberately endangering the results of Candy Crush and in so doing denying your children the right to post their results on Instagram.”

But it felt great!

bury our heads and hearts and souls so deeply into chips and bytes and pixels and likes and shares and followers that we’re like robots unaware of the world around us. And that includes the people around us.

It feels like we’re losing touch. Losing the art of conversation. Losing the joy of getting lost in our own wonderful imaginations. Losing our ability to be social. It’s ironic really.

Eventually.

I’ll be honest, it was a little disturbing at first, like walking out of the house naked. Not that I do that anymore. Not since the neighbours began complaining. The paranoia was strong. Everyone knew, I thought. “He’s got no phone!” I sensed people looking at me kind of weird again. How do they know? I know they know!

This shouldn’t have been such a big deal, I mean we don’t need our smart phones to leave the house do we? Do we really need one to go to the mall to see a movie? Is every message, every tweet, every plate of food and every selfie so important? I mean really?

We’re smarter than that! Aren’t we?

Apparently not.

It seems our very existence is now part of a digital matrix. We have the attention span of goldfish and what little attention we have left seems to be completely focused on being part of some social network letting people know our opinion on something we’d never even heard or cared about that may or may not even exist or be true. Wasn’t it Abraham Lincoln who said not to believe everything you read on Facebook?

Our thumbs are too busy tapping to care. We’ve created Avatars to fuel our fancies in fairy tales. We

I’m not suggesting we smash our phones and go back in time. There’d be no point in that, because technology is a truly wonderful thing, but there is some truth in the concept of doing things in moderation.

We need to learn how to put the phones down every so often. We don’t need to check them every eight seconds to validate our existence. We can and should take back our lives.

So what I’m saying is simple …

• Make time every week to disconnect and put the phone away!

• Relish experiences, savour places, enjoy people and feel alive.

• You don’t need to share a picture of your food along with the other billion and a half people who believe they’re being uniquely ‘them.’

• Read a book. Read your kids a book.

• Focus on what’s important to you… right now… at this moment.

• Take a deep breath and enjoy being a wonderful, organic, living, evolving, breathing sentient being.

• Enjoy being you!

You might just be surprised at how good you really feel.

UNDERSTANDING WHAT MAKES AN IDEAL WORKPLACE IN THE CAPITAL CITY WITH THE TOWER ALAM SUTERA’S LATEST PROPERTY THE TOWER SHOWS US THAT SOPHISTICATION, ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND SECURITY COULD HELP EMPLOYEES FORGE A BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR WORKPLACE. HERE ARE THREE FUNDAMENTAL REASONS WHY THE TOWER IS THE PERFECT WORKPLACE IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY. Over the years, the capital city of Jakarta has grown to become one of the world’s most vibrant business and travel destinations. With the rise of both foreign and local investors and businesses in Jakarta, developers are even more inspired to build workplace that are safe and convenient. Indonesia’s largest integrated property developer Alam Sutera understands that it is important for employees to enjoy not only their work but also its space. This led to the birth of The Tower.

SOPHISTICATED SERVICES AND FACILITIES Located at the famous CBD of Golden Triangle in Gatot Subroto, The Tower was established to accommodate the growing and modern businesses in the capital city. At the Tower, businesses are supported by modern-day necessities which features a restaurant, a convenience store, smoking areas, high-security detail and friendly reception staff. Aside from wide-ranging services and facilities, the tower also supports a helipad, which may be helpful for distinguished management or VIP visits.

EASE OF ACCESS AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY The Tower is conveniently accessible by an array of transportation alternatives. These include the public bus of Transjakarta and Light Rapid Transit, a programme managed by the government that is currently underway. The 50-storey tower is also comprised of three separate areas: low, mid and high. Altogether, the tower is equipped with 23 elevators, including those that are specifically available for the VIP. Some elevators are accessible via the parking lots. Sophisticated fire alarm systems, CCTV and a visitor management system are also available in the modern office tower.

HIGH-LEVEL COMMUNICATION AND SECURITY Communication and security are crucial aspects for the tower as it determines the flow of employee’s work. For that reason, the Tower provides high-level assistance when it comes to both communication and security. For communication purposes, employees are equipped with services provided by Telkom, Indonesia’s largest telecommunication company. For security purposes, on the other hand, the Tower is supported by Visitor Management System. This system allows visitors to access a specific floor or destination within the building.

THE TOWER UNITS IS AVAILABLE FOR SALE & LEASE. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.ALAM-SUTERA.COM OR CALL +6221 3110 3838 / 537 3838

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Travel BENA AND TOLOLELA

Preserving Tradition in Flores

A traditional way of life and wonderful ancient architecture survive almost untouched on one of Indonesia’s most beautiful islands.

BY ANI SUSWANTORO

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lores Island in East Nusa Tenggara Province is a combination of sea and forested mountains with meandering highways cutting the island from west to east, and is home to a friendly people still firmly connected to their ancestral roots.

Flores Island consists of eight regencies with at least six local languages; from west to east are Ngadha, Nage, Keo, Ende, Lio and Palu'e. The majority of Flores people are descended from Roman Catholic Christians resulting from Portuguese colonization, and Flores people have Melayu, Melanesian and Portuguese blood.

Flores people are usually divided into eight tribes: Manggarai, Riung, Ngada, Nage-Keo, Ende, Lio, Sikka, and Larantuka, which can further be divided into many sub-groups with distinct features and dialects.

resemble boats, because the friendly locals believe that this is the vehicle used by the spirits to travel to their homes.

Bena has a population of roughly 750 and its inhabitants are mostly farmers, weavers and cattle breeders, with some government employees, school children, and college students. Farmers cultivate nuts, coffee and tubers and raise cattle. Some members have travelled and worked outside Bena, but they maintain their traditions.

Women help with farming but they also weave shawls and sarongs in traditonal motifs representing buffaloes, horses, chicken feet, machetes, and a long curved line called ghiu, which symbolizes human life. Tourists can obtain these woven fabrics for Rp.300,000 for a medium shawl.

BENA

Flanked by Luba and the Batakengo hills, Bena lies 700 metres above sea level, at the foot of Inerie Mountain (2,245 metres). Inerie means mother, and Rie means beautiful/graceful. The people believe that the God Zeta lives at the mountain top. The existence of Bena on the mountain slope is characteristic of an ancient mountain-worshipping people who believe that the God in the mountain will protect the village and the people. Ngada Regency website indicates that Bena compound might be more than 1,200 years old.

Bena, named after the area’s first settler, is a megalithic compound in Tiwuriwu Village, Aimere District, Ngada Regency, 19 km south of Bajawa City, the capital of Ngada Regency.

Bajawa is reachable from Ende or Manggarai by car or public bus. The roads are smooth with spectacular scenery featuring rolling hills packed with candlenut trees. Bena houses

The Bena compound is 375 metres long and 80 metres wide. Two rows of wooden houses with straw roofs called nua, line the left and right side. Flat tall stones, called terse stand upright in the middle of the open yard. A stone altar called a watu lewa is placed in a special formation. Here they perform ceremonies. There are 45 houses in

Known for its traditional art weaving and dancing, Flores is also famous for its traditonal houses. Wae Rebo in Manggarai Regency might be more famous, but the wooden houses in Ngada Regency are just as attractive.

The Bena, Tololela, Luba, Nage, Gurusina and Belaraghi housing compounds are all in Ngada Regency.

LUSH GREEN VEGETATION SURROUNDS BENA COMPOUND. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YARD WE CAN SEE SEVERAL NGADHU AND BHAGA

which nine clans live. These clans are called Dizi Kae, Dizi Azi, Wahtu, Deru Lalulewa, Deru Solamae, Ngada, Khopa, Ago and Bena, the oldest.

Villagers embrace Catholicism and ancestor worship at the same time.

They display a Virgin Mary statue at the end of the compound and from there Mount Inerie, the lush green hills and the neighbouring Jerebu’u and Sarabawa villages are visible.

In the yard, they erect ngadhu, a conelike structure made of one single pole topped by palm fibres, symbolizing male ancestors. The log to build the ngadhu pole must be strong enough to support the weight of the sacrificial animals that are tied to it. The construction of the ngadhu is done in a ceremony which involves the use of blood from pigs and chickens.

SINCE THE VILLAGE HAS A BOAT-LIKE FORM, THE END OF THE VILLAGE IS TILTED, SO SOMEONE STANDING THERE CAN SEE WHO’S COMING

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The bhaga is a miniature house symbolizing female ancestors. Both ngadhu and bhaga represent the connection between the old and new generations. There are nine pairs of bhaga and ngadhu in Bena to represent the nine clans.

The annual three-day reba ceremony gives thanks to the ancestors for a good harvest by making offerings of pork and buffalo meat. Later, the buffalo horns and the pig jaw-bones are displayed in front of the houses in rows. The local elders say the age of the houses can be calculated by counting the number of rows.

A couple of appreciative young French tourists smile and nod, saying, “This place is actually frozen in time.”

TOLOLELA Another traditional housing compound is Tololela, located in Manubhara Village, Jerebuu District, Ngada Regency. The trek from Bena to Tololela takes 45 minutes. The Tololela compound features two rows of authentic wooden houses topped by straw roofs, every bit as authentic as those found in Bena.

There are seven clans in Tololela and, as in Bena, there is a pair of ngadhu and bhaga to represent each clan. The clans here are called Siga Dala, Siga Daku, Siga Lalu Bila, Metu, Be’a, Raba, Siga Pedhu Raga.

“Guests can learn to weave and can help with cooking using traditional stone wood-burning stoves…”

The grave of one of the elders is built from modern blue ceramic tiles which somewhat taints the antiquity of the compound. As in Bena, people display buffalo horns and pig’s jaw bones on their porches following the annual ceremonies.

Mattresses and breakfast are provided for overnight stays. Guests can learn to weave and can help with cooking using traditional stone wood-burning stoves. They can also learn to play the bombardom, a local traditional musical instrument made from one small hollow piece of bamboo inserted into a larger one. It is played by blowing into the smaller piece of bamboo and at the same time moving the larger one up

and down. The bombardom’s music tells the story of the history of Tololela, Ngadhu and Bhaga.

The Tololela ceremony called ka sa’o marks the completion of work on a new or renovated house. Buffaloes and pigs are slaughtered, the ja’i dance is performed, and all clan members go home to a feast called meghe which includes the meat from the slaughtered animals.

As modernization inevitably invades even the most remote areas of Indonesia, we should admire and respect those who choose to maintain and cherish their traditional ways of life.

AS IN BENA, NGADHU AND BHAGA CAN BE SEEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YARD. A GRAVE OF THE ELDER IS BUILT IN BLUE CERAMIC TILE

WOMEN DISPLAY THEIR WOVEN SHAWLS ON THEIR PORCHES FOR SALE. IF YOU ARE LUCKY, YOU CAN SEE THEM WEAVING IN THE MORNING

A TOLOLELA WOMAN DISPLAYS HER SARONG WITH HORSE MOTIF. THE MORE IMPORTANT THE PERSON IS, THE BIGGER THE HORSE ISSUE 207 Indonesia expat

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Food and Drink

Our Clandestine Critic has dined all over the world, everywhere from three-Michelin 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!

Do You Yakiniku?

The tradition of Japanese grilled meat has been supplanted by a few other neighbouring barbeque styles as of late. Our Clandestine Critic heads to one of the most popular Japanese grills in Jakarta, Esina Yakiniku Garden, to find out more about it.

TEXT AND IMAGES BY THE CLANDESTINE CRITIC

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or those of my dear readers who enjoy good food and have limited time to spend watching Netflix, there is a charming series I recommend called Samurai Gourmet. The programme is subtitled so it requires a bit of concentration for those who don’t understand Japanese, but each episode is less than an hour long. There is nothing superbly outrageous about its plot or characters, but I am smitten by the protagonist Takeshi, a 60-year-old retiree who enjoys eating alone in restaurants. The programme follows a very basic plotline in each episode where Takeshi finds a new eatery and something happens to antagonize him during his meal, whereafter his alter ego, a rough-andtumble samurai warrior, comes blazing onto the scene.

Truth be told, I find the samurai warrior gimmick a bit tedious compared to mild-mannered Takeshi. I love the delight captured by the cinematographer whilst my retiree is eating, and enjoy the stark camera work over the meals and slightly drab restaurants in which he dines. It’s honest and endearing, much like Takeshi.

The reason I wax poetic about this programme is that a recent episode on yakiniku prompted me to head straight over to one of Jakarta’s most popular Japanese barbeque restaurants.

One might wonder what is so special about Japanese barbeque. Compared with more exciting and bold flavours from the United States, South Korea, Vietnam, and much of Southeast Asian grills, this particular style of grilling can seem a bit bland. However, there is a time and place for everything and, as much as I crave certain spice pastes and sauces smeared, drizzled and dabbed onto my meat, I also enjoy the simplicity of some good quality sea salt sprinkled lightly over some thinly sliced, quality meat.

