JEWELLE TAN

If you ever visited the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in Jakarta, you would be glad to know that this huge 165 ha park offered motorcycles, bicycles and tandem bicycles for hire.

We only discovered about this as we came down from the skylift (cable cars) which we took to go across the big lake that spans the whole park, interestingly decorated with a man-made islands shaped in the whole Indonesian archipelago - complete with Mt. Kinabalu for Borneo Island.

The only disadvantage about using these vehicles was that, it’s not convenient to take your time to explore and discover each buildings in this park.

We rented our motorcycles for an hour (for Rph 30,000, bicycle costs Rph 20,000) and it was amazing how fast this hour went by!

So fast that I did not managed to chat with anyone on this part of our tour around the park.

Besides, for me, the Javanese architecture (see picture), though they are beautiful with the carvings and temples, they were not as impressive as the Sumaterans.

But they were still mesmerizing and I wished I had more than one hour so I can find out about what these buildings were for - such as one curiously named “Bale Gedong” (see picture) in the Java’s pavillion.

Another thing with the pavillions on this side of the lake is that they are so close to each other that I had no idea which pavillion was I at.

Besides, with my husband waiting on the road side with his motorcycle, I had only a few mins to walk in the compound and snapped a few pictures before we rode to the next gate.

What I noticed amongst most of these Javanese buildings is that they are fond of stone statues and carvings (see picture).

Outside their buildings and on their walls. We can safely conclude that while the Sumaterans are experts at roof buildings, the Javanese then were expert in masonry.

Besides statues, there are also a few replicas of candi or temple.

One which I hope to be able to visit for real in the future, is of course the Borobudur (see picture). The replica here is 1:30 of the original size. There are are 2 other replicas of candis.

There is another one which, without any label, I can only assume was a temple - because there was an elephant statue inside.

To me, there did not seemed to be much difference in the architecture and culture of Java and Bali.

All their buildings looked similar and to be honest, I was not much interested here. Perhaps, it was also because I could not spend any time chatting with anyone about the buildings or their customs. Not only were we pressed for time (to return the motorcycle and to return to the city before traffic jams get worse).

But perhaps, there should have been a map or information for each pavillions, just to give visitors some ideas of the buildings without asking anyone.

By the time, we reached the end of the pavillion, it was time to return the motorcycle - and I did not even get to stop to see the church, mosque and temples.

Not even any museums - such as the oil and gas museum (see picture) and a Komodo  Dragon museum (shaped as a komodo). 13 museums!

Then there are the flora and fauna parks - Orchid park, bird park, freshwater fish park…10 parks in all!

Not to mention monuments - Flower clock, Friendship monument…8 in total.

Finally, recreational facilities such as the swimming pool park, Keong IMAX theatre and etc.

There are so many things that we missed here that I think we have to stay around the area the next time we plan to come here because there is no way anyone can enjoy the place and all its attraction in just one day.

Not if you intend to soak in the essence of what Indonesia has to offer.

Definitely a place to visit for anyone who comes to Jakarta - but you must come prepared to walk and chat.

**Part 1 : Sumatera To Papua In Jakarta**

Popularity: 9% [?]

For our first time visit to Jakarta last month, my husband and I agreed on two thing.

He wants to see at least one landmark and I wanted to visit the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.

So on our first morning in Jakarta - which happened to be a Friday - we took a taxi from the Sari Pan Pacific hotel to this park located about 25 km in East Jakarta.

Perhaps because it was mid-morning or maybe because we were going out of the city, it was a quick 30 mins drive through a pretty jam-less highway (Jakarta standard).

Besides the modern skyscrapers and monuments along perhaps 10km of the way, I don’t remember what else did we pass.

As the taxi entered the compound, we passed through the toll gate where we bought  tickets which cost Rph 9000 (around B$1.30).

We came down in front of a huge building and the entrance to the park by at either side of this block. Once inside, we immediately spotted the monorail. But this only runs on weekends when I believed the park is really busy. During our visit, it was practically empty - Jakarta standard.

A Singaporean family with a car us to join them as walking around 165 ha ground was no joke! Luckily my husband had the foresight to turn them down because it actually took me the whole morning  just to explore only one side of the lake.

There is a lake in the middle of the park around which scattered 27 pavillions for each province in Indonesia.

At a Bengkulu house (Southwest Sumatera), we saw a huge (about 1 mtr long) weighting scale in the bridal chamber traditionally used to calculate wedding dowry!

The roofs of the Batak houses (Northern Sumatera) was what attracted me the most. Tall, pointy and hollow (see picture).

