Sa wat dii kha, Thailand!

In September we went for a palace gazing, suntanning, eating infused week in Thailand. And it was lovely.

Last year we celebrated (albeit in a totally non-Muslim way) the end of Ramadan by staying in Jakarta, which was actually quite relaxing. There was no one here, the streets were empty, so the pollution magically departed with all the cars and people and we were left with sunny skies and quiet - quite a change for Jakarta! However, it was also a little depressing because all of our friends were off enjoying some wild adventure while we stayed here. So this year I really wanted to get out of dodge, and since Thailand has been at the top of our list for years that is where we headed.

We spent the first 4 nights of our trip in Bangkok. I was there in 2008 for a work conference, but I only saw a little bit of the city. The first thing you notice about Thailand is that you've arrived in a whole different class of place compared to much of Asia, certainly compared to Indonesia! The airport is modern and sparkly and huge, as if to puff out its chest with the knowledge that it is a regional hub. Continuing with its modernity is a fast, well built highway into town. Maybe because we're not used to reaching such high speeds here in Jakarta, or maybe because our taxi driver really was a bit of a maniac, but both J and I were holding on tight to our seats the whole way into town. So...maybe it's a good thing that we can't go so fast in Jakarta.

I had received a recommendation from a friend to stay at the President Park Suites while in Bangkok, as it was inexpensive and spacious. We had a huge 2 bedroom apartment for about $100/night, which included breakfast and a tuk-tuk shuttle to the nearest sky train station. It was very nicely appointed and evidently quite a find (2 other guests asked us how we found out about it).

The morning after we arrived we set off to see the Grand Palace. Much to the pleasure of the boys, we decided to take several different modes of transportation to get there: tuk-tuk, skytrain (a notable difference being the seats nearest the doors have a sign posted requesting those seats be reserved for monks), and finally river boat taxi. The boat taxi took us down the dirty Mae Nam Chao Phraya river, past some small houses and hotels and a few impressive temples, to where we exited for the palace. Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) and the Grand Palace house a series of strikingly beautiful buildings, murals, statues, and grounds that are, well, fit for a king. The decoration on the outside of these buildings is incredibly intricate and spectacular, it is inspiring to imagine the amount of time it took to adorn these structures. We spent the whole morning wandering through the palace grounds until we knew the children were about to disown us. So off we went to lunch (I had a surprisingly good Thai meal at a nondescript restaurant by the pier) and then a taxi ride back to the hotel for LC's nap.

That evening we fed the boys and put them to bed and then left them with a babysitter (J, being the worry wort that he is, almost convinced himself that our sweet petite Thai babysitter was going to steal them while we were gone). J has a friend in Bangkok so we went out on the town with him. Our first stop was dinner at Cabbages & Condoms, a somewhat famous landmark in Bangkok. The restaurant was conceptualized to both promote family planning and to generate income to support various development activities in Thailand. All the flowers in the restaurant were made out of condoms, as well as a few "condom superhero" statues. The food was good and it was a fun experience, and all for a good cause! After dinner we headed to Patpong, Bangkok's famous red light district. We went to watch one of the famous Ping Pong shows. If you don't know what I'm referring to I'd rather not explain it on this mostly family-friendly site. I will just say that it was certainly an "interesting" show, J was very disappointed but we're glad we did it, and I doubt we'll ever do it again.

On our final day in Bangkok we hired a tour guide through Chang Thai Travel to take us to Damnoen Saduak, a floating market about 100 km from Bangkok. We aren't typically people who hire tour guides, as we enjoy just wandering at our own pace and know we'll remember very little from a tour anyway. However, on this trip we didn't want to hassle with transportation difficulties and didn't want to have to deal with figuring out what we're supposed to do. It was a bit pricey, but we're glad we organized the tour. A comfortable air conditioned bus picked us up from the hotel and a very nice lady who spoke pretty good English (both J and I were surprised that the Thais don't speak better English since it's such a popular tourist destination point and is a regional hub) provided us with good information about the sites we passed and where we went. On our way to the floating market we made a stop at a sugar cane plantation. They demonstrated how the sugar cane is produced, and let us taste this wonderful caramelized candy they make from the sugar cane. And of course we made the mandatory stop at a craft shop, which was full of tourists and random trinkets from Thailand.

