PA'S MALACCA (MELAKA) TRAVEL GUIDE

The long running slogan “Malaysia truly Asia” has successfully wooed tourists to the beaches and shopping malls of modern Malaysia which seems well on its way to becoming the developed country envisaged by Prime Minister Mohammed Mathir when he came to power in the early 1980s. As a resident in Indonesia; I am often impressed by the cleanliness, discipline and general honesty that tourists in Malaysia experience; by comparison. Indonesians blame the Dutch; making absurd comparisons with the British colonial experience; but It’s time they blamed themselves if their country squares up poorly to their more affluent neighbours. Brochures are fond of saying that if you want to learn about Malaysia’s future have a look at Kuala Lumpur but if you want to see its past then visit Malacca, once the largest emporium in the orient, “truly Asia” with a lot Portuguese, Dutch and British influences thrown in as well.

Two hours from Kuala Lumpur and around four hours by bus from Singapore’s Lavender Street bus terminal, or an even quicker and easier drive by car from both; Malacca is well worth a visit.

The main sights center around the old Dutch building, the Stadthuys, which was once the official residence of Dutch governors. Built in 1650 and preserved in its original structure and form, it houses the historical, ethnographic & literature museums, which have some interesting exhibits for enthusiasts of the history and relics of the Malay Archipelago. Opposite the Stadthuys, is the 1753 Dutch built Christ church and nearby, you can climb up to the ruins of St Paul’s church which was originally built by the Portuguese in the 16th century.

A view of Malacca Town Square from Christ Church



Bukit St Paul and the ruins of St Paul's Church



Old tombstones stand around the interior of St Paul's Church



Malacca's Maritime Museum





Malacca’s Chinatown is the city’s main attraction, and the old Heeren Street (now Jl. Tun Tan Cheng Lock after the leader of the Malaysian Chinese association) was once home to the Dutch elite and then rich Chinese traders. It is still known as “millionaires’ row” today and the street is lined with some fine old Peranakan (straits Chinese) homes and shop houses. The excellent Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum is located in in a traditional Peranakan townhouse and offers a fascinating look at the life and culture of the prosperous Malaccan Chinese in the neighborhood’s heyday.

Cheng Hoon Teng temple in Chinatown



Forget Malacca’s few five star resort hotels and head for Jl Tun Tan Cheng Lock, where old peranakan homes and former warehouses have been converted into comfortable hotels and guest houses. The hotel Puri is and excellent and delightful choice, standard rooms start at RM110++ including a buffet breakfast for two (western toast and eggs or Malaysian Nasi lemak and teh tarik). The hotel’s courtyard is a great hang out place with equally good food served. The hotel’s interior is also home to nesting swallows; the nests will presumably end up in the much sought after Chinese soup. The Baba House is another popular choice for accommodation.

Swallows nesting at the Hotel Puri



Malacca is also a good place to eat, most of the guidebooks recommend Medan Portugis, the home of Malacca’s Portuguese descendants, and in particular the mediocre Restoran de Lisbon, however getting back into the city is a hassle since it’s a long walk to the main road and then a long wait for a taxi to take you 3 km back in to the city. Capitol Satay on Lorong Bukit China is one of Malacca’s most popular eateries; it can be hard to get in, especially on weekend evenings when families are queuing out on the street for a table. Harper’s on Lorong Hang Jebat is Located in an old Chinatown warehouse, you can enjoy your dinner overlooking the Malacca River, watching fishing boats going back and forth at all hours of the day and night. The chicken curry and cheesecake are particularly good at Harper’s and the historic feel and style of the place, combined with the friendly staff is more than enough to make you want to stay for a while after your dinner and enjoy a few cold tigers.

In the evening, Malacca’s sound and light show attempts to bring to life the city’s ruins with a rather tacky narration, but it’s a good introduction to the history and sights of the city on your first night of arrival.

Besides history, Malacca is also famous for shopping. The night market on Jonker walk (Jalan Hang Jebat) is packed at the weekend selling jewelry in particular, but also pretty much everything else and the influx of visitors from KL and Singapore, especially at weekends, probably makes it Malacca’s number one tourist attraction. Jonker walk is also home to some of Malacca’s more interesting Chinese temples and a haven for traditional Malaysian hawker food such as cendol, rendeng nasi lemak, laksa, mee Penang etc.

With a few days to spare; and in easy reach of Singapore and KL; Malacca is an interesting place for history buffs, anthropologists and anybody.

