indonesia expat - issue 112

1issue 112 indonesia expat

THE SMOKING IS

SUE

JAKARTA • JAVA • BALI • LOMBOK • KALIMANTAN • SUMATRA • SULAWESI • WEST PAPUA

THE SMOKING ISSUE

ISSUE NO. 112 | 26 FEBRUARY – 11 MARCH 2014 WWW.INDONESIAEXPAT.BIZ

Formerly JAK ARTA EXPAT and BALI EXPAT

MARK HANUSZCONFESSIONS OF A FORMER SMOKER

NON-SMOKING RESTAURANTS IN JAKARTA

TANJUNG BIRA,SULAWESI

THE KRETEK CULTURE

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indonesia expat issue 1122


Editor in ChiefAngela [email protected]

Editorial AssistantGabriella [email protected]

ManagementEdo Frese [email protected]

Sales & DistributionDian MardianingsihBetty de [email protected]

GraphicsFrederick [email protected]

Adietyo [email protected]

Finance & AdminLini [email protected] ContributorsSophie Chavanel

Polly Christensen

Karen Davis

Mark Hanusz

Martin Jenkins

Tess Joyce

Terje H. Nilsen

Hush Petersen

Hans Rooseboom

Eamonn Sadler

Pangeran Siahaan

Joe Writeson

Kenneth Yeung

Editorial [email protected]

Circulation [email protected]

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[email protected]

Published byPT. Koleksi Klasik IndonesiaJl. Kemang Raya No. 29AKemang, Jakarta,IndonesiaPhone: 021 7179 4550Fax: 021 7179 4546Office hours: 09.00 – 17.00 Monday – Friday

INDONESIA EXPAT IS PUBLISHED BI-WEEKLY BY PT. KOLEKSI KLASIK INDONESIA. OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE THOSE OF THE WRITERS AND THE PUBLISHER DOES NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMMISIONS, OR COMPLAINTS ARISING THERE FROM. NO PARTS OF THIS PUBLICATION CAN BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN PRINT OR ELECTRONICALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER. ALL TRADEMARKS, LOGOS, BRANDS AND DESIGNS ARE COPYRIGHT AND FULLY RESERVED BY PT. KOLEKSI KLASIK INDONESIA.

THIS ISSUE is a special themed edition all about smoking. Although an unusual topic to cover, it’s certainly not an unusual thing to see on a day-to-day basis in Indonesia. In this issue we are not taking a side; we are merely exposing opinions by interviewing and meeting smokers, ex-smokers, anti-smokers, vapers, and those who work in the tobacco industry, as well as talking about the history of smoking, shining a spotlight on non-smoking restaurants as well as discussing the relationship between the football and tobacco industry.

In Indonesia, a total of 34% of the population smoke, made up of 63% men and 5% women. It is also reported that over 30% of Indonesian children have smoked a cigarette under the age of ten. You may remember the news of the then two-year-old Ardi Rizal who shocked the world when he was discovered in a poor village in Sumatra chain smoking 40 a day. Ardi is now five years old and has kicked the habit of smoking, although another unhealthy habit of overeating has taken its place, as he weighs double what a child his age should.

I used to smoke myself, and the habit formed as a young teenager while I was living in Surabaya. It started off as something my friends and I were curious to try, developing into a cigarette or two after school and eventually to full blown addiction. And nobody ever battered an eyelid when a clearly underage girl bought a packet of ‘fags’, as we used to call them, at a supermarket here in Indonesia.

The habit continued throughout boarding school in the UK, sneaking out after class to the shed or outside of school grounds to have a cheeky smoke. When I was 22 and in my last year of university, still in the UK, I tried to quit the habit with the aid of nicotine patches, herbal cigarettes (which tasted absolutely revolting), lollipops and carrot sticks, lasting only three months.

I remember the first week being the hardest, feeling as though I had lost my identity as the physical withdrawal symptoms wreaked havoc on me. Waiting at the bus stop always used to be accompanied by a cigarette and suddenly I couldn’t do this

From an Ex-Smoker

anymore, which was devastating at the time!

I continued smoking, although at half the pace I used to, eventually becoming a ‘social smoker’ after the second attempt to quit failed. At 28 I finally kicked the habit and over two years later I’m proud to say I no longer crave a cigarette, even when I’m enjoying a drink. It definitely wasn’t a quick and easy process and I really believe the key ingredient to quitting is to really not want to be a smoker anymore. If there is still an ounce of will there, like the first two times I tried to quit, you won’t be successful.

Many people who quit turn into the most fanatic of anti-smokers, myself included. I have become very sensitive to the smell and the smoke and can always tell if someone’s had a cigarette - a skill which will come in handy when I have kids, I’m sure. Another thing that bothers me is littering - please don’t throw your butts on the floor and dispose of them properly.

However much I enjoyed the most part of my smoking days, I’m very

Angela RichardsonEditor in Chief

AnonMakassar

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MAZEL TOV on the refurbished magazine! I’ve been following your publication since the start of my relocation to Indonesia, one year ago. I have a copy of the first Indonesia Expat in my hand and it’s refreshing to see its progress. I’m particularly interested in reading volunteering stories and the Meet the Expat interviews. However, I notice that they’re quite centred in Jakarta, Bali and its surrounding areas.

Many stories in Makassar, where I live, could be of interest to you and your readers; stories on non-profit organization work and disaster relief in Manado after the terrifying and utterly destructive flood. Not to

mention there are many expats in the eastern parts of Indonesia whose stories could be the voice of the underdog. I think you should cover more relevant stories on the specifics of expat life even in the smaller, more remote cities.

Having said that, I still think it’s a great publication with excellent and timely reads. Keep up the great work.

@indonesia_expat

www.indonesiaexpat.biz

/indonesiaexpat

issuu.com/indonesiaexpat

The CoverVaping: A New Craze in TownPictured by Angela J. RichardsonModel: Ineke Selly

glad to be able to see the back of them and say goodbye for good. If you’re trying to quit smoking, good luck to you and stay strong.

It can be a drag, but it does gets easier, I promise!

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Issue 112

Contents

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I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DON’T HAVE LIFE INSURANCE!FOR MORE INFORMATION AND QUOTATIONS PLEASE E-MAIL

[email protected] OR CALL (021) 520 3574

PT ARIPA MAKMUR PERSADAGraha Aktiva (American Express Building) 4th Floor, Suite 405, Jl. H. R. Rasuna Said, Kuningan, Jakarta 12950 - Indonesia

FeaturedConfessions of a Former Smoker

Meet the Jakarta ExpatNorbert Vas: An Austrian Ex-Smoker and the Man Behind Non-Smoking Hotels in Jakarta

Meet the Bali ExpatLuigi Andrea Calcagno

TravelTanjung Bira: Life's a Beach

Faces of IndonesiaLaiman: Cigarette-Loving Restaurant Manager

Food and DrinkNon-Smoking Restaurants in Jakarta? Yes, they Exist!

VapingVapers Speak Out

CultureDangerously Nice: Kretek Cigarettes

Business ProfileNugroho Widjaja: Cigar Marketing Officer of PT. Djarum

Business SnippetIndonesian Tobacco Industry Expected to Continue its Growth in 2014

HistoryA Brief History of Tobacco

Property Watch: BaliWhere is Bali Property Heading?

Sports & HealthFootball and Cigarettes

Scams in the CtiyPhysicians? Heal Thyself

Worthy CausesDoctor on a Mission

Light EntertainmentThe Benefits of Time Travel

Announcements

Events

ObservationsThe Topic of Cancer

Classifieds

Business Directory

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the ramblings of an anti-smoking expat based in batam

The Topic of Cancer


FEATURED

ConfessionsBy Mark Hanusz

It was a simple status update, but it got more likes and comments than anything I had ever posted before:

Let me step back a bit. My love affair with cigarettes started as a young teenager hiding with my brother on the roof of the family garage. Somehow we managed to get a hold of some menthol cigarettes and tested them out. They didn’t stick this time though — that happened when I started as a freshman in college. I fondly recall my dorm neighbour, Jay Stagg, and I sitting in the hallway smoking pack after pack of Camel Lights after the day’s classes. Sometimes we were too lazy to find an empty can to use as an ashtray so we would just put them out on the carpet (really). Those days you could smoke just about anywhere and while they were foul and offensive no one seemed to mind one bit. Or at least they didn’t say anything. This was also the time when I discovered clove cigarettes, but little did I know the role they would play in my life much later on.

In my third year of university I studied in Luxembourg, and this is where the affair moved into something more permanent. From sitting at the back of the plane and smoking throughout the flight, to enjoying all the cafés the continent had to offer, I knew I was truly hooked. During my fourth year — back in the US this time — having a smoke was the last thing I would do at night, and the first thing I would do in the morning. I loved those things so much I wouldn’t even get out of bed.

I moved to Switzerland right after graduation and worked for a bank. In Zurich at the time it was completely normal for people to smoke at their desks, and I surely didn’t want to be the odd man out. When I worked on the trading floor, just about everyone chain smoked while staring at their multiple screens or yelling into the telephones. The bank moved me to Hong Kong and by this time people were forced to smoke in the pantry. It seemed like quite an injustice at the time but we were willing to make such sacrifices for the sake of a cigarette. I recall my pride in being able to order my favourite brand — still Camel Lights — in Cantonese (“soon LAW-taw mmm goi”). That, and learning to count to 10, plus a few swear words, was just about all the Cantonese I managed to learn in 1.5 years.

By the time I moved back to Zurich in 1995 the Swiss had decided that employees smoking at their desks wasn’t so cool anymore so, like in Hong Kong, we were exiled into the pantry. I am pretty sure I was only smoking about a pack a day at this point. But the transfer to Jakarta in 1997 would change all of that.

Arriving in Indonesia, I remember encountering a smell I hadn’t experienced since college: clove cigarettes. This was something very special because in college I didn’t realize they came from Indonesia at all, and the scent of kretek aroused me like a reunion with a childhood girlfriend who has grown up to become a stripper. I was smoking white cigarettes at the time though, and the fact they cost less than a dollar a pack and were available simply everywhere meant that my affair with tobacco would continue and even thrive. In my position as a stockbroker, I got to learn the inside stories of the

of a Former Smoker

biggest manufacturers at the time — HM Sampoerna and Gudang Garam — as they were listed on the stock exchange. I recall being so impressed with the size and scale of their businesses — as well as the rich history of the industry.

My relationship with tobacco extended beyond just the habit — it enabled me to recognize and appreciate something so special as the Indonesian kretek industry. And the more I learned the more fascinated I was. Hundreds of companies producing thousands of brands and employing millions of people — yet so much was unknown about it. So when I left the bank in 1998, I took a year and a half and wrote a book about the humble yet mighty kretek.My book research travels took me on a trip from Makassar to Manado, visiting clove

Mark smoking and collecting packs of kretek for the book (1998)

Picking Cloves

Cutting Tobacco

Smoking Kretek


Mark Hanusz is the founder of Equinox Publishing and the author of KRETEK: The Culture and Heritage of Indonesia's Clove Cigarettes. He lives in Jakarta with his son, Avi.

plantations. It took me on dozens of trips across the island of Java to the main kretek centres of Kudus, Surabaya and Malang and the main tobacco growing regions of Temanggung and Magelang. It enabled me to meet and befriend the legendary writer (and kretek smoker) Pramoedya Ananta Toer. We became so close that he even wrote the foreword to my book, and I became his publisher. I could argue that cigarettes are the main reason I am a book publisher until today.

After the kretek book was published in 2000, I got to travel as a speaker to conventions in North America and Europe,

as well as experience what it is like to be banned in Singapore. The book was more or less positively reviewed in most major periodicals, which for a first book isn’t too bad. In hindsight I am quite certain that if I hadn’t been a smoker, I wouldn’t and couldn’t have written the book.

For the past 25 years, cigarettes have been a loyal friend. Camels, Luckies and Marlboros (and the occasional Djarum Super) were a familiar constant in all the different places I have lived and visited — any many of these fascinating trips and experiences were, in a way, because of them. Curiously, it seems like all of my best friends over the

years were smokers as well. Nothing quite bonds people like sharing a cigarette while huddling outside a building in freezing weather or in a cramped room in an airport.

I felt cigarettes defined me in a way and became a permanent part of my character. But I have recently discovered that all good things, and many relationships, must come to an end at some point and it’s now time to move on. It’s now been 100 days since we’ve parted and, while I look back with fond memories of our time together, I am certain I made the right decision. And I am very much looking forward to the next stage in my life. Wish me luck!

Harvesting Tobacco

Rolling Kretek

Mark and Pramoedya (1999)


MEET THE JAKARTA EXPAT

"Being a hotelier I can attest that the amount of damage left behind by smokers in our hotels here is about fourfold of what I experienced in the West."

An Austrian ex-smoker and the man behind non-smoking

hotels in Jakarta.

What prompted you to move to Indonesia? 14 years ago, in 2000, I moved for my first job here; this was with the Shangri-La Hotel in Surabaya. I was born and raised in Vienna, Austria but have lived more than half of my life abroad.

What’s your history with smoking? I guess my story is pretty average and usual; as a kid I started trying my mother’s cigarettes when she was not around, I have no idea why. Maybe I was adventurous and the fact that it was forbidden made it seem attractive. At 16, the legal age for smoking in Austria, I bought my first pack and since then have been smoking at least a pack a day for 29 years. I loved it from the beginning, maybe the first few cigarettes had a bad taste, but as far as I remember I liked it right away.

What made you quit smoking? How did you do it?Many reasons, but what really got the ball rolling was when my best friend gave me Allen Carr’s book Stop Smoking Now . I read it in two days and it worked wonders for me, making quitting not only easy but even enjoyable.

Did you turn to other vices to take your mind off the stress of quitting?No, I quit cold turkey. Simultaneously I started going to the gym religiously and I think that might have helped.

Do you ever feel the urge to regress to smoking?No, not at all. I now feel it was so silly and I was just stupid. I cannot understand how I ever fell for this. It’s a bit like the fashion of the 70s; we thought we looked so cool with our bell pants and long hair and now when I look at old pictures from this era I just laugh and am kind of embarrassed for ever having looked like this.

How did your family and friends react to your smoking and to your quitting?My mother, father and brothers are all smokers — they are jealous but happy for me. My wife, friends and work colleagues are all dedicated non-smokers and they applaud my success.

Are there changes you have felt since quitting; physiologically or otherwise?Many. First of all it’s the feeling of freedom that sets in as you never have to worry about having enough cigarettes at home or having to find a smoking corner somewhere in an airport after a long flight. Then your mood brightens, and after a few weeks, you start feeling more energetic. Looks-wise one improves too; better skin complexion, whiter teeth, cleaner and firmer finger nails - changes come slowly but are noticeable.

