Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

The other day we made thousands of yummy rock candy pieces!

We went to Papabubble Indonesia at Grand Indonesia, Jakarta, and we filmed the whole process of making rock candies (it’s an open kitchen concept, so it can be watched by the public!), right from the start till we place them into bottles and packets!

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Check out this video I made and posted on OUR CHANNEL :

(Video is in Indonesian)

 

Hope you have a sweet weekend, everyone! =)

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The last time we went to Hong Kong Disneyland was back in November 2010.

When I was about 3 months pregnant with Brie.

(Check out my blog posts on that HK Disneyland 2010 trip : Part 1 HERE and Part 2 HERE)

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We had loads of fun at the time and … never have I imagined that we actually would step into the park again this soon!

With baby Brie with us this time round!

We’re  all SO EXCITED!

(As we walked out of our plane, Anya was jumping around going, ‘Mommy!!! We’re going to HK Disneyland!! WE ARE GOING TO HONG KONG DISNEYLAND!!!!’ Haha.)

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We took LOADS of photos (and videos!) as usual.

We spent TWO days at the park and I’m SO glad I finally managed to sort them out and put together this post to share with you the new rides and our recommended ones!

(Will post another one on the hotel and … food!!)

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Warning : This blog post is PICTURE HEAVY. Get ready to experience Hong Kong Disneyland in pictures with us yeah!! =D

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[Arrived in Hong Kong International Airport!]

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The last time we were in Hong Kong, it was cold and we had to bring along our jeans, jackets, sweaters and all.

This time round, the weather was VERY warm during the day (like, around 31 deg Celsius!).

Which in a way was a good thing too, because it meant we simply packed everything into ONE luggage for our weekend stay in Hong Kong! =D

TIPS:

– Still do bring along a jacket / sweater for the kids! Because although the weather’s very warm during the day, it’s cold on the airplane AND inside the hotel!
– Make sure everyone wears comfortable shoes. We decided that everyone MUST wear socks to avoid blisters and unnecessary discomfort from all the walking around the park!

 

Getting from Hong Kong International Airport to Disney’s Hollywood Hotel was a breeze!

We took a taxi there (must take the green-coloured one!), and reached our hotel within 15 mins!

Cost us around HK$110.

TIPS:

– Charges may apply if you place your baggage in the trunk. Click HERE to read more about taxis in Hong Kong!

 

[Everything was ‘mickey-mousey’ there in Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, even the mirrors =D]

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See, that’s all we brought with us for our weekend getaway :

One large baggage + one stroller + one diaper bag + one camera bag!

TIPS:

– Brie was 15.5 months when we went for this trip, and we let her eat whatever we eat, so I didn’t ‘worry’ about her mealtimes. Do bring along snacks and waterbottles / a sippy cup though (I brought along bread rolls for Brie to munch every now and then as we did spend our ‘whole day’ in Disneyland!)

 

Free shuttle buses are available to take us from the hotel to Disneyland.

They come every 10 minutes or so, and it’s very convenient!

And, we simply placed our folded stroller in its baggage compartment.

 

HERE WE ARE!

We’re officially entering Hong Kong Disneyland!

 

 

Cute park entrance tickets!

Anya immediately went for Jessie and Vai grabbed Rex within two seconds! =D

TIPS: 

– Weekend crowds are huge. Always keep ALL kiddos close with you at all times. Both Anya and Vai were completely ‘briefed’ about such safety precautions

– Grab the Show Schedule Sheet and Guide Map at the entrance. We always referred to it when planning what to watch and which ride we’d like to check out!

 

It’s nice to see how HK Disneyland continually develops new areas and rides!

The most recent additions to the Park that we happily checked out were Grizzly Gulch and Toy Story Land!

(Keep on reading … will get to the photos taken at these two new areas SOON! =)

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*** MAIN STREET, U.S.A. ***

You MUST catch the Parade called Flights of Fantasy Parade!

It started at 3.30pm when we’re there.

Do check the timing again when you’re there, just in case.

 

 

When we went in November 2010, there wasn’t any Parade because they’re preparing for their Christmas shows.

This time round though, we joined in the crowd and sat on the roadside!