It’s a wonder how these folks could have built such designs without machinery and I am sure that my husband  - used to constructing gigantic oil structures - was intrigued too. When asked why such design - the only answer they gave me was it promotes ventilation.

The Dayak culture was prominent at the East Kalimantan pavillion.

Here, I was well taken care of by a group of young tourism students on training.

They showed me figures with costumes (see picture), similar to the Dayak and Murut tribes in Sabah and Sarawak. However, they did not seemed to know acknowledge “Murut” and in the information booklets which they gave me (the only province which did), there was no mention of “Murut” anywhere.

I was also told of the rare black orchids  and the Mahakam River, the longest river in Kalimantan - one of the few rivers in the world still inhabited by freshwater dolphins (”Pesut Mahakam“).

But the most interesting custom of the native here was their burial style.

Dead bodies were placed in beautifully decorated coffins (see picture) placed on a stilts until all flesh had fallen off. The bones were then driven to the ground - and not buried as my guide specifically told me.

The Khadriah Palace in Pontianak City (West Kalimantan) was replicated here and considering it was built in 1771 and still stands now, was amazing.

But it was a Dayak Bidayuh house (see pictures) on stilts that was the most impressive  here.  It must be around 30 ft high! The whole structure looked so rickety that I won’t attempt to climb this up no matter what.

All I can think of when I saw this house was how steep and narrow the pole ladder was.

The buildings at the Papuan pavillion were not as majestic as the Bataks. However, one building (see picture) which was a sort of school for their young men was interesting.

In the middle of this circular building (see picture) were 9 beams with one hanging from the centre to support and balance the incredibly high roof.

A Papuan man - who looks just like a Timorese - was most helpful and informative.  I learnt that  they who live in this island, thousands of kilometres away from us in Borneo, spoke similar accent to Sabahans. “Ko mau pigi mana?” he gave as an example.

Again, it was also their funeral traditions which I remembered well. Their deads are put in a sitting position while bodies of leaders are embalmed - a method developed and used since hundreds of years, my guide told me proudly.

Because we were short of time, I could not spend much time on the details and missed inspecting the costumes and many times, I was not even sure which province pavillions was I at - because they were no clear division.

Besides, being Friday noon, the whole place was quite deserted and in most of the buildings, I was the only one visitor.

After the first house, my husband was content on waiting for me outside the buildings…

With silent mannequins and empty beds in quiet rooms (see picture) - it was creepy and I did not linger.

After the pavillions of Sumatera, Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Papua (among that I remembered), it was only halfway across the lake. My husband was tired by then and we took the cable car back to the entrance.

The view of the pavillions on the opposite side of the lake from air (see picture) was irresistable but my husband was adamant that he was not going to walk anymore.

Fortunately, the park offered motorcycles for hire - Rph30,000 (around B$4.30) for 1 hour.

And that was how we managed to go around the whole park in the end - as well as explored the Java and Bali province pavillions.

**Part 2 : Java And Bali At Jakarta**

Popularity: 15% [?]

When we first read about the damage done to the Merlion due to lightning on the 28th February, we were sad because it is our kids favorite spot whenever we visited Singapore.

And we were glad to read news that the Merlion was re-opened 2 days before we were due to arrive in Singapore for our short holiday last month.

So on the morning after we reached Singapore, we walked over from our hotel to the Merlion.

We took the route which passed by interesting buildings such as the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce, CityHall, Cricket Club field, Victoria Theatre and Anderson Bridge before we reached the Merlion.

Despite being tired from the rather long walk - about nearly 2 km - Eu and Qi were happy to see their fondest symbol of Singapore.

During one of our last trip here, Qi was stopped by a few Eastern European ladies who requested to have a picture with her.

This time, despite the usual crowd, her tik-tik-chai-ness (small size) managed to captured and charmed the attention of an old Indian man who was there with his family and he too asked to take a photo with her.

On that day, there was an old Chinese artist who was also there, drawing an excellent picture of the Merlion using only a black pen.

Fortunately it was a cloudy day so we let the kids indulge in the sight of the Merlion while we people-watch the other visitors.

As for the lightning struck which split geomancy and feng shui experts who either read it as an omen to even worse recessions and those who interpreted it as the end of bad times, I personally go with the positive.

That the Merlion, being the ultimate symbol of Singapore, had absorbed the bad energy and that Singapore is now on its way to economic recovery.

Superstitions aside, this had been another memorable visit for the kids.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Although Bandar Seri Begawan is only an hour drive away from home, we decided to spend a night at the Rizqun Hotel last weekend.

My brother was in town for an exhibition and we thought it was an excellent reason to have a short holiday and as I quote Eu, “Stay in a HOTEL!”.

