Jakarta

Hey folks, time for another in depth report on beautiful Jakarta. Just keep in mind- get up late in the afternoon to explore what Jakarta has on offer as traffic get worse and worse. Lately it took me about two hours by car from Menteng to Kemang on a friday night. So be prepared and plan carefully where you go. Dinner options are plentiful but if you are looking for a decent pizza, pasta or even a steak the all time favorites Pepenero and Trattoria are the place to go. Booth have branches in Kuningan area. Not new to the club scene, but popular nowadays is Immigrant in famous Plaza Indonesia. New to me was a visit to Domain club and bar in Senayan City. This seems to be a rustic alpine style venue. Its more a bar than a club. A little boring music wise and no real dance floor available. One of my new favorites is 365 This is also more like a bar, but offers very good music and people are dancing.
If you are seeking some up to date party information and pictures about Jakarta nightlife, check out ILOVEGLAM
Jakarta is the upcoming New York!

Bandung

Paris van Java- or even the City of Love. Bandung is not Paris for sure and Paris is not the city of Love for me, but Bandung is! Sometimes it is complicated, but thats how it is. For me is Bandung very special because of a very special person, so I am not really sure if Bandung is the place to be or not. Compared to Jakarta, Bandung is like a small village, but indeed its worth a visit. I would suggest to go there during week days as on weekends it gets crowded by many visitors from Jakarta. Most convenient way to reach Bandung from Jakarta is to take a plane. Susi Air offers a daily service from Jakarta Halim. If you are not fuzzy about flying you could easily take a minibus service. I can recommend Cipaganti which offers multiple departures daily with quiet comfortable mini vans. Depend on traffic, it takes about 3 hours including one stop on route. Once I took the train, but to be honest I am not a fan. The service from Gambir station should last about 3 hours as well, but delays are "daily business" if you take "kereta api".
My favorite place to stay is the Hilton Bandung. The Hotel is very new, modern and comfortable- located in the city center near the train station. Try to get an executive room on top floor for an amazing view over the city. The staff in the lounge is simply outstanding and the service received is top notch. What I really like is the pool- big enough for some laps.
If you don't have somebody to show you around, ask the concierge for one of the many restaurants in the hills around the city for a dinner with a view.
If you wanna go around I would recommend to rent a motor bike. The concierge now knows where to get one, as this is not common in the Hilton Bandung. There are some hot spring resorts about 20 kilometers outside of Bandung. Its a scenic ride, but the public hot spring pool is pretty basic!

Even if you don't fell in Love you might enjoy your trip to Bandung!

SUSI AIR

Air traffic in Indonesia is often an adventure or even dangerous. I never had flown with the cheap ones like Batavia Air, Adam Air or Lion as they seem all not safe compared to international standards. So the only option used to be Garuda Indonesia. During my recent trip my friend from Bandung told me that there is an alternative to the time wasting train or car service from Jakarta. Susiair offers charter or private Jet service on this route, so no doubt I had to get a ticket with them. Booking is not easy as I had to call them several times to confirm our flight, but finally we made it and got a private jet up in the air on route to Jakarta Halim Airport- thats more or less like Tempelhof in Berlin. Flight time is less than 30 minutes but the view over Java and later the skyline of Jakarta is worth every Rupiah you paid.

Stay tuned for more in depth reports on traveling Asia!

Citadines Quartier Jakarta

Jakarta is always good for a surprise as it is my place to stay during this time.
I do have a nice studio @ Citadines located right in the heart of the city in Menteng neighbourhood. This serviced apartment Hotel is pretty new and kind of stylish which give you the feeling to be in NYC rather than in Indonesia.
Its not a posh place to stay but it offers the basic services you might need. The roof top pool is big enough for some laps and the view is simply amazing. Lobby level has a cafe and snack bar where breakfast is served. To be honest you can skip that, but its a nice touch! Internet access is free and works well, even by the pool.
Stay tuned for more in depth reports on Jakarta!

Travel Asia

Its time for a change. Meet me around Asia from january until end of march. Be prepared on in depth reports on traveling Hong Kong, Bangkok, Yangon, Phnom Penh, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bali, Bandung, Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai.

Stay tuned!

