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1 issue 156 Indonesia expat JAKARTA • JAVA • BALI • LOMBOK • KALIMANTAN • SUMATRA • SULAWESI • WEST PAPUA ISSUE NO. 156 | 16 DECEMBER 2015 – 12 JANUARY 2016 WWW.INDONESIAEXPAT.BIZ LOOKING BACK ON THE YEAR 2015 THE BEST CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR'S DEALS INDONESIA PLEDGES TO HALVE DEFORESTATION THE CLANDESTINE CRITIC: CHRIS SALANS' SPICE THERE'S MAGIC ON THE STREETS OF BALI THE HOLIDAY ISSUE! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

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1issue 156 Indonesia expat

JA K A R TA • JAVA • BA L I • LOMBOK • K A L IM A N TA N • SUM AT R A • SUL AW E SI • W E S T PA PUAISSUE NO. 156 | 16 DECEMBER 2015 – 12 JA NUA RY 2016 W W W.INDONE SI A E XPAT.B IZ

LOOKING BACK ON THE YEAR 2015

THE BEST CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR'S DEALS

INDONESIA PLEDGES TO HALVE DEFORESTATION

THE CLANDESTINE CRITIC: CHRIS SALANS' SPICE

THERE'S MAGIC ON THE STREETS OF BALI

THE HOLIDAY ISSUE!

HAPPY

HO

LIDAYS!

Indonesia expat issue 1562

3issue 156 Indonesia expat

Indonesia expat issue 1564

Editor in ChiefAngela [email protected]

ManagementEdo Frese [email protected]

Editorial AssistantCaranissa [email protected]

SalesDian [email protected] [email protected]

Distribution & AdminJuni [email protected]

GraphicsFrederick Ng

FinanceLini [email protected] ContributorsJosefhine ChitraThe Clandestine CriticGail G. CollinsKaren DavisAlice JayHeru NainggolanDaniel PopeEamonn SadlerKenneth Yeung

Editorial [email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

Published byPT. Koleksi Klasik IndonesiaGraha Eka Formula Building3rd floor, #302Jl. Bangka Raya No. 2Kemang, JakartaT: 021 719 5908 (sales/editorial) 021 719 3409 (admin/finance)F: 021 719 3409Office 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

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INDONESIA.

Well, here we are at the final issue of 2015. And what a year it’s been.

We think it’s important to remember our pasts in order to better our futures, and because of this, we bring you a recap of 2015 in Indonesian news. It’s good, it’s bad, and it’s also downright shocking. Turn to page 6 for the full story.

Last week saw the close of the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change in Paris (COP21), where over 150 world leaders, including President Joko Widodo, convened. The conference is crucial because it is expected to produce a new international agreement on climate change, to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius.

The devastating forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra raced Indonesia to third place as the largest greenhouse gas polluter in 2015 – an embarrassing statistic. It would seem many were disappointed with Jokowi’s speech at the conference, as it was expected he would make more of a point of his deeper commitments towards curbing forest fires in the future.

Connect with UsNow available onSubscribe to our e-newsletter!

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The CoverSanta takes a break from his duties in Jakarta.

WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED READING THIS MAGAZINE PLEASE RECYCLE IT.

Scan the barcode to receive your free bi-weekly newsletter

Dear Readers,

More in this issue; our Clandestine Critic visits Chris Salans’ latest restaurant, Spice, in Ubud; we take you to a remote island in West Sumatra to discover what this region has to offer; and Gail Collins exposes the successful reef conservation projects in Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi.

With tonnes of great holiday ideas, we do hope you find time to unwind and relax, spending time with your loved ones, and preparing to welcome in another year of good health, good wealth, and most importantly, of happiness.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

In his speech, Jokowi mentioned the recent fires and said the government had strict enforcement measures and noted prevention efforts. But he didn’t announce that he had signed a much-awaited presidential instruction on peatlands and fires that would be binding on all citizens and companies in the country. It would seem this was an opportunity missed and we look forward to hearing more on the government’s commitment to ensuring 2016 will not have the same consequences.

On a happier note, as we’re entering into the holiday season, and Christmas and New Year's celebrations are upon us, we have taken the liberty of compiling a list of offers should you be looking for somewhere to spend Christmas and New Year’s in Indonesia. Please turn to page 16 and 17 to feel the festive cheer.

Angela RichardsonEditor in Chief

Cheers,Suzy

All the best, Angela & IE Team

Dear editors,

I have just started reading some of Indonesia Expat’s issues and I must say that your articles make a nice read.

In your last issue, I was particularly interested in two articles discussing animal welfare (one about dolphins being used as a moneymaking machine and the other about a dog and animal service in Bali). I believe that it is important to raise more awareness about animal welfare, so that we can all learn to treat them with love and kindness. For that reason I am pleased that Indonesia Expat has made attempts to open this conversation.

That’s it from me and I am looking forward to reading more of your insightful yet exciting articles.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Suzy,

Thank you for your kind letter.

We are very happy to know that you have recently discovered our publication and that you find the articles useful. Animal welfare is very important to us and we will continue to expose the good work of animal welfare groups and associations who strive to protect vulnerable animals across the country.

Stay tuned for more good reads in the New Year.

From all of us at Indonesia Expat, we wish you a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and very Happy Holidays!

5issue 156 Indonesia expat

Issue 156

Contents

06

20

19

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22

23

25

24

26

27

08

10

14

12

16

18

14 1906

Feature Story2015 at a Glance: the Good, the Bad, and the Shocking

Expat BusinessFeaturedFollowing Haze Crisis, Indonesia Pledges to Cut Deforestation Rate in Half

Business ProfileLena Thong, Marquee Executive Offices

Meet the ExpatHermann Wegmueller, MG Global

Expat LifestyleFood & DrinkClandestine Critic: Spice Up Your Life

Christmas and New YearIndulge in Festive Cheer This Holiday Season

Meet the ExpatCeremco van Leeuwen, the Wizard of Bali

TravelCubadak Paradiso Village

Scams in the CityScum in the Cities

Expat OutreachConservationWakatobi: Thriving Reef, Thriving Community

Worthy CausesEducating Bali's Unique Children

Announcements

Light EntertainmentCoincidental Christmas

Humorous ObservationsMarching Orders

Events

Business Directory

Classifieds28

Indonesia expat issue 1566

The Good, the Bad,

JANUARY 2015

Transport Ministry suspends AirAsia Indonesia Following the disappearance and fatalities of 162 passengers on board AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore on Sunday, December 28, 2014, the nation’s Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan temporarily suspended the airline’s Surabaya-Singapore route.

The reason for doing so was that the firm allegedly violated operational hours. Reportedly, the plane did not have a permit to fly on days other than Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. However, AirAsia Indonesia’s safety and security division claimed the airline complied with all rules and schedules.

It was later discovered that the plane went down in the sea near Kalimantan due to rudder problems.

FEBRUARY 2015

KPK and national police go to warPresident Joko Widodo (aka Jokowi) initially nominated Budi Gunawan as the nation’s Police Commissioner General. Previously, however, Gunawan was a high-ranking officer who failed the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) “fit and proper test” for prospective cabinet positions. The KPK immediately named Gunawan as a graft suspect, as his bank accounts were allegedly full of dirty money.

The police took revenge on the KPK by targeting its commissioners for criminal investigations. Bambang Widjojanto was accused of forcing a witness to commit perjury in a 2010 election dispute case. The police also questioned the KPK’s Chief of Ethics Abraham Samad, and released photos of him with women. Adnan Pandu Praja was accused of fraud involving a timber company in 2006.

The list of accusations went on. In the end, the president withdrew his nomination for Gunawan as Police Commissioner General.

MARCH 2015

Expats don’t actually need to speak IndonesianIn January, the Minister of Manpower made a controversial statement, saying foreigners would be required to take a local language exam if they sought employment in Indonesia.

The idea raised eyebrows from foreign and local businesses, as it would surely make it more difficult for foreigners to obtain work permits. Ultimately, language exams were deemed an unnecessary burden.

Coordinating Minister for Economy, Sofyan Djalil, later said the idea “was just discourse”, and that the policy would never be implemented. The plan was likely withdrawn because powerful domestic companies that currently employ foreigners put pressure on the ministry.

APRIL 2015

Drug smugglers executedDespite outcry from countries including Australia, Brazil, France, and the Philippines — as well as human rights activists and the United Nations — Indonesia executed eight out of nine drug smugglers. Filipina Mary Jane Veloso’s execution was postponed at the very last minute to investigate further on her supposed status as a victim of human trafficking.

Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott said his nation’s relationship with Jakarta “has suffered as a result of what’s been done.” Immediately after the executions, Australia recalled its Ambassador to Indonesia.

We’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of key events that are likely to shape Indonesia’s business culture, macro-economy, and political landscape going forward in 2016.

2015 was pivotal for Indonesia in many ways, and it’s important to take stock of the 12 months that have passed.

and the Shocking

2015 at a Glance

By Josefhine Chitra

FEATURE STORYJosefhine Chitra is a postgraduate student at London School of Economics

and Political Science under the Indonesia Presidential Scholarship. For more information, visit www.CopyCollision.com

7issue 156 Indonesia expat

...the haze caused 43,386 people in Riau and 42,887 in Samarinda to suffer from acute respiratory infections, of which two children in Jambi died.

MAY 2015

Labour Union bemoans ASEAN Economic CommunityOn May 1, the Federation of Indonesian Labour made several demands of the government. Federation Chairman Santoso Widodo said the list of requests was a wakeup call for the government to take action against industries that marginalized labourers.

In addition to a great deal of political noise, the Federation called for the government to withdraw its commitment from the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The AEC will allow free movement of people, goods, and services across the region to achieve an aggregate gross domestic product of US$2.5 trillion and trade business worth US$1 trillion.

Some workers see Indonesia’s participation in the AEC as a bad thing because it would theoretically increase competition for jobs in the archipelago.

JUNE 2015

Illegal sand dredging off Jakarta bayIn June, Thousand Islands Reagent Tri Djoko Sri Margianto reported Kapuk Naga Indah, a subsidiary of property developer Agung Sedayu Group, to Governor Ahok and the national police for stealing sand. The reason for the theft was reportedly for the purpose of building islands in the proximity of Jakarta Bay.

The People’s Representative Council said sand theft could lead to deterioration of the local marine ecosystem and it’s possible that more incidents like this could cause the Thousand Islands to disappear for good.

JULY 2015

Airports close as volcanoes eruptSurabaya’s Juanda international and two other airports closed after two volcanoes blasted ash and debris into the air. The closures came as millions of Muslims were returning home to celebrate the end of Ramadhan.

The week prior, travellers were also marooned when Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali closed because of the eruption of Mount Raung, one of the most active volcanoes on Java. Four other airports in the region were also closed, leaving thousands of tourists stranded. Financial losses were reported to be worth billions of rupiah.

The precautionary closures came during a time of sensitivity and heightened turmoil for the aviation industry in Indonesia.

AUGUST 2015

Widodo reshuffles cabinetEconomic growth slipped to a six-year low after Jokowi took office, and frustration grew in the business community over some of President Jokowi’s more contradictory policy signals.

Following a survey showing the people’s satisfaction levels toward Jokowi’s administration declined from 60 percent to 50 percent, the President decided to replace six ministers.

Jokowi said the adjustment was essentially a bid to boost an ailing economy, though analysts predicted the step would have little immediate impact.

SEPTEMBER 2015

Indonesia’s worst haze episode everIndonesia saw a record-breaking number of fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra this year. In early September, the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management declared a state of emergency in six provinces. The smoke caused by the fires had destructive effects on neighbouring countries, Singapore and Malaysia.

Indonesia lost troves of biodiversity, but the haze also represented a step backward from the government’s voluntary commitment to a minimum 26 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

According to complaints filed by locals to the National Human Rights Commission, the haze caused 43,386 people in Riau and 42,887 in Samarinda to suffer from acute respiratory infections, of which two children in Jambi died.

OCTOBER 2015

China to build Indonesia’s first high-speed trainIndonesia will have its first high-speed railway connecting Jakarta to Bandung with the help of China. At first, the government turned down proposals from both Japan and China, but in the end China revised its plan to allow construction without the use of Indonesia’s state funds.

The high-speed train is set to reach eight stations across 150 kilometres between the two cities. The project is scheduled for completion in 2019 and the train will travel at 250 kilometres per hour, with a ticket fare of around Rp.200,000 (US$16).

NOVEMBER 2015

Indonesia preps to enter ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)Indonesia and other ASEAN member countries made maximal preparations to enter the common free trade era, when the AEC commences at the end of the year.

President Jokowi told reporters that Indonesia was 94.1 percent ready in terms of satisfying requirements, and that he was optimistic his administration could finalize things come the commencement on December 31.

The AEC would potentially create greater economic opportunities for Indonesia, specifically with offering goods and services to other ASEAN countries. Currently, market share in Indonesia is represented by 250 million people. As part of the AEC, the market opportunity would open up to 625 million people.

DECEMBER 2015

Lawmaker scandalized, asked for billions from mining firm Freeport McMoRan operates one of the world’s biggest gold and copper mines in Papua. The firm is in talks with the government about extending its contract in Indonesia, which expires in a few years’ time.

Earlier this month, the nation was shocked to learn that a powerful lawmaker was involved in a scandal in which he asked for a 20 percent stake in the company. House Speaker Setya Novanto allegedly requested the ownership worth billions of dollars.

Maroef Sjamsoeddin, head of Freeport McMoRan in Indonesia, claims to have made a recording of the conversation. In the alleged conversation, Novanto is said to have indicated the stake would be given to President Jokowi and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

Novanto is also accused of saying he could ensure Freeport McMoRan’s contract would extend until 2041.

Indonesia expat issue 1568

EXPAT BUSINESS FEATURED

By Heru Nainggolan

This year’s forest fires sky-rocketed Indonesia’s carbon emissions tenfold. The government has announced a plan to revamp the nation’s land and forest management.

Following Haze Crisis, Indonesia Pledges to Cut Deforestation Rate in Half

A t the end of November, 195 countries and 150 world leaders, including Barack Obama, Xi

Jinping, and Joko Widodo, gathered in Paris for the UN Climate Conference. The event served as a forum for leaders to share knowledge about climate change, a problem dubbed by many scientists and advocates as the most pressing issue of the century.

The aim of the talk was for participating countries to agree on a legally-binding and universal agreement that would, in effect, curb rising global temperatures to no more than two degrees above pre-industrial levels this century.

Since the 1990s, the idea of limiting the average global surface temperature to this level has been regarded as an adequate way to avoid a dangerous climate shift. The theory has been accepted by scientists and policy makers around the globe. However, recent studies show that the environmental

and social impacts of such an average temperature could actually be much more profound than previously thought.

The pledges on behalf of participating countries so far would still result in global warming of at least 2.7 degrees, even if they’re all met. This is better than the five-degree rise we might expect without action, but it’s still short of the two-degree goal.

If emissions continue unabated, the world would be on track to exceed this otherwise safe current temperature in about 30 years. This would expose communities to increasingly dangerous forest fires, extreme weather conditions, droughts, and other adverse climate effects.