How do you feel about living in a country with one of the highest number of smokers?Unfortunately, as many ex-smokers, I have become very sensitive to smoke. I cannot explain why but to me it just stinks so badly and makes me nauseous. I also think it is very sad that the poorest and least educated people are the ones most likely

to fall into the trap and become slaves to tobacco companies that make a fortune by killing people.

How is Jakarta’s smoking culture different to ones in Austria and your other postings? I think elsewhere smokers tend to be more considerate and discrete. Here in Indonesia nobody cares and lights up whenever and wherever. Being a hotelier I can attest that the amount of damage left behind by smokers in our hotels here is about fourfold of what I experienced in the West.

You are VP of Archipelago International that manages many hotels like Aston, NEO, Fave and others. How did you come to this position? I met the founder of the company years ago when we were still very young and was immediately convinced that this company will be immensely successful given the approach, creativity and value set, so I joined with enthusiasm, leaving a career with global big players like Mandarin Oriental and Intercontinental behind me and never looked back. We now operate 75 hotels, all of which are successful, and have more than 100 coming.

Is it true that Hotel NEO in Jakarta is 100% smoke-free? Do you worry about competing hotels that do not employ this policy?Yes. Our newest baby, Hotel NEO, which already operates eight branches and has 20 more in the pipeline, is Indonesia’s first 100% non-smoking hotel chain. It just makes economic sense; of course there are travellers who disapprove of it and then go elsewhere, but the group of people who choose NEO because of its no-smoking policy is larger and is also growing fast

while smokers are a slowly disappearing breed. Hotel NEO’s brand image and personality is just geared towards hipper, trendier, more active and successful people; and let’s be honest — no offense intended — smoking is a thing of the past and while it was once considered elegant and fashionable, it is now an activity more often associated with the lower classes and less successful people.

What do you think of the ongoing vaporizer trend?One has to realize that smoking has nothing to do with enjoyment, taste or relaxation; it simply is a substance addiction, nothing else. I have seen vaporizers that deliver flavour but are completely nicotine free, so in this case, why not? But I do not think they are here to stay and will be a success because the reason why people smoke, although they do not realise it, is the little nicotine monster living inside asking to be fed.

Do you have any messages to those who are trying to quit?Read Allen Carr’s book, watch yourself and your thoughts and realise how you are actually lying to yourself when you say things like “I like the taste” or “It relaxes me”. Just get to terms with the fact that you have a substance addiction but do not be embarrassed or defensive about it; it is not your fault. Millions fell for the trap laid out by big tobacco marketing and then fight back with anger. Tell the tobacco industry that you are not easily manipulated and learn to see and enjoy withdrawal symptoms for what they actually are — the first steps to freedom.

Norbert Vas

By Gabriella Panjaitan


MEET THE BALI EXPAT

Chilean-born American, Karen Davis is a journalist, artist and art therapist. Formerly a NYC fashion designer, she has been coming to Bali since 1979 and now resides here

I’m guessing you are from Italy. Where in Italy?I’m from Rome. My extended family is in the F & B business, so the passion for good cuisine is a long tradition among us. Our daily lives revolved around food. When I was in school, I spent many summers and holidays working in kitchens around Europe, South America and New York.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?A firefighter or astronaut of course! But making and serving good healthy food is in my blood, so becoming a chef with my own restaurant was what I always wanted and have now realized.

What brought you to come and live in Bali?I was offered a job as a chef for an Italian restaurant in south Kuta called Ifiori Restaurant back in 2009. I loved it here

and by 2012, I opened Zibiru, a bonafide ‘cucina Italiana’ on Jl. Drupadi in Seminyak. It was previously Café Vienna. It’s a great set up — the architecture brings back a little of the nostalgia of Old Bali. I was looking for a space that would communicate three elements: old Bali, authenticity and cosiness, like the comforting feeling of being in a convivial place. There’s really lovely garden seating, and we even have a breezy rooftop terrace where you can see the night sky during dinner.

What does Zibiru mean?Zibiru is the combination of two names; Ziba and Nibiru. Biru means ‘blue’ in Indonesian, and you’ll notice that colour scheme throughout the restaurant.

Tell me a funny or weird Bali story.The funny part of Bali that many of us experience is in the bureaucracy. Sometimes it’s so complicated, it’s comical. It’s impossible to plan coherently. We learn to slow down and see the humour in all of it. Also a really funny thing here is the prevalent use of small tools for big jobs! The grass is cut with scissors and small brushes are used to paint large walls!

What are the best things in your life right now?My beautiful partner in life, Lisa. Also, having the time to dedicate to making food. Our cuisine presents classic and unique dishes from every region of Italy from the North to the South. You can literally take a culinary tour of the country! We make our own pasta, pastries, breads, butter and jams, plus more exotic foods like terrine foie gras, bottarga and cheese in our ‘gastro-atelier’. I enjoy working with different types of meat (like quail, rabbit and lamb) for my dishes and also creating fresh pasta in different shapes and colours. We harvest our organic heirloom vegetables from our farm in the mountains. I’m looking forward to developing true farm-to-table dining here. I won’t use more than three or four ingredients in each dish to keep it simple in the Italian tradition, so the quality and freshness of the food stands out.

This issue is about smoking and the new smoking laws which have been passed. When did you start smoking? I started smoking at a very, very young age! Let’s leave it at that.

Do you enjoy smoking?Yes, especially after a meal or with a glass of wine. The rest of the time it is to relieve stress.

What do you think of laws which forbid smoking in clubs and restaurants?I don’t think these laws are so bad. Anything that helps make the air cleaner for the public is good. I prefer going to smokeless places. You inhale so much second-hand smoke when a club is crowded with smokers. It’s nice not to leave smelling of cigarettes. As for restaurants, I don’t always want to be inhaling smoke from the next table while I’m eating. I hope anti-smoking laws are the beginning of laws that will protect the air from being contaminated by other pollutants as well.

What do you think about vaping?I’ve tried it, so I speak from firsthand experience when I say it doesn’t work. It’s just a tobacco-free substitute for the same ritual, but you’re inhaling chemicals instead.

How do you see Bali in ten or twenty years?I see Bali improving by using modern technologies. A modern mentality for proper planning is integral to creating a good infrastructure here. Once Bali faces the fact that it’s no longer a small town but a growing city and progresses accordingly, many of the existing problems could be addressed in an organized fashion. No more waiting until streets are flooded to fix them quickly at the last minute. If this could be integrated with more sustainable solutions, then the nature and the culture would also flourish.

Bali is an international island. It is very metropolitan. People come here from all over the world because Bali possesses a unique energy we are all drawn towards. This spirit, this energy will always be here.

Meet Luigi Andrea Calcagno, owner and chef of Zibiru, Cucina Italiana

in Seminyak, Bali.

You can find Luigi at ZibiruE-mail: [email protected]

Luigi Andrea CalcagnoBy Karen Davis


TRAVEL

Martin Jenkins comes from good oldEngland but has spent most of his adultlife abroad. Wary investor, keen traveller.Writer also. www.al-terity.blogspot.com

tanjung bira, south sulawesi

Life's a Beach

TRAVEL

Words & photos by Martin Jenkins

“I go to seek a Great Perhaps.” - François Rabelais

There can’t be many things in life that are better than a sandy beach in the tropics. They don’t rust, they don’t break down and they don’t even need any maintenance (unlike many other things I could mention!) They inspire dreams. And, if we’re lucky, we may even get to visit them once in a while.

To find that fabled oasis in the sun is not as easy as it once was, however, and unlike 20 or 30 years ago, when you could simply just hop on a Garuda plane to Bali, a little more effort is now needed to get to a really nice Indonesian beach which is not either overrun by tourists or spoilt by rubbish.

A truly remote and isolated beach is not, however, an option for many people — either because of the considerable time and effort needed to get there or because of the lack of decent accommodation (which can turn that dream vacation into a proverbial holiday from hell).

So when someone told me about the sandy beaches at the southern tip of the bizarrely-shaped island of Sulawesi - just look at it on the map! — I naturally became intrigued.

The beaches lie close to a place called Tanjung Bira and to get there you first have to fly into the bustling city of Makassar. That’s the easy part. After that, it’s a long five to six hour journey on what, for Indonesia, is a remarkably good road, which takes you through small traditional Bugis towns and villages and across extensive coastal salt plains as you finally get closer to Bira.

The Bugis live in fine-looking and often brightly-painted wooden houses (rumah panggung) which are built on stilts. This is intended to offer protection from wild animals (okay I made that up) and keep the houses airy and cool, but they also look as if they could withstand some fairly serious flooding as well. A traditional solution to Jakarta’s perennial f loods, perhaps?

About 15km on the road before Tanjung Bira is the boat-building village of Tanah Beru. The construction of traditional phinisi (schooners) has been done here for many hundreds of years now, and you will probably have already seen phinisi if you’ve ever visited the old Sunda Kelapa harbour in Jakarta. According to one of the young boat builders I spoke to at Tanah Beru, the construction of these magnificent boats is undertaken by adhering to the “knowledge” passed down through the generations, with no actual boat-building plans or measurements ever made — an amazing thought when everything seems to be written down or recorded in this day and age.

Any lingering doubts over the seaworthiness of the vessels are dispelled by elaborate ceremonies, one of which apparently involved the launching of newly-constructed schooners over the bodies of seven pregnant women. Fortunately for any aspiring mothers in the surrounding area, this particular ceremony is no longer carried out (perhaps the locals came to realize that the ceremony was having a rather detrimental impact on future generations rather than bringing any good luck).

You know you have arrived at Tanjung Bira when you come to one of those dreaded roadside lockets where you are asked to pay what is so endearingly termed in Indonesia as ‘retribution’. But since there is no gate, there is no real reason to stop and that’s exactly what the locals do; drive straight through without stopping. Just saying.

First impressions of Tanjung Bira are not actually that great to be honest. It has that kind of tired and neglected feel of a place which is struggling because of a lack of visitors. Bit like Anyer and Carita in Banten; ghost towns by the sea.

But Tanjung Bira isn’t really one place. It’s two. There’s the Tanjung Bira at the weekends when it’s packed with domestic tourists — mostly from Makassar and nearby Bulukumba — and the Tanjung Bira during the week when it’s pretty much deserted.

Dig deeper and Tanjung Bira reveals its secrets. First off, the beach at Tanjung Bira — while not exactly bad - is not that great either. However, only about 3km away is the nearby Bara Beach and this beach is a true discovery with its wonderfully powdery sand and crystal clear turquoise sea which abruptly turns to dark blue when the water gets deep. Being so secluded it’s very quiet and peaceful too.

Yet Indonesia wouldn’t be Indonesia without something completely unexpected and whacky going on. In Bira’s case, it’s a modestly-sized ‘entertainment’ district situated off the town’s main drag complete with seedy bungalows and a motley assortment of cheap karaoke bars. “Hindari pergaulan bebas & narkoba” (avoid free sex and drugs), reads one sign outside a particularly ramshackle establishment. Well, you know what they say about sailors and seamen….

In short, Tanjung Bira is a great destination for seasoned travellers seeking a bit of solitude and clean, secluded beaches. More adventurous types can also go diving there — although the currents can be strong — and some decent snorkelling is usually possible at nearby islands (depending on the weather and the conditions of the sea). WiFi in Bira is, alas, rarer than a sighting of a Javanese tiger, so don’t expect to get access to the Net. Bring some books instead — or better still, your lover. After all, this is a holiday, isn’t it?

FAST FACTS

Country: IndonesiaProvince: Sulawesi Selatan

HOW TO GET THERE

Many airlines fly to Makassar as the city is the regional hub for air transportation in eastern Indonesia. From Makassar to Bira it’s a long 195km drive. The easy way to do this is to use a rental car (best booked in advance). A much more challenging proposition (but far cheaper) is to use public transportation; take a taxi from the airport to the Mellengkeri bus terminal (about 40 minutes) and from there you can get a small public minivan to Bira (although you may need to change in Bulukumba).

BEST TIME TO TRAVEL

Bira may be a suitable destination to avoid the monsoon season since its seasonality of rainfall is unlike that in Jakarta, Makassar or Bali. Generally dry for much of the year, most rain falls in the months of April, May and June.

WHERE TO EAT

The only decent restaurant is set back some way from the main beach, almost opposite the Wisma Bahari Indah hotel, and called Rumah Makan Cici.

WHAT TO DO

• Bira has one renowned dive centre called Bira Divers (Tel: 081237200560).• Visit an underground cave about 20 minutes away from Bira called P. Sohara Mandala Ria. After descending about 70 meters (bring a torch) you can swim in a cool, crystal-clear pool of spring water.• Visit the nearby islands of Pulau Kambing and Liukang Island for snorkelling. A speedboat will cost about Rp.350,000 for the trip.


FACES OF INDONESIA

Hush Petersen is currently on sabbatical from the hero's journey. He loves sipping Budweisers, doing the crossword and judging people outside Ranch Market in Mega Kuningan. You should join him some time.

LaimanThe Cigarette-Loving Restaurant Manager

By Hush Petersen

The ash on Laiman's cigarette curls and turns grey like a witch's fingernail. It finally falls on his pants. He sweeps off most of it, but there is a smear of charcoal he only looks at before speaking. "When I heard that seven out of ten Indonesian men smoke it didn't bother me,” he says taking another drag off his clove cigarette before blowing smoke toward the wheezing ceiling fan. “I actually thought the number was higher. It is in our culture. The same way we drink coffee or tea." Laiman is slouching atop a plastic stool inside a low-ceiling room in the shadow of the BNI building along Sudirman. He has worked in Padang restaurants all his life. Almost as long has he has been smoking. In the window sits a treasure trove of Indonesian dishes. In the back room a TV blares a Bollywood flick from a decade ago. There are bags of rice in the corner. A cockroach scurries in broad daylight. He doesn’t f linch. It’s four in the afternoon in the tiny Padang restaurant. Most of the stacked plates in the window are empty. The lunch rush usually leaves Laiman with little to do in the afternoon. He smokes. He jokes with the coconut salesman he can wave at and watches husk in the afternoon. The mosque calls fill the alleyway with sound. Recently, Indonesians have cut down on smoking. There are a number of billboards around Jakarta, and the malls - where everyone spends their time - have become smoke-free. But not on the side streets, where there are more wooden benches than there are mall walkers. Outside of the mall scene there is a different way of life. One that prides

itself on the freedom that come along with not being privy to the latest fashions or trying the trendy soft pretzel stands. Laiman loves it. “This is the real Jakarta,” he says. “This is the city. Look at where we are. There are buildings everywhere. But here is where the heart of the city is. Here with all the people going this way and that.” He’s right. He is in the thick of it. There are new buildings going up every day around him. Is he worried? Not in the least bit. “I try not to think about it. It makes my head hurt,” he says. “I’m not scared of progress. We adapt. That’s what we do in Jakarta. That is what we are good at. If it f loods, we adapt. If big buildings come in and construction starts, we figure it out. Jakartans are good at adapting, it’s what we do.” Laiman’s outlook is a good one. Maybe his ‘roll with the punches’ attitude is something we should all think about adapting. Maybe his idea of a good way to spend the day, smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee and chatting with his friends, is all something we envy. Think about it. How many emails do you think Laiman sends a day? How many e-mails is he CC’d on? “What’s CC?” he asks.


