Jakarta Tales Vol 4 (contd)

THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN DINNER, THOUSAND ISLANDS AND THE 2ND BANDUNG TRIP

The international Indian dinner, the Thousand Islands and the 2nd Bandung trip undoubtedly, have been the best days of my life in Indonesia so far, at least when it comes to travelling, meeting new people, making new friends, understanding small cultural differences and learning to respect different-minded people, and yes, marketing to them :)

It all started 3 weeks ago with the arrival of Dorien - one of my really good friends now, a sweetheart at heart and a really tall Dutch girl (she's 180cms and I'm only 165... haha). She is an AIESEC intern at Allianz Indonesia and will be here till December 2006. She was followed by Sebastian and Sascha, two really nice and friendly German guys who also work at Allianz and who are also my really good friends now. Another typically rigid German guy, Franz who was "studying Indonesia" was also part of our hulabaloo but he's gone back to Germany now.

Together, whoa, we've had a blast! We've been to Italian and French coffee shops, shopping centres, playing soccer, swimming, clubbing, snorkelling, jet skiing and... the list never ends. Let's just say, this was the last straw in making this experience complete.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Dorien, Sebastian, Sascha and Franz.

A Business Administration student back in Groningen, The Netherlands, Dorien has an early spring smile, a really friendly nature and a very talkative tongue :) She is working in the marketing department of Allianz here and before this, has done all sorts of things like studying in Finland, working as a cab driver and bartender. The guy with the numbers is Sebastian. A Maths student back in Cologne, Germany, he is really not a typical math guy. He is as genuine as a kid, really funny when it comes to posing for snaps, travels more than airlines do and goes snow boarding more than the Swiss. And yes, he also works with Allianz here. Sascha is the dry humour, natural expression, sometimes quiet-sometimes talkative German from Hamburg. He also works with Allianz here (haha, it seems more like an Allianz expedition). He has a daughter back home (he's quite young though and unmarried) who looks like an angel and so Sascha is smoking here as much as possible coz he can't do that back home with his daughter around.. haha. Franz is the... well,, he's not the Allianz guy :) He doesn't talk too much, is always complaining about the pollution, population, food, traffic, weather, Asia... everything. The strange part is, he loves Indonesia?!?!! His aunt is Indonesian and he loves the language and country and although he's gone back to Germany now, he will come back to settle down and start working here.

Before I move on, I must tell you the difference that exists between Asia and Europe. Or at least the way I see it. For all my European friends, Indonesia is really loud, polluted, strange. It seems like they've come to another planet. They love it but they are really shocked. The smells, the noises, the number of people, everything is different. The coin reverses sides when I come into the picture. For me, the infrastructure is hi-tech, traffic is organized because people use indicators to turn, they don't honk or abuse each other while driving and the stalls on the road, the noise, the pollution, the number of people is all part and parcel of Asian culture. For them, Jakarta is 10 million people! For me, Jakarta is only 10 million people. Kolkata is 15 and the numbers get bigger when we move to New Delhi or Mumbai. In fact, I wonder what they would say when they see India (none of them have) hahaha!

The interesting part is how all of us are united when it comes to being treated as foreigners and how the culture, food, language is different, very different. The problems we face and the solutions we find are similar.

Anyways, now it's time for the international dinner at Kinara (the bloody expensive Indian restaurant!). It was 3 Germans, 1 Chilean, 1 Icelander, 1 Dutch, 1 French and 1 Indian (that's me) sharing a really expensive Indian meal (dal makhani, chicken reshmi kebab, the works...) The menu was decided not just by me but by Francois Xavier as well, the French guy who has been working in Pune for the last 6 years now. He's the only "Indian" with his "thora thora" French-Hindi and a lot of Marathi that I've met here so far. The dinner was excellent, truly Indian (I miss home food) and so was the bill... so much so that we almost fell short of cash! The classic case of dinner planning gone wrong, it was hilarious when we were counting Rp 1000 bills (Rs 5 in India) to add up to the total and with everyone fishing for coins and all that they had in their wallets and purses... haha! But it was fun when we finally achieved the golden figure, there was a yippee feeling that we all had :)

Dinner done, the next weekend we headed to the Thousand Islands. Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands) is an archipelago of 1000 small and big islands filled with golden and white sand, tropical trees and swamps and surrounded by the corals and crystal clear blue waters of the Java Sea... in other words, it's tropical paradise!!! We went to an island called Sepa and had the time of our lives! We went Snorkelling, jet skiing, sunbathing and accidentally, even spotted a biawat. What's a biawat?