SINGAPORE - MORE THAN A VISA RUN

For the long time Jakarta resident, neighbouring Singapore has been an often irritating necessity, a place that must be traveled to at least once a year, for visa runs, in between visa runs or to report to head office. For affluent Indonesians it has always been a place to go shopping and have expensive medical check ups. Hence the fact that Singaporean taxi drivers, perhaps not totally incorrectly, assume that all Indonesians are either fantastically rich, since they can afford the luxury medical treatment, hotels and shopping malls that most Singaporeans can’t, or desperately poor, considering the horrific stories of abuse that regularly befall the droves of hapless Indonesian village girls arriving via the port of Batam to become domestic slaves in the city. Once dubbed “Sin” apore by merchant seamen who would count down the days before they docked in the lion city and blow their wages on its array of vices, Singapore has been for years now, the ultra modern air conditioned metropolis of ruthlessly enforced cleanliness and boring shopping malls, run by a government that prides itself on its modernity and progressiveness and yet carries out brutal hangings with an unconditional lack of mercy for drug offences and an education system that has over time emphasized the importance of making computer chips over encouraging its citizens to think. In the past, political opponents to the ruling People’s action party (PAP) have been destroyed financially and politically in a manner that would make the world’s most hard line dictators and totalitarian regimes take their hats off to Lee Kwan Yew and his authoritarian, dynastical government and its successors for the way in which they have eradicated all political opposition and “subversive” elements of society. The perception among many visitors today, is that Singapore is a place to go in and out off as soon as possible, and stay on no longer than is necessary in order to obtain an Indonesian visa or to conclude a business trip. Since the 1960’s the Singaporean government has strived to build Asia’s busiest port city, and transform it from a place of fascinating history and a multitude of cultures into a Californian style city on the South East Asian equator. There have been some incredible achievements here; tropical diseases have been curtailed, crime is almost non existent and apparently, you can drink the water straight from the tap. All this has been good for business and the corporate traveler but makes a fairly boring and expensive experience for independent travelers and tourists. Recently, however, the government has become increasingly aware of this and they have been trying to re find and even rebuild the city that once was the ethnic and cultural melting pot of South East Asia in order to attract some tourist dollars and move away from its unappealing image as a city of draconian rules and regulations. Today, for the interested and interesting traveler there are many sights, buys and tastes in the city state to keep you occupied should you need or want to spend a couple of days and discover the city that is the legacy of Stamford Raffles, the visionary Englishman who chose this one time Malayan swamp to be a base for the mighty British East India shipping company back in the early 19th century.

Before the arrival of QB and Kinokunya books in Jakarta, shopping for books was, and still is, a good reason to head in to Singapore. Borders books at Wheelock Place off Orchard Road has the most complete stock of all the latest best sellers and buying books is still a far cheaper option than in the heavily import taxed Jakarta. Similarly the crowded Kinokunya books in Nge Ann City on Orchard Road has a larger and more comprehensive selection than its Jakarta branches. Perhaps Singapore’s most unique bookstore is Select books in the Tanglin Shopping Center on Tanglin Road, again off Orchard Road which specializes exclusively in Asian books and is an excellent place to browse and to locate titles on any topic relating to Asia and Asian studies. Check out www.selectbooks.com.sg for further information of what’s available. For second hand books, especially educational, a good selection of bargains can be found at the many book sellers in the Bras Basah Complex on Bras Basah Road. The only other reason for shopping in Singapore is for electronics and Funan – The IT mall on North Bridge Road is the pace to go. With the recent boom in new shopping malls and foreign franchises in Jakarta, today Singapore doesn’t quite have the status that it once had of being a shopping Mecca compared to its grubby neighbour.

A good place to start a visit to Singapore is at the Esplanade – theaters on the bay, locally known as “dat durian building” where you can get your snap shops of the harbor and skyline with the old Fullerton hotel and the merlion in the background. While you’re in the touristy mode, don’t bother having a Singapore sling in the Raffles hotel with the hordes of other porky, package tourists, the bar in the outside quad is far nicer and the small museum in the hotel is well worth a quick look for those with an interest in Singapore’s colonial past. For more colonial history, the Singapore Art museum is a fine old building, with some very impressive pieces on show. Fort Canning Hill, once the chosen home of Stafford Raffles and a former British defense post, is a pleasant and peaceful place for a stroll, and very popular with joggers, offering fine views of the city and an old 19th century graveyard for those loyal servants of the British empire who ended their days in this Far East outpost, some while still very young, in an era when thousands of dollars spent in the Gleneagles hospital for treatment was not available. Another interesting old hotel to enjoy a drink or an afternoon tea as an alternative to the clichéd Raffles is the Goodwood Park Hotel on Scotts Road which still manages to maintain a dusty, old colonial feel to it and hasn’t changed much since it was built. The architecturally impressive Fullerton hotel although beyond the budget of most expense account less travelers was once the old General post office and has one of the most popular bars in Singapore. Nearby, Lau Pa Sat at Raffles Quay was once old Victorian cast iron filigree built in the 1890’s and now houses a vast selection of hawker canteens that have been driven off the streets into the building by the government’s modernization drive. It is now one of Singapore’s most popular hawker centers where you can try roti prata, laksa, char kway teow, nasi lemak, friend hokkien mee and all the other foods on the endless list of Singaporean/Malaysian cuisine.