Mandarin Oriental Jakarta

Could you imagine a nice night out in Jakarta with some casual cute western guys? Well I do , so that's the story. We where hanging out, went to Kemang to have some proper dinner in an indonesian restaurant called "payon", but they where closed due to private matters. So we went next door to Kemang food fest to catch up a portion of Nasi Goreng and a Bintang- good combo. Afterwards we thought of leaving back home, but while in taxi I remembered that MO Bar might be open this night. I called our Concierge at Le Meridien to make sure that the Bar gonna be open. They wasn't really sure, but said they might be open tonight. When we reached the Mandarin Oriental we realized a lot of very posh cars in line to drove up to lobby level. The crowd looked very sophisticated and not casual at all. It was our turn to get off our very cheap looking taxi. Taxi stopped at front door, they tried to open the doors, I advised the driver to go further. He stopped again a few meters ahead, staff followed, I opened the window and asked one of the female staff, if the Bar is open already. She was kind of confused as the ongoing party was the Grand Opening of MObar Jakarta! So we jumped out of the taxi, left our Bintang cans, I even went in without security check. So here we are- two casual cute western guys joining the most sophisticated event of the night in Jakarta. The elegant crowd consist of the Who is Who of Jakarta's society. A little boring and old, but free flow of Champagne and any other drink you might wish. We ended up directly in the middle of the bar, watching people and people watching us. To be honest I liked the old style of the bar more, but the staff is indeed amazing. Very professional, stylish and beautiful at all and at its best they where chatting with us which turns into flirting..lol.
When we left, a women waiting in line for a taxi with us, asked us where we are from and why we joined the party cause we looking so casual. I said we are casual indeed and even without invitation card, people are waiting for us!

Stay tuned for more in depth reports on Jakarta nightlife!

What happen to Jakarta my well loved City?

Today I went back home and checked the recent news on BBC:
At least nine people have been killed, including two suspected suicide bombers, in two blasts at luxury hotels in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
Sometimes life simply sucks! This was not the first blast of a hotel in Indonesia and to be honest I don't think it will be the last one. Indonesia is a country with a vast variety of culture, religion and ethnics- a huge country with many different point of views. Especially in Jakarta the mix of modernity, western influences, javanese culture and moderate muslims as well as the gap between poor and rich people gives you such a special feeling while strolling around the streets which simply blows you away. For many people Indonesia is out of the way. On the other hand people should keep in mind that Indonesia is due to the recent history of developing a democratic, tolerant and moderate muslim country, the place where we are able to explore if there is a chance getting things together between the western and the muslim world!
The development is to fast that such a few people could stop the move. There are millions of people in Indonesia are not willing to follow the way of death for a religious country where they don't wanna life in. Keep in mind the majority of the muslim community in Indonesia is not on the bomber's side. Its not religion, its not in the name of the people of Indonesia- these people are simply murderer!

My thoughts are with my friends in Indonesia, who are "living" daily the indonesian way of a hearty religious and cultural rich country. I am with you and looking forward my next trip to Jakarta!

Intercontinental Jakarta

I had been many times to Jakarta, but this was my very first time @ the Intercontinental Midplaza and I have to say I am quiet impressed. I did got a very good deal online with a travel agent on a room only base in a standard room. During Check In I upgraded on the spot to Club Floor for a nominal fee. Room was in a good layout and comes with a huge flat screen TV, comfy beds, a huge bathroom with bathtub and shower stall as well as complimentary internet access, breakfast, snacks and drinks in the lounge during the day. Staff is very friendly and helpful. The Location of the Hotel depend on where you have to go in Jakarta- I found it very convenient as taxis are cheap and the Trans Jakarta has a stop next door. Pool, Gym and Sauna Area are well done. I will return in a few weeks!

Travel the world

I completed planning so far for my upcoming trip. If you are around for example in Shanghai, London, Istanbul, Jakarta or Singapore please drop me a line.
Stay tuned for my fresh reports on traveling the world!

Jakarta for a weekend in october?

Anybody wanna join me for a brief trip to asia? Final destination would be Jakarta for a weekend. Its dirt cheap- so let me know quick.
If you choose to join from europe- routing could be like this:
LHR-IST-HKG/SIN-JKT-SIN-IST-LHR
Connecting flights to anywhere in europe possible as well as sidesteps to BKK, JOG, PNH..

Stay tuned for this amazing weekend offer!

Clio Bali

If you are seeking for a cool place to stay on Bali you should consider Clio in Seminyak. This small apartment complex is ideal for the urban traveller as it gives you the feeling of a downtown apartment beamed right out of NYC into the tropics. The Studio room come with an open all in one room concept. Sleeping, preparing dishes, relaxing and showering within the same room. There is just a flexible wall to separate the "bathroom", but its still open, so you need to adjust urself. Sorry for the not so nice picture of the bathroom, but it will give you an impression. Its stylish at all and the staff is very kindly. Rent a motorbike to circle around!

