NEWSLETTER September 2014
What are your values?
Situated in Bintaro, south-west Jakarta, the British International School houses a series of uniquely designed buildings set in extensive grounds and providing an attractive, well-planned, healthy environment where fresh air and open space abound, and keep learning free from distraction. Classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards and computers, making for a stimulating environment. Other facilities include a well-equipped music department; computer suites; science laboratories; language centre; workrooms for design and technology; a state-of-the-art theatre; modern secondary library; Olympic-size swimming pool with touchpad time recording equipment; tennis courts and ample
playing elds. These resources support a demanding and successful academic programme. The British International School follows the English National Curriculum (for children 3 to 14 years), I/GCSE (15 to 16 years), followed by the International Baccalaureate programme (17 to 18 years); all conveniently located on one campus. Guided by experienced and caring overseas teachers, who engage the students constantly, the emphasis is on providing students with the very best educational environment, equal to any school across the world and creating happy and responsible citizens of tomorrow who share our values.
For further information about the British International School, please contact the Admission ofce at Tel: (62-21) 745-1670 • Fax: (62-21) 745-1671 • E-mail: admissions@bis.or.id • www.bis.or.id
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CONTENTS Features
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One Fine Day at the Snake Market 14 The Blog: Home is where your cake tins are 10 Dear Anonymous 30
Regulars Editor’s Note 2 Chairwoman’s Message 3 Newcomers Message 5 Report Back: August Coffee Morning 6 Medical Matters 9 JIS Community Info Day 11 It’s an Expat’s Life: Who’s Trailing Whom? 7 Health: The Benefits of Yoga 13 Recipes: “I’ll have an Earl” 16 Book Reviews 19 Family: Keeping Them Amused 29 Weird and Wonderful News 20 Notice Board 31 Classifieds 32
TRAVEL Discovering Lombok 22 Japan - A Family Holiday (Part One) 26
Cover Photograph by David Metcalf
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EDITOR
Grapevine AUGUST 2014
FROM THE EDITOR The main item on social media this month has been the ALS Ice bucket challenge. For those people not on facebook, this is similar to the cancer awareness/’selfie’ campaign, and has run for just over a month but has already reportedly raised 10 million for the US-based charity (and a further 4 million for the UK based one equivalent, MND). Unlike the selfie campaign, this one has as many detractors as supporters, with people criticising the waste of water, for being self-promoting (and what part of facebook isn’t?) and the charity itself has come in for intense criticism for their allocation of funding. Over the month, we’ve been treated to the sight of celebrities, both minor and major, being splashed with icy cold water. Our particular favourites were Benedict Cumberbatch who got splashed a total of five times and Patrick Stewart, who decided to not be splashed at all, choosing to put his ice with his whiskey instead. In this issue we have something new: a photo essay by Jessica Goveia. Jess, who wanders around Indonesia taking photographs had a particularly interesting day in Glodok and has shared the results with us. In addition, we have the usual travel article from Stephanie Brookes, again beautifully accompanied by her husband David’s photographs. We have used one of his photographs on the cover - thank you David! The issue also has the usual round up of events this month – somewhat thin on the ground since we never seem to do much in August when people are still in holiday mode, We have covered last month’s coffee morning, along with a talk on Medical Matters, which was well-attended. I would like to encourage you to read all the messages, especially the newcomers’. Lorraine Gibbons has elevated a humble column to the status of full-fledged feature, and her description of shopping in Jakarta had me chuckling. For newcomers with children, we have a list of suggestions on what to do with them (once you have explored every single mall in Jakarta, that is). Thank you to al the contributors. And finally, I’d like to ask for feedback on the new online format. We hope that it is easy to use, as it’s been developed for used both on computers as well as mobile devices. If you’re having any problems, or would like to tell us what you think, do let us know at grapevine@bwajakarta.org.
THE GRAPEVINE TEAM EDITOR ADVERTISING PRODUCTION TREASURER EDITORIAL TEAM CONTRIBUTOR
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Soma Mitra-Chubb Vacant Soma Mitra-Chubb Debbie Trussel Shweta Dakin, Lorraine Gibbons, Annali Kench Richard Chubb
CHAIRWOMAN
B WA COMMITTEE 2014-2015
Chairwoman Elaine Tucker Vice-Chairwoman
Suki Brar
General Secretary
Debbie Baxter
Treasurer Zem Chefeke Grapevine Editor
Soma Mitra-Chubb
Acting Social Welfare Co-ordinator
Jackie Buchanan
Newcomers’ Co-ordinators
Lorraine Gibbons
Postal address: P.O. Box 7923 JKSM Jakarta 12079 email: bwa@bwajakarta.org web page: www.bwajakarta.org
FROM THE CHAIRWOMAN Dear members
This month has seen a lot of fresh faces arriving in Jakarta and the BWA. I’d like to welcome all of our new members and encourage you to get involved! There’s something for everyone here and if we don’t have what you want, then why Sponsorship Sareena Barnes, not organise it? When I was fairly new here I got some golf Co-ordinators Emma Chapman & clubs for my birthday and put my name down as the regular Suki Brar contact for beginners golf. It wasn’t long before I had a regular group of ladies joining me and we became good friends Bazaar Coordinator Tess Gunasekera and improved together as we tried different courses around Jakarta. We’ll have a beginners golf group starting up shortly so don’t be shy about joining in. If you have another group idea you’d like to try you can put your name down and we will Membership Deborah Minicola attach it to a BWA email so your own isn’t being published. Co-ordinator Food & Beverage Vacant Co-ordinator Programmes Nell Costello Co-ordinator Event Co-ordinator
Berni Crockford
Communications Vacant Co-ordinator Website Co-ordinator
Ezther Redmond
It’s the time of year to start planning for the BWA’s main event! Although the Fashion Show isn’t until next May it takes a huge amount of work and planning to make it what it is. If you are interested in joining the Production Team then please get in touch. We have lots of volunteer roles available and it’s an amazing event to be involved with. Please look out for our advert inside and by email. We have a wonderful Social Welfare team and members are welcome to get involved, whether in a hands on capacity by visiting projects or helping out with the bazaar; or more formally in attending the regular meetings, taking on a project and helping to make decisions regarding future projects.Contact Jackie for more information: socialwelfare@ bwajakarta.org.
General Members Fiona Forsyth I’ve been doing the yoga class with Rudolf on Wednesday mornings and I must say it’s fantastic! He’s an excellent teacher
This publication is not for sale. It is distributed free to members of the British Women’s Association (BWA) in Indonesia. The BWA and the Grapevine team will not accept responsibility for unsatisfactory service arising from any of our advertising, or the misuse of this newsletter.
and pushes you to your own personal limit, while making sure you’re not over-stretching.It’s definitely worth a try even if you haven’t done yoga before.
Our Mexican Fiesta night is coming up on Saturday 6th September and promises to be a great night! Berni has lots of fun in store for us, so if you haven’t signed up already then please do!
