DC Guy piece today was going to be a trashing of foreign journalists. Instead, upon thinking, DC Guy thought to ask a relevant question about hiring trends of expats across Asia.

Should foreign correspondents – and ex pats in general – speak the local language?

I’m asking because my original piece was going to be called, “Why Foreign Correspondents Suck and What they’re Not Telling You about Indonesia”.

In my wide-eyed thirties sometime last decade I rocked up to a cocktail-gathering of foreign correspondents in Indonesia, somewhere behind the Mandarin Hotel at the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout. I was all excited, imagining a smoky room full of spies and Year of Living Dangerously reporters. I mingled. I exchanged business cards. I chit-chatted about politics.

At first it seemed cool. One Bule reporter guy in his 60s ranted about Bangkok in the ’80s and how pathetic and lazy young journalists were. Cool. Another 40-something guy had just been laid off and was drinking away his severance package in bars in Asia. Cool. Some angry BBC chick was broadcasting her opinions (not so cool, but interesting). But then it struck me.

Most of them are tourists. Almost none of them spoke Indonesian.

“I’ve got a translator to do that”

said an Australian newspaperman.

“We’ve got fixers [slaves who set up appointments, get coffee, interns] for that”

said another Australian TV reporter. (A lot of Australians for some reason.) One English wire service reporter was even more blunt: they hire us [ex pats] for our skills – the locals do the language work. (In fairness, he was of Indian origin, not a bule.)

As the evening went on, I realized how little any of these supposed Guy Hamilton (Year of Living Dangerously) types actually cared about their stories. I paid attention and over the next few cocktail nights I realized that the Big Name correspondents rely on the Jakarta Post, Jakarta Globe and wire services to get their views. Maybe a few phone calls here and there to a diplomat, but in general they know much less than you, if you live in Indonesia, or me.

Let’s get this straight. They can’t understand the TV. They can’t understand the radio. They can’t read local blogs, websites, or newspapers. All they have is the English language sources. Granted, there’s a lot in English. Some email listserve called ‘Joyo’ apparently collates all the English language reporting and sends it out. One drunk American freelancer told me all he reads is Joyo and that’s enough.

Would you trust a White House reporter who didn’t speak English?

And why should I listen to a tourist? Why should the rest of the world? I don’t think they should. I think the foreign correspondents are generally a week or two behind the local press. I think they miss most of the most important stories. And I think the snootiness and arrogance hides an uncomfortable truth: they don’t know what they’re talking about.

That’s why the Aussie press writes about cheap drug dealers like Schapelle Corby getting busted. It’s why the Western wires were obsessed with Bird Flu whilst ignoring current epidemics such as Malaria or Dengue Fever. (Who cares, they’re just local brown people?) It’s why they sucked up to Indonesia’s lame duck President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when everyone in Jakarta knew he was an armchair general. It’s also why they’re obsessed with terrorism when traffic jams and bad hospitals are more of a threat to most of the population.

The fixers’ version was even more telling. Some of them were kinda hot and came to the cocktail nights. They didn’t have much respect at all for their bosses. Sure, they kissed their asses, as we all do. But when it came down to it, it turns out the fixers do the work. They read the local newspapers, watch TV, make the phone calls, set up the appointments. And then bossman or woman walks off with all the credit. Why not just give the job to the local?

In fact companies across Asia are waking up to it. In an NYT piece For Westerners in Asia, the Job Market Grows Tougher, the writer talks about a tightening job market for ex pats; strangely, employers in Hong Kong wanted people who could speak Chinese.

I want more than anything to get back out there – preferably Jakarta so I can get up to my old tricks. But I know I’ve gotta pick up my game. I can’t just turn up like I did a decade ago, hang out a shingle and say

“unemployed white guy – hire me”

DC Guy’s message: the Western media is failing you. Ignore them. Read the Jakarta Post, the Jakarta Globe, get an RSS feed to blogs you’re interested in.

The current 21st series of American travel game show “The Amazing Race” made a return visit to Indonesia for Episodes 2 & 3, this time visiting East Java – perhaps as previously suggested here.