The Chinatown Heritage Center on Pagoda Street is one of Singapore’s most interesting museums, charting the arrival of the Chinese to the island, the early days of gambling and opium dens in Chinatown’s 1950’s heyday, with historical accounts of the immigrants eking out a living as coolies and hawkers, and the appalling conditions that many of the immigrants had to live in. The museum is a testament to a remarkable race of people and how far they have come to reach relative prosperity and economic dominance in the region. According to the museum, the Chinese have always faced four evils and temptations that have plagued their culture and caused the downfall of many young migrants; opium smoking, prostitution, gambling and secret societies. Laziness and a lack of entrepreneurship, however, have never been a problem for the Chinese. The museum costs S$8.00 to get in.

Emerald Hill Road off Orchard Road, offers some interesting, century old Chinese Perenakan (straits Chinese) town houses many of which now house some good bars and restaurants, providing a pleasant environment to escape the heat after some sweaty shopping and to gulp down a few cold beers for revival.

Singapore’s best museum is probably the Changi Prison Museum and Chapel, located near the airport, which houses a fascinating selection of photographs, documents and letters from the brutal Japanese occupation of Singapore during World War II. The museum documents the disappointment and disbelief that Singaporeans felt at the the failiure of the their “undefeatable” colonial masters, the British, to save them from invasion, as well as the absurd arrogance of the British themseves who simply couldn’t believe that they could be defeated by a race of small people. For a day of physical exercise and to see and breathe some greenery take a boat to Pulau Ubin where you can hire a bike and travel around the island and its small Malay kampongs.

The Sungei Buloh wetland reserve in the north west of the island is another excellent place to stretch the legs and enjoy the natural peace away from the city. The only reminder of urban proximity is the call to prayer from the mosques in Johor Baru across the bay in neighboring Malaysia. The reserve, long harvested by prawn and fish farmers, is fantastic for bird watchering and flora enthusiasts, set in 130 acres of mangroves, mudflats, ponds and secondary forest with viewing posts set up for bird watchers and is apparently the home to several estuarine crocodiles that swim up from Malaysia. The reserve has several walking trails, ranging from 500meters (30 minutes walk) to 7 km (4-5 hour walk) depending on your time and energy. The place is popular with school trips.

Taking the cable car from Mount Faber to Sentosa Island and visiting the excellent Fort Suliso is another interesting trip. Suliso was originally built by the British as a prized 19th century fortress, and finally came into practical use as a defense post in 1942 when the Japanese invaded. After their victory the Japanese used it as a prisoner of war camp for military and civilian personnel. The fort has some interesting exhibits from the early days of British rule and of the soldiers’ way of life as well as a range of vast guns on show, that were used to defend the island. It’s also haunted.

Hotels in Singapore are considered another hefty expense and compared to Jakarta prices this is certainly true. The Hotel 1929 on Keong Saik Road (SGD 130 +++) in Chinatown is an interesting option. The Madras Hotel on Madras Street (60 SGD+++) in Little India is a popular and reasonably cheap option, and the surrounding area is now the center for backpacker accommodation in Singapore. The best located budget hotel is the Hotel Supreme on Kramat Road (SGD 70+++), located just off Orchard Road and the more expensive Hotel Grand Central (150SGD+++) on Cavenagh Street next door, comes with a swimming pool and better rooms. The best rated hotel in the city is the Ritz Carlton (SGD 465++), with super comfortable rooms, white fluffy bathrobes, magnificent views and a phenomenal buffet breakfast and all that you would expect from a world class five star hotel.

Food lovers looking for authentic local grub need look no further than the Muslim neighborhood of Kampong Gelam which has been thriving since the early 19th century. Home to Zam Zam on North Bridge Road, a Singapore institution, which has apparently been open for business since 1908 and specializes in the Malay Indian murtabak, which is a kind of pancake stuffed with various meats and/or cheeses and served with curry. No beer here in this popular no frills and hectic eatery but they do a great mug of hot sweet tea and condensed milk (teh tarik) which is the only other thing besides beer that you can drink with curry anyway. On Kandahar Street, a block or two away, is the istana kampong gelam and Malay heritage centre and a selection of restaurants serving delicious Indonesian/Malay food, Nasi Padang and Briyani dishes making it one of the most popular dining streets in the city. In particular Sabar Menanti serves up excellent chicken or beef rendeng and a delicious Nasi Padang meal can be had for around three dollars. Just expect the usual “Be careful, it’s very hot” and “can you eat chili and rendeng?” from the concerned staff and other diners who assume that, as a mat saleh, you’ve never eaten anything more adventurous than boiled potatoes before. Khandar Street restaurants get packed after Friday lunchtime prayers when it’s hard to find a table.

