Post #293

   Gentlefolk,

This post describes our main activities during the period 25 July to 31 August 2025.

The contents of this post are in the following sequence:

Photos of our activities during the period 25 July to 31 August 2025.

News items which caught my eye in this period. 

Highlights

Our travel to Sydney and Indonesia, as per the following itinerary. Main purpose was to attend the Simadibrata Family Reunion near Bogor. 

This was our first big overseas trip since Vera's falls last year - she managed OK, which was great.

Vera & Alex Olah travel in July / August 2025

Itinerary: Nirimba - Sunshine Coast Airport - Sydney - Bali – Lombok – Bali - Bandung – Puncak/Bogor  – Jakarta – Yogyakarta - Bali – Sydney – Sunshine Coast Airport – Nirimba

 

Date	Travel	Accommodation
24 July	Nirimba to Sydney by JQ787	Bondi Junction
28 July	Sydney to Bali JQ37	Jayakarta Resort, Legian
31 July	Bali to Lombok IW1848	Howard at Tropik Resort
3 August	Lombok – Bali – Jakarta - Bandung	Andre & Iis (Vera’s brother)
8 August	Bandung – Puncak/Ciawi (by car)	Family reunion; Jambuluwuk Resort
10 August	Puncak – Jakarta (by car)	Swiss-BelHotel, Kuningan
12 August	Jakarta- Yogyakarta (by train)	From Gambir to Yogya; Neo Hotel
16 August	Yogya – Bali JT3560	Jayakarta Resort, Legian
21 August	Bali – Sydney JQ40	Paul & Niniek at Breakfast Point
24 August	Sydney – Sunshine Coast Airport JQ788	Home sweet home.

 

Sydney 24-28 July 2025 (to say goodbye to Andrew & family who are moving to London).

On 25 July we attended a function at Reddie's Sydney showroom. Pak Gatot and 2 craftsmen from the factory in Jepara (Central Java) were here to install the fitout at a Synagogue, and put on a demonstration of preparing old teak for use in new furniture. 

Over 100 guests came for drinks and demonstration at the Reddie Showroom, in Crown Street, Surry Hills; mainly young designers and architects.

Caroline (cutting the cake) & Andrew with Reddie staff Olivia, Kimberley, and Cassandra celebrating Reddie's Sustainability Certification.  The company has come a long way in just 7 years.

We watched Eddie play soccer (he is obsessed, and talented!). It was a cold morning in Sydney (it was the middle of winter, after all!).

Watching Eddie play soccer, I was all rugged up in a parker and scarf - it was a cold morning in Castle Hill, Sydney.

The sun came out in the afternoon, and the wind dropped, so Vera & I went to Bondi Beach. We love this area - always fun - we probably won't come here too often when Andrew & family move to London.

Some people were playing beach - volleyball. I used to play when we were posted in Rio de Janeiro - good fun.

Watching Eddie play indoor soccer - full on, hectic pace.

Jay had one of her classmates to a sleep-over.

The next morning Jay played Netball.

I took a bus from Bondi Junction to Circular Quay, always a favourite spot.  It will probably be a while before we visit Sydney again, now that Andrew & Caz & kids are moving to London.

Doing upgrade at the Opera House.

The iconic Sydney Opera House.

View of the Harbour Bridge.

City outline behind Circular Quay.

I chatted with this guy - originally from Vietnam came to Australia 40 years ago, now retired. He thinks Aussies are too insular and should enjoy life more. What a character!

Saying goodbye to Andrew, before heading out to Sydney Airport for our flight to Bali.

Selfie-time. The background is Eastgate Plaza Bondi Junction, near their house.

Our Jetstar flight left Sydney at 4.30pm; we arrived at 9.30pm Bali time. and got to the Jayakarta Hotel at about 11pm.

Bali was our first stop in Indonesia (3 nights)

We came back to Bali for 5 nights at the end - will not duplicate photos.

We stayed at the Jayakarta Resort Hotel in Legian. It's a bit old and tired, but a great location just across from the beach, and reasonably priced (A$115 per day, including breakfast).

