Food & Drink, Published articles

Pastis Please

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Have you tried Pastis? No, not the French liqueur, the Mediterranean-come-Italian Kitchen and Bar in Aston at the Kuningan Suites. Although this oasis is considered semi-fine dining, the service, cuisine and décor oozes fine dining.

In Pastis, your derriere is spoilt for where to park. Choose to sit at the elegant bar where a 4.5 litre bottle of Chivas lives, (tempting, I know) in the nonchalant restaurant which accommodates one very long bench-table which encourages mingling, on smaller dining tables which peer out onto a striking tree-lined garden where you can also relax comfortably on lounge chairs under chic sunbrellas. The sight of the white walls, white colonial-style windows and shutters, white kitchen cabinets filled with colourful fruit, the hanging French ceiling fans along with pots, pans and cooking utensils encased in vine leaves and the dark wooden ceiling beams above the restaurant hit you all at once. This place really is charming and you feel as though you are in someone’s kitchen/dining room (a very spacious one I might add) in the Mediterranean.

There is also a self-contained lounge to the left of the restaurant where smoking is permitted, and on weekend evenings, a house-music DJ spins his decks to a hip young crowd. During the day, this lounge feels very bright and cosy as natural light streams in through the large white-paned windows with romantic white colonial shutters. In addition to all this, Pastis has its own wine cellar where you can purchase very fairly priced Italian, Chilean, Argentinian and Australian wines.

So what did we eat at Pastis? I think the question is what didn’t we eat? The smiley Chef James tickled our palettes with a Brie and Apple Salad with Salmon Carpaccio and organic greens, then he indulged us with Homemade Gnocchi Gorgonzola, Spinach Ravioli al Pesto, USDA Beef Tenderloin which was cooked to perfection, Australian Lamb Chops with Mushroom and Thyme sauce, and upon instructions to, “Make room in your belly for dessert,” spoiled us with Vanilla Panna Cotta, Apple Strudel with Italian Vanilla Gelato and a Hot Chocolate Melt. This feast was followed by a very strong blend of Italian and Vietnamese espresso, which left us buzzing for the rest of the afternoon.

“We serve the best possible food at the best possible price,” says GM Raymond Marcel Zuest, and just from glancing at the menu you can see that this is true.  A bottle of their house wine is priced at Rp.325,00++, their cheese platter Rp.140,000++ and during their new Acoustic Ladies Night on Wednesdays, a lavish barbeque buffet will only set you back Rp.138,000++ per head. That and free cocktails from 6-8pm for the ladies accompanied by live acoustic music makes this an irresistible spot to relax in on a Wednesday night.

The main restaurant area in Pastis.

Delicious and unpretentious food, service with a smile, a comfy yet stylish white setting which feels like nowhere else in Jakarta, a place to have a romantic candle-lit dinner in a private garden (any offers, gents?), and Chef James’ smile are a few of the many reasons to make a trip to Pastis. I also mustn’t forget to mention their daily happy hour, which is a staggering four hours long (from 4pm – 8pm) and tempts you with two draught beers for the price of one.

Published articles, Travel

So Sabah

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There’s a long weekend coming up and you’re trying frantically to book a villa in Bali but it seems everywhere is fully booked. Belitung have no availabilities and you don’t fancy attempting to drive to Bandung or Pelabuhan Ratu for fear it will take you hours and hours to get there. So where are you going to go?

My answer to you is Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Direct flights from Jakarta to Kota Kinabalu (also known as K.K.) are available and are cheaper than flights to Bali. In two and a half hours you’re in another country and another world and you can enjoy a pedestrianized city with light traffic and fresh air. The attractions in K.K itself are limited to shopping, walking and eating, however it’s what’s just outside of the city that makes the journey to this side of Borneo all the worthwhile.