Right at the heart of the climate change debate are the issues of fossil fuels and deforestation, both major contributors to our global carbon emissions.

While big countries are currently focusing on renewable energy, a recent study shows that halving deforestation across the tropics would keep more than one billion tonnes of carbon out of the atmosphere. This would contribute significantly to the world’s efforts of limiting a global temperature rise.

A recent study appeared in the December edition of the scientific journal Global Change Biology titled ‘Can carbon emissions from tropical deforestation drop by 50% in 5 years?’ The study comes up with the numbers in its title after generating a world map of carbon in tropical forests. It also establishes benchmarks for average annual carbon emissions caused by deforestation in the tropics.

The study highlights the important role the tropics play in climate change. With this in mind, many countries close to the Equator have already committed to a goal of halving their carbon emissions from deforestation by 2020. Leaders solidified their commitments in 2014 by signing a pledge document called the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF).

Indonesia, which has the second highest greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation only after Brazil, was one of the 15 tropical countries that signed the NYDF. However, the archipelago’s commitment is now being called into question, after the ecological catastrophe it caused this year from raging forest fires on Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Carbon emissions from gross deforestation declined in Indonesia from a 2012 high of 0.362 to 0.205 billion tonnes in 2013. However, if the nation really wants to halve its carbon emissions from deforestation relative to the benchmark, it will have to reduce its average rate of emissions over the next five years to 0.099 billion tonnes of carbon.

The significant downturn in emissions from deforestation in 2013 is likely due to a combination of price and policy signals. This was particularly true in the palm oil,

9issue 156 Indonesia expat

pulp, and paper sectors. However, their relative importance and the sustainability of that downturn remain uncertain. The recent fires ate up more than 2 million hectares of land across Indonesia in 2015. The country’s haze crisis contributed nearly 1.4 billion tonnes to the country's total annual emissions, making it the world's third-largest air polluter this year, after China and the US.

According to the report, emissions from the fires may amount to more than ten times the acceptable benchmark. Faced with such a grim outlook, the government acted quickly by announcing several policies aiming to revamp the forestry sector, especially on peatland management.

“Earlier this year, Indonesia’s President [...] called for all new peatland development to immediately cease while all existing licenses on peatland are reviewed,” says study co-author Belinda A. Margono, a remote

sensing specialist and deforestation analyst. “The government plans to implement a major peatland restoration effort in an attempt to ensure that the conditions that allowed for this year’s catastrophic fires do not arise in the future.”

During his speech at the UN Climate Conference, President Jokowi reiterated his commitment to tackle rampant deforestation in the country, explaining that Indonesia would implement a “one map” policy, a moratorium on peatland permits, forest restoration, and conservation efforts.

Karliansyah, Director of Pollution and Damage at Indonesia’s Environment and Forestry Ministry, says that the government is currently drafting a regulation that would serve as a legal basis for peatland protection in the country. According to him, the ministers met on December 8 to discuss revamping rules of peatland permits and more.

However, the one map policy has been in development for several years. The country is suffering from conflicts related to overlapping forestry and land zoning issues, making it difficult for the government to properly manage the sector, including peatlands.

Apart from the planned one map policy, the government also introduced a monitoring system called the Indonesian National Accounting Carbon System (INCAS) in a bid to reduce national carbon emissions. Officials presented the INCAS recently during the Global Landscape Forum on the sidelines of the UN Climate Conference.

“This will help Indonesia to monitor our emissions reductions and reach our target,” says Presidential Special Envoy for Climate Change, Rachmat Witoelar. The system will use spatial data from the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space to calculate carbon stocks.

INCAS head researcher Haruni Krisnawati says the carbon monitoring system has been in development since 2011 and meets UN standards. The system can be used to measure carbon stocks in forest and peatland areas alike, both underground and aboveground.

Both the one map policy and the INCAS are in line with the report’s argument that the country must have reliable data if it really wants to halve its deforestation rate.

“Halving emissions from deforestation is achievable,” says Nancy Harris, a co-author of the report and Research Manager for Global Forest Watch at the World Resources Institute. “But first you need robust, transparent, and evidence-based benchmarks against which to measure progress.”

While Nancy believes the goal is achievable, the report acknowledges that halving gross tropical deforestation emissions in five years is an immense challenge. “Market failures and governance failures are the problem,” says Daniel Zarin, lead author of the study. “Forests are cut down because someone profits from selling the wood, or the cattle or crops that are grown on the deforested land, or from speculating in poorly regulated land markets. But the very real losses that deforestation incurs aren’t counted against those profits, and it’s not only carbon emissions.”

Zarin points out the role that regular people play in contributing to deforestation and climate change.

“Agricultural regions and urban centres lose the benefits forests provide to the hydrological cycle. The biodiversity losses alone are incalculable. We casually consume products with ingredients grown in faraway lands from which indigenous peoples and other local communities were only recently evicted – or worse – to make way for the chainsaws and the bulldozers that turn forests into vast monocultural fields for commodity manufacture. These are crimes in which we are all complicit,” says Zarin.

He adds that reducing gross deforestation would provide public benefits on a local, national, and global level. “It makes sense for the international community to support forest countries that show real leadership. Many countries and corporations have already agreed to halve deforestation by 2020, and to eliminate deforestation from commodity production. Now we have robust benchmarks against which progress can be measured. There are always excuses for inaction, but the time for excuses has run out.”

Heru Nainggolan is a Jakarta-based freelance journalist, covering a variety of issues related to environment and health.

For more information visit www.CopyCollision.com

Indonesia expat issue 15610

EXPAT BUSINESS BUSINESS PROFILE

BUSINESS SNIPPETS

Indonesia’s dollar millionaires to reach 151,000 by 2020

Lena Thong is a leader of serviced offices in Indonesia, founding Marquee Executive Offices 10 years ago in Jakarta. Her company now has 11 office locations on offer to its customers – with one in Bali – servicing small businesses and startups looking for a convenient, all-in-one office solution. A York University, Toronto, Canada alumnus, this business administration graduate started her career in the Salim Group before embarking on her own journey as the founder of Marquee nine years later.

Servicing Small Businesses and StartupsMarquee Executive Offices

Source: Credit Suisse

Source: Korea Times

The number of dollar millionaires in Indonesia is projected to rise by more than half over the next five years as growth in emerging markets is expected to remain robust despite the recent slowdown, according to a recent study by Credit Suisse Research Institute.

In its sixth annual Global Wealth Report, Credit Suisse estimates that as many as 151,000 millionaires will reside in Indonesia by 2020, compared to 98,000 today, placing it among the top 20 nations with the most number of obscenely wealthy people after China.

"Growth in the number of millionaires is often taken as a sign of the health of an

Globally, Credit Suisse forecasts the number of millionaires to rise by 46 percent to 49.3 million adults, with the largest increase seen in China.

The annual report projects total wealth at the country level by forecasting financial and non-financial components of wealth based on data from the International Monetary Fund's latest World Economic Outlook report.

Indonesia is currently home to roughly 136,000 people who lavish in luxury with the top one percent of global wealth holders today, of which 987 have a net worth exceeding $50 million, according to Credit Suisse.

Indonesia will provide opportunities for South Korea to expand its business ties with ASEAN, a visiting Indonesian parliamentary leader said recently.

"A boost in trade between South Korea and the ASEAN member states is expected next year with the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)," Irman Gusman, chairman of the Regional Representatives Council, told The Korea Times. "Strengthening

economy and reflects its ability to generate wealth at the top end," Credit Suisse said in the report.

Indonesia to help Korea's expansion into ASEAN

What sparked the idea to start Marquee Executive offices? Gaining experience in the property market and the service industry gave me the perfect experience and opened my eyes to how much opportunity we could create. With a huge population in Indonesia, rich in natural resources, attracting many foreigners to invest, I saw a huge market potential. All businessmen and women looking to start their businesses here need flexible office terms and conditions with a cost effective and efficient concept.

What do your serviced offices provide your tenants? How is it different than renting your own office?We offer fully-furnished and comprehensive services. It only takes five minutes to set up and our tenants can immediately start their

businesses. Office infrastructure such as high-speed Internet connection, telephone lines, video conferencing and meeting room facilities are also ready to use. Tenants only need to bring their computers or laptops to start working.

With conventional offices, or renting your own office, clients need to spend extra on capital investment to furnish the office and build office infrastructure and facilities. In addition, clients need to spend higher on variable costs such as hiring staff as receptionists, office assistants, security, not to mention the added cost of electricity bills, household expenses, etc.

The concept of the serviced office is indeed ideal for a maximum of a 20-person workstation to have effective and efficient

costs. If your company has more than 20 employees, it will be too expensive hiring a serviced office for a duration of more than three years.

Some would say that serviced offices are expensive. What would you say to that?I would say it is quite relative and depends on how people see the value that we provide our clients. Actually, it is not necessarily more expensive.

Using a serviced office is more efficient, meaning the tenant does not have to rent extra space that is not effectively used, such as a lobby, pantry, service area, or meeting rooms. This could take up approximately 30 percent of your gross office area if choosing a conventional office.

We are certainly noticing a trend in Jakarta, and in Indonesia, of more and more co-working spaces and serviced and virtual offices opening up on the market. Why do you think that is?

When I started this business in 2006, I anticipated the business would be booming and it’s happening now. Due to an oversupply in the market, many operators quote unrealistic rates, creating unnecessary price wars amongst competitors. It has been a challenging year for our business, especially considering today’s economic conditions.

Marquee is the pioneer local serviced office company that has earned the recognition of having international standards. We need to keep maintaining these standards and give value to our clients, including through product innovation.

Most people will ask this question before renting a serviced office: are there any hidden charges?I’m proud to say that are no hidden charges at all with Marquee.

What interested you to open a Marquee office in Bali?Bali has been known as a tourist destination and is now becoming a living destination. I saw an opportunity when looking at the rising number of residents on the island. Our concept in Bali is more like a co-working space.

What kinds of clientele make use of your Bali office?Our clients in Bali are mostly consulting businesses, such as IT consultants or building consultants.

What is the smallest and largest office space you offer and at what cost?We provide a one-person office workstation to a 25-person office workstation and our rates are quite relative, depending on the location and building. In general, prices range from 5 million to 100 million rupiah per month. The minimum workstations we have per centre’s location is 220.

What do you think is going to be the future of the office? Will more and more people work remotely?Yes, certainly. With today’s advancing technologies we can work remotely from anywhere. All we need is an Internet connection.

You had an event on December 12 discussing land ownership for foreigners. Can you tell us more about this?We work with a few consultants to give

11issue 156 Indonesia expat

economic cooperation with Indonesia, an economic leader in the region, will make the chances even higher."

Gusman, who has actively worked on enhancing multilateral regional cooperation, visited Seoul on Monday to represent his country at a meeting of the Korea-Indonesia Partnership Council. The council was established in 2013 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of South Korea-Indonesia diplomatic ties and further strengthen economic cooperation.

Gusman said Indonesia is poised to become a "hub" of trade and industry in the AEC, which will be launched by the end of this year.

This year, the 10 ASEAN member states agreed to tighten political and economical regional integration by establishing the AEC. In its closer-knit boundary, they plan to eliminate tariffs and allow freer movement of goods and services.

Gusman said South Korea will benefit in the AEC by seeking increased partnership with Indonesia, its biggest trading partner in the region. Indonesia's trade volume consists of 40 percent of the entire region. Trade between South Korea and Indonesia reached US$23.6 billion last year, up from US$200 million in 1973 when the two countries began their diplomatic relationship.

knowledge to expatriates who would like to own land in Bali.

Your first office was opened in Mayapada Tower in Sudirman, but since then you seem to be expanding more and more south, with several locations on Jl. TB Simatupang. Do you foresee more offices moving their headquarters outside of the capital in the future?Possibly, because moving away from the city centre would be more efficient in terms of time management, and especially with the heavy traffic, which can be one of the major factors at play.

Across your 11 branches, how many staff do you employ? What is the most important training aspect that they undergo?We have 108 employees. Our company gives much training to enhance the skill of our employees, covering leadership, negotiation, customer service and more. For me, all of the training we provide is extremely important so that we are able to give an above standard service.

When you opened the first Marquee 10 years ago, what was the biggest challenge you faced? And is this a hurdle you still face today?Managing human resources is always the most challenging aspect for us. Yes, it is a

never-ending challenge. Staff have to be happy working us in order for them to give the best service to our clients.

What is your vision for Marquee Serviced Offices?My vision is that we are the leader in the serviced office industry, internationally recognized for excellent service and integrated business solutions.

And finally, what traits do you possess or have you developed in order to be the successful businesswoman that you are today?I consider myself to have a strong will, persistent and consistent in everything I do. I believe I work hard with dedication to the business. Ultimately, I always aim to be number one, as I believe everyone can do so. To remain successful, we need to keep updating to market trends and be flexible to adapt in today’s changing world.

For more information, please visit: www.marqueeoffices.com

Due to an oversupply in the market, many operators quote unrealistic rates, creating

unnecessary price wars amongst competitors.

Indonesia expat issue 15612

EXPAT BUSINESS MEET THE EXPAT

By Angela Richardson

Meet Hermann Wegmueller

Hermann Wegmueller is a Swiss expatriate who has been in the travel industry since the age of 16, previously working in Bali and Bangkok. A newcomer to Jakarta, having moved to the capital in September, Hermann leads MG Global, a hotel wholesaler to the travel industry in Indonesia and the world.

The Business of Holidaying

What differences have you noticed between Indonesia and Thailand’s travel industries?Thailand sees tourism as the most important foreign exchange earner, and has therefore set up a government tourism promotion board with substantial funds to promote the country in all source markets around the world. The Indonesian government has just started to realize and develop several large tourism destinations inside the country.

Apart from Bangkok, Thailand offers destinations such as Pattaya, with plenty of entertainment; Hua Hin as a quiet laid-back golfing destination; Koh Samui as a small tropical coconut island; Phuket as a large integrated beach resort area; and more. In Indonesia, we are still mainly focused on Bali and a bit of Lombok. The potential, especially in Eastern Indonesia, is untapped and huge. In a nutshell, development in Indonesia takes a much slower path, with the exception of Bali.

You are Managing Director of MG Global, a hotel wholesaler to the travel industry. Talk us through what exactly your business does.We empower more than 3,500 travel agents with best possible prices and availability at hotels and resorts throughout Indonesia and the rest of the world. In Indonesia, we have approximately 3,000 hotels under direct contracts with such prices and availability. We have strategic partnerships with other global wholesalers and aggregators whom we connect with through various highly sophisticated software. As such, we can supply wholesale hotel rates all over the world.

Your company provides the best deals to customers at over 250,000 hotels worldwide. Can you explain how the B2B model works for MG Group?Because of MG’s immense purchasing power and ability to deliver over 1.5 million room nights a year to hotels in Indonesia, we are able to negotiate exclusive deals (both static and dynamic rates) which are distributed to travel agents, who in turn sell to their corporate and leisure customers. This business model provides hotels with a low-cost distribution opportunity, avoiding paying large commissions to online travel agencies, who in turn spend huge amounts on search engine marketing and other forms of advertising. In general, travel agents are able to offer lower pricings in 95 percent of hotels at any given time.

