The Risky Journal

App-based motorcycle taxi, known as ojek, in Jakarta is the capital’s newest sensation. When you hit the road, you will find it extremely easy to see motorists donning green helmet which displays Gojek or Grabbike logo on it. They boast that they have thousands of drivers in the capital. Gojek and Grabbike are two smartphone applications that enable users to order ojek with a rational price. They break away from the conventional ojek which usually charge irrational fare. They calculate fare based on distance through google map. For instance, I once tried to take an ojek from my office building to a train station which is only 5 km away. If I took a taxi, it would cost me around Rp 40 thousand. However, it was a Friday evening, meaning that only miracle could help me get a taxi in Sudirman area, the main business district in the capital. After waiting for an empty cab for more than an hour, I gave up. The notorious 'Macet' in Sudirman Area during peak hours credit:...

In one week, Muslims all around the world will welcome the holy month of Ramadan. In this month of devotion, evaluation and reflection, Muslims are all expected to increase their prayers so that after the month ends, they will become better persons. The Holy Quran has taught Muslims that during the Holy Month, they should have more worshipping activities. Muslims are essentially taught to be closer to the Creator. However, my two year stay in Jakarta has taught me a different face of Ramadan The capital city has taught me that Ramadan is the month of discounts and sales. Starting next week, malls around the city will probably start offering discounts that are so hard for us to ignore. Thus, during Ramadan, instead of swarming mosques, people will swarm malls. Sales and discounts have clouded our memories of a promise that God once made. We suddenly forgot He once said that our one good deed would be counted as ten good deeds during Ramadan. We suddenly forgot th...

Known as the city of malls, probably only few people know that Jakarta actually also houses dozens of museums. A wikipedia post lists more than 30 museums in the city! So, if you have been bored to visit shopping centers, you probably want to visit those museums. I have made a vow that I will visit museums more often this year. So far I have visited five museums. Why visiting museums? it's cheap and you can learn lots of things. For starter, last Sunday, I visited the National Museum located in Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No. 18. The museum, which is also known as Museum Gajah (thanks to an elephant statue in front of its building), is located just across the Monas shelter of Transjakarta bus.

Yesterday was probably the most amazing and precious Saturday during my almost-two year stay in Jakarta. Instead of obeying to Jakartans' weekend ritual (read: visiting shopping centers. FYI, there are more than 70 shopping centers in Jakarta), I chose to visit the National Monument , widely known as Monas, located in the heart of the capital city. It is just 20 - 30 minutes by riding my motorcycle from my boarding house. I went there after a friend of mine told me that there would be several festivals being held at Monas.  Well, for your information, I rarely went to Monas. First, I usually avoid open space area during the day. The heat in Jakarta is unbearable. Second, it is rainy season. Lately, there has been no day without rain here in Jakarta. But, it turned out that my trip to Monas was quite wonderful.  Below are some pictures of my visit to the monument. Pictures tell a thousand words right?  Entering Monas . . .  Shady and breezy: The...

infojkt.com Tak terasa, hampir satu tahun saya mengendarai motor di Jakarta. Pada awalnya, saya bersikukuh tidak mau mengendarai motor di kota ini. Bagaimana tidak? Pada beberapa bulan pertama di kota ini, saya menyaksikan bahwa pengendara motor di kota ini gila. Rambu-rambu dan peraturan lalu lintas yang ada seakan tidak bisa mengatur mereka. Namun pada akhirnya saya menyerah karena saya ternyata membutuhkan sebuah sepeda motor. Pekerjaan saya yang lama menuntut mobilitas yang tinggi dan saya tidak bisa bergantung pada transportasi umum yang ada. Bus Transjakarta yang telah mengantar saya selama 6 bulan pertama di Jakarta semakin tidak bisa diandalakan. Waktu tunggu yang lama, penumpang yang melebihi batas dan jumlah armada, yang menurut hemat saya, masih terbatas membuat saya menyerah untuk bergantung pada Transjakarta. Mulai di pertengahan tahun lalu, saya menjadi seorang pengendara motor. Naik motor di Jakarta itu membuat stress. Begitulah kesan pertama saya ketika pe...

THOUGHTS?  This photo was taken next to the National Police headquarter on Jl. Trunojoyo in South Jakarta, in March. There is a sign stating that pedestrian is barred to either cross the street, or walk through that way. But, it left my mind in puzzles.  As long as I remembered, I saw no sidewalks along the street. Nor I saw zebra cross or elevated bridge to cross the highway. So, where are pedestrians supposed to walk? How can I as a pedestrian cross the street?  I have no answers either.

This post's title may sound weird. Who wants to hold picnic amongst tombstones? Well, I will ... if it is hold in Museum Taman Prasasti. Located at the heart of Jakarta, Museum Taman Prasasti offers its visitors with unique experience. Visitors will not be seeing diorama or charts of Indonesian history. Instead, visitors are presented with tombstones! Entrance of the Museum Taman Prasasti This 1.3 acre museum was actually a cemetery for noble Dutchmen when Dutch occupied Indonesia. After Indonesia's independence, the Jakarta administration turned it into a museum in 1977. Since then, it has become one of rare green areas in the city.  Don't worry if you will wake the death. All deceased bodies were procured by their families during the museum's construction. Some were also relocated to other cemeteries.  It is very easy to get to the Museum Taman Prasasti, by either using Transjakarta buses or public minivans.  If you decide to go with the former, ch...

Dozens of kindergarten students, accompanied by their parents, lined up in front of a wooden building at Jl. H. Kamang No. 38, Pondok Labu, South Jakarta, on a cloudy Friday morning. Then, the students entered the building, orderly following their teacher’s instructions.   “Mommy, that kite is so weird. I have never seen one like that. Can it even fly?” four-year-old Ali asked his mother, Erlina, 37. Ali was surprised at the Pegasus-shaped kite installed on the ceiling of the Indonesian Kite Museum. Other students were also mesmerized by the various forms of kites displayed there.  Established in 2003 by beautician turned kite-preservation activist Endang W. Puspoyo, the museum houses dozens of kites. “I established the museum solely because I love kites. It is heartbreaking to see how rarely kites are flown in big cities like Jakarta,” she said at the museum, which is also her home.  About 20 years ago, Endang decided to gradually opt out of her former profession...

Below is the article prepared by twelve cub reporters 2012 in the Jakarta Post, including me :) Enjoy our work! Chinese Paint Jakarta Red Photo by JP/Yuliasri Perdani A worker makes lotus-shaped origami at Boen Tek Bio Temple, Tangerang.  The Chinese New Year is here and Jakartans of all ethnic backgrounds, not just Chinese, celebrate the event openly, in marked contrast to when the holiday was largely a closed-door private affair 15 years ago. This and the articles on page 22 look at what has changed, based on reports prepared by Amahl S. Azwar, Anggi M. Lubis, Corry Elyda, Dhenok Pratiwi, Fikri Z. Muhammadi, Hans Nicholas Jong, Muhammad Rizqi A., Nadya Natahadibrata, Pras Gustanto, Satria Sambijantoro, Tassia Sipahutar and Yuliasri Perdani. Members of the Tan family lined up on Chinese New Year’s Day (Imlek) before their patriarch, 93-year-old Tan Kho Tjiang. First, they wrapped their hands before their noses and said “Gong Xi Fa Cai” (Congratulations and Prosperi...