Most food experts would agree that yakiniku is derived from Korean barbeque traditions. The side dishes and sauces that accompany the raw meat and seafood are milder versions of the fiery kimchi, gochujang (red chili paste) and ssamjang (Korean spicy dipping sauce). The meat for

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“The reason I wax poetic about this programme is that a recent episode on yakiniku prompted me to head straight over to one of Jakarta’s most popular Japanese barbeque restaurants.” the grill is mostly unseasoned, and condiment jars, small ramekins of fine sea salt, fresh ground pepper, shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) and vinegar blends are laid out for each diner.

There is a plate of fresh lettuce leaves, carrot-cucumberradish spears and the much loved aojiso leaf (perilla or green shiso, as it is more commonly known) available for wrapping around the succulent bites of beef. Aojiso has a lovely herbal taste reminiscent of anise and licorice, but also grassy and pungent. People either love it or hate it.

I count myself in the former group, especially when paired with high-grade yellowtail sashimi or wagyu beef.

At Esina Yakiniku Garden, you have a choice of some very good cuts of beef. They specialize in two different styles of beef tongue that one must try if adventurous with texture.

That said, beef tongue is somewhat underutilised in cuisine.

Grouped with offal, its raw state leaves something to be desired and is the stuff of horror movies. However, when slow cooked over low heat in a braise, or sliced thin and flash grilled over high heat as in our case with yakiniku, it can be amazing.

We tried the tan-shio or salty tongue (please insert curseridden sailor joke here), and although it was meant to be tender and juicy the attendant helping us grill may have overcooked it slightly, which made the pieces quite tough and chewy. We also asked for the wagyu jo karubi, a nice portion of meat from the short rib area. It was well-grilled this time and so tender that it almost melted in the mouth.

The kaisen jijimi (seafood pancake) was crisp and savoury, but lacked the seafood-fortified depth and taste of its Korean counterpart. The kimchi mori was mildly pleasant even though it is less invigorating than Korean kimchi.

We also ordered fresh prawns to grill over the cast iron hotplate and they were plump and tasty; the children at the table couldn’t get enough.

What I really enjoyed was the selection of dips and sauces.

The crossover from Korean to Japanese is quite interesting; the Japanese palate prefers seasonings that are far saltier, and much less spicy and sweet. The ssamjang had a strong iodine flavour as kelp was used as a base ingredient. The fermented soybean paste was milder and less sweet, with added sesame seeds and oil. All paired well with the meat.

I would suggest going with a group to sample different cuts of meat and seafood. Dining alone here may be disappointing; you either order way too much or not enough.

There is a long menu for drinks and spirits, and private rooms for big parties. It is based on Japanese and Korean style hospitality so be prepared for in-your-face service.

ESINA YAKINIKU GARDEN Plaza Senayan Mall, Lantai 4, Jalan Asia Afrika, Jakarta Tel: +62 21 5785 2767 or +62 21 5785 2768 Reservations recommended Lunch for Group of Three Adults and Two Children Food : Rp.678,900 Drinks : Rp.112,500 Service 10% : Rp.79,140 Tax 10% : Rp.87,054 Total

:

Rp.957,594

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Fitness

Swim and Sway Those Kilos Away Here’s to fun and motivating ways to get in shape!

BY VIVANI KAPOOR

“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is also the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”

S

o said President John F. Kennedy, and I couldn’t agree more. For those of us who need inspiration to exercise there are fun workouts such as aqua-fitness and dance-exercise that can help shake off those excess kilograms with a little sweat and determination.

Exercising in water is very therapeutic because it keeps your heart rate up, builds endurance and increases muscle strength.

You burn twice the amount of calories exercising in water than you do exercising on land. “The butterfly is the most effective and difficult swimming stroke as the technique uses all body parts with a special emphasis on the back, chest and shoulder muscles – it helps burn approximately 550 calories per hour,” says Wisnu Wardhana, a personal fitness trainer at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Mega Kuningan.

Aqua fitness helps maintain a healthy weight, reduces blood pressure and builds muscle all over the body by working out the core, legs and upper body. To start, you can do basic aqua aerobics or even simply do laps in a pool using the backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke, butterfly and freestyle, each of which focuses on and stretches different muscle groups. Exercising in water provides a soft cushioning effect for tense muscles against gentle resistance. Swimming as a workout is great for all ages, especially for the elderly suffering from arthritis or other medical conditions, because it is not weight bearing and significantly reduces post-workout stiffness, soreness and joint pain. It is undoubtedly the safest form of exercise for pregnant women who want to maintain a fitness regime. It’s also a great way to reduce any stress or anxiety associated with the pregnancy.

If you’re not a water baby another great way to workout and tone your body is through dance. “Dance is a great way to express yourself,” said Darcey Bussell, a famous English ballerina from the 1970s. Ballet dancing has amazing strength-building benefits for the entire body, from the muscles in your feet to the larger muscles of your back, glutes and calves. A dance workout routine that has gained popularity over the last twenty years or so is Zumba.

It became a dance-exercise sensation in Colombia in the 1990s after dancer, choreographer and aerobics teacher Alberto Perez forgot to bring his regular music for his aerobics class and used salsa instead.

COURTESY OF SABRINA SCHULZ

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Belly dancing from the Middle East is gaining popularity with women as a sensual, fun and quirky way to tone the

belly and arms, and if you are shy you can follow Youtube videos at home to start.

Pole dancing is also sensual but it requires great muscle endurance, upper and lowerbody strength and coordination so it is best learned with a trainer.

Another sensual dance workout is burlesque, which is known for its theatrics and was made popular by the Hollywood movie Burlesque. This dance form has very sexy moves with a focus on legs, calves, pelvic muscles and the derriere.

Sh’bam is a compelling cardio dance workout that focuses on agility and maintaining bone density in addition to burning calories. It is a licensed workout

by Les Mills International, a New Zealand based company that provides choreographed exercise and music in health clubs. Their class is 45 minutes long with 12 non-stop hit tracks combined with simple but hot dance moves.

Bollywood dance, according to Resham Pursani, choreographer and founder of WeDance, is a great way to burn calories and tone muscles. “It is a high impact, dynamic dance form combined with dramatic expression which is sure to lift your spirits” she says. “You must give it a try especially if you are a Bollywood fan and would like to learn those über dramatic dance moves to your favourite songs!”

Dancing will help tone your muscles and improve your strength. You will have stronger bones and a reduced risk of osteoporosis, and dancing assists in maintaining a healthy weight. Dancing also helps coordination, improves balance and increases flexibility.

DANCE WORKOUTS Fitness First: Three dance classes per week: Hip Hop, Zumba, Sh’bam and Body Jam. Membership required.

WeDance: Shake it off to some Bollywood dancing. There are classes held daily and in different parts of the city. Get in touch with Aarti A: 0817 075 7502 Active Barn, Kemang: Ujam Dance, Zumba Toning, Zumba, Strong by Zumba and Core Dance. Instagram: @ActiveBarn Guava Pass: A fitness pass that gives you member access to multiple gyms across Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Shanghai and Singapore.

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Spotlight

Add Respect to the Repertoire Duncan Graham chats with musician Mustafa Daood of the band Debu for some interesting tidbits on his career and thoughts on performing and life in Indonesia.

Daood said other artists kept quiet fearing they’d lose work. “But I have advantages I can and will exploit.” These advantages include a base far away in Jakarta, being famous locally and internationally on stage and TV. Manic masters of ceremonies holler, “He’s from the USA!” “That was 18 years ago,” the long-haired musician told the crowd in fluent Indonesian while his 13-member band tuned their instruments, “We’re you.”

Mustafa Daood has a 2011 citizenship certificate that took five years to obtain, Islam on his ID card and an umrah (pilgrimage to Mecca) on his CV. Debu is often billed as a Muslim highvoltage band thumping out Arabic-IndianWestern synthesis. Daood says the group’s genre is, “spiritual music played so people go away feeling good.” Pressed to deepen a shallow statement he added, “So they can find tranquility of the heart, experience the essence of life.”

Daood, aged 36, has certainly quaffed well from that flagon. Born in Oregon to nomadic parents following Sufi (Islamic mysticism) teachings, he was homeschooled and never attended university.

IMAGE VIA KAMPUNG CEMPLUK FESTIVAL

BY DUNCAN GRAHAM

T

he concert was already underway in Malang when the VIP guests arrived an hour late with a large entourage. A contemporary masked dance was performing and dazzling the 400-strong crowd. The VIPs paid no attention, instead posing for photos and making themselves comfortable.

Musician Mustafa Daood watched from afar in discomfort. He’d seen similar instances before and decided it was time to speak out. An hour later on stage with his band Debu (Dust) and some twirling dancers, he found the front row empty and fruit dishes untouched. But he still told everyone exactly what he thought of the VIPs and the Dawai Nusantara (archipelago strings) Music Festival audience shouted approval.

“I love women and always tell them that this is how I am. They know what I’m like.

Musicians are complex.

Nothing is everlasting.”

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The group moved around the United States, then to the Dominican Republic where Daood learned Spanish. Their next stop was Jakarta in 1999 because they thought the republic had the most tolerant form of Islam. However, it was not the best time, the country was in turmoil after President Soeharto resigned and interfaith strife was brewing.

From there, they moved from the capital to Makassar in South Sulawesi to open a pesantren (Islamic boarding school), and then back to Jakarta where the remnants now live. The others have returned to the United States or moved elsewhere.

COURTESY OF DUNCAN GRAHAM

Later Daood told me, “Officials say they honour creativity yet they treat artists with contempt. It happens often. It’s wrong. It has to change.”

“I seldom perform in formal concerts because official protocols take over.

These people are all about rules.”

The 70-strong commune (Daood prefers the term “community”) was led by his poet father Shaykh Fattah who converted to Islam in his thirties, following the twelfth century Rufa’i teachings developed in Kosovo.

COURTESY OF DUNCAN GRAHAM

Debu gained traction for its unusual makeup, vigorous performances and original compositions. Frontman Daood is a multitalented instrumentalist and singer. They’ve toured the archipelago and overseas, produced numerous albums and have been featured on television.

The band’s success leans on its apparent Islamic credentials, but Daood confessed: “I’m not much of a Muslim.” Would he convert to Christianity if he found it

personally more appealing? “Yes. Sufis work on inspiration. We know when it’s time to move. We are learning how to escape the world without leaving the world. We don’t try to convert.”

Another interpretation one can make is that the lifestyle is shiftless, and its practitioners bums. Daood laughs. “You’re not too wrong.

Sufis are crazy.”

Daood is, to be polite, unconventional. In the Beatles era he’d have been a hippy, and a John Lennon lookalike. In Indonesia, he’s less easy to pigeonhole. His personal life is knotty. He says he’s been wed 12 times and once had three wives under the same roof.

From these unions he has eight children; some are performing with Debu.

Daood’s couplings, particularly his fourmonth marriage to local singer Penelope Love, aroused tabloid fever. How does his constant message of mutual respect and inoffensive behaviour fit in? “I love women and always tell them that this is how I am.

They know what I’m like. Musicians are complex. Nothing is everlasting.”

Conservatives might consider this a libertine lifestyle but Daood says he has no regrets and seems undamaged by publicity about his relationships. In 2006, a family-values celebrity preacher tumbled off his television throne when exposed for polygamy, which is legal in Indonesia although contentious.

Daood states, “He was a hypocrite. I’m not a religious leader; I’m open about what I do.”

Recently he put down his gambus (Arabian lute) to develop a 250-hectare theme park in Bogor where models of the world’s most famous mosques will be built.

The project is so big he says it’s deterred a potential billionaire businessman investor, but it has found other backers. He claims he rejected an invitation to meet the Gerindra Party boss when told what he had to wear.

(Daood’s everyday garb is sarong, sloppy shirt and bare feet).

Other quirks include not watching TV news and having no interest in politics.

“Fundamentalists haven’t travelled or learned about other interpretations of the faith. Don’t make a big deal out of difference. Love what you have. Hidup suka-suka (life is fun).”

He reckons the Sufi philosophy that God takes care of people to be true, rattling off tales of sudden financial support by well-wishers. “I’m totally grateful for what we have in this beautiful country,” he said.

“Indonesia was built on passion, not money.

That’s what we need to recover.”

Scams in the City

Kenneth Yeung is a Jakarta-based editor

Swipers Still Swiping It’s easy to find love online. It’s just as easy to be scammed if you’re blinded by lust.

Tinder Swindler Online dating scammers do not only target desperate men.

Nathan (34) from Jember in East Java used the popular dating app Tinder to meet women whom he promised to marry, only to then extract loans or steal from them.

He started using Tinder in 2015, targeting single, affluent women. Although unemployed, he claimed to work for state oil and gas company Pertamina. He sometimes wore a uniform of safety overalls to suggest he did outdoor engineering work.

After matching with a victim on Tinder, he would request her phone number and then use the WhatsApp messaging service to continue seducing her. Next, he would propose a meeting and marriage. After gaining women’s trust, he was able to steal their smartphones, laptops and even a car. He also asked for loans that he never repaid.