The MG Group comprises of four major distribution channels: MG Bedbank, Abacus RoomDeal, Rajakamar.com and MG Destinations. What is your company aiming to achieve through these channels?We aim to get our products in all channels and cover all segments of the hotel distribution business. MG Bedbank targets the B2B segment of the market in Indonesia, whilst rajakamar.com is for consumers and is focused on developing organic traffic, booking through apps and exclusive promotions like the one just launched with BCA bank: www.rajakamar.com/BCA.

RoomDeal is a B2B booking system integrated into the Sabre/Abacus GDS (flight booking system for travel agents) and services agents throughout Asia Pacific. MG Destinations is a supporting division for the other channels and provides logistic services such as transportation. Corporateroomdeal.com provides a booking platform for corporate companies, and MG Global focuses on leveraging our strength in the domestic market to provide Indonesian hotels to global B2B customers and aggregators, as well as making direct contracts with hotels in key destinations like Singapore and Malaysia.

What is it about working in the hospitality/leisure industry that excites you so?The dynamic, exciting and ever-changing environment, being part of creating a holiday experience, being in a business that is the fastest-growing in the world, and the fact that it is a business that everybody dreams of (both as a profession or as customer). Also, it is a people’s business and relationships are still very important.

Working alongside so many hotels and travel agents in Indonesia, you must have an insight into the challenges that they face. What is the main challenge that the industry faces here in Indonesia and what would you do to change this?The choice of hotels and activities that clients have is ever-increasing. To sift through this ‘jungle’ is the most challenging aspect. For example, new hotels are opening up almost every day. It is very challenging to get the right staff for the job, and people in the service industry should be better educated in special tourism schools, getting better pay which would lift up the entire sector. The government should extend incentives for such educational institutions.

With a burgeoning middle class in Indonesia, what do you foresee happening in the travel/tourism sector within the next five years?Indonesians will continue to travel and this sector is destined to increase further. With less time on their hands, I predict that more people will book their holidays online. They will embrace new technology (checking into their rooms before arrival with their smart phones, for example), and will opt for new hotels and destinations.

People who have worked with you say that you are extremely hard-working. What trait in business do you believe is most important to possess in order to be successful?People in this industry expect instant replies in order to proceed with their work, so it’s imperative to be on your toes. Also, honesty and respect are important. You must be consistent with what you say and what you actually do and deliver. It is much better to deliver more than was promised, rather than the other way round.

You are a licensed Scuba diving instructor. Have you any plans to leave the corporate world and lead a career underwater? No, I used to do this when I was very young after graduating in order to gain experience in teaching and travelling. I will, however, continue to dive recreationally when I have the opportunity to do so.

When you check into a hotel, what is the first thing that you notice and why?How quickly and professionally the check-in is processed and how easy it is to understand the room’s facilities, such as light switches, etc. Free and fast internet access is extremely important, as is a good bed.

Where will you and your family be holidaying at the end of the year?We will retreat to a ski mountain resort in Switzerland for the holiday season.

Thank you, Hermann. To get in touch, please e-mail: [email protected]

People in this industry expect instant replies in order to proceed with their work, so it’s imperative to be on your toes.

13issue 156 Indonesia expat

Indonesia expat issue 15614

EXPAT LIFESTYLE FOOD AND DRINK

Watch out, Indonesia – our expert epicure is on the move, recently roaming the archipelago incognito to bring you the truth about the nation’s dining scene. No spoon is left unturned in the quest for honest, balanced reviews, from long-established favourites to the hottest new tables in town.

This month, Chris Salans’ brand-new spot, Spice.

By The Clandestine Critic

Spice Up Your Life

A t the birth of the burgeoning Indonesian dining scene, long before any Potatoes got

their Heads in Seminyak or Jakarta, Chris Salans was busy being Chris Salans. Though not a small step for him, the American-born, French-raised chef took a giant leap for the nation’s F&B industry in 2001, opening Mozaic Restaurant Gastronomique in Ubud. The multi-award-winning establishment put high-end Balinese fusion firmly on the map. If you’ve ever eaten there, you’ll know Salans loves his spices – and he speaks fluent fine-dining. But does it translate to the hub-bub vibe of a relaxed, younger-sibling version?

Spice by Chris Salans opened just a few months ago on Jl. Raya Ubud. An ‘all-day dining’ concept, it is a modest-sized, bright space, with bench tables in the big windows. We sat at the bar surrounding the open kitchen, watching the team whizz around preparing our repast.

The usual starter-main-dessert format doesn’t apply here: they’d rather you order what you like, when you feel like; which is fine. But I must quibble with the requirement to place one’s order on a little form with a pencil. It was a cross between a day at IKEA and a multiple choice exam. Quite why this is necessary I’m not sure – this is dinner, not homework. Ever the anarchist, I extracted no small amount of pleasure from circumventing the system and ordering directly from the source as the chefs passed us each dish.

The menu does section itself though, into helpful if somewhat alarmingly-titled groups: Raw, Fins & Shells, and the vegetarian’s nightmare, Two Legs and Four Legs. We ordered several dishes at

once, adding a few bits as we went along. As befits Indonesia, everything came when it was good and ready. This resulted in slightly discombobulated sequencing: for example, our side of Tapioca Fries (Rp.35,000, with Basa Gede ‘espuma’ – a chef-y word for foam) came pretty much first. In a relaxed establishment such as Spice, this isn’t a huge problem. Incidentally, this order turned out to be superfluous, since the same wedges accompanied our Steak Sliders (Rp.95,000). The meat on the mini-burgers was ever so slightly chewy, but the bread was good and the flavours worked with the sambal hijau. The fries pretty much did what they said on the tin, and were quite filling. The basa gede (Balinese spice mix) foam was intended for dipping and packed a punch.

Snapper Carpaccio (Rp.95,000) featured tamarind croutons and a rujak dressing of shrimp paste, palm sugar and chilli. It was refreshing, as rujak should be, and the fish, fresh and tasty. Strangely enough though, the deceptively simple Quinoa and Tomato Salad (Rp.60,000) managed to outshine it, with its tangy Suna Cekuh (garlic and ginger) dressing.

It was a mistake ordering multiple portions of the Slipper Lobster (Rp.95,000), as the ‘per piece’ stated on the menu inexplicably turned out to be three halves. They’re also truly meaty little crustacean beasts. These were crusted with a thick layer of crispy tempeh, an innovative idea, and soaked in a curry-leaf butter – quite a heavy-handed treatment for the sweet, juicy meat, but it worked. This has all the hallmarks of a Salans classic: French base, Balinese top notes. It could be, to some palates, an acquired taste.

From the specials board we tried Laksa (Rp.95,000) and it was good, albeit fairly straightforward. I was surprised to find, however, that although the chef in charge that night was Singaporean (and had spent several years at Salans’ Seminyak outpost), this was not a recipe from his homeland.

For dessert, unfortunately I was not bowled over by the somewhat unremarkable Chocolate Cake (Rp.55,000), although its accompanying jackfruit ice cream was great, and much more like the Salans I know. Better still was the Kalamansi lime sorbet (Rp.45,000). This unique, tangerine-y citrus fruit is having a bit of a moment on menus across Bali – it’s popping up everywhere, including in our Kalamansi Margarita (Rp.85,000), which was pretty good, as was the Kemangi Gin & Tonic (Rp.85,000). The cocktails could benefit from a little finesse, though I would thoroughly understand if they chose not to refine them – this is, after all, an all-day place, with milkshakes and suchlike on

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!

Rp.770,000Rp.554,0006%Rp.1,543,784 (inc. taxes) for three

Cheque Please

FoodDrinksServiceTotal

That's a spicy meatball

SPICE by Chris SalansJalan Raya Ubud No 23, Ubud Gianyar 80571Phone: +62(0)3614792420Web: www.spicebali.com

offer in the evenings. I rarely get to say this but you might actually be better going for wines by the glass: I was thrilled to find one of my favourites, Verdejo (a white from Spain), which was super.

The Salans blueprint – i.e., highlighting one or two local ingredients in every dish – was evident throughout. He has managed to distil his ethos into this eatery; albeit less glam, more wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. There were hits and misses but overall Spice is a welcome new addition to the hip Ubud scene, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be successful.

“If you’ve ever eaten at Mozaic, you’ll know Salans loves his spices – and

he speaks fluent fine-dining. But does it translate to the hub-bub vibe of a relaxed, younger-sibling version?”

snapper carpaccio sliders

chocolate cake

kalamansi margaritas

15issue 156 Indonesia expat

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Quite often, it’s the attempt to actually leave Jakarta that can turn even the most mild-mannered of commuters into a raving lunatic. We’ve all been there – toll gate queues stretching to the horizon, muggy sun reflecting off endless numbers of bumper bars and windshields, and ojek brushing their handlebars literally under our nose. This is even before we get to the airport and brave rushing crowds, overtaxed check-in desks and scrutinizing immigration officials. Add a couple of kids into this mix, and it’s a fairly combustible combination that makes vacationing almost not worth the bother.

Luckily, there are some options much closer to home that can cater for families, singles, or groups who wish to get away and have some fun!

Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands) are a chain of islets and larger islands stretching off north of Jakarta. Far enough away to claim beautiful stretches of clear water, the closest of the islands can be reached in only 45 minutes from Pantai Mutiara in North Jakarta. Don’t be fooled by the name though – the coral islands number only 76, with others surfacing at low tide.

Even though we are well into rainy season, the crossing generally remains quite sheltered, and travel to the islands is swift. Boat options can range from a sedate family cruiser to party yachts with DJs and ample beverage options.

If staying aboard is your thing, there are a myriad of different activities to pursue. There are some diving spots around the Thousand Islands – indeed, some dive schools hold accreditation around some of the easier reefs. Fishing is always available, although some of the fish stocks have been slightly depleted in

recent times. Other water-based activities can be hired at resorts on the islands, such as kayaking, windsurfing and Jet Skiing rentals.

Boat parties can also be organized very easily. Get some mates together, nominate your favourite music or beverage, and that’s all there is to it! Choose to either cruise around all day, or snuggle into a sheltered bay – it’s up to you. Just be aware that motoring around all day will chew more fuel, and hence increase the cost.

Overnight stays can be organized aboard one of the many liveaboard boats servicing Pulau Seribu. Drifting to sleep with the relaxing sound of water lapping at the side of the boat is a soothing experience indeed, and much preferable to the blaring of car horns or the catcall from nasi sellers at 6am! If sleeping aboard is not your thing, there are over a dozen resorts scattered throughout the islands with varying degrees of quality and price.

Ask an Indonesian about the Thousand Islands, and it’s a good chance that they haven’t been there either! It is certainly a shame that most turn their eyes solely towards East Nusa Tenggara for a beach holiday with so many decent options closer to home. You can finish work and be on a boat within an hour from Jakarta – what’s not to like!

There are many different boat services and tours available. For services in English, Spiceislandcharters.com runs weekly boat services to the Thousand Islands with various options on models and accommodation. Family trips, parties and resort accommodation can all be booked swiftly and easily.

Get Away to Amazing Islands over Christmas without Leaving Jakarta!

P U L A U S E R I B U

Years end in Jakarta can be a stressful experience – traffic becomes worse than usual, flight prices go through the roof, and organizing a family vacation can take on a nightmarish cast. Fortunately,

a little-known island chain right on the doorstep of Jakarta can make everything much, much easier.

If you’re not sure how to plan your boat party on this special season, you can simply contact Spice Island Charters at 0897 7187 616 or visit www.spiceislandcharters.com/pulauseribu for all the information you need. Just pack your bags, tag your friends or family along, and activate ‘holiday season’ mode!

Indonesia expat issue 15616

EXPAT LIFESTYLE CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR

Indulge in Festive CheerThis Holiday Season

The holidays are a time for joy and sharing with your loved ones. We have taken the liberty of compiling the best Christmas and New Year’s celebration offers for you to enjoy.

Intercontinental Jakarta MidPlazaJl. Jend. Sudirman kav 10-11, Jakarta | Tel: (+62) 21 251 0888 | www.intercontinental.com

Christmas Eve & Day Dine Around the World at Rasa and Scusa Celebrate the spirit of the festive season in true style with a joyful dining experience spread across Rasa and Scusa. Savour international and Asian cuisine from an extensive buffet at Rasa along with traditional Christmas fare that the entire family will enjoy. There’ll be musical entertainment by a Christmas choir and Santa Claus is expected to make a visit with a sack full of sweet treats for the little ones!

*Rp.458,000++/person to dine at both venues inclusive of non-alcoholic drinks (soft drinks and juices).

New Year’s Eve Dinner Indulge in a social evening of fine food and entertainment as we bid farewell to yet another year with ‘Dine Around The World’ spread across Rasa & Scusa. Spend the evening moving between Rasa and Scusa for the biggest ever buffet of culinary delights.

*Rp.588,000++/person to dine at both venues inclusive of non-alcoholic drinks (soft drinks and juices). *A 20 percent discount will be extended to bookings confirmed before 28 December 2015.

Jl. MH Thamrin No. 1, JakartaTel +62 21 2358 3800 www.kempinski.com/jakarta

Hotel Indonesia Kempinski

Hotel Indonesia Kempinski has a range of delectable Christmas feasts available for you to enjoy:Advent weekend brunch (29 Nov-20 Dec) Rp.360,000++/personChristmas Eve buffet dinner Rp.545,000++/personChristmas Day buffet brunch Rp.545,000++/personChristmas Day buffet dinner Rp.445,000++/person

Kempi Deli and Sweet Boutique have an array of special hampers with prices starting at Rp.450,000 net.

As for room packages, guests who stay from 18-29 December can enjoy a complimentary breakfast at Signatures Restaurant for two adults and two children under six years. Room rates start at Rp.2,700,000 net and are only valid for Indonesian citizen or KITAS holders.

New Year’s EveKempinski New Year’s Eve room rates start at Rp.5,499,000++*/night. *To get this rate, please call +62 21 2358 3888 or email [email protected]

In Bali Room Pasar Malam Carnival Party, the fun starts with a DJ, a magician and some exciting entertainment from 10pm with an admission fee of Rp.375,000++/person including first drink.

While at Paulaner Bräuhaus Jakarta, you can view the epicentre of Jakarta Night Festival's fireworks accompanied by our home band and female DJ.

Star Wars New Year’s PartyStart your New Year celebrations in style with a splendid dinner buffet at Biztro Graffiti. Featuring tantalizing food stations to tempt your taste buds, and a dazzling array of delicious sweet treats!

Rp.500,000++/person for the festive buffet including New Year’s party favours and free flow of house pouring, soft drinks or juices. 6pm until 10.30pm. Free of charge for children under five years and 50 percent discount for children from 6-12 years.

Mercure Jakarta Simatupang

After dinner, join Star Wars movie icons such as Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Stormtroopers and more as we drink and dance straight into 2016 in rooftop style. Music starts at 8pm with live performance from all girls band The Baileys, and all-night DJ at KARUMBA Rooftop Rum Bar.