Kampung Glam, Singapore's Muslim centre and the golden-domed Sultan Mosque







For more up market dining, Lei Garden in Chjimes, the great old gothic church compound, serves great Cantonese food, and is a popular place for families and business folk, the delicious Peking duck is considered the best in Singapore. They also do good jellyfish! Race Course Road is home to many Indian restaurants particularly those that specialize in the fish head curry which Singapore is famous for and apparently originated when impoverished Indians arriving in Singapore would scavenge through the garbage bins looking for leftovers from the fish markets and would then curry the unsellable fish heads that were thrown away. Basic Singaporean Chinese hawker food is basically Char Siew (barbequed pork) or Sio Bak (roasted pork) or roasted duck, served on a bed of rice or noodles accompanied by soup and a large bottle or two of Tiger beer. Walking along Syed Alwi Road, I came across a place called Fu Ji Shao La Shi Pin, or something like that, which apparently is much celebrated by locals for its pork and duck specialities and while the grotty street tables and the toothless, wizened folk that frequent and serve in the place hardly provided that special dining ambience, the food wasn’t bad. My Humble House in the Esplanade offers excellent food and set menus, in a great environment and is a popular place to enjoy a good dinner. Bencoloon Street is another place to try the numerable dishes and hawker centers that Singapore has to offer.

Singapore is also home to some good bars and cafes. Serving, albeit expensive, draught Guinness, Molly Malone’s behind Boat Quay is a popular exapt pub as is the friendly Bisous bar on the very pleasant Pekin street, off Far East square, which has many other bars and cafes as well. The newly developed Boat Quay; is packed with bars, cafes and restaurants. Holland Village is the home to many of Singapore’s expatriate community and the area around the Holland Village shopping centre is thriving with cafes and restaurants. The Holland village shopping centre itself is a good place to shop for cheap fabric, toys, second hand books and the like. In particular the terrace of Fosters Café & Restaurant on Holland Avenue is a comfortable place to enjoy western home cooking and afternoon tea.

So if you find yourself having to spend a few days in Singapore and are looking for good food or things to see and do, some shopping or just to relax you should find more than enough to keep you occupied.

THE REAL TRAGEDY OF 9/11

Recently, I watched Oliver Stone’s latest film; World Trade Center , which came out a while ago in most other countries, so I was beginning to think that Indonesia's board of film censors had a problem with the content or something, but now its finally showing at theatres across the country.

The film itself is OK; an above average Hollywood drama/disaster movie that focuses on the themes of family love and human survival, and there were quite a few sniffles in the theatre, as the final credits began to roll, an indication that the movie has hit its mark with audiences worldwide.

Upon arriving home afterwards; I received a phone call from a family member in England and in the course our routine conversation, after mentioning the film, the person made a comment about how we are living in a new era, in which there is a battle going on between the West and the Muslim world and that the latter are trying to impose their faith on the planet in a kind of war of ideology, similar to the old cold war battle of Western nations against the threat of Communism. The comment rather irritated me, as many of the Muslims that I know, are far more secular and liberal minded than many of the so called Christians in the UK, let alone some of those bible bashing Christian fanatics in the US, so we ended up abruptly putting the phone down on each other in order to prevent the argument from boiling over any further.

But there is a point here, in that the United Sates, since 9/11 has sought to unite its people and other nations in and around the so called war on terror, using this global threat to justify controversial wire tapping programs and other draconian security measures, as has happened in the UK, using exactly the same type of “they’ll get you if we don’t” fear inciting rhetoric that was used during the cold war. Those right wing war mongers at Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News Channel have even coined the new phrase; “Islama-fascism”, so that their viewers can conveniently label this new enemy, which comprises of most Muslim countries and those who criticize Israel and the current Bush administration, and it is these “Islama-fascists”, according to the Fox pundits, that we all need saving from as we did from the communist threat in the past.

Probably intentionally and rather unexpectedly; World Trade Center avoids any references to the terrorist perpetrators of 9/11, or the various conspiracy theories that have arisen since (this is from the same guy who made JFK), but the most striking aspect of the film, is seeing the news footage from shortly after the event, showing a time, that now seems unimaginable, when the majority of the world was standing shoulder to shoulder with America, sharing in the country’s grief for its slain citizens and their desire to seek revenge on the evil terrorists responsible. Even the French newspaper; Le Monde declared at the time; "We Are All Americans" (Nous sommes tous Américains) and you almost enjoyed, a rather younger looking President Bush giving all those emotionally charged and patriotic speeches as a prelude to a dramatic call to arms to avenge the terrorist attacks; using the finest Hollywood style rhetoric. That was only five years ago but it seems like a life time ago now.

Since 9/11 and the days that followed, when the US military and their allies rolled into, or rather flew over, Afghanistan to depose the vile Taliban regime with their precision missiles and to hunt down Osama bin Laden (remember that forgotten mission?), a series of majorly depressing and devastating events have occurred worldwide that have dominated the world’s psyche and media, overshadowing those powerful images of the twin towers, buckling under and collapsing in New York City, and pushing them into a distant memory of rather diminished importance.

Predictably, Islamic extremism rose in the years after 9/11, as attention focused on a worldwide campaign to defeat radical Islamic terrorists, but the invasion of Iraq was the absolute godsend for the enemies of the US who were still constricted and stifled by the massive international support for the United Sates in the wake of 9/11. Madrid, London, Bali and various pro American Arab countries have all born the brunt of terrorism; usually directed at those who allied themselves with the United Sates, but how many of those countries agreed with America’s unconditional and clear green light to the recent Israeli destruction of Lebanon, after Israel foolishly, but predictably took the bait of the kidnapped soldier by Hezbollah and, once again, succeeded in reinforcing the opinion of many in the Muslim world; that the Jewish state and America are the devil incarnate? None of America’s allies, not even a visibility appalled Tony Blair, supported the merciless pummeling of Lebanon and its people, an action which only helped to confirm the legitimacy, to the extremists, of the original fatwa against the US by Osama bin Laden and the other Islamic radicals.

