We Love Jakarta

Ohhhhhh yum….

Written by welovejakarta on June 12, 2014

Anyone who has been following this blog would know that I have spent many mornings out walking in the complex at supid-o’clock with little Samudra… which I have actually LOVED, and then just recently, I looked a little more closely while we were doing our rounds near the park to discover this cake seller! He is outside the school by the park super early every morning to tempt the kids with his tasty treats before they start school.. and so I decided to give them a try and bought only one just to test them.. Low and behold, the warm and spongy freshly cooked cakes, topped with chocolate sprinkles had me hooked at first bite! I found myself WANTING to get up at a ridiculous hour for days, packing Samudra into his sling and practically running back to the cake seller… a whole packet of 6 cakes cost Rp. 10,000, so about AUD$1, what a bargain!

I soon realised my new found addiction was ridiculous and I had to temporarily stop walking just so I wouldn’t be tempted… and be torturing poor Samudra with the smell of freshly baked cakes he couldn’t eat as we made our way home again.

Do yourself a favour and try them though if you see them around… enak kue!

Enak kue!!!! ooooh how can I resist??

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JFFF 2014 at Kelapa Gading

Written by welovejakarta on June 12, 2014

Well hello!

It’s been over a month now since my 100 Days of Happiness ended and we have been caught up in a whirlwind of play dates, events, work, adventures and giving my back a break from carrying the camera plus Samudra everywhere I go, every single day.

I have really missed keeping a record of all that has been going on as I find it difficult to remember otherwise and keeping up with all the new milestones in little Samudra’s life. He is now aware of his hands, toes, and loves to pull himself up and stand while bouncing himself up and down in excitement. We have met some more lovely children and mum’s here in Jakarta which has been great and been to some more 1st birthday parties which has been super cute.

So now I have found myself neglecting this blog and thought maybe I should go through my memory cards and see what I actually have been doing when I have managed to drag the camera out again.

Firstly I have found pictures from Jakarta Food & Fashion Festival (JFFF) which is an annual event held out in Kelapa Gading which is quite far from where we live, so it makes it difficult to find motivation to fight the traffic to get there. This event celebrates with fashion shows every day from top Indonesian designers and newcomers, as well as as a super packed area for Indonesian food lovers. We know how much Indonesians LOVE their food by now, so even at 10.00pm the area was buzzing with people even on a Sunday night, tasting dishes from throughout the country while listening to music being played up on stage. At the beginning of this event there is a night carnival which I have only been to once, a few years ago, and it was amazing, with a parade of incredible and colourful costumes, music and dancers, ending with a loud and colourful fireworks display. Unfortunately I missed it this year, and only managed to make it along to one show, in support of my dear friend, and Indonesia’s youngest fashion designer, Rafi Ridwan. As I had Samudra with me I wasn’t able to sit in the photographers pit as usual, but had to sit in the seats closest to the exit door incase my little baby lost it and started crying during the show. When we entered the auditorim he was squealing so loudly that I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to bring him, but once the show started, he sat quietly in awe of the lights, music and models on the catwalk. Rafi presented 40 garments during the show, all in red hues and the designs looked gorgeous. I am just guttered that I didn’t get any good pictures because of my seating.

The show was followed with us meeting up with kakek and nenek to indulge in some local delicacies at the food festival, along with thousands of other like minded people.

So I will endeavour to update this blog a little more frequently in the future, even if only for my own memories sake.

I hope you are all healthy and happy wherever you are in the world.

Look what I found out in the garden! A big friendly lizard..

Catching up with my good friend and superstar Fashion Photographer Eddy Bogel at JFFF

Samudra enjoying his first experience at a fashion show with Putra.

One of Rafi’s designs, ooooooh I wish I had taken proper photos at this show!

10pm and the Food Festival is still packed on a Sunday night!

Enjoying some local music at the festival. See you there next year!

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100 Days of Happiness – Day 100

Written by welovejakarta on May 25, 2014

Well today marks the end of the 100 Days of Happiness challenge and although I am posting this way after the fact, I can say I feel a little lost not having to write at the end of each day so I can remember what has been happening.

