Post #155 25 October 2017

Gentlefolk,

This post describes our visit 1 - 3 September 2017 to Sentul for the reunion of Vera's father's extended family.

Sentul is located between Jakarta and Bogor (closer to Bogor). Thirty years ago I used to go out there to run with the Hash House Harriers (HHH) - it was just picturesque villages and rice paddies then - now hotels, housing estates, shopping malls and golf courses.

Vera's father was one of nine kids (4 boys and 5 girls) in a long-standing Chinese-Indonesian family. The original family name was Sim, which was changed to Simadibrata. The family lived in Temanggung, Central Java, but now most of Vera's siblings and cousins live in Jakarta and Bandung, with some overseas in Australia, USA, Canada, The Netherlands, and Germany.

Two years ago the extended Simadibrata family had their first reunion, and the second was held now, in Sentul.  160 attended; most stayed in the Neo Hotel (we arrived Friday, left Sunday). A number of activities were organised, with the main event being the Reunion Dinner on Saturday night, 2 September 2017.

The oldest participant was Tante Ottie, 88, the youngest of Vera's father's siblings.  There were many of Vera's generation, and of course their children and some grandchildren - four generations were represented.

Frans & Tience and Vera & I got a lift in Andre's Pajero which was driven by Richard, one of Vera's nephews.  Andre and Iis opted not to come, as did Vera's sister Farida.  However, her brother Albert came with his wife Elly and their son.

It was a very happy occasion for Vera; some relatives she knew (but hadn't seen for years) and others she had never met.  Great atmosphere, full of love and respect. Amongst relatives and speaking Indonesian Vera became so animated and vivacious; she was in her element.

Frans also seemed to enjoy it too - despite his disability, he became quite excited meeting old friends.

Most of the extended family stayed in the Neo Hotel, Sentul.

A big banner welcomed the Simadibrata Family at the front gate of the Neo Hotel.

A large curved swimming pool separated the two residential blocks at the Neo Hotel.  The rooms were spacious and comfortable.

Frans in his wheel chair in front of one of the banners proclaiming the 2nd Reunion of the Simadibrata Family.

This photo is a bit fuzzy - my apologies.  It shows the two main organisers of the family reunion, Felix and David.  They did an amazing job.

Tante Ottie, Vera's aunt (youngest sister of Vera's father) cut the "birthday cake".  She was 88 years old and still fit and well.

A view of the hall where we held the Reunion Dinner on Saturday night - 160 attended.

Tience leading a dance during the Reunion Dinner.

Many family groups took photos. This was Vera's cousin Kai & wife with their son & daughter-in-law, and grandkids.

From left:  Alex, Vera, Elly, and Albert (Vera's brother).

From left: Pina (Liong's wife), Vera, Tante Ottie, Maria's daughter, Maria, Liong (he and Pina live in Penang).

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There were two Americans at the Reunion married to sisters who were related to the Simadibrata Family: Martin Twait & Feilin, and Moncef Jaziri & Swanli. Both couples live in California (Santa Barbara and San Diego).

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A committee was formed to organise a 3rd Family Reunion in 2 years; we enjoyed this reunion very much and will certainly try to attend the next one too.

We had a few more days in Bandung, then flew to Bali on 8 September.  Our second spell in Bali will be the subject of my next post.

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Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

Canberra, Australia

Wednesday 25 October 2017

Post #154 24 October 2017

Gentlefolk,

This post describes our stay in Bandung, West Java, 28 August - 8 September 2017.

1 - 3 September we went to Sentul for a family reunion - that is the subject of a separate post.

Bandung is the capital of the Province of West Java, with a population of about 5 million. It is located about 180 km south-east of Jakarta; in a mountainous region, about 750 meters above sea level.

In 1971 after retiring as a government doctor in Klungkung, Bali, Vera's father (and her mother and siblings) moved to Bandung where he practiced as a GP. At that time Vera had started a job with Singapore Airlines in Jakarta.  We met in mid-1972, and the rest is history.

Vera's brothers, Frans and Andre, married local girls, became Moslems and still live in Bandung. Another brother, Albert, lives and works in Jakarta (he married a Batak Christian).  Vera had three sisters: Etha lives in Munster Germany; Lilia died; and Farida lives in Bandung.

We stayed with Vera's brother Andre and his wife Iis.  They have a daughter, Ita, and a son, Fauzan. Iis's mother died while we were there and she had to make a quick trip to Ciamis for the funeral.