Elaine 3
NEWCOMERS
Message from the Newcomers’ Coordinator Arriving back in Jakarta the day before IdulFitri gave me the experience of what Jakarta traffic could be like if the number of motorbikes and cars was reduced by 80%. What a great time we had for about 10 days, just being able to get in the car and arrive somewhere in the time that Google maps predicted. If you are new to Jakarta, do go to Google maps occasionally and see how long it should take by car and on foot. Endless amusement! The main frustration of living here, as you will hear from many people, is traffic… Whilst I was in the UK, I was thinking about things that amuse me in Jakarta. I guess one has to be the shopping experiences. Here is my tongue in cheek report. The shadow My husband walked out of a watch shop once because of his ‘shadow’. Every step he took was followed by the sales assistant about 2 metres away. He said he’d had enough when he looked in a tall glass display cabinet and there, in the reflection, was his shadow peering at him intently. A technique I have used with the shadow assistants is to double back quickly and bump into them. This will allow you more space as it does freak them out a little. This technique really does amuse me as the really young ones don’t quite know what to do. The blockers You also experience not actually being able to get into a shop. Look out for ALL of the assistants standing at the door saying, ‘silahkan’ (please), but not actually giving you enough room to fit through the entrance. One friend told me that a shop had a promo banner on one side of the entrance with the staff on the other with no access to the shop. The army Walk into any electronics store to a barrage of ‘selamatdatang/siang/sore’ (welcome/good afternoon/ evening) and have 5 sales assistants all to yourself. However, ask a question and they won’t really be able to help you and will slowly disperse. So that’s the technique for losing them! The hide and seek assistants You will have the experience of walking into an empty store and wondering if it is open. Where are the staff? Who makes sure the stock is safe? Who can you pay? Try this. Look behind the counter. You may find the 2 staff squatting behind there either eating or using their mobile phones. ‘Finish madam’ This will happen to you as it’s happened to just about everyone I know. I was at the point of paying for an underwater camera, my credit card was in the machine when someone realised that there was no stock, just the well-handled display item. This also happened when trying to purchase a lap top. 3 of them on display were ‘finished’. Arrgghhh! Don’t forget we have weekly coffee morning every Tuesday from 9.30 where many stories are shared regarding our experiences of living here. Please do contact me if you have any questions or need a chat. The BWA was set up to offer support to you. Please join us, get to know your fellow expats and how we can help. Regards Lorraine Gibbons Email: sheppardlorraine@hotmail.com Mobile: 08111 803 657
COFFEE MORNING
Now Every TUESDAY at the BWA House First Tuesday of the Month—Guest Speaker
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REPORT BACK
g n i n r o M e e ff August Co
If you’re attending a coffee morning, you can expect the following things: that there will be coffee, and cake; that you’ll meet lots of people, both old friends and new. At the BWA coffee mornings, it is traditional to come in a little early, to mingle and inspect new arrivals before comfortably settling down with your cuppa to listen to the day’s Guest Speaker. What you are probably not excting is to be asked to immediately get up and start stretching. And yet that's exactly what happened at the August coffee morning when Guest Speaker Rudolp Parma kicked off his talk with a quick warm up as a prelude to his talk. Rudolph, who teaches the Wednesday class at the BWA was there to tell us about the benefits of yoga. (There's a compete article later on in this newsletter, so I won't bother to summarise.) Considering how many people are away on holidays during August, we had a surprisingly well-attended coffee morning. It was the first trial of our new coffee morning day – BWA now have their weekly get together on a Tuesday – and folk turned out in droves. Also being trialled was our new menu for coffee mornings - did you enjoy it? Do let us know! Soma Mitra-Chubb
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IT'S AN EXPAT LIFE
Who’s Trailing Whom? It’s amazing the kind of philosophical musings that come up on an early morning run. For ages I’d been itching to get back to my early morning jogs on the back streets of Cipete, only for a recurrent calf injury to have me limping home within ten minutes. In my darkest hour, help came from the unlikeliest of places. I’d mentioned my problems (as you do) to a chap who’d just welcomed my wife and me into his restaurant. Apart from being a very talented chef, it seems that he knew a thing or two about running. He wondered whether my running problems were due to style and asked if I generally “pronated” or “supinated”. Seeing the blank look on my face he gently explained basic running techniques and we established that my style was a bit wonky and needed correcting. Fast forward a few weeks and we have one more happy runner back on the road. Cheers mate! To celebrate my new beginning, I started running with a few “friends of friends”. As with all new acquaintances we worked our way through the small talk as we trotted along. Chatting with one bloke, we’d realized that our kids went to the same school, that his wife was a teacher we knew, and generally established countless other small links in the way new acquaintances do. However, the vibe remained one of “new buddies” until he found out my wife’s name and a massive wave of recognition came over the bloke. “Oh you’re X’s husband!” he exclaimed. “Sheesh”, I thought. “Not again”! This wasn’t an earth shattering experience but one that for some reason got me thinking. When I first went expat, I was really worried for my wife. Having done lots of research (or at least scooted a bit around Google), I was led to believe that asking her to give up her budding career and follow me around the world would inevitably result in her individual identity being subsumed into mine. She would cease to be herself and would become “Expat Bloke’s wife”. It was a foregone conclusion- Google said so! Well, almost ten years on, I can say that in our case at least this is only partly true. For sure, one partner seems to have become the appendage of the other but in most cases, the “trailing spouse” appears to be me. It’s not only the fact that my wife’s name immediately elicits recognition from most people- that is equally a function of the fact that, unlike me, she is sociable and enjoys meeting folks. I’m a miserable old sod who sticks with his tried and trusted mates. However, it’s also clear that I’m guilty of the same. Look at when I’m put in charge of writing up the guest list for one of our parties. Inevitably the list ends up as an eclectic list of female names, accompanied by lots of “plus hubby” entries. This gets so boring that I’m now making my list more entertaining by making up names for the spouses whose names I’ve forgotten. Looking at my list, it would seem that the female population of Kemang is mostly married to guys called “Splodge”, “Bloke” or “Elvis”. Quite simply, the names of my wife’s mates are known to me. The names of most of their husbands remain a mystery. I suppose this is to be expected. I spend my days at work and know most of my colleagues by name. My wife spends most of her life around Kemang and equally knows half of its population by name too. On the rare occasions she sets foot in the office, my wife is only vaguely recognized as being something appended to the weird miserable bule boss on the top floor! However, one foot into the wilds of Kemang and roles are firmly reversed. To the very polite lady I might bump into outside Hero who studiously avoids naming me but asks after the wife to ensure I know she knows who I am, I’m very clearly “Splodge the Trailing Spouse”! Not a matter of lost identity at all- just knowing your place in different parts of the expat world! Anyway, I guess I have a fantastic British chef to thank for giving me the chance to pronate, supinate and, more importantly, to prognosticate on my newly restored early morning run- if I could just remember his name! Expat Bloke
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fashion show
Fashion Show 2015 Production Team Calling all Fashionistas! BWA needs you! It’s time to start planning the event of the year. Have fun and utilise your skills for a worthwhile cause! Please come forward if you are interested in taking on any of the roles or helping out in any way. Contact: chairwoman@bwajakarta.org Producers Do you have event management experience? Feel comfortable leading a team? We are looking to recruit a Producer, or a pair of Producers to work together to take on overall responsibility for organising the Jakarta event of the year! Finance Administrator Are you good with spreadsheets? Have book-keeping experience? We need somebody to work closely with the BWA Treasurer to manage and record the finances of this year’s show. Artistic Director The Artistic Director will be responsible for the stage design, ballroom layout, table décor and foyer décor. To work alongside Producer/s and Chief Choreographer as a team to produce stage design and construction drawings if required based on the agreed theme. Sponsorship Do you have marketing experience? We need a sponsorship team to identify and liaise with potential BWA sponsors to raise funds and prizes.
Raffle We need an organised person to recruit and organise a raffle sales team, including the teenagers required on the evening and take responsibility for them at the event and manage the raffle sales desk including the Silent Auction. Publications Do you have graphic design/desktop publishing experience? We need someone to design all event publications including tickets, programme, posters etc. Hair & Make-up Coordinators Do you have style and vision? We need someone to recruit and work with hairdresser and make up sponsors to coordinate the hair and make-up styling of the models in accordance with the event theme. F & B Coordinator We need someone with excellent taste to work with the hotel to create a suitable menu for the event. Also, to source and select appropriate wines to serve with the meal and also source all other beverages for the event, hopefully from sponsors.
report back
medical matTers @ bwa Monday, 23 August 2014
Last Monday, the BWA had two special visitors. Dr Isabella Margee from Trucare Clinic in Jakarta and Dr Neal Rouzier from the Preventative Medicine Clinic in the US were there to talk about medical matters. To be specific, to talk about all things hormonal. The two doctors were there to tell us all about bioidentical hormones (non-synthetic hormones, to you and me) Dr Margee started the proceedings, with a brief overview of menopause, peri-menopause (the stage just before the big M) and its effects. We were introduced to the seven dwarfs of menopause – Itchy, Bitchy, Sweaty, Sleepy, Bloated, Forgetful and Psycho (I cannot wait…) After her talk, Dr Rouzier took over. Dr Rouzeir is the author of How to Achieve Healthy Aging as well as coauthor of several other manuals purportedly written by a lady called Susanne summers (a nom de plume of Dr Rosier and his colleagues) told us how he happened to go from being a doctor in a Trauma Centre to a hormone expert. He candidly told us how he “had no idea what he was doing,” but simply followed his nurses directions when it came to prescribing hormones such as thyroid – a form of therapy about which little was known at the time. He told us more about That Time of Life when “your metabolism comes crashing to a halt,” when your
skin loses its collagen (and I learned far more about vaginal atrophy than I ever expected) but his premise was simple: as your body gets older and your hormone levels drop, taking bioidentical hormones can increase your levels of said hormones, leading to better overall health. He came across as refreshingly honest (confessing that he only helped the nurses to ensure his supply of carrot cake) and the rapid-fire Q&A session that followed was quite entertaining. Examples included: Q: at what age should you stop taking hormones? A: “110 years. If you’re 109 and a half you should still be taking hormones.” Q: Do you take hormones yourself? A: “I’m surprised you have to ask that.” The session was fairly brisk with people contributing their own experiences (or that of their friends!) of using hormones, both natural and synthetic. Dr Neal Rouzier is Medical Director of The Preventive Medicine Clinics in Palm Springs, California and has been specializing in Bioidentical Hormone Replacement since 1997.