FOOD & DRINK

PRICE: Rp.45,000 FOR A PIZZA

PRICE STARTS AT: Rp.75,000 FOR MAIN COURSE PRICE STARTS AT: Rp.50,000 FOR MAIN COURSE

PRICE STARTS AT: Rp.50,000 FOR MAIN COURSE

PRICE STARTS AT: Rp.105,000 FOR A SANDWICH SERVED WITH SALAD AND A COFFEE

PRICE STARTS AT : Rp.300,000 FOR THREE COURSE MENU

PRICE STARTS AT : Rp.75,000 FOR A MEAL WITH DESSERT AND COFFEE

Jl. Kemang 1 No. 72, Kemang, JakartaFacebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PizzaBarboni

The Kuningan Place, Mezzanine Level, Lumina TowerJl. Kuningan Utama lot 15Website: www.nestgrill.com

Jl. Wahid Hasym No. 127Website: www.wahakitchen.com

Jl. Panglima Polim IX No. 1, Jakarta Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/conviviumdeli

Jl.Gunawarman No. 67, Senopati, JakartaFacebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheCafeAtPistos

Jl. Senopati 39, Kebayoran Baru, JakartaWebsite: www.emilierestaurant.com

Jl. Kemang Selatan I No. 2C, Kemang, Jakarta

Non-Smoking Restaurants in Jakarta? Yes, they Exist!

Sophie Chavanel is a Canadian communications girl and a confirmed globe-trotter. Sophie is a journalist and Communications Coordinator for the International Federation of the Red Cross emergency team. She moved to Indonesia in March 2013 with her husband and daughter.

By Sophie Chavanel

Non-smokers don’t have it easy in Jakarta. How many times have you asked to be seated in the non-smoking section only to notice the table next to yours was the beginning of the smoking area? When I started to work on this article, people laughed at me when I asked if they knew a good non-smoking restaurant or at least a place with a real non-smoking section. It turns out such places exist!

PIZZA BARBONI—CASUAL AND TASTYPizza Barboni is a brand new place in Kemang where fresh air is not the only great feature! This small pizzeria of about 20 seats with open-kitchen concept is, wait for it, completely non-smoking! It also has, in my humble opinion, one of the best wood oven pizzas in Jakarta. The sauce is made of fresh tomatoes, the mozzarella cheese melts in the mouth and the dough is made on the spot every day. The wood oven is the central piece of the main and only room of Pizzéria Barboni and fills the space with a nice savoury smell of fresh dough as the tattooed cooks make the pizza in front of you. This is not a place where you cut your pizza with a knife because there is none! Plates are made of cardboard and you drink out of the bottle.

EMILIE—REFINED AND CHICEmilie has a reputation in Jakarta and for a cause. This fine-dining French Restaurant located in Senopati offers something hard to come by; a focus on flavour rather than design. It is indeed one of the best tables in town, where you can be blown away by classic yet renewed French cuisine by awarded Chef Mikaël Robin. The ambiance is chic and simple, the service is attentive and silent, the food delicious and researched, and in this city where good wine is so hard to find, they have everything to make wine lovers and connoisseurs happy.

AUTHENTIQUE—FRENCH DELICACIESThis coquet hole-in-the-wall near Hero Kemang really is what you expect when an establishment claims to have ‘authentic’ food and it is totally smoke free. This tiny little café of a maximum of fifteen seats has a real feel of Paris to it, which is exactly what the owner Sophie Boyer was aiming for. Some people pass by Authentique simply to get their fresh baguettes, as Parisians do, and others like to linger around sipping on a good coffee and homemade pastries. I particularly recommend the croque-monsieur and the chocolat fondant. Authentique is open for weekend brunch and closed on Mondays. Watch out for their new address in Cipete.

THE NEST GRILL—PUZZLING YET SURPRISINGLY GOODI must say, I was perplexed when I first walked in. The Nest Grill is the more formal section of The Nest Food Court, located at the Mezzanine floor of an apartment building tower near Epicentrum. In this city where you’re used to glamorous designs, The Nest Grill doesn’t look like much; white table cloth and walls, bright lighting, AC at full blast and noisy kitchen in background. This said, the food is surprisingly good. The modern Australian Cuisine menu is short, which I have learned to appreciate here in Jakarta. The grilled prawn salad with pomelo and young mango is particularly fresh and the ribs with homemade BBQ sauce melts in the mouth. No beer but a short wine list. Good place for a business lunch if you work in the area.

THE CAFE AT PISTOS—RELAXING AND REFRESHINGSharing space with a jewellery shop, The Cafe at Pistos is, pardon the pun, a real gem hidden in the Senopati area. It might seem odd, but the concept actually works quite well as the nicely presented designs yet affordable jewellery gives this minimalist space a bit of a Paris feel. What you can find here is one of the best sandwiches in town. Named after different precious stones, the sandwiches on the menu are anything but dull. Tempt yourself with the Aquamarine grilled chicken sandwich on black sesame bread with caramelized pineapple, coriander and cheddar, or the Onyx with sambal Goa, mayonnaise and baby romaine.

WAHA KITCHEN—YOUNG AND TRENDYWaha Kitchen is the newest kid on the block and definitely happening among the young crowd. Located in the city centre between H.I. roundabout and Monas, this trendy yet without pretention restaurant, is on the first f loor of the also new Kosenda Boutique Hotel and is smoke free! The décor is very artsy and urban with wooden mosaics covering the ceiling, and the walls covered by murals painted by local artists. The menu is Asian, mainly peranakan, which is a mix of Chinese, Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine. The signature dishes are the fish and duck laksa. I particularly enjoyed the crispy eggplant chips served with homemade chilli lime mayo and the nyonya lamb shank vindaloo slowly cooked in yoghurt red curry. Open 24 hours.

CONVIVIUM—FAMILY FRIENDLYConvivium is a friendly Italian restaurant with a real trattoria feeling to it, and since it is completely non-smoking, it is a great place to bring your kids. For an authentic Italian taste, try one of the pizzas or the bruschetta made with fresh organic tomatoes, garlic and basil. It is full of fresh and tasty flavours. Pastas are either homemade or imported from Italy. The wine list, although very short, offers some good options, including an honest Pinot Grigio at a reasonable price. The adventurous among you will want to try the sample of ten flavours of homemade gelato, including bacon, chilli and squid ink. Pastries are mouth-watering. You can also stock up on Italian imported cheese and charcuterie at a very reasonable price.

Authentique

The Nest Grill The Cafe at Pistos Waha Kitchen

Convivium


VAPING

John Duffy,46 years old, UK

“I started vaping a few months after suffering a heart attack at 45.

This was brought on by a combination of diet, lack of exercise, and more

importantly, stress and 60 full strength cigarettes a day. I found that stopping

smoking cold turkey increased my stress and anxiety levels, and I was looking for an

alternative. I tried patches and inhalers with very limited success. My friend

from UK had been vaping a while and began to educate me on it. I picked

up a starter kit locally, and haven’t smoked since.”

Aaron Meadows,41 years old, Australian

“I had smoked since I was 14. I was smoking anywhere up to two

packets a day. I had tried everything to give up smoking and failed. With

vaporizers, I enjoy the nicotine hit, the flavors, without suffering the ill-health effects of smoking. Whether or not it’s going to take off in Indonesia depends on the government, the power of the

tobacco companies and whether or not a cheap, kretek-like flavour can be produced.”

Ferita Haryanto,34 years old, Indonesian

“Well, I think there›s no reason for me not to love it. It›s not just

like a new toy for me which I can vape every time and easily bring. It›s so rich in flavour. Besides that, it gives you no

smell of cigarette smoke in the air, which can be annoying and gives bad impact for

the people around you to be a passive smoker. I believe that this can help you

to reduce the risk of having critical disease and construct a clean, healthy environment as well.”

Ineke,36 years old, Indonesian“I’ve been smoking since

more than 10 years ago, usually two packs a day. A friend of mine

introduced vaporizing and I’ve been hooked ever since – I’ve had no cigarettes in the last two months. I started with the

18mg nicotine vaporizer juice, now I’m down to 9mg. Soon I’ll cut down to 6mg. I think

vaporizers will definitely take off in Jakarta, but the switch from cigarette to vaporizer

has to be coupled with the will to quit, otherwise people will go back to

cigarettes after a few days.”

Ben Lawson,41 years old, American

“I smoked for almost 16 years and stopped on November 25th, 2013. I

had wanted to stop for many years, but didn’t have any type of substitute to get

me past the ‘habitual’ smoking urge; in the morning (or any time of day) with coffee, after meals, while drinking with friends.

Another reason is that I’ve worked out my whole life, so now being able to run a

sub 5-minute mile again, without feeling I would die, is great!”


CULTURE

I was a kretek (clove cigarette) smoker for almost two years. When I first started smoking clove cigarettes in Kalimantan during a voluntary placement, I remember an older volunteer warned me, “Be careful with those things, they can be too nice.”

Smiling, I foolishly said, “Don’t worry, I’ve never been addicted to cigarettes, I’m just a social smoker.” In truth, I had deceived myself - the kretek’s cloves were so aromatic and they aligned perfectly with coffee - I forgot that I was smoking tobacco. Soon I was chain-smoking at social gatherings. One morning after seeing a pyramid of empty cigarette packets, it dawned on me that I was an addict and miserably I matted down my knotty hair and slouched to a nearby toko to sooth my throbbing head. Later I turned into a troll - I’d groan if I didn’t get my kretek and coffee fix. After an evening of socialising with friends, sometimes I would hide a kretek in an old shoe so that there would always be one to ease me in the morning. Sometimes my husband or a friend would bloody find it.

It is precisely because the cloves are so ‘nice’ - marinating, even hiding the taste of tobacco - that I became hooked. Obviously I don’t want to upset the kretek community, but at the very least I can tell you a bit about kreteks, the kretek culture and just how and why kreteks can be dangerously nice.

The onomatopoeic word ‘kretek’, is derived from the crackling sound that the cloves make as they pop and burn with each inhalation. They were first invented by Jamahri of Kudus in Central Java in 1880. An asthma sufferer, Jamahri first rubbed clove oil on his chest (the oil can be toxic if consumed); however he later discovered that when cloves were inhaled with tobacco he could breathe more easily. It is the compound eugenol in the cloves that give kreteks their distinctive aroma — eugenol is an antiseptic and anaesthetic which numbs

the throat. Despite their origins however, kreteks are not a healthy alternative and studies have shown that the health effects are similar to conventional cigarettes (although some kreteks contain more nicotine and tar).

Yet health warnings aside, the kretek industry does provide an income to clove farmers as well as factory workers since the majority of kreteks are hand-rolled. The debate now thickens. Not only do kreteks provide employment to many Indonesians, but they are also considered to be a cultural icon. Ngudut dan ngopi is the Javanese ‘art’ of smoking whilst drinking coffee. The tradition of decorating kreteks with ground coffee and milk, known as nyethe, is popular in East Java and batik patterns are painted on with toothpicks or spoons.

Amongst the kretek communities, a popular anecdote goes as follows; in 1953, at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, Indonesian diplomat K.H. Agus Salim, upon observing an awkward-looking Duke of Edinburgh (who was young and probably nervous), approached him, lit a kretek and asked him if he recognized the smell. After the Prince had admitted that he did not recognize the scent, Agus said to him with his characteristic satire, “This is the reason why 300 or 400 years ago, your people sailed the seas and colonized our country.”

This year the film Mereka yang Melampaui Waktu (Those who Surpass Time) directed by Darwin Nugraha was released and the book of the same name was written by Sigit Budhi Setiawan. Darwin wanted to counter the anti-smoking campaigns by documenting elderly Indonesian smokers who were still healthy. For the project, older smokers and coffee addicts across Java, Bali and Lombok were interviewed; some were famers who smoked and still ploughed and harvested tobacco despite their age. Perhaps it could be argued, however, that

the traditional, countryside lifestyle of the subjects had some positive health benefits (for example the rigorous exercise of farming), which helped to negate the harm of cigarettes and their bodies were not subjected to the stresses of modern-day city living and pollution.

Some consider flavoured cigarettes including kreteks to be a ‘gateway’ into smoking and many cigarette and kretek companies deliberately target the youth; in Indonesia, kretek companies organize university sponsorships as well as nightclub and music events. According to studies, children and young people are particularly receptive to marketing strategies, so this is a concern.

Perhaps, from a balanced perspective it might be wise to say that it is never good to be addicted to anything, whether it’s chocolate, the Internet, “crackberry” or tobacco. Ideally all sweet things should be taken in moderation, although I was not a good example of this.

I did not possess the relaxed traits of Javanese ngudut smokers. My guilt negated any so-called sensual pleasure. I remember watching Bill Hicks chain-smoking and thinking, “Flip, that’s going to be me in one year or so,” and in a panic I lit up a cigarette. After ten years of kretek smoking, my husband agreed we had to give up and using sweets as replacements, we soon discovered that all traces of willpower had been smoked away. Irritable, we even had a public argument at a Mexican restaurant in Kemang - I felt ugly and fat and I probably was after all the replacement sweets I was eating. Like a stroppy teenager with a headache, I stubbornly sat in silence and my husband threw his chewing gum against the ceiling in protest. Embarrassed, I

By Tess Joyce

slinked out of the restaurant, seething with self-hatred and despair.

In the end we found a copy of Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Quit Smoking and we both quit on the same day after reading the book. We’ve been off cigarettes now for 14 months without relapse and I feel free and happy. Sure, I put on weight and was called gemuk (chubby) by friends and people I didn’t really know and instead of congratulating me, some friends even teased me into smoking again, but for anyone who wants to give up or who has given up, let me say it: congratulations.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Mark Hanusz Kretek: The Culture and Heritage of Indonesia’s Clove Cigarettes (2004) Equinox PublishingSigit Budhi Setiawan, Mereka yang Melampaui Waktu (2013) Pustaka Sempu dan Layar Nusa.

Tess Joyce's poems were recently published in poetry magazines Orbis, The Journal, Tears in the Fence, Obsessed with Pipework and in online magazines Snakeskin, The Island Review, BlazeVOX, Ditch, Four and Twenty, Anatomy and Etymology and Phantom Kangaroo. She is a writer from the UK but currently lives with her husband in Indonesia.