Frans had an aneurysm in November 2003.  It took a while to get him to hospital, he was in a very bad way, close to death, somehow pulled through.  His left side was paralysed, and he has had to learn to speak and walk again. Remarkable resilience.  His wife Tience has nursed and looked after him, an angel.  Frans used to be a very smart and active guy, a real go-getter.  His condition, although improving slowly, is obviously a source of great frustration for him.

We'd forgotten how pleasant Bandung is: cool climate, hilly, with lots of big trees and many flowers.  Crowded, of course, but not too bad. Many hotels, and cafes.
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This map shows the towns and cities in West Java - gives an indication just how densely populated this island is. Crazy.

We caught the train from Gambir Station in Jakarta to Bandung. Three hour trip through some lovely countryside. 

The Jakarta - Bandung train line crosses a number of large ravines.  An engineering feat by the Dutch.  Bandung is about 750 m above sea level and surrounded by extinct volcanoes.

Rice paddies along the Jakarta to Bandung railway line. Nice.

The good old Savoy Homann Hotel on Jalan Afrika Asia has been a focal point in Bandung for many years.   

Another view of the Savoy Homann Hotel - built in 1921 Art-Deco style. President Sukarno hosted the first Non-Aligned Nations Conference (aka Asian - African Conference) in Bandung in 1955, attended by 29 leaders including Zhou En Lai, Nehru, Ho Chi Minh, and Nasser.  A museum commemorating the Conference is across the street from the Savoy Homann.

One of the restaurants in the renovated Savoy Homann Hotel.

This group of students (on a school excursion) was keen to chat and take photos with me.

I'm being killed by a street artist!

I walked around the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), a famous engineering university.

ITB students motor bike parking lot.

We had snack and coffee in the garden of the Morning Glory Cafe, near Andre's house. There are lots of cafes in Bandung but few (like this one) are well patronised.

Bandung has Bank ATM drive-thru.  I hadn't come across that before.

Cihampelas Street in Bandung is lined with shops selling jeans and t-shirts.  It is a very popular attraction for locals and tourists.  The government has now built a "sky walk" above the road which is full of stalls and cafes.

Another view of the  'Sky Walk' over Jalan Cihampelas - better at night with lights and crowds of people. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to see it at night ... good to leave something for our next visit, right?

Andre and Iis invited the family for dinner.  From left: Tience, Frans, Ester (holding baby), Farida, Ita (holding baby), Masca,and Vera. Frans has made amazing progress - he can now feed himself (with his good right hand), seems to understand conversations and even responds sometimes.  

Masca and husband Arbi with two kids, heading home after dinner.  One often sees families on motor bikes in Indonesia - it is the most convenient way to get around. Masca said that they will be home in about 20 minutes, whereas by public transport the journey would take over an hour.

We had lunch with Raden Dunbar and his wife Iis. They have been in Bandung for a few years - Iis home town - bought an apartment in the Panghegar Hotel, but are talking about returning to Canberra.

One day Andre and Iis took us to Kawah Putih volcano and National Park.  It took us almost 3 hours to get there from Bandung (the return trip was quicker).

Iis and Vera inside the crater at Kawah Putih.

There are many tea plantations on the hills around Bandung. 

After visiting the volcano we had lunch at Glambing Resort, in the middle of a tea plantation. The restaurant is in the shape of a big ship.  A mist rolled in, so the photo is not very clear.

We had to cross a rope bridge from the parking lot to the ship-restaurant.

We sat outside for lunch. From left: Iis, Andre and Vera.  Andre wears a white cap which indicates that he has made the pilgrimage to Mecca.

These tent-cabins, scattered amongst teh tea bushes, are for rent if visitors want to stay overnight.

A little alley near Andre's house in Bandung.  The residents have painted the bricks in the wall.

One afternoon Andre showed us the new developments at the top of Dago.  Many impressive (huge) villas, with views back across Bandung. Serious money.  We had a snack and drink in a new restaurant called "D'Pakar" which occupies the very top of a ridge.  Amazing views of the surrounding mountains.

Andre took us to this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant, very popular with delicious and cheap food.

The Anata Restaurant & Hair Salon was not far Andre's house.  Caters mainly for students at the nearby university (where Fauzan is studying medicine), good range of food and inexpensive.