Finally we arrived at a small "port" beside a canal, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. We quickly boarded a long boat for a ride through the canals, passing rice fields and river houses along the way. It was very interesting to have a glimpse of life on the water...the front doors of all the houses faced the canal and all had some sort of pier for people to dock their boats. There were several general stores along the canal that also faced the canal, as arriving by boat is the main way to approach the shops. The we arrived into "town" - the main market area that is built along the canals. While you can access the shops from land, the main way is definitely by boat. There are shops built on land, but there are also women selling produce and snacks in boats tied up to the piers. There was abundant color and activity and it was a lot of fun!

The following day we returned to the airport to take our Bangkok Air flight to Ko Samui island, which is on the Eastern side of the Thai peninsula. We also considered going to Phuket or Krabi on the Western side, but because we went during the rainy season we heard the Eastern side is drier. I think we made a good decision as it only rained twice while we were in Thailand and both times was at night. The flight down to Ko Samui was an easy 1 hour, and Bangkok Air was great for a budget airline (they fed us and gave the boys nice toys!). We had learned beforehand (I love Trip Advisor!) that taxis on the island were expensive so we were prepared. We were able to bargain only a little though, so our 10 minute drive to our hotel was still far overpriced.

Ko Samui is a fairly big island so there are many different places on the beach to choose from. I spent quite a bit of time on Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet trying to decide which beach would be best for our family. I finally decided on Choeng Mon beach, which turned out to be a perfect decision! I can't imagine a better beach for a family with young children. It was very quiet (maybe even quieter than usual since it was low season) with very few hawkers. The sand was soft and very clean, and the water was clear and very shallow and calm. It was beautiful and peaceful and perfect! The boys had such a great time playing in the sand and the shallow water, and we had such a nice relaxing time watching them and reading! There were only a few hotels on the beach (none of them big high rises), as well as a few beach front restaurants. We ate fresh seafood on the beach a couple times, and enjoyed the quietly lapping waves. I also had a couple massages on the beach which were wonderful.

The hotel we stayed in was very interesting. It's called the Imperial Boat House and all the suites are located in these old rice barges that have been converted to hotel rooms. There was a porch and living room upstairs, and a bathroom, sitting room and bedroom downstairs. It was a bit old and the bathroom could use remodeling, but there was plenty of space for us and it was "fun"! There are also 2 nice swimming pools for when we wanted an alternative to the beach.

One day we rented a car to drive around the island. We drove the whole circumference so we were able to really see that we picked the perfect place to stay. We drove through Chaweng town/beach, which is the major beach on the island. We didn't see the beach, but the town was pretty awful - totally overbuilt and crowded and probably very noisy during peak seasons. We drove to the southern part of the island to a hilly area where they had elephant trekking. J and C got up on one elephant and LC and I on another, and then we walked through the forest for about 1/2 hour. This was my first time ever riding an elephant so I thought it was pretty neat! As is often the case for C and LC though, they're too young to know that this is actually a very special experience! Their view of normal is going to be so warped after living in Asia for so many years! After our elephant trek we tried to find a waterfall, but after hiking up with the boys for 20 minutes, with no idea how much longer it would be, we decided to turn back. En route back to the hotel we found a British pub to have lunch. It was a cute place facing the water, but unfortunately their burgers were disappointing.

That night we headed to Hat Bo Phut for dinner. It used to be a fishing village that has been transformed into a trendy little area filled with boutiques and restaurants. It was very cute with many great options for dinner. We decided on a sweet little Italian place facing the water, and although we had a good time J and I wished we had had some couples time. It would have been a fun area to go out in and have some time together. But oh well!

All in all it was a great trip and I'd love to return to Thailand again some day. I'd like to see Krabi (which is supposed to be breathtakingly gorgeous) and go up to Chiang Mai in the north to have more of a Thai cultural experience and to visit some of the hill villages. Visiting Bangkok and Ko Samui was a great vacation with the kids though!