Holiday Seasons Room Promotion Rates start from Rp.2,450,000++ for accommodation in a Standard Room including New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner at Biztro Graffiti for two persons, party favours, and a sparkling wine to toast the New Year in KARUMBA. On New Year’s Day, enjoy a breakfast buffet for two persons and a late checkout until 4pm.

Jl. R.A.Kartini, Jakarta | Tel: (+62) 021 75999777 | www.mercurejakartasimatupang.com

New Year’s FestivalAre you ready to say farewell to 2015 and open a new chapter in 2016? Join Potato Head to welcome the New Year in a two-day music and cultural festival with international acts from the US, Japan, UK, Australia, and Spain. On New Year’s Eve, guests can join in the celebration from 4pm to 3am, starting with a showcase of sunset art performances. On New Year’s Day, the party continues from 12pm to 2am. Guests will be entertained by Francois K, Force of Nature, Toby Tobias, Tamas Jones, Jose Padilla, Chris Coco, Jonny Nash, and Phat Phil Cooper. Potato Head Beach Club’s New Year’s Festival is only for those 18 years or older. For more information and tickets, please visit: ticketbase.com/events/ptt-nye

Potato Head Beach Club Jl. Petitenget 51B Seminyak, Bali | Tel: (+62) 361 473 7979 | www.ptthead.com

17issue 156 Indonesia expat

Christmas Dinner and Brunch Experience an elegant four-course set dinner menu at RIVA Grill Bar & Terrace for Rp.550,000++/person or Rp.500,000++/person for early birds (until 20 December) and Club Riva members. On Christmas Eve, celebrate a traditional festive feast and say hi to Santa. Rp.285,000++/person. Children 5-12 years half price.

Glitz and Glam New Year’s EveAt RIVA Grill Bar & Terrace, enjoy a complimentary glass of Sparkling wine on arrival followed by a four-course menu. Rp.550,000++/person

Park Lane Hotel Jakarta

or Rp.500,000++/person for early birds (until December 27) and Club Riva members. At Café One, take part in a Gala International Buffet & Outback Terrace BBQ Rp.350,000++/person. Half price for children 5-12 years.

Room for the HolidaysRp.900,000 net/night in a Grand Deluxe Room including breakfast for two adults and two children below 12 years at Café One. Valid December 19-30. Stay for New Year’s Eve at Rp.1,000,000,++/night in a Grand Deluxe room or Rp.1,500,000,++/night with Gala Buffet dinner in Café One for two persons. Early check-in at 10am and late checkout at 4pm.

Jl. Casablanca Kav. 18, Jakarta | Tel: (+62) 21 8282000 | www.parklanehoteljakarta.com

Christmas Glow DinnerEat, drink and make merry on December 24 to 25, with only Rp.399,999 net/person, inclusive of three glasses of wine. In addition, roasted whole turkeys with condiments are also available for takeaway from December 15 to 25.

The Sultan Hotel & Residence JakartaJl. Gatot Subroto, Po Box 3315, Jakarta | Tel: (+62) 21 5703600 | www.sultanjakarta.com

Christmas CelebrationsChristmas Eve dinner at Sperta boasts a five-course set menu, Gluehwein welcome drink, after-dinner coffee or tea and chocolate souvenirs. Rp.400,000 net/person and Rp.700,000 net with wine pairing. Christmas Day brunch boasts European cold cuts and cheese, roast turkey and prime beef. Only Rp.442,000 net/person. Children can enjoy activities, a movie corner and free access to the swimming pool.

Festive Room PackagesA special Deluxe Room offer at Rp.900,000 net/night and Grand Deluxe at Rp.1,000,000 net/night*. Valid December 19-30, January 2-10, 2016.

On New Year’s Eve, stay in a Deluxe Room for only Rp.1,800,000 net and Rp.2,300,000 net in a Grand Deluxe Room.

*Includes breakfast for two, welcome drinks and fruit, 20 percent discount for Christmas Day Brunch or New Year’s Eve dinner (excluding alcoholic beverages) and free internet access.

White GlamEnjoy the festivities for only Rp.700,000 net/person or Rp.950,000 net/person (including dinner, free flow wine, beer, juices, tea/coffee). Enjoy various entertainment including a live band, DJ, contemporary dance performances and fireworks!

Jl. Kemang Raya no. 2H, Jakarta(+62) 21 7194121 www.mesahotelsandresorts.com/grandkemang

Grandkemang Hotel Jakarta

Enchanting White ChristmasIndulge in an intimate Christmas Eve Dinner with a gourmet buffet specially created by the hotel’s Executive Chef priced at Rp.755,000 net/adult and a Christmas Day Brunch that offers an array of festive favourites for Rp.598,000 net/adult. If guests prefer to stay cosy at home, take home a Turkey-To-Go! There are two types of turkey available: The Classic Turkey for Rp.2,988,888 net and The Chef ’s Betutu-spiced Turkey for Rp.1,988,888 net.

Pullman Jakarta

Dazzling New YearSavour in the New Year’s Eve Dinner at Sana Sini Restaurant for Rp.1,188,888 net/adult and New Year’s Day Brunch for Rp.588,888 net/adult. Guests can also opt for a New Year’s Eve High Tea at Le Chocolate Lounge for Rp.457,380 net/adult. Or party the year away at The Backroom with a special Sofa Package starting from Rp.5,500,000 ++/booking. Over Christmas or New Year’s, enjoy luxurious rooms and suites in the best spot to watch the city’s ultimate fireworks and parade. Superior rooms start at Rp.2,600,000++, including one bottle of sparkling wine/champagne, and breakfast for two (minimum of two night’s stay).

Jl. MH Thamrin no.59, Jakarta | Tel: (+62) 021 31 92 11 11 | www.pullmanjakartaindonesia.com

Enjoy, discover and experience The Papandayan as your one-stop destination bringing you festive cheer. Family Treat package is perfect for families embracing the school holidays with room and breakfast included, and best of all, pamper mum with a one-hour massage treatment! Starting from Rp.1,390,000++.

Mouth-watering ChristmasEnjoy a mouth-watering Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas day lunch buffet at our Pago Restaurant where spreads of heritage and cultural aspects of traditional Indonesian cuisines combine with varieties of International cuisines, priced at just Rp.179,000++/person. Enjoy 50 percent discount for your fourth guest.East Meets West New Year’s Take part in an East Meets West New Year’s Eve with the ‘Exceptionally Within Moments’ package which includes room, breakfast and access to the New Year’s eve celebrations for a minimum of two nights. If you have little ones, put your worries aside as they will have plenty to do at the kid’s club. All for Rp.4,900,000++.

Jalan Jend. Gatot Subroto 83, Bandung Tel: (+62) 22 7310 799 www.thepapandayan.com

The Papandayan Hotel Bandung

Teratai Chinese RestaurantChristmas Eve and DayHong Kong chef Alex Kwok knows just how to create an unforgettable Christmas for you and your friends and family. From the moment you arrive until it’s time to leave, you will get everything: delicious dining, carol singing and all the traditional trimmings! Rp.468,000 ++/person.New Year’s EveOn New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, enjoy a set menu for Rp.688,000 ++/person.

Bruschetta Italian RestaurantChristmas Eve and Day Enjoy live performances from choirs, strolling singers and wonderfully mouthwatering dishes. Rp.538,000++New Year’s EveThe chefs will prepare a very special menu including a glass of sparkling wine! Prices started from Rp.58,000 ++ to Rp.348,000++.

Pendopo LoungeChristmas Eve DinnerSavour a special handcrafted menu accompanied by a choir and musical performances. Rp.308,000++ (choice of three main courses and a dessert buffet).New Year’s Eve Dinner and Countdown PartyThe chefs will offer you a delicious menu while counting down to 2016! Be ready to say goodbye to 2015 in style. Rp.488,000++

Borobudur Hotel JakartaJl. Lap. Banteng Selatan No.1, Jakarta | Tel: (021) 3805555 | www.hotelborobudur.com

Glow in the Dark New YearCelebrate New Year’s Eve in style with a special package starting from Rp.1,999,888++ treating you with a one night’s stay in our spacious room with magnificent city views, a lavish dinner at Lagoon Cafe and fabulous performances from TOP 40 Band, modern dances, a fashion show and a live female DJ. Children’s activities include performances such as a clown, magician, Lego, puzzles and more!

Winter Wonderland Christmas Eve DinnerExperience Christmas around the world at the ultimate jet-set dinner – all alongside signature Nikki Beach-style entertainment. Seven course dinner Rp.550,000.00++/person. Reservations required: https://id.ticketbase.com/events/winterwonderworld-christmas-eve-dinner-24-decPaint the Town Red Christmas BrunchWhether you have been naughty or nice, revel in the Christmas spirit with signature Nikki Beach entertainment, special holiday offerings, live dancers and international DJs. Brunch buffet starts at 11am until 3pm, with the party and entertainment continuing until sunset. Brunch buffet + mineral water starts at Rp.350,000++. Beds reservations and information: https://id.ticketbase.com/events/paint-the-town-red-christmas-brunch-25-dec-2015Midnight Masquerade New Year’s Evehttps://id.ticketbase.com/events/midnight-masquerade-nikkibeachbali-new-years-eve-dec-2015. Join a Masquerade Ball with live musicians, dancers, DJs, surprises, and the island’s most spectacular fireworks display. 21 years and above. General Admissions Rp.800,000 net. VIP Table and Luxury Bed for four include general admission tickets and a premium bottle of champagne or vodka with bottle service. Rp.9,500,000++. Pre-purchase: https://id.ticketbase.com/events/midnight-masquerade-nikkibeachbali-new-years-eve-dec-2015

Nikki Beach Kawasan Pariwisata BTDC, Lot N5, Nusa Dua, Bali | Tel: (+62) 361 849 2900 | www.nikkibeach.com/bali

Indonesia expat issue 15618

EXPAT LIFESTYLE MEET THE EXPAT

The Wizard of Bali

Karen Davis is a NYC artist and writer

Ceremco Van Leeuwen is an international magician and hypnotist who brings his magic and healing to children and adults at special events and on the streets of Bali.

Meet Ceremco Van Leeuwen

By Karen Davis

When did magic enter your life? Magic has come from a desire to understand. This is what inspired my interest in magic. I didn’t care so much about performing, but I needed to know how it works!

A lot changed after I found out. In fact, I was quite disillusioned to find out the coin was just ‘in the other hand’. I knew it wasn’t really magic to begin with, but somehow I was disappointed when I found out how ‘simple’ the answers sometimes are.

But then I found magic was a lot like Spongebob. When first see it, it has a few bad jokes and sure it’s entertaining… But then you grow older, learn more and look again, and suddenly you see this whole hidden layer of elegance and beauty (or in Spongebob’s case, dirty jokes and absurdity).

What brought you to Bali?I was planning to only come by for about six months. That was more than two years ago. I fell in love with the culture, the food and the weather.

What are some of the events that are great to bring magic to?Weddings are definitely my favourite. Other than that, children’s parties, corporate events and restaurants. The good thing about magic is everybody loves it. It’s a great form of entertainment and it doesn’t really have an age limit. 4- to 80-year-olds can enjoy it.

What kind of reaction do you get performing on the streets of Bali?I don’t envy street magicians. I rarely perform street magic in the sense that I walk around the streets doing magic for random people. It is just so difficult. When people come to a show, they come to be entertained. When people are walking on the street, they are going somewhere. Of course, when you do get there, people love it. Especially on the streets the expectations are low. So, when you do deliver a good ‘trick’, people are extra amazed!

Are kids the best audience? Yes and no, but probably more no than yes. Kids are incredibly honest. If they love it, they will (sometimes quite literally) clamp on to you and ask for more. But if I make a mistake they also have no problem screaming through the audience what you did wrong and where the rabbit went.

Tell me about your event ‘Unlock Magic’ at Le Meridien Hotel.Unlock Magic was an event hosted by Le Meridien for UNICEF. Le Meridien does one of these events yearly and this year they wanted some magic! Josh Novendra (my local magic partner) and I created a show for them. The show was so much fun and was a mix of everything from linking rings to walking over broken glass, which was real broken glass!

How did you learn hypnosis and mind reading? Can anyone learn these unique skills?Yes! I think hypnosis is the closest thing you can come to real magic. Even when you know exactly what is going on. That moment someone forgets their name is just magical. Nothing I do is real magic, I’m not sure it even exists. Anyone can learn these skills (in fact I teach them to people).

I think it would be great if everyone knew a magic or mind reading. It teaches us so much about how easy it is to be fooled.

Do you have a memorable experience with mind reading or hypnosis?The first time I had hypnotized someone to make myself invisible was amazing. “When you wake up, everything will be completely normal except you will not see me. I will be completely invisible.” *snap*

The guy opens his eyes, looks around like nothing is wrong. I wave my hand in front of his face, no response. I start talking to him and he freaks out. Imagine hearing someone talk to you who you know is inside the room with you, but you can’t see him. This is not a movie, this is real life!

He is frantically looking around him, walking backwards into a corner. He was hardly able to say anything other than “What? Huh?”

I had myself reappear with a magical puff of smoke soon after that and he never looked so happy to see someone.

Do you offer stop smoking hypnotherapy? What percentage of the time does it actually work? If you want to quit smoking then hypnosis is one of the more effective ways of doing

it. Smoking is a lot more a habit than an addiction. Hypnosis helps changing mindsets and conditioned responses. When you get a glass of wine you automatically reach for a cigarette. You don’t need it, but you’ve conditioned yourself to do it.

Hypnosis takes care of those kinds of things while empowering the mindset of making healthy choices for yourself. That combination, when repeated a few times, is usually enough to put people off forever.

You have a magic school for children. Tell me about that.The Little Magician is a project I was working on to help bring magic to kids! My original idea was to teach kids magic for a couple of weeks and then end in doing a show together with them. Unfortunately I haven’t found a school willing to do this yet! So far I’ve only been teaching after school activities for magic.

How is magic an important aspect of expanding our minds?Magic is pretty much the study of the human mind. I have you look at this hand while the other one is doing the magic. Understanding how magic works is understanding how easy it is to be fooled. The human brain is very easily fooled. Look at all the magicians, optical illusions, all the stuff we thought we knew that now turned out wrong (the Earth is round!).

We are great at believing we are right and horrible at seeing we are wrong. Understanding magic means to understand how human it is to be wrong. Accepting that most things we think we know are probably not true, opens up the possibility for learning.

What are your future plans here in Bali and internationally?I’m always on the lookout for new opportunities and projects. Just like me on Facebook and find out!

Thank you, Ceremco! Visit www.magicianinbali.com or like facebook.com/CeremcoMagic for more information.

“Understanding how magic works is understanding how easy it is to be fooled.”

19issue 156 Indonesia expat

EXPAT LIFESTYLE TRAVEL

Cubadak Paradiso Village

Discovering the overland and underwater treats on a little island resort off the coast of West Sumatra

By Angela Richardson

Getting thereA 1.20-minute flight on local carriers Garuda Indonesia, Citilink or Lion Air followed by a 3-hour drive (organized by Cubadak Paradiso Village), and a short, 10-minute speedboat ride.