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I had finished reading 3 books, which I bequeathed to Raden Dunbar. The books were:

"Antigua, Penny, Puce" written by Robert Graves in 1936.  Set in an upper-middle class family in England in the 1930s, the book is about relationships, in this case siblings.  A brother, Oliver Price, and his sister, Jane Palfrey, fight over a rare stamp.  Oliver is a bit of a plodder, while Jane is brilliant (and vindictive).

"Master of the game" by Sidney Sheldon, 1983.  The story revolves around Kate Blackwell who reflects on her life. Jamie McGregor comes out from Scotland to seek his fortune in the gold-and-diamond fields of South Africa. Jamie builds a huge business empire which Kate, his daughter, takes over.

"Tough guys don't dance" by Robert Mailer published in 1984. Describes the life of Tim Madden in Provincetown, CT. Alcohol, drugs, sex, and money are recurrent themes (I hadn't realised how common marijuana was in the US already in the 1980s).

Three very different books. I thought Graves was the best writer, fine English prose; some of the imagery by Mailer was powerful; while Sheldon is a very good story-teller.

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Our time in Bandung was interrupted by a quick trip to Sentul (between Jakarta and Bogor) to attend a reunion of Vera's father's extended family.  That's the subject of my next post.

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Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
Canberra, Australia
Tuesday 24 October 2017

Post #153 23 October 2017

Gentlefolk,

This post describes our stay in Jakarta, 23 - 28 August 2017.

After two days in Jepara we drove back to Semarang and the next day caught a train from Semarang to Jakarta (5 hours).

Jakarta, aka The Big Durian, is the capital of Indonesia.  With a population of more than 10 million (Greater Jakarta, including Bekasi, Bogor, Depok and Tangerang, is estimated at 30 million!), it is the political, commercial and financial center of Indonesia, and by far the biggest city. Jakarta rules!.

My first overseas posting was to the Australian Embassy Jakarta in 1972 - 3.  It was completely different to anything I had ever experienced - so exotic, an assault on all the senses - smells, sights, sounds, tastes, everything was different, and I fell in love.

Vera & I married in Jakarta in October 1973.  From Jakarta we had a short term posting to Bangkok  (9 months, to fill in for a sick Trade Commissioner) followed by other postings in Canada (Vancouver), Brazil (Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro) and China (Beijing).

1988 - 91 we were in Jakarta again for a second time.

You can see why Jakarta is so special for us - many, many fond memories.

It is still a crazy, fascinating city: crowded with unbelievably bad traffic, polluted (visibility was less than 5 km when we were there), hot, smelly, noisy.  But it is pulsating and full of energy which, like a magnet, draws people from across the Indonesian archipelago.

I could never really understand how it all works, but somehow it does.

We had 5 days there, which was enough to catch up with some old friends, and visit old haunts.

Here are some photos of our visit, starting with our train journey from Semarang.

The Semarang train station.

Inside our carriage on the train to Jakarta.  Quite comfortable.

Food & drinks service on board the train.

We stayed in a small two-bedroom apartment in the Thamrin Residences (a complex of 4 big towers behind the Hotel Indonesia).  The skyline of Jakarta sure has changed in the last 30 years - many more high-rise buildings now, office and residential.

The Thamrin Residences had a walking track and two large pools on the ground floor.

The walking track at Thamrin Residences.  We had a walk and swim every morning before venturing out. All the expats we knew had either passed away or moved away, so our visit was mainly to re-visit old haunts and we met up with a couple of Vera's old friends.  Actually we had heard that the number of expats in Jakarta has been declining as well-educated Indonesians fill the jobs; we certainly didn't see many expats but then we didn't spend much time in Kebayoran Baru or Kemang where most live.

Looking north-west from our small balcony.  You can see one of the towers of the Thamrin City complex.

Looking due west from our balcony, towards the airport. The airconditioning had trouble coping with hot sun in the late afternoon. Jakarta still has many low-rise buildings as you can see.

Looking south-east from our balcony, towards the Shangri La Hotel and some of the tall office buildings along Jalan Sudirman.

The good old Hotel Indonesia, the facade is still the same but it has been renovated and extended and is now run by Kempinsky.  I stayed here for a week when I first arrived in Jakarta in February 1972.  The Kartika Plaza Hotel was up the road, the Asoka Hotel was across the street and the President Hotel was on the other side of the Bundaran (round-about). Several embassies were close by: UK, Germany, Japan and Australia.  This was where it was all happening at that time.

Posing in front of the Hotel Indonesia, the first place I stayed in Jakarta back in 1972.