BUSINESS PROFILE

BUSINESS UPDATE

After the Indonesian government abandoned the idea to increase excises on cigarettes, the production of cigarettes in Indonesia is expected to increase to between 355 and 360 billion cigarettes in 2014. However, in order to meet that target, it is also important that the country's macroeconomy - particularly the inflation rate - remains stable. This year, Indonesian cigarette production is expected to reach 340 billion cigarettes. Indonesia has one of the world's largest markets for cigarettes.However, despite the absence of an increase

in excises in 2014, there will still be a 10 percent (regional) tax increase applied to prices of cigarettes next year. According to Indonesia's tobacco industry, this 10 percent increase is moderate and will not hurt expansion of the industry. As such, the production and consumption of cigarettes will be able to grow throughout 2014. In 2015, however, there may be an increase in excises and tax (amounting to 18 percent in total), which can curb the industry's growth.

Puffed-up Males Global Cigarette Consumption (2007)

Adult cigarette-smoking rate, 2008*, %

Male Female

cigar marketing officer of pt. djarum

NUGROHO WIDJAJABy Angela Richardson

Indonesian Tobacco Industry Expected to Continue its Growth in 2014By Indonesia Investments (www.indonesia-investments.com)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Indonesia

China

Philippines

India

United States

Source: American Cancer Society

Source: Saxo Bank

and World Health Organization

* Or latest year availableOther

China JapanUnited States IndonesiaRussian Federation

38%

41%

4%5% 6%

6%

Nugroho, could you please tell us a bit about your company and what your day-to-day operations consist of?PT Djarum was born in 1951 and is a family business, now in its third generation of the Hartono family. The company was built on hard work, innovation and research, and we have a research and development department to improve our products. We employ 65,000 people; 60,000 are tukang linting based in the factory in Kudus, Central Java, and 5,000 are in sales, operations and marketing, with our offices in Jakarta. We are the third largest tobacco company in Indonesia after Sampoerna and Gudang Garam.

My job is to introduce that PT Djarum can make cigars with a premium quality like that of a Cuban cigar. On a daily basis I check distribution channels, researching what upcoming events are appropriate to sponsor, and I also check on productions and stocks.

Where did the name ‘Dos Hermanos’ come from?Dos Hermanos is a Spanish name meaning ‘two brothers’. This came from our owners’ names, who are two brothers; Mr. Michael Bambang Hartono and Mr. Robert Budi Hartono.

People often refer to you as “the Dos Hermanos guy”. How did you manage to get to this position? Tell us about your journey and how long you’ve been working for PT Djarum.My journey began when I graduated in 1987 at Satya Wacana University in Salatiga, Central Java, with a Management degree. A friend of mine worked at PT Djarum in Jakarta and I moved here to apply for a position as a Market Researcher at the company. That was in 1988 and I have since moved on to distribution and then exporting, spending two years in Kuala Lumpur.

In 1995, the bosses wanted to start making cigars, travelling to Honduras to research, bringing the knowledge back with them to Kudus where the Dos Hermanos formula was born. I’ve now been with PT Djarum for 25 years, and 14 of those years have been focused on the cigar business.

Can you please tell us how much of PT Djarum’s income is from Dos Hermanos? Actually, the cigar business only contributes to 5% of all of PT Djarum’s revenue.

How many cigars does PT Djarum produce a year? Who makes up the main bulk of your buyers — expatriates or Indonesians?We produce around 100,000 Dos Hermanos cigars and roughly 300,000 Gold Seal packs every year. 90% are sold in Jakarta and Bali, mostly to expatriates (90%). Our target market is expatriates who live in Indonesia, so I make good relationships with key players in the expatriate world because they make a lot of events which are suitable for our market.

Do you export, and if so, where to? How has the response been?We tried to export to the US market but failed as we were competing with the Dominican cigars. At the moment we export Gold Seal to Europe — Austria, Poland — and Japan. We don’t export Dos Hermanos.

How do you see the Indonesian cigar market doing in the next two to five years? I think there will be a growth in this market because people are becoming more health conscious and cigars are usually smoked on occasion and not inhaled.

What do you believe makes Indonesian cigars as good as, or even better than Cuban cigars?It’s very difficult for Dos Hermanos to compete with Cuban cigars; the world still

In Indonesia Expat’s Business Profile, we regularly shine a light on successful businessmen and women in Indonesia, Expatriate and Indonesian, to discover more about their journey and their business, and what drives them personally.

In this special issue themed around the hot topic of smoking, we meet Nugroho Widjaja, Cigar Marketing Officer at PT Djarum; a private clove tobacco manufacturer founded in 1951.


There are a number of reasons why foreign companies remain interested to invest or expand in Indonesia's tobacco industry. Firstly, Indonesia has a vast population numbering over 240 million people. About two-thirds of all Indonesian men smoke cigarettes, while a characteristic of the country is that - with 5 percent only — few females smoke. Secondly, as raw materials and other production means are mostly sourced domestically, tobacco has low production costs (although these have grown in 2012) and has been resilient to the global economic downturn. Therefore, domestic

consumption grew steadily, while the export of cigarettes has been in decline. In 2009, exports of Indonesian cigarettes were valued at USD $500 million, but this figure has been on a declining trend, particularly since the USA limited the import of kretek cigarettes. Kretek are clove cigarettes that consist of tobacco (70 percent) and ground cloves, clove oil and other additives (30 percent). Indonesia is famous for its kretek production and about 85 percent of all smokers in Indonesia prefer kretek cigarettes to white cigarettes.

only knows Indonesia as a producer of clove cigarettes, not cigars. Cuban cigars are full bodied and Dos Hermanos cigars are mild.

Can you tell us about the process of making the hand-rolled Dos Hermanos cigars? And what about your premier machine-made (Gold Seal) cigars?We make three brands: Djarum Kretek Cigarillos (cigarillos with clove as the filler) by machine, Gold Seal cigarillos (without clove) by machine, and Dos Hermanos cigars, which are handmade. Premium cigars consist of a filler, binder and wrapper. For our Dos Hermanos cigars, we use local tobacco mixed with Bahia from Brazil as the filler, Bazuki tobacco leaf for the binder, and Deli, from North Sumatra, which is the big leaf that is the wrapper. It’s very similar for our Gold Seal cigarillos, except that the leaf tobacco is cut and the filler is pure Bahia tobacco.

Have you ever released a brand of cigars that never took off? Is there a time of year when sales drops?No, we haven’t produced any that have failed. Every year sales drop around March and in August when expats pulang kampung (return home for holidays).

Do you smoke yourself?I am a cigar smoker, and I smoke one or two cigars in the office every day. My staff always joke with me and ask, “Siapa yang bakar sampah?” (Who is burning garbage?) because of the smell from the cigars I smoke!

What is your ultimate goal as the Marketing Manager of Cigars at your company?To make Dos Hermanos as good as a Cuban cigar by improving production and marketing. We target expatriates, so I go to all of the networking events, such as Britcham and Amcham.

What plans are coming up in the near future?We plan to import electronic cigarettes from China at the end of 2014, exporting them to the United States first.

What do you believe is the key to success in your industry and in Indonesia?Only three companies have a good share in Indonesia: PT Djarum, Wismilak Tbk and PT Tarumartani. We do a lot promotional activities and the other companies only depend on their distribution channel. Cigar is niche market and more than a lifestyle.

What are your personal drivers to being successful?I love meeting people and negotiating with them, especially for sponsorship deals. My family is important to me, although my wife doesn’t like the smell of cigars! I have one son and one daughter, six and five years old.

I am a cigar smoker, and I smoke one or two cigars in the office every day. My staff always joke with me and ask, “Siapa yang bakar sampah?” (Who is burning garbage?) because of the smell from the cigars I smoke!


Hans Rooseboom is a long term resident of Jakarta. He has visited nearly all of Indonesia's provinces and worked for many years in Ambon, Aceh and Manado. He now enjoys a leisurely life, playing tennis most mornings and writing.

HISTORY

TOBACCO

Tobacco was first cultivated in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Andes, from where it spread north and south until it covered most of the Americas. After ‘discovery’ by Christopher Columbus, the plant's addictive properties ensured that the rest of the world was fairly easily conquered, too.

The importance of Columbus among the multitude of navigators and explorers of the Age of Discovery (the two centuries from early 1400 to 1600 AD) is such that a summary of his background and achievements is warranted here. Born around 1450 in the Republic of Genoa, Italy, Columbus was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer. In 1485 he presented his plan to open a westerly route to Asia (and requesting support for this undertaking) to the court of Portugal. After being rejected (in Portugal) he successively lobbied the burghers of Genoa and Venice, and Henry VII of England with the same request, but was refused by all. He then approached Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, who through their marriage had united many kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula and were ruling together. Finally, after endless petitions and two years of negotiations, he succeeded in January 1492; Ferdinand II was going to support him.

According to historian Edmund Morgan, Columbus had read widely about astronomy, geography, and history, including the works of Claudius Ptolemy, the travels of Marco Polo and Sir John Mandeville, and Pliny's Natural History. He knew that the earth was spherical and was convinced that he would be able to reach the Indies by sailing west.

His voyages had an enormous impact on the development of the Western world and led to the first lasting European contact with the Americas. It also resulted in exploration, conquest and an exchange of goods and products that altered the lives, lifestyles and habits in both the Old and the New World. The latter region's crops that were introduced in Europe included maize, potato, tomato, capsicum, peppers, cassava, pumpkins, rice, barley, oats, coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, citrus fruits, melons, Kentucky bluegrass and groundnuts, while subsequent waves of settlers brought wheat, radishes, chickpeas, melons, horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens from Europe.

And tobacco was, of course, another product that travelled from the Americas to Europe.

From a patriarchal point of view, the poor chaps addicted to tobacco had obviously been seduced. Lads, listen up, whether it's an apple or dried tobacco leaves, always first ask; why?

On his first voyage, Columbus was offered dried tobacco leaves as a gift from the indigenous population. He himself did not take to smoking, but two of his crew members, Rodrigo de Jerez and Luis de Torres, had developed a liking for it after seeing native Americans stuffing the dried leaves into a pipe and lighting it. Jerez continued the habit and introduced tobacco to his home town of Ayamonte.

The smoke reportedly frightened some of his neighbours, resulting in the Spanish Inquisition imprisoning him for his use of the ‘devil’s weed’, making Jerez the first victim of anti-tobacco laws and his neighbours the first passive smokers objecting to second-hand smoke. He spent seven years in prison only to be released when smoking had become an accepted activity in Spain.

The major reason for tobacco's growing popularity in Europe was its supposed healing properties. Europeans believed that tobacco could cure almost anything, from bad breath to cancer. In 1571, a Spanish doctor, Nicolas Monardes, wrote a book claiming that tobacco could cure 36 health problems. During that period tobacco was so popular that it was frequently used as money. However, several individuals started to realise that smoking tobacco had some dangerous effects. In 1610, Sir Francis Bacon, for instance, noted that trying to quit the habit was really hard.

And gradually more and more scientists began to understand the chemicals in tobacco, and the dangerous health effects of smoking.

During the 1950s, evidence was surfacing that smoking was linked to lung cancer. The tobacco industry, however, denied such health hazards, and promoted new "safer" products such as those with lower tar and filtered cigarettes.

During the 1980s, smoking became politically incorrect, and smoking was banned not only in many public places in the US, but also on all domestic flights lasting less than two hours. This, you may recall, was the decade of President Ronald Reagan. But during his film and TV years he seemed to have had a rather different opinion about correctness, and with hindsight, will have regretted this advertisement.

In Indonesia tobacco was introduced by the Dutch around the middle of the 19th

century. And now, 2014, smoking is still the growth industry it was five or six decades ago in Europe and the US, even though more and more offices and shopping malls are prohibiting smoking on their premises. Many restaurants, however, are lagging behind and at best have ineffectively partitioned no-smoking sections only.

Indonesia has one of the world’s highest smoking rates. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS): Indonesia Report 2011, some 67% of adult men and 4.5% of adult women are actively smoking. For the men that is a 24% increase from 1995, and an almost trebling of the rate for women — in 1995 54% of men and 1.7% of women were addicted.

No wonder then that the National Social Economic Survey shows that poor households spend 19% of their income on staple foods and 11% on tobacco, but only 2% for education and 3% on health care.

And even more worrying is the steadily increasing smoking rate among child smokers (aged five – nine) which has multiplied by six times since 1995, to 426,000.

The government revenue from tobacco tax in 2011 was about US$7.6 billion, more than double the figure of 2005. Together with the millions of jobs in growing and processing tobacco, this clearly affects the government's policy on tobacco and smoking, as actively restricting smoking would reduce its revenue and increase the number of under and unemployed.

As a consequence, Indonesia's very powerful tobacco industry may conclude that the US$235 million spent on advertising in 2011 was well spent, and confidently look forward to a few more golden years, as a crackdown on the industry is highly unlikely.

a brief history of

By Hans Rooseboom

'Tabaksveld te Paja Koembo', photograph taken by Jean Demmeni circa 1910. Courtesy of Bartele Gallery


PROPERTY WATCH: BALI

By Terje H.Nilsen

There is a lot of exposure about Bali and its tourism developments, as well as property and uncontrolled developments. There are a lot of critiques and arguments coming up to stop hotel developments and villa developments in certain areas. Even some argue there is a price war going on between hotels and resorts. And we all agree that these issues are serious aspects and need to be addressed properly, as they possess a threat to Bali’s future.

A Norwegian eco-warrior and writer, Arild Molstad, wrote a book that deals with tourism destroying cultures and nature. The book is called Where do we go before it’s too late: two faces of tourism, and one of the chapters is about Bali. He does, however, conclude with the fact that Bali is sustaining its culture much better than most other places. We all know that what attracted the first tourist to Bali was its unique culture and people, not the ‘great’ lifestyle. And this must be kept in some way, but how?

We all need to realize that Balinese and Indonesian culture is indeed a mixture of many cultures; Indian, Chinese, Arab, and European. I was some time ago shown an article dealing with above issues written in the 1930s. So, it’s not a new topic. Everyone somewhat involved in Bali, living here, coming here, has an opinion on the threats and dangers, but no one has a solution; all actions and reactions are based on protection and a rather subjective view of these issues.

Let’s look at some interesting facts and historical aspects of what goes on. And some of these aspects may not be to everyone’s liking, but it’s all meant to highlight issues for a better future for us all.

Land is being bought up at high speed for developments and investments. The Balinese complain that they soon may be without land on their own island and that their ancestors (leluhur) are upset. But hold on, what Balinese are we talking about? Mainly the mainstream of Balinese that came from Java and what was left of the Majapahit Kingdom. This is 300 to 350 years ago. How did they obtain the land from the Balinese here at that time; the Bali Aga? By way of force, driving the Bali Aga into the mountains.