It is with a grim irony that perhaps the country that benefited most from 9/11, in terms of its citizens’ security, was Britain, as the terrorist attacks brought an end to the so called armed struggle by the IRA, who had terrorized the British Isles with their campaign of bombings and slaughter for years; murdering civilians, Royalty and politicians alike and even trying to blow up Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her entire party during a hotel conference in Brighton in 1984. The IRA enjoyed a certain amount of open support in Washington, from congressmen such as Peter T.King, a staunch IRA supporter, who, ironically, is now in charge of something to do with America’s Homeland Security and American citizens were the IRA’s principal financial backers, through NORAID, which also helped to procure weapons for the terrorists to use to kill people in Britain. British Prime Ministers repeatedly asked American Presidents to stop the financial and public support given to the IRA, but this largely fell on deaf ears giving some adage to that creed than one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter, but after 9/11; a terrorist was most definitely a terrorist, and this hypocrisy was finally brought to an end and the IRA found themselves in their rightful place; on the same terror group list as Hamas and Hezbollah, both of whom also received financing in the US up until 9/11. It is unfortunate that the the people of England and Northern Ireland have to thank Osama bin Laden for that one.

The Omagh bombing, carried out by The Real IRA in 1998, killed 29 people and injured hundreds





Republican politician; Peter King; one of the strongest and most outspoken supporters of the IRA and the Chairman of the United States House Committe on Homeland Security

But last year’s London bombings were more shocking than any previous IRA atrocities, because they were committed by British Muslim suicide bombers; from seemingly stable family backgrounds; two of the men even left pregnant wives behind, along with the equally shocking statistic that as many as 3,000 British born or based people are thought to have been trained in terrorist camps in Afghanistan and many since have, apparently, trained others. The videotapes of the bombers claimed that the London attacks were revenge for British supported oppression against their “Muslim brothers and sisters”, clearly stating that they were willing to kill themselves while committing the mass murder of their fellow citizens in the country of their birth. Sadly, Tony Blair’s perceived poodle like behaviour and unquestioning support for President Bush’s foreign policy appears to have put the UK squarely in the firing line once again.



The 9/11 heroes portrayed in World Trade Center seem rather insignificant now, as we are used to seeing carnage and bodies being dragged out of rubble in places like Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, on a daily basis and there are few happy stories in those countries’ disasters, or if there are, nobody makes big budget feature films about them. At the end of the film, the volunteer marine who discovered the two trapped police officers in the destroyed World Trade Center complex announces that he’s going to stay in the marines because “we’re gonna need some good men to avenge this”, which would have been a great Hollywood line if only he had gone on to Afghanistan and hunted down and killed Osama bin Laden; Rambo style. Instead, he went on to do two tours of duty in Iraq and contributed to inflaming the radical elements of the Muslim world into plotting further acts of extreme violence against his country and its allies.



An estimated 700,000 Iraqis have been killed since "Operation Iraqi Freedom" began in 2003, according to a recent survey

Various countries in Europe and Asia have suffered violent terrorism from Islamic extremists, which has helped fulfill the terrorists’, as well as the right wing elements in Western countries’, aim of creating an “us and them” divide between the Muslim world and the West. Tony Blair might not have to deal with the IRA anymore, as his predecessors did, thanks, in part, to Al Qaeda, but he now has to deal with an arguably far more dangerous threat from within Britain’s own population. One of President George W.Bush’s favourite lines, probably written for him, is; “we fight them over there (The Middle East) so we don’t have to fight them here (America)”. But Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories are home to millions of people who are now suffering misery and oppression every day, which feeds the fire of hatred and radicalism in the Muslim world, which ultimately encourages radicals to strike at the West and its allies. As appalling as 9/11 was and as heroic as the characters in World Trade Center might have been, one can’t help thinking that the real tragedy was all that happened afterwards; all that was lost and could have been gained. We can only hope that with the Democrats gaining control of the United Sates government and with the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, along with Tony Blair’s promise to step down within the coming year, the world can finally try and start to learn from from the painful lessons which began on September 11, 2001 and are continuing today.

BALI'S BACK, BUT NO THANKS TO JAKARTA

Back in Jakarta, fatter and with sun burnt shoulders that seem about ripe to start peeling away at any moment, but hey I'm feeling energized and yet a bit deflated about being back at the same time; I've just returned from a few days in Bali.

Bali still appears to be on most South East Asian travellers' itineraries even after all the years of commercialism and mass tourism and the bombings that tried to destroy it all, and yet I guess it's a kind of testament to the so called Island of the Gods that it still seems to conjure up, for some people at least, exotic connotations that way surpass the reality of aggressive hawkers and massage girls, cheap tourist trinkets and bars that promise BLOODY COLD BEER, not to mention the 100% mark up on hotel rates and air fares during the Labaran holiday period.