In August 2017, he matched with a civil servant, Mawar (not her real name), who lived in Bogor, south of Jakarta. After exchanging phone numbers, their romance blossomed via WhatsApp, and Nathan travelled to Jakarta for a meeting.

Mawar accepted his marriage proposal and allowed him to drive her around in her Honda Brio hatchback. Three days later, Nathan disappeared with the car.

COURTESY OF THE STRAIT TIMES

Mawar went to police, who arrested Nathan in November in Cirebon, West Java, at the home of his next intended victim.

Police said he had scammed at least ten women in Jakarta, Cirebon, Jogjakarta, Semarang, Surabaya and Malang.

He often took his victims to restaurants but always had an excuse about being temporarily unable to access funds, so the women footed the bill.

BY KENNETH YEUNG

D

espite the ongoing efforts of Islamic political parties to criminalize sex outside of marriage, Indonesians are still flocking to online dating apps in search of intimate encounters, making them enticing prey for scammers.

A female student and her male friend were arrested last month in South Sulawesi province for running an online prostitution scam in which men paid for sex that never eventuated.

Silvana Chichilia Umbingo (23), who was in her final semester of apothecary studies at Hasanuddin University in Makassar city, and her unemployed friend Hamka Andi Anwar alias Koko (29) were nabbed in a sting operation on January 12.

Police said the pair started operating in December 2016 and duped over a dozen men through social media accounts that Koko created on WhatsApp and Twitter. The accounts featured alluring photos of young women and had usernames such as Makassar Escort. They offered shorttime sex for Rp.1 million (US$74) and long-time sex for Rp.3 million (US$222). The precise durations of the two categories were unspecified, but local media reports say short-time is about 90 minutes, while long-time means four hours or more.

When potential customers made contact, they would talk to Silvana, who posed as a seductive freelance prostitute and insisted on an advance deposit of at least Rp.500,000 via ATM or online transfer. Some victims paid the full fee in advance. As soon as the money was received, Koko would block the man’s number and Twitter account. The scammers assumed their victims would be too ashamed to complain to police. Every couple of months, Koko closed the social media accounts and then started afresh with new accounts, usernames and images.

The police’s cyber crime unit conducted a sting after receiving a complaint from one of the victims. An undercover police officer transferred Rp.1 million for sex but was then unable to contact the “escort”. Police said they used special equipment to locate Silvana through her phone number.

She was arrested at her rented room. She told police where to find her accomplice, who was then nabbed at a hotel. Koko said they had managed to con at least 15 men and had spent most of the ill-gotten money.

The two now face charges under the Pornography Law, which makes it a crime to offer or advertize sexual services. They also face charges under the Information and Electronic Transactions Law for deliberately spreading false information that resulted in consumer losses via electronic transfers. If tried and convicted, they could face up to six years in jail.

A spokesman for Hasanuddin University said Silvana could face expulsion for her actions. She had previously studied at Sam Ratulangi University in Manado, North Sulawesi, where she co-authored a paper on methods for detecting formaldehyde (an illegal preservative) in chicken meat.

Honey Trap In Kendari, East Java, a young man named Cosum was desperate for a sexual liaison. A friend advised him to try the BeeTalk dating app. He downloaded it and was pleasantly surprised to find dozens of beautiful women in his local area. No one told him that many of the “women” were actually male pimps and scammers.

Cosum contacted a “woman” with the username Jessy and asked if they could be friends. She inquired if he would like “short-time” friendship for Rp.1.5 million or a “long-time” encounter for Rp.2.5 million. Not being wealthy, Cosum haggled and they agreed to a fee of Rp.1 million.

Jessy then instructed Cosum to contact her manager, Rio, to finalize the booking. He telephoned Rio, who told him to transfer the money and then to take the transfer slip to Hotel Horison, where he would be taken to Jessy’s room.

Cosum dutifully transferred the money to a BCA account in the name of Yulius Kambuno. He then went to the hotel and waited. Jessy sent a few messages telling him to keep waiting, but she then ceased contact. Reception staff knew nothing of Rio, Jessy or Yulius. Realizing he had been conned, Cosum urged other men not to be fooled by “women” on BeeTalk.

Although Nathan was preying on the gullibility of lonely women, he used various amulets and charms, claiming they gave him supernatural powers. Police said he carried a talisman called bulu perindu (literally, hair that causes longing), which is a piece of supposedly enchanted grass from Kalimantan. It resembles a strand of string and is reputed to make the holder irresistible to the opposite sex.

Police said Nathan also used traditional keris daggers, as well as a baju ontoseno – a magical shirt that supposedly enables the wearer to fly and disappear. Fortunately, the head of Jakarta Police’s automobile theft unit, Antonius Agus, said police investigators do not believe in the occult, and that Nathan duped his victims solely through chicanery.

An Affair to Forget A 50-year-old married woman in Cinere, south of Jakarta, three months ago embarked on a secret affair with a man half her age only for him to end up attacking and robbing her.

Police said Esta Puspawati often invited Muhammad Bima to her apartment at the Cinere Bellevue Suites when her husband was away. On February 1, Bima contacted Esta on the pretext of wanting to repay a loan and collecting a pair of shoes he had left with her as collateral. She summoned him to the apartment and asked him to stay for lunch. After eating, they argued and Bima struck her on the head five times with an ornamental rock. He took her Samsung S5 and S7 smartphones, and her purse containing cash and credit cards.

He then locked her inside and fled.

Esta used the intercom system to call for help from security guards. They broke open her door and rushed her to hospital, where staff called her husband, who contacted police. The following morning, Bima was arrested at a relative’s house in Pamulang, South Tangerang.

Police said Bima had purchased a motorbike with money he obtained from Esta. He now faces five years in jail for assault and theft. Police said Esta had learned her lesson to be more cautious.

While small-time love scammers are often caught, little effort is being made to stop those seeking to control the private lives of consenting adults. Abstention may be safer than caution.

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Java

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 a number of smaller and larger towns on Java. He now enjoys a leisurely life, playing tennis most mornings and writing his blogs and other articles.

The Betawi – A Look at the History, Culture and Cuisine

BY HANS ROOSEBOOM

N

The region that is now Greater Jakarta was a part of the Tarumanagar Kingdom from the fourth to seventh centuries. For the next six hundred years it was ruled by the Sunda Kingdom and, in 1527, General Fatahillah of the Demak Kingdom conquered the settlement where the Portuguese had established a post and renamed the town Jayakarta. The Dutch arrived in 1596 and were granted permission to build a trading post. In 1617, Jan Pietszoon Coen built a second lodge, and the Dutch were ousted by the ruler of Jayakarta with the help of the British who eagerly provided this service. Coen returned in 1619 and razed the town of Jayakarta. On its ashes, Batavia was built.

owadays Kemang is a favourite residential area for foreigners, and a trendy hangout hotspot with a wide range of restaurants, bars and cafés. Not so long ago it was a collection of hamlets or possibly a single sparsely populated village inhabited by orang Betawi.

The area was pleasantly green and airy because of its fruit orchards and paddy fields.

That was some 40 years ago. Since then Kemang has gentrified. That is, the original inhabitants sold the land, parcel by parcel, to finance a hajj or another marriage.

Trees were cut and sawahs (rice fields) filled, and modern houses appeared that were rented out to foreigners.

Ibu Titi, who provided me with information on Kemang and the Betawi, seemed a little sad. She was born in Kemang and witnessed these changes personally. After selling most of her family's land, she now lives in a house on the edge of Kemang, a house that regularly floods after heavy rains and the overtopping of the nearby Mampang River. The flooding only started after the construction of the large apartment complex across the river – the floodplain that previously had been an empty space where her sons played football.

She does however agree that selling the land enabled her to pay for the education of her children and to go on a hajj.

Kemang is also the area where I saw the Betawi ondel-ondel – large 2.5 metre-tall figures with a headdress made from dried coconut leaves that have been shredded lengthways and wrapped with colourful paper. When I saw them for the first time I found them rather frightening. Maybe because it brought back scary childhood memories of Der Struwwelpeter (Shockheaded Peter), a German children's book written in 1845 by Heinrich Hoffmann.

The book's ten stories and illustrations tell children not to be naughty to avoid dreadful punishments.

The book’s title story is about a boy who refuses to brush his hair and cut his nails. Unkempt, he is then shunned by all. The book’s illustration of Peter came to mind when I saw my first ondel-ondel. I was glad to hear that Ibu Titi’s daughter was also scared of these Betawi puppets.

Ondel-ondel typically appear in pairs, the red-faced male accompanied by a female with a white face. Traditionally the figures were paraded to protect villages from evil spirits and disasters and to solicit opium. However, when opium use was forbidden by the colonial administration, the ondel-ondel dancers started asking for money.

COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA

The Betawi are thus the most recently formed ethnic group in Indonesia and consist of a mixture of Javanese, Sunda, Malay, Ambonese, Bugis, Makassar, Arabs, Chinese and other non-Indonesians. For many inhabitants of Batavia their original ethnic roots have been lost over generations due to progressive creolisation.

COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA

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In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the Batavians started to call themselves orang Betawi. The new group was officially recognized in 1930 and the Batavia population census of that year included a column Betawi.

The many loan-words in the Betawi language, unsurprisingly, reflect these different influences. It is now a very popular informal language among urban youngsters, but because it is perceived as a rough and not very polite language, Ibu Titi and her family and many other people nowadays prefer to speak Indonesian at home.

COURTESY OF EMANUEL SETIO DEWO (DEWO.WORDPRESS.COM)

Betawi cuisine stands out and is decidedly tasty. Betawi specialities are widely available as they are sold by the ubiquitous street vendors. For those who are hesitant to try the food from the kaki lima carts, a restaurant in South Jakarta offering a wide variety of Betawi food is Boplo on Jalan Panglima Polim IX. The restaurant has branches in different parts of the city as well.

Boplo is famous for its gado-gado, a salad à la Betawi with a spicy sauce made of peanut, garlic, palm sugar, chillies, salt, and toasted shrimp paste. Their Soto Betawi is also worth a try. This soto (soup) is different from, for instance, soto ayam as coconut milk (santan) is used in the soup.

Since Indonesia's independence and especially since the administration of Jakarta Governor Ali Sadikin (1966 – 1977), the ondel-ondel have become the mascot of Jakarta and a standard part of official celebrations, weddings and the welcoming of guests of honour. In 2009, a large set of ondel-ondel was prepared to welcome the Manchester United football team. Each of the dummies had a sash with the name of a player draped over its shoulder. The team unfortunately cancelled its visit and a match against a selection of Indonesian players after the JW Marriott hotel bomb blast.

There are Betawi people, the Betawi village of Kemang, and the ondel-ondel – a prominent side of the traditional Betawi culture; but who are these orang Betawi?

The name Betawi is derived from Batavia. It is therefore not surprising that under the previous kingdoms the area's inhabitants were never identified as Betawi – the word didn't exist yet. Those who migrated into the area were identified by their original ethnicity: Javanese, Sunda, Balinese, Makassar, and the like.

Another special Betawi delicacy is kerak telor, an omelette with sticky rice which is sprinkled with sweet grated coconut, dried salted shrimp and fried shallots.

COURTESY OF WWW.PESONA-INDONESIA.INFO FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: ONDEL-ONDEL, JAKARTA GOVERNOR ALI SADIKIN, GADO-GADO-BOPLO, SOTO BETAWI

But don’t forget to try ketoprak-lontong (rice steamed in a banana leaf) with vermicelli, tofu and bean sprouts in a peanut sauce; its spiciness to be decided by the customer.

Most of the above dishes are accompanied by deep-fried prawn or shrimp crackers.

Travel Advice SENSATIA BOTANICALS INTRODUCES ARGAN ROSE & JASMINE NURTURING HAIR OIL

Safety in Hotels Our fire safety consultant and former firefighter gives you some pointers on how to stay safe in hotels.

BY EAMONN SADLER

F

ollowing a recent conversation about safety and security with my kids it became clear to me that when I stay in hotels I automatically take into account things that most people don’t even think about. So I would like to share with you some simple fire safety measures that you might like to think about when you choose and use hotels, things which might just help you to return to your loved ones safe and sound.

“Check it out before you check in.” Before you book a hotel, search the internet for information and guest comments. Look at photographs to judge the standard of housekeeping. Check the hotel’s web site for information on safety and security standards and also see if you can find some environmental and sustainability credentials. You can probably judge this book by its cover.

“Low f loor near the door.” Ask for a room on the lowest floor possible as close to the lift lobby as possible. This will give you a choice of the fire exit near the lift or the fire exit at the end of the corridor if you need to leave in a hurry.

The Argan Rose & Jasmine Nurturing Hair Oil is made in Bali with globally sourced natural ingredients and formulated with a mixture of selected plant actives that works as a leave-in treatment resulting in hair looking shinier and smoother with incredible scent. Featuring argan oil, jojoba oil and jasmine oil, the treatment is rich in fatty acids and antioxidants that can help boost overall hair health. When massaged into the scalp and hair the oil will replace the lipids in hair increasing its tensile strength, reducing the frizziness and preventing breakage.