Descending from the summit of Mount Kinabalu to base camp
Descending from the summit of Mount Kinabalu to base camp

Our trip was somewhat adventurous, starting with a two-day hike up and down Mount Kinabalu, located in Kinabalu National Park, a two hour drive from K.K. Peaking at 4090.2 metres this is one of the easier mountains of this stature to conquer and a lot of effort has been put into this trail. Starting the ascent at 9am, we hiked through lush rainforest, admiring several miniature waterfalls during the way, and enjoying rest stations equipped with toilet and treated spring water.

The trail to Labuan Rata, the lodge where hikers rest overnight before ascending to the peak, is six kilometres up and we were four clicks in before the inevitable happened to slow us down – the tropical heavens opened and what a downpour it was. One thing every tour operator and website will tell you is to make sure to bring waterproofs and how right they all were. Waterproof trousers is the one thing you need most after a waterproof poncho.

Spotting Labuan Rata was a glorious moment, which meant shelter and rest. This lodge is made up of several unheated dorm-style rooms of various sizes, equipped with bunk beds and showers. Downstairs a large canteen area serves decent buffet meals for the famished trekker. After cleansing, adorning our thermals and eating as much as we could, our weary bodies tried to catch a few hours sleep before waking again at 1.30am for the final push to Low’s Peak to watch the sunrise.

Now this is where the hike gets hard. Leaving at 2.30 am after a light breakfast, head lamps light the way up steep rock-face and there are actually three segments where you have to pull yourself up rope – gloves with a grip come in very handy. It’s a three-hour climb to the bitter-cold finish where the waking sun welcomes you with open arms and the incredible view opens up to you (if it weren’t below freezing I would have stayed for much longer admiring it).

Two hours later and back at the lodge, a big breakfast was thoroughly enjoyed, followed by a short hour’s rest before a four-hour hike down the mountain the same way from which we came. In true rainforest fashion, the heavens opened up again halfway down, but we smiled and enjoyed it knowing that we were on our way back to a warm shower in a warm hotel room and that our feet could soon get some much-deserved rest.

The next day we organized a day trip to visit a small orangutan sanctuary where young rescued orphans were being rehabilitated. At 130 Ringgid each this was a lovely morning out and meant we were free to walk, yes again, around the city in the afternoon. There are many day trips available, which you can book via a tour operator or through your hotel. Orangutan sanctuary trips book up fast so make sure to reserve in advance during high seasons.

Diving at Sipadan
Diving at Sipadan

Next on our itinerary was diving at the renowned Sipadan Island, one of the word’s top ten dive destinations. Sipadan, in the Celebes Sea, is only half a km in length and 200 metres in width, and was once at the centre of a territorial dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia, with Malaysia being awarded the island by the International Court of Justice on the basis of “effective occupation” in 2002. Jacques Cousteau said, in his film Borneo: The Ghost of the Sea Turtle, “I have seen other places like Sipadan, 45 years ago, but now no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art.”

Untouched it may have been, but nowadays many boats from neighbouring islands take you to Sipadan and120 divers daily are permitted to dive in its surrounding waters, with a permit fee of 40 Ringgid per person per day. We enjoyed three dives a day and were lucky to gain access to Sipadan for two whole days, enjoying an abundance of sharks – black tip and white tip – Hawkbill turtles, schools of barracuda, schools of jack fish, schools of bumphead parrotfish and an array of other species of fish and macro sea life, including a rare spotting of a Dragon Seamoth which was one of the sweetest creatures I’ve ever seen!

With such a profusion of divers, it is so important to dive responsibly in these waters to lessen the degrading the effect dive tourism has had on its once pristine reefs. We witnessed a diver carelessly diving along the bottom of the ocean, dragging his second regulator across the reef, breaking off bits of coral on his way. As much as we all tried to pull him up and tell him off in sign language, he carried on, which brings me to an important point; learn to dive properly before you attempt underwater photography.