Warning signs: no Durian fruit (very smelly), no drugs, and no outside food and drinks.

Nice swimming pools at the Jayakarta Hotel. Legian Beach is just the other side of the pools, very convenient. 

The Jayakarta is an older-style resort, with lovely spacious gardens. It is well locate, near the border of Legian and Seminyak. 

We enjoyed a hearty breakfast next to the pool every morning.

Other residents sat outside, next to the other pool, for breakfast.

We had a number of meals at "Warung Murah" on Jalan Double Six. Authenitic and yummy Indonesian food, at a good price.

Bali has lots of Tattoo Parlours (many Aussies get tatts here - much cheaper than at home), massage parlours (who goes there?), and money changers (very convenient).

We always went to the beach for sunset - busy, never boring.

A new bar "Vitamin Sea" was opening on Legian Beach. I met the owner and we had a brief chat. The owner has a deaf daughter, so he invited this group of Balinese dancers - they were great - the interesting thing was that they were all hearing impaired - how can they hear the music???

An Aussie couple got married on the beach. Sunset ceremony with friends.

We walked down to Kuta Beach. When we first came here in 1972, Kuta was just starting up.

Many young people learning to surf.

We were shocked to see the erosion on parts of Kuta Beach. There is not much beach left at high time. The local Govt has reinforced sections with bags full of sand,

Another reinforced section of Kuta Beach. 

We had lunch at the Beach Walk Mall, half way down Kuta beach.

Stop #2: Lombok, to visit Howard (3 nights)

Our friend Howard Eakins sold his house in Sydney and is building a Villa in the Tropik Resort in Selong Belanak, Lombok (the island next to Bali). We were keen to see his new lifestyle.

Howard and me. We first met in Jakarta in 1972; Howard was representing an Australian Engineering Consulting firm, and I was in the Trade Section of the Aussie Embassy.

Nice Sempiak Beach at Selong Belanak was popular.

Sempiak Beach is about 2 km from Howard's place. Lots of young people learning to surf. Good small waves.

Some Moslem girls enjoying the beach.

And lots of Westerners, mainly from Europe.

Lunch under cover at the Restaurant. There are also lots of warungs along the beach.

Saying goodbye to Howard and his son, David (visiting from Melbourne).

Stop #3: We flew from Lombok back to Bali, then to Jakarta. Iis met us at Jakarta Airport and we drove to Bandung (5 Nights in Bandung).

Long queues at Bali Airport. So many locals visit Bali these days. Last time we were able to fly direct from Bali to Bandung, but that serivce was terminated 3 weeks ago.

Coffee & cake at Braga Permai (established in 1923), with Andre and Iis. We like Bandung's Old City area.

Street art at Braga.

A craftsman selling his puppets on the street in Braga.

Vera & me with her brothers Frans and Andre. Andre and Iis hosted a family get together in Bandung.

We dropped Ita and Iis off at the High Speed Train terminal (called the Whoosh). Bandung/Padalarang to Halim (100 km) in 30 minutes!!! It was designed and built be Chinese - proving popular and working well.

Andre showed us the attractive Orchid Forest resort area at Lembang.

Big trees.

Orchids galore.  These were for sale for A$18.

Anyone for chess, with "local" pieces? 
There were a number of special attractions, including a suspension bridge

Saying goodbye to Iis, Andre and Fauzan, always nice to stay with them in Bandung. Fauzan finished his Medical (Hospital administration) degree last year, but hasn't found a suitable position yet. He announced plans to marry in December - so we might be back in Bandung sooner than expected???

Andre's staff Lucy and Aziz and their cute daughter. Servants are inexpensive in Indonesia, so middle-class families all have them.

Stop #4: Family reunion in Ciawi/Puncak, near Bogor (2 nights)

We stopped at the Puncak Pass Hotel, for old times sake. We always used to stop here for a meal or a drink when we were at Puncak.

Lovely view from the balcony of the Puncak Pass Hotel.

