The Battle of the Beer
It was Christmas Eve 1984, and, just like I did every Christmas Eve in those days, I was running around...
Observations
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...
Keyboard Agonies and Publishing Ecstasy
It was a mixed mob that gathered at Madura’s Trunojoyo University. Mainly young, overwhelmingly female, many frustrated, a few triumphant,...
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...
Questions, Questions, Questions
I don’t subscribe to conspiracy theories and there are several reasons why: It’s too easy to manipulate evidence and tamper...
Could It Happen Here?
Early in the morning of the June 14, 2017 a fire caused by a faulty fridge freezer on the fourth...
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...
Too Much Ado About Prostitution
Much of the media attention on the recent Asian Games in Jakarta focused on four Japanese athletes being sent home...
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...
The Big Bang Bang Theory
I was born and raised in the UK, where there are around 6.6 guns for every 100 people (this is...
Potential is a Dangerous Aphrodisiac: Indonesia on a Tinder Box of Aspirations
I have been traveling to Indonesia on business for more than a decade and I find it amazing how pervasive...
Disconnect and Find Yourself
Ever spent a day without your phone? You should give it a try! I remember growing up in Nottingham, in...
RE: Maid in Indonesia
“Maid in Indonesia” touches upon a few very important items that most foreigners who live and work here can appreciate....
Don’t Burn Our Future!
Aradhya Sharma, a 10th grader at Singapore School, Bona Vista reminds us of the hazards of burning rubbish and the...
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Jakarta Traffic?
In Jakarta, there appears to be no discernible pattern for the traffic. One expat shares his observations about the city's...
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Healthcare
Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet. Who hasn’t heard and probably used...
Opinion: Saving Indonesia from the Mistakes of the West
Indonesia is a place that travellers speak of as a paradise. Advertisements for leisure travel depict pristine white sand beaches,...
Lost In Bali
Daniel Pope recalls a new year that didn’t begin well I am a mobile technology geek. As well as carrying...
Return of a Friend
Jakarta’s Jalan Jaksa was once a great place for making odd, surreal and semi-imaginary friends, as Daniel Pope recalls. When...
Coping in the Big Durian
Jakarta isn’t a city for everyone. Many of the problems aren’t unique to large cities in emerging economies: poor sanitation...