Hong Kong Accomodations

We wanted to take a trip to Hong Kong over Thanksgiving weekend.  I didn’t know it would be so difficult to find reasonably priced accomodations for a family of 5.  Most of the hotels did not offer rooms with 2 double beds.  The hotel rooms in Hong Kong are small and most would not let us have more than 2 adults and 1 child per room.  There were some hotels that had family suites but they were expensive.  Our friends that had been to Hong Kong recommended the YMCA Salisbury.  It is listed as a hostel, but from what I understand, it is pretty much a nice hotel.  I noticed that my travel books also listed the YMCA Salisbury as the only hotel for families.  Sadly, the YMCA Salisbury was booked for the weekend we wanted.

DH and I decided to book accomodations on http://www.airbnb.com/.  I had heard about several websites like airbnb where people list their apartments or homes for temporary stays.  We booked a 2-bedroom apartment in the Soho area of Hong Kong.  The apartment was small, but it was definitely more than adequate for our short stay in Hong Kong.  We had a positive experience with booking accomodations through http://www.airbnb.com/ and would definitely consider doing it again, especially in places like Hong Kong where it is difficult to book larger suites for families at a reasonable cost.
We paid roughly US $130 per night. The apartment had 2 queen beds and a pull out sofa bed in the living room. We were provided with towels and linens.  There was a small kitchen that was equipped with pots and pans and bowls and utensils.  There was also a small fridge and microwave.  We had a TV with cable and free internet access.  The only downsides to the apartment were that 1) it was on the 4th floor with no lift access 2) the building was really old and seemed rundown and 3) the apartment was definitely on the cozy side. 

The bedrooms were big enough just for a bed. 


Very tiny kitchen.


The kids enjoying pizza on the rooftop of the apartment building.


Still, we enjoyed our stay in Hong Kong very much. The next few posts will be about our short trip to Hong Kong.

Bintara Art Gallery

We are headed to Hong Kong in a few days to meet up with some of our old friends/neighbors from Texas that currently live in Shanghai.  I wanted to get some souvenirs to take with me for my friends’ children.  I was thinking more along the lines of T-shirts with pictures or words that had something about Indonesia or Jakarta on them.  I put off shopping until the last minute, and this week is filled with activities at school for UN Day and Thanksgiving.  I had been worried that I would not be able to find time to make it down to Blok M or Pasa Raya to look for shirts or souvenirs. 

I was at a friend’s house this morning and she told me about a shop called Bintara that is close to where I live.   She described Bintara as a kind of mini Pasa Raya where you can buy all sorts of Indonesian handicrafts. 

I headed to Bintara and found all sorts of things. I didn’t have much time to browse, but I was able to find some fun souvenirs for my friends.  The prices at Bintara are extremely reasonable.  I found them to be considerably less expensive than at Pasa Raya.  There were tables that had clearance merchandise marked 40% off.  Also, I received various discounts ranging from 10 to 20% on items that had not been marked for sale.  I really wish I had more time to browse.  I also wish I had brought my camera.  Generally I try to have my point-and-shoot in my purse but I downloaded some pictures last night and forgot to put the camera back.

I forgot to mention that the salespeople were very friendly and the few that I spoke with all spoke at least a little english. I’m sure I will be back to Bintara sometime in the near future.  I would love to browse their entire collection of art, handicrafts, and souvenirs which is spread out over 3 floors.  It is definitely not as large a collection as can be found at Pasa Raya, but it is also not as overwhelming.  I really enjoyed the short time that I was able to spend at Bintara this morning. 

Bintara Art Gallery Jakarta
Jl. Wolter Monginsidi No.43
Blok Q, Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
Phone: 021-7251442

SEA Games

Before the SEA Games began last week, I thought that the games would be water-related sports like swimming, diving, canoeing, etc.  I told DH I thought it was funny how the SEA games included non-water related sports like Tae-Kwon Do, archery, ping-pong, etc.  DH laughed and said SEA stood for South East Asia.  I felt a bit sheepish afterwards. I blame my kids for my lack of brain cells these days…ha ha.
Anyhow, we live near the Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan where many of the events are being held.  Traffic has been especially terrible since the games have started.  Our complex and the nearby hotel must be housing many of the participants because we see athletes everywhere.  I must say that I can hardly wait for this whole thing to be over with.  I didn’t know the traffic could be worse than it already is normally.



I do think it is neat how the city is decked out with colorful flags and signs and blow-up Komodo Dragons. The Indonesians do have a lot of spirit or pride in their country.  The kids like seeing “Modo” and “Modi” which are the mascots for the games. My 3-year old calls the two Komodo dragons “Komodi” every time we pass by them.  My driver laughs when my daughter says “Komodi” so it must mean something very different in Indonesian.