Love seeing the Disney characters LIVE, the colours and celebrative feel of the Parade!

 

[Toy Story!]

[Dancers from ‘Lilo and Stitch’]

[Lion King!]

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TIPS:

– It’s a good idea to familiarise the kids with the Disney characters PRIOR to coming to Disneyland, because when they ‘know’ the characters / stories, they appreciate the shows and the Parade better. They get to feel, ‘OH LOOK! I KNOW THAT ONE!’ =)

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*** TOY STORY LAND ***

We’ve watched the movies – Toy Story one, two and three, and it’s nice to be inside this new addition to the park (which btw, is Asia Exclusive!)

Everything looks wonderfully … familiar! =D

 

 

I’d recommend these two rides: Toy Soldier Parachute Drop and RC Racer!

INFO:
– Minimum height for the Parachute Drop is 81cm, while it’s 120cm for RC Racer.

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Wilson, Anya and I went for the Toy Soldier Parachute Drop!

It was really HIGH and frankly, with my legs dangling away and with no ‘chest bar’ that I could hold on to, it felt too ‘tingly’ for me! Haha. I had to look away  and basically tried to tahan the ‘being dropped’ feeling!

Personally, I prefer this RC Racer below. Really!

 

 

I sat on row number 2 (because I’m not that gutsy, haha!), and as it went VERTICAL, it felt like we’re lifted off our seats and free-falling forward!

Totally can’t imagine what the feeling is like if I were to sit on the FAR BACK!!!

I don’t mind going on it again though!

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*** GRIZZLY GULCH ***

This is like going to a cowboy town!

There’re live singing performances, places for taking photos, water-play area (yes, bring along spare clothes for the kids if you let them play at the Geyser Gulch!)

 

 

AND of course, the not-to-missed roller-coaster ride called ‘Runaway Mine Cars‘!

All four of us went for this!

(while Brie was babysat by our blogger friends and Disney staff! Thanks guys! =)

INFO: 
Minimum height for this ride : 112 cm, and this addition to the park is btw, World exclusive!
(Which means, you cannot find ‘Grizzly Gulch’ anywhere else, other than in Hong Kong!)

[On the roller-coaster ride, … please excuse our faces, haha!]

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*** ADVENTURELAND ***

Two recommended rides in AdventureLand are : The Jungle River Cruise (where you’ll hop on a big boat and go on a little adventure) and the Festival of the Lion King!

If you’re left with very limited time in Disneyland and have to choose only one ride in AdventureLand, I’d really recommend the ‘Lion King’ musical!

It’s our second time watching the show and we still LOVED it!

(Plus, it’s really nice to cool ourselves inside the theatre when it’s scorching hot outside! =)

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*** FANTASYLAND ***

Heaps of rides and shows in FantasyLand!

(Click HERE to see the different ones you can check out!)

We chose to catch these three attractions :

a) 3D Show PhilharMagic (recommended!) 

 

 b) The Golden Mickeys (Strongly recommended!)

It’s where you’ll catch A LOT of your familiar Disney characters, dancing and singing on stage to fantastic choreography and movements.

Personally, … I loved it!

 

 

c) it’s a small world (Recommended, especially if you’re with smaller kids)

It’s a very calm boat ride where you’ll see lots of vibrant colours and costumed dolls representing different countries in the world.

 

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*** TomorrowLand ***

Here we are in one of our favourite parts of Disneyland, TomorrowLand!

WOOHOO!

 

The crowd was rather big that day, and so we chose to immediately go for our favourite ride : Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (Twice! =)

TIPS: 

– If you’ve gotten yourself some FASTPASSES, you can use them here. It’s where you’ll skip the long queue and join the FAST PASS queue (a much much short one!)

 

 

 

Another recommended ride in TomorrowLand is ‘Space Mountain’, BUT it happened to be closed in preparation for an upcoming event, so … we went to catch ‘Stitch Encounter’! Our first time!

It’s an interactive show where the animated character of Stitch is on screen but it communicates LIVE with the audience!

We’re so into it that we forgot to take any photos inside =D

TIPS: 

– Stitch Encounter shows are available in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. Do check the show schedules to catch the show in your preferred language!
– Duration is about 20 minutes

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OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS (if you have bigger kids)

We checked out these two attractions too during our trip and I totally recommend it, especially when you have bigger kids above 5yo.

