• Expat’s Perspective on Indonesian Bureaucracy & Police Practices: Arranging a Driver’s License & Vehicle Registration

    Throughout my life in Indonesia I have noticed that when dealing with government institutions, for example when arranging a residence permit (KITAS/KITAP), a work permit (IMTA) or a building permit (IMB), there are two options: (1) do everything according to official guidelines (based on laws, regulations, and policies) but expect to see a delay, or (2) pay a higher price at the start but ‘get things done quickly’.

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  • Political Correctness in the West; a Step Forward or Leap Backward? And, Will It Spread to Indonesia?

    I have been living in Indonesia for more than eight years (and before permanently moving to this beautiful country I had been visiting Indonesia frequently since late- 1998). But although I’m currently far away from the West, I’ve never been following Western politics and Western media closer than I am doing now - and with Western politics I mainly refer to the political and (interrelated) social developments in the European Union (EU) and the United States (US).

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  • Escaping Jakarta's Chaos; Spending a Refreshing Weekend in Bogor

    Those who live in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta and find themselves frequently stuck in the middle of the city’s grave traffic congestion, while their horizons are being curtailed by the capital’s tall skyscrapers may want to escape this hectic metropolitan by spending a refreshing weekend in Bogor, a city – located some 50 kilometers south of Jakarta – that is particularly known for its Presidential Palace and the botanical gardens (in Indonesian: Kebun Raya Bogor).

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