Designed for regular usage on damp scalp and hair after washing, Argan Rose & Jasmine Nurturing Hair Oil has a multi-dimensional effect on hair. It is a great lubricant to help detangle wet hair. It also forms a protective layer for the hair shaft that is useful to help prevent brittle hair caused by frequent blow-drying and other styling procedures involving heat and chemicals.

“Know your way out.” Make a mental note of where the nearest fire exits are and check if the window is an option as an escape route. Count the number of room doors between your room and the emergency exits and note which side they are on so you have a choice of ways out even if you can’t see. For example, if you turn right for the exit and it is four doors down on the left remember “right four left”, or if you turn left for the exit and it is two doors down on the right remember “left two right”. Close your eyes and make a mental image of the routes in your mind. Try to use the stairs to reach the lobby at least once so you are familiar with that route if the lifts are disabled.

“If in doubt, get out.” If you hear, smell or see anything unusual, get out via the nearest emergency exit and alert hotel staff to your concerns. Better to be embarrassed outside than trapped inside.

Argan oil is packed with beneficial ingredients like fatty acids as well as antioxidants, which fight UV rays and hair cell damage. Infused in nourishing jojoba oil, it will not only protect hair from heat but also hydrate it deep within, moisturizing and treating the hair follicles from the inside. Additionally, jasmine oil delivers invigorating scents to the hair providing powerful uplifting effects on the mood.

The hair oil will be available for purchase starting the 15 February 2018 in all Sensatia Botanicals stores as well as at the official website.

“Look before you leap.” Check there is no fire in the corridor outside your room or outside the window before you try to exit that way. If there is smoke, make your way out staying as close as possible to the floor – this is where the cleanest air will be.

“Raise the alarm.” Let hotel staff and the authorities know as soon as possible that you believe there is a dangerous situation by whatever means possible – don’t be shy and don’t assume somebody else has already done it.

“Poise and noise.” If it is not safe to leave your room, remain calm and make sure everybody knows you are there. Use your mobile phone to call for help and call as many people as possible to make sure you are not left stranded. Shout out of the window, put the lights on if they are working and flash them on and off to attract attention.

ABOUT SENSATIA BOTANICALS Since 2000, Sensatia Botanicals is an Indonesian beauty care brand dedicated to offer naturally effective products. It has been granted GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) Certification under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive and is the first GMPcertified company in Bali. Sensatia Botanicals is committed to minimize its environmental footprint while continuously empowers local community by hiring residents of Karangasem, an area where the brand was founded, resulting with

“Mind the gaps.” If there is thick smoke in the corridor, block the gaps under and around your door with wet towels. Open the window if safe to do so to allow fresh air into the room.

“Fight back.” Fill the bath with water to use for firefighting if the flames get too close.

Cover your nose and mouth with a wet towel to filter and cool the air as much as possible.

“Stay low and go!” If you are forced to leave your room when there are signs of fire outside, stay as close as possible to the floor where you will find the cleanest air, keep your nose and mouth covered with a wet towel and head towards your nearest and safest memorized exit as quickly as possible. Do not take belongings with you – they will only slow you down.

over 90% of the total employees. Made in Bali, with globally sourced ingredients, all Sensatia Botanicals products are cruelty-free, free of parabens, palm oil, synthetic dyes and artificial fragrances.

For more information, please visit www.sensatia.com

Safe travels!

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Rinka Perez is The Expat Housewife of Jakarta, sharing her experiences of living in The Big Durian as an expat mother of three. Please follow her on Instagram @the_expat_housewife_of_jakarta, www.theexpathousewifeofjakarta.com and Facebook page, The Expat Housewife of Jakarta. #aMillionThingsToDoInJakarta

Family

Raising Healthy, Happy, Expat Children in Indonesia “My children help with household chores such as setting the table for dinner, watering plants and tidying up their toys.”

As a parent, I naturally want to give my children so much more than I had when I was growing up. However, when I think about my childhood and the things that made me happy, it wasn’t toys or material things, it was the freedom I had to run around with my friends, twirl around in my dress and play with worms in the garden. I come from a humble background but my childhood was still magical.

I hold on to this thought when I am tempted to buy more toys for my children, and instead I push them to go outside, roam free and get their hands dirty.

I try to teach my children responsibility and I give them ownership of tasks within our family. My children help with household chores such as setting the table for dinner, watering plants and tidying up their toys. Even my two year old gets involved! They take pride in making their own beds and I let them do little things like buttering their toast themselves, even though they often end up causing more mess (and stress) in the process! I also limit my children's exposure to nannies as a whole and organize nanny-free play dates. I encourage independent play where their nanny is not shadowing them or jumping in with every scream.

Birthday parties are family affairs for us, so we don’t usually bring our nanny along.

How do I raise emotionally secure expat children when their environment is so transient? Friendships, schools and even the country of residence are only temporary. We keep our family unit strong by integrating into the community and making the current country our home. I don’t talk about our next posting in front of my children and I don’t like to compare our current country to our home country.

I focus on now. We embrace the culture by asking our household staff to speak Indonesian with our children, and we encourage them to listen out for the call to prayer at bedtime because it is a beautiful melody sung to God. COURTESY OF RINKA PEREZ

BY RINKA PEREZ

M

which I grew up. I feel like everything and everyone is working against me on this issue. Each time I try to push my children toward a certain lifestyle, their surroundings pull them back.

What is a healthy expat child? For me, it’s a child that is well-rounded, grounded, independent, emotionally secure and physically healthy. This is not easy to achieve in Indonesia. My children are living in constant contradiction to what I think is healthy. The “expat bubble” cushions them, and they are never truly a part of the real world in

So how do I raise well-rounded children when they are constantly smothered with attention by our household staff and their teachers? Culturally these people shy away from saying “no” to children and prefer to avoid confrontation.

I personally think it’s healthy to set boundaries for children, so I give my nanny authority. If she says that it is time to turn off the television and my son then switches it back on, I back her up. He also has to apologize. I tell my children they must respect their nanny and they must always say “please” and “thank you”.

y son finished drinking his milk and yelled out to his nanny, “Finished!” I have tirelessly taught him to take his cup to the kitchen when he has finished his drink, so as soon as I heard this I walked into the toy room to address the issue. I asked him why he expected his nanny to get his cup. “It’s the nanny’s job!” he replied. This kind of attitude is not healthy and I felt guilty as a parent.

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How do I raise a physically healthy expat child when we are living in a country with a mall culture, where the air outside is feared, where the wind causes illness and the sun is evil because it darkens the skin? We go outside and have fun anyway! I try to give my children at least half an hour of direct sunlight and fresh air each day. Vitamin D helps to strengthen children’s bones and builds immunity. The air outside is not as dangerously polluted as we fear, and I think it’s much healthier than stagnant, indoor, air-conditioned air. I also like to enrol my children into recreational activities involving music and arts. Their daily commute to school and their inactivity in the classroom need to be balanced with physical and creative pursuits.

Overall, I think I lead the way and my children definitely follow my example. I try to stay calm and positive, and I always act towards others with respect, empathy and, above all, kindness. I hope that my enthusiasm for expat life will rub off on my children, and that they will embrace this adventure while growing up to be physically and mentally fit for the challenges of life.

Worthy Causes

Saving Papuan Children from Chronic Disease and Food Crisis

Makawan Bali: The Ultimate Super Food for Pets Patrick originally fed his pets regular dry foods which worked pretty well at first, but eventually they got bored with it. This situation made Patrick curious about learning to cook food for them himself, and this is when he started Makawan Bali. He researched all the ingredients, checked their health benefits and experimented with a variety of spices.

Dry Food Problems So what’s really in that giant bag of dry food that your dog seems to like so much? Well, propylene glycol and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) are two common examples of chemically synthesized ingredients found in some pet foods.

You may not be aware that unlike the food humans eat, there is very little government regulation of pet food.

BY KAREN DONALD

Healthy, nutritious, homemade pet food now available in Bali The number one reason people look for homemade diets for their pets is that they are concerned about quality. This is because the vast majority of commercial pet foods on the market contain chemicals, preservatives, emulsifiers and artificial colours.

There are many advantages to feeding family pets a healthy, wholesome diet, prepared right in your own kitchen for a fraction of the cost of high end commercial pet food – but here’s the thing; if you’re going the homemade route, you must do it right. And by right, I mean the diet must be balanced.

The good news is a passionate man has already made the commitment to prepare homemade dog and cat food to satisfy our beloved pets.

Soon after arriving in Bali 11 years ago, Patrick Barton came across a dog with an acute case of demodectic mange. The dog’s skin was thick, dark brown and leathery and it would crack and bleed with every step the dog took. Unaware of any dog rescue organizations back then, Patrick could not end the animal’s suffering and he was left with a lingering, unsettling emotion for many years to come. We have all been there!

However, at the end of September 2014 Patrick had an opportunity to rescue a Bali street dog just south of Ubud.

Patrick was stuck on the road behind a procession when he spotted the dog crawling in the gutter with both hind legs paralyzed. It was extremely skinny and looked to be in agony. It was an adult dog, starving and unable to control its bodily functions. It looked at Patrick in despair and was visibly relieved when it was rescued. After a month at the Lestari Vet Clinic, Patrick could finally take the dog, which he named Nino, home.

The problem with dry food is that dogs’ bodies are made up of about 70 percent moisture, and they need that moisture for the proper functioning of the heart, kidneys, bladder, joints, hair and skin, etc. Dry food has been overly processed and extruded by machine under pressure and high temperature during manufacture (which results in low quality proteins). Adding water to it will not reconstitute the meat back to its natural moist form, and drinking water alone does not provide the necessary levels of moisture to maintain a balanced system.

So wet food is a must! Although rice is a staple diet for Bali dogs, carnivorous animals should not be fed carbohydrates like rice. Canines have no biological grain requirement and they can have problems digesting grains. Now, thanks to Patrick, you have complete control over what your pets eat, and you can ensure you’re feeding them high quality, human-grade superfood ingredients at a reasonable price – from Rp.30,000 to Rp.60,000 per kilo, depending on the meat (ten choices for meat and seven for fish).

The Breakthrough In the kitchen – armed with a blender – Patrick’s first creations were creamy. His dogs refused to eat it so he changed the template. Realizing their desire to chew food, he bought a grinder and mixed some meat, black rice, turmeric, ginger and black seed with virgin coconut oil, sea salt, mineral water and some vegetables. He now prepares both cooked and raw food using both the spice blends. As we know, raw foods are rich sources of vitamins and minerals, strengthening the immune system, so these ingredients make your pet’s body highly resistant to disease.

Most of the ingredients are sourced from Bali (apart from baking soda and gelatin) and the cooked food can be kept in the fridge for up to three weeks. The raw food is delivered frozen and can be kept for a maximum of three to five days in the fridge.

In February 2016, after much trial and error, Patrick settled on the final formula. With the confidence he gained from his successful experimentation process, Patrick dared himself to take to the streets, going door to door so he could introduce his new dog food. Makawan Bali was born.

Word on the street is: dogs and cats absolutely love it!

Makawan is Born

Free Tasting

In that moment, when Patrick decided to care for Nino, he developed a deep empathy for the suffering of animals.

Before he arrived in Bali he had rescued ten cats in France and he rescued his first dog, a three-month old puppy in 2011. After rescuing Nino in 2014, Patrick slowly but steadily continued taking in more strays. Today he is surrounded by a total of 33 happy dogs and eight cats.

So what are these fortunate creatures eating each day?

So there you have it, lovingly prepared, nutritionally sound, homemade meals for your dog. Currently Patrick has 38 loyal customers whose pets enjoy his food. His dream is to make dogs in Bali even happier and healthier.

If you’re interested in a free tasting, please contact Makawan Bali on WhatsApp +6281934338214

BY CARANISSA DJATMIKO Within the last five months, more than 70 children in Asmat Regency have died from measles and chronic malnutrition, while hundreds are still being treated. Hundreds of millions of rupiah in donations and volunteers have been sent to the regency to prevent further deaths and crises.

On February 6, reports claimed that at least 72 people in Asmat have died from complications of malnutrition and measles.

At least 233 children are suffering from the health crisis while more than 500 children have contracted measles. The major outbreak has prompted local authorities, private institutions and volunteers to address the health crisis by sending out donations, food and vaccines to the remote area.

In January, the Indonesian government ordered the military to help combat the health crisis in Papua, which is considered as one of the country’s poorest provinces. Fiftythree personnel have been sent to Asmat to carry medical equipment and thousands of packages of instant food.

Health Minister Nila Moeloek recently claimed that the government is handling the situation. In a statement to Reuters, she said she believes that there is a link between the malnutrition and other diseases. She added, “People who are undernourished will get other diseases.”

The tragic condition in Asmat instantly caught the public’s attention and inspired charity groups and university students to volunteer for activism programmes that aim to address the health crisis. Volunteers learned that the remoteness of the location and lack of accessibility to health and food facilities in Asmat have contributed to the outbreak.

If you would like to help Asmat children recover from the health crisis and start living life the way they should, please make a donation by visiting https://kitabisa.com/ gizianakasmat.