Things to doDiving, snorkelling, going for forest walks, or just plain relaxing.

What to bringSunblock, a good book, dive and snorkelling gear, travel sickness pills if you’re prone to feeling nauseous when driving on windy roads.

Cubadak Island

Take the Road Less Travelled

W hy do we travel? Is it in pursuit of ticking off as many places on your world map as

possible? Or maybe the journey of self-discovery is what keeps you hopping on and off of planes, trains and automobiles, traversing the unknown. Living in Indonesia comes with its pros and cons (as with any country), but one of its many plus points is that there are so many exotic places to explore, and although the journey may not always be easy, the end result is worth it. I discovered this lately with a trip to Cubadak Island located just off the coast of West Sumatra.

The history of Sumatra is rich and complex. Archaeological evidence suggests that Sumatra was the gateway for migrating tribes from mainland Southeast Asia, with hunter-gatherers living along the Strait of Melaka some 13,000 years ago. This popular trading route on the east coast opened the archipelago up to China, India, and the world, thus exposing it to the popular ideas of the time, such as Islam.

Throughout the colonial era, Sumatra saw almost every foreign power stake a claim in its abundant resources: the Dutch set up camp in the west Sumatran port of Padang; the British ruled in Bengkulu; American traders monopolized pepper exports from Aceh; and the Chinese exploited tin reserves on the islands of Bangka and Belitung.

Rich in cultural heritage, this region is home to around 4 million Minangkabau people, one of the last populations to have a matrilineal culture, which directly contrasts the island’s dominant religion of Islam. This region’s natural beauty is also a marvel, with rolling green countryside, endless winding rivers, and mini waterfalls dotting the roadsides.

Getting thereGetting to Cubadak Island involves flying firstly to Padang Minangkabau International airport, a 1-hour and 20-minute flight from Jakarta. The flight is the easiest part of this journey, however, as we discovered on the 3.5-hour car ride that proceeded, passing over windy hillside roads through forests to reach the island, located only about 20km south of the city of Padang. Usually this drive would only take 3 hours, or even 2.5 if you’re lucky, which we weren’t – as we experienced several delays on two bridge constructions, and a mammoth traffic jam in Padang town. Once reaching the harbour of Corocok Tarusan, we were whisked onto a speedboat for a 10-minute ride, finally arriving at this little resort where time seems to have stood still.

Cubadak Island is unique because it boasts both clear blue waters on one side, and a lush green forest perfect for hikers and bird-spotters on the other. The beach here is also very beautiful, with white sand stretching for around 1km – perfect for lounging around and reading a good book. But don’t expect beachside butlers or five-star luxury, as this island has its own, more relaxed way of doing things.

Opened 23 years ago by Nanni Casalegno, an Italian man who sadly passed away in 2014, the ‘village’ has been operated by the very friendly Dominique and her husband, Marco (both French) for the last 10 years. The island still has that ‘90s vibe, with its wooden-panelled accommodation reminiscent of the ones you may find along the west or south coasts of Java. I doubt much has changed since it first opened all those years ago.

With a total of 12 bungalows on the island, including a family unit that can be rented as one, or split into two, guests can choose to stay on-land or indulge in an over-water bungalow, suited for honeymooners. The wooden bungalows are what I would call rustic-chic, situated right on the beach, and come complete with en-suite bathroom, downstairs living area and a double bed on the mezzanine. Other amenities include a mini-bar, stocked with large Bintangs and soft drinks, hot water and the added bonus of drinkable tap water, which comes straight from a natural spring on the island. There are no air conditioners here, so if you are prone to feeling the heat, be sure to set the ceiling fan onto high at night. The rooms are perfectly situated to soak up the sound of cicadas and bird song from the forests behind.

Taking the plungeThe island is very well suited for divers looking to explore a lesser-known region, and the local government are actually

planning on marketing this area as the next Raja Ampat. Although I don’t think it is quite on par with what Raja Ampat, the world’s diving Mecca, has to offer, it certainly is not want of trying. With several dive sites at hand, including a house reef, several pinnacles and even a wreck, there are plenty of things to see underwater – although visibility was only around 5–7 metres during our visit.

When not diving, we spent daylight hours frolicking in the clear waters, lounging around on sun beds whilst enjoying the sounds of rolling thunder coming from the distant, ominous clouds. Although Cubadak Island is not exactly isolated – there is a village visible over the water in the distance – you still feel like you’re 100 miles from anywhere.

In the evenings, guests converge and seek shelter from monsoon rains at the bar located over the water. Here you can enjoy a tea or alcoholic beverage (wines are even stocked at fair prices), whilst enjoying a jam on one of Marco’s several guitars. Wi-Fi is available, too.

All meals on the island are taken together, so if you don’t like socializing, this may not be your scene. Breakfast is served from 7.30-11am, lunch at 1.30pm, and dinner not until 8pm. The food is quite delicious, and the busy bees in the kitchen can whip up gluten-free and vegetarian meals as well. Fresh fish is caught and shared every day, as we witnessed when the island’s fisherman brought in a freshly caught red snapper to feed hungry guests – and the local dog.If you enjoy hiking, behind the resort is a large hill, enveloped in forest. There is a path that takes you to the top in about 45 minutes – a spectacular place for taking photos. This path is perfect for spotting birds, including the colourful kingfisher.

If you’re a nature lover and enjoy the thrill of the chase, you should put Cubadak Paradiso Village on your travel list. It took us a whopping eight hours to return to Jakarta, due to road disturbances and flight delays, so I would suggest staying a minimum of three nights to truly unwind and take in what this island has to offer.

Website: www.cubadak-paradisovillage.com

Marco, the owner of Cubadak Paradiso Village

Indonesia expat issue 15620

By Kenneth Yeung

Indonesian law carries a six-year jail term for negligent drivers who cause fatal accidents. But rich kids in costly cars are usually above the law.

Scum in the Cities

Kenneth Yeung is a Jakarta-based editor

If you’re filthy rich, or if your daddy is filthy rich and wields political influence, you won’t be spending years behind bars

for reckless driving that kills people.

Among the tenants of my Jakarta apartment complex was the owner of a Ferrari. He was fond of revving it loudly outside the main lobby, especially late at night. When I complained about the noise to the building’s security guards, one of them smiled at me benignly, as if I were a slow-witted child, and explained: “A rich person owns that car, mister.”

I remonstrated that such a vehicle was more likely to be owned by a man with a miniscule penis, desperate for attention, and that I would submit a formal complaint to building management if the guards couldn’t curtail the needlessly noisy revving. Thankfully, the man later moved out, taking his costly toy with him.

The fawning, reverential attitude toward rich people in expensive cars in Indonesia is pathetic. I have a lingering memory of Tommy Suharto beaming proudly alongside his new Rolls Royce during the onset of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, as millions of his fellow Indonesians were plunging below the poverty line. Tommy had amassed fabulous wealth through nepotism and corruption, enabling him to buy a controlling stake in sports car manufacturer Lamborghini, which produces the noisy machines so beloved by men who yearn for respect. When stuck in chronic traffic congestion in Jakarta and outlying toll roads, we can routinely observe police motorcycles with sirens blaring and blooping as they close off lanes and clear a path for top government officials. Often they are escorting private cars or little convoys of Harley Davison riders. In genuine democracies, police combat traffic congestion, rather than inconveniencing commuters so the rich and powerful can travel more swiftly.

A few of the very rich and their spoiled children act as if the roads are their exclusive playground. Consequences are sometimes fatal, but justice is not always served.

On November 29, Wiyang Lautner (24) was racing his Lamborghini Gallardo against a red Ferrari in the East Java capital of Surabaya at about 5.20am when he smashed into a drinks stall operated by Mujianto (44), who was serving milk to two customers: Kuswanto (41) and his wife Srikanti (41). Kuswanto was killed, dragged along by the car, which stopped only when it hit a tree. Mujianto and Srikanti were seriously injured.

Wiyang survived the crash, extricated himself from his costly toy, helped to carry one of the victims, and was then taken to hospital.

His family responded to the crash not with a public apology or contrition, but with threats. Their six-member legal team, led by one Amoz H.Z. Taka, placed a quarter-page advertisement in the print media, declaring that although the “incident” was unfortunate, there had been “reconciliation” because the victims had received compensation and agreed not to pursue legal action.

The ad claimed the crash occurred because the street, Jalan Manyar Kertoarjo, was slippery due to rain, causing the car to skid and hit the pavement, whereupon its right rear wheel locked and “sped beyond the control of our client”.

The lawyers denied Wiyang was under the influence of drugs, or that he was speeding or racing. Their ad concluded by threatening legal action against anyone who writes negative news, including on social media, about Wiyang. The lawyers also thanked local police for handling the case “professionally and proportionately”.

Netizens were unfazed by the threat. They poured scorn on the notion that an imported sports car worth about US$300,000 would skid in a puddle and suffer a wheel-lock if travelling at a safe speed in wet weather.

If the lawyers are telling the truth, they must sue Lamborghini for allegedly making an unsafe vehicle. But if the lawyers are lying, then Lamborghini should sue them for implying that it makes dangerous cars.

The Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) condemned the lawyers’ ad as an arrogant attack on press freedom. PWI East Java chairman Akhmad Munir said it is usually politicians who threaten the media but now it is the rich, even though journalism is not illegal. Unlike reckless driving. Akhmad said journalists must not fear the threats, provided they write accurately and fairly.

After a public outcry, police arrested him on December 4. He could be detained for up to 20 days, pending questioning. Police can extend his detention, should they deem such action necessary. His lawyers on December 10 said they were considering applying for a suspension of detention.

Wiyang is in a special cell for traffic accident suspects. He has received visits from his family, who brought him his favourite meals, and three priests to offer him encouragement.

Accidents HappenThere are times when accidents are pure accidents – not the fault of the car driver, but the fault of an errant pedestrian or motorcyclist. But the prevailing style of justice in Indonesia is that the wealthier of any two people involved in an accident must pay compensation to avoid trouble.Last year, celebrity lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea sustained minor injuries when he crashed his Lamborghini into the back of a small pickup van on a Jakarta toll road, killing the 31-year-old driver.

Police were quick to declare the accident was not the lawyer’s fault because the truck had suffered a blowout, causing it to spin out of control.

Many years ago, a British friend of mine in Jakarta was driving under the influence of alcohol and killed a schoolgirl, who had walked onto the street. He was offered a solution: give money, not only to his victim’s family, and avoid prosecution. Instead, he chose to go through the legal process and ended up in Cipinang jail. He said he could not have lived with himself if he had tried to bribe his way out of such a serious crime.

So, what sort of punishment can Wiyang expect? Well, here’s a look at some other cases. In January 2015, Christopher Daniel Sjarief, the son of a tycoon, was driving his friend’s Mitsubishi Outlander at 131 kilometres per hour (km/h) in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, when he crashed into several motorbikes and cars, killing four people. His lawyer initially claimed Christopher was under the influence of LSD. Police then insisted there were no drugs involved and South Jakarta District Court gave him a one-and-a-half year suspended prison sentence. So, zero jail time.

In September 2013, the 13-year-old son of rock star Ahmad Dhani drove his Mitsubishi Lancer at 176 km/h on Jagorawi toll road and smashed into a Daihatsu minivan, killing seven people and injuring eight others. East Jakarta District Court decided he should not be punished. Police refused to press charges against Ahmad Dhani for being so stupidly irresponsible to give a car to a child. Dhani blamed the toll road company for the crash.

In January 2013, Rasyid Rajasa, the son of then-chief economics minister Hatta Rajasa, smashed his car into a minivan parked on the side of a toll road, killing two people. East Jakarta District Court sentenced him to six months’ probation. So, zero jail time.

The message is clear. If you’re filthy rich, or if your daddy is filthy rich and wields political influence, you won’t be spending years behind bars for reckless driving that kills people.

The 2009 Law on Road Traffic and Transportation states that anyone who drives negligently, resulting in a fatal accident, shall be sentenced to a maximum of six years in jail or a fine of Rp.12 million. Then there is Article 359 of the Indonesian Penal Code, which states: “Any person whose negligence causes the death of another person shall be punished by a maximum of five years’ imprisonment or a minimum of one year’s imprisonment.”

Police, prosecutors and judges often fail to uphold the law fairly. Afriani Susanti, whose father is not a tycoon, politician or rock star, was in August 2012 sentenced to 15 years for crashing her car into nine pedestrians after drinking alcohol and taking ecstasy at Jakarta’s Stadium nightclub. Then in December 2012 she received another four years for drug use.

Wiyang deserves a fair trial, but his family won’t win any support for threatening the media. An errant sports car driver should be treated no differently than a reckless minibus driver. If Indonesia is truly a nation based on law.

The wrecked lamborghini in Surabaya that killed one person and badly injured two others

Suspect in deadly Lamborghini race in Surabaya ©Antara

21issue 156 Indonesia expat

EXPAT OUTREACH CONSERVATION

T he Coral Triangle has been likened to an underwater Amazon rainforest for its density and diversity of species. Stretching from the

Philippines to Malaysia to Indonesia, it comprises an area half the size of the United States. 75 percent of coral species harbour nearly 40 percent of the world’s reef fish species. A shortlist of its 2,000 varieties includes sharks, rays, whales and turtles, plus crocodile, cuttle and stonefish, nudibranchs, shrimps and crabs, as well as pygmy seahorses. Within the Coral Triangle, in southeast Sulawesi, Wakatobi Resort shelters not only its clientele with five-star amenities, but its 20 kilometres of pristine reef beyond the silvery sand beach. This is diving and snorkelling nirvana.

The resort’s unassuming presence blends into the landscape. Rather than overpower with a high-rise hotel, which would be out of character for the region, Wakatobi guests relish traditionally-styled, beachfront accommodations. Open-air areas create an ambiance of ‘barefoot elegance’, where guests can relax, savour local flavours and interact with local people in an honest and intimate manner. There are cookery classes, village visits and light lectures for entertainment and education. And, of course, there are the extraordinary reefs. Wakatobi founder Lorenz Mäder believed guests would appreciate such a first class experience and respect efforts to preserve this world class environment.

At the resort’s inception in 1994, Mäder held meetings with area fishermen and villagers to create a pilot programme, providing monetary compensation in exchange for an agreement to cease fishing activities in designated areas of coral reef. Overfishing and brutal fishing practices spoil habitats, so an agreement benefitted all concerned. Lease payments on the reefs would be generated from resort revenue.

Today, the Collaborative Reef Conservation Programme (CRCP) maintains a network of mooring buoys, standard harbours and reef cleaning as necessary. Healthy reefs maintain robust with wide-ranging fish populations, which are less susceptible to abuse such as pollution. Working together with village elders and leaders, the resort, within Wakatobi National Marine Park, is one of the world's largest privately-funded aquatic protected areas. In 2012, the park was designated as an UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, recognized as one of the most bio-diverse marine ecosystems on Earth.