Catching up with C

C has been a busy boy of late, with turning 5 and starting kindergarten and all. He actually had 2 birthday parties, one with his Nana and Peepah while we were back in Wisconsin and then one here in Jakarta with his friends. Since he loves all things birthday and loves it when life is all about him, he had a blast at both parties! I don't know if it's the knowing that he is another year older, or if it's just coincidence, but the person he is in my eyes or the phases he goes through do seem to change with each passing year. His 4th year was mostly a very challenging time for me. The talking back seemed to take hold in a serious way, the potty talk was more abundant, and the general struggle with emerging from the toddler stage to the school boy stage was a very rocky transition. Perhaps worst of all was that I didn't expect it, I didn't know the 4th year could be so difficult. However, fortunately for our family he wasn't strangled in the process and sharing life with him is becoming easier and more fun once again. And now he is becoming more independent and ever so slowly moving away from his mother's arms. Thank goodness he is still my cuddlebug, but the move away has begun. I am trying not to dwell on this realization, but instead celebrating the freedom this affords me and the boy who's personality is becoming richer and more complex.

Cutting his Ben Ten cake at his Jakarta bday party

So far he is really enjoying kindergarten. He is attending the Jakarta International School (JIS) and we are impressed with the school. His teacher seems great and he is making friends with the other kids in his class. He has more responsibilities now (and so do I, as well as a much earlier wake-up call!) and is being challenged in new and fun ways. He rides the bus to school and back and we both love that! He has also started playing soccer after school once/week and he really seems to like it. I am very relieved about this as he tends to give up very quickly and isn't very "sporty", but I think it would be good for him to be part of a sports activity and to learn about perseverance.

His first day of school

Coming home on the bus

At soccer practice

The bad news about C of late pertains to his teeth. Ever since he was conceived I have wished for him to inherit his father's teeth and his mother's eyes (J has had like 1 cavity his whole life and I have never had to wear glasses). Unfortunately though it seems that he has inherited my teeth, as at the tender age of 5 he has 1 deep cavity and another tooth needing a root canal. How this happens to a boy who brushes his teeth daily and doesn't eat very much candy or soda is beyond me, but it seems it must be genetic. So we have started brushing more earnestly and have also begun flossing (I mean, it seems cruel and unusual punishment that a 5 year old should have to floss!). In the meantime, however, we have to get his teeth fixed. Fortunately we finally found an excellent dentist in Jakarta, but by then he had already developed some fears (like having water sprayed in his mouth). We have spent numerous visits trying to overcome his fears and were just about ready to make a trip to Singapore so he could go under general anesthesia and get his teeth fixed. Fortunately though we tried one more time here in Jakarta and this time he learned to tolerate the nitrous oxide and it looks like we will be able to complete the work here. Thank goodness, as this will save him from being knocked out, save us a couple thousand dollars, and save 1-2 teeth from being extracted!

So there is C's life from the last 6 weeks in a nutshell!

Hey there stranger!

I know, I know! It's been over 3 months in fact...long time no see! How ya been?

I apologize for the long absence. Between all the trips we have taken in the last several months and a general feeling on my part of not wanting to sit in front of the computer, I have not found the time nor the inclination to write. I will try to give a brief summary of our life since April, and then we can move on to the here and now.

The family dressed in traditional Indonesian batik for C's end-of-school-year concert

In April we took a fabulous trip to Western Australia. We spent a few days in Perth and a few days in Margaret River, an area south of Perth that is well known for their wine production and nice beaches. The weather was perfect - sunny and warm during the day and cold and crisp at night. We thoroughly enjoyed all the fresh air and good food that W. Australia had to offer. Our activities in Perth included walking around the city and parks, visits to playgrounds, walks on the beach, and petting koala bears and 'kookoorooroos' (that's kangaroos in LC-ese) at a wildlife park. Farther south we did much of the same - beach walks and playground visits, walking and shopping around Margaret River town, and a visit to a winery. I would have preferred more time at wineries, but unfortunately I was outvoted. All in all a very good trip!

A few observations about Western Australia:

- it's very pretty and wide open and lovely, in a barren and solitary-like way

- food in restaurants is ridiculously expensive, and we never figured out why

- they are brilliant when it comes to playgrounds - there was even a playground at the winery!

- they make excellent wine

- Perth is the most isolated city, and it is closer to Jakarta than it is to Sydney

- Perth feels more like a big country town then a metropolis

In May J and I took a long weekend to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. We went to Losari coffee plantation and resort in Central Java. We had an absolutely wonderful time enjoying the quiet and relaxation and cooler temperatures. The resort is in a beautiful setting and has a lovely spa, a beautiful lounge and reception area where they served afternoon tea, and a bar with a pool table where I am happy to say I beat J twice! I also enjoyed my first al fresco yoga session one morning overlooking the fog wisped (I realize wisp is not a verb but it should be!) mountain. It was another successful adventure!