We see people everywhere wearing red shirts and recently we have seen vendors selling red and white checkered hats, shirts, and of all things, scarves with the word Indonesia on it.  DH thought it was funny that they were selling knit scarves in Indonesia so he bought one.  We see people wearing the scarves.  I laughed when I first saw the scarf.  Does it get cool or cold enough in Jakarta to wear a scarf ever?  Um….no!  All DH and I could say was, “Only in Indonesia!”  We have found ourselves saying that quite often in the 8 months we have lived here. 



Now that we feel pretty settled in Jakarta, we like it here.  There is never a dull moment living in the Big Durian.  DH and I always say you just have to expect the unexpected in Indonesia.  You never know what unusual or interesting thing you may see or that may happen next!

Rumah Sakit

I love the Indonesian words for hospital “rumah sakit.”  A literal translation is sick (sakit) house (rumah).  The descriptive word or adjective comes after the noun.   This last saturday, I found myself at the sick house dreading an impending medical procedure. The procedure itself is not complicated. It’s considered out-patient surgery although I needed to be under general anesthesia for the procedure.  I told my husband that I was going to run away screaming if I thought the hospital was not up to my expectations. 

I was referred to the MMC Hospital (Metropolitan Medical Center) by my Indonesian doctor at the SOS Clinic in Kuningan.  The SOS Clinic has a good reputation for having reputable doctors so I tried to have faith in the fact that my doctor was indeed qualified and that the hospital was up to standard as well. I have to admit when we pulled up to the hospital, I was rather nervous. It didn’t really look like a nice hospital from the outside.



When we got inside, the lobby area was fairly nice.  The furniture seemed rather dated, but everything was clean.  The staff was friendly and helpful.  The doctor met us at the hospital and showed us how to get registered/admitted. Everything went smoothly and quickly.

I was expecting a long wait since this is Indonesia, but my appointment was at 10am and I was in my hospital gown awaiting my procedure by a little after 10am.  I was wheeled into the operating room and put under shortly thereafter and the whole procedure was done in less than half an hour.  By 10:45am I was back at my bed waiting for the anesthesia to completely wear off. I was discharged about 45 minutes later and on my way home.  Everything went really well. I was pleasantly surprised.

So the scary part of the whole ordeal was once you were past the lobby area, the entire hospital looked to me like a throwback to decades earlier…the 1940s come to mind although the hospital is only 25 years old. The nurses even wear uniforms with the little white hats…you know what I’m talking about right?

I tried to look up the MMC hospital on google but there wasn’t much.  I did come across this site that stated:
The MMC hospital in Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan has been one of the best hospitals in Jakarta, and it has been able to keep this status, due to their complete and high-tech medical facilities, as well as the services provided.

So, I think it was a good hospital with good doctors and nurses, but I swear you would never think that looking at the place.

Here’s a picture I snapped of the labor and delivery room.  I think this is where women stay until they are wheeled to another room to have the baby.  Then they come back to this room.



Here I am after the whole ordeal.  I’m still alive and everything went well…what a relief! 



My husband said the hospital was alot nicer than he expected.  I personally would have run away if I had a choice.  I think for anything serious I would definitely consider going to Singapore.  I did trust my doctor though and my anesthesiologist spoke impeccable english and seemed very confident and qualified as well.  I can’t say that I would want to go back to another Indonesian hospital, but I must say that despite it’s outward appearance, the MMC was a good hospital. I had a positive experience overall…whew!

Oh...I forgot to mention that you have to pay for all the services up front before you are admitted.  The cost of the whole procedure including the hospital bill, doctor's bill, and anesthesiologist's bill: a little over 4 million rupiah or roughly U.S. $500.00.  The last time I had this procedure done at an over-priced hospital in the U.S., the hospital bill alone exclusive of the anesthesiologist and doctor's bills was U.S. $7000! 

Motorbike Rides-Bali

While we were in Bali, DH rented a motorbike for the week.  The cost was 50,000 Rupiah per day. 
Here he is with the kids.  We thought it would be a fun picture to have us all on the bike, but I had to take the picture, plus I’m not sure I would have fit…lol.



On one of the days we were in Bali, DH took a bike ride with his friend out to Uluwatu Temple.  It is located atop a cliff. 

Looking toward the temple.


At the temple


Looking down from the temple


Some views from one of the rides DH took around the Nusa Dua area.


Not sure how he did it, but DH got into the Hotel Nikko which was near where we were staying at the Courtyard Marriott in Nusa Dua and saw some amazing views.  It would be a great place to stay if we could afford it...ha ha.  The beach is private and is just beautiful!