It’s on the Main Street, U.S.A., and it’s called ‘The Art of Animation‘ and ‘Animation Academy‘.

 

 

You see, the last time we went to HK Disneyland, we totally skipped this area.

Frankly, we didn’t even notice that they’re there.

(Like most people who visit HK Disneyland, we went straight for the rides, shops and food places)

 

 

This time, we spotted these two attractions on the map, and my hubby suggested that we should check it out.

Reason:

Our kids play games and watch animated movies, but they have yet to know the amount of effort that animators and artists put into their work!

We feel they should at least know how it all started out with sketches and flip books, and how so many things have evolved over the decades. Plus, we believe that when our kids know more about the history of something, they’d learn to appreciate what they see too.

 

Next door is the Animation Academy and all four of us learned how to draw Goofy!

Another great ‘hands-on’ activity that we feel our bigger kids should be exposed to as well!

 

[My artwork! I tried to re-create Goofy without looking, and err … I couldn’t leh!]

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Anyway.

One of the main attractions that you MUST NOT miss is the Fireworks!

It’s at 7.30pm, and the Fireworks Show is just over the Sleeping Beauty Castle!

The music, the atmosphere, the ambience, the fireworks … it’s just, B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!

 

 

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So, that’s Hong Kong Disneyland, through our eyes!

If you’re planning to go and and are wondering if you should go for a one-day or a two-day visit to the Park, I personally would recommend getting a two-day pass, especially if you’re traveling with little ones.

Because, as we all know, such a fun-filled day out, should really be enjoyed with your little ones in your own sweet pace!

If you’ve missed some rides on day one, go for them on day two!

If you love some particular rides, go for them again the next day!

Have fun in Hong Kong Disneyland!!!

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PS: Will do another post on … Hong Kong Disneyland’s FOOD!! Soon!

We all know, Daddies are usually less ‘available’ in a child’s life because they most likely need to be at work, for many hours in a day.

The question is, given the limited time a man can spend with his family, can he then still strive to be a ‘good Dad’?

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I’d like to share one particular part of Dr Kevin Leman’s book, ‘What a Difference a Daddy Makes‘, with you today.

Just some food for thought … on being a Good Dad.

Here’s the excerpt :

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I’ve got fantastic news for you parents. You want great children?

Be a good dad. Be a good mom.

Notice I didn’t say you have to be a great dad or a great mom. In most circumstances, good will suffice. Good will produce amazing kids.

There are a few characteristics that make a good father do his best to stand out from the rest.

> A Father Who Is There

The daddy who makes sacrifices in the name of relationship will be rewarded. The man who passes up the position that will bolster his income by twelve thousand dollars a year but send him out on the road for weeks at a time, the man who makes the choice to put relationship above everything else and who chooses to be present in the home, will make a profound difference in the lives of his children, especially his daughters.

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 How much does it cost to “buy” the qualities of a good dad—being there, understanding your daughter, honoring your wife, believing in your girl, letting the daughter grow through pain? Last time I checked it was FREE. 

> A Father Who Understands

Dad, don’t try to fix your daughter. Relate to her. Get to know her. Stop trying to solve your daughter’s problems. She doesn’t want you to fix anything. She just wants you to understand.

Understanding means I have to put down what I’m doing long enough to enter my daughter’s world. Instead of racing to a conclusion with the answer, I need to be willing to travel with her in her uncertainty.

She wants me to focus on the process while every testosterone-laden bone in my body is screaming for me to get to the conclusion.

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> A Father Who Honors His Wife

Your little girl will develop her expectations for her husband by watching how you treat her mother. If you act like a controlling, demanding, and lazy bum, your daughter won’t think it odd or undesirable when she dates a boy who treats her this way.

The best thing you can do to shape your daughter’s view of men is to treat your wife like you want your future son-in-law to treat your daughter. More often than not, it will become a self-fulfilling example.

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The best thing you can do to shape your daughter’s view of men is to treat your wife like you want your future son-in-law to treat your daughter. 