Looking across Jalan Thamrin from in front of the original site of the Aussie Embassy where I worked in 1972-3.  Later, when I came back for my second posting in 1988 the Austrade Office was in the building in this photo (with the Pertamina Lubricants sign), across from the Embassy. When I returned for a short-term assignment in 1994 the Embassy had relocated to Jalan Rasuna Said in Kuningan. Now a new Embassy has been built, also in Kuningan.  The construction you can see in the middle of Jalan Thamrin is for the Jakarta Metro which will open in a couple of years.

Of course we visited the Grand Hyatt Hotel which opened to big fanfare in mid-1991, and the neighbouring Plaza Indonesia Mall.

In the foyer of the Grand Hyatt - still impressive.

The traffic in Jakarta lived up to its reputation - dreadful! So we sometimes took the Bus Way which was inexpensive ($0.35 a ticket) and faster because of the special lanes.

Waiting to board the bus. 

Strangely, the buses were not very crowded, perhaps because the stops were about one km apart - not very convenient. Some buses have 'women only' areas.  I made the mistake of sitting in such an area and was quickly told to move to the Men's area (standing only).  Most Indonesian women now wear a scarf (hijab), especially in smaller cities.  Jakarta is a bit different - so international - you still see quite a few (younger) women not wearing a scarf.  We met a woman in Malang who was Christian; all her colleagues at work wore scarfs so in the end she just decided it was easier to join them rather than have to always explain that she wasn't Moslem.   

One day we took the bus down Jalan Sudirman to Blok M and had lunch in the food hall. It's been done up - a very good range of food on offer, and at very reasonable prices.  We used to often shop in this area 25 years ago, many expats around then but few now.

Of course we checked out the Jaya Pub which was one of our favorite music venues in the old days.  Twenty years ago, when Felix-the-singer was still around, this place would really rock.  It's still OK, but not the same.  We left at 10pm, the waitress said it would pick up around midnight, but that's too late for us nowadays.

Old friends, Joe and Lucy Kamdani, invited us to their home for dinner.  I met Joe in 1972, when he was just starting his office supplies business.  He is an extraordinary person; through hard work and determination he prospered - a veritable 'rags to riches' story.  Joe and Lucy are still the nicest people you could ever meet. It was a delight seeing them again and hearing all about their kids and grandkids. 

Some of the dishes at the Kamdani's dinner - delicious!

Joe has installed a full gym in his house.  He is 80 years old, but still fit and well.

From left: Shana (Jeanne), Lani, Vera, and Annie (Shana's older sister).  We visited Shana at her restaurant in Blok A.  Vera, Shana and Lani were in the same class at Sanata Dharma University in Jogja 50 years ago.  Later Shana dropped us off at Cafe Batavia in Taman Fatahillah (the Square in front of the old Dutch-era Town Hall).  Spent a couple of hours looking around, and then took the Bus Way back to Jalan Thamrin and home.

This wooden statue at the door of Shana's restaurant caught my eye - cute, ugh?

We got a taxi to drive past the new Australian Embassy.  It is like a fortress - little wonder after the old one was bombed a few years ago.  It was a Sunday, so we couldn't enter, but apparently many staff now live in the compound. Next we drove past the Ambassador's residence on Jalan Teuku Umar, Menteng, where we got married in 1973.  We walked along Jalan Sabang and Jalan Agus Salim.  So many business hotels in this area now.  Barack Obama's mother married an Indonesian (2nd marriage) and Barack attended a primary school in Menteng (1967-71). His mother then sent him back to her parents in Honolulu where he went to High School.

We had lunch with Renville and her husband Lubis.  Vera was friends with Renville back in the early 1970s, when Vera worked for Singapore Airlines and Renville was with Qantas (Renville later joined Vera at Singapore Airlines).

Indonesia is a smoker's paradise; so many different cigarettes and quite inexpensive (A$1 = Rp10,000, so these cigarettes are around $2 a pack).  Most men seem to smoke, including Vera's brother Andre who has resisted all attempts to make him stop.  There were cigarette advertisements everywhere, including huge billboards. One, especially caught my eye: there was a photo of  mountain climbers with the slogan "Never Quit".  In Australia the government runs an active Quit campaign (Quit smoking)! 

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We've been so lucky with the weather - very little rain - when it rains Jakarta gets even messier than usual!

Our next stop was Bandung, to see Vera's brothers and sisters.

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Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
Canberra, Australia
Monday, 23 October 2017