Losari Coffee Plantation and Resort

Our latest voyage was our longest - 7 weeks back in the US. This trip was our home leave so J was able to join us for 3 weeks of the trip, and his work paid for our flights in business class. The trip over went much better than it had the previous year. The fact that LC is a whole year older made a huge difference, and we were able to get him to sleep more easily and he was entertained for quite some time by videos. The worst part of the trip back was in Dallas when we ended up with an 8 hour layover instead of the 4 hours we had planned. We had to carry both sleeping children onto the plane to Florida because they just couldn't stay awake any longer. While this delay really sucked at the time, in the end it might have been an excellent mishap. As a result of the delay we didn't get the kids to bed at J's parents' house in Florida until 11 p.m. And so, they slept through the night! And they slept through the night every night afterward, so jet lag was not nearly as challenging as it could have been.

The view of sunrise from the plane as we neared America

While in Florida we relaxed and ate a lot of ham and did some shopping. And then we went to Disney. Unfortunately for us J was sick for most of that adventure, although he isn't much of a Disney aficionado, so he was quite happy to get out of as many Disney activities as he could. The rest of us however had a marvelous time! My SIL and FIL did an excellent job of planning the trip, so we stayed in a nice hotel on the park grounds, ate meals in good restaurants, and even enjoyed a 'character breakfast' when Mickey, Goofy, Lilo and Stitch came around to our table to hug the kids.

We spent the most time at Magical Kingdom, where we enjoyed a couple parades, went on several rides and walked and walked! We also went to Hollywood Studios and Epcot, which is my favorite, although we didn't spend very much time there. Unfortunately the heat was horrible - incredibly hot and humid and far worse than it ever is in Jakarta! But aside from that we had a really great time, and it was so fun for me to enjoy Disney with my children and view the wonder through their eyes.

From Florida we headed to Washington, DC where we lived before moving to Indonesia and where most of our friends live. The weather in DC was absolutely perfect, and once again we walked all over! We revisited the Air & Space Museum and the Natural History Museum like we did last year. Although C is still interested in dinosaurs, he didn't seem to enjoy the Natural History Museum nearly as much as he did last year. However, he still really liked the planes and spaceships at Air & Space. We also enjoyed a morning at the zoo and it was wonderful as always. This year we also included a tour around the memorials and monuments. J and I really enjoy doing this, and the kids were quite tolerant. We ended up walking for miles, or at least it felt like it, and incredibly C walked for much of it.

In front of the capital building

At the Roosevelt Memorial

After spending most of the week in DC we enjoyed Independence Day weekend with our good friends in Silver Spring, MD. As always we had a fantastic time catching up and relaxing with our dearest friends. On July 4th our hosts cooked an amazing slow-cooked pork dish which still makes me salivate, and LC burned his finger on his first sparkler - a successful Independence Day if you ask me!

Unfortunately mom was too busy taking a photo to realize LC was just about to burn his finger

C, aka Spiderman, with a sparkler

Wisconsin was our next destination. J stayed for our first week and then flew to NC for work, and then finally back to Jakarta. The kids and I stayed in Wisconsin for a total of 1 month so that we could have more frequent and more relaxed visits with my family and friends. We were fortunate enough to be able to spend the month in our dear friend's unoccupied yet furnished house so that we weren't living on top of my mom the whole time. Of course this meant I had to do some cooking and cleaning for the first time in 2.5 years, but it was well worth it!

C's 5th bday party - party #1
As you can plainly see, LC loved C's cake!

J pretends to be an East Coast big city snob, but really he's a Cheesehead at heart

The weather in WI was mostly horrendous, considering that it was supposed to be the warmest time of the year. It only reached 60F a few days and rarely made it to 80F. This threw a wrench in my plan to spend a great deal of time at outdoor concerts and at our friend's lake house, but it was also a nice change to have cooler weather. We spent a great deal of time at playgrounds and eating ice cream, visiting with friends and family, going to children's museums, going to movies and doing some shopping. I also had the opportunity to catch up with a few long lost high school friends, make a weekend trip to Minneapolis, and enjoy a small town parade with my extended family. All in all it was a successful trip and my belly is nicely full from all the cheese, beer, ice cream and brats that I stuffed into it (have you noticed the pork consumption theme of the trip?...).