 

Charities, Published articles

Straight from the Heart

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I think a lot of us, although we may not like to admit it, take things for granted, most importantly the love and support we have from our parents. Every child deserves to be loved unconditionally, even if not by their birth parents, and down a little alleyway in Cipete, South Jakarta, some very lucky babies who had this birthright taken away from them, are being loved again.

Founded on a dream by Ingrid Van der Mark, a part-time school-teacher, Lestari Sayang Anak Orphanage’s vision is for each of its adopted children to experience individual love and care like they would in a real family environment. Unlike larger orphanages, Lestari Sayang Anak aims to recognise each of the children’s strengths and weaknesses and develop individual bonds with them all, and this is achieved by keeping the capacity of orphans to a low number.Although petite, this orphanage has enough love inside its walls to heal the world. Ingrid, who herself has two gorgeous adopted girls, Lisa and Emily, knew she would one day open an orphanage after visiting one in Romania that was in terrible condition.

After settling in Indonesia she eventually started her own orphanage with the assistance of her sister-in-law, Ibu Rita, who helped enormously with obtaining licenses and deeds. Unfortunately, with Ingrid being a Dutch national, rules and regulations made it that much harder for her to set up her charity, something I’m sure many of us have had experience with in some way or another.

The family, which is exactly what they are, is made up of Ibu Rita and three nurses, Ibu Ipah, Ibu Wydia and Ibu Asih, who all cook, clean and care for their three orphans. They have such a close bond with the children and the time spent together is filled with joy and laughter. The story of how each of these boys came into Ingrid’s care is one of the opposite, however.

Baby Jimmy

First there was Jimmy. This bouncing baby turned one last April and has been at the orphanage since he was only two days old. His birth mother had one previous son, but sadly she was being abused by her husband and had to make the difficult decision not to keep her second born. The mother heard of Lestari Sayang Anak through brochures which Ingrid distributes in midwife clinics in the poorer parts of town, and when Ingrid received the call, she went directly to the hospital where Jimmy was born to bring him to his new home. The birth mother never met Jimmy and stayed in a separate room when he was being collected.

Six months later came Benny who was originally in an orphanage in Bogor. At two months of age, his parents could no longer support him. They tried to contact several other orphanages, but they were all at full capacity. Luckily they found Ingrid. After speaking over the phone, Benny was brought to Lestari Sayang Anak on a motorcycle wrapped up in a blanket. He was malnutritioned and had a rash all over his body. His daily diet consisted of only two bottles of milk a day as well as rice porridge, which a baby of two months cannot digest. Ingrid told me although the mother was expressionless when she handed Benny over, she could feel her pain. Giving up your child due to poverty must be the hardest thing a parent can ever do.

Baby Roby smilling for Ingrid

Third, but not least came Roby, who was a Christmas baby, born on December 24th last year. His birth parents were only sixteen years old when Robbie was born – this goes to show how much sex education is needed here in Indonesia. Two days after his birth, he was brought to Lestari Sayang Anak and as Ingrid tells me the story, little Roby is smiling and kicking away in Ibu Widya’s lap.

With three happy and healthy babies at the orphanage, Lestari Sayang Anak has space for five more blessed little ones. Their vision for the future is to have another house, not far away, for the follow up ages of five and onwards until they are independent. Everything is donated, from the toys to the cribs and luckily Ingrid was savvy enough to get sponsorship from Huggies and Frisian Flag, but even with these, the costs for running an orphanage are still high – rent, food shopping, drinking water and utilities all add up. But even when times get tough, the family at Lestari Sayang stay positive and find a way to pull through – just like families do. “Everything we do here comes from the heart” Ingrid says.

“Every child has the right to a happy and healthy life…”

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HOW TO HELP

Yayasan Lestari Sayang Anak

Always shelter, always a home.

Any kind of help is welcome. You can make a one time donation or become a regular sponsor. In return you will receive a monthly update of the development of your sponsored child and you are always welcome to visit and play with your sponsor child.