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THE BLOG
Home is where your cake tins are
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Day Zero at the New House I pick up the boys from school and tell them the good news: we now have a new home, to which I have been given the keys only hours before. “Can we explore it right now?” asks the firstborn hopefully. I think he’s picturing a composite of all the houses we have viewed over the past few weeks and having visions of Harry Potter cupboards (the family term for the under-thestairs cupboard), basements, and even attics that might possibly still contain the detritus of a long-departed family. So we head up the stairs, the firstborn armed with his trusty sword (a broom handle); I, with a kindlydonated shield (dustbin lid) and his younger sibling with his mighty mace (plunger).
in exactly the right order.... However, we are ready for our first night in the New House.
There is, alas, no basement or attic. Sadder still, we are missing our curtains (they were taken off to be cleaned a week ago and have yet to be returned), gas regulator, telephone line and several other key items that were promised by the landlord. And our shipment is still at the docks somewhere. Even so, we have to start somewhere, so with only a dining table set and one sofa for furniture (thank you, random lady from Upper Crust!) we decide that we’re going to move in over the weekend.
Day Five We now have lots more furniture. The rest of the sofa set has arrived, the boys have their own mattresses and, most importantly, hubby and I have a bed – a beautifully carved Javanese bed. It’s lovely, but since we also have a beautifully carved Javanese dining table, beautifully carved Javanese chairs, a beautifully carved Javanese bar and a beautifully carved gong (origin unknown), I’m beginning to long for the joys of flat pack IKEA furniture. On the plus side, the curtains have finally turned up...
Day Two We have definitely started to settle in: the pool has been christened, the house inspected thoroughly (still no curtains) and we’ve even found time to visit the neighbours. There is another child on the compound, which is lucky for the boys, as they are used to having playmates around. And I’ve discovered that we have a mango tree! With mangoes! Only green ones so far, but I’m sure that, given time, they will ripen to the delicious orangey-yellow colour of the local mangoes ( And if not, there’s always mango pickle to be made).
Day One It’s Saturday morning and one emergency shop later we have several essentials: a water dispenser, four plates, four cereal bowls, two sets of cutlery (the boys have their own already), five water glasses, two pots, a frying pan and a bucket (this last a request from the maid – I have no idea why). Oh yes, and enough cleaning implements to sort out a small mansion. Unimportant stuff like food can wait a while. And I think we’re going to be doing a LOT of dishwashing in between meals.
Day Eight Our shipment is here! This is the shortest time we have ever had to wait to be reunited our things (it took over three months in previous postings) but we’re all still hugely excited. Men arrive early in the morning and unload the trucks, assemble the flat-packed furniture, laugh at Mr and Mrs Maasai (our two little statues who are immediately set to guard the hallway) and somehow manage to do it all in under three hours. This including Coke breaks. Very impressive.
We’ve also managed to get a few other key items delivered, such as (in order of priority) a mattress for the hubby and me (the kids are taking their chances on the floor with cushions), some swanky new gym equipment, and a gong. Oh yes, and there is a beautifully carved Javanese bar on its way. I’m not sure we are doing this
Unpacking is a bittersweet experience. Standing at the door, ticking off items as they come in, I’m reminded of how I did the exact opposite in the old home – waved goodbye to all 97 boxes as the moving men put them in a truck. It’s the first pang of homesickness I’ve felt since moving here and for the first time, it feels like I
THE BLOG have really said goodbye to our old life. That house isn’t home any more, this one is.
our house. The only complete set is of sherry glasses – which we hardly ever use, for obvious reasons.
There are other emotions: there’s the joy of having all my clothes again (I can stop rotating the three outfits I’ve worn since getting here) and puzzlement at some of our choices (why, for instance, did we remember to pack our iron, but leave behind the ironing board?). There is amazement at how many towels we own (about 28 at last count) and how few wine glasses: two incomplete sets of champagne flutes, a couple of half-pint glasses and some assorted white wine ones including one from the 2009 wine tasting festival, one from the ex-neighbours who have now moved to Sydney and one that a friend turned up with at the end of a particularly drunken Ball Night which stayed on in
There is also the sense of enormity at how much more storage space we need – how on earth did we fit it all into the previous house? And a sense of doom at having to go out and buy yet more heavy teakwood furniture. Oh for a good old-fashioned BILLY bookshelf. But most of all there is contentment. For the first time since we moved in, I have all my books around me. And my kitchen implements. The boys have their toys. And hubby has his favourite coffee mug. We’re home.
JIS COMMUNITY iNFOrMATION DAY Saturday 30 August 2014
Last Saturday saw the usual Community Information Day at the Jakarta International School (JIS). Organised by the PTA, it's a day designed to intoduce new familes to a wide range of services, sports, and cultural groups in and arund Jakarta. Elaine and Nell went along to represent the BWA and spoke to newcomers about us.
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A growing number of expats are moving their UK pensions out of Britain JA growing number of British expats in Indonesia and around the world are likely to “sever financial ties with the UK” should the British government introduce plans to make them pay tax on UK-earned income, forecasts the boss of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organisations. The prediction from Nigel Green, founder and chief executive of deVere Group, which has 80,000 mainly expatriate clients, comes as it is reported that Chancellor George Osborne is preparing to prevent non-residents from offsetting income generated in the UK against their £10,000 personal allowance. Under current rules, expats are able to offset income earned in Britain, such as income earned from renting out their properties, against the personal allowance. The measure, which has now been put out for consultation, was first mooted in the Budget in March and could affect up to an estimated 400,000 expatriates globally. Mr Green comments: “Historically, expats have maintained some UK investments due to the tax advantages they have received. However, should this new rule come into effect, it can be reasonably expected that more and more expats would consider severing financial ties with the UK as there would be fewer than ever incentives for them to keep a financial base in Britain. “If this latest benefit is scrapped, there would be, typically, no real tax advantage for expats to invest in UK property or UK pension schemes. “If expats restructure their finances offshore, as I strongly suspect many will to take advantage of the important associated benefits, they will probably look to cut all what the Treasury is calling ‘strong economic connections’ to the UK - and this, for many, will include transferring their pensions out of Britain. “As such, and because expat pensioners are those who would suffer the biggest hit from the proposed changes, there is likely to be a significant uptick in the already strong demand for HMRC-recognised Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes, or QROPS.” Amongst other major benefits, QROPS give the expat greater tax efficiency, investment flexibility and a choice of currency in which the pension is paid out. Established by HMRC in April 2006, there has been a steady year-on-year increase in demand for QROPS. Currently around 10,000 expats, or those who are imminently planning to reside overseas, move their pensions each year. Another factor that will, according to Nigel Green, drive more and more expats in Indonesia to move their pensions out of the UK and into a QROPS is the proposed scrapping of higher-rate tax relief on UK pensions. His comments follow mounting speculation that after the
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next general election, this tax benefit will be cut - whichever political party takes power. All three of the main partieshave hinted in the last few months that there would be significant changes to, or abandonment of, the higher-rate tax relief. It is widely assumed this would come into effect soon after the election. Mr Green adds: “The removal of the higher-rate tax relief would be widely perceived as a punishment for those who have the ‘audacity’ to have aspired, worked-hard and been successful.” The deVere Group CEO concludes: “It is our experience that people are increasingly aware that the UK government sees pensions as ‘easy targets’ for raids when it needs to bolster its coffers. They are aware too of the UK’s burgeoning pensions crisis, plus the fact that there are fewer than ever incentives - such as some age-related benefits and the proposed plans to prevent non-residents from offsetting income generated in the UK against their £10,000 personal allowance - to keep retirement funds in the UK. “As such, should the higher-rate tax relief be cut, I suspect it will be the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ for many individuals with British pensions who will then look to transfer their pensions out of the UK and into an HMRCrecognised QROPS in a secure, tax efficient jurisdiction – and out of reach of the British taxman.” If you’re an expat with a UK pension, now would be an ideal time to explore the options open to you for moving your pension away from the UK’s ever-changing tax regime. When considering QROPS, it is highly recommended that advice is sought from an independent financial adviser with the relevant cross-border expertise and experience. Mistakes with retirement planning can be extremely costly on many levels, for the individual and their families, and often incredibly difficult to overcome – so specialist advice in this area of personal finance is important. deVere Indonesia, which has offices in Jakarta and in Bali is part of deVere Group. deVere Group is one of the world’s largest independent advisers of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-networth clients. It has a network of 70 offices across the world, more than 1,200 staff, over 80,000 clients and $10bn under advisement. PT deVere Indonesia ALAMANDA TOWER 22th floor, unit A Jl TB Simatupang Kav. 23-24 Cilandak Barat, Jakarta Selatan 12430 Indonesia Phone: +62 21 2966 0388 Email : nick.marshall@devere-group.com Website : www.devere-group.com
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
THE BENEFITS OF YOGA
What is Yoga?