Initially we thought it was a komodo dragon but later discovered that it's part of the komodo family... a la Lata and Asha style. What a sight it is! Being part of the komodo family (the world's largest lizards) makes it one of the few surviving descendants of the dinosaurs. And what we saw on day one was a baby biawat: at least 5 ft in length, it swam through the water and walked on its feet when it came out. As it went into the woods of the island, it slithered its two-forked tongue out and hissed. Wow, I can't describe how it felt. The next day, we saw its mother who hissed really loud and scared the shit out of us when it looked at us and sent us scampering to our rooms!

The snorkelling at Sepa, so far, was one of the highlights of Indonesia for all of us. Imagine how you would feel is you saw fishes swimming with you as if they were your friends or right past you as if you didn't exist. Imagine how you would feel is you saw fishes that shone under the water, whose violet fins contrasted its black body, or who had the colours of the rainbow, or clown fish, or tiger fish, or green fish, or starfish, or flat fish, or baby sharks with cleaning fish, or sea urchins, or squids, or the most beautiful of corals that move and breathe. That's how we all felt. It was unbelievable that such a beautiful place could actually exist. And if this we thought was beautiful, we were told we were wrong. Sulawesi has one of the best corals and reefs in the world and Pulau Seribu, the locals say, is a child compared to it! Hmmm, will God stop making us feel so petty or do we just need to accept that only he can create such beauty?

From below the sea to 6600 ft? Yes, it happened when we went to Bandung last week. This time, my experience was much better. The skies were clearer, the temperatures were perfect and I really saw Bandung. And yes, this time we went by train so the views were even more breathtaking. The Argo Gede trains, btw, are really luxurious and well, they are not so fast (150 kms max) but they are very comfortable.

The first day, we went to see a small waterfall and were dead tired after the trek up and down Curug Dago. We followed it up with a dinner at The Peak and saw the Germany match there. Since our cab arrived 2 hrs late, we were treated to some lovely rock by a band that was playing there. The fire urns brought in the warmth and the evening was perfect. The next day, we started early to go to Tangkuban Prahu. I used my Indian barganing prowess (believe me, it works!!) to get us a cheap angkot and off we were. We didn't do much at the top but the best was yet to come. We decided to trek down to Kawah Domas and it was an incredible experience. It was through a dense, tropical rain forest (I can hardly say tropical because it was 6000 ft high and was freezing) but it was quite an adventure going through fallen trees, unmarked trails, watching insects inside tree barks, the sunlight creeping in through the dense trees and watching chimpanzees jumping from one tree to another. And although the few artefacts sellers were really annoying, the journey down to the crater was fantastic.

The sight at the crater was even better. To put it down in words maybe an injustice to it. Hot boiling water springs where we actually boiled eggs, sulpur caves, steaming rocks and chilly winds, limestone rocks, stones with sulphur crystals... whoa, the list goes on. It's indescribable. How else can one explain the feeling when a chilly breeze blows past you and your feet are next to a small pool of boiling water. But boy, was the trek back to the road a tough one. We were so tired we wanted to go and sleep. But we decided to go to Ciater Hot Springs and the Maribaya waterfall. Honestly, we wished we hadn't gone because both the places were really disappointing.

Phew! That's it. Yes, that's it. I've finally come to the end of this mail. I know you want more and that this one wasn't really well written but the next one is going to be better. I promise you :) And with all the German and Dutch I'm learning these days, I'll be sure to add a touch of that in the next volume :)

Untill next time, selamat malam (good night), hati hati (take care) and live life kingsize!


Sampai jumpa
From your favourite Indian in Jakarta
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 4 (contd)

WORK... FINALLY!