The Simadibrata Family reunion was held at the Jambuluwuk Resort near Bogor, about 70kms south of Jakarta. We occupied about half the Resort's accommodation (Villas). The drve from BAndung is only about 100km, but it took over 3 hours. The roads are pretty narrow and busy.  There were lots of trucks which slowed things down. We weren't doing too badly but got caught in a bad traffic jam about 2 kms from our resort destination, so the last 2 km took about 20 minutes. 

Felix with Samuel, who was the main organiser this time. He did a great job.

Vera & me with our passes for the 5th Simadibrata Family Reunion.

About 130 attended the 5th Simadibrata Family Reunion. Most came from Jakarta and Bandung, others from Surabaya and Jogjakarta. Some came from overseas: Australia, USA, Malaysia.

Old timers: Maggie & Yoop (Sydney) and Hoatje and David (Jakarta)

Wearing our new T-shirts.

More group photos.

Games were fun.

"Paper" Fashion parade.

More photos.

Vera and her brother Frans (he has had many health issues).

Vera with Tience (Frans' wife) and Yanti (Gary's wife).

Stop #5: Two nights in Jakarta (The Big Durian)

Ita arranged for us to stay at the Swiss-BelHotel in Kuningan. We had lunch at Sarinah in Thamrin.

Ita and Lulu at lunch.

Vera's brother Albert.

Albert and I took the MRT to Blok M and back.

Two huge buildings are being erected on the site of the former Australian Embassy at 15 Jalan Thamrin. That's where I worked when I was posted to the Trade Section of the Embassy in 1972. Later the Embassy moved to Jalan Rasuna Said in Kuningan (I would in that building in 1994 during a short term assignment to Austrade Jakarta). That site was bombed in September 2004 (following the Bali bombings two years earlier in which 88 Aussies died) and a new Embassy was subsequently built, also in Kuningan.

Family dinner at Senayan Sate & Seafood in Kuningan - delicious.

Stop #6: By train Jakarta to Yogyakarta (4 nights there).

Gambir Train Station in Jakarta.

The train was quite comfortable. took 6 hours to reach Jogjakarta. Cost A$65 pp.  Unfortunately the day was overcast so views were restricted.  We spent time in the restaurant car. Maximum speed was 150k/h, average speed around 95k/h.

Arrival at Jogja Station. We had booked to stay in the Neo Hotel, Jalan Pasar Kembang, about 200 metres from the railway station. The hotel was OK, nothing special, but in a good location.

Map of Jogja. Jalan Malioboro is the main Street - always lots happening, we enjoyed spending time there. Very different atmosphere to Jakarta, much more "grass roots".
The City's name is spelt Yogyakarta or Jogjakarta - bit odd, but both acceptable. 

We visited the Sultan's Palace, thje administrative and cultural hub of Jogja. Puppet show at the Sultan's Palace.

Gamelan. The music here was very laid back.

Spent some time at Jogja's biggest market Pasar Beringharjo. I have never seen so much batik !!

Inside Pasar Beringharjo: wall- to- wall batik (and there are many shops on Jalan Malioboro as well)..

Inside Pasar Beringharjo: wall-to-wall batik (and there are many shops on Jalan Malioboro as well). Vera bought batik tablecloths for back home.

Transport in Jogja was by motorised becak, bajay (like a tuk tuk in Thailand), horse carts, and shared motorbike rides. We took the local bus several times.

Taking a local bus along Malioboro Avenue. Cost was A$35cents a ride. I was surprised that the buses were not crowded - probably because there are other, also inexpensive, options.

Thsi couple were posing ofr a picture. Not many people ride bicycles these days in Indonesia - motorbikes are much more popular.

We went to a cafe overlooking Malioboro. Ceaseless movement of traffic and people.
Got chatting to a man, Ouda Eno. Turned that he is a lecturer in the English language faculty at Sanata Dharma University, where Vera studied in the 1960s. He even knew a couple of her teachers, now long retired. Interesting guy. His hobby is photography and he comes to this cafe frequently to record street activity. 

We saw many people playing chess on Malioboro. We really enjoyed walking up and down this street - so busy, so much always going on. Fascinating. The street is closed to vehicular traffic from 6 - 9pm every day, when it becomes a pedestrian plaza. 

I went to a local hairdresser - cost A$4 - she did a good job.