Some will argue this was a long time ago, but it happened not much after Captain Cook discovered Australia. At this stage, at least the takeover has some financial gain attached to it in at least the short term. And it is no secret that some Balinese gain tremendously on these land speculations too. Bali Aga are also originally tribes out of Taiwan, so are they really Balinese?

What about the Bule Aga (expats who have been here for 20 to 40 years) complaining that this must stop, and that we should reduce the number of expats aiming to move to Bali? I suggest that those who have been here the longest should leave and give their spot to others, as there is no monopoly on a spot and it is simply not fair to not allow others to experience what they have. The fact is that all these changes have happened through history many times, the only difference is now it happens a lot faster.

The economy of Bali is driven 82% by tourism and property development. The average economical growth is less than most other Indonesian provinces. There is no industry or natural resources to dig into. So, how can anyone even suggest a stop on developments and tourism?Balinese culture is in many views attached to farming and a deeply rooted way of life called Tri Hita Karana. This should be preserved, but does it mean that Wayan and Made for their entire lives have to work the rice fields in the traditional way, and not be allowed to work themselves out of a life that might not be the easiest? Does it mean that the Balinese culture cannot evolve and change? Even Parisada (Balinese Religious Board) discuss these things now quiet openly.

Some people say the market growth has slowed down. Last year expat arrivals to Bali grew from 2.97 million to about 3.2 million, a growth of about 7.5%. Domestic arrivals grew from about 6 million to almost 7 million, a growth of about 15%. If one takes this growth of 1.2 million arrivals, and say they all stay in double rooms, with an average stay of about four nights, divide the number of rooms needed per night by hotels with an average of 250 rooms, we come to the fact that Bali needs 30 new hotels every year to keep up with

this growth.

What about the price war? What price war? The fact is shown by any serious international and domestic consultancy groups stating that the average occupancy and room rate as well as average spending is at the same level, and in many cases going up. If someone builds a low-end hotel, with a terrible location, no concept, no management, no structure to it, what else does one have to compete with but price? This is what happens; the low end cannot keep up with the market, and I would argue this is good for the market and Bali’s future. How can a moratorium on hotels be executed? If Wayan has a hotel built on a tourism zoned land, and is doing well, and Made next door wants to do the same but he is not allowed, how can this be?

In 2015, several ASEAN and SEA treaties with free flow of capital and labour will kick in, so the only way that Bali and the Balinese, including expats living here, can keep up with everything is to provide the best possible service at the best possible price, which is again, good for Bali. A protective mindset is not possible in these days of globalization.Some people say it’s all to do with a corrupt government. And this is partly true in the past. But it also has to do with a corrupt market with investors, domestic and expat alike, that do not want to follow regulations, pay taxes or think long term. I dare to say that the government of Bali and Indonesia changes a lot faster than the market, and that is good for Bali.

So, what is the solution to all this? First of all what should be a priority, and is for the government, is infrastructure and garbage. Then all of us need to come together with solutions, not just critics, long term solutions, realizing that what happens cannot be stopped, but we can decide where we take the Balinese tourism market. We need to focus on words like ‘eco’, ‘upmarket tourism’, ‘better zoning’, etc. Everyone doing villas, resorts, restaurants, shops, whatever it is; we all gain from it, and it’s our responsibility to drive this in the right direction. I personally think Bali will find its way, and will still be that unique place that touches us all so deeply in many different ways.

Where isBali PropertyHeading?

Terje H. Nilsen is Principal of Ray White Paradise Property Group. He was born in Norway in 1967, been working 20 years in Indonesia within the Fitness, Spa, Leisure, Hotel and Mall industry. His hobbies are sport, Balinese culture, and spirituality.


SPORTS & HEALTH

Football and CigarettesBy Pangeran Siahaan

I wish I knew the joy of smoking cigarettes. I tried to have a puff for two seconds in the name of curiosity and I wanted my two seconds back afterwards. What the hell was that? Is inhaling oxygen too easy and too mainstream for some that makes them think they should up their game by inhaling something else? I seriousy wanted to like smoking — it’s always the easiest icebreaker in any awkward situation, but I just can’t. I don’t like the smell. I don’t like the taste. I don’t like the aftertaste. And unlike Radiohead, I don’t think I have an Iron Lung.

One of the most common questions ever thrown at strangers (and easily the most used icebreaking line in Jakarta, if not Indonesia) is, “May I borrow your lighter?” This question is surely based on the false assumption that smoking is a normal habit for everybody. Because if you’re not a smoker or a ballad concert spectator or a pyromaniac, why would you want to carry a lighter in your pocket?

Another example of living in a smoking society is when you give small money as tip for a favour somebody did for you; it’s

common to call it uang rokok (cigarette money). We could have called it something else — meal money, for instance — but we are content to call it uang rokok because apparently cigarettes are a highly coveted commodity in this place we live in.

Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) released their research a while ago that 86% of Indonesian adults believe that smoking may cause serious damage to health - let’s just assume that the other 14% didn’t hear the question clearly. But it didn’t prevent a lion’s share of the male population in this country to keep smoking. Around 67% Indonesian male adults still burn their daily intake of tobacco, followed by a minority of 4.5% of the female population. In total, 36.1% of Indonesian citizens are active smokers (and God knows how many passive smokers are out there), and these numbers show the highest prevalence of all 16 countries researched by GATS.

I might not be a smoker, but as a sports enthusiast and somebody who has a a tenure in writing about that particular subject, I reluctantly have to admit that cigarettes had benefited me in the past. Until a few years ago, the concept of paying a TV subscription to watch a live football match is alien to most Indonesians. You could get all the top leagues from across Europe in your living room without spending a penny. All had been paid by the tobacco companies through TV sponsorships.

English Premier League? Tick.Italian Serie A? Tick.Spanish La Liga? Tick.Champions League? Tick.World Cup? Why not? Tick.Are you a motorhead, how about F1? Tick.MotoGP? That as well. Tick.

The Indonesian audience was definitely spoiled by the privilege they didn’t even know they had. It was served to them on a silver platter. That’s why they went berserk when the concept of paid TV

subscription was introduced a few years ago, when Astro took over the broadcasting rights of the English Premier League. For the first time, Indonesian audiences faced the inconvenient truth that there’s no free lunch this time and they were enraged as if it’s their divine right to watch live football matches without paying.

The involvement of the tobacco industry in the Indonesian sporting world didn’t stop there. Not only did cigarette companies want to sponsor TV broadcasting rights in exchange for media exposure, they would even go the extra mile by sponsoring local professional sports leagues. At least the top-tier Indonesian football league was named after a cigarette brand for a few seasons. The same thing also happened to the old professional basketball league and the professional volleyball league.

The best case is visible in the sport where Indonesia excels the most: badminton. For a long period of time, Indonesia Open (a Super Series tournament — a prestigious tournament not too dissimilar with Grand Slam in tennis) had a tobacco brand prefix in its formal name. The same company, which is based in Kudus, Central Java, also has the best badminton training camp in the country with state-of-the-art facilities that has produced some of the finest players that ever graced the red and white flag on their chests.

Because there are restrictions on tobacco TV ads where the image of actual smoking is prohibited, these companies advertised their products in a rather hilarious, if not nonsensical way; daredevils paragliding in the mountains, agile traceurs doing parkour, even something as unrelated as cheating your way to pay less in a Padang restaurant. Tobacco TV ads are the kings of nonsense.

Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand found himself starring in one of these tobacco TV ads after he visited this country a couple of years ago. In that ad, Ferdinand exhibited his physical prowess and determination on the pitch by beating the obstacles while narrating, “I’ve been tackled, I’ve been pushed, but I always get up again.” The ads could have been better if only Ferdinand uttered the words with a hint of irony because intensive smoking will someday make you “will not be able to get up again.”

The cigarette brands are no longer allowed to sponsor sports broadcast due to the new regulation from the government. Walking down memory lane, should I be thanking the tobacco companies for those free live football broadcasts all these years that provided entertainment for people across the archipelago? Honestly, I have a mixed feeling. But I couldn’t help to think there’s something more to it.

Sometimes I think that, in addition to marketing purposes, sponsoring football broadcasts was a part of the company’s corporate social responsibility program; thanks for your money and we’re sorry for your damaged lungs, here we give you free football broadcast.

Happy? Here, smoke some more.

ADVERTISEMENT

Rio Ferdinand in Indonesian cigarette company advertisement

©Twicsy

©Wikipedia

Pangeran Siahaan wears so many creative hats, but he prefers to be known as a writer. He covers various topics from current affairs to sports. He also presents a football program on national TV.


Kenneth Yeung is a Jakarta-based editor

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FIRST TIME IN JAKARTA!

IN ENGLISH ONLY

By Kenneth Yeung

From pointless prescriptions to counterfeit medicines, the treatment of illnesses in Indonesia can be a minefield.

A few weeks ago, I was involved in a traffic accident in Jakarta and ended up in hospital with a smashed nose, some smashed teeth and a dislocated hand. After being competently stitched up, cleaned up, x-rayed and bandaged, I was given a bill, plus a prescription for six different medicines. I paid the bill but paid no heed to the prescription, which was mostly for painkillers.

I asked the doctor whether any of the drugs on the prescription were essential. “No,” she admitted, “but patients want medicine and antibiotics.”

Indonesian health clinics and hospitals are notorious for over-prescribing medicine, especially unnecessary antibiotics. Such drugs are good for the hospital’s bottom line when sold at significantly marked-up prices by the in-house pharmacy.

Prescription medicine can be purchased much more cheaply — and without a prescription — at just about any Indonesian street pharmacy or drugstore. This is wonderfully convenient if you fancy curing yourself of bacterial infections, particularly the embarrassing ones.

For many years, I paid over the odds for brand-name antibiotics and useless extra pills. As a side-effect of my once hedonistic lifestyle, I was often seeking treatment at an upmarket health clinic in Menteng, Central Jakarta. The doctor always prescribed three types of medicine and none were cheap. The only pleasure I derived from these visits was the doctor’s grossly unethical habit of gleefully revealing the names of his high-profile patients and the nature of their diseases. Eventually I discovered I could buy generic antibiotics at my local apotek (pharmacy) for a fraction of the price and forego all of the useless medicines.

Indonesia’s obsession with self-medication and prescriptions is allowing strains of bacteria to build up resistance to antibiotics. For example, resistance to antimalarial medicines has risen, increasing the cost of treatment as newer drugs must be used.

Studies have found that more than 80% of patients diagnosed with respiratory tract infections in Indonesia received antibiotics, even though the cause of the infection may have been viral. Many people seem to be unaware that antibiotics treat bacterial infections, whereas the best treatment for viral infections is often the body’s immune system.

Indonesian infants suffering diarrhoea are much more likely to be treated with antibiotics than oral rehydration salts. The apparent ignorance of some doctors is not surprising, given possibly dubious qualifications. A couple of years ago, 52 students at Jogjakarta’s Gadjah Mada University were caught cheating during the entrance exam for the medical faculty.

Local doctors are likely to give a patient three or more types of medicine for any given ailment. Sometimes, a patient will be given similar types of antibiotics. Last year, I visited a Singapore hospital for a throat problem, likely linked to two decades of chain-smoking. The doctor prescribed nothing but common sense, advising a better diet, more regular sleep and exercise. “I’m not going to give you any pills because you don’t need any,” he said. Words I had never heard in Indonesia.

If you receive incompetent medical treatment, beware of complaining. Housewife Prita Mulyasari was jailed in 2009 after she wrote an email complaining that a hospital in Tangerang, west of Jakarta, had misdiagnosed a case of mumps as dengue fever.

Indonesia has a massive pharmaceutical sector. It also has a big industry in fake drugs. Many are sold over the internet. Those most commonly counterfeited are for erectile dysfunction. In other words, much of the Viagra being sold is not the real thing. Also popular in the phony medicine dispensaries are vitamins, pain killers, antihistamines, cosmetics, slimming pills, antibiotics and anti-depressants. Illegal drugs, such as ecstasy, are also often faked and then sold in nightclubs with police protection.

According to some estimates, up to 30% of the medicine sold in Southeast Asia is bogus. Prosecutions of drug counterfeiters are rare in Indonesia, and sentences of vendors are usually only a small fine or a few months in jail.

Police in the West Java capital of Bandung last month busted a counterfeit drug factory that was producing 600,000 pills a day and had reportedly earned the owner $1.3 million per month.

Even genuine vitamin supplements are something of a scam, as they are unnecessary, unless a person’s regular dietary intake is nutritionally deficient. Eating a small clove of garlic, some ginger and lime each morning should be sufficient to ward off the common cold. It will also ward off unwanted sexual predators.

PHYSICIANS? HEAL THYSELF


WORTHY CAUSES

Positive actions from across the archipelago

Dr. Rani (Dr. Alhairani Manu Mesa) is a young doctor working among the poor and underprivileged at the Humanitarian Permaculture Project, Indonesia.

Rani is a young Christian missionary doctor who was educated in Bali and has returned to her homeland in East Sumba. Rani provides essential healthcare to the extremely poor indigenous village people who live in these remote regions.

Dr. Rani took time out from running the major hospital RSK Lindimara in Waingapu, to speak to me about her plans to create a free medical centre that will service people from surrounding hamlets. At just thirty-four years of age, Rani spends her weekends accessing areas that require between two and twelve hours return travelling time by road, in order to treat patients.

“I grew up among the people of East Sumba. I was raised a Christian, but I know that many Sumbanese people still practice a form of ancestral religion called Marapu faith — in combination with their religions. I consider them my own people. I have seen their struggles and efforts and know I must do something to help them help themselves; to have better lives for the next generation.”

Dr. Rani has been working at Rumah Sakit Kristen (RSK Lindamara) since February 2011. The current medical centre operates by utilizing small amounts of profit from service fees, which is just enough to pay her staff. But Rani hopes to align with a partner

in order to build a new centre closer to her village people.

“There are only three hospitals in the main city, Waingapu, and only 22 public health centres, which are poorly equipped with no doctors or trained staff. Our people live behind hills and in remote places too far away from health services. They have to walk on foot for hours to get help, or travel by truck six to eight hours to reach the hospital. Time is critical when saving lives, and I hope we won’t lose mothers and babies just because they can’t reach a hospital or because they bleed to death. We need to have a medical centre built among them with trained staff.”

Sumba Island is part of East Nusa Tenggara with a combined population of 700,000 (East Sumba has a population of 237.956 in 2012). Most are located around the towns of Waingapu in the East, and Waikabubak in the West. Some villages are scattered throughout, from which limited crops are cultivated. There is a marked difference between the more tropical west and the dry east, most of which now is ‘savannah grassland’ since the forests were depleted.