Work is going as good as ever. We are always pitching for one client or another, considering the small size of our agency. We aren't winning a lot of them but we are growing, slowly but steadily. What I love is the role I need to play at Exigo. I don't think an AIESEC "traineeship" can always provide you such a challenging job role and a chance to be part of senior management. I guess I'm lucky to have got such a brilliant professional experience at this age. The money ain't good. In fact, it's basic. I would easily get 3 times more if I was playing the same role in a big agency. But the haplessness, fear of risks and self-constructed rigidity of big corporate structures is such that I wouldn't get to play such a role in a big agency until I had at least 7 years of work experience. I had to choose. The bread or the meat. I don't have to feed a family yet, so I chose the meat. And the experience has 5 stars written all over it. I go beyond "brand" and deeper into "business" issues and it really is equipping me with the knowledge of how small units can be started, run and slowly built... one day at a time.

However, I must tell you, at this stage, that everything isn't so rosy though. It's challenging in a way, but it's also scary. The fact is our agency is running short of cash. And really short. If we don't get 2 new clients this month worth 20,000 US$, we don't get our salaries. Not because we want to work for free but because we would have no money to pay with. And the responsibility of getting these new clients rests entirely on my and my boss's shoulders. So it's time for some guerilla marketing, aggressive fire fighting and also a little bit of luck :) The good news is we already have one new client and they will stick with us for a long time, hopefully. The bad news is, the chances of getting the second one are dim. I have the assurance from my boss that I get paid, come what may but I don't wanna be the prince when everyone else around me is turning pauper.
So let's see how things shape up.

About other facts-worth-mentioning, my Bahasa is getting better day by day so communication problems at work are getting lesser and lesser. The funny thing is I think I'm forgetting my Hindi and Gujarati a little bit coz I haven't met a lot of Indians and my tongue isn't rolling the way it should. A simple sentence like "Ghat ghat ka paani peena chahiye" made me think if I was pronouncing it the right way. The issue isn't so bad but it did worry me. Alien at home? Eeks! I wouldn't wanna feel that way! :)


Long live languages
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 4 (contd)

THE WEEKEND BLASTS!

The weekend blasts have really been nothing more than partying at F-Bar, Bugil's, CJ's and The Venue. But what made the partying really interesting and fun was the international nature of it. One night, we were three of us from three different countries and each from a different continent: Latin America, Europe and Asia. Another night, it was all German, Dutch and Indian. And along with Jakarta's vibrant and world-class nightlife (over 300 nightlcubs, lounges, bars, pubs; excluding the 50-odd strip clubs and body sushi clubs) I am enjoying the international experience!


Ciao, khuda hafiz, shubh ratri, sampai jumpa, doie!
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 4 (contd)

THE YOGYAKARTA EARTHQUAKE...

The Yogyakarta (pronounced Jogjakarta) earthquake, indeed, was the most shocking incident I've come across during my stay here so far. You'll know the details of what and how it happened so I'm not gonna waste time doing another BBC. But what I'll utilize my time doing is describing how the feeling was being right in the country where it happened.

Initially, I hated myself and a lot of Jakartans for being so oblivious to it. Most people got to know of the quake only when the news channels flashed it all over the world. And even then, there was no sense of remorse or grief. It was a weekend so everyone was still partying as ever. In fact, I didn't know untill 12 hours after it and was so ashamed of myself and my colleagues who didn't know a thing either.

But don't judge a book by its cover. Once the news had spread like wild fire, Jakarta was a city possessed. While Indonesia's disaster management teams worked round the clock (and they are quite efficient according to Asian standards), people of Jakarta chipped in like never before. Money and medical supplies were being collected door-to-door, makeshift booths came up on major street crossings where the rich and the poor alike were contributing all-you-ask-for like mad and literally every one was up in arms for beloved Yogya. An NGO called Dompet Dhuafa was the most active with banners all over Jakarta saying "Love our Yogya".