An arek Suroboyo (local resident) discusses certain “only in Indonesia” activities that contestants had to perform:

Episode 2

Episode 2 Preview

BULL RACING IN BANGKALAN, MADURA ISLAND
Bull racing is Madura’s most famous sport and its biggest cultural export, despite no betting/gambling (which is forbidden for Muslims). However, the show passed over some less pleasant facts about bull racing, like how this year’s bull races have been cancelled due to prevalent animal cruelty. In order to “motivate” the bulls, riders and handlers allegedly give the bulls a chili suppository or put hot balm in the bulls’ eyes – that would really make them “see red”! – then hit them with a spiked whip during the race.

ODONG-ODONG IN TAMAN EKSPRESI, SURABAYA
Odong-odong (customised pedicabs with toys to ride) is a common feature of Surabaya, both in public parks like Taman Ekspresi and “roving” around neighbourhoods. A 10-15 minute ride for a young child plus balloon crown and animal costs Rp2000 ($0.20). They usually also come with a cassette of children’s music at ear-burning volume; curiously, this was absent.

PITSTOP: PASAR PABEAN, SURABAYA
The greeter is wearing traditional Madurese costume, just like local politician Zahrus Faisal.

Episode 3

ANTIKA JAYA PADANG RESTAURANT, SURABAYA
Contestants had to balance 20 plates of food and carry them to the required table. Yes, local waiters/waitresses have to do it regularly too. However, personal experience is these days it is only done in larger restaurants for groups. For everybody else, guests just say what they want and will receive one plate with their order.

RIDING BECAK, BANGIL
The becak (pedicab) is a common choice of inexpensive transport for short trips, even in cities like Surabaya where there are many taxis, but not the capital Jakarta, where becak are banned. The general practice is to say the destination and negotiate a fare before hopping in.

EGG HEAD, BANGIL
Having eggs fried with a burning coconut husk on your head is a lesser-known traditional Javanese cooking method; perhaps it is rare because willing participants are hard to find… Surprisingly, no one had a problem eating the newly cooked egg drowned in chili sauce afterwards (like many would).

If you would like to visit some of these places, here are some maps:

Wings Air is the partner airline of Indonesia’s most popular airline, Lion Air. It specialises in flights to smaller airports, e.g. Labuan Bajo, Nias, Malang, Sumba and Sumbawa, Maluku and West Papua. These airports have shorter runways, so it uses smaller aircraft:

Wings Air ATR72-500, with 68 seats

Why Propellor Planes?
Sometimes, clients are concerned about flying a plane with propellors, not jet engines. They consider it to be “old” technology, or perhaps they have never flown on a similar aircraft in their home country.

However, propellor planes (a.k.a. turboprops) are still used frequently throughout the world for shorter routes and remote locations/smaller airstrips. ATR is part-owned by EADS, the parent company of Airbus. ATR aircraft are IATA-certified and permitted to fly in EU airspace.

After an initial purchase of 30 ATR72-500 aircraft in 2009, last year Wings Air agreed to buy 30 more. At the signing ceremony in Jakarta, the purchase was witnessed by then French Finance Minister (now IMF Director) Christine Lagarde. This suggests both Wings Air and the French government are confident in the safety and reliability of the aircraft.

Other more well-known airlines that operate ATR72 aircraft include:

Smaller aircraft also have certain strategic advantages over larger aircraft. Many Indonesian airports in smaller cities have runways that are too short for larger aircraft. Building larger airports or extending runways is often not possible due to problems with land acquisition and obtaining adequate financing. This situation is unlikely to change soon.

Garuda Bombadier CRJ1000 NextGen, with 102 seats

Even Garuda Indonesia is starting to use smaller aircraft for smaller airports and shorter routes. The first of 18 Bombadier CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft recently arrived in Makassar.

Personal Experience
Of course, it is one thing to say, but another thing to do.

So, yours truly tried flying with Wings Air earlier this month (on a work trip, not a freebie).