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Business

Explaining Indonesian Retirement Visas

BY MAARJA PEHME (EMERHUB'S CONTENT TEAM)

T

he Indonesian retirement visa allows you to live in the country permanently and travel outside the country whenever and as often as you like. You can also open a bank account, hire staff and enjoy many other benefits.

In many ways, having a retirement visa means you are treated like a local. Here’s how to get yours.

Requirements In order to obtain an Indonesian retirement visa you must be at least 55 years of age and you must be fully retired. This visa does not allow employment of any kind in the country, so before you apply make sure that you intend to live a life of leisure.

Life insurance and health insurance are required and these can be obtained from the provider of your choice as long as the coverage includes Indonesia.

You will need to spend some time choosing where you want to live, and you are required to sign a lease agreement for at least one year. Not many people know that you are also required to hire a maid. It is not unusual to find that when you rent a house or an apartment there is a maid already working there. This can be useful as she will be familiar with the house and able to help you find the things you need.

Clearly you will need to make sure that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependents in Indonesia and you should plan your budget accordingly, but the law requires that you have income from pensions or investments of at least US$18,000 per year. You will be required to provide proof of this income.

You may hear stories about people receiving retirement visas without meeting all of the above criteria or providing all the required proof, but to be safe and ensure the validity of your visa you must go through the proper procedures. Your application will be made through the Ministry of Tourism and it can only be made through officially appointed and recognized agencies called sponsors.

Only these official sponsors and their partners can obtain retirement visas from the Ministry of Tourism on your behalf.

Three Steps to Obtaining Your Visa Most people are not keen on spending time in the immigration office filling out forms and waiting in line, so you will be pleased to know that there are only three simple steps you need to take when obtaining your retirement visa:

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1. Prepare Documents for Your Agent Select a reputable agency and ask them to help you prepare all the necessary documentation. It might be tempting to take short cuts and pay a little extra to get through the process without all the required documents and proof, but this is not advisable. At some point in the future you may need to prove that you are living in Indonesia legally and any shortcomings in your paperwork could be used against you.

A reputable agent will not offer to provide you with shortcuts and you should be wary of any that do. Once you have all the required items a professional agent will take about two weeks to review and submit your application.

2. Pick Up Your Retirement Visa From an Indonesian Embassy Once your application has been approved you will receive a telex confirmation and you will need to take this with you to your chosen embassy along with your passport and letters provided by your sponsor. You will need to fill in a form and provide passport size photographs of yourself, and it is worth checking if the embassy you have chosen has any additional requirements.

The embassy will then provide you with your visa to enter Indonesia.

Keep in mind that each embassy has its own processing time so make sure how long the process will take before you go. One of the best options is the embassy in Singapore,

where you can use a local agent to obtain the visa within one day. Your agent in Indonesia will be able to help you with this.

3. Converting Your Visa to a Temporary Residence Permit (KITAS) After you arrive in Indonesia your chosen agent will convert your visa to a KITAS and you will be allowed to stay in Indonesia as a retired person for one year. You will only need to attend the immigration office to have your photograph and your fingerprints taken.

In addition to the KITAS you will receive a certificate of registration of temporary residency (SKPPS & SKTT), a police report (STM) and a police card (SKLD).

Your retirement KITAS can be extended annually for a maximum of five years, after which you will be entitled to apply for a KITAP (a permanent stay permit). If you wish to leave Indonesia for any reason you will need to apply for either an Exit and Reentry Permit (ERP), valid for three months and allowing you to leave the country once, or a Multiple Exit and Re-entry Permit (MERP), valid for six months and allowing you to exit and re-enter as many ties as you wish. Many visa holders have been caught out by this requirement so it is advisable to plan ahead, and you may consider the MERP as the best option in case you need to leave the country at short notice. If you decide to leave the country permanently you will need to apply for an Exit Permit Only (EPO).

Retirement Visas for Married Couples Applications for married couples are made separately and you will need to provide proof of income of at least US$18,000 per year for each person. However you can both use the same accommodation to meet the requirements and you do not need to hire two maids!

When a Partner Does Not Qualify If one of you does not qualify for the retirement visa for any reason it does not mean your dream of living in Indonesia together cannot become a reality. The partner who does not qualify can apply for a dependent KITAS sponsored by the retirement visa holder. This will be valid for the same period of time as the retirement visa and is extendable in the same way.

The dependent KITAS can also be used for children below 18 years of age.

Paying Taxes As a KITAS holder you will become resident in Indonesia for tax purposes and you will be required to report your global income to the tax authorities in the same way as Indonesian nationals. For annual income up to Rp.50o,000,000 the tax rate is 5 percent, over Rp.500,000,000 the rate is 30 percent.

Compact Retirement Services in Bali Settling into a new home and all the considerations that go with it can be overwhelming but local service providers can take a lot of the burden off your shoulders.

Humour Finding Housing There are lots of good quality options for housing in Indonesia but finding just the right thing at the right price can be timeconsuming. A local agent can help you find your perfect house or apartment and can also make sure the paperwork is in order and you are not paying any more than you should.

Domestic Helpers Domestic helpers in Indonesia are commonly called pembantu (helpers).

You can hire help for all of your household chores, from cleaning, washing, ironing and cooking through to nannying, shopping and pool maintenance. Different helpers will have different abilities so you may not find all of the skills you need in one person. If you have suitable accommodation your helpers can “live in” or they can visit according to a schedule that suits you.

Private Chef Having a private chef may sound a little bit grand but in Indonesia having a cook in your house is not unusual. This may be a suitably skilled pembantu or someone who only shops and cooks for you. This can be a great way to make sure you only follow a healthy diet and if you are adventurous you can ask your cook to prepare some of the wonderfully tasty dishes Indonesia has to offer. Many cooks can be taught to cook your favourite dishes from your home country as well if you wish.

Private Nurse For those with medical conditions that require frequent attention having a private nurse in the house is extremely helpful. Your nurse will coordinate with your doctor to provide the necessary care – administering medications, providing physical support, handling intravenous procedures etc.

Drivers Life in Indonesia is wonderful in many ways but many areas of the country do suffer from terrible traffic, so having a driver is not so much a luxury as it is a necessity if you wish to keep your stress levels at a minimum. Knowledgeable drivers can be found quite cheaply and if you are lucky you can find one with car maintenance skills to help keep your vehicle in good condition.

Best Place to Retire in Indonesia To quote Sir Richard Branson: “Don’t think what’s the cheapest way to do it or what’s the fastest way to do it. Think what’s the most amazing way to do it.”

Some know Indonesia for its cultural festivals and events, while others know it as a magnet for eager entrepreneurs, knowledgeable foodies and respected yogis.

The diversity makes it a wonderful place to spend your retirement years, so list your priorities and choose the area you feel is the closest to your heart.

Emerhub’s mission is to lower entry barriers in the emerging markets. We work with foreign companies of all sizes and industries and help them succeed by providing corporate secretarial and advisory services. Emerhub Indonesia can be reached at indonesia@emerhub.com

The Games Children Play

BY BRIAN AYLWARD A Canadian teacher finds out what amuses kids the most in South Korea.

I used to be a kindergarten teacher. Not on purpose of course. I graduated university with a degree in community studies. I had no idea what “community studies” meant, but ultimately it meant I would be given the opportunity to study the community through a variety of horrible jobs.

I worked as a roughneck on an oil rig. Worst day of my life. I'll never do that again. I was a security guard for an abandoned building. An abandoned building.

What was I guarding? For my last job before becoming a kindergarten teacher, I was an assistant janitor. The assistant, to the janitor. I had to do stuff the janitor refused to do!

“Hey Brian, clean that mess off the wall.” What?!?

Who wiped themselves on the wall like a baboon? But I cleaned it. This was not the dream I had for myself as a kid growing up on the east coast of Canada. I was supposed to be a Jedi warrior. This was not right.

A few hours later I was at home thinking about my life.

I had a suicide note half written. Then I put down the razor blade and began searching jobs online. I found that there were lots of jobs teaching English as a second language in South Korea. All you needed was a degree, any degree, even my community studies degree. The ability to walk upright and speak English in complete sentences would be an advantage. I can do that most days. So, I applied for some jobs and, somehow, I got a job as a kindergarten teacher in a place called Yang Yang.

Growing up in my hometown of Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, Canada, there was one Asian guy.

His name was Jim. We called him Chinese Jim. He was Filipino. I had no idea what to expect in Asia.

In my ignorance I thought there would be panda bears in the trees, dragons walking down the street, people kung fu fighting all over the place.

A few weeks later I quit my job and took the 600-hour flight from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Yang Yang, South Korea. When I arrived, I was a little disappointed; no dragons, no pandas, nobody kung fu fighting. Just a well functioning city pretty much like any other. The school principal met me at the airport. His name was Sang Ku. He didn’t speak to me, he just shook my hand, bowed slightly and grunted. I thought this must be the

way men greet each other in South Korea, so I shook his hand, bowed slightly and grunted back. I ended up working at his school for three years. I must have said, “Thank you Sang Ku” hundreds of times, which is not easy to do without laughing when you're as immature as I am.

On the drive from the airport to the school we got into a car accident. I was shaken up, but Sang Ku still didn’t say a word to me. He just called a taxi and told the driver to take me to the school while he talked to the police.

I had to teach immediately, even though I hadn’t slept in two days.

When I walked into the school the kids went wild.

“Yeah!! Brian Teacher!! Brian Teacher!!” In South Korea students respectfully call their teachers by their first name followed by the word “teacher.” I start walking a little more upright. This was better than being back home in Canada and being called “Brian Toilet Cleaner.”

Ok kids, open up your books, time for some learnin’!

There is a game in South Korea that kids love to play.

It’s called ddong chim. It translates roughly into English as “poop needle”. Kids take their hands and put them together in the shape of a finger gun with the index fingers as the barrel. Then they sneak up behind you when you’re bending over and they poke you in the rear.

Nobody told me about this game. In an email perhaps?

In the interview process? “Hey Brian, by the way, you might get poked in the rear a lot.” Not a word.

So, there I was on my first day, teaching class like a boss and leaning over helping a little boy with his grammar.

Of course, I didn’t know this was the perfect position for ddong chim. Why would I? Why would I be worried about anything like that in a kindergarten class?

All of a sudden, wham!! I jumped six feet in the air and then landed to find this little boy laughing and wagging his finger at me. The class went crazy, kids laughing and screaming all round me. The little boy’s name was Kim Chang-wan and apparently he was the ddong chim Champion of Yang Yang. Of course eventually I saw the funny side and I laughed along with everyone else whenever a spontaneous game of ddong chim broke out.

600-hour flight. Car accident. A surprise attack from behind. An emotional time. I taught kindergarten for the next three years standing very upright with my back firmly against the wall.

Brian Aylward is now a professional stand-up comedian living and working in Bangkok. He was voted Canadian Stand-up comedian of the year in 2016. For information on tours and show dates email standupbrian@gmail.com.

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Announcements Ayana Midplaza Jakarta Earns Accolade in ASEAN Awards JAKARTA Ayana Midplaza Jakarta recently solidified its status as a fine hotel after receiving a special award. The hotel was honoured with the award due to its outstanding offerings, particularly when it comes to its MICE (meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition) services and facilities.

The hotel believes that MICE visitors contribute significantly to the growth of tourism as well as generating revenue for their destination country. For this reason, Ayana Midplaza Jakarta has always aimed to accommodate clients’ needs and demands with excellent indoor and outdoor services and facilities. Ayana Midplaza Jakarta’s MICE features include the Grand Ballroom, catering to large numbers of guests and events, and other sophisticated rooms and spaces that are perfect for smaller meetings. Each of the spaces is provided with wide-ranging services, such as catering, coffee-break menus and advanced media technology. An award-winning spa, a spectacular pool setting and restaurants offering international cuisine are also available at the hotel.

Countries that were acknowledged by the ASEAN awards include Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Ascott Aims to Establish 160,000 Units in the Next Five Years JAKARTA Ascott is currently working on its latest ambitious project to double its global portfolio by building 160,000 units worldwide by 2023. The upscale serviced residence business unit now has more than 160 properties with approximately 30,000 units under development globally.

Around 35 of these properties with over 6,500 units are set to open this year. Half of these properties are located in China and a quarter of them are in Southeast Asia.

Others are sprawling across countries such as Australia, France, India, Saudi Arabia and the UK. Kevin Goh, Ascott’s chief executive officer, revealed that the ambitious project was planned to accommodate the increasing demand in international travel. “Besides accelerating our growth through management contracts, which currently make up 60 percent of our portfolio, we will continue to seek opportunities for strategic

investments in strong operating businesses that will widen our customer reach and give us a competitive edge. We will also grow our franchise business, particularly through our Citadines and Quest brands, and form strategic alliances with leading companies that have a pipeline of properties for us to manage,” Goh said in a press statement.

He adds: “We will focus on key gateway cities in our two biggest markets, China and Southeast Asia, as well as markets such as Australia, Europe, Japan, South Korea and the US. Expanding our global network will allow us to leverage greater economies of scale and strengthen our earnings. To position Ascott for the future, we will harness digital innovation and technology to enhance the customer experience. For instance, our co-living brand, lyf, targeted at millennials, will provide guests with a complete digital experience.”

