Owner: Jak Snaps URL:www.jaksnaps.blogspot.com Join Date: Sat, 05 Apr 2008 05:03:46 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Snippets of daily life in the huge and little-known Indonesian archipelago Site statistics:Click here
Praise be to age 2008-03-31 08:13:00 In Indonesia, as well as in many other parts of Asia, age is not viewed as a debilitating sickness that ought to make you seek refuge in some random retirement house among your peers. Much to the contrary: it is what gives you your rightful place in society. This TV ad from a cigarette company (ok... sorry for the source) is a funny example of this cultural bias. You don't need to understand anything except for their tag line "Not old yet. Not yet allowed to talk".
I'm having some problems with Blogger apparently, so you can also watch it here Read more:Praise
Visa on arrival 2008-03-24 22:38:00 Somewhere in Jakarta you'll find a frail old couple with broken hearts. Last Thursday, they were crushed by the mighty fist of the American law that forbids them to see their newly-wed daughter. She lives in the US with her Yankee husband, but her parents "are not qualified" to be granted a tourist visa and set foot onto the Land of the Free.A friend of mine witnessed the scene, while she was quietly waiting at the American embassy for her 7 o'clock interview in order to get her own visa. She is a thirty-something professional, fluent in 4 languages including English and French, with a decent salary (and therefore a healthy bank account to show the autorities), and, last but not least, an American friend who voucher for her - this damn Yankee she fell in love with. She expected a longuish Read more:arrival
Orangutan life 2008-03-16 04:46:00 Here is an audio bit mentionned in the earlier post, Man, Forest, Man of the Forest.You'll meet with Lone Nielsen, a blond Dane who lives in Central Kalimantan, in the Indonesian part of Borneo island, where she manages the orangutan rehabilitation center of a local NGO.We talked in the little forest that borders her camp; it's the playground of the baby orangutans that she cares for. If you listen with good earphones, you might feel like you're there with us, in the rain forest...
Battle of the Bumis 2008-03-10 15:35:00 Hate Thy Neighbor. Quite a universal rule, isn't it? Well, if you live in Indonesia, your neighbor is Malaysia. And boy! Do you hate them.It will hit you as soon as you arrive in the country, and it's all the weirder that both share more than a few commonalities. Most of the ethnic Malays from Malaysia migrated from the Indonesian archipelago some centuries ago, mostly from Sumatra and Sulawesi islands; so the language is very similar (just a few more differences than between American and British English), the cultural base pretty much the same, and the religion and customs, too. During the independence movement, there were even some people who were dreaming of creating a big Malay country that would join both of them (and some of today's radical Islamists are still hoping for it); they sa Read more:Battle
Just a bunch of normal people... 2008-03-02 02:55:00 I'm the kind of person who cannot help but look at those people
with fascinating jobs as semi-gods: the UN guy (or girl) that dedicates his life to bring Human Rights and Democracy to oppressed people, the NGO girl (or guy) who spends months in the armpit of the world treating people so that their kids will not die of the first diarrhea that crosses their paths... Well, in the world we're living in now you have to realize this is quite a naive attitude ;-) And it's not only because of the UN rape scandals or the plain stupidity of blindly dumb people (remember the Noah's Ark scandal? Those Frenchies who wanted to kidnap poor little African children on the generous - but false - premise that war left them orphans?). Some trips to East Timor made me realize that the semi-gods are just normal
Super-French cleaner 2008-03-02 02:33:00 My neighbour is the best cleaner
ever - and he is nothing less than an Italian-trained cleaner. So if you really need to get this filthy stain out of your couch, go Jalan Bangka Raya, in the South of Jakarta (remember, when you smooshed down the big cockroach that was innocently hanging out there... Those stuff's innards leave a musty odor. Just kidding). Anyway, I just love my cleaner's ad: he does it all. See? Dry Cleaning; laundry; and... wet cleaning technology. Weird... I've always thought the wet-cleaning technology was like that. Read more:French
, Super
Beware! Europe shivers!!!!! 2008-02-27 03:11:00 Well, that really have to make you giggle. Or actually laugh, really. Out loud. Holding your ribs. A teeny tiny minuscule little tremor that makes jelly jive a bit in England actually makes the headlines throughout the world. Bewaaare!!! The plates are dancing the tektonik! So strong it could actually induce ripples into Her Majesty's tea. Dear God. There are, in average, 1400 something earthquakes stronger than 5 on the Richter scale every year throughout the world. The one in Kent was 5.2 and it made some bricks fall on cars. May I remind you, dear reader, that the Richter is based on a logarithmic scale, which means that a magnitude 5 quake shakes the ground 10 times less than a magnitude 6, and it releases 32 times less energy. There was a quake a couple days ago in Sumatra, 7.2; I ta Read more:Beware
, Europe
Bathroom surprise 2008-02-25 15:50:00 You already had a previous post about the teeming life of an Indonesian household. Here is another one of our crawling guests. Cute, huh?