In fact, our office also contributed money to set up 20 relief camps for the survivors and a month's salary and I was happy I could do my bit, however small it was. And that's what made me appreciate the city. It seems, with natural disasters becoming part of the Indonesian annual calendar of events, Jakartans have taken catastrophes in their stride. While they may seem untouched or made-of-stone, they know what to do, when to do and how to do it. And they don't make much ado about nothing. You wouldn't blame them or any other Indonesians for that matter, would you. It's a country that's been hit by a tsunami, landslides, bomb blasts, plan crashes and an earth quake all within 15 months!! It still stands... and it stands tall.

I was desperate to go to Yogya to see how the situation was but the government strongly advised laymen against it. Only national and international aid workers and relatives of victims and survivors were permitted. In fact, a colleague of mine was in Yogya for 2 days after the quake because he lost his cousin when his house collapsed. I wished I could go with him but alas, no chance. But what I observed and genuinely saluted was the relief efforts. No bureaucracy (although Indonesia is as bad or as good as India when it comes to it), no government delays and no scams. All foreign aid was quickly rushed to as many places as possible (it truly is remarkable considering the number of people who were affected). I felt really proud when PM Manmohan Singh ordered some ships in the Indian Ocean to change their course and head with relief material straight to Jakarta.

The magnitude of the Yogya tragedy was doubled due to its timing. All these days, the whole country was anxiously anticipating Mt Merapi to erupt. Indonesia's most unruly volcano had been raging for almost a month and the meteorology department had put it on the higest alert status. Evacuations had been carried out when the mountain spewed clouds of gas and rocks 4 kms down its 8000 ft slopes only a few days before the quake struck. Mt Merapi is to the north of Yogya. The earthquake struck the southern part of the city and came from under the water. People thought it was another tsunami and when they had to flee their homes, they had literally nowhere to go. The only option was to leave the city and go to neighbouring Solo. But that's where the relief operations' organizing headquarters were and if everyone was allowed in, the process would have gone haywire. In despair, people took to the streets spending the night and the following days thereafter in cars and on the sidewalks. Yogyakarta's infrastructure isn't impressive or scientific as Jakarta's so the 140 aftershocks that hit the region and Merapi's heighthened activity after the quake added to the fear of further collapse. My colleague showed us photographs and the only question I had was, "Why God, why?" And then it dawned on me how petty we all are and how mighty nature is. 15 years, or how many? I don't really know how much time it takes for man to build a city and in 15 seconds its all rubble? We truly become what we come from no matter how modern we may try to get, don't we... ashes to ashes, dust to dust?

For once, I was relieved... because the quake hadn't struck Jakarta (although I got at least 10-15 frantic calls and even more emails from India) and that I was alive. Believe me, you might think I am exaggerating but at that moment, I really thanked God for everything he had given me, including such caring people who called or emailed me thinking I might have been a recipient of nature's fury. The thought of something happening here scared the daylights out of me and I realized how much of a comfort zone my family, friends and city provided me in my daily life back home. Moreover, I also saw my destiny playing a part here. I was planning to go to the Budddhist temples at Borobodur (one of the old Seven Wonders of the World) that very weekend but my colleagues and friends dissuaded me. And why is it destiny? Because you can't get to Borobudur without going to Yogya.

The only piece of comforting news to all Indonesians was that Borobudur was mostly untouched. Except for a few small carvings that fell out, the ancient shrines at the temples there were intact, and they still are. I pray that they may forever be. Remnants of our past, they deserve this planet as much as, if not more than, we do. Hopefully, it should be safe to go to Yogya in 3 months' time and God willing, I might be able to visit the heritage site of Borobudur before I come back to India.

Honestly, I also want to go to see the Merapi but its unsafe and no one is allowed to go near the mountain. Imagine what a feeling it would be to see golden red lava flowing down the slopes. Whoa! What an experience!! Excited?!?!?! So was I. But this is where you should slap your selfish self just like I did and think for a moment. The other side of the story is the devastation it could cause to the neighbouring villages if it erupted. The last time it erupted it killed 64 people only with the steam emanating from its crater.