We spent time in Hamzah Batik, a large renowned local shop. Many buildings had red & white decorations as it was just before National Day (17 August). This was the 80th anniversary of the declaration of independence from the Dutch on 17 August 1945. But the Dutch did not give up easily, and 4 years of hard war followed, before they finally left in 1949.

A Javanese band and singer performed in front of Hamzah Batik. Hamzah is a great supporter of Javanese culture .

The inside of part of Hamzah Batik. It was 8.30pm at night, and the store was crowded!!!

We bought tickets for the Reminton Cabaret on the 3rd floor of Hamzah Batik. 

The Cabaret show was a mix of performers. We thought it might be more traditional.

We visited the Vredeburg Museum at the top of Malioboro. Many good dioramas of the struggle for independence.

Soon after Sukarno & Hatta declared independence, the Dutch military returned and the revolutionaries moved their headquarters from Jakarta to Joga. The Sultan welcomed them and gave them every support. The fight went on for a hard 4 years. 

The Australian Labor Govt led by PM Ben Chifley supported Indonesia's quest for independence, and sponsored them at the United Nations. This photo shows President Sukarno meeting with Tom Critchley from the Extenal Affairs Department in Jogja in December 1948. Mr Critchley was later Australia's ambassador to Indonesia.

One day we hired a car and driver and visited 3 areas: Borobudur, Mt Merapi, and Prambanan.

There has been a huge effort to improve the visitor access to both Borobudur and Prambanan Temples.

There 20 in our group to tour Borobudur Hindu Temple. People from Korea, Japan, China, Europe and Australia. A good guide was provided. 

In front of the Borobudur Buddhist Temple. Raffles discovered the ruins in 1815. I first visited Jogja and Borobudur in 1972 - they have done a lot of restoration work since then. The cost of entry for foreigners then was very little, now is about A$50.

 

One of the stupas has been opened up.

From Borobudur we went to Mount Merapi, an active volcano near Jogja. There hae been 5 eruptions in the last 20 years.  I did a "jeep safari" of the area.

This is called The Alien Rock - it was deposited here, about 7 km from the top of the crater, during the 2022 eruption. Must have been one hellva blast!

This house was destroyed by ash during the 2022 eruption. It has been converted into a museum, with pictures of the eruptions.

From Mt Merapi we visited Prambana Hindu Temple.
We arrived at 3.30pm, so only had about an hour to inspect the extensive site (entry charge A$40 pp).

We were a bit dsappointed in Prambanan - not much had changed since our last visit in 2019. At least you could see some progress at Borobudur, but little here. And the facilities for visitors were very basic (eg no hand rails for steps). 
A famous Ramayana dance show is held at night at Prambanan during the dry season (we saw it 20 years ago). We should have stayed, but were feeling tired after a long day, so we went back to Jogja.

Stop #7: Flew from Yogya to Bali (5 nights there).

Jogja's new international airport is about 40km from the city. As our hotel was close to the station, we took the direct train.
The flight to Bali was on time. We got a taxi and arrived at the Jayakarta Hotel at around 5pm.
Niniek and Paul had arrived from Jakarta the previous day, so we had dinner with them.

We  stayed at the Jayakarta Hotel again.

Vera in front of our room.

Dinner with Niniek and Paul at the Sands Restaurant at Kumala Pantai Hotel.

We met the singer, Tigor Sihombing. Fascinating voice.

Vera & I hired a car and driver for half a day to visit the Tanah Lot Temple, about 22km from Legian. The drive in the morning took about an hour, not too bad.  But coming back, around midday, took much longer. The traffic around Canggu is terrible. The streets are all narrow and congested. 

We had not been to Tanah Lot for about 15 years. It's more organised now, with entry charges and parking lots. I remember that the last 10 kms or so were just rice fields. But that has changed. The road is now lined with shops and houses and many rice fields are being taken over by Villas and Hotels. 

There is actually not that much to see at this Hindu Temple. It's a popular spot, particularly during sunset (when traffic and parking is very busy). We got chatting to a couple of tourists, a man and his son. Turned out they were from Galle in Sri Lanka - nice city, we were there 2 months ago! 