Donations can be made to:

Yayasan Lestari Sayang Anak

ANZ Panin Bank, Account number: 413765 01 00001

Swift code: ANZBIDJX

http://www.lestarisayanganak.org

021 7500 328 / 081 791 89727 / ingrid5_09@yahoo.com

http://www.facebook.com/lestarisayanganak

First published in Indonesia Expat 17 January 2012

Charities, Published articles

Run, Scott, Run!

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1,250 kilometres in 25 days, from Bali to Jakarta, running through the sweltering 32 degree Equatorial heat and 75% humidity, dodging trans-Java buses, trucks and breathing in masses of carbon monoxide – does this sound like your worst nightmare? Just in case it didn’t compute the first time, that’s an average of 50 km a day, every day for 25 days, which is the equivalent of 30 back-to-back marathons. Are your legs starting to feel like jelly yet? Surely only a super human could accomplish such a feat.

Enter Scott Thompson. A blue-eyed Scotsman with a huge mission to accomplish this New Year. “I was looking for something extreme, larger than anything I’d ever done before,” Scott tells me. “I did the Sahara Ultra Marathon which was 250 km through the Sahara desert and thought about maybe trying the Yukon Arctic Ultra Marathon. I called several hotels in Jakarta to ask if they have freezers with available space to put a treadmill inside, but the response wasn’t so great…” Then the hundred dollar bet for a Bali to Jakarta run was presented to Scott in the office and from there his mind has been set.

Some may call him fool-hearted, but I say courageous. This run hasn’t been done before and when Scott crosses the finish line, he will be in the Guinness Book of World Records with the fastest run time between Bali and Jakarta. This mammoth run will start at Denpasar’s Ngurah Rai airport on March 8th, 2012 and take him north for three days to catch the Bali Straits ferry at Gilimanuk for the crossing to Banyuwangi-Ketapang. On the ferry, he won’t be enjoying the sights and sounds like the other passengers. He’ll be running, either on the spot or around the ferry deck, ultimately taking the attention away from the sights and sounds for the passengers on the ferry! From Banyuwangi he will follow the road north and turn west across four Javanese Provinces; East Java, Central Java, West Java and Jakarta.

The motive for this race will make you weak at the knees. Raising funds for underprivileged children in Indonesia is Scott’s driving force and all funds raised will go to Mary’s Cancer Kiddies and Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa. “I’m trying to raise awareness for these great charities which, although small, do incredible work for children who need help the most.”

This is a physically challenging and dangerous mission, but Scott will have only the best support team behind him for the entirety of this journey. Medic One have sponsored a medic with supplies, G4S are providing the escort car, Adidas are on board for the running shoes, Aqua and Mizone for the hydration and more sponsors are set to join in. So far, a running total of Rp.351,000,000 has already been raised for the charities and as this is a huge run, let’s make the donation huge, too. Scott and his supporters will ask that you join in supporting this fantastic cause and pledge as little or as much as you can to help the children.

As a Brit, Scott admits he doesn’t want to blow his own trumpet and come across as cocky or over confident. “I don’t mean this in a nasty way, but that’s the kind of thing North Americans are good at doing.”

A fair bit of self-belief has to be involved to accomplish this journey. Is it even physically possible? Dangers include heat exhaustion, dehydration, severe blistering of the feet, chafing, pulling or straining of muscles as he’ll be running on uneven terrain, avoiding potholes and automobiles. When Scott ran the Sahara Ultra Marathon, he lost 5 kg and this was over 4 days only. It’s hard to imagine how much he will lose over 25 days in the tropics!

“I know there will be a point where I ask myself ‘Why am I doing this?’ But once it’s done, I’ll relax, have a burger and a beer, and remember only the good things about the experience.”

For more info on the run and how to donate, please visit: http://www.runningbalitojakarta.com

First published in Indonesia Expat January 12, 2012

Lifestyle, Published articles

Le Souq, C’est Chiq

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Literally translated as “Arabic Market”, Le Souq captures the young and vibrant spirit which is somewhat lacking in Jakarta’s interior design world. Fresh out of the oven, this interior decorating shop has the shelf age of one week but has won over the hearts of countless people already. What makes this shop so special? Three words – “Joie de vivre”.