Shangri-La Jakarta Celebrates Valentine’s Day with a Romantic Italian Dinner JAKARTA The culinary team at Shangri-La Jakarta is preparing a special menu for the romantic occasion that only happens once a year. Loved-up couples will be served a five-course set menu that has been especially curated by Italian chef Gianfranco Pirrone. For the appetizer, guests will have the chance to taste thinly sliced marinated salmon fillet drizzled with citrus vinaigrette and salad, otherwise known as Carpaccio di Salmone Marinato alle Erbe e Limone. Risotto and pasta are also available for the appetizer. For the main course, guests will be served with beef tenderloin, porcini mushroom ragout, saffron potato puree and foie gras, otherwise known as Filetto di Manzo e Foie Gras. Panna cotta and tiramisu will conclude the night as dessert. To reserve a table, please visit www.shangri-la.com/jakarta/ shangrila/dining

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D Varee Opens First Property in Bali BALI One of Thailand’s most successful hospitality companies, D Varee Hotels and Resorts recently announced that it is rebranding a popular hotel in Bali into D Varee Diva Kuta Bali. The new and improved hotel officially opened on February 1. D Varee Diva Kuta Bali is located at the central area of Simpang Dewa Ruci and is connected to Bali Galleria Shopping Mall. It features 187 rooms with a modern chic design, as well as high-speed wifi, gym, restaurant and a swimming pool.

* Answers in the next edition!

Vincent Kerk, President and Group CEO of D Varee Hotels and Resorts says that the hotel’s strategic location will soon become an ideal destination for visitors. “As our first hotel in the popular Kuta district of Bali Indonesia, true to the new brand, the D Varee Diva Kuta Bali team are embracing the changing demands of today's more independently minded travellers who seek simple pleasures, easy efficiencies and the opportunity to indulge their sense of adventure" Kerk said in a press statement.

For The Macet Mind ACROSS 1. Likely customer - search for gold (8) 5. Stork-like bird (4) 9. Entertainment with sketches and songs (5) 10. Keep apart (7) 11. Drink prepared from roots (12) 13. Team - number (6) 14. Republic in North America (6) 17. In proportion (12) 20. Deadlock (7) 21. Person minding another's child (5) 22. Paradise (4) 23. Staunch follower (8)

DOWN 1. Harbour (4) 2. Make unnecessary (70 3. Official announcement made to newspapers (5,7) 4. Happy - like a bird? (6) 6. Fracas (5) 7. English furniture maker (8) 8. Tuned for race (anag) - a cycle race (4,2,6) 12. Give detailed account of (8) 15. Deep (7) 16. Port in Belgium (6) 18. Tree: its leaf the Canadian emblem (5) 19. Sac or vesicle (4)

ANSWERS OF ISSUE 206 ACROSS— 1. Flight of Fancy 8. Onus 9. Metaphor 10. Altogether 12. Outset 14. Walrus 15. Avant-Garde 19. Soul Mate 20. Vast 21. Know One's Place DOWN— 2. Linoleum 3. Gusto 4. Tempest 5. Fetch 6. Apparel 7. Chop 11. Cul-de-sac 13. Swallow 14. Witness 16. Again 17. Anvil 18. Torn

Free "wife" Send your funny pictures to letters@indonesiaexpat.biz

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Events

If you want your event to be posted here, please contact +622129657821 or email: letters@indonesiaexpat.biz

JAKARTA stage at Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE). Katy Perr y earned her stardom through hit singles like I Kissed A Girl, Teenage Dream and California Girls. For more information please visit https://id.bookmyshow.com/ concert/katy-perry-concerttickets.

Networking

Arts & Culture

Jakarta Business Networkers Every Thursday Make the right connections and grow your business over lunch. At Jakar ta Business Networkers (JBN) all attendees are encouraged to help others by exchanging referrals and introducing each other to target audiences. JBN is all about helping you grow. 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 every Thursday lunchtime at Central, South and West of Jakarta. RSVP: info@ jbnetworkers.com.

lead female vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro, and will be on a tour to promote their latest and fifth studio album After Laughter. The band emerged a decade ago when they released their debut album All We Know Is Falling. Years later they rose to fame thanks to hit singles like Decode, That’s What You Get and Still Into You. Paramore will take centre stage at ICE BSD. For more information please visit https://id.bookmyshow. com/concert/paramore-tourfour-concert-tickets.

The Jakarta Bridge Club Every Tuesday and Friday The Jakarta Bridge Club invites expat communities throughout Jakarta to join a networking session on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9am to 12pm. Participants meet for pleasant and convivial moments where they can share and exchange information among expats at three to five tables.

The networking event takes place at Die Stube Restaurant on Jalan Kemang Raya. Visitors and partners are welcome to join.

For more information, please contact Ernah at +62818686999.

Music Paramore Live in Jakarta 16 February 2018 A m e r i c a n p o p ro c k g ro u p Paramore is set to perform in Jakarta this February, marking the band ’s second visit to Indonesia. The band features

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Java Jazz Festival 2018 2–4 March 2018 A f te r m o re t h a n 13 ye a r s entertaining jazz lovers, one of Indonesia’s biggest music festivals is back. T he Java J az z F esti val w ill m ark it s fourteenth anniversar y with the theme “Celebrate Jazz in Diversity.” Festival-organisers are determined to not only entertain, but also to educate the audience about the history of jazz and its significant influence on the music industry.This year, jazz lovers will get the chance to witness performances from local artists such as Andien, Dewa Budjana, Glenn Fredley, Maliq & D’Essentials, RAN and Petra Sihombing. International stars include the Goo Goo Dolls, Dionne Warwick, JP Cooper, Maysa Leak and the Brion Simpson Band, and Vanessa Williams. The Java Jazz Festival will take place at Jakarta International Expo. For more information please visit www.javajazzfestival.com.

Weekend at the Museum 24 – 25 February 2018 Help your children to develop their creativit y by joining a workshop at Ciputra Artpreneur Museum. The creative event aims to teach children how they can save the environment by using recycled materials.

Ciputra Artpreneur will also be collaborating with Jakartab ase d event m an a g ement company Kredodo to organize this workshop, which will be available for children between six and 12 years old. Participants are required to pay Rp.200,000 to join this event. The first workshop will be about recycled art, while the second will focus on clay pot painting and houseplants. For more information please contact +628156161016.

The Chainsmokers Live in Jakarta 30 March 2018 American DJ duo the Chainsmokers can be added to the list of inter national musicians who will reignite the music festival scene in Indonesia this year. Alex Pal and Andrew Taggart have both enjoyed success for years since producing their breakthrough single #Selfie in 2014. Since then, the duo has spent over 50 weeks in the top 10 Billboard Charts, won their first Grammy for Best Dance Recording Don’t Let Me Down last year and received another nomination this year for its collaboration with Coldplay for the song Something Just Like This. The Chainsmokers will party with fans in Jakarta at JIEXPO Kemayoran.

Italian Design Day 2 March 2018

Katy Perry Witness The Tour 14 April 2018 One of America’s pop music sensation Katy Perry is coming to Jakarta this April for the third time. The singer made her trip to Jakarta back in 2012 and 2015.

She will greet Indonesian fans again this April when taking the

Italian Design Day is an initiative organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry for Economic Development and Cultural Heritage and the Triennale di Milano to celebrate the history and dynamic trends that Italy has to offer in its design sector. The huge celebration is thrown in 100 cities across the globe including New York, Cape

Town, Zurich and Lima. After World War II, Italian design came to prominence as it became a crucial element of the country’s industrial production, which significantly contributed to its economic growth. To date, Italian design remains impactful and its dynamic trends can always be observed in both the arts and non-arts sectors. Jakartans can learn more about Italian design by celebrating the international event at the Italian Institute of Culture. For more information please visit w w w.iicjakarta. esteri.it/iic_jakarta/en/gli_eventi/ calendario/2018/03/italiandesign-day.html.

Culinary

February Sensation at Keraton at the Plaza February 2018 Celebrate Valentine’s Day and the Chinese New year at the Plaza this February. Chef Rafael Fernandes Gil, the Plaza’s director of culinary, has crafted a very special menu to mark the romantic occasion on February 14. In addition, couples will also get to experience Fly Me to Heaven for Rp.9,388,000, a special package that will treat them with five-course romantic dinner at Bengawan Restaurant, an-hour massage at the Keraton Spa and many other surprises.

The Love Baby Love package is also available for Rp.7,888,000.

For the Chinese New Year, the Plaza will provide a choice of classic Chinese cuisine along with live music and Ang Pao Tree. Diners who would like to taste the Prosperity Dinner for Rp.688,000 will get the chance to taste the traditional peking duck, Alaskan king crab, barbecue station and more. For more information please visit www. keratonattheplazajakarta.com.

BALI Arts & Culture Bali Spirit Festival 2–8 April 2018 Bali Spirit Festival is a global celebration of yoga, dance, music and well-being. Set on

the beautiful island of Bali, the festival will invite performing arts enthusiasts and spirituality seekers from all around the world to gather and send each other positive energy. The six day festival will include an array of inspirational workshops such as yoga, martial arts, African dance, ecstatic dance, crystal bowl sound healing, breathwork and meditation. There will also music performances featuring international artists to light up the nights during the festival and over 200 workshops and seminars to attend. For schedule, registration, accommodation and more please visit www. balispiritfestival.com.

IF YOU WANT YOUR EVENT TO BE POSTED HERE, please contact +622129657821 or email: letters@ indonesiaexpat.biz

INDONESIA EXPAT DIRECTORY

INDONESIA EXPAT DIRECTORY

INDONESIA EXPAT DIRECTORY

INDONESIA EXPAT DIRECTORY

INDONESIA EXPAT DIRECTORY

We Deliver Stroopwafels in Indonesia to your home or office 1 pack/ quantity of 8 pieces regular plain (9cm) for Rp. 60.000 1 pack/ quantity of 8 pieces regular choco (9cm) for Rp. 65.000 Call: 021 766 4465/ 081 114 90400 or e-mail: info@altjebakery.com

Local Experts Providing Comprehensive Tax, Accounting & Payroll Services Santa Fe provides moving services — International, domestic, local & office, document storage & management services, real estate, property management & maintenance, orientations, visa & immigration and home contents insurance.

Call us Jakarta: +62 21 2961 2990 Balikpapan:+62 542 713 4334 Bali: +62 811 889 2445 Surabaya: +62 812 304 4775 or E-mail: indonesia@santaferelo.com and visit our website www.santaferelo.com for more information

INDONESIA EXPAT DIRECTORY

Let Integra Consulting team provide you with the comprehensive services that will help you achieve your financial objectives.

We welcome you to review our professional services: · Accounting · Tax · Payroll

· Business Consulting · Financial Statement Review and Compilations

Integra Consulting - Jl. Puter Raya EC2/41 Bintaro Jaya, Tel. : (021) 7358635, 0812 9165 4830 Email: integra.projects@yahoo.co.id

INDONESIA EXPAT DIRECTORY

EASTERN PROMISE Business hours: 10 am ‘till late Jl. Kemang Raya 5, Kemang p:(021) 7179 0151 e: lensterwee@gmail.com

SERVING BEER & CURRY SINCE 1989

All the B vitamins and vitamin C are water-soluble vitamins. If you have too much of them, you pass them out in your urine. They need to be in your diet every day, as your body can’t store them. Lots of vegetables are high in vitamin C, but prolonged cooking (especially boiling) can cause loss of the vitamin content.

Vitamins are divided into fat-soluble and watersoluble vitamins.

You can store supplies of fat-soluble vitamins in your fatty tissues and liver and use them up when you need them. This means that a daily supply in your diet is NOT necessary.

Your body can make vitamin A from beta carotene which is found in vegetables such as carrots, peppers, spinach and yellow fruits. It is important for a strong immune system, as well as good eyesight. If you have too much vitamin A, your bones may become more brittle and easy to break. Too much vitamin A when you’re pregnant can result in birth defects. You don’t need supplements if you have a reasonable diet.

www.goodpractice.co.id

Vitamins B and C

We need vitamins and minerals for a good health.

Some vitamins need to be eaten daily and others we can store.

Vitamin A

For more information: www.jac-recruitment.co.id indoexpat@jac-recruitment.co.id Phone: 021-315-9504 / 9506 Mobile: 081-672-8653

TO BOOK SPACE ON THIS DIRECTORY PAGE CALL: 021 2965 7821

INDONESIA EXPAT DIRECTORY

DO I NEED VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS? SHOULD I BE TOPPING UP?

Examples of Fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K. These fat soluble vitamins are found in liver and fatty foods such as oily fish, egg yolks, fortified spreads and dairy products.

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Vitamin K Vitamin K is needed for blood clotting, which helps to stop any bleeding. Along with vegetable oils, foods like broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts and curly kale contain vitamin K. You shouldn’t need to take a supplement.