One definition of modern Yoga can be “a (committed) practice to synchronise body, breath, and mind so that all work together as one.” Yoga started developing in India as early as 2000-5000 years ago. But early yoga was very different and not as physical as it is now. Gathered from historical texts so far, the emphasis on physical exercise is quite new, only within the last few centuries.
Various Types of Yoga
(Note: These are simplifications. To know more about each style, try out their basic classes.) Hatha Yoga: Slower pace, longer hold on poses. More accessible for beginners. Ashtanga Yoga: Fixed flowing sequence. Great for self practice and discipline. Hot Yoga and Bikram Yoga: In a hot room. Great to sweat and increase flexibility. Iyengar Yoga: Uses props (ropes, pillows, blocks). Often used for therapy. Yin Yoga: Slow and meditative. Good for relaxing and flexibility. Vinyasa Yoga: Fast and moving. Great for sweat and cardiovascular work. …and many others.
What makes Yoga different from other forms of exercise?
Yoga has an emphasis on breathing and awareness, aside from physical exertion. There is an equal emphasis on strength vs flexibility, muscle toning vs joint opening(think of it as weightlifting combined with ballet). The emphasis is also on both good postural habits (holding poses) and movement habits (transitional poses).The main purpose of the exercise is for health instead of being a game to win or a performance for aesthetics.
Benefits of Yoga
Mind: Learn how to focus, calm down, and to be present with the body. Example: paying attention to sensations and feeling in the body. Breathing: Learn how to breathe better and continuously in stressful situation. Example: not holding breath during difficult poses. Muscles: Toning, strengthening, balancing. Joints: Opening, exercising, flexibility.
What can Yoga Help With?
Breathing problems: Asthma, short breath, etc. Sleeping problems: Insomnia. Joint problems: Arthritis, stiff joints, etc. Postural / Structural problems: Backpain, hunching, long hours at the desk, etc. Muscle problems: Weakness, soreness, imbalance, etc. Circulatory problems including healthy bowel movements.
What Yoga Can’t Do
Yoga is not a Miracle Exercise It cannot radically change structure or make you lose weight in a week. It must be practiced continuously It must be done properly – otherwise, just like all exercises, it can lead to injury It has counter indications It does not substitute medical treatment or diagnosis (though in fact, Yoga works well with medical science). For example, Yoga cannot magically fix scoliosis, but it can teach someone how to alleviate the challenges that come with scoliosis. BUT DONE WITH PROPER INSTRUCTION, YOGA WILL CERTAINLY: Tone and strengthen your body. Improve your overall health and posture. Alleviate discomfort, reduce stress. Energise and improve your mood. Relax and calm you Rudolf Parma
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FEATURE
One fine day at the
Snake Market... A Photo-Essay by Jessica Goveia Where in the world could you wander down the road only to find someone cooking up a snake? Jakarta, of course!
Yes it is what it looks like: a traditional medicin e shop seling snake and monitor lizard sate!
The snake lady obligingly drains a snake of its blood and starts to take off its skin... 14
FEATURE "This is hard work, our Bambang - come and give us a hand!! and you'd better not forget to save the snake blood..."
Chopping the snake, removing the entrails and cooking it all up...
One final drizzle of kecap manis and...snake sate!
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RECIPES
"I'll have a
Ever since the Earl of Sandwich decided that he couldn’t be bothered to stop playing card for a meal, sandwiches have been the great as sugar sandwiches, chip butties or crisp sandwiches. If you’re bored with the usual, though, here are a few ideas to try. They're not sp
wraps Simple to make and fairly mess-free, all wraps need a combination of five things: The Wrap itself: Use flour tortillas, chappatis, or roti pratas. For weight loss or gluten-free diets, you can also omit the starch and use Romaine or iceberg lettuce The protein: Use cold meats like chicken breast, ham, turkey, beef, salami, etc. Fish such as tuna can also be used, Cheese (optional): Adding cheese is a good way to make it extra tasty. You can use good old-fashioned cheddar or go a bit fancier with parmesan, feta, mozzarella, goats cheese or even Kraft’s finest slices. Veggies: Sneak some vegetables in with chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced green onions or grated carrot. Or mix it up with olives, pickled gherkins, or even herbs like basil and coriander leaves. Condiments: You probably don’t need much guidance here – just use whatever your child (or you) likes best – tomato ketchup, mustard, cream cheese, pesto or even salad dressing. Lay out your tortilla on a flat surface. Spread out your ingredients, but make sure you don’t overfill, as it will be hard to roll. Fold up the bottom of the wrap, then roll it horizontally into a tight roll (it will have one closed and one open end). Wrap your wrap in clingfilm or kitchen foil to secure it, sealing both ends. And that’s it! Ty experimenting with various combinations, to see which ones you like.
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angry bird nest If you’ve got the patience (or a creative helper in the kitchen) this sandwich is a good one for children’s parties, or something to tempt a fussy eater. It’s got healthy veggies AND looks like one of their favourite characters! 2 slices wholemeal bread 1 slice white bread filling of choice cheese discs (for the eyes) green beans (also eyes) carrot pieces (beak) 2 grape tomatoes (feet) 1 tbsp cream cheese as ‘glue’ Cut thorough all three slices of bread with a large cutter. Remove one wholemeal round and use the same cutter to chop through the remaining two slices into unequal halves. You will only use the larger part of the second wholemeal round, and the smaller part of the white (this is a tiny bit wasteful with the bread, but you can turn the rest into breadcrumbs). Save two small bits of crust for later Spread the whole round of wholemeal with your desired filling – cheese, ham, tomato, cream cheese, etc. Place the (larger) cut wholemeal piece at the top of the disc and the (smaller) white cut section at the bottom to form the mouth/beak region (see picture) Using cream cheese, glue the crusts on as eyebrows, the cheese discs plus green bean slices for eyes and the carrot pieces for the beak. Line a plate (or lunch box) with sprouts form a nest. Place the Angry Bird sandwich over nest and finish with two grape tomatoes for feet. (would anyone like to design a Minecraft sandwich???)
RECIPES
an earl"
t British staple, whether the usual favourites of egg and cress, cheese and Branston or more exotic versions such pecifically recipes, though: more a set of guidlines to follow if you're feeling like a quick but tasty snack.
Toasties How to make the perfect toastie is the subject of much contention. Do you butter the toastie maker or the bread? Or both? Do you leave the crists on or cut them off? With a little bit of help from Parmin, our resident toastiemaker extraordinaire, here are our tips on the perfect toastie along with some suggested filings. The bread: can be white, brown or wholemeal, but it does need to be normal sliced bread. The fillings: The fillings need to be things that taste better when hot. For example, salami, roast beef, chicken. Hot mayonnaise is not my favourite, so I tend to avoid this. Some sort of cheese is always a plus, since it results in a nice, gooey, stuck-together sandwich. The sandwich maker: using a toastie-maker is the best method, though it is of course possible to use substitutes if you haven’t got one; a grilling plate or even a frying pan. Once you’ve chosen your fillings, assemble your sandwich (without any butter on the inside). Preheat the toastie maker (for about 5 minutes). Butter the outside of your sandwich (both sides). Whether you cut off your crusts or not depends on how large your slices are; if they fit well into the toastie maker, then don’t bother. If they overspill, then cut them off to make the sandwich smaller and get a nice seal. Place the sandwich in the machine, press down, and wait. It’s better to use moderate heat for a longer time rather than try to have it on high. Check after about 7-10 minutes – once the sandwich is golden brown on the outside, it’s ready! Suggested fillings: • Mozarella, Tomato and basil
• Smoked Gouda and Roasted Red peppers (granted, you don’t need to turn on your over just for a toastie, but this is a good one if you happened to have some leftovers from another dish). • Grilled vegetables and goats cheese • Halapeno peppers, Mushrooms and Cheese (any sort, though montrerey is best)
pinwheel sandwiches These sandwiches are traditionally made with fewer filings, and are often sweet. Possible toppings include: peanut butter, jam, Nutella, cream cheese, ham or chicken slices, chocolate sprinkles or hundreds and thousands (alright, you probably wouldn’t want your child to have the last two every single day). You can use tortillas for these, but it’s also easy enough to make using normal sliced bread. Cut the crusts off two slices of bread (either white or brown). Lay the slices of bread on a flat surface, one slightly overlapping the other. Using a rolling pin, lightly flatten the bread. If you prefer, you may dampen the overlap between the two slices to make sure they stick together. Spread the bread with the filing of your choice, making sure that the slices stay overlapped. Now roll the slices up width-wise (ie to make a short, fat roll). You can use toothpicks to keep the sandwich together. Cut through the roll at regular intervals, making sure each segment has its own toothpick to hold it in place.