Owned by Dutch national with an Egyptian father, Mira Noordhoek Hegt, Le Souq has filled a gap in the market. As soon as I entered, I squealed with delight at the colourful Buddha head candles amongst the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ rabbit print cushions, funky lamps and elegant French embroidered mirrors on display. I literally wanted to have everything in the shop! Of course this made Mira extremely happy.

“I want this shop to put a smile on your face,” she says. “It’s meant to be a fun interior decorating shop where you can also buy nice, unique, high quality gifts for the home. I want people to feel welcome here and not intimidated like you do at many high end interior shops.”

You definitely feel welcomed here and intimidation is nowhere in sight, although quality is. The design of the products distinguishes itself by being cross-cultural with a mix of styles. All products are hand made from natural, high quality materials, like teak wood and hides and fabrics used are either silk, pure cotton or linen or a mixture of both. The combination of styles is surely inspired by Mira’s travel experiences, having lived in Europe, the United States, Africa and Asia. Her collection reflects the best of these worlds.

Coincidentally, Mira is a lawyer by profession, but interior design has always run through her veins. Her husband’s move to Indonesia was “meant to be” it seems, for her to take the plunge into the design world, what with Java being the epicentre for the production of furniture and interior products. After a year in the pipeline, with the 3 P’s; Planning, Paperwork and Presentation, her dream has become a reality. All materials are imported, but products are made here, which is the reason why Mira’s financial manager, Maaike Evers, is able to keep prices down. We like this a lot of course.

Is Jakarta ready for the ‘happy chic’? Mira and Maaike definitely think so. “Your home is the most important place on earth in these hectic times. It should have a luxurious feel, yet you should feel comfortable in it and it should put a smile on your face, too!”

One of the great things about a trip to Le Souq is that you can combine it with a visit to the shop on the floor above, Dyrt, where all products are made entirely from recycled banners. Owned and founded by Karen Isdaryono, Dyrt design boasts a varied product range including Home, For Kids, For Sports, Woman, Office and even Pets! Forest Resource Certified, this shop is passionate for recycling and it shows. Minimum waste of the disregarded banners from HSBC, Citibank, Gudang Garam, Warna Warni and several other companies is a rule and small leftover cuttings are even woven or made into small placemats.

“These kind of recycled products are not new in the western world,” Karen tells me, “but here they’re still a novelty and in most cases of low quality. At Dyrt quality is high and training is even provided for those interested in learning about making recycled products.”

Two distinguishably unique shops under one roof ladies and gentlemen, both equally able to satisfy the design guru/recycling enthusiast in you.

Please visit these innovative ladies at Jl. Kemang Raya No. 72, Lot K.

Le Souq / Mira Noordhoek Hegt

+62 21 719 5672

Dyrt Design / Karen Isdaryono

+62 21 718 0275

First published in Indonesia Expat November 25, 2011

Published articles, Travel

Set Your Inner Hippie Free at Tiger Island

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Most people don’t get over-excited when you mention the Thousand Islands (Pulau Seribu), myself included, however one of these one hundred or so islands (I know, the ‘thousand’ in the name is very misleading) has captured my hippie heart and soul and is now my favourite weekend break within two hours of the Big Durian. Pulau Macan aka Tiger Island (another misleading name as there are no tigers in sight, I assure you) is a tiny island paradise where not a care in the world exists.

Our trip to the island of the tigers began with a speedboat ride, which left Marina Ancol at 8am on Saturday morning. As we pulled out of the harbour, we held our noses for the first five minutes as the boat waded through North Jakarta’s polluted murky waters. After that we were off, and the waters quickly turned sky blue as we marvelled at the many tiny islands we passed, some with small mansions on land, wondering how the other half lived.