Jakarta nightlife

Minister calls for closure of Buddha-Bar Jakarta


Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni has urged the Buddha-Bar Jakarta management, the France-based George V Hotels and Resorts, to close down its local branch following protests from local Buddhists over the bar’s name and use of Buddhist icons.

“If they don’t close this place down, I am afraid we could see other bars emerge like a ‘Christian Bar’ or an ‘Islam Bar,’” Maftuh told Antara state news agency after a meeting with religious leaders in Jambi.

The Jakarta Representatives Council (DPRD) had also asked for the management to halt their operations to keep peace between followers of different faiths.

Previously, Indonesian Buddhist representative Budi Setiawan said George V had promised to change the name of the bar and remove all of its religious symbols.

Jakarta

Times go by so fast- my trips to Jakarta are just to short and I should consider to relocate business to this magnificent City!
There is always something new to explore or even the places you always liked before are still keep on the very same vibrant level. For a certain lifestyle this is simply the place to be. There is everything you might dream about and this mix of everything is all about for a progressive City. While having breakfast in the Lounge you can have a brief look into "the peak" to explore what you should have to buy next. This magazine is simply a different mail order shopping catalogue for the upper class in Indonesia. The difference is, that you can't order directly online with them, you need to shop around as they "just" give you advise what to buy. But the sweet life will be off as soon as you are back on the street level. Simply take a ride on Trans Jakarta and you know what I am talking about. For dinner you meet up with your friends in one of the many wonderful restaurants and bars- gosh food is so fucking delicious in Jakarta. The latest add to Jakarta nightlife entertainment is Buddha Bar. The Jakarta outlet is located in the old "kantor imigrasi" building and gives you a certain colonial feeling. One of the main reasons why I recommend this venue is because of the outside setting in a lush tropical garden- very nice indeed and not often found in Jakarta. Drinks are well done- a perfect place to cover the time gap befor leaving for one of the many clubs. For a late night supper I would recommend a traditional nasi goreng on the street. There are several Warungs around serving cheap and fulfilling meals, recommended if you wanna dance all night until sun comes up or even longer in famous Stadium.

Stay tuned for more reports on Jakarta nightlife!

Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta, also known as Jogja used to be more or less my second home. I used to life there for a longer period of time on two occasions and whenever I am in the region I also fly there for a brief visit. The good thing about returning to places where you used to life is that you can just come to visit friends or drive around with your motorbike. Nevertheless time is always to short to do everything you wish before for example to visit all the restaurants where you used to eat before. But for First timers coming to Jogja this is a different story as Jogja refers as the Cultural Centre of Java or even of whole Indonesia.
Places to stay:
If you are on a shoestring you might stay down town in the "Backpacker" street named Jl.Sosrowijayan. This small street is a cluster of western oriented guesthouses and restaurants and a good spot to explore everything. I do stay always in Bladok Losmen- which is the most famous guesthouse in this area. Most people in this Area know me in person so it is very convinient for me to organize daily life. Bladok runs also a restaurant which serves food in a decent quality. The rooms might be slightly more expensive than other guesthouses around, but rooms are clean and the staff is lovely. Cheapest single room with a Mandi (indonesian bathroom) and fan is around 80k IDR. They do have also a tiny pool in the backyard!
If you are seeking something more calm I would recommend to stay in the north, but keep in mind you need to organize your transport- no problem so far as taxis are cheap!
In the north there are two options- The huge Hyatt with a well done landscape pool area and a relaxed garden atmosphere or Rumah Mertua, which is a small indonesian hotel with a good restaurant.
Booth place are next to each other out of the city center- by taxi it will takes you around 20 minutes and by motorbike around 10 minutes.

Enjoy:
The most impressive Highlights within the Area of Jogja are the buddhist Tempel Borobudur and the hinduist Tempel of Prambanan. If you are short on time your should rent a car with driver or a motorbike to reach booth within one day. I would recommend to visit Borobudur in the morning, have lunch in the very impressive and expensive Amanjiwo Resort and go for Prambanan during the afternoon. If you are in Jogja during dry season, there is even a kind of nighttime show near Prambanan which is worth a visit as you will be able to see the temples at night.