That's it for now
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 4: Return of the Storyteller

Hi,

I'm back. After a long sabbatical, though not deliberate, I am back. Since the last mail I wrote was more than a month back, let me keep you under no illusion about the length of this mail: long, really long. And honestly, this time I AM going to give you choices about what you wish to read from the following sections:


1) The Bandung trip and the long weekend
2) The Yogyakarta earthquake and the aftermath
3) The weekend blasts (no, not bomb blasts, the party blasts)
4) Work and the interesting challenge
5) The international Indian dinner, the Thousand Islands and the 2nd Bandung trip

Well, my intention was to give each section such an interesting header that you wouldn't be able to resist going through each one. Alrite, I know it's a cheap shot but c'mon, I'm a marketing person... I have to sell :) I suggest you get yourself a nice big bag of chips or snacks and some soda or tea/coffee while you read this one. Trust me, it's going to be like watching a long film... lolz...I also suggest you read it in parts. That will give you time to soak it all in and then maybe you could form a "Yousuf's Mails Fan Club" and keep mailing me all your words of appreciation ;) Oooooooh, I can already see you saying, "Huh!"

BANDUNG AND THE LONG WEEKEND...

A few weeks ago, AIESEC in Universitas Indonesia invited me to attend an AIESEC national conference in a city called Bandung. I couldn't go during the week owing to work but I decided I would go for it on the weekend. Not only would it allow me to attend my first AIESEC conference in Indonesia (I miss the ones I attended in India during my AIESEC years) but the chance to visit Bandung.

And doing that would make me a true Jakartan :) How? Because Bandung is what Khandala is to Mumbai (although Bandung is a proper city and much bigger than Khandala). It's up in the hills, much cooler than Jakarta and every weekend, it becomes the motto of one in every 5 Jakartans to go to Bandung to escape the humidity of the capital and also gives them a chance to pollute beautiful, "green grass-blue skies" Bandung. In fact, you can see it. The freeways leading to and from Bandung are filled with cars numbered "B" - which is Jakarta's code and inside Bandung, traffic jams are common.

So, I was on my way on a Saturday morning at 9am. Ono (really chubby and plump Chinese girl from AIESEC) was sweet and kind enough to organize the coach for me to go to Bandung and accompanying me was someone from the other end of the world - an Icelandic guy. Let me introduce you to Thomas Christiansson. Thomas is all of 22 and he's already visited 26 different countries. He's just finished his graduation, just finished a mini world tour, has worked with AIESEC in Iceland and the United Nations in the past and is now in Jakarta to work with the National Committee of AIESEC in Indonesia for a year. Whoa! Talk of achievement! Honestly, he really is a highly talented guy with great future potential and management seems to be in his blood.

Anyways, so off we were after I landed 5 mins late at the coach station, the coach had left and had to come back to pick me up (Siddhant, if you're reading this, don't laugh... I am improving on my punctuality).

The 2.5 hr journey to Bandung was a smooth ride and dotting both sides of the freeway are tea gardens, steep mountain slopes and orchards. And the journey seemed really short because while everyone else on the coach slept, Thomas and I kept talking till we arrived in Bandung.

And boy, what an interesting experience that was! I learnt a little bit of Icelandic and believe you me, it is a tough language. I taught Thomas some Hindi and he was really bad at it. But what we both learned about each other's cultures, countries, economies was what was fascinating. Did you know that Reykjavik - the capital - is the world's 2nd most expensive city after Tokyo? Did you know that Icelandic business houses own half and more of Harrod's, Vodafone and other such major English, Swedish and Danish companies? And that Iceland's population is only 300,000 although it's area is bigger than France and England?

300,000?!?! We wouldn't even put it on the map of India! And Thomas knows that. I told him so... haha! The most surprising thing he told me was that in winter in Iceland, the sun rises at 11am and sets at 2pm and during the summers, the sun never sets... even at midnight!

Anyways, three beautiful girls from AIESEC in Bandung picked us up from the coach station and we headed straight for the hotel where the conference was being held. Btw, we got to know that the conference was not exactly in Bandung but slightly higher up in a hill station called Lembang. Good, I thought. The higher, the better! On the way, we met Fahmi, another interesting guy. Fahmi is Indonesian and was an exchange student in Brazil for a year. So till the time we reached the hotel, it was Samba talk all the way :)

The hotel, indeed, was perched high up on a hill and gave us a beautiful view of the valley below with clouds floating past, a la Lord of the Rings (but I've seen better views on my Shimla-Manali trip). Thomas and I were given a rousing reception in true AIESEC style and after a long time, I was blushing, or let's say, slightly embarassed. I had almost forgotten to be a public speaker in the last few years and the AIESECers were nice enough to warmly appreciate the little Bahasa I spoke. They loved "Bissu peeke than" and joined me in the "than"... haha! Thomas, of course, got an even bigger applause for his "roll call" as he is on the National Commitee.

