Very early every Sunday morning, until around 9am, from Patung Pemuda Statue on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman to Monas on Jalan Mohammad Husni Thamrin, the streets are closed to traffic for Car Free Day. Usually the road is filled with people walking, jogging, riding bikes and rollerblades, but we found during Ramadhan the roads are incredibly […] Read more »
Taman Suropati Chamber during Ramadhan
During the month of Ramadhan, Taman Suropati Chamber have rescheduled their usual morning classes to 3-5pm each Sunday afternoon. We headed down recently, taking with us one of Treen’s dear friends and fellow teachers, Talisa, to enjoy the ambience in the park. I am incredibly envious of anyone with any musical talent and to see […] Read more »
Train Spotting in Bandung
I love spontaneous adventures and riding on trains so I couldn’t resist an opportunity to head to Bandung with Tri to take photos of trains crossing the bridge out in the countryside, and to enjoy a short respite from the chaos of Jakarta. I have travelled by car and train to Bandung several times over […] Read more »
Motor Motor Cinta
Here in Jakarta where public displays of affection are not widely accepted it is very unusual to see anyone holding hands or sharing an intimate moment with their husband/wife/lover. In Australia, especially during the warmers summer months, the parks are filled with young love, and the streets are filled with happiness as couples stroll hand […] Read more »
Antasari Flyover in South Jakarta
I have been watching the construction of the new Antasari Flyover for several months now in South Jakarta. I have watched in awe as the beams were erected and the workers were lit up in the night sky standing on metail railings. Coming from Australia where Work Safety practices mean that there are standards to […] Read more »
A Heart of Gold – Ages Biola and Taman Suropati Chamber
If you live in Jakarta, it is easy to get distracted by the mess of the city; the mind-bending traffic, the corruption, the pollution, the mind-blowing poverty; it feels like a city that is about to self-combust while you can only sit and gape and wonder, who is doing anything about this mess? Does […] Read more »
Jakarta Expat Magazine and Taman Suropati Chamber
A huge thank you to Angela Richardson at Jakarta Expat Magazine for sharing my story and photos of the amazing Taman Suropati Chamber. Share on Facebook Read more »
Orphans at the Ridwan’s
Every so often you meet people that make a big impact on your life and make you see life from a new and fresh perspective. The Ridwan family have been incredibly generous with their kindness not only to me, but to many people that surround them. Rafi is always thinking of others and how he […] Read more »
Visit to SLB Santi Rama Cipete with Rafi Abdurrahman Ridwan
It was such an honour for me to visit Rafi’s former school and meet his old classmates at Santi Rama Cipete School for the Deaf last month, along with Rafi’s mother Shinta and his younger sister and brother, Rafa and Rafif. Rafi is currently working on a new project and wants to involve some of […] Read more »
Basa Basi and the Family Meal
When I was young, I used to get so nervous about going to a friend’s house for dinner – I was shy and had no table manners so when confronted with a plate of spaghetti that looked to me like a plateful of embarrassment – how much of that spaghetti would land on my face, […] Read more »