We spent some time in Sanur with Paul and Niniek, including at the Bali Hyatt where they have stayed several times. It is a beautiful hotel with extensive and lovely gardens.

The beach in front of the Hyatt at Sanur.  At low tide you can almost walk out to the reef. We stayed at Sanur previously - it is certainly quieter and relaxing  - but generally we prefer the energy and beach around Legian.  

We drove past the big new International Medical Centre and Hospital at Sanur. Impressive. 

We all decided to fly back to Sydney on the Jetstar daytime flight. It left Bali at midday and arrived in Sydney at about 8pm (Sydney time). You get back to OZ feeling much better than the usual overnight flights. Paul had left his car at the Airport, so we got to their lovely apartment at Breakfast Point around 9.30pm. 

Stop #8: Bali to Sydney (3 nights with Niniek & Paul).

We stayed with Niniek and Paul for 3 nights, before flying back to Sunshine Coast Airport. We didn't do much, just took things easy. The weather was much cooler than Indonesia, with some rain. I went for a couple of walks along the river. 

We had lunch at the Sydney Rowing Club at Abbotsford. 

Niniek and Vera on the balcony of their apartment at Breakfast Point. They did major renovations and the apartment is very nice now. On Sunday 24 August 2025 we flew back to the Sunshine Coast. And so ended our busy month away.  It was nice to sleep in our own beds again.

......

Books I read in the last month.

A bit of light holiday reading!

Odd story about elephants.

Polished author.

This was my favourite - Police in Edinburgh, raw.

......

News items which caught my eye in the period August 2025.

($ are US dollars unless otherwise shown)

Global	UK: Trump’s “private trip” to Scotland, to open another golf course, became opportunity for meetings with Europeans. Formula 1: Belgian GP won by Oscar Piastri, then Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. Tour de France: winner Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia), then Joans Vingegaard and Florian Lipowitz. Palestine: 255 MP in British Parliament (incl 147 Labour) called on Govt to recognize Palestine. PM Starmer said it would happen at the UNGA in September. Australia will also follow. Thailand/Cambodia: agree to a cease fire. Thailand: The Constitutional Court said that PM Paetongtorn Shinawatra (38) had violated ethics and should stand down. This is the 5th time a PM has been dismissed by the Court. Italy: will proceed with building a 3.7km bridge to Sicily. Pakistan: floods kill 330+. OECD: The average fiscal deficit in the OECD as a share of GDP is now 4.6%, up from 2.9% in the four years before Covid. Developed nations borrowed and spent heavily during Covid – no one knew what was coming. India: PM Modi will visit China next week. Canada: GDP growth fell in Q2, due to the economic uncertainties caused by Trump’s tariffs. Indonesia: Widespread anti-govt demonstrations.
Israel – Hamas & Hezbollah & Iran	Netanyahu proposed renewed fighting and the full occupation of Gaza. Five Al Jazeera journalists killed in IDF strike in Gaza. The IDF hit the Nasser Hospital in Gaza, 22 killed including 5 journalists. Netanyahu admitted it was a mistake.  The number of journalists killed in Gaza is close to 250. Total deaths in Gaza now approaching 65,000 mainly women and children.
Russian invasion of Ukraine	Trump met with Putin in Alaska. Then Zelensky and European leaders came to Washington. Trump is trying to arrange a meeting between Russia and Ukraine.
USA	Trump announced trade deals with several countries. Imports from the EU will attract 15% tariff. Imports from ASEAN countries will pay 19%. Countries with trade deficits with the USA (like Australia) will attract 10%. Trump said imports from India will attract 25% tariff (but electronics and pharmaceuticals excluded), to be increased by another 25% because India buys oil from Russia. Similarly imports from Brazil will attract 50% because of the treatment of Bolsonaro. The USA Court of Appeals found by 7-4 that Trump exceeded his authority with his reciprocal tariffs. The case will now go to the Supreme Court. Trump claimed that the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act gave him the authority to impose tariffs when he declared a national emergency caused by trade deficits. Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for “bias”. Trump released a letter terminating Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook; she is contesting his authority to fire her. Trump has wanted the Fed to reduce interest rates, but without success so far. Trump met with Putin in Alaska, and then in DC with Zelensky and European leaders. Texas proceeding with gerrymandering to create more Republican-leaning seats; California threatens to follow suit. RFK terminates $500M funding for mRNA vaccines. Trump said CEO of Intel, Lip Bu Tan, should resign; later met with Tan and changed his mind. Intel offered 10% share to US Govt. Nvidia and AMD agreed to pay the US Govt 15% of revenue from chip sales to China. Trump proclaimed a “crime wave” in DC; took over the DC police and activated the National Guard. He wants to get rid of the homeless. US immigrants will be stripped of status if found ot be “anti-American” or “antisemitic”. An Appeals Court overturned as "excessive" the Feb 2024 $464M fine on Trump for overstating his worth. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce (both 37) announced their engagement. She is a famous singer, he is a tight end for the Chiefs (NFL). Imports of packages worth under $800 have not attracted import duties since 1938 under the ‘de minimus’ system. That ceased on 29 August. Last year 1.4 Billion packages (worth an estimated $64B) entered the USA under this system.
Australia	The British & Irish Lions won the second test against the Wallabies, lost the 3rd test but won the series. Singer Col Joye died aged 89. Mitsubishi awarded contract to build the next generation of Australian Navy ships. Economic reform round-table in Canberra. Qantas fined $90M for sacking 1,800 ground staff (outsourced work) during Covid. Dezi Freeman, a self-declared “Sovereign Citizen” in Porepunkah Victoria, shot dead two policemen and injured a third when they tried to serve a summons to him. ASIO determined that Iran was behind some of the antisemitic attacks and the Australian Govt expelled the Iranian Ambassador and staff. The Canberra Raiders became NRL Minor Premiers when they beat Wests 24 - 10 on 30 August; first time in more than 30 years! Can they go the whole way???