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FEATURE BOOK REVIEWS
How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position
By Tabish Khair
Ok, so although I will never judge a book by its cover, I can cheerfully confess that I purchased this little gem on the sole basis of its title! How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position is not, however, some kind of twisted literary marital aid, but an engaging, amusing insight into the lives of three Pakistanis, living in Denmark. The two main protagonists are the narrator- a young, Muslim lecturer at the nearby university of Aarhus- and his Hindu pal, Ravi. Both are fairly lax in terms of their religious observance, with their main priorities being drinking to excess and the pursuit of the fairer sex. Stuck for a cheap place to live in the town, they move in with Karim, a very conservative, fundamentalist Muslim who just about tolerates their drinking while also trying to persuade Ravi to join his Quran reading circle. This novella deftly covers a number of relevant themes. Taking place shortly after an unspecified major incident in Denmark, it addresses the generalisations and suspicions levelled at all three by their host society, while also implying quite heavily that in Karim's case at least, suspicions may be well founded. The annoyance of generalisation comes up during some of their interactions with Danish women. They both agree that most Danish women won't go near an Asian guy but then the minority that do, do so on the basis that he is Asian. Irritated by the implicit racism of both points of view, they search for those rare souls who look beyond the skin colour. In the present political climate, it's not always easy for someone not fully "of" one culture to criticise that culture without inciting a defensive reaction. Tabish Khair does a great job of poking both Danish and Pakistani mores while maintaining an affection for both. Full of humour and ready both to poke fun at and critique the shortcomings inherent in both Western and Muslim culture, this very short novel is well worth a go. Try it- it's only 200 pages! Richard Chubb
The FAULT IN OUR STARS
By John Green
I seem to read a lot of Young Adult books. This is ironic, since I was a precocious reader and spent a large part of my child-and teenagehood reading books that were deemed too old for me (family lore has it that I first attempted Lady Chatterley's lover at the ripe old age of eight and a quarter). However if, like me, you spend a large part of your time 'pre-reading' books for your somewhat older children, then you'll know that there is a lot to like in YA fiction, and this book is a fairly good example of the genre. It’s a standard boy-meets-girl story with a difference: they are both cancer survivors and the scene of their first meeting is quite funny (in a church basement which is described by one character as the ‘literal’ heart of Jesus). He says to the support group that he fears oblivion and she retorts that they are all dead anyway. We’re given a look at what it is like to be a young person with cancer, whether it’s Hazel with her lungs, Gus with his amputated leg of Isaac with his blindness. What I found particularly touching was Hazel’s fear of being a ‘grenade’ – ie, something that will eventually blow up, causing death and destruction to her loved ones around her. Despite her fear of hurting Gus, the two begin a relationship. How it ends (badly, of course) I will leave it to you to find out As with all over-hyped books, it is important to manage your expectations; I didn't laugh out loud, or cry, or feel desolate when I'd finished. What I did think was that this was a well written book, not mawkish and avoiding any overt sentimentalism. Soma Mitra-Chubb
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NEWS
WEIRD & WONDERFUL NEWS Gigantic fart machine built A wacky inventor has today succeeded in sending a farting noise over the Channel to France... from a giant pair of buttocks in Kent! Colin Furze, a plumber and inventor from Stamford, Lincolnshire, has built the biggest fart machine ever (Ed: are there small fart machines?) which he used to fart at the French. The zany inventor brought a bizarre 16ft-high farting machine to The Warren, near Folkestone in mid-July. The machine is a giant pulse jet engine – as used in Nazi V-1 bombs during the Second World War – that creates a plume of fire to go along with its deafening roar. It was housed in a pair of specially constructed buttocks and fired off one evening. Furze’s own stated aim was to “make a noise in England that is heard in France,” and by all accounts, he succeeded. We have no idea if there were people lined up on the beach at the other end, but reportedly, the sound was heard – by “at least two people in Pas-de-Calais”. Furze's previous homemade inventions include a pair of pneumatic 'Wolverine' claws, magnetic 'Magneto' shoes, hand-mounted 'Pyro' flame-throwers (all inspired by the X-Men films), a 50 mph baby pram, and a fire-spurting mobility scooter.
Woman finds 5,000 WASPS in spare bedroom If you have spheksophobia then look away now… A woman opened the door to her rarely-used guest room to get the shock of her life when she saw a giant wasps’ nest on the bed.The estimated 5,000 insects had created a whopper of a home by chewing through bedding - including a blanket and pillow. The whopping nest covered the single bed - and went deep inside the mattress. Pest-control expert John Birkett, who was called to tackle the massive mound of stinging bugs, reckoned he's never seen anything like it in more than four decades on the job. He said: "In 45 years I have never seen anything like it.” The owner lives alone in her five-bedroom house in the St Cross area of the town, and had not been in the spare room for several months, before her son opened the door and discovered the massive nest.
Panda accused of faking pregnancy for benefits Last week, experts at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre waited with nervous anticipation as six-year-old Ai Hin, a panda who had exhibited signs of pregnancy for two months. But the centre realized she actually had a "phantom pregnancy," Wu Kongju, an expert at the Centre, told Chinese news agency Xinhua that pandas suspected of being pregnant at the breeding centre were given their own air-conditioned rooms, round-the-clock attention, and other ‘enrichment programmes.’ They also receive more buns, fruits and bamboo, and other tidbits. According to the expert, pandas with phantom pregnancies sometimes notice the nicer set-up that comes with initial signs of pregnancy and carry on with the charade. “Some clever pandas have used this to their advantage to improve their quality of life,” he said. Just another case of benefit fraud, then
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NEWS Gold diggers with a difference
Michael Sailstorfer a UK artist has created a gold rush by burying thousands of pounds worth of gold on a beach. The artist says that he has hidden 30 bars of 24-carat gold, worth £10,000, under the sand of Outer Harbour beach in Folkestone, Kent. People are being encouraged to search the beach after low tide and can keep any gold that they find. The bars are around the size of a dog tag, and worth up to £500 each. Rachel Kinchin, which is curating the project, said around 500 people had turned up so far, and described the response as "amazing". She said: “Some people are getting a bit frustrated at not finding anything but it's a lot of fun." There have been only four reports of poeple finding gold so far, but it is early days yet. Ms Kinchin said there is no time frame for when the hunt will end, and added it was possible some of the gold might never be found. The project by Berlin-based Mr Sailstorfer is called Folkestone Digs and is part of the town's triennial, which runs from August 30 to November 2
Bristol workmen manage to misspell 'Bus' Workmen have managed to misspell the word 'bus' during roadworks. "Bup stop" was painted on to the road surface in Bristol in large yellow lettering at the end of last week, with the stencilled letter P used instead of S. The mistake was made in the Old Market area of the city centre. It is by no means the first time spelling mistakes have been painted on the road. Residents of Northamptonshire were treated to a sign telling them to 'Keep Celar', with workmen managing to misspell 'clear'. In another case, the road sign painters painted SHOOL, leaving out the ‘C.’ A spokesman from Northamptonshire County Council said at the time: "This was simply down to human error. We realised the mistake on the same day the road was painted, and an engineer went out to repaint the word correctly within about an hour." The gaffe has now been turned into an advertisement for a well-known UK chain of opticians. Their ads feature, quite simply, a photograph of the ‘Bup Stop’ along with their catchphrase: “Should've gone to Specsavers.”