Tarimbang on the south coast is said to be the next tourist destination after Bali.

Dr. Rani has secured an area for a medical centre and offers tourism development if associated with a support system for the centre. A major permaculture programme needs to be developed as a role model for

all villages of East Sumba.

“We wish to implement a permaculture program to teach our people how to provide their own foods and to preserve nature, something they can pass along to next generations. I think permaculture is a complete package. I am not an expert in this field and we have to learn more, but we have a permaculturist coming in March to help us. We will be teaching people how to grow local, nutritious crops and at the same time, show them how to cook and prepare the produce in order to retain all the vitamins, minerals and the goodness of food.”

Sumba has many horses and goats, some cattle but little else other than fruit. The livestock needs better nutrition and like the Sumbanese people, they are very thin and suffer malnutrition. Rani’s story is symbolic of the inadequacies of the Indonesian health system and she works under great pressure to improve a lot of the poor and disadvantaged, treating medical issues such as malaria, typhoid, dengue, tuberculosis, anaemia, diabetes, cirrhosis, heart and kidney disease, and hypertension. Lung disease is a concern, with children smoking at young ages.

“We have patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mouth and lung cancers, bronchitis, emphysema and other lung diseases that have correlation with smoking. We have babies with respiratory diseases because parents or grandparents

carelessly smoke near them. Most of them seek help at a late stage, so we treat them the best we can. It is a strict policy at the hospital that we keep the hospital area free of cigarette smoke. We put up promotional materials and make sure all staff are able to tell people not to smoke, and show them the risks.

Rani is the biggest asset in dealing with local people, as they have trust in her that goes beyond medicine. She also has staff working for her who come from coastal areas. Foremost she is a devout Christian with the ability to reach out to people from all likes in the community. She has the gift of intelligence, and as a doctor serves all people from any religion with the utmost integrity.“It would be great to connect with others who can help us make this happen for the people. I am not sure how long I’ll be around but I would like to see my people be able to stand on their own two feet and have better lives and futures.”

Readers can volunteer their permaculture and human development skills or teach women how to increase income. There is also a school for children with special needs. Doctor Rani requires donated medical equipment for the centre and a donated ambulance for transporting patients, in cases of emergency.

Doctor on a MissionBy Polly Christensen

For more information contact Dr. Rani: [email protected]

British-born Polly Christensen is a documentary film maker, features writer and environmentalist. She can be contacted at www.madefromstardust.com.

Dua Tangan Cukup (Two Hands are Enough) is a movement started by Clean Up Jakarta Day, under Indonesia Expat, which encourages actions to clean up the environment, small or big, from people of all walks of life around Indonesia, which will in turn inspire change. We want to hear about what you’re doing to clean up your community and make a difference and we will publish your stories here, every issue. This could be a beach cleanup, an underwater cleanup, a recycling initiative you are putting together where you

live, educating people how to separate waste or anything related to cleaning up your community. All you need are your hands and a bit of spare time to make a difference!

Karina Soewanto is a mum and the owner of the Wheatgrass Juice Company, a home industry business. Karina gathers her recyclables at home, including cereal packaging, plastic bottles and tubs, then she cleans them and brings them, on a regular basis, to her son’s school, Eton

House in Jakarta. At her son’s school they have created a Recycling Corner, which is full of items to be used for arts and crafts projects. Thanks to Karina, the children of Eton House are educated to value recyclable waste from a young age, “treasuring their trash” as seen in this photo (left). Thank you, Karina, for doing this simple action that can inspire change!Remember to be the change you want to see. What’s your Dua Tangan Cukup action? Send them to [email protected]

Dua Tangan Cukup


LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

by Eamonn Sadler (www.eamonnsadler.com)

THE BENEFITS OF TIME TRAVEL

I felt such incredible despair, guilt and

regret as I realised I was going to miss all the most important

things in life and abandon my children

to their fate.

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F O R T H E M A C E T M I N D

ACROSS

1 Cloak - headland (4)

3 Curved sword (8)

8 Particle (4)

9 Small, cool star - TV show (3,5)

11 Study of truth - attitude to life (10)

14 Augur - prediction (6)

15 Field - ball (6)

17 Equal (10)

20 Prime (8)

21 Canteen - muddle (4)

22 Determined - found the answer again (8)

23 Song of praise (4)

DOWN

1 Support - victor (8)

2 Extravagant - lavish (8)

4 Russian dramatist (6)

5 Probationary rank of young naval officer (10)

6 Rent - drop (4)

7 Berber - repeated jazz phrase (4)

10 Using informal conversation (10)

12 Graveyard (8)

13 Throw away (8)

16 Corsair (6)

18 Bare rocky cliff - injury (4)

19 Crest - guns (4)

* A

nsw

ers

in t

he n

ext e

diti

on!

Answers of issue 111ACROSS — 1. Racism 4. Critic 8. Loser 9. Bubbles 10. Chinwag 11. Capon 12. Smart card 17. Modem 19. Lectern 21. Scuttle 22. Chasm 23. Dotard 24. Vandal DOWN — 1. Relict 2. Cassius 3. Straw 5. Rebecca 6. Tulip 7. Casino 9. Bagatelle 13. Ammeter 14. Diehard 15. Amused 16. Animal 18. Doubt 20. Cocoa

One Sunday afternoon a group of us decided to take our kids and go ten pin bowling. None of us ever took the game too seriously but we were intensely competitive, so it was a great deal of fun and tiring at the same time. After a few games I sat down with a beer and a cigarette, taking a rest while watching my five-year-old daughter play her version of the game - she was standing with her back to the alley and using both hands to push the ball between her legs as hard as she could in the direction of the pins. She would then spin round and shout at the ball to knock down the pins, and when the ball entered the gutter she would slap her forehead and say, “Oh no…” before trying again. Occasionally the ball would make it all the way and knock down a few pins and she would do a little victory dance. It was hilarious.

As I watched her I started to daydream about the future, as parents often do. I imagined her and her older sister growing up, graduating from college, meeting nice guys, getting married and having babies, making me a grandfather. Then I glanced away for a second and looked at the cigarette in my hand. I became hypnotised by the light blue smoke swirling up into the air and everything around me faded into the background as I watched the tobacco slowly burn. Suddenly there was a bright flash and the wind was knocked out of me. After a millisecond of stark, swirling whiteness, there was nothing but still, silent blackness. It felt like I had been shot in the chest. I had no idea what was happening but my first thought was that I mustn’t die for my kids’ sake. They still needed me and I had to stick around for as long as I could to make sure they were okay. I started to panic, but there was nothing I could do. I was scared, useless and alone in the dark. After what seemed like an eternity, a distant voice became slowly clearer and eventually I could understand what it was saying.

“It’s too early to tell…” a man said.

Then I heard a female voice say, “Look, he’s waking up.”

Gradually everything around me got brighter and blurred shapes slowly crystallised into clearer images. I was in a bed. A man at the end looked at me with sympathy in his eyes and then slowly walked away. Two young women were very

close and looking at me with intense concern. I was confused. “Where am I? What happened?” I asked as soon as I found my voice.

The woman on the left spoke, “You’re in a hospital. You’ve had an operation.” I tried desperately to work out what the hell was going on. I could barely move and there was intense pain in my chest. Then a shock of fear — my kids. I tried to sit up.

“Where are my children?” I asked as I struggled against the tight blankets. The two young women looked at each other and then back at me as they calmed me slowly back down to a horizontal position.

“Just try to relax, dad,” the one on the right said as everything faded away again into a deep, cold, lonely, darkness.

Dad?

Alone again in my mind I pieced together what must have happened. I

must have been unconscious for years. My babies were all grown up and I had missed everything. Worse, judging by the crippling pain in my chest, I was probably never going to see them get married or have children and make me a grandfather. The location of the pain told me what kind of operation I must have had. It was definitely my lungs. Smoking. Why didn’t I give up when I had the chance? I felt such incredible despair, guilt and regret as I realised I was going to miss all the most important things in life and abandon my children to their fate. And it was all my own stupid fault. I would have given anything to go back and have another chance.

“Can I have an ice cream please, dad?” my little one was asking as she tugged at my shirt and brought me sharply back down to earth. I snapped out of it and looked at her and then at my surroundings. I was back in the bowling alley and my youngest baby was small again. I looked at the cigarette still burning between my fingers and realised at last the terrible future it could bring. I stubbed it out and seized my daughter and my second chance with both hands..

SPOTTED PIC - send yOur funny piCs TO [email protected]

SPOTTED BY STACEY ON CARFREE DAY, SUDIRMAN, JAKARTA

To read more by Eamonn Sadler, go to www.eamonnsadler.com to find out more about live Stand-Up Comedy in Indonesia please e-mail [email protected] text or call 0821 1194 3084 or register at www.jakartacomedyclub.com

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

BALI (INILAH.COM) — Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika has ramped up his own efforts to build awareness of the dangers of smoking in Bali. The governor’s sentiments were expressed during a campaign to include pictorial warnings on cigarette packs at the Bajra Sandi Monument in Denpasar over the weekend. According to Pastika, there has been a steady increase in cases of non-communicable diseases such as coronary

heart disease, lung cancer and strokes — all of which have been linked to smoking. The campaign aims to broadcast shocking images of five cigarette-related diseases through radio and television infomercials.

“I think it’s very appropriate to show the graphic dangers of smoking to our communities both in Bali and the rest of the country,” added Pastika. Together with the Bali Provincial Government,

Mr. Pastika aims to continue to enforce new rules on non-smoking areas (KTR) to protect the public from exposure to second-hand smoke, and as evidence of his seriousness, he immediately ordered the municipal police patrol to enforce a smoking ban on the whole of Niti Mandala Square in Renon — a popular weekend spot for Denpasar residents to relax and enjoy leisure time.

ACROSS THE ARCHIPELAGO — Together with the introduction of the best driver of the year, On February 12 2014, Taylor Made Adidas Golf gave the best award to MAP Active for the achievements as the Best SEA Distributor 2013. With Mr. Ashok Kumar from MAP Active,

this honourable appreciation was given by Miss Tan Ying Sze (Country Manager, TaylorMade-Adidas Golf Singapore & Exports).

“We expect ‘low and forward CG’ to represent the next great innovation in

Bali Governor Joins Anti-Smoking Campaign in Bali

TaylorMade Golf Introduces JetSpeed Driver, Fairway Woods and Rescue™ Clubs New Speed Pocket design unites with low CG and light weight to promote high launch and low spin for maximum distance.

metalwood performance,” said Sean Toulon, Executive Vice President. “With our SLDR and JetSpeed products, we’re giving golfers of all types of opportunities to increase their launch angle and reduce their spin-rate, which ultimately leads to more distance.”

BALI — 3RD MARCH: Sheri-lee Knoop, Founding Director of Cosmetic Images is a qualified nurse and a principal injector with 20 years experience. 7TH/8TH MARCH: In 1992 Dr Ho established the first cosmetic clinic in West Perth called WA Cosmetic and Vein Clinic. He is the Director of Renaissance Cosmetic Clinic and Academy of Cosmetic Medicine and Surgery which has 8 clinics in all the capital cities of Australia. On these days, Sheri-lee and Dr. Albert Ho will be doing botox, dermal fillers for fine lines and wrinkles. Please get in early and book an appointment now!

Make a booking now: [email protected]

Special Guests at Cocoon Medical Spa in March

JAKARTA — On Saturday 1st March, 2014, Aphrodite Bar & Restaurant will launch Jakarta’s first Vaping Bar called The Phoenix @ Aphrodite. This event will have special guests from Ritchy (the makers of Liqua): Sam Ong, Sales Director and Christine Chen, Business Development Manager.

At this highly anticipated launch party, guests will have the opportunity to partake in

Aphrodite Bar & Restaurant opens first Vaping Bar in Jakarta

special vaporizer deals, including ‘Buy one starter pack at Rp.400,000+ (regularly Rp.550,000) and get a free 30ml bottle of Liqua eLiquid (Rp.175,000 value)’. This offer will be limited to 50 pieces. Other deals include ‘Regular 10ml bottles of Liqua for Rp.50,000+ (normal price Rp.75,000)’.

Don’t miss it! Saturday 1st March, 7-9pm.


EVENTS

JAKARTA

BALI

SOLO

BANDUNG

KALIMANTAN

CHARITY

Red Nose in Concert

15 March 2014Red Nose Concert will be held at The Foundry 8, in the Sudirman Central Business District (SCBD), on March 15. The show will start at 7 pm and end at midnight. Gugun Blues Shelter, Barry Likumahuwa Project, Glenn Fredly, and Sandy Sandoro will perform; more to be confirmed. General admission ticket is Rp.150,000 (including one free drink) and VIP ticket is Rp.500,000 (including free flow of beer). 100% of the proceeds raised on the night w il l go toward supporting the personal and educational development of more than 240 underprivileged children in the Red Nose centres in Cilincing, North Jakarta, and Bintaro Lama, South Jakarta. To purchase tickets, call (021) 769-1162 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Concertgoers can also purchase the tickets at The Foundry 8. Please RSVP.

Carnaval de las Americas

8 March 2014 The Ibero-American Association is hosting a carnaval-themed party through which their charity program will benefit. The dress code is themed ‘Fantasy’ and the best-dressed people will win attractive prizes, not to mention door prizes. Tapas and drinks will be served during the 8pm-1am event. For ticket sales and venue information, call 0878 8379-2072 or e-mail [email protected]

EXHIBITION

MUSIC

PHOTOGRAPHY

HEALTH

EXHIBITION

EXHIBITION

EXHIBITION

PHOTOGRAPHY

Indonesia Travel and Holiday Fair

28 February–2 March 2014 The 13th Indonesia Travel and Holiday Fair (ITHF) will take place at Exhibition Hall B of Jakarta Convention Center. It is one of the largest travel fairs in Indonesia and is typically frequented by travel consumers, travel agents and has a large exhibitor profile — including

a i rl ine compa nies , hotels , cruise lines, travel management companies, resorts and more. Special rates and package deals are on offer at the fair. Visit www.indonesiatravelfair.com or e-mail Ari on [email protected] for details on the exhibition. Jakarta Convention Center is located on Jl. Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta.

A State of Trance

15 March 2014 A State of Trance is a music party with headliners such as Armin Van Buren, Alex M.O.R.P.H, Andrew Rayel and Paul Van Dyk. The DJ-infused fiesta will feature some of the best trance beats and artists. Indonesia is one of the pit stops of the A State of Trance tour. The music starts at 9pm until 4am at EcoPark Ancol. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.astateoftrance.com/650 or www.ismaya.com/asot650. EcoPark Ancol is located on Jl. Lodan Timur, Taman Impian Jaya Ancol, North Jakarta.

