Throwing the Perfect Kid’ Birthday Party
My daughter just turned one and I spent the past couple of weeks thinking about how to celebrate this important...
Info for Expats
Not-So-Real Estate
Renting a house, apartment or holiday accommodation can become a nightmare if you fall victim to a real estate scam....
Glittering Sharia Pyramids
Julisar, a Jakarta-based Chinese Indonesian businesswoman, thought she was onto a winner when a friend invited her to invest $100,100...
Baby Playgroups in Jakarta
For those who are not familiar with playgroups, the concept is quite simple. Starting as soon as a few months...
Getting a Handle on Health in Jakarta
Living in Jakarta, it can be a challenge to stay healthy. Pollution, traffic, unpredictable weather and a lack of sidewalks...
Can’t Eat, Busy Begging
It’s that time of year again, when beggars converge on Jakarta to make money during the fasting month of Ramadhan....
Where Can We Play Outside?
Jakarta is not the most inviting place to play outside with children due to traffic, pollution and omnipresent smoking. It...
Scams In The City: Fake Concert Tickets, Please.
Jakarta is becoming an increasingly popular destination for international music acts. And for every big concert, scammers are ready to...
Revitalization of Jakarta: Turning Problem into Opportunity
Jakarta is growing and changing rapidly. The capital city is running out of space, public infrastructure is being tested to...
Feasting With Panthers
An Englishman living in Jakarta, never a fan of intimate female companionship, made the mistake of accepting an offer from...
Changing a KITAS to a KITAP
Immigration. The mere mention of the name is enough to send shudders down the spine of many an expat. At...
Yogyakarta International School – Building our Ship, while we are Sailing
CULTURAL CAPITAL Yogyakarta is located on the southern coast of the island of Java between Mount Merapi and the Indian...
Crooks in Uniform
Heading home after a late night out, I was pulled up in West Jakarta by two apparent policemen. At such...
Buying and Selling Property in Bali – A Smart Move
Teito Furukawa, a high performing property consultant who has worked in Bali for two years for Ray White Paradise was...
Land Laws in Bali Differ from the Rest of Indonesia? Not Really.
Real Estate agents around Indonesia, and internationally, think that land laws in Bali are different from the rest of Indonesia,...
Drugged Drinks
An attractive woman in a Jakarta bar looks around for the drunkest and most clueless unaccompanied male foreigner – the...
Scams in the City – Internet Boyfriends
Nigerian Sweetheart Unlike most scams coming from Nigeria that rely on greed, the Sweetheart Scam preys on heart-strings to loosen...
suhu protest Legal Protection of Indonesia’s Forests
Environmental protection in the Indonesian archipelago, while rather bleak historically, has been improving, especially in the last few years. Concerns...
Bent in Paradise
If you’re a certified Scuba diver, you know this scene too well; floating around beside a beautiful underwater wall abundant...
Choice ‘Striving towards prosperity or striding towards excess’
What if having more meant enjoying less? Welcome to the age of ‘Affluenza’ or gluttony, this disease is marked by...
Recent Legal Developments
One of the most important things for Indonesian expatriates to remember is that the country’s laws and regulations are often...