‘COUPLE TRY TO SNEAK INOT HOSPITAL WITH 'FAKE BABIES' A couple carrying dolls wrapped and swaddled like newborn babies were found trying to sneak into the maternity ward of a northern California hospital. The couple and their “babies” made two attempts to get past security and into the family birth centre of a hospital in the area. What makes this story bizarre is the lengths to which the couple went to pretend they had The woman, who has been identified as Tonya Whitney Boehs, was wearing hospital scrubs (a uniform worn by nurses) in an apparent attempt to blend in. Both intruders also handled the dolls as though they were real, pretending to change their nappies. They tried to slip in past electronically controlled doors to the Maternity Ward. However, staff at the hospital grew suspicious since the woman’s outfit did not match the hospital’s own uniforms and alerted security guards. However Boehs claimed that she was simply marketing the dolls (which she makes) as therapy or training tools for hospital staff. Her response to being questioned about wearing the scrubs was, “Well I’ve gained weight in the last couple months and that’s basically all I had that fit.” (She should’ve come to Share the Joy.)
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TRAVEL
Discovering Lombok – Horses, Villages and Local Culture
Discovering Lombok by horseback is exciting and adventurous. It’s a physical adventure and puts you in touch with rural life, pristine nature and thespectacular southern coastline beaches. Not only do you have the perfect white sandy beaches of Seger, Serenting and Tanjung Aan, but you can also venture into the forest and acquaint yourself with the local Sasak villages. Horse Riding Adventure My horse instinctively cut to the left and I found myself entering a cool, dark, forest trail. I was in Sasak country, South Lombok, and soon the forest cleared and I was riding alongside a rice field with the rice stalks brushing the bottom of my chaps. This was a first for me, discovering that rice grows not only on terraced hillsidesbut also can be cultivated and grown deep in the forest. I continued on the trail and then came to a grove of tall coconut trees. The canopy provided an umbrella of shady relief and then, by some prescriptive magic, I was crossing a picture-perfect
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cool mountain stream. My fine four-legged friend provided a welcome spray of hoof- shower droplets, which lightly sprinkled me as I rode. Riding in South Lombok is a refreshing experience in nature. My previous riding experience has only extended to horse arenas in cities, which is great grounding in learning the skills required to handle a horse and grasp the technique of that somewhat awkward grace of trotting. But experiencing a trail-ride takes horse riding to another level. The opportunity to be riding through nature, observing the stillness of the trees, falling into the mesmerising gentle rhythm of the horse and being at one with this magnificent animal, is a truly profound experience. Soon, we came upon a Sasak village. There was a pretty exciting vibe in this small traditional village as wedding preparations were taking place. The women were busy making offerings and the young girls were dressed in their best lace and finery. I asked one of the elders when the wedding was going to start.
TRAVEL “Oh, we do not know, really. Sometime in the afternoon, or maybe later this evening. Sometimes a bride and her groom can take a very long time to get ready. We don’t mind waiting.” She said this with a huge warm smile which spread across her time honoured, weathered face. As she sat perched on a small concrete block, adorned in her fine garb, I noticed her feet. She had one blue rubber sandal and one faded red sandal. So, just like a fairy godmother, I fixed this in a second. Hanging behind her on the warung wall,I spied a pair of forest green plastic sandals, which I felt would complete her outfit perfectly. For about $2.50 I made the best investment of my life. In return for my purchase the broadest smile spread across her face and she squeezed my horsesweaty hands in her weathered worker’s hands and said, “Terima Kasih, Ibu” and with that, I continued on my journey, very happy to have brightened up the old lady’s day, deep in the forests of Lombok. The next part of our three-hour horse trek led us out of the forest and onto the beach. The beaches of South Lombok are protected from development and are totally pristine. Tanjung Aan beach sweeps around the southern peninsular of Lombok to reveal a picture perfect blue lagoon. The chalky white sand and the crystal clear waters cradle the horseshoe shaped bay, juxtaposed by two vivid green grassy hills at either end. These two verdant apple-green hills looked to me like perfect golf greens. As I approached the grassy knoll for a better view of this spectacular beach, I was delighted to find a natural stone staircase leading to the top. My love of horses increased ten-fold when I discovered the next highlight of my unique riding adventure. The horses were led into the blue, azure waters and de-saddled. I had been told beforehand to bring my swimmers but I did not know I was going to bathe and swim with the horses. I was delighted. My gorgeous jet black horse, named ‘Blackie’, allowed me to slip onto her back, and swim with her at chest height in the water. The feel of her silky fine fur and water soaked skin was heavenly. I really felt at one with this mighty animal as I hung onto her mane for balance and for the first time in my life, rode bareback. What a feeling! I was so excited, as were my other riding companions and there was plenty of hoopla and outbursts of laughter (of delight), as together, we experienced this most unusual sensation, heightened by the fact that we were so close and able to be so tactile with our own horse. Our guide encouraged us to jump off the back and slip on again and play games in the water. The horses loved it and I was told by Eka, our guide,that when children have this horse bathing experience it is something quite special to watch - the way the horses and the children relate. In fact, one feels instantly childlike when playing in the water with 23
a horse. We were not rushed at any point to go back to the beach and head on home. Everything was so relaxed and so easy and I could have stayed for hours. Added to the fun and frolicking, the coolness of the water was a welcome relief. We had ridden for three hours in 30-degree heat. The soothing relief and benefit of the welcomed water therapy was just the right remedy for my aching, sore muscles. You rarely use your leg muscles in the way you do when horse-riding, so no matter how fit you are, it is hard to prepare fitness-wise for horseriding. To be able to get into the salt water and soak after a long ride was justthe right tonic. A beautiful tea service was waiting back at Eudaimon Villas, served in fine bone china teacups and the rest of the afternoon was spent admiring the dramatic ocean views from the spacious teak terrace. Eudaimon is a hilltop hideaway haven where you get to enjoy an extensive wine selection and dine on fine French food, Indonesian fare or try the fresh seafood catch of the day, all prepared at your own time schedule in liaison with your villa cook. If you are a lover of music, books and movies you will find everything available from French music to Bali Lounge, an array of massive art books scattered throughout the villa and a collection of over two hundred movie titles. As dusk settled around this perfect evening I contemplated my next Year of the Horse honouring and pondered the next days riding adventure which offered a full one-day riding tour, with a relaxing gourmet picnic lunch on the beach. Kuta, Lombok is a secret spot tucked away in Sasak country and horsing around is one of the best ways to discover the beauty of this area. Story by Stephanie Brookes – Travel Writer Photos by David Metcalf – Photographer
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5/2/2014 3:09:24 PM
BWA ANNUAL PINK GOLF TEXAS SCRAMBLE Wednesday 8 October 2014 at Matoa Nasional Golf Course Semi Shotgun start at 8.30am lots of prizes! crazy cocktail cart! come along and have a play- have a fun day out while raising money for a charitable cause (All funds raised support the BWA and its charities
To register and for more information please email golf@bwajakarta.org with your Golf Index or Matoa Handicap (If you don't know, please list your gross score for the last three games played.) If registering as a team please give the team name and captain. If you haven't got a team, sign up anyway and we'll help you find one!
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TRAVEL
Japan a family holiday
(Part 2)
Hakone It’s the non-Tokyo segment of our trip and we travel by the Shinkansen (bullet train) to the nearby resort of Hakone. Hakone is a part of a national park fewer than 100km from Tokyo. It has hot springs, a lake, views of Mount Fuji and is a popular resort with both international and Japanese tourists. It also, for some reason has a rather convoluted (but fun) way of getting around. Known loosely as ‘the circuit’ or ‘the loop’ this is essentially a way of circumnavigating the entire area on as many different forms of transportation as possible: train, bus, monorail, cable car, and even a pirate ship! You can do the entire circuit in one go, but at each interchange there are sights to see – open air museums, craft shops, walks in the woods, temples, a volcano, a fort, and numerous others, so it makes more sense to spread this over at least 2 days. We booked a hotel in the middle of the circuit – a delightful ryokkan in Moto-Hakone, right by the lake, and spent a whole three days wandering round. It was a good antidote to Tokyo, with no rushing around; just some desultory travelling (the boys loved the pirate ship), walks by the lake watching the fishermen and long soaks in the hot springs.