Wakatobi provides direct payments to 17 villages, plus electricity and water, funding for schools and educational materials, while generating more than 100 jobs and further economic benefits. In this way, villagers became proactive partners within no-take fishing zones, while affording Wakatobi a reliable local workforce. There is no formal enforcement within the community because members recognize the fiscal value preserving marine life, spurring watchdog self-preservation to guard against encroaching outsiders.

“It took years of steady support and communication to establish solid trust and motivate the majority of the local population,” Mäder said. “Today, compliance with the rules in the sanctuaries is 95 to 99 percent, depending on how close the reef section is to the resort and patrol posts.” Further, Wakatobi requires a preliminary skills assessment of all divers, regardless of experience and competence, to gauge proper buoyancy control and encourage zero-impact diving practices. This philosophy emphasizes vital reef preservation amongst guests and residents. “We carefully explain to our guests what we are doing, regarding conservation, without being too serious for a holiday setting.”

Since 2013, Wakatobi has hosted a turtle hatchery. The primary caretaker, Pak Sayafrin, began as a dive assistant nearly nine years ago, and now also works as a supply manager. The programme first identifies and monitors nests during the hatching phase. Then, the hatchlings are transferred to the nursery for three or more months. This greatly increases their chance of survival for release into the wild. The goal of the programme is to raise area turtle populations and introduce new generations of animals for migration to wider regions of the Indo-Pacific. With declining populations elsewhere, Wakatobi hatchlings find a thriving environment.

The aims of the resort are low impact. Ecologically responsible practices include the reduction, separation and recycling of waste products and the biological treatment of wastewater. Guests are kindly reminded that every drop of water for use on the island is valuable. The business model leverages the aesthetic value and enjoyment guests derive from their time on the reefs into tangible material value for the local community. As a result, all parties become partners in protection.

“We don’t know a more effective and cost efficient model for reef conservation in this environment,” Mäder said. Keeping the marine environment intact as the foundation of business and for the pleasure of visitors is an integral part of the sustainable dive operation.

The positive effects of the CRCP have garnered international attention. In 2005, Scuba Diving Magazine

recognized Wakatobi’s programme as the ‘Best Environmental Initiative by a Resort’. Since

then, numerous citations have included a First Choice Responsible Tourism

Award, World’s Leading Green Resort, Indonesia’s Leading Resort and Asia’s Leading Diving Resort. Notably, Ocean Realm Society named Wakatobi as the Number One Eco-Resort. “Overall, the protected reefs

are in better shape than before the sanctuaries were established,” Mäder

reported. “Most locals understand the benefit of reef resource management, which

includes more income for the fisheries.”

A pristine, sunlit reef is the joy of any diver. There is no unsuitable period or season for diving in Wakatobi. It is one of the most arid regions in the country with sunshine most days and humidity as low as 65 to 75 percent. Generally, air temperatures range between 26 to 30 degrees Celsius or 79 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The water temperature is ideal for coral growth with no bleaching, and underwater visibility averages 35 metres or 100 feet. Human beings protect what they value, and Wakatobi proactively protects the reefs surrounding its shores. The good news is that both numbers and diversity of fish populations are at flourishing historic levels. Best, guests can be assured they will remain this way.

For more information, visit www.wakatobi.com

Wakatobi Resort Conservation

By Gail G. Collins

Thriving Coral Reef, Thriving Community

The business model leverages the aesthetic

value and enjoyment guests derive from their time on

the reefs into tangible material value for the local

community.

Gail Collins writes internationally for magazines and has cowrittentwo books on expat life. She feels writing is the perfect excuse

to talk to strangers and know the world around her better.

Indonesia expat issue 15622

EXPAT OUTREACH WORTHY CAUSES

By raising awareness about intellectual disability, the Sukacita Foundation gives Bali’s ‘unique children’ a chance to thrive.

By Alice Jay

Dua Tangan Cukup Causes to Support from Across the Archipelago

Foundation for Mother and Child Health Encourages Giving a Gift of Opportunity this Christmas

Educating Bali’s Unique Children

C hildren with cognitive delays can find the fast-paced demands of everyday life not just challenging

but also frustrating. They usually take longer to learn new skills and require the kind of attention often not readily available in developing countries such as Indonesia. The Bali-based Sukacita Foundation is striving to create a shift in how children with special needs are perceived and coached by sharing expertise with teachers and caretakers of intellectually disabled children on the island.

“Assisting children with an intellectual disability is not only about teaching them to read and write, but also about understanding their particular needs,” says Sukacita’s Chairwoman Yolanda Onderwater. “Children with special needs often have a limited capacity to absorb information, and they face communication, social and self-management issues.”

Rather than imposing Western values on the Balinese, Sukacita’s aim is to make a positive change by raising awareness among teachers and communities, and

letting them apply the information to their culture and lifestyle. “Our mission is to provide a greater understanding of children with a cognitive disability, and to integrate Balinese beliefs, culture and practices with creative approaches to special education,” Onderwater says.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, and based in Ubud, the Sukacita Foundation was founded in 2010 by three Dutch women with a love for Indonesia and an interest in social issues. Mila van der Meer is a social worker, Marieke Nijland specializes in education, and Yolanda Onderwater is a child therapist. The trio’s diverse educational backgrounds and ages, as well as experience of working with children with special needs, created a fruitful environment for the philanthropic organization to blossom. “Every parent of a child with an intellectual disability, no matter where, faces the same problems and feelings of frustration. Unfortunately, here in Bali and Indonesia there are less facilities and information for caretakers,” says Onderwater. “When

setting up Sukacita, our inspiration came from seeing that a lot of Indonesian people and organizations in Bali already had taken some steps towards assisting people with an intellectual disability. We wanted to use our experience to help them achieve their goals.”

Onderwater highlights that professional care and education for people with an intellectual disability is still in its infancy in Indonesia. According to Sukacita, in 2012, 589 children with an intellectual disability attended SLB schools (schools for children with physical or intellectual disabilities) in Bali, while the World Health Organization’s statistics indicate that there were 12,500 intellectually disabled children in the seven to 12 age bracket in Bali at the time. This suggests that around 12,000 children with special needs were not getting the appropriate education and care.

“Some people in Indonesia believe that if you push a child to learn to read and write, they will eventually succeed. This is not necessarily the case for children with an intellectual disability,” Onderwater says. “I have seen children start to attend a normal school and stay in the same class for years because they can’t follow the normal curriculum.”

Rather than working with children directly, Sukacita focuses on sharing knowledge and experience through workshops and seminars at schools and hospitals. The foundation also runs educational sessions for groups of parents of a child with an intellectual disability. The gatherings are conducted in collaboration with L.K. Suryani (Suryani Institute for Mental Health).

In November 2014, the foundation launched a book for teachers, parents and caretakers of children with special needs. Anak Unik (Unique Child) explains an intellectual disability from the perspective of a child who is trying to understand the world around him and often cannot comprehend what is expected of him. “The book is very practical and easy to follow,” says Onderwater. “It explains how the child perceives the world, and why he sometimes reacts with frustration at not being understood.”

Sukacita also provides guidance to Graha Anak Unik, a local school that welcomes children with an intellectual disability. The

centre focuses on increasing each child’s confidence through play-and-learn groups. Many of the children involved in the project have been deemed unteachable by other institutions, yet here they have been able to thrive and achieve their full potential. “We saw a huge shift in perspective at Graha Anak Unik after we joined the project. The teachers and parents learned to see their children as unique. As unique children with potential,” Onderwater says.

While some schools are very receptive to Sukacita’s programme and benefit from the organization’s assistance, Onderwater says that things are not always so simple. “While we work with the Ministry of Education, it has not been easy for Sukacita to implement our programme at government schools because they follow a set Indonesian curriculum,” she says. “Luckily, there are enough other initiatives, like local private schools, groups of parents or medical staff of a puskesmas (community health clinic) who are happy to work with Sukacita. The teachers of SLB schools in Bali have also joined some of Sukacita’s seminars and were very interested in our approach to children with an intellectual disability.”

While Sukacita hopes to keep sharing information and their experiences, Onderwater says that the organization’s ultimate goal is to one day become redundant. “We are very grateful for the input and effort of the Indonesian people with whom we collaborate. They are the ones who need to decide what is effective in this country’s particular context,” she says. “Our next goal is to give workshops and guest lectures at the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (University of Education) in Bandung as that is where the new generations of teachers for children with special needs are born.”

Sukacita Foundation

When she isn't travelling around Asia, Alice enjoysspending time with her golden retriever, Gerard.

Visit the website: www.sukacita.org

Donations welcome1. ABN AMRO Bank the Netherlandstnv Stichting SukacitaIBAN NL55ABNA06226961142. Yayasan Putra Sesana BaliBank MandiriAC# 1450010138796Cab. Veteran

co-founders of sukacita foundation

Economic uncertainty and political instability are among the many issues that Indonesia faces today. The impact of these problems continues to pose a threat for the future of this nation, where many children are not only suffering from poverty, but also from malnutrition. The Foundation for Mother and Child Health (FMCH) suggests that one in three children under the age of five in Indonesia is suffering from malnutrition.

As a foundation that aims to eliminate malnutrition and the causes of poverty in communities, FMCH has been operating since 2001 to improve children’s well beings by providing health and nutritional care, as well as education for families. It started when an Indonesian doctor and an expatriate nurse contemplated the possibility of providing a programme for children with malnutrition in Jakarta. Along the way it attracted a group of international women in Jakarta, volunteering to build a mother and child centre.

Aside from caring for the health of Indonesia’s children, FMCH is also concerned with the importance of education. For that reason, they also build early learning centres for kids and poor families to attend preschool. Additionally, FMCH also works to empower teachers and health workers by conducting regular training sessions.

This Christmas, FMCH is ‘Giving the Gift of Opportunity’. Contributions can be made by donating US$150 a year to support these children and help secure their futures. Donators living in Indonesia will be sent a personalized gift pack and those who live outside of the country will be sent an e-card and information on how your gift can change the lives of these children.

For more information please visit www.fmch-indonesia.org/donate/give-the-gift-of-opportunity/

23issue 156 Indonesia expat

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Grand Nikko Bali celebrates its 19th anniversary

BALIGrand Nikko Bali celebrated its 19th anniversary with a series of successful milestones throughout 2015. During the past year, the Grand Nikko Bali has made thoughtful advances and developments with its upgraded Family Rooms featuring the choices of double queen beds or king bed and bunk bed for children. Furthermore, the resort’s food & beverage division improved its meeting services to include a choice of creative dining options inspiring settings for in-house events. Meanwhile, the resort’s eco-team continued its ongoing efforts to conduct environmental and social initiatives onsite as well as within the surrounding community.

The recent accolades received by Grand Nikko Bali during 2015 include Eco-hotel Re-certification 2015 from TUV Rheinland, Top 10 Family Resort by Holidays with Kids magazine Australia, Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence and Traveller’s Choice Award 2015, Best Supporter by Expedia Bali Awards, Hot 25 Leisure Hotel in Asia by Smart Travel Asia and Ctrip Rising Star Awards 2015. The resort was honoured to receive an Emerald Medal in Tri Hita Karana Awards 2015 and Gold Certificate from the provincial Disaster Mitigation Board for its commitment to disaster preparedness.

JAKARTAThe International Award for Young People (IAYP), also known as The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, equips young people for life and work. The programme is available for all young people between 14-24 years of age, regardless of their background, or circumstance. Since the Award’s launch nearly 60 years ago, it has inspired more than eight million young people to transform their lives.

With support from Aqua Danone, since August 2015, the programme has been delivered to schools, universities, sub-district and organizations with an aim of setting up 20 Award Units, train 100 Award Leaders and invite 400 registered Award Participants along the Ciliwung catchment area.

The Ciliwung water catchment area is one of the most critical water catchments in Indonesia. The function of this area is very important because it relates directly to flooding that happens in Jakarta. Maintenance and rehabilitation of this area is important; the upper side of the river needs to be protected and secured from modern use of land conversion (non-agriculture). This change can reduce vegetation and destroy its function as a water catchment area.

In a very special occasion arranged by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), three Award Units recently participated in a supporter gathering, ‘Save our Trees’ in Cisaat Lake, Cisarua Puncak, the upper stream of Ciliwung River. Groups from IAYP were divided to three sub-groups: Hearing Impaired Young People; Group of Marginalized Students/Young People; Young People from Ratu Jaya Depok central, part of Ciliwung. Participants were able to gain new knowledge, perspectives and new experiences from the day’s activities.

Ciliwung Bersih Bestari—Clean and Smart Ciliwung

JAKARTAAs the festive season approaches, Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta welcomes the merriment with extra excitement as the hotel attempts to break a Guinness World Record™ with a 555-metre Christmas Fruitcake. Funds raised from the sales of this delectable creation will be donated to Yayasan Kasih Anak Kanker Indonesia (YKAKI). The rest of the cake will be donated to a list of charitable partners and served at the hotel’s restaurants as a part of the festive season’s offerings.

Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta’s Executive Chef Marc Cibrowius and Executive Pastry Chef Mathias Dusend showcased their skills and expertise in crafting a groundbreaking delight that took 16 days to complete.

The cake took approximately 128 hours to bake, and nine hours to assemble and decorate.

Filled with local dried fruits, raisins and nuts, this delightful treat weighed around 1,678 kilograms and was cut into 2,775 smaller cakes and packed into little boxes.

Guests can take part in this festive excitement by purchasing the fruitcake at Rp.80,000++ per box. For order placements made through the hotel’s LINE account (@shangrilaid), guests can enjoy a special price of Rp.65,000++ per box.

Shangri-La Hotel attempts to break the Guinness World Record™ for longest fruitcake

JAKARTAKamasean Matthews, a young Indonesian artist, has been selected by Hotel Borobudur Jakarta to create a special holiday season log to be showcased in the Gourmet. With a guitar design, Kamasean’s log uses the colours of the rainbow as her inspiration, coupled with blueberry sponge rollade opera cake covered with massa ticino (sugar paste) and dark chocolate, and finished with a white chocolate dome and intricate white chocolate musical notes.

“We are very excited to bring Kamasean Matthews as our Christmas log icon,” explains Mr. Patrick Beck, the hotel’s General Manager. “She possesses an incredible voice and talent. She took our offering as an opportunity to spread the spirit of Christmas to everyone. Our customers are going to love her special edition log and will love what Hotel Borobudur Jakarta creates for Christmas and festive seasons.”

Special Edition Rainbow Guitar Christmas Log by Kamasean Matthews

JAKARTAIn a move that will please Jakarta’s citizens, Jakarta Governor Basuki Purnama Tjahaja (Ahok) has agreed to purchase land where the British Embassy once stood, located near the Hotel Indonesia roundabout, and says he will use it to build a public park.

The Ambassador of the UK to Indonesia, T Moazzam Malik, visited City Hall last week to meet with Ahok and the two of them agreed on the land deal.

Ahok said the Jakarta Government will pay the British Government approximately Rp.500 billion for the land out of the capital’s 2016 budget.

“We want to make it into a park so people can sit in a green space. Later, near the [Hotel Indonesia Roundabout] I want there to be more flowers,” Ahok said, as quoted by Tribunnews.