Today I went to Plaza Semanggi with Putra and Samudra and FINALLY we got the chance to eat at Loving Hut again. I have been wanting to go there since I was first pregnant with Samudra and somehow the idea of the traffic to get there has always been a deterrent, but today we had a purpose as Putra had to shoot some footage from the Sky Dining area. When Loving Hut was open in Kemang, it seemed that Treen and I were the only customers that ever ventured into the shop and I ended up getting it delivered to my room almost daily in the end although it was only a 5 minute walk away (how Indonesian of me!). As a vegan/vegetarian restaurant it didn’t stay open long in our area but I was surprised to turn up the restaurant today and see that it was pretty much full. Now if only it was closer to home.

With full bellies we headed up to the Sky Dining area so Putra could film and then the lightning came! Big bolts up in the sky being reflected in the tall glass windows of the buildings around us. It was ridiculously humid up there and just as we left to go inside the rain started so it was perfect timing.

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing at home, watching dvd’s and relaxing and so this concludes the 100 Days of Happiness. I don’t think the purpose of this challenge was to be and stay completely happy for 100 days straight as that is undeniably impossible, but to be able to find moments of happiness in each day and find something to be grateful for, that is definitely achievable. In these past 100 days there have been tears, homesickness, laughter, love, giggles, adventures, frustration, watching Samudra learn to sit and then be able to stand holding onto things, watching 6 tiny new teeth appear, meeting new friends, too many kids and babies to recall, loads of walking, plenty of food, movies, music, trips to Singapore and Jogja, and all the rest. For me, I am just happy to have a record of the past 100 magical days with Samudra.

So thank you for joining me on my mini adventures and for baring with me as I overload on photos of my little miracle, but it really is an amazing journey to be on.

Now to find a new project to start posting about…

I hope you also had 100 happy days along with us wherever in the world you are.

Day 100: We made it bubba! Happiness.

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100 Days of Happiness – Day 99

Written by welovejakarta on May 25, 2014

This morning we missed out on our morning walk as it was a little late before I managed to get up and find motivation and the sun was already far too warm. If I miss the early morning window to walk then I end up covered in sweat and uncomfortable within a minute of walking and as there are not many trees around for shade, I feel like I may just spontaneously combust carrying around an almost 9kg little bundle of joy. I would also risk the comments of walking around with Samudra without an umbrella, jacket, and shoes to guard him from the sun from all the ibu ibu on the street. ha!

So instead I snapped way too many pictures of him sleeping in the morning because waking up next to his loveliness fills my heart with happiness and he looked way too cute with this teddy today (thanks Sarah Ooi).

In the afternoon I could hear lots of laughing and squeals coming from the front of the house so I took Samudra out to see what was going on.. the front doorstep was filled with people and a tiny little baby furry creature. I still have no idea exactly what it was, (is it a type of possum?) but I kind of felt sorry for it being surrounded by people and arms reaching out to it and it looked a little frightened and tried to get away but had no chance of that. It climbed over my legs and proceeded to start biting on my feet ever so gently and it was freaking me out but I didn’t want to startle it even more. Apparently it had been found near the drain outside the house, so after everyone had played with it, it was given a bath and a quick dry out in the super hot sun and placed in a tiny cage. Oh no! Not more animals in cages and I wanted to know where was it’s mother and what if she came back looking for it? If only I knew more bahasa I would have freed it there and then, but in the afternoon it seemed to have gone so I hope it is safely reunited with its mother or playing in a tree somewhere.

More giggles, and playtime with my little boy and the day was over yet again.

I hope you had a beautiful day wherever in the world you are too.

Day 99: Too cute even when he’s asleep. Happiness.

Day 99: Bless this furry creature! Happiness.

Day 99: A second before he realised what was infront of him and then being so scared! Happiness.

Day 99: Daffa getting tickled. Happiness.

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100 Days of Happiness – Day 98

Written by welovejakarta on May 25, 2014

We were up way too early again as usual and headed off for our beautiful morning walk around the neighbourhood, stopping to chat to the ibu ibu and babies as always, but Samudra seemed quiet and tired so we didn’t walk for too long today. Although it was he that was poking me in the eyes, nose, and mouth while laughing and wanting me to wake up and play, he really seemed low on energy when we were up and about and quickly fell back to sleep once we returned home.

It seems that Samudra takes after me and is a super fussy eater and I can’t seem to get him to eat much more than tahu, tempe, bread, watermelon and yoghurt and everything else is greeted with a closed mouth. Every day his nanny cooks him bubur and pumpkin, tahu, etc but it is a very rare occasion that he will eat more than a mouthful of anything. I have passed a fairly new little shop on Jl Kemang Raya called Baby Bar quite a few times and thought maybe today is the day I should finally venture inside and see if they have anything Samudra would actually eat.