Wings Air was recently found to have the second-best rate of on-time performance: 83.8%. Perhaps Wings Air has a slightly unfair advantage in this area. It commenced boarding at the usual time: 30 minutes before departure. However, the Wings Air plane has only 68 seats, or about half those in e.g. a Boeing 737. All passengers had boarded (even the slow ones) 15 minutes before departure, and the flight left 10 minutes early. On the return journey, the flight still departed on time even though boarding started late. The smaller plane had another fringe benefit: no queue when checking-in. As seasoned Indonesian travellers can attest, this doesn’t happen often.

One different feature was having to board at the rear of the plane. The only doors at the front are the emergency exits and the cargo/baggage door. Talking about baggage, the baggage allowance is a loosely-enforced 15kg for checked baggage, 7kg for hand luggage.

In-flight comfort was better than on Lion Air planes. Legroom was adequate; every seat had an in-flight magazine and the usual items, including invocation card. The flight was quiet and smooth, apart from the occasional wobble during take-off and descent (same as for larger aircraft). Like Lion Air, there is no in-flight food or drink for free or for sale, but flights are short enough that this is not a problem. There were two air hostesses; apart from the safety demonstration, ascent and descent, they were invisible. Curiously, there were no announcements to the passengers from the pilots, so everyone was blissfully unaware about our cruising altitude, the weather at our destination, etc.

To summarise, this passenger had a positive experience flying Wings Air and would happily do so again.

Would you like to fly Wings Air? Please make an enquiry here.

In an ‘AAMI’ car insurance series of ads on Australian television the main character Rhonda saves so much money using AAMI insurance that she is able to afford holidays in the tropical island paradise of Bali, and meet the colourful locals.

In the first of the three videos Rhonda is serviced by a foot masseuse on Kuta beach or thereabouts, who in real life is shockingly not a foot masseuse on Kuta beach, but rumour has it an employee at the Indonesian consulate in the city of Melbourne.

“Rhonda is mine”

In the second video we and Rhonda meet the strappingly handsome example of Balinese manhood Ketut, played by Kadek Marhardika, another happy denizen of the very good and charming in its way city of Melbourne.

“You look so hot today Rhonda. Like a sunrise.”

Finally, Rhonda returns home, with longing memories of Ketut:

“Kiss me Ketut”

The very popular as these things go ad series has generated a 110k Likes Facebook page entitled

The sexual tension between Katut and Rhonda

a thriving t-shirt industry in Bali, a “Rhonda and Ketut: The Musical” parody, and some agonising over the “subtext” of the videos, and issues of the “sexuality and representations of Asian men”.

Questions raised include

• Do the ads promote (female) Asian sex tourism?
• Do the ads suggest only frumpy western women find Asian men attractive?
• Are the ads forms of neo-colonialist oppression of Indonesians?
• Are the massage lady and Ketut necessarily portrayed as subservient?
• And is it all related to the recent research findings suggesting Indonesian men are the most well endowed in all of Asia?

You will

• meet and stay with local people
• experience the unique Batak Toba culture
• spot orangutans in the Gayo Highlands
• see the world’s largest volcanic lake, Toba
• encounter endangered wildlife in Gunung Leuser NP
• hear first-hand accounts of the 2004 tsunami
• go snorkelling on unspoilt Pulau Weh island
• and much more

Fast Facts

Tour: Sumatran Highlights
Operator: Intrepid Travel

Length: 15 days
Group Size: 1-12 people
Cost: $1700+, €1000+, £1000+

Provinces: North Sumatra, Aceh
Cities: Medan, Banda Aceh
Major Sights: Lake Toba, Gunung Leuser National Park, Sipisopiso waterfall, Mt. Sibayak, Gayo Highlands, Pulau Weh

Accommodation: 9 nights hotel, 3 nights guesthouse, 1 night homestay, 1 night camping
Transport: Plane, bus, ferry, minivan
Meals: 9 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners

Book this tour at Intrepid Travel

Itinerary

Day 1: Medan. Start off your tour in the North Sumatran capital of Medan; if you’ve arrived early see some sights like Maimoon Palace or the Grand Mosque.

Days 2-3: Lake Toba. Off to world renowned volcanic Lake Toba. Your tour of the Lake Toba area will give you an insight into the distinctive culture of the Batak Toba people.