Most people du visit the famous Kraton in Jogja, but to be honest I never been there and I guess its not worth a visit. You should check out the Tamansari- know as Water Castle.
For exhibitions check out Cemeti Art House. There is even a "Yogyakarta Internasional Film Festival" which is pretty interesting and of cause they do organize good parties!
If you just wanna hang out and maybe watch a movie you should look out for Kinoki, this is kind of independent place with a small coffee shop serving drinks and snacks.
Night time entertainment is limited in quality but still you will find something what might make you happy. Just check out my other reports about Jogja. I strictly recommend to start your evening in Bintang Resto in Jl.Sosrowijayan, have a couple of Bintang and a Club Sandwich. Later you should take a taxi to Embassy.
Ask some locals or expats where to go or just join them.
If you are seeking a place for your sunday roast i would recommend the all time favorite in Jogja- the Gadjah Wong, try the home made Ice cream! Or the expat choice Hanis. Gadjah Wong does have live music including Gamelan!
One of the all day favorite spots for the young expat crowd is Parsley on Jl.Kaliurang. Behind the famous bakery shop is a relaxed restaurant which offers tasty international dishes and free Wifi- sometimes slow, but it doesn't matter if you stay a couple of hours to get rid off your last night headache!

Distro

A good friend of mine is starting to sell clothes from Indonesia in Singapore!
Have a look on his online distro shop!

Bali

Bali is a very special place in Indonesia. It took a while until I hit this island even so staying in Indonesia a couple of times before. To be honest I still would rate Bali not as an indonesian island as the culture is different at all not only on the religious side as Bali is Hindu and Indonesia is a mainly Muslim country. Bali is a typical beach resort island with a nice landscape, well done hotels and spas as well restaurants providing food from around the globe.
The main reason for me to travel to Bali is because its the most convenient place to reach within one hour from Jogjakarta and two hours from Jakarta, to have a swim in the sea! Sounds strange, but there is no quality beach nearby Jogja or Jakarta and flights are not that expensive.
Places to stay:
It depends what you are looking for. I do prefer to stay as far away from other tourists as possible, but indeed for a weekend its not worth to travel that far. The main tourist areas are in the south "nearby" the airport namely Nusa Dua, Legian, Kuta, Sanur and the up market Seminyak. Ubud is another option if you wanna relax in the padi fields and use one of the many Spa's.
Here we go with my ideas for your Bali Trip. Sanur is an old school beach resort, nothing special, but alright if you rent a motorbike to drive around. Nusa Dua is a gated comunity for tourists from all over the world- at the moment a lot of russians I guess. Not a place where I would like to stay. Kuta is the same- no way! Seminyak seems to be a good option as it is a little bit more up market, no as many hotels as in the other areas. People here tend to own or rent a villa or an apartment. Clio for example looks nice.
If you are looking for a villa to share with some friends I would recommend Canggu Area or Echo Beach. Last time I rented Villa Padi which includes everything you need as well as a car with a driver during the day.

In Ubud I would strictly recommend to use one of the Alam facilities- I did stay in Kebun Indah in the Padi room- the perfect place for a "real" balinese feeling!
They do run a Spa as well, its not posh at all but the full body massage was one of the best I ever received. Its a little bit like Fantasy Island if you can still remember the TV show?! They do provide free of charge transfer within Ubud with a white car and a tiny driver...Go for it- you won't regret!

Getting around:
Most people arrive on Bali by Plane. If you are not on an international direct flight or you life in Indonesia you might need a domestic flight. As all indonesian Airlines are not safe at all, due to high competition on low cost market I would strictly recommend to use the national flag carrier Garuda. Btw this is the only full service airline left. Tickets on GA are generally more expensive than other carriers, but still quiet cheap. The main lack is that one is not able to reserve online. You need a local agent for the cheap domestic fares if you don't wanna book @ international prices.
Nevertheless if you gone through the whole process of "e-travel by Garuda" you will find yourself pushed back into the 80ies while on board a Garuda plane- this includes even the flight attendants.
If you haven't organize a pick up service from the airport you could buy a voucher for a taxi inside the airport or bargain hard outside- but therefore you need to know prices and speak Bahasa indonesia to get a good price. Keep in mind that prices are slightly higher compared to the rest of indonesia as this is a tourism destination.
Traveling around Bali by motorbike is relaxed and one could even rent a car with or without a driver if you to spoil yourself.
Motorbikes are available from 35k IDR per day!