Vitamin K can interact with the effect of blood thinning medication..

Vitamin D Vitamin D is difficult to get from your diet. Vitamin D helps keep muscles and bones strong, and may protect against heart disease and possibly cancer. The majority of vitamin D is made in our skins during exposure to sunlight. In Indonesia you should spend around 30 minutes to 2 hours outside depending on your skin type and location.

There are different B vitamins with functions mostly related to keeping your blood cells, skin and nervous system in good shape and releasing energy from the food we eat. You should be able to get enough from a balanced diet. People who drink a lot of alcohol, may need regular supplements of vitamin B and Thiamine.

When you process alcohol, you use up a lot of vitamin B. Fizzy vitamin tablets contain a lot of salt. If you do take supplements, try to change to a non-effervescent version. All pregnant women should take a folic acid supplement until 3 months into pregnancy – ideally starting before conception.

If you have osteoporosis (increased bone weakness), you may need calcium and vitamin D supplements (especially if you don’t eat a lot of dairy foods). When you suffer from heavy periods you may take iron supplements.

So, it is better to stock up on fruit, veg and wholegrains instead taking (expensive) supplements of vitamins!

Please discuss any concerns with your trusted medical practitioner.

Dr Steven Graaff,MD,MRCGP, the founder of Good Practice Clinic is a graduate of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Before completing his formal training in General Practice in the UK, he has worked in several hospitals, occupational health and general practice in the Netherlands and the UK. As a medical professional with international experience,Steven decided to start his own clinic – Good Practice, in Jakarta

Jl. Bangka Raya #106B Jakarta 12730 Tel. +62-21-7183140 info@goodpractice.co.id www.goodpractice.co.id

ISSUE 207 Indonesia expat

27

CLASSIFIEDS

Personal classifieds = FREE Property and other commercial classifieds = PAID (50 words = Rp.100,000 | 50 words + image = Rp.250,000)

JAKARTA

English and French teaching / tutoring in South Jakarta, Cilandak/ Cipete/Kemang general area. I teach English and French for ages 9 and above. Conversation, writing, public speaking, test preparation, etc.60 or 90 minute lesson, individual or groups up to 4. Please leave message and I will contact you back asap, jl.

Kenanga, Cilandak. Phone number: +6281317711960. email: laujau@ gmail.com.

AUTOMOTIVE

Mercedes Benz E240. Production Year: 2004. Mileage: 142,000 km Transmission: Automatic. Engine: 2.4 petrol. Color: Silver metallic Price: EUR1,500 (Negotiable/ Best Offer).

BMW 520D. Production Year: 2 012. M il e a g e: 5 2 , 0 0 0 k m .

Transmission: Automatic. Engine: 2.0 Diesel. Color: Black metallic.

Price: EUR 14,900 (Negotiable/ Best offer). For non diplomatic mission or duty free privileged buyers, C-Form is required. (Proof of Tax Payment Issued by the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, Indonesian Ministry of Finance). For more info please contact Embassy of Hungary.

Email: tradeoffice.jkt@mfa.gov. hu. Call or WA: +6285251619874.

JOBS AVAILABLE Kindergarten Teacher (Expatriate).

Requirements: Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education or any other related degree. Minimum 3 years’ experience as a Kindergarten Teacher of a kindergarten/childcare center. Open-minded . Pleasant personalit y; cheer ful; lively.

Positive disposition and outlook in life. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Willing to learn and adapt with the school culture.

Energetic, enthusiastic, dedicated.

Team-player. Please send your CV to oisca.multicultural@gmail.com or call: +622178832609.

Full time and part time vacancies are now available for experienced English language instructors for corporate courses around Jakarta” Competitive rates and travel allowance are offered. Please send your CV to recruitment. kpiconsultancy@gmail.com.

SERVICES Learn Spanish (IB, IGCSE, DELE) at your place with a DELE- certified examiner fro m S p ain. M ost of my students come from International Schools (JIS and BSJ). Please call me (Raúl) +6282110502786.

Bahasa Indonesia lessons for expats living in South Jakarta, Kuningan, Countr y Wood, BSD, given by instructor with 20 years experience. Flexible schedule. Please call Pak Chairuman +628121037466 or email chairuman19 42@ gmail.com French and Bahasa Indonesian language at your place with a qualified teacher for international students with IB and IGC SE curriculum.contact Novi +62816704370.

28

Indonesia expat ISSUE 207

Bahasa Lessons by ACE offers Bahasa course for expatriates.There are Basic, Intermediate and Advanced level. Available in house @ Coteri Building, 1st floor, Kemang Raya 14B, South Jakarta and we can deliver the training in clients office or residence. Experienced & native teachers from different linguistics background. Most of our clients are Oil and Gas companies and multinational companies. Contact: bahasalessons@gmail.com or WA +6282233085108 (Ms. Ellis). Website: www. bahasalessons.com

Private music lesson at your home (Guitar, Ukulele, Mandolin, Banjo, Piano/Keyboard & Drums). For Kids & Adults. Lesson Duration can be 1 hour or 45 minutes. Interested?

Contact: Bowo – +6281808361136 (WA/Text Message/Call) or email bowochristantyo@yahoo.com Lita Jeanette Supadi, M.Mus., Piano Performance. Graduated from Andrews University, USA, with 7 years of piano teaching experience of students with various ages and genre preferences such as classical and pop. Contact me through email lita.supadi@gmail. com or phone +6287788837532.

G olf Lessons: G et read y for Golf Season! All levels and ages are welcome, from beginner to advanced programs. Full-swing, Putting, Short game and playing l es s o ns avail a b l e. F o r m o re information and to book a lesson, please email below. Accel Golf Academy-Ken Runyon. All lessons conducted in English at Pondok Indah Driving Range: accelgolf@ gmail.com.

Native Italian and Spanish language teacher in Jakarta. Private lessons at your home. More than 10 years of experience with students of all ages. Grammar and conversation lessons. Email me at sean.silla@ g m ail.c om or W h at s A p p to +6281298177496.

Help your child reach his potential!

If your child has AD/HD, Autism, P D D/ N OS, Down Syndrome, Nonverbal Learning Disability (NVLD), or a specific Learning Disability (LD) and needs after school home support to cope up with school work, please feel free to contact Teacher Jun at teacher. specialeducation@gmail.com for an appointment.

Highly recommended Bahasa Indonesia teacher – learn Bahasa Indonesia with Rini! Are you new to Jakarta or simply would like to start learning Bahasa Indonesia? Then I have just the right person for youRini! Rini is a great teacher; lively and reliable, she structures her classes well and gives you plenty of opportunities to talk and learn.

I feel that I've improved so much with her just within a few weeks!

Her fee for a one to one lesson is Rp.300,000/hour or Rp.450,000/ lesson of 90 mins. All materials provided. Rini will come to your office or to your own home- she c overs the Kemang , Cip ete, Pejaten, Antasari and Pondok Indah area. Please contact her at + 6 2 81218 61919 o r e m a il sibarani1104@yahoo.com.

Be your fittest self at any age.

Internationally certified, Englishspeaking Personal Fitness Trainer helps you lose fat and get fit faster with fun, personalized workouts at your home or apartment. Try a session FREE, full details at www. jakartafitnesscoach.com. Phone number: +6282111720271.

Private tutor for foreign beginners that would love to be able to speak Indonesian language. Free textbook. Affordable fees. Learn the basic and speak like a local.

More info: bahasaprivate@gmail. com Piano Lesson at your home for all ages, please WA: +62811146512.

Are you looking for a flexible Indonesian language private tutor coming to your house/ office in Jakarta? I can assure you that I am delivering top-notch service that you won't receive with a low-cost alternative. So, this is exactly what I specialise in. Talk about a perfect match!

Since 2014, I have taught expats from Colombia, India, Morocco, U.S, Australia, France, Taiwan, Singapore, Laos, Italy and also staffs at the Embassies of Denmark in Jakarta. Before anything else, I know you’re probably curious to see my work. Please have a look at feedbacks in ‘Jakarta Expats’ group : http://bit.do/rickyjakartaexpats or alternatively, you can also see other feedbacks from Internations: http:// bit.do/rickybahasaindo. Learning Progression may takes 4 months (more/ less) for each level. Level 1 (Beginner & Intermediate) & Level 2 (Advanced). *Get cheaper offer for frequent sessions and/or groups!

I'll keep this short and we can go into more details when we chat: Call/ WhatsApp +628176055511.

Email: rickyk_10@yahoo.com H o m e t u i t i o n w i t h f r i e n d l y, helpful and experienced tutors for National and International Curriculum (IGCSE/IB). It is started from Kindergarten to Senior High School students. We provide : Mathematics and Additional Math, English school, TOEFL and IELTS, Science (Chemistr y, Biology, Physics), Mandarin, Accounting, Indonesian for Expatriates. Please call us at Chesy +6282389295442 or privatetutors2t@gmail.com

PROPERTY

Beautiful new full renovated house for rent. 2 storey + basement. 750m2 + 1000m2 land with join pool. Located 10 minutes from Cilandak C ommercial Estate. US D 3,000/ month nett excluding tax (negotiate). If interested p le ase c all / WA ow ner : +62811180605

Luxury two level Essence Dharmawangsa apartment townhouse (357 sqm) 4BR with private lobby entrance.

12m x 4 m p r i v ate p o o l.

Gourmet open kitchen with break fast bar and new appliances. Separate d inin g ro o m , T V l o un g e with entertainment area and formal lounge. Upstairs to a large family room and 4 bedrooms and marble tiled b athro oms. Two sp ecial dedicated carparks in front of basement lobby. Fully furnished. Certificate Strata title. Facilities: Gym, Sauna, S.Pool, Tennis court, Jogging t r a c k , L a ke , B B Q a r e a , Garden, Playground, Meeting room, Function room, Mini market, ATM. FOR SALE: Rp 16,500,000,000. FOR RENT: Rp 9 45,0 0 0,0 0 0, contact anne.santosa@ap.jll.com or Whatsapp+6281999799719.

House for rent @ Jl. Kemang Timur XV No.70A, beautiful, spacious 2 storey house, 700 m2 /650 m2, 4 bedroom & bath/big terrace, pool, garden, close to AIS, asking price US$2,800/month. For info pls call or WhatsApp: +6285881418203.

Nice two-level Kemang Village apartment (239 sqm) 4BR For SALE (BELOW MARKET P RI CE ). Fully furnished.

Premium unit, penthouse size. Top floors. Great air c ircul atio n an d lig htin g .

Two kitchens: dry and wet kitchen. Two parkings. Very strategic location, easy access to Kebayoran Baru, Pondok Indah, Cilandak and Cipete.

Only 15 minutes to SCBD. Integrated with Kemang Village Mall and surrounded by restaurant and shops, International Supermarkets, Siloam Hospital, International Schools. Facilities: Swimming pool, fitness centre, Tennis court, jogging track, Kemang Village country club, spa & sauna, laundry, ATM, etc.

FOR SALE: Rp.6,500,000,000 ONLY. Contact anne.santosa@ a p. jll.c o m o r W h at s A p p +6281999799719.

A p a r t m e nt fo r R e nt / S a l e a t Essence Dharmawangsa: Essence South Tower (very quiet and far for the main road) Sqm: 269m 2 Semi furnished apartment. Sofa and Dining Table not yet included (current tenant brought their own from their country). We will provide these furnitures if required. 4 Bedroom, 3 Bathroom (2 ensuite) - 2 Bedroom with KingSize Bed and 1 BR with single bed. TV in the living room and master Bedroom.

1 Bedroom and Bathroom for maid. Located on the 20 th floor

Looking for something to buy / sell? 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.

with unblocked view toward the city (view facing north & east) Swimming Pool, Jogging Track, Restaurants and Fitness Center.

10,000 Watt electricity 2 parking space upgraded interior Washing machine, dryer and water filter included. Easy access to SCBD sudirman,kemang,pondok indah TB Simatupang. Close to several international school such as Mentari School,High Scope,Cikal, JIS, French International School.

Rental fee USD 3,50 0/month including building service fee.

Fee is Negotiable, especially for long term rental. Phone Number: +628111487330.

Nice house in a private compound Details: 3 Bedroom (1 bedroom + bathroom), 2 Bathroom, Semi Furnished, Carport. Large living room & dining area, Compound Facilities: Swimming Pool, Jogging Track, Club House. Only 5 minutes from Depok Train Station, 5 minutes from Big Mall, Minimarket just in front of the compound, 3 - 5 minutes from Hospital (Hermina & Mitra Keluarga), 10 minutes from University of Indonesia. Rent fee : USD 1,500 / month. For, more info please contact +628119725665 via WA or phone call.

WANTED: House for rent in or around the Kemang area. Are you, or do you know anyone leaving Jakarta between now and June?

We are looking for a house to rent, preferably stand alone but will consider a compound. Budget around USD 3,000. Areas around Kemang (preferably Jl. Benda, Kemang Dalam). Within 10-15min from NIS. Requirements: 4+1 bedrooms, large covered patio, swimming pool, garden (preferably small - medium), staf f area to accommodate live-in staff (family of 3). Please WA +628121018189 or email: abeuthe@gmail.com

FOR SALE Hi, I would like to sell the following: 1. Gucci Tote Medium. In brown color. Authentic. Preloved. Bag and Dust Bag only. Rp.2,700,000 with tag I bought them from.

