Shaken, not Stirred
There is this twilight zone that exists just before you fall into a deep sleep. It is that time where you are aware of emerging dreams, yet, noises and events happening in the vicinity of your resting body are registered as well, and become part of the dreams that are in their startup phase.
It was [...]
Yet another Taxi Incident
Some taxi drivers in Jakarta are really stupid. One or two “so called mistakes” are, in my eyes, acceptable, but even after I show I understand and can talk (taxi) Indonesian, and after I clearly explained where to go and how to get there, demonstrating I know the route exactly, some keep on trying to rip me off.
Kampung Bule
I heard about Jakarta’s Jalan Jaksa as being referred to as ‘kampung bule’ before. If you know this street, it is obvious why: it is pre-eminently a western backpacker’s hangout.
On a Belgian gathering in the Eastern Promise last Saturday, the term was used for another place: an area where (nearly) all inhabitants are western. So [...]
Let Your Drinks Queue For You
I am a member of the FitnessFirst that is located in Taman Anggrek. I went there today for a swim. As I was waiting for my partner to come out of the ladies locker room after swimming, I became once again a witness of Indonesian inventiveness.
I always get ready long before my partner does, so [...]
Selamat Idul Fitri (Happy Eid ul-Fitr)
The end of the Ramadan has come and the Muslim community is celebrating.
The celebrating started yesterday evening, after sunset: from the mosques, prayers where send into the air and people set off fireworks all over town. Occasionally a horde of people on motorbikes would pass by, making noisy ‘music’ with trumpets, drums, and tooting their [...]
Social Justice for the entire Indonesian population
Last week I overheard this conversation and although it sounded strange to me, it is commonplace in Indonesia.
I was sitting in the Starbucks coffee “house” at Taman Anggrek. At the table next to me, a western guy (West European I think) was talking business with two Indonesians (Chinese). They where talking rather loud and in [...]
View from my Study.
This is a view from my study! It is a animated gif, so please wait for it to completely load to enjoy it at the max!
Meneketehe: a new trend in Jakarta?
Talking about new trends in Jakarta (see my post about taxi drivers), here is another one: “meneketehe” (pronounce it with al the e’s short – like in ‘the’, putting only a slight intonation on the last two syllables). I first bumped into it a few days ago. At my office, my Indonesian colleagues always start [...]
Nyamuk
EVERY CAR IN JAKARTA HAS ONE OR MORE NYAMUK INSIDE…
Taxi Drivers
Bad experiences taking a taxi in Jakarta.
Eastern Promise
Eat, drink and have fun at the Eastern Promise, Kemang, Jakarta.
Reunion of the Belgians
The welcome dinner for the new Belgian ambassador in Jakarta: I never saw so many Belgians together in one place in Jakarta…
The mystery of the missing floors
At last… I moved! I rented an apartment near the toll road in west Jakarta. Since the unit is on the 17th floor, and my windows are viewing central Jakarta, I cannot complain about the view. In the morning, I can see misty Jakarta, lit by the orange sun and in the [...]
One Year in Jakarta
Happy New Year ?
Internet At Home
At last Internet at home.