What a sweet little shop it is and I really love their food packaging. They sell baby cereal, biscuits, puree and fruit mousse, all with recommendations on what flavours babies should eat according to their age. From past experience he won’t touch cereal and as the food here is a little pricier than what I would like to spend on food he may not want to touch, I settled on some strawberry mousse and apple biscuits. All their ingredients are organic and there are no preservatives or colorants added. Their little bags are adorable and it seemed Samudra was happy being in the store as he squealed with happiness once again.

We got back into our taxi and headed to Bangka to attend the German community garage sale which was a fund raising event. I had been invited by the lovely Anna Hauptmann and when we arrived I was surprised to see the place so packed with people! It had started at 9.30am and it was 10.30am when we arrived and already so much had apparently sold. There were so many people rummaging through the boxes of second hand goods and clothes and I am hoping they raised alot of money as there were certainly many people there supporting the cause.

Back at home again and Samudra was loving the

Day 98: Finished our early morning walk and he is back to sleep. Happiness.

Day 98: Super cute packaging at Baby Bar. Happiness.

Day 98: Baby Bar Cereal. Happiness.

Day 98: German community fund raising garage sale. Happiness.

Day 98: Watching Twinkle Twinkle Little Star animation. Happiness.

Day 98: Good night my beautiful little boy. Happiness.

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100 Days of Happiness – Day 97

Written by welovejakarta on May 16, 2014

This morning I couldn’t decide whether I had the energy or not to go for a walk too far, so thought it best I just do a quick block around the house and so didn’t take the camera with me. How silly of me.. of course once Samudra and I went out the front gate we were distracted looking at flowers, following cats and saying hello to other babies and before I knew it we were far from the house and down an alleyway where a man was standing with a big cage of homing pigeons and releasing them into the sunny morning sky. It looked amazing and Samudra was confused but squealing with excitement. I wish I took the camera with me. We ended up walking through the winding streets and came to a section of hustle and bustle, with music blaring from an old transistor radio while men chopped down trees, kids were riding on their bicycles and women were gathered around the fruit and vegetable sellers buying food for the day.

An hour later we returned to the house after our spontaneous adventure and as much as I wished I had taken photos, it was actually nice to have been free from lugging the heavy thing around and actually be present in the moment and enjoy it totally with Samudra.

The rest of the day was spent locked away inside at my computer with every hour blurring into the next until it was time for Samudra’s nanny to go home and I put the sling back on and off Samudra, Daffa, Daffa’s friends and I set for an afternoon walk. We were only 1 block away when we ran into some energetic little boys and their kites and they wanted to know where we were going. As soon as they knew we were going to the park, they wound up their kite strings and followed us, gathering more and more children along the way. It was too funny! By the time we got to the park there were so many children around all trying to get Samudra’s attention that it got a little overwhelming for him and he ended up momentarily in tears.

Some of the kids I had never seen before and they saw this as their chance to practise their English and started asking me random questions and then bursting into fits of laughter and acting all shy when I answered them. It was completely adorable. We watched as the horse and carriage ride carried young children around the park, kids playing with kites and kicking balls around on the grass and some school kids playing badmington up near the school.

It must be so wonderful to grow up with so many kids around having adventures together – this complex has so many babies, toddlers and primary school kids around on the streets so as a child you could never get lonely. As we headed back home all the kids were asking if they could come to our house to play but I told them Samudra had to sleep and that we would be back again soon, so they followed us for awhile and then stopped to wave goodbye at the end of the park. So much sweetness.

I hope you had a beautiful day wherever in the world you are.

Day 97: The sweet boys with kites as we went on our walk. Happiness.

Day 97: Some of the kids that followed us to the park. Happiness.

Day 97: Sweet little Tasya. Happiness.

Day 97: Just a few of those still walking with us. Happiness.

Day 97: I could only get half the kids in the picture as the others ran off into the side street laughing. Happiness.

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100 Days of Happiness – Day 96

Written by welovejakarta on May 16, 2014

Ohmygoodness.. another night of sleeping with a snorer and crying baby meant absolutely no sleep for me so I spent the whole night playing on my iPhone in despair until 4.30am when I remembered that today was Sunday… and that means Car Free Day. At 5.00am I got up to shower and asked Putra to look after Samudra while I did so and was greeted with a very grumpy response to being woken up! hmmmmf. How easy it is for the other half.