Megadeth World Tour

5 March 2014 Megadeth will rock Jakarta at Tennis Indoor Senayan. Tickets are Rp.650,000 for Festival section, Rp.550,000 for Tribune and Rp.850,000 for VIP. Concert starts at 8pm. Call (021) 7278-4606 for more information on ticket purchasing, or visit www.megadeth.com

GOLFCELEBRATION

Plastic Oceans

7 March 2014 P l a s t i c O c e a n s a n d T h e Townhouse Bali is hosting a night of documentary screening and charity event for a good cause. Plastic Oceans is a global project that features a f ilm of incredible marine life – shot by a team of professional documentary makers - and the environmental issues associated with plastic waste thrown into the ocean. The event will start at 7pm and end at 9pm; it is scheduled to be held at the Townhouse Bali, Jl. Laksamana 151, Bali. Contact [email protected] for details.www.thetownhousebali.com

David Metcalf Bali-Flores Photography Tour

13–22 April 2014Join Dave Metcalf and Richard Weinstein from Sydney on a unique cultural photography tour. These experienced photographers will take you to Bali and Flores —some of the most beautiful islands in Indonesia — and guide you to experiencing and capturing its magic; the landscape, the temples, the cultural celebrations and ceremonies. Not only that, participants have the chance to experience a very unique cultural ceremony in East Flores as the indigenous culture gather for a yearly ancient tradition at Easter. Dave and Richard will guide you through the challenges of t ravel photog raphy and improve your skills. Visit www.davidmetcalfphotography.com for more information.

Bali Photography Tour

12–19 June 2014Photographers Mike Langford ( N e w Z e a l a n d ’ s T r a v e l Phot og r apher o f t he Ye a r 2012) and wife Jackie Ranken (Professional Photographer of the Year 2012) have prepared an itinerary to experience Bali in all its glory through the lens of a camera. Participants have a rare opportunity to have one-on-one sessions with Mike and Jackie as well as workshop tips. The workshop is set to take place in June as there are multiple vibrant and colourful festival going on around that time of year. One of the highlights of the tour will be photographing Mount Agung. Participants will be guided through the skills of landscape shooting and a unique skill called ‘temple painting’. This workshop only has 8 participant slots. E-mail davidmetcalf3@

mac.com to reserve a spot.

Bali Spirit Festival 2014

19–23 March 2014 Intertwining yoga, dance and music, the Bali Spirit Festival is a celebration of a happy and healthy life with a musical lineup that includes artists from Indonesia, the UK, US, Sweden, Australia and more; making this festival a melting pot of the East and the West. The silver lining of the festival is the yoga gatherings; conducted by instructors from all over the world, l ike Les Leventhal from the US, Sumei Shum from Singapore, Nadine McNeil from Jamaica, John Ogilvie from Australia and lots more. Bali Spirit Festival takes place in two locations in Ubud; Purnati Centre for the Arts and ARMA Open Stage & Museum. For hotel packages, tickets and shuttle information, visit www.balispiritfestival.com or send an e-mail to [email protected]

If you want your event to be posted here, please contact (+62) 0 21 7179 4550 or e-mail: [email protected]

Inter-Tabac Asia 2014

27–28 February 2014Inter-Tabac is an internationally known trade fair for tobacco products and smoking accessories. N e t w o r k i n g , c o n f e r e n c e s and access to products and machineries are some of the advantages that visitors can encounter at the Inter-Tabac Asia. This year’s fair will take place in Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center. The doors of Inter-Tabac Asia are open for trade visitors only (21+). Contact [email protected] for additional information. Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center is located on Kawasan Pariwisata Nusa Dua Lot NW/1, Nusa Dua.

W Retreat & Spa Anniversary

1, 6 & 23 March 2014Celebrating its third anniversary, the W Retreat & Spa is creating a month-long lineup of events. The first being ‘We’re Turning 3’ that will feature DJs and a fashion show; designs from

Uma & Leopold, Natasha Gan, Miss Milne and jewellery artist Mishka Piaf will be showcased at the fashion show. ‘We’re Turning 3’ will take place on 1 March 2014. Starting 6 March 2014, Mad T-Party will join the festivities, providing guests an Alice in Wonderland twist to an afternoon celebration with renowned Australian chef Adriano Zumbo. On Sunday (March 23) Hawker House, a brunch scene of bustling street market and fiesta-styled feast, will liven up the party. The W is located on Jl. Petitenget Kerobokan, Seminyak. Contact b&[email protected] or call (0361) 473-8106 for more information.

CHARITY

Bandung Creative Food Expo 2014

13–16 March 2014Culinary enthusiasts unite for this exciting event; the Bandung Creative Food Expo. Guests can experience new cooking and displaying techniques at the exhibition; great for f inding ideas for your culinary business. This is the first creative Food & Beverage, Hotel, Restaurant & Cafe Equipment exhibition to be held in Bandung. The expo will be held at Bandung Convention Center, Jl. Soekarno Hatta 354. Contact (021) 5435-2165 for details.

Bandung Beauty Expo 2014

20–23 March 2014 Bandung Beauty Expo is the first trade fair of the beauty industry in West Java. The exhibition gives you great access to some of the newest makeup products and workshops. Tutorial demos will be on offer for trades, businesses and interested individuals. The first day of the expo (20 March) is by invitation only, while the rest of the days are scheduled to be open for all visitors. The Bandung Beauty Expo will take place at Bandung Convention Center. Contact (022) 731-9809 or [email protected] for additional details.www.bandungbeautyexpo.com

Indonesia Apparel Production Expo

28–30 March 2014 The Indonesia Apparel Production Expo is tailored for those who are looking to optimize their fashion and garment industry. The expo offers seminars and talks on Direct to Garment methods, screen-printing, the technology sector of garment production, and many more topics. There will be competitions as well as helpful workshops. The Indonesia Apparel Production Expo is set to be held at Diamond Solo Convention Center, Jl. Slamet Riyadi No. 392, Solo. To know more about the event, call (0274) 6415-380 or e -mai l [email protected]

Borneo Photography Tour 2014

26 May–3 June 2014Join experienced photographers Dayak Dave Metcalf and Mark Rayner in an expedit ion to photograph the wild Borneo jungles. This is a photography tour for those who would like to w itness and capture the breathtaking beauty of Central K a l i m a nt a n , w h ic h h a s a vibrant wildlife. The tour will also include the opportunity to capture the Dayak culture and tradition while exploring remote villages. Dave and Mark have a wealth of experience in photography tours that they could share with you. Visit www.davidmetcalfphotography.com for more details.

Palm Hill Charity Golf Tournament

28 February 2014 A charity golf tournament in

collaboration with Yayasan Kasih Anak Kanker Indonesia, the Palm Hill Charity Golf Tournament will be held at Palm Hill Golf Club, Sentul, Bogor, West Java. The tournament fee is Rp.1 million, including green fee, lunch & dinner and a chance at a lucky draw with attractive prizes, such as electronics, golf equipments, hotel vouchers, etc. Shot gun starts at 1pm. The hole-in-one competition offers more prizes such as a car, cash money or airline tickets. For more information and to register, contact [email protected] or (021)8795-4888.www.palmhillgolf.co.id


OBSERVATIONS

Joe Writeson is from the UK, resident in Indonesia for eighteen years. Previously in oil and gas until forced to retire due to chronic Osteoporosis, citing being paraplegic as "a new challenge requiring new ways of looking at things". Full time author with three books available. [email protected]

the ramblings of an anti-smoking expat based in batam

by Joe Writeson

I detest smoking. Starting with the basic ritual of taking dried leaves rolled in paper, setting fire to them and then inhaling the fumes, for me personally, is abhorrent and against the very laws of nature. Then there’s the smell. Heavy smokers never realise that their skin, hair, clothing and immediate surroundings stink of rancid tobacco and old ashtrays, furthermore, they never will be aware of this as they seem to be immune to the offending odour. Throw in the ‘addiction factor’ that the habit encourages, it is embarrassing in the extreme seeing the utter desperation and need for a ‘nicotine fix’ displayed by smokers deprived of their drug for even a few hours.

A good friend of mine from the UK secured an overseas posting in the Far East; it was his first non-smoking intercontinental flight and he left Heathrow fit, fine and looking forward to a new job. By Singapore he was a gibbering wreck. As the wheels hit the tarmac, he had his seatbelt unfastened and all his carry-on baggage clutched in

his hands. The second the aircraft came to a standstill, he was on his feet, shoving aside anyone in his path; fellow travellers, small children, pregnant women, aircrew, anyone! Ignoring angry protests, he elbowed and pushed his way to the front of the disembarkation exit, was first through the doors even before fully open and once free of the aircraft confines, proceeded to run around Changi Airport in total panic, searching for ‘Smoking Zones’; so acute was his craving.

Of course this would never happen in Indonesia. The smoker would just light up anywhere he felt like it, safe in the knowledge that no one would confront or chastise him.

There are three basic signs in the country that cannot be translated adequately into Bahasa Indonesia; ‘Please queue behind the yellow line’, ‘Remain seated until the aircraft has come to a complete standstill’, and ‘No Smoking’.

Not long after I arrived in Indonesia, I was on a flight from Surabaya to Makassar. Fifteen minutes after takeoff, the offending smell of cigarette smoke started to drift around the cabin, despite there being signs everywhere forbidding this, and just to make sure everyone had understood, it was clearly mentioned in the pre-flight safety briefing that this was a ‘No Smoking Flight’. I buzzed for the stewardess and informed her that someone was smoking, and, just in case she had forgotten, that it was in contradiction of the airline safety policy. She looked uncomfortable and appeared to be unsure what action to take, so I prompted that she should identify the offending person and point out the error of their ways. No, not an option, because that, of course, would mean a direct confrontation, so she responded in the ‘Indonesian way’ and asked if I would like to move seats.

Closer to home, my kids have always been well aware of my fascist views on the subject, so you can imagine the reaction when my son informed me that a teacher at his school announced that smoking was not harmful “in moderation”. My wife hid the keys to all our transport until I calmed down, about six months later.

for; they were harrowing, painful, horrible deaths without a trace of dignity.

But despite well-publicised bans and controls, the adverts and promotions continue, all aimed squarely at the country’s youth, showing smoking to be macho, tough and cool. Nobody is remotely concerned seeing eight and nine-year-olds strolling around with cigarettes hanging out of their faces, and why should anyone worry? Dad smokes, Granddad smokes, just about every male member of the family smokes, and in fact not smoking is essentially considered fey, limp wristed, and let’s not pull any punches here, downright unpatriotic.

Those are just a few of the many problems that face non-smokers in Indonesia; those that do indulge just cannot see that there is anything wrong with polluting the air in the presence or near vicinity of those who do not share their habit. After all, no one they know or associate with has ever complained before.

Health warnings on cigarette packs are pointless and completely ignored. After taking one Indonesian forty-a-day co-worker to task for being unable to walk up three flights of stairs without gasping

Whilst ‘grounded’, I shot off emails to the teacher in question, the school principal and the governors and I am still waiting for a response. My wife, however, is of the opinion that they now consider me a “bule nutter” and are probably too frightened to enter into any correspondence.

OK, then why are my views so extreme? I have never smoked, never tried it, and always considered it an anti-social, smelly, pointless waste of money. That’s just my opinion and it’s a free world, you just don’t light up in my world. If you want to smoke at my house, fine, just stand in the garden and make sure your stubs are disposed of cleanly and safely.

I am prepared to live and let live, but my negative viewpoint on smoking has steadily worsened, particularly in the past ten years as I have lost seven people close to me due to tobacco related demise. They were all heavy smokers and their deaths were not the gentle passing away peacefully we all hope

for breath, he completed an extended bout of coughing then smiled and shook his head ruefully in the manner of someone about to impart information to a not very bright child.

All those health and safety warnings are just marketing tricks by foreign tobacco companies trying to get people to switch to their low-tar brands. There is no medical evidence at all that smoking is bad for your health, even one of our ministers said so.

And of course no one checked to see if he had interests in any local cigarette manufacturers did they?

Why would he lie? He’s a politician?

Question asked and answered, I do believe.

The Topic of Cancer

There are three basic signs in the country that cannot be translated adequately into Bahasa Indonesia; ‘Please queue behind the yellow line’, ‘Remain seated until the aircraft has come to a complete standstill’, and ‘No Smoking’.© David Metcalf Photography


HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL?

CONDITIONS

Looking for something to buy? Looking for staff? Selling property? Or need a place to live? Why not place your classified ad with Indonesia Expat! Your classified will be placed once for 2 weeks online and once in our printed version which has a circulation of 15.000 copies bi-weekly. Next deadline: March 4th

Personal classifiedsCommercial classifieds

Property listings are considered as Commercial.Adding an image incurs an extra charge of Rp. 150,000. Business Listings can only be placed on the Business Listings Page (p.30)

Send in your classifieds to [email protected]

Free of Charge (50 words max)Rp. 100,000 (0–50 words)Rp. 200,000 (50–100 words)

JAKARTA

Avanza Veloz for sale — White, Perfect condition, 40.000 km, Year 2012, Price 165 million rupiah. More info: 081317722271

For Sale! A Black Nissan Serena Highwaystar 2010. Automatic transmission. Original owner ( non smokers ) Very well taking care of with regular servicing in Nissan garage. Mileage 65 k km, never involved in any accidents or flooding incidents. Price : 200 juta. Contact : rina 08111884115 Or email: [email protected]

AUTOMOTIVES

PROPERTY

PROPERTY

For rent very cozy house, location: 10 mins drive to Senayan City, 30 mins to SBCD and Gandaria City, House information : Land/ Building : 145m/ 189 Total floor : 2, Bed Room : 1 (1st floor) + 3 ( 2nd floor) + 1 for maid (1st fl), Bath Room : 1 (1st floor) + 1 ( 2nd floor) + 1 for maid (1st fl), Electricity : 3600 watt, Water : land water + PAM, Phone line : - , Car : 1, Facility :2 beds ( in 2 different room ) + 1 for maid,TV cabinet, Book Cabinet, 2 air conditioners,1 air fan,Water heater, Cable TV (First Media), Kitchen utensil (some), Little garden, more info: [email protected]

For Sale .quick sale willing to relocate. ( Cheap ) Good to invest. New luxury home minimalist classic . 2 floors . ( 125/252 ) SHM, Hook . Full lux . Granite flooring . Gitsum roof , mild steel, 6 bedrooms, 1 maid's room. 5 bathroom, minimalist pancoran, taman room, pam jetpam, include oxygen water furniture sets , decorative light bulbs , and others. garage, 2200watt power, strategically near to the motorway and highway 50 meters, very good to invest boarding house , mes employees, offices. Growing rapidly, and the price quickly rises every year. facilities close to hospitals, shopping mall Carrefour, BTC, Indomart, alfamart, schools, Sport center, and others. Beautiful, and comfortable, free from flood, crowded and near the mosque home location in the east bekasi at pondok hijau

permai, Selling price is Rp. 1 , 5 Milyar Rupiah (negotiable ), Price nego. seriously fast contact by owner: 081318747770