From afar, Pulau Macan looks like a small hedge in the middle of the ocean, and as we got closer, it turns out it looks like a very big hedge in the middle of the ocean. The first thing you see as the speedboat pulls into the pier is the row of solar panels, and as a self-confessed eco-warrior, the moment we set foot ashore I was home. Guests were lounging in hammocks, books in hand, chilling out on the driftwood bar overlooking the clear baby-blue ocean, enveloped in giant sofas in the open-air living area with smooth grooves flowing (one positive criticism would be that the playlist needs to be longer and not on constant repeat – only so many times can I hear Eric Clapton’s ‘Cocaine’ over the space of a weekend).

Myself and mystery date decided to go on a rekkie of the island, which lasted about five minutes as the island is only about a hectare in size, discovered a cockerel, some hens, two very happy lounging island cats, and our beautiful hut (I say hut because that’s what it is – not a wall in sight). You really feel at one with nature here. We spent the rest of the morning snorkelling around the islands, kung-fu fighting off some very aggressive little fish who just love to nip you behind your ankles, as well as dodging some very prickly sea urchins! Besides these two ‘deadly predators’ (don’t forget the tigers), the snorkelling around Tiger Island is very pleasant – good visibility, various different corals and thousands of fish.

That afternoon I met the island’s Swiss/Dutch/Indo GM, Marc Zwyer, at the island’s bar and he told me how Pulau Macan is very proud of its sustainability projects. Three years ago, under new management, the island was transformed into an eco-resort and the aim is for guests to be inspired. “The speed boat may not be eco-friendly, but the first thing you’ll notice on our island are the solar panels and the energy generated from these are stored in a big red box which provides electricity, albeit limited, for guests to be able to have a small lamp on in their huts, as well as a fan,” Mark tells me. To be honest the constant cooling breeze that blew through the island was fan enough, but apparently August, which is when we were there, is the best time to visit as the breeze never stops.

“Water is imported to the island on boats and as we don’t get much rain here we use rainwater to hydrate the organic garden which grows chillies, ginseng, cassava and aloe vera,” he continues. “This whole bar you’re sitting at is made of driftwood that our guys go hunting for in the ocean as are most of our huts. We teach local fishermen to make furniture out of driftwood to sell in the hope that this knowledge will be passed on to their children and hopefully end the fishing in these waters.” As it turns out, overfishing is a real problem here and fishermen still use cyanide spray to fish – over our stay I caught sight of at least three fishing boats hovering around the neighbouring islands. The island also has a coral nursery where guests can help with planting new coral.

On the island, guests are encouraged to use water and electricity sparingly, which are lessons we should all use in our day-to-day lives back in civilisation’. The island promotes healthy eating and wellbeing and meals are very healthy, served buffet-style according to the number of guests staying so as to avoid waste (they have a strict 40 guest max policy), and is predominately vegetarian with the additional meat dish to satisfy the carnivores. Pulau Macan can be chartered along with its small neighbouring island for team building exercises like ‘survivor’ where teams have to construct, cook and survive with only natural resources, and the occasional hidden mie goreng packet.

Geologically speaking there is no threat of tsunamis in these waters and Mark assured me there are no pirates, unless you wanted to throw a pirate themed party of course. We stayed an extra night because one night simply wasn’t enough, and our time was spent taking little traditional boat trips to the neighbouring islands to snorkel with the fish, practicing yoga to the sunrise, cozying up to beautiful sunsets, sleeping at 9pm, and just generally feeling like we were thousands of miles away from anywhere, so when the time came to leave the island, we felt more relaxed than we’d ever been.

If you’re a hippie at heart, love to chill out in hammocks and walk around half naked, and can handle the sound of silence, this is the place for you. Book way in advance as the island is almost always fully booked on the weekends.

First published in Indonesia Expat, 30 November 2011.

Portfolio of a Southeast Asia-based journalist & environmental activist