So there I was back in the throng of some old haunts from my backpacking days; the Poppies Gangs and Jl Legion as well as enjoying those Balinese experiences that are still pleasantly unique; sunning and swimming while watching a local ceremony being performed on a secluded little beach on the Bukit Peninsula (see the snaps below!) and stocking up on some decent reading material from the good range of second hand books at the excellent and friendly Ganesha Bookshop in Ubud (a sure sign that the tourists are coming through again!) and I realized that despite the almost complete tourist orientated commercialization (or annihilation, some might say) of the place, Bali is still one of those destinations that has its definite appeal.





I've been a few times over the years, but the last time was a couple of months after the 2002 bombings. The place was, naturally, devoid of tourists and the store and restaurant owners were desperate, barely making a living, and many local folk were unable to hide their bitterness. The Balinese resentment, which was always there, against their Jakarta government, which they feel feeds off their island with its unique culture and architecture, using it as the icon for the Indonesian tourist industry, was then at its height due to the fact that the Bali bombers and their evil associates were from Java, but today, especially during the mass Labaran migration of the urban Javanese upper class, fleeing from that annual hellish prospect of having to (god forbid!) do basic household chores themselves, without maids, Bali seems to be back to how it was before and the repeated terrorist attacks of the past four years have been paralled by cheap domestic air fares; opening up local tourism and perhaps replacing those foreign tourists who are reluctant to return.

It's easy to forget the menace of terrorism while stuck in the Kuta area night time traffic (the Jakarta macet comes to Bali too during Labaran!) caused by the lines of Kijangs of arriving holiday makers from Jakarta (the B's) and Surabuya (the L's) and seeing all the happy revellers enjoying themselves in the multitude of new night spots that have sprung up. The Bali bombing memorial, which stands opposite the site of what was once The Sari Club, is a sober reminder of the night of October 12, 2002, located in the middle of an area which epitomizes touristy tackiness and holiday fun. The barren and abandoned sites of The Sari club and Paddys, where I, in times past, spent a few drunken nights of oblivion, seem like strangely unutilized space in the heart of Kuta, perhaps ready for some new development, but it'll be some time before the spirits of those 202 people, murdered in cold blood are appeased enough by the regular placing of flowers, wreaths and offerings in remembrance, to allow some entertainment entrepreneurs to once again develop the sites. I struggle to try to and conjure up any memories of those two places as they once were.



The Bali tragedy is remembered as a kind of Australian 9/11 on foreign soil; due to the 89 Australians killed, but there were also 38 Indonesians killed and 25 people from my country; the UK, murdered along with citizens of virtually every country that you come across when holidaying in Bali.

My sister and her then boyfriend (now husband) were in Bali at the time to attend the wedding of a university friend and as the news broke that night of the bombings; members of the very merry wedding party decided to go from their hotel in Jimbaran Bay to the hospitals to give blood, which they joked on the way; was by that stage 90% alcohol, but any joking and feelings of merriment soon evaporated as they arrived at the hospital to be confronted by horrendous scenes of severely burnt and maimed bodies, those still conscious; sobbing and crying out; not just because of their own physical pain but for the unknown fate of their friends or partners or because of the massive blast induced confusion of still trying to comprehend what had just happened to them. Blood was taken by local and foreign doctors; some of the latter were holiday makers themselves, called in to help from an evening of drinking and relaxation, to treat and perform, in some cases, life saving surgery on bodies severely damaged beyond belief.

And then it happened again a few years later. We all remember those gruesome photographs of the heads and limbs of the suicide bombers who entered restaurants in Bali last year and blew them up. I guess anyone now sitting in a busy restaurant or bar in Bali, as I was; enjoying a dinner and a few cold beers might look around and ask what is there to stop another deluded and brainwashed psychopath from walking into the joint with a bomb and blowing the place to smithereens?

Now I don't want to write another piece from the prospective of a foreigner living in a country with one of world's most corrupt police forces and judiciaries or bang on about officers working, yes I know, for a pittance, in Indonesia's anti terrorism division who might be tempted to allow vehicles to pass inspection points for small bribes, but you ask any Balinese what they think about their Jakarta government's decision to refuse to outlaw Jemaah Islamiyah; the organization widely believed to be behind the Bali bombings as well as others; such as the Jakarta Marriott, Australian embassy and various church bombings over the years, or their opinion of the police who are able to devote considerable time and energy to extorting money from people but seem to be able to do very little to deter security threats, as the repeated bombings in Bali and Jakarta have shown. The ordinary Balinese certainly don't feel that these opinions are exclusively those of arrogant and belligerent foreigners who want to tell Indonesia what to do.