Enjoy:
One of the main reasons to fly into Bali is to relax by the beach, nevertheless I believe the beaches on Bali are not that special, but still fine. I do like Echo beach in Canggu Area- the beach is black sand, but quiet empty, just some surfers and the famous Beach House- the place to be for a sundowner or B.B.Q by the beach! Another option, if not the most famous one, for a sundowner is Ku De TA in Seminyak. Compared to Echo beach and The Beach House Ku De Ta is the hip spot and very crowded. It is recommended to spoil yourself with a spa treatment after a day by the beach as the Spas on Bali are cheap and the overall quality is pretty good. If you are into late night entertainment you probably have to go to Kuta- but keep in mind that this might result in meeting many drunken foreigners. To be honest I skip Kuta at all and still enjoy myself.

Stay tuned for upcoming reports on beach resorts all over the world!

ON THE RUN

Next Year starts soon and I might be around your place. Drop Me a line if we could meet in:
Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Manila, Hong Kong and Seoul!
As I found this serious documentation the main task will be to recheck if it is trustworthy! I still wondering if Copacabana Else will wear also kind of a bunny outfit?!


Stay tuned for in depth reports on my upcoming destinations!

Jakarta

Jakarta is one of the most amazing places I used to be. For most of you fellow readers the city has nothing on offer- its just a dirty huge city. Most of you might watched the movie "the dark knight"- jakarta is more or less the same- you never know what happens next and its not easy at all to draw a line between good or bad. This might be the fact why Jakarta is so exciting. On the other hand living conditions like air pollution, flooding and all day traffic jam could be kind of exhausting after a while- nevertheless Jakarta's beauty could be seen during night time. Especially on weekends the hedonist crowds escaping their daily business- even so they don't do anything besides shopping.
Places to stay:
Since my first stay over in Jakarta I use to return to the very same place as always, namely to Alila Jakarta. This is not really a posh place, compared to the other options available in Jakarta, but indeed value for money and nearby famous club Stadium.
Please be careful when choosing your place to stay as traffic jam in Jakarta is highly time consuming- so choose your place to stay near the place where you have to go daily on business. For long term you might check out "Kemang" area- but you have to be Bule! This area is also very popular for dining and bars at night.

Nightlife:
First thing to keep in mind- besides this is a mainly muslim country everything you might wanna see or you might wanna experience is possible!
To prepare yourself for an exciting weekend in Jakarta- relax before leaving for dinner or the first bar as the party starts late in most places. There are several options:
Last time a very cute person took me to a very nice italian restaurant and I was really impressed by the quality of the food. Bars are plentiful- so check out Kemang area, or look forward the re opening of the Mandarin Oriental. Other options would be Blowfish or Dragonfly- these a places "in between", kind of restaurant, club and bar. If these places are out of your budget or you just seeking for something down to earth head for any street hawker- i can strictly recommend the night "Warungs" on Jl.Pecenongan.
Last bar before leaving for your first club should be Red Square. This is Jakarta's first russian vodka bar located in Senayan area- right across the parking lot for the entrance to X2, where you might go later on.
There are many clubs around- so I will name just a few as I simply just spend the time until I will head to Stadium.
For example go for Embassy, Retro, X2 and there is even a queer venue called Heaven.
To be honest I am seeking for real hedonist nightlife. Therefore I head to Stadium Jakarta- one of the most famous clubs in town. Most people will tell you they won't go there, but this is indeed the place to go! I guess the place is run by the indonesian army and it is full of everything a "dark night" has on offer: prostitutes, drug addicts, queer, business people, some western people and for sure a huge crowd of people seeking for entertainment for the whole weekend as this is a 24/7 place.
The dance floor is on level 4- on the other floor you can drink, sing and fuck. Nightlife in Jakarta is up to you!

Transport:
To and from the airport i would strictly recommend to take a taxi- they are cheap and reliable! If you are a first timer go for Blue Bird. Outside of the arrivals hall there are several companies waiting for costumers. Just ask for Blue Bird and tell the guy where you wanna go- he will organize a taxi for you and will hand you over a paper with the taxi number for your record. Please have small change ready as you have to pay the toll fee. If there is no traffic jam or flood you should be able to reach most places in jakarta within one hour.
During the day i would recommend to use the Trans Jakarta bus service whenever it is possible- as it is cheap and often much more faster than a car during the rush hours- which is more or less the whole day!
At night be careful when using a taxi and ask for using the meter.

Upcomming Jakarta trip!

i hope to see you all again in end of october in jakarta as i have some days off and booked me into stadium for some hedonist fun! lets enjoy the time together. i will keep you up to date and you are invited to add your ideas for our next 24/7 weekend.

stay tuned!

Indonesia on the run

This is a band from bandung, i know them since a couple of years. They are pretty famous now.
Have a look and stay tuned!