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Top tips for Hakone: Get a 2- or 3-day Hakkone freepass before you reach Hakone; it will let you board every single ride in the loop, as well as allow you to return to Odawara to catch your ongoing bullet train. It’s much cheaper than the individual price of each trip, and we did some twice! Eat at least one meal (ideally, dinner) at Bakery & Table, a restaurant in Moto-Hakone. The chef was trained in France, and does the most amazing cordon bleu food – not what we were expecting in the middle of a sleepy Japanese resort! (Bakery & Table, 9-1 Motohakone Goten, Hakone-machi www.bthjapan.com) On your way back, don’t be tempted to take the bus to Odawara instead of the train. We did, and nearly missed our connection! Kyoto Travelling on from Hakone, we arrive at Kyoto. It’s back to city living now, and we are on a mission: how many temples can we see in three days? (answer – only as many as your children will let you) There are more temples in Kyoto than you could shake any number of sticks at. Thankfully, they also have a tourist bus system which, while still a public bus, takes you to most of the tourist sites while avoiding the traffic at the centre of the city.
TRAVEL Over two days, we managed to see: Nishi Honganji & Higashi Honganji: a pair of east west facing temples which are huge Kinkaku-ji Temple (Golden Pavilion): one of the most iconic and therefore the most crowded Ginkaku-ji Temple (Silver Pavilion): less crowded, has a zen garden Honen-in: a lovely quiet temple away from the crowds Heian Jingu: the main draw were the lovely gardens, with rare species of plants as well as fish and turtles. Kiomizu-dera – another tourist staple, set high up in Fushimi Inari: a little out of Kyoto, famous for its rows and rows of ‘red gates.’ It’s a 4.5km walk in all, so be warned! We didn’t see either the Imperial Palace or Nijo Castle, since this was the pint at which the boys rebelled and refused to do any more temples. (We also inexplicably forgot all about the bamboo forest, another popular draw.) Thankfully, we did go to the International Mangga Museum, where the boys could browse the largest collection of comics (there were English ones as well) as well as get themselves drawn as mangga cartoons! Kyoto was much quieter than Tokyo (as befits an ex-capital) and some of our best moments were spent simply walking by the river, wandering down side streets, shopping in the ever-present 100 yen shops (where everything costs 108 yen) and exploring various eateries. Food is surprisingly easy in Japan, and it’s not all noodles! Over the past week or so we have eaten yakitori, sushi and raisu kare (curry with rice) along with pizza, paella, and galettes. The one time we did have noodles, we chose udon with ham and cream sauce –which ended up being suspiciously like pasta carbonara. Food is great in Japan. (The other great thing is the loos: clean, high tech and best of all, I haven't seen a single sign telling me to "make the little water only," because the flushes aren't up to the job!) Nara Nara is our final stop before we head back to
Tokyo for the long haul back, and we’re pretty tired. (Note to self – next time, stick to a 8 day holiday) It’s another ryokkan for us here, this one having the distinction of not actually having any English speaking staff. Still, we’ve been in Japan long enough that this doesn’t present a problem, and our limited store of ‘konnichiwa’ and ‘arrigato’ along with the tactic of simply using English words suffixed by ‘u’ seems to do the trick. Once we’re checked in, we head off to the (what else?) temples. On the way there, we are entranced by the sight of deer roaming freely on the street. The deer are venerated by the residents, who regard them as heavenly animals, protecting the city and the country . Along the way to the temples there are stands selling deer food, and of course we promptly buy a pack. Big mistake: in a few seconds, I am surrounded by greedy deer who surround me and stare at me fixedly, wanting their food. Worse still, when I’m too slow in handing it out, one decides to chivvy me along by grabbing my t-shirt with its teeth. Conscious that their antlers could, in fact, do me some serious damage, I hand out the rest in super quick time. Conclusion: obey the warnings and don’t feed the deer. Nara’s biggest draw is the Todaiji temple, the world’s largest wooden structure, constructed in 752AD as the head temple of all Buddhist provinces. Of all the temples we’ve seen, this is the most familiar, and the gigantic Buddha we find in it is similar to something you’d find in Malaysia or Thailand (albeit less shiny). Once we’re finished at the temple, we head back to our rooms to relax before the final leg of our journey. It’s all homeward bound from here on, as we retrace our steps back to Kyoto, then on to Tokyo. It’s the end of our Japanese adventure and as we wait at the airport we look through the camera to see that we were having so much fun, we forgot to take photographs (ironic for a trip to Japan). Luckily, even though we have only a few photographs, we’ve got a whole load of memories to take home with us of our trip to the land of the Rising Sun. Soma Mitra-Chubb
A note on Ryokkans Ryokkans are traditional Japanese style inns. large coffee table (and little else). In the evening, Though ryokkan vary, most offer you a single a maid comes and lays down mattresses with room which functions as living, dining and bedding and - hey presto! - your room is now a bedroom all in one. You are given special robes bedroom. They usually have onsen, or hot spring (yukatas) to wear while you’re in the hotel and baths, which some with their own set of rules, usually asked to switch your outdoor shoes for one of which is that swimsuits are not allowed. slippers. During the day, the room is set up with a Mercifully most onsen are segregated by gender.
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FAMILY
Keeping them amused
So you’ve just arrived in Jakarta and have already explored every single shopping mall over various weekends. There are precious few outdoor venues for children, so what on earth are you meant to do on weekends? For younger children, there are a plethora of indoor playgrounds such as Lollipops, Amazing World, Wowznia, et al. Finding fun activities for the slightly older ones, though, is more challenging. For those of you who have recently arrived, here are our top suggestions for what to do on a slow weekend.
Ice skating at Bintaro Exchange
Until now, the only year-round ice rink was at Taman Anggrek, too far away from most South Jakarta residents. Luckily, the recently opened skating rink at Bintaro exchange mall is much closer. BX Rink Bintaro Xchange Mall, Lt.UG No.3A Tel: 021 2986-4888
Horse Riding
There are a number of stables about an hour out of Jakarta, all well kept and child-friendly. Anantya Riding Club – the closest to Jakarta and also does hippotherapy for special needs children. Jl. Caringin, Desa Karanggan, Gunung Putri Bogor t: 021 8686 2450; www.anantyaridingclub.com Arthayasa Stables and Country Club– a bit harder to get to, but has nicer surroundings. They do pony rides for beginners and you get to stroll through the surrounding village. Blok Tengki, Grogol Kecamatan Limo-Cinere Depok t: 021 754 7024/5; www.arthayasa.com JPEC Sentul – also on the highway to Bogor; sadly, we haven’t been able to find anyone who actually goes there, but by all accounts it’s perfectly acceptable. Jl Trijaya No 23 Ciganjur t: 021 7888 0176
Escape Games
A bit of a new concept in Jakarta; it’s a sort of detective game where you are locked into a room and have to look for clues and solve problems to guess their way out of it. The games have names like ‘Murder in the
Bedroom’ and ‘Escape from Alcatraz;’ some games are reportedly set in the past. We haven’t been yet, but you can expect reviews in a forthcoming issue. Agent X Jalan Kemang Raya No72 (same row as Anomali Cafe) t: 021-71794090; www.facebook.com/agentxid Escape Hunt Kemang Shophouse 2nd Floor (opposite KFC Kemang), Jl Kemang Raya 15 t:021 7179 4600; www.jakarta.escapehunt.com
Skate Park
If you have children who skate, there’s a skate park in Taman Mini, which has a nice combination of easy slopes and harder ones for more experienced skaters. It’s best to go early on weekends, before it gets too busy – after 10am, all the hard core skaters are there, showing off their moves which, while fun to watch, cam make the park a tricky place for beginner skaters. Just next door, though, there is a roller skating track. Green Park Skate Park Taman Mini Indonesia Indah t: 021 8409214 Dunia Inline Skate t: 02190257282
Cycling
If you don’t live in a cycle-friendly area, and can get over the initial shock of having to load your bike into a car just to go for a ride, there are a few options. Again, early morning is better than later, when it gets a bit hot. Ragunan Zoo - Used for everything from running to cycling, walking to picnicking, if there was an award for “zoo least used as a zoo,” Ragunan would be the winner. However, we’re not complaining. It’s a good location to spread your legs and yes, there are animals to watch when you get tired! The entrance fee is so nominal, it’s even used as a short-cut for people coming in from the South. Senayan on Sundays - Jl Senayan and Jl Thamrin are car-free zones on Sundays from 6- 11am, Initially planned as a fortnightly occurrence, its immediate popularity meant that the scheme was extended to every week and each Sunday you can see Jakarta’s residents walking, cycling, jogging or even doing yoga along the 5 km stretch.