 

 ......

Summary:

Looking back as I compile this blog post, we did a lot during our month away.

In Sydney we said goodbye to Andrew and Caroline and kids. They have now moved to London (a few hiccups along the way), to see if they can develop the market for their furniture in the UK and Europe.

Our 3 weeks in Indonesia went well, no major dramas. Bali is always nice (despite the traffic!). It was good to see Andre & Iis, Ita & Fauzan in Bandung - Fauzan is planning to get married in December, so we may be up there again soon!. 

The Simadibrata Family Reunion near Bogor was fun - always nice to catch up with extended family. Albert and Elly came with Audy and Wangga, and Gary & Janti looked after Frans and Tience. 

Indonesia as a whole seems to be going OK, although the widespread anti-Govt demonstrations this weekend suggest that there is a lot of tension under the surface. Let's hope those demos don't spread (history shows that they can quickly turn anti-Chinese).

Our flights, Jetstar and Lion, all went pretty well. One of our suitcases lost a wheel on the Bali to Jakarta flight, but we still managed to use it. 

......

The battery in my Google Pixel 7a died when we were in Sydney (just tankful that it didn't happen while we were overseas). Got a new battery in Caloundra, took 4 days, but seems to be working well again. It was an odd feeling being without a smart phone for 4 days!

Kim (Uber) picked us up at Sunshine Coast Airport and we were home by about 9pm on Sunday night. The house was in good shape, and our car started immediately. 

Before leaving I had put my name down to participate in a bowls competition on Monday afternoon 25/8. I was in a team with Geoff and Gary. None of us are great bowlers, so we didn't think we would last too long, but we won the first 3 rounds! Finally lost the semi-final, which was a relief as I was tired by then. 

I went to Trivia that night, and our table came equal second - a creditable result.

On Thursday I saw our GP, Dr Greenwood.  My lower back has been very sore. She arranged for me to have an unltrasound and a CT scan. 

I've come down with a cold (flu?) - have not ventured out for the last 3 days - again, glad it didn't happen while we were travelling. 

So everything is getting back to normal - welcome home!!!

......

That's it for this post.

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Vera & Alex Olah

Caloundra, Australia

Sunday 31 August 2025.