For rent 300 houses at kemang, cipete, cilandak, jeruk purut, pondok indah big garden, s’pool, complex, 4-5 bedrooms, U$ 2000 – U$ 8000, phone: 0816859551 or 0817009336

Big house colonial style, large garden and pool, 6 bedrooms n 6 bathrooms, full basement for employes, very quiet/green area, Jl.Bakti 20A, Cilandak Timur, Tel0816834710/087886011012

Houses for rent! 2 nice houses 2 storey, one large join pool, beautiful garden, 24 security compound, no cement wall between houses in the compound, approx 500 M2 house with 1,000 M2 land, located at Jl.Margasatwa Raya, 10 Minutes to Cilandak Commercial Estate, @ USD 2,500,- to USD 3,000,- per month with min one year lease.If interested (no Broker/Agent), call owner 0811180605

St. Moritz. Brand New 17th Floor West Jakarta Apartment For Lease. Very Exclusive. Huge 269m2 5BR+2, 4 Bath+1 with adjacent guest house/studio. Private Lift. Just 15 minutes from Soekarno Hatta International Airport. $2800 Call Nirma: 0815.1952.4444 or email Malcolm: [email protected]

JOBS

PETS

Looking for Work

Jobs Available

Do you need tutor for your kids at primary or lower secondary in South Jakarta privately at afternoon or evening? please call me by phone 085225446982 or by email [email protected] Available English speaking driver, Honest, Experienced, can drive automatic car very well, looking for a job as a private driver. Pls call/sms 085714221679 (budi)

My name is Mochamad Sofyan Hidayat (19 years old). I have experience in being a courier in Jakarta and a taxi driver. I’m looking for work as office/company driver. Call me on my cell number 081310134356

Looking for a job to be a private/personal driver. I have SIM A

(A-type driver’s license). My name is Hendra Vega. Please call 087888424175

Looking for job as Personal Assistant. Female with 17 years experience in multinational companies. Excellent English, Computer Literature, Admin skill. Dynamic, independent, dedicated, loyal, honest. Willing to travel. Interested in my CV, pls contact +62 81319191851, e-mail: [email protected]

Indonesia Expat is recruiting!We are looking for a Distribution Manager (local) to look after subscriptions and distributions of our publications around Indonesia. The position will be based in Kemang, however a lot of work will be done outside of the office checking distribution points. This position would suit someone who is organized, with admin and Microsoft Excel experience, good command of the English language, and friendly over the phone and face-to-face. The ideal candidate will own motorcycle. Attractive package available for the right candidate. Please send CV to [email protected] Only successful candidates will be contacted for interview. Good luck!

Looking for part time staff. English Fluently. Female 20-34 preferred. Have PC, Internet. Work in South Jakarta 1 in a 1-2 week. Work at home 4-6 hours a week. Update FB fun page, Translate, etc. Please email [email protected]

Group of Bars & restaurants is looking for a Web Support Staff who edits, maintains and updates current web pages and has the ability to develop, design, produce and code new web pages as well as produce a weekly online newsletter and maintaining social media. Male / Female, 20 - 30 years old. Please send cv to Jasper Bouman - [email protected]

SERVICES

E x p e r i e n c e d , q u a l i f i e d and regis tered Austral ian Psychologist/Counsellor available for online counseling/therapy. Experience with child and adult expat issues, parenting, childhood, concerns and learning disabilities. Visit www.childpsychmum.com for more information.

Bahasa Indonesia lesson for expats

at your house or office,given by experienced instructor.Letter of recommendation available. Please call pa Chairuman 0812 1037 466 or email: [email protected]

Spanish Tutor — Learn Spanish at your place with an experienced Spanish tutor from Spain. Most of my students come from International Schools (JIS and BIS). Please call me (Raúl) 082110502786 Email: [email protected]

For Sale: 1940 German Barware Stein Village Pub. Written in German: "Guter Trunk Und Witz Sind Bei Vielen Dingen Nutz" (a stiff drink and a good joke cures all ills). Contact (021) 719 0087 for more information.

Private Classical Piano Lesson for Children, Adults. Teacher willing to come to your place for the lesson (South Jakarta area). Well experienced in teaching Piano, also provides the ABRSM Examination that Internationally Certified, if you are interest, please contact 081317810789

This Saturday art class provides a safe and fun environment for your child to imagine and create. We seek to inspire children into the world of art from a young age! Classes are designed for children from ages 9 to 13! For more information please visit our website:www.michelleworthartstudio.com or drop us an email [email protected]

Do you need tutor for your kids at primary or lower secondary in South Jakarta privately at afternoon or evening? please call me by phone 085225446982 or by email [email protected]

I am a teacher in international school in Kemang. If you need private teacher for your primary kids or if you want to learn bahasa you can contact me at [email protected].

My name is Herry a professional Greeting Service at Soekarno Hatta International Airport Jakarta. Need Assistances like: Visa on Arrival Payment &

Immigration Fast Track, Early Check In & Luggage Handling when Departure, Transit to different Terminals etc, please contact me +6281317927009, +6287808522300, pin 2A3A60B2

Learn Bahasa Indonesia easy and fast for Foreigners/ Expatriates at your place/house/office. Flexible time. Call: 0811 899864 / [email protected]

If you need to learn Bahasa Indonesia especially for expats in Jakarta, you can text me or call me to this number +6282114099496 (Lely) so that we can arrange the best time to learn for Bahasa Indonesia at your house or anyplace. I will be your friendly tutor :)

I have 5 years experience as an Indonesian and English tutor. My method of teaching is conversational. My educational background is as PR with a degree in communication from Bengkulu State University. For the last 4 years I have been a PR for an English community which helps understand my students better. I am available for private & group tutoring. My schedule is flexible and I am willing to travel anywhere in the Jakarta area. Text me at 081382440349

I am teaching the expats who wants to learn privates Bahasa Indonesia. I also speak French fluently. For further inquiry, you may contact me. Nyoman Erwinawati Hp: +62 8129321393, Email: [email protected]

Personal Trainer. I am certified with 7 years experience including certification through Fitness First. I now work with expats in the Kemang/Cilandak/Pondok Indah areas. Let me help you achieve your fitness goal this year. Contact me directly at 081905552337

My name is Kosasih. I've been teaching guitar for more than 20 years and experienced to teach children, teens and adults. I still teach in petrof music, but I can give private lessons at your home, especially near Bekasi and Tambun, my home area. Kosasih contact no.: 085 777 94 33 84

If you are looking for a great English speaking female emcee for any of your upcoming events/ corporate conferences/parties/ weddings.Uttam-08119937374

Anyone leaving Jakarta for USA? We need your help to bring Leo the kitty to the plane with you.

Leo will be picked up by our friend once you arrive there. All papers have been prepared. Please email us at [email protected] for more detailed info. Thank you :) Leo's story: http://blog.myletsadopt.com/2013/12/30/leo-won´t-see-the-new-year-unless-we-help-him/

Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) gets many calls everyday about dogs that are thrown like trash onto the toll roads or left chained up in yards after people move away but we can’t help them! We currently have over 30 dogs awaiting adoption that are healthy, sterilized and vaccinated. Our center is full and our foster homes are also full! PLEASE consider adopting a dog from JAAN or fostering so that we can help some of the many emergency cases brought to our attention daily! www.jakartaaniamalaid.com / sms 0811135309 for more information.

Learn making indian dals, breads, sabji"s veg and nonveg dishes biryani ,chicken makhani(butter chicken) and many other. and many more. contact 081295049096

1976 fender stratocaster USA. body swamp ash, neck maple, rosewood fretboard, body repainted glossy transparent sunburst, pickup neck & bridge custom 54 fender, mid ori tuners & bridge ori. Great condition. Wood has aged well for beautiful tone. Start price IDR 17,000,000. sms/whatsapp/kakaotalk 08989061509. Ciledug, tangerang

OTHERS

BALI

“BALI CONDO FOR SALE 3 double bedrooms/3 bathrooms/private pool and walled garden. In the Novotel Nusa Dua Hotel and Residences. Fully furnished and serviced by the Novotel. Private residence but with the ability to rent out through Novotel when not in use. Enjoy all of the 5 star facilities of the hotel at a discounted price. Please contact [email protected] or +66-81-6193978”

Sale: Excellent freehold land 2100 m2 on main road to Tanah Lot,right next to Pan Pacific Bali Nirwana Golf resort, 400m walk to beach. Perfectly strategic for commercial and/or exclusive private villas overlooking golf course. Call 0816903290


DO YOU HAVE AN EXISTING PENSION IN THE UK?REGAIN CONTROL WITH A QROPS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON QROPS PLEASE E-MAIL

[email protected] OR CALL (021) 520 3574

KEY ADVANTAGES OF A QUALIFIED RECOGNISED OVERSEAS PENSION SCHEME:

• FLEXIBLE BENEFITS – UP TO 30% OPTIONAL LUMP SUM AND/ OR INCOME FROM AGE 55

• SUCCESSION PLANNING – PENSION NOT SURRENDERED ON DEATH, BENEFITS PASS TO NOMINATED BENEFICIARIES

• TAX EFFICIENCY – BENEFITS FALL OUTSIDE UK INCOME AND INHERITANCE TAX REGIMES

• INVESTMENT CHOICE – NO OBLIGATION TO PURCHASE AN ANNUITY. CHOOSE FROM A WIDE RANGE OF ASSET CLASSES

PT ARIPA MAKMUR PERSADAGraha Aktiva (American Express Building) 4th Floor, Suite 405, Jl. H. R. Rasuna Said, Kuningan, Jakarta 12950 - Indonesia

OTHERS

OTHERS

OTHERS

BANDUNG

JOGJAKARTA

Sale: Rare piece of fabulous beachfront land 2345 m2 in Soka - Bali, very popular surfing beach. Direct access, two level land with stunning ocean view from upper level. Ideal for private villas. Ready to build. Call 08161842899

Sale: Outstanding property in mystical Ubud, nestled in tropical woodlands with stunning valley views. This 2936 m2 free hold land is bordered by a river gorge and is beautifully contoured. Located only 10 mins from Ubud Central. Perfect for private villas with direct access road. Call 0816903290 http://www.88office.co.id/Seminyak/Sunset Road, Bali land-5.99mil rp per are per year-. land for lease- 9.6 are, [email protected]

Zen Villa 2 bdrms 2 ensuites plunge pool bale bengong air cond ceiling fans fully furnished 2 TV's Printer/copier/scanner WiFi parking 24/7 security. Available now US $20000 pa. Apply to [email protected]

SALE/RENT. BEST LOCATION. 5* RESORT, 150m to Beach. All Rooms (80-160m2) Have Beach View & Spacious Balcony. Fully Furnished. Facilities: Receptionist. CCTV. Wifi. Pool. Jacuzzi. Sundecking. Hanging Garden Balcony. Golf Tour. Breakfast/Butler On Request. For Reservation www.echobeach.co.id/contact.html

Villa Pevali is a luxury traditional Balinese style villa with 3 spacious bedrooms all with en-suite, private swimming pool, located in the real heart of Oberoi – Seminyak, with direct access to the best restaurants on Eat Street, only a short walk

to the famous KuDeTa, the new Townhouse and Seminyak Beach. A private oasis right in the hustle and bustle of Oberoi with the best shopping and nightlife at your fingertips, but still offering a quiet and peaceful stay (no noise from nightlife or construction sites). The villa is staffed, air-conditioned, offers free high speed WiFi and cable TV. [email protected] +6281236792207

New villa for yearly rent Canggu. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms,fully furnished,pool with garden, equipped kitchen,r icef ie ld view, quiet,car-park. Contact [email protected]

For rent apartment bellagio mansion 3br + 1 study room ,198 sqm, furnish , private lift, Pls call 4 inspection. 0815.8765.938

"Capture your moment and experience here in Bali with family, relatives, friends, or co-workers in natural, beautiful, and memorable photographs with Senicitra. Senicitra is Bali based portrait & event photography service. Please visit www.senicitra.com for details. You can email me at [email protected] or just text/call me at 08563004713

SERVICES

For Sale, Rare, Pictorial Guide to Indonesian Reef Fishes Part 1-3, By Rudie Kutier & Takamasa Tonozuka. 3000 photos, fish size, location, Latin name, description, depth, etc. 1 million rupiah for one set. ask salvatore@gmail. com

For sale. Fine old hard stone carvings, large for outdoors and medium size. Well worth seeing in Ketewel, a few km north of Sanur, Bali. Call pak Retug 08123890847

For sale beautiful floral quilted 2 seater bedroom sofa for sale Rp.4 million. In Sanur, Bali. Call 081999571288

For sale. Double wheel electric b e n c h g r i n d e r f r o m U S A Rp.350,000 in Sanur Bali. Call 081999571288

For sale Indian ‘glass’ bangles and others bangles; large selection, attractive, maybe 1000 items for Rp.500,000. In Sanur, Bali. Call 081999571288

Do you have a hol iday in Bandung coming up? We have accommodation set up for you! For sale: 5 vouchers, each for 1 night stay in the Business Traveler Room at the 3-star Park Hotel Bandung, valid until 28

Experience staying at a beautiful original antique Javanese Joglo house in the foothills of Mount Merapi. Joglo Ago is a three double bedroom villa with gardensperfect for a weekend retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. In close proximity to Mount Merapi and Borobudur Temple. Visit www.jogloago.com for more information or call Indah 08123563626.

D i s c o v e r V i l l a G a m r a n g . Experience our hospitality and the complete privacy of your own beach house. Villa Gamrang (Cisolok beach, 4 hours’ drive from Jakarta) is designed to offer guests a wonderful and luxurious holiday with beautiful and natural surroundings. Stylish interior, several outdoor terrace’s, sea view, spacious garden, swimming pool, 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, complete kitchen, cable television, internet (WiFi). Idyllic place for couples or one or two families. Staff and in house catering available. Attractive prices starting from IDR 1,400,000 per night. Most of our guests visit us again. Reservations. www.villa-gamrang.nl or just mail us [email protected]

February 2014. Price: Rp.250K per night! Restaurant vouchers are included for free. E-mail [email protected] for details.


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Scan your books to read them on the go! PT. MegaEnviron is specialized in

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“RELOCATION MADE EASY’’

Holiday Rental in Bali, One-bedroom studio apartment in central location in Kuta / Tuban in a 4-star hotel. Bedroom

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kutabaliapartmentsYOUR HOLIDAY HOME IN PARADISE

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indonesia expat - issue 112

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