I didn't do much in the conference except talk to a lot of people who were keenly interested in India and my experiences in Indonesia. Come Saturday night, it started drizzling, temperatures fell further and a few of us were out for dinner to "The Peak" - a beautiful restaurant on a hill offering a breathtaking view of Bandung below, illuminated by night. Now that is some view! Honestly, you don't want to leave the quietude and the warmth of the fireplace as the chilly breeze blows past and the city below looks like a galaxy of stars.

The drive we went for afterwards gave me a culture shock. While we were driving through one of the streets, Fahmi pulled down his window, said a "hi" to two girls who were standing on the sidewalk and asked them if they wanted to join us! The girls smiled and said, well, not that night because they had other plans but if he gave them a call later, maybe they would. And they exchanged phone numbers! And the girls weren't prostitutes. They were English speaking, well dressed, beautiful girls. To my surprise, the others in the car said this was Bandung culture. Bandung, they told me, is called "City of Flowers" because "flowers" has a pun. It refers to the numerous bonsai plants, the orchards and gardens in the city yes, but it also means "beautiful girls". Later, I found out that the most beautiful women in Indonesia come from Bandung :) The night lasted long as we played "Chabo Chabo Cha Cha Cha" and partied hard.

The next day we began early. I went to see a strawberry farm and had my first violin lessons. Actually, a girl called Karin was at the conference and she plays the violin as if she communicates through it. So, I thought, what better than someone so skilled giving me basic lessons in my favourite instrument and that too, in such picturesque locales. It took me 2 hours to learn the grip, the poise and the first note. I thought I was horrible but Karin said I did pretty good for a first-timer (She is now helping me find someone in Jakarta who can teach me the violin professionally. Please pray, ladies and gentlemen that I find someone soon).

The conference got over that afternoon and while it was raining heavily, I decided to go to Gunung Tangkuban Prahu... alone. No one was willing to come because they had other plans. But I was intent on seeing the volcano at any cost. So I thought, better late than never.

Off I was in an angkot (a small van like our very own shuttle Omnis in Kolkata). The rain stopped, the skies started clearing slowly and an hour later, I was at 6600 ft and at the top of the crater of Gunung Tangkuban Prahu.

Gosh, it's incredible! At the top of the crater, where tourists stand, the temperature is 12-15 degrees centigrade, the wind is chilly, vapour comes out through your mouth and clouds float past you like sheep. And just 100 metres below, inside the crater, you can see yellow-pale green sulphur burning and boiling at 120 degrees and steaming rocks! That's when you start wondering at God's power of creation and nature's unbelievable bounties. At times, you feel the mountain is talking to you when it rumbles and grunts. But I was diasspointed I couldn't get to Kawah Domas (the other crater) because it was already too late and the way to is through a forest.

The local vendors kept chasing me and other foreigners to buy some traditional handicrafts and I eventually bought two wooden pens, a beautiful Javanese painting made from dry banana leaves and paddy paper and rushed back to Bandung where Thomas and the other AIESECers were waiting and worried that I hadn't returned till sunset. We left for Jakarta at 7.30pm.

And now here comes the interesting part. While on our way back to Jakarta in the coach, we all slept but when we woke up, I had this strange but nice feeling when in the distance, I could see tons of cars. The smell of gas and petrol filled the air and instead of being irritated with it or getting the "oh no, not again" feeling, I felt like I was back home. A warm feeling rented my heart and it was as if I was saying, "Good ol' Jakarta..."