And then the dreaded day arrived, the day when I would have to fly back to Jakarta for 36 hours alone with a 2 year old and a 5 year old. The saving grace of the trip was that we were able to take the direct flight from Newark to Singapore (at 18 hours it is the longest flight in the world) on Singapore Airlines in business class. And this is a huge bonus I fully admit. It made it much more manageable, and in the end really benefited everyone. Because, if it hadn't been for those nice seats that allowed us all to get some decent sleep, my children might no longer be alive. The trip was quite tolerable until the last 4 hours of the 18 hour flight and the 4 hour layover in Singapore. By the end of that long plane ride LC was jumping all over the place, creating make-shift slides wherever he could, screaming at every diaper change, and just plain acting like an overtired 2 year old boy. And then the layover in Singapore, which was 240 long minutes of hell. I couldn't get us on the earlier flight back to Jakarta, so I was stuck with 2 kids who were exhausted and who had had enough of each other. They were at each other the entire time and I was minutes away from losing it. Fortunately, before I lost my last screw, it was time to get on our last flight and the boys slept the whole flight back.

So all in all it was a successful trip - I didn't strangle my kids, my belly is full of pig meat and cow milk of various forms, and my lungs are once again a pretty pink color from all the lovely fresh air!

And now we're back in Jakarta and the jet lag has mostly subsided. Five days after we returned we held another birthday party for C with all his friends, then LC started back at school, and C started kindergarten, and riding the bus!, at the Jakarta International School. We have dived back into our life here and we will continue to be busy with the many trips and family visits we have planned for this next year!

Happy Mother's Day!

According to some, Jakarta sucks

So, evidently my family and I live in the 2nd worst expat city in the world. This is not counting high conflict cities such as Baghdad, but according to this report the only worse city to live in as an expat than ours is Lagos. And while I've never been to Lagos, my impression is that there would have to be a big jump from Lagos to Jakarta.

My friends and I have been discussing it and we are all quite surprised at Jakarta's low ranking. I tried to find out from the ORC Worldwide website, which conducted the survey, what all of the criteria were for the survey and who they surveyed, but I was unsuccessful. I do know from the article that the firm looked at 55 cities that could be considered "hardship posts" and considered aspects such as pollution, disease, political violence, and availability of goods and services.

I will be the first to admit that pollution is pretty bad here. While I don't see a grey cloud hanging over Jakarta, I also don't see clear blue skies all that often. I also believe that the pollution is part of the explanation as to why I've gotten sick so much here (colds and other respiratory infections) and why the illnesses hang on for seemingly ever. However, it doesn't hurt to breath and I'm sure there is worse pollution in other cities.

Jakarta is in the tropics, so with all this humidity and heat year round there is bound to be more diseases here than in many other locations. And Jakarta isn't the cleanest town, but I've seen and heard about far worse. Related to the disease criteria, I would guess that access to medical care was also one of the criteria that was considered in the survey. Again, medical care here is better than some places, and worse than others. Having lived and traveled all over Africa however, I have to say access to medical care is much better here. And, Singapore, which has premiere medical care, is only 1.5 hours away by plane.

The survey also considered political violence, and I can't believe that Jakarta would have scored poorly on this criteria. For one, Indonesians are not a violent people in general. Just last month Indonesia had elections and I heard of very few instances of violence. There are demonstrations and rallies like in any truly democratic society, but violence is rare. I imagine the threat of terrorism was also considered during the survey, and I know that the US and other governments consider Indonesia to be a high risk country for attacks. The threat of terrorist attacks does exist here, but there hasn't been a large scale attack since the Bali bombings in 2002 and no significant small attacks since 2003. All of the hotels, malls, large office buildings and some restaurants screen both cars and people for weapons and bombs. I rarely even think about the threat of terrorism here, and I honestly feel no less safe here than I did living in the D.C. area.

