A Christmas Pudding
I’ve met only one chimney sweep in my life. It was when visiting my aunt’s old-fashioned house some years ago....
One in a Million
“Who wants to be a millionaire?” “She’s one in a million.” “I feel like a million dollars.” A million is...
Yes! We Have No Orangutans
I was delighted when Indonesia Expat invited me to submit an article for the Green and Sustainability issue. Green happens...
Mind your English
Until translation technology is perfected and the converted English sentence “The s**t’s about to hit the fan,” doesn’t prompt foreigners...
Dubious Dwellings
If you pay US$100 (Rp1.4 million) for a room at a luxurious hotel (or more likely your company does), you...
Yours Lovingly
In the past, in an age of corner shops and pubs, it was enough to give your loved one a...
Happy Red Day
The Christmas and New Year holiday period is approaching. It’s time to deactivate the morning alarm and enjoy a few...
Full Swing in Indonesia
If you’re seeking an unusual and exotic venue for golf, you don’t have to go all the way to the...
Java Spirits
In Indonesia’s colonial period, alcohol was nothing new. When Raffles invited the local Muslim officials to drink wine with him,...
Jakarta: Pick of the Perils
JAKARTA is not a dangerous city. That sinking feeling you get when arriving here isn’t a sensation of dread, it’s...
Beyond Conversation
It’s March 10, 1876 in Boston. Alexander Graham Bell is seated before his newly invented telephone. Surrounded by hushed witnesses,...
Fool’s Fodder
According to a British poll, ‘Beanz Meanz Heinz’ is the greatest advertising slogan of all time. This means nothing in...
The Great Outdoors
Fatahillah Square Kota Tua (Old City), North Jakarta Once notorious for its criminally-neglected historic buildings, whose roofs were prone to...
Rat’s Tail Soup
Around the corner from my hotel in the Cambodian city of Phnom Penh is a small Indonesian restaurant. Having lived...
In Praise of Pedestrian Tastes
Daniel Pope prods his proletarian fork at a few Indonesian favourites. “Food, glorious food! Hot sausage and mustard! While we’re...
Never the Trains Shall Meet
Not long ago, any authentic Indonesian model railway set required dozens of tiny model passengers perched precariously on the roofs...
Public Transport: Masochism for the Masses
Daniel Pope endures and occasionally enjoys Jakarta’s improving public transport options. Travel these days is absurdly easy. Just flip open...
The Malls That Ate Jakarta
When humans eventually colonise Mars, it’s a toss-up what they will build first. If they’re Chinese, they might put up...
The Tastes of Paradise
Anyone who has set foot in Indonesia will be familiar with these local versions of products that expatriates learn to...
Going at Home and Going Away
I had only been back in the UK for a day and already I was in a public lavatory watching...
Street Reminiscing
Khao Sarn Road, Bangkok; Street 172, Phnom Penh; Jalan Jaksa, Jakarta. The list of famous and cheap backpacker streets in...