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ADVICE
Dear Anonymous Gillie is taking a well earned break and we hope to see her back soon. In her place, we’ve invited a guest agony aunt – who is an uncle! Dear Anonymous I’ve been trying to run a monthly magazine for years now. However, every month gets tougher as we’ve got no money and no Editorial team. What should I do? Well, to be honest, probably no one’s reading it anyway so you can pretty much do whatever you like. This seems to work quite well as a strategy for the Guardian anyway. I’d suggest you either copy paste some other magazine articles like you used to do or, if you really must have original content, just get a bored husband to pretend he’s an anonymous agony aunt. Dear Anonymous I’m really worried. I’ve been nominated to carry out the ALS ice bucket challenge. What is this and what should I do? Well you’ve several options, depending on who you are. If you’re not a personality, then you can either quietly pony up the cash or take the icy deluge safe in the knowledge that you’ll get at least a couple of likes on Facebook. If you’re a minor BBC celebrity from the 1980s, only good can come of the challenge. You get to remind people you exist, you get some positive publicity (increasingly rare among my 1980s telly heroes these days) and, best of all, you
get to nominate someone who really is famous and thereby cunningly imply that the two of you are best buddies. What’s not to like? Now if you’re actually famous, then you get to do what you like. You could go for the super holy dirty water approach or the uber cool usage of the ice to chill your scotch. Patrick Stewart I salute you! Dear Anonymous I recently ran for election as the next class president at school. Despite the fact that I handed out sweets to all my classmates, the other boy reckons he got more votes. I complained to the teacher but he’s having none of it. What is your advice? Oh for crying out loud, this feeble political analogy is as thin and amusing as wet loo roll. Next! Dear Anonymous I’ve really not been myself recently. I’m constantly tired, hair is falling out and worst of all my sex drive is zero. Should I start HRT or is the problem my husband? Soma? Is that you? I thought we were keeping this our little secret. We’ll talk about this later.
Your Grapevine needs you!
THINKING RELOCATION? THINK SANTA FE. “We make it easy”
St Fe
Are you a writer? Photographer? Perhaps just a bon viveur? The Grapevine needs contributors – if you have a story to tell, or would like to review a film, a book or a restaurant, get in touch! Or, if you simply like pootling round Jakarta taking photos, then we have a place for you. The Grapevine is always looking for interesting photographs for our cover.
Relocation
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Immigration
Santa Fe Relocation Services T: +62 21 2961 2990 F: +62 21 2961 2991 E: sales@santaferelo.co.id www.santaferelo.com 30
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Moving
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Real Estate
Articles can be as long or as short as you like; we run any number of words from 350 – 1200. If you are interested please write to: grapevine@bwajakarta.org
NOTICEBOARD INFORMATION FOR EXPATRIATES IN JAKARTA
http://www.expat.or.id
Young children? Want to know… Schools and sport Where can I buy? Keeping them busy
Fa m i l y G u i d e t o J a k a r t a is available as a book (great for the car) and now on the internet at http://www.familyguidetojakarta.web.id
THE EXPLORERS
YAYASAN WISMA CHESHIRE A Home in Cilandak, South Jakarta for 30 paraplegics of both sexes and any religion. Wisma Cheshire is part of the British worldwide Leonard Cheshire Disability organisation. VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED to help with Woodwork, Handicrafts, stock taking and admin. It need take no more than a few hours of your time each week and is rewarding and interesting work. Please contact: Petty Elliott 0816 922 099
at The Indonesian Heritage Society meet on Wednesdays for tours, talks, taking part in Indonesian daily activities. Join one of several groups who meet weekly, fortnightly or monthly Can’t make Wednesdays? Explorers also has a monthly Saturday group. Sessions start in September, February and June.
www.heritagejkt.org for more information
explorers@heritagejkt.org or call 021 2572 5870 The IHS is a non-profit organization offering the opportunity to learn more about cultural heritage of Indonesia.
What’s new? Latest business? Social & Sporting Events http://www.whatsnewjakarta.com
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CLASSIFIED THE LOYAL SOCIETIES
JAVA ST ANDREW SOCIETY www.javastandrewsociety.com ST DAVID’S SOCIETY janegllew@gmail.com ST GEORGE’S SOCIETY www.stgeorgesjakarta ST PATRICK’S SOCIETY www.stpatricksjakarta.org Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN)
JAAN works on Improving Animal Welfare in Indonesia through various Wildlife and Domestic Animal Protection, Rescue, Rehabilitation and Education Programs. If you’re interested in Adopting a stray dog or cat, Volunteering at the shelter, Sponsoring an Animal or making a Donation, please visit JAAN’s office at Kemang Timur 17A and/or website at www.Jakartaanimalaid.com. Thank you.
BWA SERVICES / FOR HIRE
Support BWA charities by renting the ’Geraldine Johnson Wheelchair’ Also available at the BWA House are a pair of Crutches. Contact BWA House or bwa@bwajakarta.org Baby travel cot for hire Rp50,000 donation per week or part of a week.
BABY EQUIPMENT HIRE: If you have house guests with babies or are new arrivals to Jakarta and awaiting your shipment, call Yayasan Belita Sehat - Asih at 7699812/7658023. Baby car seats (newborn - older toddler) This equipment is hired out on the understanding that the BWA bears no responsibility for the safety or otherwise of the equipment. SOCIAL WELFARE GROUP: If you’re leaving and want to get rid of odds and ends which threaten to overload your container, contact BWA Social Welfare. We can always find a home for items in good condition such as used towels and bedding, clothes (sorted into male/ female/adult/children), tinned or dried food, medicines, eyeglasses, hearing aids, toys, cleaning products, pots and pans and even old Christmas cards and foreign stamps. We will also be putting out a box at BWA for donations of shampoo, body lotions etc (from airline bags) Contact socialwelfare@bwajakarta.org, or any other member of The Social Welfare Group. We can direct your unwanted goods to people who really need them.
SEPTEMBER 2014 BWA activities monday : Bahasa Indonesia 9am (advanced) 10am (beginner) 11 am (intermediates) Tuesday : Coffee morning 9.30am Rusty Racquets Tennis 8am, Wednesday : Yoga 8.30am, Canasta 10.30am Thursday : Mah Jong 9.30am, Baby Group 9.30am Would you like to set up an activity? Contact chairwoman@bwajakarta.org
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Borneo, Orangutans & Wildlife Photo
Tour, Nov 10- 27. This tour starts with 5 days of Bali highlights and combines with 4 days in Borneo, with the orangutans. David Metcalf and award winning photographer, Mark Rayner offer photographic tuition, help with camera settings, offer expert guidance, combining unforgettable experiences and a photographic in-field workshop method that will improve your photographic skills. Read what others have to say on www. davidmetcalfphotography.com Next time you come to Bali join a half-day or full day photography day with David.Full details on website and other tours in December and 2015
Useful Numbers / Websites
BWA House British Embassy, Jakarta
0812 9880 3437 2356 5200
Emergency Numbers Police 110 Fire 113 Ambulance 118 / 119 Medical International SOS Jl Puri Sakti 10, Cipete
750 5973 (office) 750 6001 (24 hr emergencies)
Global Doctors Jl Kemang Raya 87, Kemang
719 4565 718 2029 (24 hr call centre)
Rumah Sakit Pondok Indah Jl Metro Duta Kav UE, Pondok Indah Metropolitan Medical Centre Jl HR Rasuna Said Kav C-21, Kuningan
765 7525 520 3435 (24 hrs)
Medic One Jl Prapanca Raya 6A, Jakarta 12160 Schools Australian International School British International School Jakarta International School Taxis Silver Bird/Blue Bird Travel Soekarno-Hatta International Airport www.jakartaairportonline.com
725 9111
717 90437 745 1670 769 2555 794 1234 550 5179
Information/Departures/Arrivals www.jakartaairportonline.com/flight-status-arrivals-departures Airlines Air Asia www.airasia.com Air France KLM www.airfrance.com British Airways www.britishairways.com Cathay Pacific www.cathaypacific.com Garuda www.garuda-indonesia.com Lufthansa www.lufthansa.com Qantas www.qantas.com Singapore Airways www.singaporeair.com Thai Airways www.thaiairways.com Turkish Airlines www.turkishairlines.com
Indonesian Yellow Pages
http://www.yellowpages.co.id/index.aspx
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