Both Presidents Megawati and SBY claimed and claim to take a firm stand against terrorism but those words only came after one of these attacks occurred. Remember that token Vice President bloke; Hamzah Haz; a friend and sympathizer of Abu Bashir Bakr, who publicly denied the presence of any terrorist groups in Indonesia, despite being given reliable intelligence warnings to the contrary pre Bali 2002? Or how about Indonesia's current Vice President; Jusuf Kalla's excuse for not doing anything about Jemaah Islamiyah: "if we have never recognized the existence or the organization, how can we disband it?". Like many things in Indonesian politics, this kind of nonchelance is confusing and creates the perception of a lack of clear government position and opinion on these issues and no doubt contributes to a variety of conspiracy theories as to who exactly was involved and why.

I sincerely hope that foreign and local tourists continue to come in their droves to Bali to spend their currencies in the bars, restaurants, shops and tourist spots but it seems a shame that the Jakarta government should get their lion's share of the tourism industry takings, directly or indirectly, considering their recent and insensitive decisions to free and reduce sentences for Islamic militants; jailed for the Bali bombings to..er..mark the end of the Islamic fasting month and their refusal to outlaw Jemaah Islamiyah along with the release of the smug Abu Bakar Bashir, in a blaze of cheers, applause and publicity, after just 25 months in jail for giving his blessing to the mass murder of civilians and holiday makers. Incidently; while there may be no direct evidence, or shall we say nobody has bothered to find any, to link Bashir to these various bombings, this is the guy, who after all, has vowed to overthrow every Indonesian government since Suharto, so isn't that reason enough to break up Jemaah Islamiyah even if you ignore the fact that much of the world and even The United Nations have listed it as a terrorist organization, making it illegal for people to provide financial and other support. Anyway, don't think this is just more rhetoric from another foreigner in Indonesia, just ask any Balinese taxi driver and they'll tell you the same thing...

WHAT WOMEN WANT

Much ado about the differing tastes for the fairer sex has erupted on the so called Indonesian bloggersphere recently. It all started over a week ago when a Jakarta based columnist, I'm assuming rather naively, wrote on a blog post that his Indonesian "friend's view of a beautiful woman is that of a fair-skinned one, who has the look of a financially independent, educated, and classy lady" contrasting with "an Indonesian woman with a dark complexion, buck teeth, and a high forehead typically found among remote mountain villagers in Java" who "for an Asian man...surely look like maids" but are apparently what "foreign (white) men" are "attracted to".

The writer proceeded to, rather uncomfortably for the reader, explain that the reasons for these respective preferences are rooted in the pre Industrial Revolution and then elaborated on why Asian societies and Western men have these skin preferences in a style that was mildly reminiscent of Mein Kamf; when Adolf Hitler, in a similar vein, clinically explained his reasoning as to why an Aryan was superior to a person of another race.

And then it all kicked off on a variety of fronts involving UI students, indignant bules et al; discussing the possibility of cosmetic surgery for high foreheads, comments about rich people with bucked teeth, the merits of Ponds cream for making skin whiter, the deformed toes of Indonesian peasants which apparently can spread wider than normal due to centuries of working in rice fields (didn't know that!), the definite advantages of shagging pembantu type women and a ton of general malicious abuse...in short; a long and in parts; quite amusing thread, which is still going on.

But apart from the rather unflattering description of rural Javanese women, this guy is of course right about the general attitude to skin colour in Asia, but obviously not in his assumptions about the opposite sex preferences of the male species, of which he (I'm only guessing from the photo) is a member of. But we know all this; we've all seen those urban broads, getting out of a car or crossing the street and grabbing whatever they have in their hand at the time and frantically holding it up to their face to try and block out that evil sun or the guaranteed pleasure of having a swimming pool to yourself, apart from the brats and their salaried full time mothers (sorry, that's nannies), in an apartment or a hotel until dusk, when, like in Salem's Lot, the Mums emerge, confident that the months and accumulated expense of cosmetic skin treatment and usage of this Ponds stuff won't be destroyed by an unwelcome lash of those darkening ultra violet rays. On the other hand, note the success of franchises such as The Tanning Shop in countries like England, which do a roaring trade for those women with pale complexions (and beautiful elocution) typically found among remote villagers in Essex who strive to achieve that bronzed South Beach J Lo type look for dismal Friday nights in Romford.

But what the rather asinine article and its author confirmed was that Asian society always focuses solely on what men like. This I think is the real issue here because Asian societies tend to focus on the man's prospective on most things, and nobody discusses what kind of men, physically, Asian women like.

Traditionally, Indonesian women, for example, were supposed to be virgins on their wedding night, perhaps so that they didn't know if their husbands were any good in the sack or how their dick size measured up, and husbands are still vetted by their prospective wife's family after careful scrutiny of their family background and financial status and a women's opinion of their physical appearance and attractiveness is irrelevant. In the past (pre Fitness First); recent Indonesian brides were often complemented by their in laws on the fact that their husbands were getting fat after marriage because it meant that they were taking good care of their man in the kitchen but no one gave a shit what the poor Mrs thought about having this admirable expanding mid section going down on her in the bedroom.

