As I crossed an enigmatic beach facing Indian ocean on a trail bike, I was amazed at the fact that several group of villagers fished there despite high waves that sounded like cannons along the shores. Continue reading The making of the fisherman’s son
The article first appeared as the cover story in the international edition of think archipelago magazine V3. The coastal area down the south of Java poses tsunami hazard. But in a tragedy that happened once in several decades, the locals consider it their safe backyards. These people, strong and able, have always something interesting to tell.
Standing on the river mouth when the sun is at its peak, villagers at the shore line of Sukabumi, West Java, are set to go fishing. Under the scorching sun, some of them wore caps while other put on hoods on their jackets. A group of them came down from Cikaso village to the river mouth, where the streams directly flow to the Indian Ocean. It is well-known for its constant high tides. Continue reading “Life as the fisherman’s son”
The 6-kilometer Bogor Heritage Run, which saw over 1500 participants on Sunday, 19 April, promotes cultural heritage sites in Bogor, West Java, and raises awareness to preserve such priceless city assets, said the host Panorama Events. Continue reading Bogor Heritage Run 2015
An eight-hour trip from Jakarta brought us to a small town in Surade district of Sukabumi regency, West Java. The journey continued 30Km southwest across stony path to a stretch of hill overlooking a river where the beauty nature could best afford blended with the complexity life had brought upon human beings. Continue reading Rock workers of the south coast
The latest data on national water consumption showed a huge supply gap between the national tap water company PAM and the private bottled water companies operating in Indonesia. PAM provided 3.2 billion litres of tap waters in 2013, whereas the bottled water sales in that year reached 20.3 billion litres. The sales number rose to 23.9 billion litres the following year. This indicates that the … Continue reading THE ESSENCE OF TAP WATER
Fire gutted the rear building of Jin De Yuan Temple, Glodok, at 4AM, when the people living in the Chinatown were asleep. The area suffered blackout to prevent electricity catastrophe due to the electrical transformer mounted on a pole located just a few meters away from the blaze. The main buildings, fortunately, remained intact. Jin De Yuan is the oldest temple in Jakarta, a historical building in Chinatown, and a major part of history surrounding the 17th century Chinese overseas settlers in the then Dutch East Indies. For its rich history, the temple has always been a major place of interest in the eyes of both domestic and foreign tourists visiting the Big Durian. Continue reading “FIRE IN JIN DE YUAN TEMPLE”
Located at the west-end of Tanah Abang textile center, access to Blok G not only poses setback due to the relatively far distances from the central blocks, the chaotic traffic caused by a concentration of public minivans makes the building even harder for visitors to come take a look. Blok G is now in dire condition, but officials said workers are speeding up refurbishment, especially in the third and fourth floor, where estimatedly over 700 kiosks will be ready to use by September. With just a month to go, there is a lot of work to do. Perhaps, the success of mass removal program to clean up streets from street vendors is not about hastening the restoration project in Blok G, but more than that, a sound policy based on thorough studies. Continue reading “WARY AND WEARY PART 3: BLOK G”
Tired and cautious, street vendors in Tanah Abang market share similar expression as the tension rises amid the rigorous plan to organise the largest wholesale and retail textile blocks at the center of the city. Losing a place for income source seems imminent. Business doubles up especially in August where the nation celebrates Islamic holy month, but this could be the last chance to taste a boon. Continue reading “WARY AND WEARY PART 2”
Street vendors have occupied the streets in Tanah Abang market for at least two decades. Since then they changed the overall look of the area into a slum-like, yet it remained bustling as one of the city’s retail centers. They have also severed the access to the area and the traffic flow of the proximity. As is commonly the case in developing economies, the formation of infomal sector like this swells sporadically in the densely populated spots of the city. There is no place to spare, which translates into the occupation of public places such as parks, train and bus stations, pedestrian precincts and plazas. Continue reading “WARY AND WEARY”
The article also appeared in the Jakarta Post, 23 January 2015, The Street Painters in Kota Tua.
Sat facing each other as thoughts were focused on the chess board down the pavement, two street painters killed time in an unlikely corner of Jakarta. Portrait pieces hung on the wall of a rundown building around busy intersection in the old district of Kota Tua, making an impression that the trapped eyes inside the frames were watching the chess game. Sat on a stool close to a frame stand, these marginalized painters had settled around for a long time. Their tools occupied half side of the sidewalk. Continue reading “DREAM A LITTLE BIT OF ME”
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