That's Third World, man... 2008-02-25 05:16:00 Living in a developing country brings some surprises. One of them is these filthy rich people.No joke, when you go to Kem Chicks, a high end supermarket that sells items for expats in Jakarta (big choices of peanut butter, whole turkeys come Thanksgiving...), you actually have the choice between several types of outfits for your large house staff. Sometimes when you go to the restaurant you can also see rich people's kids in the corner, tended by their nannies while Mum and Dad enjoy care-free time with their friends. Life's sweet. Not always for the nanny.Jakarta hotel shows kids how to make their own beds JAKARTA, Feb 24 (Reuters Life!) - In a country where the rich rely heavily on servants to perform the most mundane household chores, being able to make one's own bed is something of a n Read more:Third World
, World
Erratum modificatorum 2008-02-18 04:45:00 They did it! They corrected their grammatical mistake! The "visit Indonesia 2008" campaign has now for a slogan "Celebrating 100 years of national awakening" (see previous post). Still amazingly sexy and that makes you want to come and visit, but at least now it does make sense. Kinda. And if you're interested in this fascinating subject, here is a blog about it. Enjoy...
An old boy's dream house 2008-02-17 05:39:00 Isn't that funky? That's a villa we rented with friends for a 4 days week end (Happy Chinese New Year!) in a village around Pelabuhan Ratu.Pelabuhan Ratu is a fishermen's town in the South coast of Java, well known for a late magical lady whose special power was to enlarge the manly attributes of any disgruntled macho. It is a mere 150 or so kilometers from the capital, which amounts to a 5 hours road trip when you have to face the week end traffic of Jakartans who want to escape the city, on a winding road dotted with local markets. Ah, life will be so sweet when Java will have toll roads everywhere...Here's a view from the Pelabuhan Ratu bay. The currents and waves are very strong here, which makes for good surfing. Beware though; it is dangerous to wander around the beach wearing green.
A whole other league 2008-02-03 19:58:00 There are only two things you can politely complain in public about the country: corruption, and macet. Those are so engrained in Jakartan daily life that it is in lesson 2 of my book “Teach yourself bahasa indonesia” – just after the standard “Hello my name is” – that I learned how to say: Maaf saya terlambat. Saya terjebak macet (sorry to be late, I was stuck in traffic).In Jakarta, we don’t have traffic jams. We have macet (pronounce “matchet”). It’s just not the same thing. When you’re stuck in traffic, your finger taps the wheel wondering if you’ll make it home on time for the opening of American Idol or if the potatoes will already be cold. When you’re stuck in macet, you don’t know if you’ll make it home for dinner or breakfast.In my experience, there a
Man, Forest, Man of the Forest 2008-02-01 23:30:00 Orang outang: literally, that means “Man of the forest” (Orang Hutan). You can find them only in the island of Sumatra and Borneo, which is divided between Malaysia and Indonesia; the Indonesian part is called Kalimantan.The local people of Kalimantan are called the Dayak. Solenn went to a Dayak village along a river. A wedding was in preparation, so food was served to the guest and a man was singing traditional songs.We went there during the Lebaran, which is the holidays following the fasting month; pretty much the equivalent of Christmas. Solenn went first in order to report about deforestation there which is going at an amazing speed. Here is a little extract of a piece she wrote.“You’re going to Borneo”. I immediately picture myself clinging onto a sweat-drenched machette, Read more:Forest
Bunaken (you have to go there!) 2008-02-01 22:43:00 Some pics of our holidays in Bunaken, North Sulawesi.Just a 3 hours flight from Jakarta, you find a Mecca (ha!) of diving. We are in the Coral Triangle, an area that spreads from the Northern Philippines to Bali on the West, up to Papua and the Solomon Islands in the East. Here, you find about 600 types of coral, which is 75% of all the known species on the planet. There is no other place with the biggest marine biodiversity, and Bunaken is just in the middle of it. Amazing!Surprisingly, the island, albeit well known to divers from all over the world, is far from being a resort area. There is no road, therefore no cars (a couple years ago the people started purchasing motorbike that are used as taxis). At its maximum, the island can have 300 tourists, so it’s far from crowded.The village