Days 4-5: Berastagi. See Sipiso-piso Waterfall and Simalungun Palace before resting at a Dokan village homestay. Then go hiking up to the top of Sibayak Volcano to experience the amazing summit views. Nearby hot springs will afford some relaxation at the end of the day.

Days 6-7: Ketambe. Learn about the many endangered species that call Gunung Leuser National Park home, including tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses. Take a guided walk in search of orangutans, and camp by the river.

Days 8-9: Gayo Highlands. Take in the majestic Gayo Highlands, with undulating hills covered with coffee plantations. Next day visit the enigmatic Loyang Koro Cave.

Days 10-11: Banda Aceh. Visit the Tsunami Musuem and learn of the experiences of local people during the 2004 tsunami catastrophe. Take a tour with Network for Tsunami Aceh to understand more of the calamity.

Days 12-13: Pulau Weh. Visit the tropical island playground of Pulau Weh, and go snorkelling in pristine waters.

Days 14-15: Medan. Use your initiative to explore the city of Medan, perhaps taking in the Tjong A Fie Mansion, the colonial district, or Graha Bunda Maria.

Book this tour at Intrepid Travel

Read some interesting comments on this tour and Sumatran travel in general: Sumatra For The Intrepid.

Need to book a hotel or arrange a domestic flight in Indonesia? Browse through listings of Medan hotels and arrange domestic flights.

Highlights of the tour:

• explore the cultural heart of Bali in Ubud
• visit tiny villages and learn age old craft-making
• walk up volcanic slopes for sweeping views of valleys
• cycle past majestic temples and verdantly green rice terraces
• go snorkelling/diving in a coastal national park
• meet the dolphins off Lovina beach
• dine on sumptuous Balinese cuisine
• get up close to Bali’s iconic Ulun Danu Bratan temple
• and more

Fast Facts

Tour: Beautiful Bali
Operator: Intrepid Travel

Length: 9 days
Group Size: 1-12 people
Cost: $1000+, €600+, £600+

Provinces: Bali
Towns: Ubud, Sidemen, Lovina, Seririt, Bedugul
Major Sights: Ubud markets/shops/temples, Mt Batur, West Bali NP, Seririt Market, Banjar Hot Springs, Pura Ulun Danu Bratan

Accommodation: 7 nights hotel, 1 night guesthouse
Transport: Mini-bus
Meals: 8 breakfasts, 1 lunch

Book this tour at Intrepid Travel

Itinerary

Days 1-2: Ubud. Take in Bali’s cultural capital with trips to a night market and an evening performance. Visit the monkey forest, go rafting, or just browse around the many art shops.

Day 3: Ubud & Sidemen. Go bicyling into the surrounds of Ubud through rice fields and by Hindu temples. Later head to the hilly village of Sidemen to meet some locals.

Day 4: Mt Batur. Learn the art of golden thread ‘songket’ weaving. Later head into the mountains for some awe-inspiring views.

Days 5-6: Mt Batur & Lovina. An early morning start with a trek up Mt Batur to watch the sun come up. Afterwards head towards Lovina on the north coast for some snorkelling or diving. In Lovina take a boat tour to see dolphins while exploring this charming fishing village.

Day 7: Bedugul. Leaving Lovina head to Seririt Market and Banjar hot springs. Further inland come to the mountain-top village of Bedugul.

Day 8: Bedugul & Ubud. Visit the Pura Ulun Danu Bratan temple in the middle of a lake. Back in Ubud do some further shopping and end your tour with a Balinese banquet.

Book this tour at Intrepid Travel

Need to book a hotel in Ubud? See ratings of Ubud hotels.

Journalist and expert in Indonesian affairs (including romantic ones) Duncan Graham recently joined a small but enthusiastic audience for a speech by Indonesia’s Ambassador to New Zealand at the Havelock North Social Club in Napier.

The ambassador, Antonius Agus Sriyono (right), opened with a presentation about recent developments in his home country.

Then the floor was open for questions. Surprisingly, the first wasn’t about the subjects that many often associate with Indonesia – e.g. religious intolerance, terrorism or natural disasters – but another topic:

Why is it so difficult to book internal flights in Indonesia using the Internet, asks a man keen to plan his own tour.