2. Prada Black Handbag. Authentic.

Preloved. Bag and dust bag only.

Rp.2,000,000.

3. Hotel Mulia gift card. Can be used in Jakarta and Bali worth 1 mio. Valid until 28 Feb 2018. Sold for Rp.750,000,- (meet up in Hotel Mulia Senayan) 4. Gucci Tote Medium. Preloved.

Denim in black. Authentic.

Preloved. Rp.3,500,000.

Photos / Purchase contact at: +628151656419. Can pay by credit card via Tokopedia.

For sale 4 pcs Horizontal plan cabinet lion L22, @Rp. 2,5 million. 5 drawer each cabinet to put A0 and A1 paper. Size : width 1375mm x height 8 5 0 mm. Please contact : +622129938997 / +6281319004269.

Furniture For Sale: 2-seater sofa brown–Rp,1.500,000. Stainless s te e l d i sh r a c k b r a n d n ew – Rp.200,000. Kids picnic plastic

table with bench red colour– Rp.250,000. Round footstool round – Rp.400,000. Antique Korean chest as side table–Rp.500,000.

2 Paintings lily batik frame each –Rp.500,000. Hammock wood & rope fr Philippines–Rp.350,000.

Table lamp black no shade – Rp.10 0,0 0 0. O.n.o WhatsApp +6287882738343 for inquiries and pictures.

HOUSEHOLD STAFF P a r t T i m e D r i ve r R e q u i re d .

Honest , Reliable, able to work according to instructions. Location at South Jakarta. SMS or WA +6281296400800.

We left Jakarta last year and our maid, Ibu Ketut, has only found some part-time jobs since then.

She worked at our house for 2.5 years and was reliable and trustworthy. A fantastic cook also.

Please get in contact with her directly if interested. Ibu Ketut: +6282111944552.Email: kisu77@ gmail.com

Next submission day:

21 February 2018 Thai trainer. I have since left Jakarta but Yudi has told me that he has some slots open for new clients. Personally recommended to me by a professional Indonesian MMA fighter, Yudi trains all levels in boxing and Muay Thai, from novice enthusiasts looking to get fit, to professional fighters.

A professional Muay Thai fighter himself, he will lead you through a fighter's workout, focusing on strength and conditioning to build explosiveness and speed, as well as coach you to improve technique and sparring. He comes to your home or gym for oneon - one private sessions, and brings all pads and equipment as needed. He's an absolute professional – always on time, polite, encouraging and reasonably priced. I cannot recommend him highly enough. Please contact Yudi at 085319995630, or feel free to contact me if you have any questions about my experiences with him: angela_toda@hotmail. com

We are leaving Jakarta and want to find work for our excellent house staff who work as an excellent and harmonious team but are also available individually. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need more information. WA: +6281383611477.

If you need a maid to help you do chores, or laundry, then you read the right ads. I offer you my service, to work from Monday to Friday, full time or part time. I have worked for some expat families before, and I also have a reference letter.

Please contact +628388790165. I am ready for an interview if needed.

Looking for a live out maid in Kemang area. Our priorities are cleaning and cooking (Indonesian and western food). Prefer if she is available Monday-Saturday , but we are open to negotiate working hours. She doesn't have to speak English as we speak Indonesian too. We have a 2 year old son and a nanny but we would prefer her to be good with kids too. Please text to +6287713071990.

Amazing Nanny looking for Live Out position. Dinda has worked for me for a year looking for my daughter from 3 months old. As I’m a working mum, she was alone all day with my daughter, and she is fully trustable. She is amazing with kids: she knows how to entertain them, but she also knows to set boundaries. She grew up my daughter to be very autonomous and self confident. She was very proactive in organising playdates with other kids in the compound.

She is great with babies, but also with older kids. She left my house as her family moved from Jakarta 9 months ago, but they are now back and she is now looking for a new position. Feel free to WhatsApp me if you want more information: +6281210772955 or contact her directly to set up an interview: +6285881163155.

PERSONAL Tr a d i t i o n a l m a s s a g e c o m e to your place. Please SMS : +6287875321375.

Recommendation: Muay Thai and Boxing Coach: I would like to share my positive experience working with Yudi as my Muay

I’m looking for a home for a gorgeous 4 year old female cat named Xiaoli. Her fur is soft as angora, is very smart, and has a unique character. She likes people and can entertain herself (and others!) by chasing her bushy tail.

Xiaoli is spayed and her shots are up-to-date. Xiaoli would do well as an only pet, or else with a kitten so that she can feel secure. Please contact me if you're interested in meeting this lovely little girl. Call: +62811173781 (Juliana Roe).

BALI JOBS AVAILABLE We are l o ok in g fo r we b site and social media specialist (ecommerce). Must have experience for 1 year in the same field. Fluent in English (speaking & writing). Indonesian preferable.

Please send your resume to info@ baliprotour.com or contact us via WhatsApp to arrange interview: +6281338520472.

New café in Seminyak is Looking for freelance/ part-time in PR position, who c an handle or manage our social media for promotion like Instagram, good skill in photography, good English, young people, funky, lots of idea to make the business grow. Anyone interested, please contact me via WhatsApp on +6281239170057.

Looking for a social media & reser vation staff for a villa in Uluwatu Area. Send your CV to: gm@hiddenhillsvillas.com Looking for Production Manager to work in Ubud, Bali.

• Indonesian woman: age 26 - 40 • Working hour: 09:00 – 17:00 • Good English is a obligatory (written and spoken).

• Experience with production management • Very organised + skills in production and quality control • Careful with timing

• Experience in production / communication is a plus point.

Please send resume to je.multini@ gmail.com We are looking a office assistant for our company in Canggu , Berawa at least with 1 year work experience and fresh graduates are welcome to apply. We are into consulting (business & management). Job Duties : • Organize office and assist associates in ways that optimize procedures • Create and update records ensuring accuracy and validity of information • Monitor level of supplies and handle shortages • Resolve office-related malfunctions and respond to requests or issues • Maintain trusting relationships with suppliers, customers and colleagues • Perform receptionist duties when needed •Knowledge of “back-office” computer systems • Working knowledge of office equipment Please drop your update resume and recent photo at harlem@ asiaprospects.com.

We have a great opportunity for who consider taking a job abroad.

Looking for great marketing experience, high-level Japanese and English skill, and willing to challenge ASE A N market.

Placement: Singapore. If you are interested to explore, kindly send me your CV to soraya@iconic-intl. com.

We are seeking a volunteer teacher of English pronunciation 3 hours / week to help teach highly motivated young when doing vocational training through a Bali-based NGO. If an expat must have KITAS or IMTA to allow volunteer teaching. Indonesians are welcome. No previous English teaching experience is required.

Training will be provided. Must have keen ear for sounds of English. Teaching these students is a joy. Please contact me at: sarah@ destania.com Bali Inside keep hiring people! We need more workers in our team ASAP. If you’re young, qualified worker we are interested in you!

Please forward your CV to info@ bali-inside.com. Open vacancy: Accounting, SMM manager, sales manager, receptionist, quality control, full time maintenance worker. If you feel that you're doing good in some of duties above, don't hesitate to send your CV: info@bali-inside.com

LOOKING FOR WORK A yo u n g m a n i s n e e d e d of info r m ati o n a b o u t Pe r s o n al Assistant or Villa Manager (small group to me dium size v illa) vacancy. I’m trying to start my career in PA or continuing in villa management. I’ve got working ex p e r i e n c e s a s o p e r a t i o n a l manager, Villa manager, Marketing manager & Store supervisor. I live in Jimbaran. Please email : ragilartzar@gmail.com my name is Muhammad Febriansah (Ebi), I am 23 years old and living in Jakarta. I have working experience as a tour guide, 2 years in skylodge and outdoor activity please contact me at +6289666685840.

Send in your personal classidieds for FREE to: ads@indonesiaexpat.biz

I am Anggono, looking for a job.

I have 3 years working experience as a private driver for Australian tourist in Bali and 1 year as a driver for Golden Bird. If you are looking for a driver please WA +6281238969306.

I would like to relocate and work in Bali. I’ve worked 3 years in the Human Resource industry and 2 years as a Marketing Executive and personal assistant for Australian property. I'm Indonesian, and holding onto a bachelor degree. kindly drop me a personal message if you've a job opening and feel that I've the skills to carry out the particular job scope. Milasarinata / WA: +6281398651655.

Seminyak based villa management company is looking for Guest Relations, Tours & Activities sales manager. She will need to contact them, offer them tours and ser vices, coordinate tour bookings with service providers, arrange tours, transportation, invilla services, etc, arrange booked tours with tour providers and coordinate collection of payments from gusts and payouts to tour providers.. Must speak proper english, have experience with google spreadsheets and don’t be shy to speak with guests and sell them activities. Preferably woman under 30 with previous experience in tours and activities sales and knowledge about bali attractions. Full time job at the office in Seminyak. Fixed salary + commission. Apply for interview today: baligreenvilla@gmail.com

PROPERTY Land for sale @Semat Berawa Canggu. Land size 2 and 4 are (freehold). 1.5 km to Berawa Beach. Price: Rp.650,000,000/ are (negotiable). Contact via WhatsApp: +628123980757.

House for rent in Bali: a two-storey house with swimming pool, water heater, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Furnished and only 10 minutes to downtown Ubud.

The second floor is an open space with beautiful view surrounding it.

It’s perfect for yoga place or for family. Rp.10,000,000 per month.

Jl. Ir. Sutami,Kemenuh, Gianyar.

Call: +6281213971038. Email: thanic_00@yahoo.com

pool, garden, garage, drilled wells, stove, fridge. For further information, please contact us via WhatsApp : +6281916370007.

For rent villa 3 bedroom Canggu Berawa. Land size: 400. 2 floor, 3 bedroom with ensuite bathroom swimming pool, g arden, full furnished, wi-fi, electric : 5,500 Watt. Rp.220,000,000 a year.

Location : Canggu Berawa, around 400 meter to Canggu School and around 8 0 0 meter to Berawa Beach and Umalas area. Text via WhatsApp: +6287860846623.

Getaway from the big city and visit Ubud, Bali – A peaceful stay in the rice fields, staying at a traditional village, Pejeng Village, a short 4.5 kms from Ubud. 3 Bedrooms plus a villa cook. Huge pool which is spring-fed and has eco-ioniser filter. Beautifully appointed villa with a villa cook. Driver available. Authentic Balinese stay. The walk down to the World Heritage Listed holy Pakerisan River is your nature fix. Sleeps 6 (can extend to 10) Ideal for family or couples or girls-get-away weekend.

Breakfast included – Western or Indonesian. Security 24 hrs. Read latest guest reviews on trip advisor. A magical experience – like a home away from home. w w w. villadamee.com

SERVICES Wood finishing, gypsum or calcium board or tiles installation. Call: +6282147917590.

If you have holiday in Bali, I offer transpor tation and car rental services , reasonable price: half day tour, tour one day, shuttle airport, 3 days 2 night tour package, honeymoon package. Please call or WhatsApp +6287761720806 or via email mahditriyantono@ gmail.com

Minimalis villa location at Berawa.

Just 3 minute drive to Finns Beach, Canggu Club with many restaurant around. Surface Land – 250 sqm. Price: IDR 185 Million / yearly. (Available at Feb1st, 2018).

Negotiable with direct owner!

Bedroom, 1 building with 1 floor with 2 bedrooms. Featuring: 3 bathrooms, swimming pool, fully furnished, wardrobe, water pump, garden, hot water, refrigerator, fan, flat TV 32 inch, wi-fi connection, open living room, garage, storage, 3 units air conditioner, kitchen, electric 6,500 Watt. For more info and inspection please contact us: Eko + 6 2 819 9 9 3 9 6 0 0 9 (C all, SMS, W hatsA pp). Andre +62878616 40135 (Call, SMS, WhatsApp). No Agent Please!

I am in Sanur and offering coconut oil that has been produced with care in the traditional method. It is handmade in a village in Bali and has no additives. It's great for cooking and for using on your skin. Please support the people from the village that work so hard to produce such a high quality product. It takes them 4 days to produce 1 liter and they made a living out of it. For 1 liter is 120.000rupiah.Please contact me on WhatsApp @+628123679345 or send your PM for orders. I deliver to your villa or hotel for Sanur area.

It's pure and natural and can't be bought off a shelf.

Batu Belig 2 Bedrooms Villa for yearly & monthly rental. Price : IDR 225 million per year ( include : pool maintenance, gardener, cleaning ) Price : EUR110,000 for 17 years.

Land Size: 300m2. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 ensuite, open living room and kitchen. Full-furnished.

Air conditioner, internet, swimming

Ever y T hursd ay J akar ta's o l d e s t (19 8 6 ) r u n n i n g c l u b meets. For questions contact: +6281284504422

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