Governor Ahok plans to build a park in the middle of Jakarta

Indonesia expat issue 15624

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Eamonn has lived and worked in Indonesia for over 20 years but doesn’t understand the country at all and now realises that he never will. He is an entrepreneur, businessman and writer, lead singer with expat

band Xhibit A and the owner and operator of The Jakarta Comedy Club and The Bali Comedy Club.

Across1. Butt (8,5)8. Kind of PC (for publishing?) (7)9. Element eg for road or rail (5)10. Stuff (4)11. Refuse to accept (8)13. Aft (6)14. English version of 24 (3,3)17. Given to blowing one’s own trumpet (8)19. Woe is me! (4)21. Savoury jelly (5)22. Scottish city (7)27. Operetta by Johann Strauss (3,10)

DoWN1. Cover (3)2. Over-assertive newcomer (7)3. Detest (4)4. Serviette (6)5. Fellow feeling (8)6. Communications regulator (5)7. Units of electrical power (9)10. Wood for American houses (9)12. Decisive – fault-finding (8)15. Italian city (7)16. Rocky – harsh (6)18. Fruit (5)20. Couple (4)23. Used to be (3)

* Ans

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ANsWErs oF IssUE 155ACROSS — 1. Jump jet 5. Sid 9. Devolve 10. Terrier 11. Dusty 13. Greatness 15. Hypnotism 18. Pasta

21. Milksop 22. Aircrew 23. Succour 24. Tideway DOWN — 1. Jaded 2. Mavis 3. Jolly good show

4. Teethe 5. Short tempered 6. Inside 7. Debris 15. Hamish 16. Palace 17. Impart 19. Straw 20. Alway

CROSSWORD

in the city. Within two weeks we had the full line-up and we started rehearsals for a debut gig in November of 1995. By mid-October we were starting to sound good and word was getting around that there was a new expat band in town. At the end of November, we played our first gig in the Prince of Wales as the POW Band, and by the time we got through Christmas and New Year the place was full every Saturday night – often there was a queue outside to get in.

A few months later, we had so many great musicians in the line-up that we had to work out a rotation so that everybody could play. There were times when we had +/-15 people on stage jamming and the place would go crazy. Since then many bands have grown out of the original and all the people who were involved then are still playing in bands all over the world to this day.

The people who were in that band in 1995 through 1998 have become some of the closest friends I have ever had. Since then we haven’t seen each other every day, every week, every month or even every year, but the bond is strong and it will never go away. To all the great friends I made during that period of my life, I say thank you for the friendship, the memories, and most recently, for a wonderful weekend. I look forward to seeing you again next Christmas if not before, and at least every Christmas thereafter.

To the three band members we lost over the years, I say “play it loud”. You will forever be a part of who we are and we will always remember you – especially at our Christmas reunions. To everyone reading this, I say enjoy and appreciate your family and friends this holiday season and make sure they know how much they mean to you while they can still reciprocate. I know I will be spending time with mine.

Now that I’ve completely bummed you out, I will say a hearty Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Cheers!

Don't mistake the male...Spotted by Geoffrey in Jakarta

Coincidental

As I write this I am sitting on a Cebu Pacific flight back from M a nil a , Philippines, having just attended my first Christmas celebration of 2015. It actually wasn’t meant to be a Christmas celebration at all. It was meant to be a reunion of the band I started in Manila 20 years ago, but because of the time of year the Christmas element was inevitable, so we did take the opportunity for hearty handshakes and sincere best wishes for the Holiday Season and the New Year several times during a very blurry 36-hour jam session. We also vowed to hold a similar reunion and Christmas party every year from now on because none of us are getting any younger and there certainly will not be a second reunion if we wait another 20 years for it (if we were to wait another 20 years the reunion gig would feature a duo at best). We also realized that three of our original band members have since joined the big band in the sky, so we thought we’d better make hay while the sun is still shining.

Let’s take it from the top. In 1995, I was living and working in Manila and I became good friends with a great guy called Henry Sawaya who owned and managed The Prince of Wales pub in Makati. One Saturday night in September he invited me to the pub for a beer, and when I got there the reason became apparent; apart from Henry and I there were only staff members in the place. We started kicking around ideas for encouraging more trade on a Saturday night and in the end I suggested that he put on an expat rock and roll band. I mentioned that I had been singing in bands since the age of 15 and on faith he immediately appointed me band leader (of a band that didn’t exist yet) and we placed a small classified ad in the newspaper. The ad appeared the following Monday, and that night when I went into the pub to see Henry there was a stack of messages for me – all responses to the ad!

The following Friday we were auditioning people in the back room of the pub and it became very clear very quickly that there was an extraordinary amount of expat talent

By Eamonn Sadler

Christmas

25issue 156 Indonesia expat

HUMOROUS OBSERVATIONS

Daniel Pope is a part-time hedonist, residing mostly in Jakarta, where he still finds everything a bit of a rum do.

D espite my earning a living from editing, writing and teaching English, I do not have an aptitude for languages. During my 20

years in Indonesia I've accumulated a vocabulary smaller than the average ten-year-old's. A chimp’s, not a human’s. Foreign words just don't stick in my head.

I have even more trouble putting words together. Slips of the tongue let me down. Once when a taxi driver asked me the route I wanted to take to my destination, instead of replying, "Saya akan kasi tahu", meaning I would let him know, I said, "Ikan saya kasi tahu," which translated as the more surreal "My fish will inform you".

I was once the resident English language teacher on an army base in Cimahi, a small military town near Bandung. My room was on the edge of the base, but while this put me out of earshot of the noisy parade ground – the shouting of ‘kiri, kiri, kiri-kanan, kiri…’ and the stomping of boots – it also put my computer out of range of the Wi-Fi mast located next to this lively rectangle of tarmac.

I discussed this problem with the officer who had the unenviable job of making sure that I, a finicky civilian guest, was looked after properly. I respectfully called him Officer Bantu - ‘assist’ in Indonesian. A quiet but confident type, he promised that he’d look at the technical issues and see if the Wi-Fi’s range couldn’t be extended.

He assured me that Indonesian soldiers were the most disciplined people in the country and that the selection process for new army recruits was tough. I wasn’t so sure. I’d heard that it cost just one goat to join the Indonesian army for those who didn’t have the equivalent in cash. But then most jobs in the public sector are for sale in Indonesia.

I hoped the men that Officer Bantu detailed to fix the Wi-Fi had more of a clue than the odd-job man who did domestic repairs around my Jakarta neighbourhood. This man was responsible for acres of clumpy, dangling

electrical wiring and crooked, twisted plumbing. Once when I found him doing carpentry while squatting on the floor, I set up a work bench for him. But he simply hopped up and squatted on the bench, continuing as before but higher up.

All expatriates in Indonesia have tales of workers bodging jobs, but my favourite concerned a pair of replacement back doors my friend was having built. He instructed the workman to install a cat flap. Since cat flaps are not common features in Jakarta doors, he had to specify what he wanted done. He then left, confident that when he returned Tibbles would have a little door all of his own.

And so it proved to be. Except that he hadn’t counted on the workman’s apparent acute sense of symmetry. For when he came back he found not a single cat flap in one of the doors – whether the left or the right he’d left to the workman’s discretion – but one in each of them. A pair of matching cat flaps.

But lack of Wi-Fi wasn’t my only complaint on the army base. There was also little food of a quality able to sustain my morale. Don’t get me wrong. I like Indonesian food. It fascinates me. I’m especially intrigued by telur balado. This dish originates in North Sumatra, and features shelled boiled eggs that have been rolled around in the frying pan – combining two methods of cooking an egg for no obvious reason other than to produce a plastic-like skin.

Which brings us to the next item. Ask any seasoned expatriate in Indonesia to name a popular local food that’s best avoided, and they might choose sambal, a sauce made primarily from chili peppers. The common bottled form of this stuff is found on dining tables throughout the country.

Indonesians dollop it onto almost every meal. In most fast food restaurants sachets of sambal are heaped onto your tray, while ketchup has to be requested. I once taught a friend how to make an egg mayonnaise sandwich, but trying to stop him from adding half a bottle of sambal sauce to the mix was like trying to stop a vampire adding blood.

The same friend, unemployed, used to go to great lengths to scrounge money from me. He once sent me a letter, imploring me to pay his hospital bill for a leg injury. It would have been more convincing had he not included a photo of his leg, which he’d daubed with sambal to create the illusion of blood – bright orange blood. I replied that I would send him money for a bottle of tomato ketchup so that next time he could do a better job of the deception.

But what I was being fed at the base was not Indonesian food. This was army food. This was slop served in a mess hall. Indonesia army cooks need to learn two things in my view. First, fried eggs are meant to be served hot. They aren’t supposed to be rubbery on the outside, spongy on the inside, and filled with tiny pockets of cooking fat. Second, heated bread is not toast. Toasted bread is toast. There’s a difference.

Taking pity on me as I ate gloomily each day, Officer Bantu proposed that I compile a menu of meals agreeable to me, which the cook would do his best to conjure up. This arrangement was an improvement until the evening for my pizza arrived. Because the kitchen didn’t have suitable ingredients, and I didn’t fancy a pizza with a noodles topping, a soldier was sent out on his motorbike to the nearest Pizza Hut to fetch me a takeaway.

But the nearest branch was 11 kilometres away in Bandung, and it was rush hour. Unfortunately, it also poured with rain while he was gone, making him 90 minutes late returning with my American Supreme – by now cold and soggy.

But it wasn’t the condition of the food that ruined my appetite. Pizza after all is famous for remaining edible when all other foods have become fit only for the waste bin, and as such might well be the food that sustains the survivors of the apocalypse.

It’s just that it’s not easy to tuck into your pizza when outside the window the delivery boy is ordered to get down among the puddles and do a hundred press-ups for being late bringing it to you. Unless you’re completely heartless, it does put you off.

Returning to the problem of my Wi-Fi, neither Officer Bantu nor the might of the entire regiment seemed any closer to providing me with a signal. Each attempt invariably failed. I was surprised by this. I might have understood had I been staying with the infantry or the cavalry. But my host was the Indonesian army’s communications regiment - the equivalent of the Signal Corp in the British army. If they couldn’t successfully accomplish the mission to get me online then nobody in Cimahi could.

In the end, Officer Bantu saved face by claiming that I hadn’t been allowed Wi-Fi access because I didn’t have security clearance. I wondered if they thought I might be James Bond. I surmised anyway that the joke going around the mess hall was ‘Oh yeah, our guest James Bond. Licensed to bloody well complain about everything’.

Despite everything, I agreed to return to Cimahi for a further teaching stint. But this time I insisted on living in a hotel in Bandung and commuting to the army base. Of course, this entailed my fish informing taxi drivers where to go in the mornings, but this was preferable to being subjected to army-style ikan smothered in sambal sauce for supper each night.

MARCHING ORDERS

By Daniel Pope

An army marches on its stomach and so does an English teacher, as Daniel Pope found out.

“My fish will inform you.”

Indonesia expat issue 15626

If you want your event to be posted here, please contact +62 (0) 21 719 5908 or e-mail: [email protected]

JAKArTA

Arts & Culture

Sports

Jakarta Biennale 2015

15 November–17 January 2016Jakarta Biennale is an event that focuses on international contemporary art. With this year’s theme of ‘Got Forward, Backward Taxable: Learning in the Present’, the event will observe the present, past, and future. Artists, curators, and researchers from various disciplines and backgrounds will partake in this event to evaluate an array of art projects involving citizens and communities. http://jakartabiennale.net

Landscape Anomaly: Eko Nugroho’s Solo Exhibition

22 November–21 December 2015One of the most renowned artists in Indonesia, Eko Nugroho, will be showcasing his masterpieces in the form of murals, sculptures, and installations at Salihara, Jakarta. What is even more interesting is that all of the murals and installations are created on-site to show his response towards the immediate space. His works are inspired by comic visuals/aesthetics and are rich with social critique. For more information, please visit http://salihara.org

Exhibition

Asia’s Largest Educational Kids Fair

18–20 December 2015Smart K ids Asia Indonesia br ings families together to gain more knowledge about education, including institutions, insurance and banks supporting education, as well as technology and innovations in the field of education. The exhibition will see a series of exciting events, including smart health, where p a r ent s a nd c h i ld r en a r e encouraged to build a healthy foundation for their wellbeing; smart edu, which promotes innovative education systems and resources; and smart family, which cares for the development of children and their futures. Guests also get free entry, ice

cream and can explore the mini 4-D cinema. The exhibition will take place in Jakarta Convention Center. For more information please visit http://smartkidsasia.co.id

#BAJAKJKT By Nike + Run Club

19 December 2015BAJAKJKT is Nike’s third race challenge and this time, Nike + Run Club is inviting all runners and marathoners to take over Jakarta’s routes. The challenge is set to be a 21K race and Nike Indonesia is welcoming all participants with the right tools, including a Nike+ running app, which will monitor runners’ training progress, and also a series of training programmes prior to the racing day to help runners improve their speed, balance, mobility, and performance while during the race. After registration, applicants will a lso get the opportunity to visit BAJAKJKT 21K 2015 Club House at the Nike store in Grand Indonesia Shopping Town to get the ultimate Nike Running experience. For more information please visit https://www.nike.com/events-registration/event?id=22503

Networking

Jakarta Business Networkers

Make the right connections to help develop and grow your business over break fa st . At Jakar ta Business Networkers (JBN), all attendees are encouraged to help other attendees by exchanging referrals and introducing them to their target audience. JBN is all about helping you grow your business. Promote your business, personal brand or portfolio each week to the rest of the attendees and explain to the group the type of referrals you would like to receive. JBN professional networking sessions are from 7-9am every Tuesday at Mamma Rosy, Kemang and every Thursday at Mercantile Athletic Club, WTC, Sudirman. RSVP: [email protected]

Music

RHYE

18 December 2015This month, Rhye is say ing

hello to Jakarta to show us what this RnB musical duo can bring. Canadian singer Milosh and Danish instrumentalist Robin Hannibal are based in Los Angeles, California and are known for their ethereal and sultry sounds, with singles like ‘Open’, ‘The Fall’, and ‘Shed Some Blood’. The show is set to take place at Potato Head Garage on Friday. Tickets are sold online and off line at Ismaya outlets across Jakarta. Price: Advance: Rp.400,000 / General Admission: Rp.500,000. Web: http://www.ismaya.com/tickets

AFROJACK

30 December 2015Afrojack, one of the world’s most talented DJs and Grammy-award winners is going to spend one of his final days of 2015 here in Jakarta. A Dutch DJ and producer, Nick Van de Wall has a long list of collaborations including those with pop superstars like Chris Brown and Madonna. In 2014 he released his debut album ‘Forget the World’ which instantly showcased his pure talents in Electronic Dance Music (EDM). To kick off the New Year, Afrojack will be taking over Ocean Eco Park. So get ready to go wild, sing your heart out, and have the best dance party that you will ever experience in the end of 2015.Price: Festival: Rp.550,000 / VIP: Rp.5,000,000Visit: http://afrojack.com or http://rajakarcis.com/2015/12/02/sh-power-edm-presents-afrojack/