So why didn't this guy and his coffee sipping friend in Plaza Indonesia ask why these said young Indonesian women like craggy faced, aged, pot bellied Western men, for example, if we're going to pick stereotypes. OK, the answer is, you may say, money or the perception of having some in a currency that gets a lot of rupiah back when it's changed over, but not all Indonesian women who have Western partners are those who have been picked up in the bars of Blok M, Jalan Jaksa or wherever. We've already been informed in lengthy and sometimes gruesome detail, courtesy of all the incessant blogging recently, what kind of women both Asian and Western men like and don't like but what I want to know is what kind of men, physically, do Indonesian women in like?

DRUGS AND CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY AIN"T WHAT THEY USED TO BE...

Don't you just love it when Grandpa shakes his head, disapprovingly, about things not being the way they used to be back in the good old days.

Keith Richards; the legendary sixty something guitarist from The Rolling Stones, has complained about drugs today, telling the London based Q magazine; "the quality's gone down. All they do is try and take the high out of everything. I don't like the way drugs now are working on your brain area instead of just through the blood stream."

Not that I would dare question the world's undisputed connoisseur par excellence of narcotics, but I thought that drugs were more powerful today and therefore more dangerous or at least that's what people of Richards' and Bill Clinton's generation usually say to justify their own drug use back in the '60's and '70's but warn younger generations against it when they, themselves, became responsible senior citizens.

Anyway, this old geezer (Richards) has been the subject of more stories and urban myths than there are cracks on his face and my personal favourite dates back to when General Motors were sponsoring a Rolling Stones tour back in the day. The world's largest automakers were terrified that Richards, who was at the height of his monkey on the back dependency, would overdose and die under the GM logo causing a PR nightmare for the American corporate institution. Consequently; a series of black suited GM executives would reguarly show up at Richards' hotel suite with a stash of checked and approved highest quality heroin, just to make sure that The Human Riff was getting only the finest brown sugar available, thus ensuring that he would survive the tour. Now you don't see that kind of corporate responsibility from big business anymore...

THE FILTHY RICH AND THE FURY

'Twas Wednesday morning, stuck in another dismal macet due to the sudden close of the tol road and as I squirmed in my frustration and boredom, I was temporarily relieved from the stagnant misery by a surprising and delightfully aggressive VIEW POINT article in The Jakarta Post entitled 'Yet another big fat Jakarta wedding'. I've long given up my usual traffic jam activity of gazing at the endless lines of cars, for as far as the eye can see, and calculating roughly how much money I'm looking at on the road in the form of expensive, spanking new vehicles while my poor taxi driver tells me that he can't afford his family on his one million rupiah a month take home pay (on a good month that is), after driving for fourteen hours a day. Anyway, back to this article in what is normally a five minute morning toilet read; The Jak Post, by Julia Suryakusuma, it was a real refresher. She started off having a go at posh Jakarta weddings and then preceded to furiously trash a recent keluarga Soeharto wedding, at which, according to the piece, each of the two hundred high profile guests in attendance received a stemmed rose wrapped in money. As the writer pointed out; a rather tasteless welcome gift but perhaps this was a private in joke "fuck you" statement on behalf of the family to all their critics. In a rising tirade of anger that seemed to boil right off the page, she lashed out at the Indonesian public calling them "a bunch of spineless, cowardly, pusillanimous, opportunistic, gutless, lily-livered people" for being indifferent to and even celebrating the mammonesque wedding party. Wow! I don't recall reading such welcome vitriol in The Jak Post for quite some time. I don't really care one way or the other about these people and their expensive parties but I can sympathize with Ms Suryakusuma's sentiment; I mean it's only been eight years since the old man went, the economic crisis continues (for most) and since 1998, that family have committed serious crimes and have been exposed in international bribery scandals, not to mention the alleged ill-gotten $15 billion, that a mere slice of would have gone a long way to help the recent victims of the tsunami, earthquake and current Sidoarjo mess, but where is the public disgrace that most ordinary Indonesians apparently seem to fear so much ? These days the Soehartos are treated like celebrities, with cozy, fawning interviews and glamorous profiles in the pop media. Ms Suryakusuma is clearly very angry about this wedding party that she describes as a "tasteless, vulgar, crass, insensitive, disgraceful display at a time when the country is still reeling from various crises", but if it makes her feel any better, perhaps the money for the bash didn't come from the years of local looting but came from saving the hard earned 16.5 million pound bribe that Tutut (the handsome young groom's Mum) got from Alvis, the tank manufacturer in Coventry, England, several years ago to secure a sale of FV101 Scorpion tanks to the Indonesian government, which were then used to kill people in East Timor and Aceh, but were never paid for and cost the British taxpayer, through the UK government's Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD), 93 million quid. Nice article though, and let's hope that The Jak Post can get some more local writers with Julia's keyboard fury to brighten up what is usually a rather dreary daily read. NB: Being a bit of an oaf; I had to double check the meaning of pusillanimous and it's basically a synonym for all the other highly unflattering adjectives used in the same sentence and on a further note; there is a pusillanimous.blogspot.com entitled "All about credit cards" by a blogger in Albany, New York. Might have to Bookmark that one...