The ambassador replied:

Indonesians use travel agents and don’t trust Internet payments, while Kiwis are DIY (do it yourself) people.

The author commented it was:

A neat illustration of cultural differences.

Source

While it is true that online shopping and payment is less common in the land of Komodos than the land of Kiwis, there are other contributing factors. Some are discussed here; others include:

– Almost all Indonesian airlines websites accept payment from Indonesian credit cards only, NOT foreign credit cards
The only major exception is AirAsia. However, its website is hosted in its parent company’s home country: Malaysia.

– Only 7% of Indonesians use any form of online banking or payment. Source
For example, the website of Indonesian budget airline Citilink accepts ATM payment, but recently dropped klikBCA, the website of Indonesia’s largest private bank.

The Kiwi (right) is a small bird found only in New Zealand that cannot fly. By contrast, Kiwis – an affectionate term for the people of New Zealand – can now fly in Indonesia. They can book flights via the online booking service Mau Ke Mana and pay with their Kiwi credit card via Paypal in New Zealand Dollars.

Indeed, in per capita sales – i.e. sales divided by number of residents – New Zealand is Mau Ke Mana’s third largest market, only trailing Indonesia’s nearest neighbours: Australia and Singapore.

Kiwis considering a trip around Indonesia can read the feedback of their fellow citizens here. Kiwi travel agents use Mau Ke Mana too; read a comment here.

As well as several national airlines, Indonesia also has a number of smaller, regional airlines. They include:

Eastern Indonesia (Maluku, West Papua) e.g. Sorong	Nusa Tenggara (a.k.a. Lesser Sunda Islands) e.g. Labuan Bajo	Various e.g. North Sumatra, West/Central Java

These airlines have some shortcomings compared to their larger peers:

– Despite having e-tickets, they still do not offer online booking.

– They often only accept bookings up to 30 days (i.e. less than a month) in advance.

– Because the airport runways they use are shorter, the planes are smaller. As a consequence, the baggage allowances are often smaller (10kg or 15kg) too – this is understandable. However, it does not explain why regional airlines often do not say the baggage allowance on each flight.

But now one airline has improved in these areas, and is raising the bar for Indonesian regional airlines:

serving Kalimantan
(the Indonesian half of Borneo)
e.g. Pangkalan Bun

Kal-Star clearly states in the booking conditions that the baggage allowance on its Boeing 737-500 jets (top picture, above) is 20kg, and 10kg for its ATR42-300 turboprops (bottom picture). Tickets can be booked up to 90 days in advance, on its website.

However, foreign visitors to Indonesia wanting to book Kal-Star flight tickets will still have a problem: same like its larger competitors, the Kal-Star website does not accept foreign credit cards.

Fortunately, Mau Ke Mana can assist people in this situation.

If you are interested in flying Kal-Star, please fill in an enquiry form here.

In a long overdue but still unexpected move, railway operator Kereta Api Indonesia has introduced online booking and e-ticketing on its website.

This is another sign of KAI management’s greater focus in recent times on customer service, comfort and convenience. As well as increasing the maximum advance booking period from 40 days to 90 earlier this year, KAI has stopped selling standing room tickets and banned smoking on all trains and station platforms.

As recently as a few years ago, customers could only buy tickets a maximum of 7 days in advance, and only from the station where the train departed from. Customers had to fill in a form to buy tickets, payment was cash-only, tickets were paper tickets, and this inefficient system resulted in long queues. Now, passengers can book tickets for any train on the website, pay by ATM/credit card and receive the tickets by email as a pdf/Acrobat Reader file.

However, foreign visitors to Indonesia wanting to book train tickets will still have a problem: the KAI website does not accept foreign credit cards.

Fortunately, Mau Ke Mana can assist people in this situation.

If you are interested in booking a train ticket, please fill in an enquiry form here.

Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport, a.k.a. Soetta, has many evening international arrivals and early morning domestic departures. For example:

	TK67	Istanbul	18:20	|		Y6-851	Ambon	01:05
	QR670	Doha	22:05	|		RI92	Medan	04:30
	EK358	Dubai	22:30	|		JT34	Denpasar	04:30
	CX797	Hong Kong	22:50	|		JT776	Manado	05:00
	PR535	Manila	23:55	|		XN800	Sorong	05:00

Some visitors are therefore choosing to spend the night at Jakarta Airport.

This is not just to save money; with jet-lag and the time difference, tourists may not feel tired yet, especially if they slept on their flight.

Here are some choices for how to spend the night at Jakarta Airport.

Rest | Eat | Other Ideas

Rest

Even with jet-lag, some people find it easy to sleep any time, anywhere.

The authoritative guide on the subject, the website Sleeping in Airports, gives a positive review of Jakarta Airport. Having said that, Jakarta Airport is 1 of 12 nominees for Sleeping in Airports’ 2012 Award for the Worst Airport (i.e. most uncomfortable airport for sleeping) in Asia.

If you want to lie down, here are some suggestions:

• – Do it inside the secure area (i.e. after the security check), which is passengers and staff only. It is safer than the open/public-access areas.
• – Have your valuables in a place that cannot be accessed or at least not easily.
• – The inter-terminal bus may not operate very often overnight. Get to the right terminal first before relaxing. You can see which flights depart from which terminal here.
• – Take the eyemask and/or earplugs from your international flight with you; failing that, have your sunglasses ready.
• – Reconfirm your flight’s departure time first; there may have been a last-minute schedule change.
• – Set an alarm on your watch or phone, so you don’t miss your flight. Don’t forget to set the local time first.

Alternately, Plan B is to book a room at a nearby hotel. Many of them include free airport transfers upon request.

Eat

If you have a severe case of the munchies or your domestic flight does not include food, the following restaurants are available:

As well as the usual assortment of burgers and fries, the Indonesian version of the Golden Arches also has fried chicken, rice and ice tea… but curiously no thick shakes. Open 24 hours in Terminal 2. Local rival A&W is also available during daylight hours in Terminal 1.

Japanese fast food chain mixes it up with a wide range of package meals for only a few dollars; it is the cheapest place to get a healthy cooked meal. We recommend the Beef Yakiniku, but it is also good for green tea and fruit juice. Open in Terminal 2.

Good not only for donuts and drinks, DD also does salad rolls called “Boston Sandwich”. Branches are in Terminals 1 and 2 but are not open overnight, so best suited for breakfast.

Please note: Indonesian domestic flights do not have restrictions on liquids, so you can bring a drink with you. While AirAsia forbids its passengers bringing their own food/drinks on board (so they have to buy items from the AirAsia menu), personal experience is they do not enforce it.

Other Ideas

– Buy a local SIM card (“perdana”) for your phone
This avoids potentially expensive roaming charges. Indonesian SIM cards require the user to register before using it, (in theory) to prevent the phone being used for crime; the shop assistant will help you with this, if you ask them nicely or give them a tip. The most popular pre-paid SIM card is Simpati.

– Visit the viewing/observation deck
Ironically, it is one of the few places where you definitely will not be stared at by others. Perfect if you want a bit of quiet/reflection time. The stairs to the deck are to the left of the entrance of Terminal 1A.

– Get some local currency
Some more remote destinations rarely accept credit cards and have few ATMs. As foreign banks charge per transaction, it is usually recommended to take the maximum amount: Rp1 250 000 ($US135) for ATMs that dispense Rp50 000 notes; Rp2 500 000 ($US270) for ATMs that dispense Rp100 000 notes. While ATMs can be found throughout the airport, the greatest concentration can be found in the Departures area (upstairs) in Terminal 2. Don’t forget to set aside some money for airport tax later.

– Use the toilet facilities
Jakarta Airport was recently judged to have the second best airport toilets in the country. So, chances are they are nicer in Jakarta than at your destination. No showers, though.

– Get a free “tour” of the airport on the yellow inter-terminal bus
If you have little else to do, this passes the time in relative comfort.

Have you stayed overnight at Jakarta Airport? What did you do to pass the time? What activities would you recommend to others?