THE VAMPS WAKE UP TOUR 2016

25 January 2016British pop band The Vamps are officially coming to town as Brad Simpson (lead vocals and guitar), James McVey (lead guitar and vocals), Connor Ball (bass guitar and vocals) and Tristan Evans (drums and vocals) are set to perform at The Kasablanka, Kota Kasablanka Mall. Known for their hit singles like ‘Somebody to You’, ‘Last Night’, and ‘Can We Dance’, the boys have recently launched their new a lbum ‘Wake Up’ on 2 October 2015. This will be The Vamps’ f irst visit to Indonesia in their Wake Up Tour to promote their latest

album. This event is presented by Fanfare Entertainment. For more information please visit http://www.thevampsjakarta.com

BALI

Christmas & New Year

Padma Resort Legian

20 December 2015–1 January 2016On 20 December, guests are all invited to celebrate Christmas in Carol of Bell Musical Concert. The event will take place at Plumeria Grand Ballroom with an entrance fee of Rp.300,000. Other events include Christmas in Style, taking place on December 24 where guests are invited for a dinner with the chef’s special Christmas menu while a lso being serenaded by Christmas Carols and entertained with a performance from DJ Yuki. On the Christmas Day, guests can indulge in I’m Dreaming of a Luxurious Christmas, where they get to indulge in an anticipated Christmas buf fet spread at Donbiu Restaurant. For more information please visit http://padmaresortlegian.com

Le Meridien Bali Jimbaran

December 2015On Christmas Eve, Le Meridien offers a three-course dinner presented by Executive Chef Justin Wong for Rp.495,000/person. The dinner includes a pre-dinner cocktail session at Smoqee Sky Bar and will later be followed by dinner at Bamboo Chic with free flow Eggnog. Santa Claus and Santarina will also be jumping to distribute chocolate treats while a local choir will be entertaining guests with a medley of classic Christmas carols. The following day, enjoy lunch at Bamboo Chic to celebrate Christmas for Rp.350,000/person. For more information, please visit www.lemeridienbalijimbaran.com

Christmas Caroling with the Bali Community Choir at Bridges

20 December 2015Take a sweet ride back to your childhood as Bridges Bali is bringing back the beautiful tradition of Christmas caroling. The Bali Community Choir will help guests revisit these moments by singing our favorite Christmas anthems in a two-set performance

on the outdoor terrace of Bridges in Ubud. The group comprises 18 members of both Indonesian and expatriate singers directed by Brendan O’Donnel, former ‘Singer Australia’ conductor. For more information, please visit www.bridgesbali.com/holiday-season/

Arts & Culture

BaliSpirit Festival 2016

29 March–3 April 2016Make the most of the New Year by joining over 230 daily classes in yoga, meditation, healing, dance, and music in BaliSpirit Festival 2016. The festival brings dozens of top international performers and musicians to Ubud. In 2015, BaliSpirit succeeded in attracting 7,000 festival-goers who came together with a united goal of celebrating music, dance, yoga, and healing. In 2016, participants will also have the chance to be involved in seminars focusing on healing, health, spirituality and personal development. Early bird tickets are on sale for US$550 (VIP) and US$450 (full-festival pass). For more information please visit www.balispiritfestival.com

BorNEo

Photography

Borneo Adventure Photo Tour

15–22 March 2016Wa nt to lea r n more about photog raphy? Want to see orangutans in Borneo? Join us for Borneo Adventure Photo Tour March 15-22, 2016. You will have the opportunity to photograph a variety of wildlife in the Borneo jungle, including a visit to an island to see the orangutans by private invitation. We cruise up

BANDUNG

Christmas & New Year

New Year’s Eve with Sheraton Style

31 December 2015Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Resort invites guests to immerse themselves in the ultimate New Year ’s Eve experience. Starting at 6pm, guests will indulge in a dinner party at Feast restaurant. The event costs Rp.590,000/person and special price of Rp.295,000 is available for children aged 3-12 years. For more information please visit www.sheratonbandung.com

Canggu Club 8th Annual Christmas Bazaar

18 December 2015Come and get some Christmas treats and enjoy plenty of fun and enter ta inment for the whole family at the Canggu Club this month! There’ll be culinary treats, toys, arts and crafts, gifts, homeware, clothes and other delights on sale. Join in the fun from 12–7pm. For more information, visit www.cangguclub.com

the river visiting Dayak villages, enjoy a special performance of Dayak music and dance and photograph the stunning sunsets in the wetlands as the native hornbills sweep across the sky. Read what others have to say and book now at www.davidmetcalfphotography.com

sULAWEsI

Arts & Culture

Eclipse Festival 2016

7–11 March 2016The Eclipse Festival is a rare astronomical event that is set to run for f ive days with the total solar eclipse happening in the morning on the 9th. The activities vary from market stalls, workshops, kid’s space, healing zone, art installations, gallery and much more. It will also showcase a special line-up of some of the best International and local musicians, DJs, artists, performers, and veteran eclipse experts. This eco-friendly event is also associated with environmental strategies by applying a strict ‘no glass and plastic’ service policy. For more information, please visit http://eclipsefestival2016.com

If you would like your event to be posted here, please contact:

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27issue 156 Indonesia expat

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Indonesia expat issue 15628

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around Jakarta. Competitive rates and travel allowance are offered. Please send your CV to [email protected]

Property

For rent 300 houses at Kemang, Cipete, Cilandak, Jeruk Purut, Pondok Indah. Big gardens, swimming pools, USD 2,000 - 5,000. Phone: +62(0)816859551 or +62(0)8170093366

For rent unit apartment@kemang village Twr infinity, 113sqm, 16th, 2Bd, Full furnish, $2,300/month, Senna +62(0)85782336543 (We also available in other places)

For rent unit apartment@kemang village Twr Tiffany, 165sqm, 10th, 3Bd, semifurnish, $3,000/month, Senna +62(0)85782336543 (We also available in other places)

For rent unit apartment@kemang village Twr RITZ, 165sqm, 17th, 3Bd, Semifurnish, $3,000/month, Senna +62(0)85782336543 (We also available in other places)

For rent unit apartment @kemang village Twr Tiffany, 165sqm, 26th f loor, 3Bd, semi furnish, $3,000/month, Senna +62(0)85782336543 (We also available in other places)

House for sale in Lebak Bulus Raya South Jakarta, 319 m2 land and 531 m2 building, Bedroom 4+2 , shower 6, 2 warehouse, price 11.5 Billion , please call Zhen Kong +62(0)87877987888 or +62(0)8194878886 (Brighton Kelapa Gading)

House for sale in Jeruk Purut Cilandak, South Jakarta land 787 m2, Building 425 m2, Bed room 4+1 , bathroom 3+1, 2,200 watt, price 20 Billion , please call Leony +62(0)811872466 ( Brighton MOI)

Apartment for sale, Thamrin Residence Crysant central jakarta, Building 94,84m2, Bedroom 3+1 Bathroom 3, price 3.6 Billion, please call Santi +62(0)8159901863 (Brighton MOI)

House for sa le in Braw ijaya Kebayoran Baru, south Jakarta. Land 325m2 , buiding 500 m2. Near The Darmawangsa Hotel Jakarta, price 48 Billion (negotiable) please call Ritchie (Brighton kelapa Gading)

Services

Professional Freelance graphic designer is available to make any design for your company projects, reasonable pr ice and quality result. Please call +62(0)81802031213 (Aldo).

Bahasa Indonesia and French lesson at your place with a qualif ied teacher. Including the book. Please contact: Novi +62(0)816704370

Spanish Tutor: Learn Spanish at your place with a DELE-certified examiner from Spain. Most of my students come from International Schools (JIS and BSJ). Please call me (Raúl) +62(0)82110502786 E-mail: [email protected]

Bahasa Destination – Provides t he Indone s ia n la ng u a ge course programmes for expats (private). Free Trial. Available f r o m M o n d a y - S u n d a y . Please call/text/whatsapp: +62(0)81210112322 (Puspita) or v isit the website: w w w.bahasadestination.com

Intensive music classes with Ensiklomusika in December and January. Holiday is soon and we'd like to share the joy of learning music in this jolly season!Here is our intensive holiday packages:~ Package of 8x music lessons: IDR 1,120,000~ Package of 12x music lessons: IDR 1,560,000~ Package of 16x music lessons: IDR 2,000,000 This applies to any instrument (piano, violin, vocal, guitar, etc) and can be done both at our studio at Kemang Selatan or at your home.C a l l +62 (0)21 91 21 2010 or e -mai l to ensik [email protected] to join. Check out our full programme at www.ensiklomusika.com

Do you need high-quality tutors for national or international school students? We provide home tuition with friendly, helpful and experienced tutors for: • IGCSE• IB• SAT Preparat ion Bahasa Indonesia for Expatriates• Nat ional / Internat ional S c ho ol s : E ng l i s h , M a t h s and Science. Please call us at +62(0)82125554967 or register yourself at www.privetutor.com

"Are you too Classic to learn Classical music?" Private Piano Course program (for age 11-55). Music Theory, Finger Skills and Techniques, Song Intepretations. Flex ible Schedules . Ac t ive Learning Method. Curriculum customized to student's needs. Teacher will come to your place (Further info? Please contact Mr. Nanza: +62(0)87884969495).

Looking for work

We're leaving Jakarta soon, and we would like to help our maid, Ibu Sukarti find a job. Sukarti has been with us for more than 4 years. She is our live-in maid. Her English is good. She is hardworking and trustworthy. Her duties include cleaning, ironing, assisting me with laundry and with dinner preparations. She has been working for expat

families for a long time. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] for details, or reach her directly at +62(0)87771647333. She's available after December 19th.

Others

Household Staff Available

I am selling a complete home gym, barely used. Please text me for photos. Selling price is Rp.2.5 million. For more information, please call or text +62(0)81510000072.

Moving out items available for sale:- 1 set sofa Rp 4,000,000- 1 glass table included the chairs Rp 3,000,000- 1 filing cabinet Rp 1,000,000- 1 microwave Rp 500,000- 4 working chairs @Rp 100,000- 5 working table @Rp 250,000- 1 receptionist table Rp 250,000Please call Galih: +62(0)812805 89836

38' Uniflite.Current legalpapers. Upper lower steering.Cockpit. Screened Fly-bridge.3 cabins. Shower/head. Hullprofessionally re-glassed belowwaterline. Overhauled DDs.6/71TI 350HP . Onan. Michiganwheels. Solid sea boat. Mostelectronics, radar, depth/fishsounder. knots 18 cruise WOT

Unique present: the kapal tuktukmodernized. A steamboat running on a tealight. See our website for more info www.waxinebootje.comSelling per 10 pieces.

Science Tutor needed for year10 student at the British Schoolof Jakarta! If you are interestedplease do contact us at M.+62(0)82112108694

21. Lying Marunda. Price IDR1 Billion. +62(0)[email protected]

We are moving and our driver will be available from January 2016. Gino has been our driver for half a year, but we have noticed immediately his full knowledge of the city and the best ways to avoid traffic. He was always smiling, very helpful and never late, We strongly recommend him

P a k u b u w o n o T e r r a c e Apartments for Rent: Brand new luxury, two tower apartments strategically positioned; 10 minutes from Senayan, Blok M and Gandaria City, 20 minutes from Pondok Indah and 500 meters from the toll road. (New flyover Busway access starting in 2016) The apartments have 3 swimming pools, fitness center, mini marts, laundry mats, small restaurants and cafes. 40m2, two bedroom apartment with a great view of the swimming pool and city skyline. Fully furnished with western style appliances and comforts; all teak furniture, ultra-cold water dispenser, microwave oven, non-frost fridge, 2 burner gas stove, electric oven, full kitchenware, electric water heater, 2 energy efficient air conditioners, DVD player, 42 inch Sony Smart TV, 50 inch LG TV, western reclining 3 person leather sofa, imported rug, bedding and linen, etc. Free monthly maintenance fees. Price: 7500,000/month (1 year contract). Contact Person : Septy & Mathieu +62(0)81218818818 (Whatsapp available)

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L it t le C a r e Fou nd a t ion i n Jog jakar ta is looking for a responsible volunteer to help manage our two Childrens’ Creative Centres in Pakem, S l e m a n , Jo g j a k a r t a . T h e Indonesian children aged 7–14 are learning English, with other educational activities. See our website on www.littlecare.org. Seriously interested? Please contact Indah on [email protected]

Property

Property

Bali

Bandung

Lombok

JogjakartaJobs Available

For sale Villa Cantik in petitenget bali, land 240m2, building 310m2, bedroom 3+1, bathroom 4+1,

Small school in Kutuh (Bukit area) needs donations of books, bookshelvers, sport equipments and music instruments suitable for kindergarten and primary years. Please call/SMS +62(0)81 2390 9622.

For Sale; Ex restaurant equipment close out sale. Complete kitchen, bar, service, music, office and merchandising displays. Get everything you need in one stop! Quality items at second hand prices. Further discount offered to take all. <[email protected]>

Others

Jobs Available

Yo g a i n s t r uc t or s ne e de d . Ashtari Yoga in South Lombok is expanding! We are looking for two yoga instructors to join our team. You will be teaching 2-3 classes a day and helping to grow our network. Very good package on offer. Contact us on: [email protected]

House for sale in Bandung, Mediterranean style, beautiful and comfor t house located at Pondok Hijau, Alamanda street no.2 Bandung. Strategic location for residential. 2 f loor bui ld ing 250 m 2 a nd la nd 325 m2. Price IDR 3.5 billion (negotiable). Please call : Hp. +62(0)81249948911 (no broker)

to anyone living in Jakarta. If you are interested, you could contact Gino +62(0)82113611263 or me +62(0)82221102932

Don't have t ime to do your bookkeeping, accounting, data ent r y, a d m i n i s t rat ion a nd secretar ia l job? I am ready to help for part time. I have experiences in these field. Also for translation English into Indonesian. [email protected]/ +62(0)87781744790 call and WA.

fully furnish, price 8.9 billion (negotiable) please call Fang Fang (Brighton Bali Paradise)

Dreamland – 3 storey new house for sale/rent – 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom, pool, fully furnished, rooftop entertainment area, great views. Sell US$ 290,000. Rent $19,000/yr. Phone +62(0)877 61611531. E-mail <[email protected]>

Houses for sale. In Taman Griya Jimbaran, 2 storey, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, livingroom, kitchen. 2,200W electricity. Freehold. Type 75 with 1.83 are land. Close to Club Jimbaran, restaurants, supermarket. Rp. 1.8 Billion (nego). Also Dreamland Bukit Ungasan, 2 storey, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, livingroom, kitchen. Freehold. Need to do some finishing. Total land 1.65 are. Close to all amenities, beaches and club. Rp. 1.9 Billion (nego). Text only +62(0)8123815292

For Sale; Looking for security? Full security system. Complete 6 zone home security system, alarms, motion detectors, auto dialer, 35 window and door connectors. Sell best offer Call +62(0)87861082260 or e-mail <[email protected]> (9am-6pm). Gianyar.

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