Sunday, February 17, 2013

Where expats prefer to live for The Jakarta Post Travel article


Hi Lara and Tina! I'm Keshie from The Jakarta Post Travel (www.jakpost.travel), a new all-about-traveling-in-Indonesia website from The Jakarta Post. I'm writing an article about where mostly expats live in Jakarta and hopefully you don't mind helping me out :)
 1. There are assumptions that most expats prefer to live in South Jakarta. Do you agree/disagree? Why?
 2. Do you know anyone (or maybe yourself) who live in South Jakarta? Why do you think they (or you) choose to live there instead of other parts of Jakarta? What's the beauty part of it?
 3. What do you love the most about living in Jakarta? And compared with other cities, maybe?
 4. Do you have any favorite places you always come back to hang out, eat or simply spending time in South Jakarta or other parts of Jakarta? Thank you in advance for your help! --
 Best regards, Keshie

FROM LARA - Hi Keshie, Of course we do not mind. J
 1. I agree. Everything in South Jakarta is near. With the traffic issues here, it’s much easier to get around if living in South Jakarta. There are a lot of family activities, now a new / larger mall, cinemas, playgrounds, restaurants. It’s a family community. Women’s associations are nearby (most), mom & tots groups, schools, etc.
 2. I live in Kemang and have for 12+ years. Love it here. Everything is centrally located. Our grocery stores are close. For those that have pets, great location too. Vets nearby. Can walk in Kemang Dalam. It’s full of wonderful things to do. JICC is nearby also which is of interest to most expatriates.
 3. I love the people, their smiles, the warm hearts and the expats here. Everyone is kind and supportive and especially to our newcomers.
 4. Personally, I prefer to hang out with my teman and to go to do things with my children. The cinemas are great, unbelievable dining here (Spanky’s, JF Bistro, Koi, Shy). Never a dull moment in these parts. I also personally like to get away to Bali to the quieter areas such as Nusa Dua or Jogya or anywhere away from the traffic. Thousand Islands are always great. My favorite is Tiger Islands. We recently chartered the island for a weekend with friends. Eco friendly resort and stunning. For the less glamorous locations one can go to Pelabuhan Ratu but beware of the waves. J I hope this helps, Keshie. Let us know if you need more details. Thanks a lot. Lara

FROM TINA -  Hi keshie, To answer your questions:
It's not an assumption that expat prefers to live in South Jakarta, it's true. why? probably because despite the traffic it's a very convinient place to live as it's accessible to all shopping malls, restos and clubs. in connection with your second question both Lara and I lives in south Jakarta, Kemang area. I cannot imagine living anywhere else in Indonesia but in this area. why because most of our friends are here. in a city that is busy and as traffic as Jakarta it's hard to have friends if they're 1 hour away, in my opinion. the traffic and the time you spent in your car to see a friend is jut too stressful. Whereas in Kemang/cipete area we are about 5 to 15 min away from everyone. all our favorite restos and clubs, bars, shops are here. I guess I can say that most expatriates feel at home here because they can see that everyone is here too. for expatriates like us who lives away from our families, our friends that we meet here becomes our second families..that's why we stay close together. what do I love about Jakarta? it's vibrant, unpredictable, always full of surprises and of course the friendly and accommodating locals. my favorite places are all in the Kemang area. koi, FJ Bistro, Toscana rooftop and my friends houses are my favorite places to eat and to hang out. :) hope I was able to help you with your inquiries. kind regards, Tina