Anyways, now for the long weekend. I thought India was a lazy country but Indonesia is not far behind, or let's say, quite ahead in these matters. But it's nice because it resulted in a long weekend holiday from Thu-Sun without a big festival or reason ;) A few weeks ago, there was a national holiday on Thursday for the "Ascension of Jesus Christ". Fair enough, offices were closed. But then, the government declared a holiday on Friday too so that everyone could have a long weekend and offices resumed work only on Monday! But the government is hapless in these matters because on all such occasions, everyone either applies for leave or reports sick. So what the heck, give everyone a holiday, solve the problem! And I utlilized this weekend in pure indulgence. I spent a lot of money eating at the malls, listening to music, going to see films and hanging out just doing nothing. Ah, what a feeling it is to be idle... haha!

Sampai jumpa

Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 3 (contd)

BEHOLD THE MAJESTIC CAFE BATAVIA...

Moving away from my health tips, time for some sightseeing. Last week, I went to Old Jakarta (Kota)with an interesting group that organizes "anti-mall weekend" excursions to heritage sites (explored and unexplored) in Jakarta and Indonesia And being a foreigner, I got a 100% discount! That's Rs120 (US$ 3 saved) :)

I visited the Taman Fatahillah Museum (erstwhile Dutch fort and house of the ruling Dutch Governor-General replete with the gallows, underground dungeons/prisons, execution swords et al), the Wayang Museum (wayangs are Indonesian puppets) where I also saw a wayang mahabharata show (each of the pandavs has a unique crown which distinguishes them), the Keramik Museum (Oriental ceramic pottery, cutlery and sculpture) and the Council Hall (the court during the Dutch colonial period).

On the tour, I met Arthur, a Dutch guy who is actually from Spain and lives in Paris (I thought the Dutch were from The Netherlands...hehe) and is here to teach the Dutch language at Universitas Indonesia. And yes, he made me feel really proud. He said that he was really impressed when he visited India (Rajasthan and New Delhi) a few years ago. I also met his Indonesian friends, Ike and Elvira, who work at the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta and who actually speak more Dutch than Bahasa... lolz... The reason why I'm mentioning them is because I owe them the visit to Cafe Batavia.

After the tour i was heading home but Arthur and his friends persuaded me to come with them to Cafe Batavia. Cafe Batavia... what do I say about the place. Oh, it's just lovely. It's the oldest cafe in Jakarta but it's been evergreen ever since it was born. It has this old world charm that attracts both, the young and the old. The architecture is a fusion of Dutch and Indonesian motifs while the ambience is downright sophisticated. It has a live band in the atrium on the ground floor that plays soft jazz with elegance that can make the depressed smile and the smiling smile even more. There is a quiet newspaper/book reading section on the first floor where you can find people puffing away at their cigars and pipes while they browse through words.

And when the jazz band stops playing, an old gentleman on the first floor stirs up some soulful music on the old piano. A la Ritz Cafe di Casablanca? U got it right mate! In fact, it's much better than the famous cafe in the renowned film and the real one in Casablanca, as Arthur confirmed (he's been there). And on the walls, there are rare, exclusive portraits and snapshots of the world's most memorable celebrities right from Abraham Lincoln to Princess Diana, from Mahatma Gandhi to Pete Sampras. "Permissi mas, can we have the menu please?" And the waiter pulls out 4 portraits from a pillar, turns them over and hands them to us. Yes, that's it. The menus are on the reverse of each portrait, enough for one person each when the Cafe is full (that's about 150 people, I guess). What a novel idea!

To end my romantic soiree with Cafe Batavia, am letting you know that I have discovered there exists an India Town here. It's called Pasar Baru (Pasar=market, Baru=new). Will go there sometime soon, especially since they have a multiplex there that screens Indian films (right now they've got Pyare Mohan... it's a Vivek Oberoi film so I'm sure it's a "hey-look-at-me-i-am-trying-to-act" kinda film and so don't wanna watch it). But am eagerly waiting for the next change in June coz its... subhanallah, subhanallah! You know which film I'm talking about. Have downloaded all its songs, promos and I recommend visiting its website via http://www.yashrajfilms.com/.

And yes, go watch MI3...the film rocks! It still aint as good as the thrill of the MI tv series and the 1st MI film but its worth the money and the time...

