Archive for March, 2008
“April Mop” History
It’s that silly day again today where pranksters in their thousands play practical jokes on other people in the western world - April Fools Day. Two of the best pranksters I know of are Sean and Chris of BootsnAll Travel Company. Over the years, they have ‘April Fooled’ thousands of travellers and all in a harmless manner and in good fun. I even tried it once [only once!] on my Indonesian wife, Candika. After receiving a mouthful of verbiage in about three different languages and a slap on the arm to finish, my April Fool’s Day jokes were no more. Although little of this jocularity is practised in South-East Asia and of course in Indonesia, they do have a special name for it – April Mop.
Date: March 31st, 2008 |
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Bali International Fashion Week
I have never been one for fashion and much prefer to buy what feels comfortable and durable. It always amazes me how certain people in society just have to have the latest fashions even if the style only lasts a couple of months!. But, that’s a matter of lifestyle choice. I have better things to spend my money on, like travelling. Last year, Bali played host to the first Bali International Fashion Week at the Sheraton Nusa Dua Convention Center in the Nusa Dua Holiday Resort. Good news for all you fashionistas, Bali will be …
Date: March 30th, 2008 |
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Sumatran Tiger Population Depleted: Sumatra
The population of the Sumatran Tiger (Phantera Tigris Sumaterae) in the Kerinci Seblat National Park (TNKS) has continued to decline, a foreign nature conservation worker said. The tiger population in the park now was only 136, down from 150 spotted in 2007, coordinator for Sumatra of Flora Fauna International (FFI), Debby Martin, said in a report on the results of her research. Hunting and land clearing had become the main threat to the rare animals population. The research was conducted by FFI in coordination with the TNKS administration and some universities in a Sumatran Tigers` …
Date: March 30th, 2008 |
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Indonesians in Focus: Fikar W. Eda
“Berbilah-bilah rencong/dengan sarung dan tangkai berkilap/tak lupa kami selipkan/pertanda /martabat/dan keagungan/betapa pedih hati kami/dari Jakarta/kalian hujamkan mata rencong itu/tepat di jantung kami” (Blades of rencong/with their shiny sheaths and handles/we do not forget to put on/as a sign/of dignity and greatness/how our hearts bleed/from Jakarta/you stab the rencong/right into our hearts.) The poem is among Acehnese poet Fikar W. Eda’s favorites and he regularly reads it at events across the country. Aside from “Rencong”, Fikar is noted for other works like “Seperti Belanda” (Like the Dutch, 1996), which dwells on the “greed” of Jakarta. Both “Seperti Belanda” and “Rencong” point out the sadness felt by many Acehenese for what they see as the unjust and arbitrary treatment of the Indonesian government. Aceh experienced almost three decades of bloody conflict which ended only when the government signed a peace deal with the Free Aceh Movement rebels.
Date: March 27th, 2008 |
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DEEP Indonesia 2008
Continuing the success of the previous show, DEEP Indonesia 2008 will be held at a bigger and more prestigious venue, the Jakarta Convention Center, from 28th to 30th March 2008. With 3,000sqm of prime exhibition space, DEEP Indonesia 2008 is the opportunity to promote Diving, Adventure Travel and Water Sports to Jakarta’s new lifestyle. Exhibiting in Jakarta, home to more than 9 million people, has proven the perfect platform for promoting your business to a passionate community of diving and marine lovers.
Date: March 26th, 2008 |
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Batak Mythology
I am always delighted to see starlit skies. Indonesians are blessed because our country is positioned in such a way we can enjoy a clear night sky. Every night we can enjoy the complexity of the cosmos’s ecosystem and the brilliant array of the starry equatorial sky. I often sit on the roof and submit to the ocean of crystal, fire and diamonds. It all seems to shimmer and peace fills my soul.
Date: March 31st, 2008 |
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Updated List of Embassies: Jakarta, West Java
Whenever you are in a spot of trouble on your holidays in Indonesia and in need of an embassy or consulate, then it really is essential you make a note of where the places are for your home country, or, you might need passport assistance. A majority of these embassies and consulates can only be found in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. Here is an updated list.
Date: March 30th, 2008 |
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News in Brief – Week Ending 30/03/08
Hardline Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has likened tourists to “worms, snakes, maggots” and called for signs to be placed in Muslim areas warning them to dress modestly. This was in reference to the resort island of Bali and was quoted as saying ‘those infidel tourists. They are naked’. Geez, I sure did miss a lot on my last visit. I’m going to have to clean my glasses!. Oh well, freedom of expression and freedom of the press in a democracy is great, to a certain extent. My dear grandma used to say that silver tongues are often laced with arsenic. On to the subject of food. Yes, the food that nourishes our bodies. It seems that not much food will be nourishing the bodies of Indonesians if the price of food keeps going higher. Of course the government cops the blame for this because of their inability to control the economy. The spiralling prices of foodstuffs since early this year had burdened the poor, giving rise to the emergence of food-related problems such as malnutrition, and worst still, starvation.
Date: March 29th, 2008 |
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Conserving Culture: Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara
A picture not only tells a thousand words for the people of Lamalera, a village in Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara. It also serves as a tool to preserve their ancestral heritage and the environment from which they earn their living. In the eastern part of Indonesia, where the fruits of national development are rarely seen, culture and environment are all the people have.
Date: March 27th, 2008 |
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The Museum of National History Now a Hotspot: Jakarta, West Java
The Museum of National History at the base of the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta will have free wireless Internet access and four laptops for public use starting in April. The museum’s head of technical operations Rafael Nadapdap said the free Internet access was aimed at attracting more visitors, local and international. The service is sponsored by the city’s Cultural and Museum Agency and national telecommunications provider PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom). Visitors will be able to use their laptops or Internet-compatible cell phones to access the Internet for free within 100 meters of the museum as quoted by …
Date: March 26th, 2008 |
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