Idul Adha

Often the early morning brain can be a little fuzzy and so I didn’t immediately notice the makeshift shed and line of cows on the corner of my street as I traveled to work last Monday. Shortly after when a goat drove by, smiling at me from the back of a moped, I realised something a little unusual was going on.

Idul Adha is a national holiday in Indonesia (as in many other Islamic countries, known as Eid al-Adha) to recognise the time of the Hajj in Mecca and the trials of the Prophet Ibrahim. As well as a day off work, the festivities involve the sacrifice of an animal in remembrance of the sacrifice of Ibrahim with the meat donated to feed the local poor.

In the week building up to the festival more and more animals started appearing in these hastily made shelters as Jakarta gradually turned from a smoggy traffic filled city into some kind of concrete mega farm. All the time people where popping into the stalls to buy a cow or a goat to take home ready for the Friday sacrifice; one taxi driver proudly informed me that his mother-in-law had five cows in her house (not sure if a pun was intended).

Sadly I headed to Malaysia on Thursday evening to take advantage of the long weekend and so I can’t quite tell you what happened next. Suffice to say, I’ve not seen a cow or goat since my return.

Other Excitement

On Friday night I joined the rush to see the new American blockbuster 2012. Somewhat bizarrely there has been much debate in Indonesia over a potential ban on the film after the Indonesian Ulema Council (Indonesia’s highest self-proclaimed Islamic authority) called for the film to be removed from cinemas. I’m remain slightly unclear as to the reasons for this proposed ban, but it appears to be an excellent marketing ploy as people queued all weekend to see the film before it gets pulled from the screens!

Leaving the cinema I was drawn towards loud music emanating from Jakarta’s Hard Rock Café and picked up a ticket to see local sensations “Kahitna” . Their collection of ballads and cheesy tunes could probably best be described as Asiapop, and was accompanied by some fantastic Night Fever style dancing. In any case it seemed to down a storm with the packed crowd, whose singing / screeching drowned out at least half the songs.

The next afternoon saw many years of hard work on the football pitch come good, as my delicate blend of skill and power finally caught the eye of a passing talent spotter. Emerging sweaty and victorious from Saturday’s five-a-side, I was approached by the well known Ella Agency for a starring role in an upcoming TV commercial, and after graciously agreeing to have my photo taken for their talent files headed to celebrate at the second best expat bar in town. Not so coincidentally, it happened to be Cazbar’s fourth anniversary which was being marked by the crazy concept of four hours of free beer. This built up nicely to the family derby (Sunderland v Arsenal) at 10pm but sadly the result made for a gloomy journey back to the apartment for a well earned sleep.

Strong views on 2012? Get involved with this week’s poll…

Sightseeing

With my first weekend in Jakarta for three weeks, I thought I’d take the time to be a tourist and see some of the sights that Jakarta has to offer. This involved a trip up to Kota - the sight of the original Dutch colonial city of Batavia. Rains at the end of the week had washed away some of the smog to reveal glimpses of a blue sky, and the sun was streaming through as I headed towards the busway.

Our first stop was the colonial museum which, in its own scattered kind of way, displayed some interesting colonial furniture and art. The ceilings were high and the furniture chunky heavy wood, giving the impression of a more austere living in contrast to the luxurious type structures seen in other former colonies. The building included a cramped gaol in the cellars complete with shackles and chains.

After a quick peek in the National Art Museum and the extravagant Café Batavia, we chugged towards Glodok and Chinatown in a cramped and bumpy bajaj (see photo). Indonesia is an extraordinary mix of cultures, religions and ethnic groups, and this is no better displayed than at the catholic church of St Maria de Fatima. Housed in a former buddist temple this church has an ornate red and gold entrance, and an altar and lectern decorated with Chinese characters and dragons.

Our final visit was to the DVD warehouse, where manufacturing, packaging and wholesale of pirate DVDs takes place on an extraordinary scale in cramped and maze like corridors. The special offer was twelve DVDs for £3.00; copyright law seems yet to arrive in Jakarta!

Finally, congratulations to the 44% of you who correctly named the Indonesian shadow puppet theatre as Wayang. The red herrings were: Dangdut - type of popular Indonesian music, Pencak silat - overall term for the martial arts of Indonesia, and Barry - a common English name. Best of luck in the next quiz!

Indonesian Contrasts

As I spend more time in Indonesia, it's interesting to notice some contrasts and differences from things back home. I thought I'd share a few with you...

1. Fifteen minute taxi to work costs less than a Starbucks coffee on the way in
2. Marks & Spencer is a luxury fashion brand
3. Locals often put more chili sauce on western food than they do on Indonesian food
4. It is normal for a twenty-five year old to live with their parents and for ten year old to ride a motorbike
5. There are traffic police everywhere but the roads are complete chaos
6. Avocado & chocolate is “delicious”, avocado & bacon is “weird”
7. One jar of imported pasta sauce costs more than lunch for three at local food hall

Halloween Pic

Thought I'd share this snap from the halloween party on Saturday at Jakarta's best bar - Eastern Promise in Kemang...

Indonesian Cultures

Morning all. I am fresh in the office after a Halloween weekend of activity and a harrowing ride to work. Ojeks are guys with motorbikes who wait all round Jakarta giving lifts to people looking for a quicker way through the constant traffic jams. One enthusiastic driver has waved at me outside my apartment every morning for the last month and so I finally decided to give him a try for an agreed 90p fare. Standard (or indeed any kind of) traffic regulations seemed not to apply and we wizzed to the office in a speedy ten minutes, slightly sweaty but grateful to still be alive.

Saturday saw my debut for Buglis FC, one of the most prestigious footballing sides in the Jakarta expat league, playing in a crucial local derby. My arrival coincided with a lastminute goalkeeping crisis which I somewhat foolishly offer to fill, and spent much of the game throwing and banging myself against the hard tropical pitch. A decidedly mixed performance by me, but the team attacked well and we emerged with dignity intact after a late equalizer made it 3-3.

After a good sleep I took the opportunity to soak up some Sunday culture at the National Museum, which is full of artifacts from the numerous cultures that make up Indonesia. One of the most fascinating regions is Indonesian Papua (the west side of the New Guinea island), that comprises a mass of different ethnic groups between them speaking over 269 indigenous languages. Papua was annexed from the Dutch in 1969 and was originally known as West Irian, the name Irian apparently standing for Ikut Republik Indonesia, Anti Nederland (join the Republic of Indonesia, rejecting the Netherlands).

See if you can answer this week's more challenging quiz on Indonesian Culture!