I ordered a taxi for Samudra and I and at the last minute Putra decided to join us. It was such a beautiful morning so early out on Jl. Sudirman with the sun seeping through the trees, and the road was covered in specs of yellow and black as the Mandiri Marathon was on and I couldn’t believe how many thousands of people were actually up to run in it this morning. How times have changed in Jakarta and I really love it.

Samudra fell asleep chewing on his pram about 10 minutes into the walk, while we enjoyed the music from buskers on the side of the road and all the entertainment that comes from having thousands of people in one place at one time. Then I noticed some cameramen and photographers running and stopping and running and stopping again up ahead and was super excited to realise that they were filming the same Baduy guys I had seen walking in Ragunan a few days earlier. I really wanted to catch up and take a picture but I couldn’t interrupt the filming so let it be and watched them disappear into the distance and felt depleted to have been so close yet again, but still so far away. Then I forgot about them while taking in the view of life around us and as we neared the fountain at Bundaran HI I turned back to look for Putra and Samudra and there were the Baduy right behind me! I quickly snapped a picture and then somehow ended up talking with them and the host of the show who told me that it took two days of solid walking for them to reach Jakarta and they have been walking around for days selling their goods. I desperately wanted to buy something but Putra had my wallet so I ran off to catch up to him and grab Samudra and headed back to see what they had for sale. The host of the show then asked if I could please appear on their program and be filmed while I was looking at their wares. So as hot and sweaty and gross as I was looking after an hour walk in the sunshine, there was Samudra and I infront of the cameras and 1 second later we were completely closed in by curious people wanting to know what was going on. I couldn’t even get my balance to stand up as we were so squashed in by a circle of people and it was so claustrophobic that it made me sweat even more! I have no idea what TV station it was but I don’t watch TV so there’s no fear of me seeing the footage and being humiliated.

Putra had to go to another meeting in the afternoon so I joined with nenek and kakek to Pejaten Village for some lunch and to watch Samudra having a go on the rides in the kids play area. Wow.. the rides were blasting super loud songs out but Samudra seemed to really enjoy himself and tired himself out to have another sleep as soon as we got home.

So as incredibly tired as I was, it ended up being a really lovely Sunday and I hope you had a beautiful day too wherever in the world you are.

Day 96: Early morning at the ‘Pizza Man’ statue. Happiness.

Day 96: The Mandiri marathon is happening as we walk. Happiness.

Day 96: A cute ball of fluff! Happiness.

Day 96: A beautiful morning on Jl. Sudirman. Happiness.

Day 96: Some cool bikes. Happiness.

Day 96: Cool kids of Jakarta. Happiness.

Day 96: Awesome buskers. Happiness.

Day 96: Samudra taking in the views. Happiness.

Day 96: Seeing the Baduy men twice in one week. Happiness.

Day 96: Taking a ride in Pejaten with kakek. Happiness.

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100 Days of Happiness – Day 95

Written by welovejakarta on May 16, 2014

My 100 Days of Happiness have already come to an end and it’s been so long since I last updated, so I need to try and remember what happened in the last few days… I was so close to the end and then got completely sidetracked!

Today I had a lovely morning watching Samudra and Daffa playing together in the lounge. It is so obvious that Samudra adores Daffa as he is always trying to crawl over him and squealing loudly with excitement when he is around, and Daffa is always waiting outside our bedroom to play with Samudra or opening the door to stick his head in to see if Samudra can play with him. They have a very cute relationship together and I have taken way too many photos of them playing around the house and complex.

In the afternoon I joined Treen, Jackie and Claire at Three Buns Senopati and what a cool venue this cafe is at! It was our first time to try this place and when we arrived there seemed to be a long line out the front and it looked like a very popular and cool place to hang out at. I had never even heard of it before today and was so happy to be somewhere new again and loved the interior. There is a old van at the front where you order your food, and then inside there are trees and layers and layers of wooden steps with cushions and some random seating and tables and a bar over to one side. We climbed to the top of the stairs and luckily got a table with a sunken floor for our legs, and we ended up sharing this space with other customers. It’s a great relaxed atmosphere but there wasn’t much on the menu for vegetarians, but the french fries were crunchy, salty and delicious and although I heard that the burgers were pretty average, the surrounds made up for what the food lacked… oh and the drinks were divine and refreshing too!

In the ever changing face of Jakarta there are always new places opening and closing so quickly these days and so it’s hard to keep up and know where to go. I feel so out of touch and out of the loop since having Samudra so it was great to go somewhere different that isn’t attached to one of Jakarta’s 70+ malls.