Rent to kill 2008-02-01 22:07:00 He’s back. I heard him against last night : a dull “thump” just above my head as I was quietly reading in bed. That could have been a thief (Indonesians rarely come in football player size), but I knew this was just our free boarder, the luwak.You could say luwak is a decently small animal, but the first time we heard about its existence we asked a waitress at our local pub what is its name in English. She had to consult some of her friends and came back with the answer : “That’s a wolf”. What??? A wolf living in our roof?????? Turns out, it is more like a racoon, and we find them everywhere in Jakarta.Now we just have to find a way of getting rid of him. Again. We’ve tried though : hiring an exterminator company (“rent to kill”, how cute a name) that charged us a ridicul
In the name of intellectual honesty 2008-04-05 05:10:00 Yesterday there was a demonstration in Jakarta – one more. A few hundred of students from the main universities gathered in front of the Constitutional Court, singing and chanting “Allahu Akbar” ("God is the greatest"). Well, what do you think? A bunch of bearded extremists whose sabers tingled with the desire to shed some of my Western blood? Think again.Those kids were just protesting against the film Fitna that they judge insulting to their religion. (Just in case you’ve missed the news reports, Fitna is a Qu’ran-bashing documentary recently released by the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, whose main claim to glory is to have given racism a place in his national Parliament). They were sporting banners claiming “Islam is not fear”, “Islam = Love” or “If you take pieces
My Asian Heart 2008-04-11 22:22:00 Don't despair about the press; there still are some great people out there such as freelance photographer Philip Blenkinsop featured in this documentary, My AsianHeart
.Preview.
Zip up, ladies! 2008-04-13 05:07:00 A local administration in East Java has recently come up with an idea of such brilliance that it forces you to sit back in awe when confronted with this genious. I think all the righteous fighters for good morality ought to intern for a while with this Enstein of behavioral science who gave birth to such a revolutionary concept.Fact nb 1: prostitution is evil.Fact nb 2: women are not much better.Fact nb 3: the old tradition of massage can lead to funny business.Fact nb 4: men can't resist temptation.Solution: all masseuses in massage parlours have to wear a padlock on the zipper of their pants (or their skirts, for this matter, although I am still wondering how that would work).Yes, it's a new regulation that was passed recently. Apparently, according to some reports, the cashier in the ma Read more:ladies
Noah's rain 2008-04-19 21:21:00 When the rain arrives in Jakarta, and you want to judge how bad it's gonna get, one trick: look at the shoes of the jagas (the guards for parking lots, private houses, office buildings, you name it, everybody has one). If they've changed their boots for flip flops, be careful. It means business. Because there is one thing you need to know: when rain sounds like that, it is futile to try to fight against the mightiness of the monsoon. You'll be wet alright, might as well save your shoes. Another example. See this nice scene of a bunch of happy young people playing volleyball on the beach? On the right side, it's the same beach with a little bit of a cloud in the distance (sorry, the picture is pretty bad but you might still have an idea of what I'm talking about). Well, when you see this, j
Hot, hot flame 2008-04-22 04:51:00 Today a historical event took place in Indonesia: for the first time ever, the country was a stop in the world relay of the Olympic Torch.However, thanks to the quite relaxed atmosphere of the upcoming Games, the event was held under tight security. Only 5 000 carefully selected persons (a lot of them children) were invited to attend the ceremony. It took place in the confines of Jakarta's main stadium that's protected by high gates plus a few thousands extra policemen who were making sure all was smooth.But still, the atmosphere was very much Indonesian style: laid-back.This is one of the police corps, by the way. Read more:flame