Rizqun Hotel is relatively new in the country and the best part about this place is that it adjoins a shopping mall unimaginatively called “The Mall”. So when the kids were napping, I left them with their father and went downstairs to shop.

The going rate for this 5 stars hotel starts from B$3++ but at that time, there was a local rate of only $168 nett inclusive of breakfast for two.

We were very pleased with the room as not only was it spacious, we got two queen-sized beds for a twin room and you can just imagine the bed spring being tested occasionally by two bouncing-loving kids.

In fact, not only can Qi vouched for the bed’s bounciness, she can confirmed that the carpeted floor was hard enough for her to cut her lips when she fell.

The bath tub was popular with the kids and during our two days stay, they managed to enjoy the tub twice.

Once was straight after a much anticipated trip to the swimming pool - which according to my husband lasted less than 5 mins as Qi refused to leave my husband’s arm and Eu refused to even put her feet inside the water - until the next day.

Speaking of the pool, although there is a grown-up pool and kids’ pool, there were very limited towels - and I don’t think this is something a hotel that claims to be 5 stars should suffer.

I also thought they should install a small playground for kids like the one at Berjaya Times Square as when we woke early in the morning and were itching to leave the air-conditioned room, there was nowhere to go for fresh air.

The breakfast spread was fine with plenty of Asian and Continental choices - no salmon sashimi though.

There is a DVD player (which I wish I’d known so I could bring the kids DVDs as the only channel for them was Disney Channel).

I asked for a 3 pm check-out and I was likely to get it with one staff when another staff interrupted and insisted that they could only give up to 1 pm. He later grudgingly gave in to my insistence that I get at least until 2pm. So if you were to ask for a late check-out, look for the front office staff who looks friendly and you’ll get 2pm check out with no problem.

Anyway, we checked out by 1 pm anyway as it was time for lunch and where else did we head to but Escapade Restaurant which is a few blocks away - to indulge my brother in some Japanese food.

All in all, our stay here was pleasant and I hope there will be other excuses for us to come back - such as another exhibition that is happening early next year!

Popularity: 15% [?]

When a family member told me that he’ll be staying at the Naumi Hotel during his business trip to Singapore, you can just imagine me turning green with envy.

It is not one of the more popular hotel in Singapore and apparently some taxi drivers don’t even know where this hotel is located.

And I only knew about it because I read (and dream) hotels and Naumi is one of the latest boutique hotel in town.

But since the cheapest room is already S$350++, it is not a place I could see myself ever staying at. Because even if my husband would like to indulge me, I think I’d rather go for the St. Regis - another new boutique hotel of a much dreamier standard for a cool S$7++…

The building that housed Naumi Hotel used to be another popular business hotel in the past called the Metropole and as a taxi driver informed my relative, it went from a S$60 per night to a S$400 per night.

Of course, that price comes with extra bits of things.

A kitchenette complete with microwave, toaster and hot plate and full set of cultery (for the Deluxe Room).

An interesting range of toiletries from premium Australian brand called Aesop with intriguing bottles such as “Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser” and ” Rind Aromatique Body Balm” and “Revitalizing Hair Sealing Conditioner” and etc.

An iPod dock by the very comfortable bedside which having no iPod nor ever used one, my relative was quite unimpressed with.

The fridge is big (double the height of the usual hotel fridges) and stocked with at least 14 cans of drinks (juices, water and 2 cans of beers) - all complimentary.

Coffee lovers will definitely love this hotel for it’s Nespresso machine to brew espresso in your own room. Unfortunately, my relative is a non-coffee drinker so the novelty of this machine is lost on him too.

I know kids will love the free plate of chestnuts biscuits and sweet corn - a treat I’ve never seen at any other hotels.

He did not manage to check out the rooftop infinity pool or the gym and thinks that the breakfast will not suit the typical Asian - as there no “no fried mee” and “no salmon sashimi”.

But if you really can’t live without “fried kuey tiaw”, the shoplots outside the hotel is full of coffee shops and the food court besides Allson Hotel is only about 300m away.

Location wise, it’s tucked along a small street flanked by the National Library and Raffles Hotel.

The shopping places of Bugis and Raffles City (and the MRT station) is less than 500m away.

In this picture, Naumi Hotel is the building in grey as seen from Shaw Tower.

It really did sound like a lovely hotel - if only it is a bit more reasonably priced…

**Read About My Other Hotel Stays :

• M For Marvellous (Singapore)
• Royal @ Queens (Singapore)
• Berjaya Times Square and the special 15th Floor (Kuala Lumpur)

Popularity: 15% [?]