We walked down the road in need of a sugar fix and stopped in at The Harvest which looked so grand and inviting from outside, but there were no tables left inside so we sat on the balcony and melted for a few minutes before deciding it was too hot to stay and ended up in a taxi back to the old favourite, Koi Kemang, for desserts. I hadn’t been hungry but managed to quickly polish off a bowl of chocolate mousse with chocolate chips in under a minute as it was incredible.

With a full belly I made it home in time for Samudra to fall asleep for an hour or so before Putra decided he was hungry and we ended up at Raja Rasa for dinner again. So overall it was a fun day with an overload of food which left me bursting at the seams but oh so totally worth it!

I hope you had a delicious and happy day wherever in the world you are.

Day 95: Playing with Daffa. Happiness.

Day 95: Look who’s learning to walk! Happiness.

Day 95: Samudra LOVES to bang the piano keys! Happiness.

Day 95: Eating Orange for the first time. Happiness.

Day 95: This bag tastes delicious! ha. Happiness.

Day 95: Downstairs at 3 Buns. Happiness.

Day 95: Nice vibe. Happiness.

Day 95: Chocolate mousse dessert at Koi. Happiness.

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100 Days of Happiness – Day 94

Written by welovejakarta on May 5, 2014

This morning we were up bright and early as usual, but had no chance to go for a morning walk as I had to make an early trip to Immigration in Mampang for my visa yet again. When I first arrived in Jakarta in 2009 I used to have to fly to Singapore every month to renew my tourist visa as I had no idea how to stay otherwise. Then the rules changed for Tourist Visas from 30 to 60 days, but you needed to visit Immigration after 30 days to renew it instead of flying out of the country. I remember going into the Immigration offices and it was completely intimidating going alone, not being able to speak the language or read any signs, and there was no order in the chaos, the place was crowded and you just had to push and wave your arms and money around to get any attention and I used to leave dripping in sweat, confused, and hoping I had successfully extended my visa again. I cannot even tell you how many trips to Singapore I have made in all these years, but in the end I was flying to Singapore airport and getting straight back on a plane to Jakarta without stepping outside as I couldn’t bare to go near Orchard Road yet again. How times have changed, the Immigration offices have been rebuilt, it is not anywhere near as crowded, there are systems in place for queuing, security, and loads of agents who are willing to do the work for you. Today was just a quick visit to get my photo taken and finger prints taken yet again and it was all done within 30 minutes and I was home, pain free!

When I returned home I opened my email to find a message from the lovely Kaho from Chuzai Living blog who is now living in Mumbai. About a year ago, Kaho had a bloggers gathering before she left Jakarta but I missed out on attending and meeting her in person as I was too sick with my pregnancy, and today she sent me through a list of all those that attended. Wow! Somehow I lost hours today checking out all the amazing blogs and photos online and reading so many stories from other bloggers in Jakarta and I now feel like this blog needs to find some direction and have a facelift! I have barely changed it since we started it in 2010 and I know it’s time for a change and renewal on life! I am a little sad that the 100 days is almost at an end though as it’s been fun to record my days for the last few months. So a huge shout out and THANK YOU to lovely Kaho for all the new connections and be sure to check out her blog if you have time at www.chuzailiving.com.

It poured with rain all afternoon but Samudra and I joined kakek for a visit to the apartment to install the new surround sound system and then listened to some great music from Istanbul which Samudra loved dancing to.

It was a day of happiness and inspiration reading all the stories from different women blogging around Jakarta and I am so grateful as this is just what I needed to get my head and heart back on track again!

I hope you had a beautiful day wherever in the world you are too.

Day 94: My beautiful peaceful sleeping boy. Happiness.

Day 94: I love these chubby legs! Happiness.

Day 94: Watching the rain with kakek. Happiness.

Day 94: Enjoying the apartment view with kakek. Happiness.

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100 Days of Happiness – Day 93

Written by welovejakarta on May 5, 2014

Although I was awake with Samudra so early today, I tried to stall getting out of bed for as long as possible as I had it in my head that I wanted to take him to Ragunan Zoo for a change of scenery, but remembered that it wouldn’t open until 9.00am. I figured by the time I bathed and fed him and we walked up to Jl Ampera Raya to find a taxi, it would be open when we arrived. I opened the bedroom door and there was nenek and kakek so they excitedly whisked him away and took him to his new pool they had bought him and were filling up outside.