Gotcha, golden pooper! 2008-05-05 21:13:00 Well, that's it. Our unwanted, noisy and, as I discovered today, amazingly stinky guest we already introduced you to, is finally gone. After four months, the pest control company has managed to get to him. Cute, you think? Not that much, because apparently over years its pee could have seeped through our roof (i.e. his home) and delicately perfume our bedroom just below.We could have chosen not to get rid of him though, and instead feed him ripe coffee beans, then brew the most expensive drink in the world. Forget about gold and bauxite, oil and nickel, coal and tin, and get acquainted with the newest high valued Indonesian commodity: cat poo. More precisely, the dejection of this little wild cat, the civet (called « luwak » here) after he went on the rampage on the coffee fields of the
Watch your snores 2008-05-07 06:10:00 Gone are the good old times... Sitting at the Parliament and other official gatherings is not what it used to anymore. Oh!!!!!!.... Sigh. Bapak Presiden, who goes by the great name of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (such a delicacy for a foreigner's ears, isn't it?) is getting tough and not tolerating a good old nap anymore, as reporter Desy Nurhayati tells us today in the Jakarta Post."National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) chief Paskah Suzetta learned a lot from the embarrassing incident at the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) last month, when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono paused during his speech to rouse a regional official who had apparently dozed off. The President went so far as to ask the Institute not to pass the official for failing to live up to his leadership st
You blog, you pay 2008-05-14 21:23:00 A blogger is facing prison. Well, this may not seem as super new news, except that he is not Chinese, or Burmese (do they even have blogs?); he's Malaysian.The blogging community there is very lively, and their situation very special. You see, in the great Malaysian "democracy" the press, TV, radio etc is under a very tight leash; I was there during their elections last March, and reading the news
Fresh weed ahead 2008-05-24 21:47:00 Welcome to Nusa Lembongan! It is a small island off the coast of Bali, where we spent a couple days recently. People mainly come here for surfing (great waves, just off the beach, attract a crowd of cool guys from Australia) and the amazing diving. The water here is very cold because it is located on a deep strait; therefore the strong currents bring to the surface a crowd of cool creatures from Read more:ahead
Gorgeous underwater pix 2008-05-30 03:13:00 You might have noticed through this or that previous post that we are avid amateur divers. Indonesia is the place to enjoy this "sport" (as far as I know, this is the only "sport" where the aim is to move and exert oneself as little as possible). We've heard people rave about the clear waters of the Red Sea, or about beautiful Maldives; sure, they must have their strengths, but Indonesia is, scien Read more:underwater
Good Food City 2008-06-07 21:33:00 I don't know if it's just a god-sent hasard, but I met in the last few days 3 people who admitted that the crazy city of Jakarta has transformed one of their long- favorite pastime into a real obsession: eating. Turns out, it's also one of my passions... and perhaps the most fulfilling (filling) actitity you can indulge in in the Indonesian capital.This was pretty surprising for me at first, becau
A step closer to the gods 2008-07-22 05:05:00 The picture below is of Mount Merapi. One of the most active volcanoes on Earth, it towers 3000 meters above the city of Jogjakarta, the cultural capital of Java. Its last eruption was in 1994: it spewed a little bit of lava, a little bit of hot gases - enough to burn alive 43 people who were too slow to flee its wrath. As we're on nerdy holidays in Jogja, we decided to climb it.The Mount Merapi Read more:closer
The best dish on Earth 2008-07-13 05:24:00 This is a picture we took from the menu of a fast-food restaurant of the international airport of Incheon in Seoul, South Korea. Just in case the photo is too small for you to read, the name of the dish is: "Marsh snail Soup to Chase a Hangover".I don't know how to even begin commenting on how funny this is. A "hangover chasing" soup? In plain display in an international airport (how often do you Read more:Earth
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