"Yes, we will accept any offer from wealthy creditor nations of a debt freeze ,

 if there are no conditions attached..'

Indonesian Economic Minister Aburizal Bakrie

Source: Indonesia says it will accept no-strings offer of debt freeze (Yahoo)
 

FROM THE EDITOR:

For every one who is planning an outing with staff in Indonesia, I will give you a rough summary on how they prefer to spend their time. Shopping 30% (only to a few selected destinations where all Indonesians buy their souvenirs), eating 10% (they eat fast but need time to let it go down), sleeping 15% (mostly in the bus on the way from one shopping area to the other), preparing for the night out 10% (make up, salon), partying 30% and finally culture 5% (only for the pictures). I made this calculation during our BuGils staff outing to Bali earlier this week.

Our tour guide Ketut didn't have an easy task. He tried to tell the BuGils staff about the beautiful things on Bali and its customs. From the moment he introduced himself until the moment he said 'thank you and goodbye' two days later, fifteen BuGils girls had continuously obstructed the info he wanted to give. Even with the maximum volume of his microphone he didn't stand a change against the bunch of hyper energetic girls from Jakarta. But I appreciated his effort. At least he tried. 'On the left you can see the famous temple of...' The BuGils girls protested loudly. 'Temple? Temple? Bule! We want to see bule!' I was sitting in the front seat of the bus. Ketut looked me hopeful in the eyes and tried to find my support. 'Why bule? Orang Indonesia juga baik. (Indonesians are also nice) Ya, Mr Bart? Betul enggak Mr. Bart?' I was tired and tried to finish the book Batavia's Graveyard about a Frisian who ruthlessly orchestrated some hundred murders 400 years earlier and I couldn't give Ketut more then a friendly odd in his support. The staff behind me stood up in protest. 'Sumpa? Sumpa loe?' (swear? You swear?) they yelled. Everything Ketut said was stopped short by the word 'sumpa'.

The outing was organized by the staff themselves and they had booked a package deal. As always with this low budget deals, you end up with something unsatisfactory. The hotel we stayed was probably the only one on Bali without any tree or other vegetation; only concrete. The first night (and the second) ended late and on both days the program for the next morning had to be cancelled to the disappointment of the more serious and senior office staff. Ketut didn't mind really, I think. The night before Novel had lost her new handphone in the DejaVu Bar and went hysteric. Four or five of the other girls did the utmost effort to keep her under control. But Ketut was right, orang Indonesia juga baik and the handphone was returned the next day to the relief of Novel.

The few days away were good fun. One disturbing moment however made me worry when we arrived in an area near lake Kintamani, high up in the mountains. In that beautiful scenery I took my daughter in my arms and told her to deeply inhale the fresh air. (She had some flue or asthma attacks a few days earlier). She looked around for a second -moving her face from the volcano to the lake down below -shook her head in denial and said: 'Bau Papa. Bau. Mau pulang..'. (it smells Papa. I want to go home). The poor girl is growing up as a big city girl. She is more afraid of a little bird than of a Jakarta bus fuming with black exhaust gasses.  When we walked back to our bus I noticed the text on the T-shirt of one of the BuGils waitresses: 'Rewire your thinking pattern'.  I think there is much more to rewire than only thinking patterns.... Sumpa. Hopefully it is not too late. - Bartele

On the picture right:
Sr bartender  Henny (ex-cengkareng golf)
with future Miss BuGils Patricia)

EXPAT IS LOOKING FOR:

A house to rent in Sentul, Bogor or Rancamaya. Please contact me immediately at bartele@bugils.com  .  Preferably with a little garden.

PS. In a separate note I want to notify you on the latest efforts that we made to put up a reliably property website in Indonesia. Check out RUMAH.US that lists already a number of properties for rent. To subscribe to the Expat Property Newsletter, go to BARTELE.COM and receive weekly updates on our new listings.

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD:

Sex Doll Sparks Bomb Alert at Postoffice  A blow-up sex doll sparked a bomb alert in a German post office after it started to vibrate inside a package awaiting delivery, police said Wednesday.

Theme is to shiver as you drink at ice-cold bar in steamy Singapore It's not only the drinks that are ice cold at the Eski Bar, a new nightspot in tropical Singapore. The room temperature is so cold that staff wear heavy coats and ski caps, and patrons get a 10 per cent discount if they show up in winter wear.

INDONESIA PRESS:Goldman Sachs Exec Defends Pertamina Deal -  An executive of U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) has defended its consultancy role in a state asset sale that resulted in the firm facing penalties and compensation claims of IDR79.71 billion ($8.6 million) for alleged conspiracy earlier this month.

InterGlobal is a specialist expatriate healthcare insurance provider offering a full range of quality international private medical insurance products. In Indonesia they are represented by Mike Woolf, who has over 15 years insurance experience in Jakarta. You will be able to talk to him on policy and claims issues. Click on their logo and receive the info you need.

Can Indonesia government keep up momentum?
For the majority of the last eight years, Duane J. Gingerich has looked out from the 21st floor office of Baker McKenzie headquarters in the Jakarta Stock Exchange building and seen something other than luxury high rises juxtaposed with metal roofed shacks, congested motorways, and the fleeting green of city parks which dot this sprawling city of more than 10 million people. I counted seven cranes on top of the buildings," he said(Washington Post)

INDONESIA: CHRISTIANS OUT!   -  Why? There may be several reasons. One is that authorities claim that some Christian groups have been too aggressive with their Christian message in a Muslim environs. Another reason: Indonesia has a record of persecuting and executing Christians. Another reason: it may be that authorities want to wipe the slate clean of all helping groups in order to restart. (Mich. News)

St Patrick's Day celebrations in Jakarta: Happy Irish

We met up with ex-BuGils staff Endjie (alias Singga) in Bali.

---XXX---

Friday at VIP at D's KEMANG 7.30 PM  BINGO! Chance to win line and house.

This Saturday BiG Dony and the Jaya Pub Band LIVE in BuGils, 21.30 onwards.

---------

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Roberts Furniture at Jalan Wijaya Kusuma No. D.4, Jakarta 12430. Tel. 021-7512223. A great selection of both original and reproduction furniture at the best prices.

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