I had been looking forward to Ragunan and since I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, I gave in and walked up to Jl Ampera Raya alone and ended up catching an ojek to the zoo. I was really wishing Samudra was with me, but I needed to go and get some air and have a walk before it got too hot so decided to go by myself anyway. Just as we were nearing the zoo I noticed some scruffy looking men walking in a line on the side of the road, and as we got closer I realised it was men from the Badui tribe carrying their wares on their back. I was so excited that I was too slow when I asked the ojek driver to please stop so I could take some photos and he suggested I wait at the entrance of the zoo as they would be passing by anyway. I reluctantly agreed but by the time I arrived at the zoo I decided it may be better to leave the Baduy men to walk in peace without waiting around like a stalker..

The Baduy tribe live in the western part of the Indonesian province of Banten in the mountains and resist foreign influences to preserve their ancient culture and way of life. I haven’t had the good fortune to visit the area as yet but perhaps I will make the journey once Samudra is a little older, but then again I really don’t know how I feel about intruding on their traditional way of life. There are two sub-groups of this tribe; the Baduy Dalam (Inner Baduy), and the Baduy Luar (Outer Baduy) and no foreigners are allowed to meet the Inner Baduy which I think is pretty magical in this day and age, to be able to remain untouched by outside influences. The Outer Baduy do have limited contact with outside visitors, as people are able to visit their village and stay overnight in very basic traditional accommodation, and to purchase the handmade fabrics, clothing, and natural trinkets. You are able to order items to be made, and the Baduy can deliver to your doorstep. When I say ‘deliver to your doorstep’ this means that once the item is made, they will make the long journey into Jakarta on foot to bring you your goods as they do not use any form of transport and the journey to Jakarta takes a few days of solid walking. Naturally they need to wait until they have many items to deliver before they make the trek so it could be a long while before you receive your goods, but I think it’s worth it to receive something so special.

Getting back to the zoo… I did arrive just before 9.00am but the gates were already open and when I paid the Rp. 4,500 (around AUD 50 cents) to enter, I found that there were already large crowds milling around near the pelicans and sitting on the grass eating breakfast so I really have no idea what time it does actually open. I headed straight to the elephants as they are my all time favourites and I was happy to arrive to find that I was the only person there. I don’t know who runs this zoo but looking at the elephants broke my heart this morning, watching as two of them were in the direct sunlight in a concrete enclosure with their feet chained so they cannot take more than two steps forward or backwards, and then to see the baby elephants locked in the enclosure beside them but unable to reach eachother. Across from them was another mother and her baby and the mothers eyes looked so sad as she stood on the fencing trying to reach the trees with her trunk, most likely in search of food as there was none in their enclosure. She came right up close to me and I just felt sadness when I looked in her eyes. I noticed two zoo keepers behind a fence smoking with an open gate beside the elephant enclosure and was making my way up to them to ask if I could get closer and feed the baby elephant as rules do not apply in Indonesia and I felt I had a good chance of having my wish granted!, when I felt a tap on my shoulder and heard the word ‘bule’ so turned around. There was an Indonesian family behind me and they wanted me to have a photo with them but not with the elephants in the background!

I made my way around the zoo and watched all the animals sitting lifeless and bored, most of them alone in their enclosures, with no grass or trees and wondered what is the point of a zoo if not to be viewing animals in their natural environment so we can be educated about them. The only animal showing any signs of life was an orangutan who was climbing up and down a pole and then banging chains together to make a loud noise and I was dreaming that if only all these animals could jump they could all escape! The orangutan did come as close as he could to me and all I could think of was he was saying ‘save me’ before he went and banged on his chain ropes again. Then there were the bears in cement cages in the direct sunlight also and adults and schoolchildren were throwing food at them and laughing! The bears were standing on their two back legs trying to catch the food and I was hoping this was not the only food they receive here as they looked pretty sickly! If anyone has any suggestions on who to call to improve the conditions in this zoo I would love to hear from you!

I was super happy though to receive a call from Putra as I was walking around and he had come to the zoo with Samudra on the vespa.. yeah! So we sat on mats on the grass after looking at the elephants again and had something to eat before making our way back to the front gate to head home. Well, good timing on our behalf as half the population of Jakarta seemed to be lining up for tickets outside and the place was completely jam packed with people and it was only then that I realised that this was the 1st of May public holiday! HOORAY!

I hope you all had a beautiful day too wherever in the world you are.