This one's longer than the last one so might send it to the Guiness Books :)


Sampai jumpa
From your favourite Indian in Jakarta
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 3 (contd)

TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD, TRAFFIC AT WORK!

Anyways, the last two weeks have been just as good as the previous ones. I realize one month has already gone by and I'm thinking I need more time here :) Work's been very very hectic and equally exciting so haven't had much time to do anything else.

Our agency is now growing like never before. We've had 3 pitches (the non-ad guys don't even bother figuring out what this means;)) in 3 weeks, 2 prospective biz opening-meetings and 5 new biz opportunities are on their way next week - one of them being Coca Cola, the other SmithKline Beecham (below-the-line activities for both, again non-ad guys, I know this is Greek to you but I'm enjoying making you feel ignorant...hehe, hmmm, I never knew I was a sadist). So late nights, no nights (we went home at 8am next day) are now becoming part and parcel. This excludes weekends because no one works on weekends in Jakarta.

Now, for some culinary delights. I've become addicted to Bakso (meatball curry), Nasi Goreng Kepiting (Crab Fried Rice) and Wendy's hamburgers, A&W Chicken and iced tea. Btw, this might sound surprising but the reason why Coke is looking for new, aggressive marketing is because it's losing market share steadily and has been running losses for the last 3 years! Coke... and losses? And to whom? To Pepsi? No. Because Pepsi has very low market share here. Coke is losing out to iced tea, juices, energy drinks, mineral and ionised water.

And it's not just in Indonesia. All over SE Asia, the cola giants are getting flushed down the toilet (and literally) simply because people are waking up to the fact that colas can now be used to clean their toilets (a TV expose in Singapore revealed that colas and aerated beverages contain ingredients that kill bacteria thriving on urine and human excreta!) Secondly, Indonesia is the world's second fastest growing market for energy drinks. People out here are health conscious and that's because the energy drinks add lesser calories than colas and are good for the body. So goodbye colas, hello health drinks!


A healthy goodbye
From ur favourite diet watch expert
Yousuf

Jakarta Tales Vol 3: From traffic, more traffic to Cafe Batavia

TRAFFIC... THERE'S ONLY A RED!

Hi,

Before I begin an account of events since Vol 2, here are two contests you can enter to win some great prizes:

1) Entries are open for solutions - ones that work - for Jakarta's chronic traffic problems!! Anyone with an idea that's not flyovers, freeways, MRT/LRT, oganized bus networks, no-car days (all these have been tried and tested for the last 16 years:)) is welcome to send in their entry to any CITIZEN IN JAKARTA!! Prizes include the status of President, Master for Life and GOD! Rewards include free, genuine worship by 10 million residents and 1 million foreigners who are fed up and have resigned to the fate of being stuck in traffic throughout the day.

2) Entries are open for more traffic solutions!!

Believe me people, I've never seen so much traffic in my life! Going out for a one-hour meeting from South to Central Jakarta could mean being on the road for 4 hours. But thank heavens the traffic here is organized. People drive in a straight line and don't honk or else one could go deaf on the spot or get killed in an accident what with so many vehicles. The problem? Too many cars. Jakarta has more cars than the whole of Indonesia put together! On an average, a friend told me, each family that can afford it has at least 2 cars.

And why? Simply because while there are organized govt bus networks (the comfortable, air-con, cheap TransJakarta busway) they cater only to certain parts of this teeming metropolis. The private buses are as bad as or even worse than Kolkata's minibuses so people choose not to travel by them. The other options are ojek (motorcyles, but the ojek drivers are obsessed with imitating F1 races so there is the danger of a rendezvous with St Peter at the Pearl Gates before you can say "stop").

Then comes the bajaj (the govt hates it because of the pollution it creates and so its not allowed everywhere but its the poor and middle-class's vehicle so people do use it) and then there's the cabs (very comfortable but expensive for daily use). The MRT (mass rapid transportation) is under construction (will take at least another 2 years before beginning operations) and there's already too many flyovers and freeways so there's no space to build any more. So what do people do?!?!?! They use cars. Phew! Just talking about it makes me dread Monday morning traffic at Kemang (my office area).


I'm off for the moment, see you guys in some time...
Yousuf