Page 3 - Fifty-fifty Aug 2021 (1)

NICK & ROS TOURED JAVA IN 2014

by Nick Lmbrechtsen

We visited Indonesia in June 2014, mainly as part of a tour group [see next paragraph], but
first we stayed in Jakarta with our friends Rayadi Inak and his wife Tuti Kisseliowati who had
been posted at the Indonesian Embassy in the 1990’s. But she was back at Deplu Head
Office. While they were here, Rayadi was a diplomatic spouse, and a wonderful, very
energetic link between KBRI and NZIA. They enabled us to walk on Jalan Jend Sudirman on a
Sunday morning, an amazing experience; they took us to an Indonesian wedding, and we had
dinner with Bapak Amris Hassan who had been Duta Besar in Wellington. We had a meal at
their fish restaurant since Rayadi is a chef. We also saw the Jakarta Flower Show and visited
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. They gave us a truly wonderful time.

Then we toured from Jakarta to Surabaya in 2014
as part of a group, consisting of fellow graduates
from the State College of Tropical Agriculture,
Deventer, the Netherlands. This college trained
people to become plantation managers in
Indonesia but the Dutch were not particularly
welcome there after WW2 so most graduates
emigrated. The bulk of the tour group were from
Australia but there was a smattering of Kiwis. The
tour of 34 persons was organised by an Australian
graduate in collaboration with Affordable Travel
Pty Ltd and Benidta Tours. The group was very
excited to be back in Indonesia; many were born
there or had lived there for many years until they
were told to leave in 1949 or later. Staff at "Gule Kepala Ikan”, Pejambon, with Rayadi on my left side

The tour started by bus in Jakarta on 10 June with a trip to Fatahillah Square in “Old Batavia” Jakarta and lunch in
Batavia Café which overlooks the Square and the Wayang Museum which we visited afterwards. The picture gallery
in Batavia Café is most impressive and has some funny old Dutch signboards as well. At the Wayang Museum we
enjoyed Daniel, the very enthusiastic guide who impressed me with having taught birth control in African countries,
using wayang figures, as part of a UNESCO project. He came from a long line of wayang puppet makers and
showed us figures which were larger than life. In the Wayang Museum we also saw the graves of high VOC officials
and other prominenti of that era. I noticed that the famous cannon of fertility “Si Jagur” in Fatahillah Square is now
barricaded, which must reduce population growth. For details, see
http://indahnesia.com/indonesia/JAKTAM/fatahillah_square.php

Fatahillah Square, Old Batavia, Jakarta

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