Jakarta must have scored well on access to goods and services. I can get almost anything I want here, and there are plenty of nice restaurants and opportunities for entertainment. The malls have Gucci stores, the movie theaters show current movies and have lounge chairs and hi def speakers, there are 2 Starbucks within a 10 minute drive of our house and several nice grocery stores where you can procure almost any ingredient. There are playgrounds and water parks and a Sea World and a zoo for children. There are first class international schools, high speed internet, and almost everyone speaks English.

All of this leads me to wonder who they asked! I'm guessing they surveyed executives of for-profit companies who have either never lived abroad or only lived in 1st world countries. They probably spend hours stuck in traffic, which is horrible here, but who don't really know Indonesians well and who may not have children. Did they survey people who work for a wide variety of companies? Did they survey the non-working spouses? Did they survey parents of young children?

All in all I think they got it wrong. Jakarta is a great place to live. Yes the pollution is pretty bad and the traffic can really suck, there are way too many people and motorcycles, and there is a small threat of terrorist attacks and a big threat of natural disasters.

But, there are so many wonderful things about Jakarta. For starters, Indonesians are really wonderful people. They are open, kind, patient and they love to laugh. Living amongst people who welcome you to their country is to me probably the most important criteria of whether a city is a good expat city or not. Did they even consider this? Furthermore, the expat community is large and diverse, there are plenty of creature comforts, domestic labor is cheap so we are well taken care of (this sounds a bit crass but so true), it is a financially advantageous place to live, we have access to good medical facilities and schools, and there are many exciting and nearby travel destinations. Basically, I think ORC Worldwide is pretty off the mark!

Photos from March

I have half written a post about a couple recent trips I took to Singapore, but in the mean time I thought I'd post a few photos of the boys from the last month or so. Hopefully I'll get the Singapore entry posted this week as well, because we're headed to Perth on Sunday for one fun-filled week!

The following photo was taken a couple weekends ago when we went to Taman Mini, an amusement-type park that is about 20 minutes from our house. In Taman Mini there is a cable car, a bird park, reptile park, aquarium, transportation museum, examples of different housing throughout Indonesia, and other activities. This photo was taken while we were waiting for the train to take us around the park. Notice the sweat drenched hair plastered to their heads?


Here is C and LC posing with their "friends" during their tea party. They were very sweet with all their friends and made sure they all had an equal share. And no, there is no special reason why C is wearing a Spiderman costume. Why be regular old C when you can be Spiderman?! Our friends in DC may remember that C absolutely refused to wear a costume for Halloween the year before we left the US (he was almost 2.5 then. He was supposed to be a cowboy but was a Packer fan instead since his coat happened to be a Packer coat). Now we've gone to the other extreme - we have trouble getting them off him!



LC takes a 2 hour nap every afternoon. C no longer takes naps (except on very rare occasions), but some Sundays J and I are desperate for a bit more sleep. This photo was taken on one of those Sundays. When J and I awoke from our nap, this is what we found in the playroom. It is probably difficult to see what's going on in this photo. It's basically a car/airplane/dinosaur/Ben Ten convention. It was miraculous that C played on his own for 2 hours straight without coming into our room even once, and here is what kept him so busy. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to hear what conversations the cars, airplanes, dinosaurs, and Ben Ten characters were having!


We took the following two photos today. Both C and LC love their rain boots. And here they are modeling them - C is hamming it up for the camera while still in his PJs and wearing his fireman rain boots, and C is showing off his baby belly and bumble bee boots (and trying to push C out of the way in order to get some food from Dad).

This morning we drove about 1 hour outside of Jakarta with some friends. Here are some of the kids on their way to feed the ducks. We had a great time enjoying the open space and getting out of the polluted hustle and bustle of Jakarta. While there we visited some cows and sheep and fish, walked around the orchid and orange orchards, and had a nice picnic. It was a very nice day and we realized we need to get out of Jakarta more often!

Spa-ing, Jakarta style

Surprisingly, I haven't yet bragged about the amazing spa opportunities here in Jakarta. If you love to indulge in a spa treatment from time to time but don't like the hit it takes on your pocketbook, then Jakarta is an ideal place to be. There are endless facilities and treatments to indulge in, and there is something to suit everyone. After more than 2 years here I have found my favorite spots for the different treatments, but I am still searching for just 1 location that does everything well and has the best atmosphere. I don't think I'll ever find it, but it's awfully fun to look!

My most favorite treatment is a plain old massage. The best massage I've ever had is in Eau Claire, WI from a professional massage therapist who is also a dear family friend. I don't think any massage will ever be as good as her's. However, while I haven't found a massage here that is as good as the massages you can get in the US, they are far less expensive and are often in more beautiful surroundings. The cheapest massages I've heard of in Indonesia are on the beach at a hotel or resort, but from women who are not affiliated with the hotel. One hour of massage from one of these ladies can cost between $2-5. Yes, one hour, on the beach, for less than a value meal at McDonald's.

In Jakarta prices are more, but not a whole lot more! I know of a business that will send a masseuse to your house for the bargain price of $8 for 1 hour. I have a friend who regularly uses this service - why I haven't yet is beyond me...! One hour massages at most of the salons cost well under $20. The price varies by a couple dollars (or by thousands of rupiah I should say), but this price seems to be fairly standard. It's more expensive in the hotel spas, as you would expect, and quite a bit more in the Bali hotels (although still cheaper than in the US). My favorite place to go is just 5 minutes away from my house (one of the benefits) at Allure Spa. I like the treatment rooms, they smell good, there are showers and a sauna, a cafe if I'm lucky to have that much time, they give you ginger tea, and of course the massages are very good. This place is hit or miss with the massage therapists, so I only go there if I can get someone I like. The cost for 1.5 hour massage: 240,000 rp or about $20!

Manicures and pedicures are also popular here. The best thing about having them done here is that you can have it done simultaneously during another treatment, such as getting your hair done, getting a cream bath (more later) or a facial. Indonesia is a full service sort of place when it comes to spas! This is a fortunate thing here as with wearing sandals year-round your feet can get pretty messed up fairly quickly. Almost all the hair salons and spas do manis and pedis, and I often get them done somewhere close to home to cut down on time. But my favorite place to get them is a spa called Rangoon Feliz. They are one of the fastest places (somehow most places take 1.5 hours to do a pedi) and definitely have the best atmosphere - nice decor, open room overlooking a tropical garden and with the soothing sound of bubbling water. It's very peaceful.

A wonderful discovery I had upon arriving in Jakarta is this treatment called "cream bath". If I ever wanted to open a salon in the US I would definitely import this treatment. First you have your hair slowly washed and deep conditioned. While they leave the conditioner on you sit in a chair while they massage your head, neck, shoulders and upper back for about 1 hour. And remember that they do several treatments at once? So imagine sitting there with someone massaging your shoulders, while another woman is giving you a manicure, and a third woman is giving you a pedicure, while you sip ginger tea (or champagne!) overlooking a beautiful garden. It is amazingly ridiculous, and feels so wonderfully indulgent! And it only costs about $10!

My mother's and mother-in-law's favorite treatment here is the facial. When we moved here one of J's colleagues recommended a woman from Mil-n-Mat salon for facials. She told me she was the best in Jakarta so I never bothered to look anywhere else. For about $20, not only do you get a facial (using a European skin care product), but you also get a fantastically relaxing head and face massage. It usually lasts 1.5 hours and it is wonderful. My mom and J's mom both loved it and I suspect it is at the top of their to do list when/if they come back to Jakarta.

Reflexology is also very popular here and you can find reflexology spots in most malls and neighborhoods. I think they're very nice, although J wonders why anyone would subject themselves to that kind of torture and actually pay for it.

My latest discovery in the realm of self pampering is a "fish spa". This concept is an import originally from Turkey, and is becoming popular all over Asia. Basically, you sit with your feet in a pool of water where 100 or so Garra Rufa fish (also known as Dr. Fish species) nibble at your feet! It is by far one of the most bizarre sensations I've ever experienced. It didn't hurt in the least as they fish don't have any teeth, but it tickles and is just very odd. In the beginning I felt a bit hysterical having all these tiny fish nibble at my skin, but by the end of the 1/2 hour it did feel kind of good, and my skin felt nice and smooth afterwards. Evidently this treatment was historically used to treat some skin diseases, and now is also used for relaxation, exfoliation and to promote blood circulation. It was quite an experience that I'm glad I've had, but if I have time for a spa treatment I'd definitely prefer something else. Plus, at 120,000 rp ($10) for 1/2 hour it's actually on the expensive side. For anyone who is fairly ticklish on their feet, this would be pure torture.

Fish spa therapy