> A Father Who Believes in His Daughter

As fathers, we can prepare our daughters so that they don’t have to choose between vocational success and letting someone else raise their children. We know how the world works and can rely on that experience to help our daughters explore a family-friendly way to earn money. To do this, we have to believe in them and be involved in their lives. We also have to be convinced that our daughters really do have something to offer the world.

Don’t cultivate dreams for your sons and give your daughters the leftovers.

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> A Father Who Lets His Daughter Hurt

Just because your daughter is struggling doesn’t mean that you as a good father should rush in to save her. Sometimes being a good father means letting your daughter work her own way out of a tight and even painful spot.

I’m not suggesting this is easy—it may be the toughest thing you ever do—but it’s essential.

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How much does it cost to “buy” the qualities of a good dad—being there, understanding your daughter, honoring your wife, believing in your girl, letting the daughter grow through pain?

Last time I checked it was FREE.

Being a good dad is about being relational.

It’s not what you can buy your kids; it’s not slick strategies or secret lessons. It’s taking time to be there to care, to get involved.

That’s what a good dad is—relational.

He’s there. He cares.

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Great points for us all to ponder upon this weekend, I thought.

I’d personally would like to add another point to Kevin Leman’s list which I feel is very important though, that is :

> A Father who truly fears the Lord

A man who respects, fears and places God as number one in his life will naturally be inclined to learn and apply all the points mentioned above.

He will learn to continually submit himself under God’s truth, change for the better whenever he needs to, instill and practice values that are righteous, and strive to be a positive example for his family.

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Being a good dad is about being relational.

Is there a perfectly good Daddy then?

If you ask me, I’d say there’s definitely no perfect man, nor there is any perfect Dad.

Every man has weaknesses.

BUT, to me, what’s more important is whether this man realises that he needs God’s strength and mercy every single day to be the kind of man (husband and dad, etc) God wants him to be, and whether he’s willing to be transformed, and put his faith and understanding into action.

Day by day.

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If you are a Dad reading this blog post, I hope what’s been shared reminds you of your utter importance in your family, and in God’s eyes. That being a ‘good Dad’ IS possible, with God’s help.

And, if you are a Mom reading this post, let’s learn to give the Daddy our respect, appreciation and support, so that he can continually strive to be better, in everything that he does, … including in being a ‘good Dad’.

Not an easy task for any of us, for sure.

May God help us all.

Have a blessed week, everyone!

[Arrived in Hong Kong at about 6.30am, and off we went to grab a taxi to go to the Hotel]

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I have SOOO many photos of our recent trip to Hong Kong Disneyland to sort and share!

Am still getting them ready into blog posts!

Cannot ‘tahan’ to NOT share any for days though … so here’s a quick preview yeah! =D

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[Yummy breakfast spread at Chef Mickey, at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel]

Oh my! One of the things I so looked forward to was Hong Kong’s yummy food!

 

Never forget your Guide Map before going to Hong Kong Disneyland!

 

We checked out Toy Story Land – one of the two new additions to the park!

 

 

Haha … and that’s me on RC Racer, the new rollercoaster ride that goes on a U-shape track!

Ya ya ya … a mother of three can still have fun leh! =D

(BUT, too chicken to sit on the far back!)

And this is the two kids, acting super powerfully strong, just outside of TomorrowLand! Haha.

They had LOADS of fun last weekend!

And so did we, the adults!

Okay. MORE photos will be up.

Soon! =D

I’ve recently discovered the wonders of wearing a Baby Bjorn carrier!

I brought along this Baby Bjorn Comfort Carrier to Hong Kong recently and carried Brie for hours and hours as we checked out Hong Kong Disneyland.

And, I loved it!

I wrote a review of this baby carrier HERE!

(Click the link above to read what the carrier is like! Don’t forget to click ‘NEXT’, to read Page 2 of the review too yeah!)

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And here’s the FIRST GREAT NEWS for you all :

Thanks to Global Outsource Solutions, the exclusive distributor for Baby Bjorn products, YOU can also find out for yourselves the comfort and great help this carrier can give to you and little ones!

Yes yes, there are TWO Baby Bjorn baby carriers to be won!!

*SO EXCITED*

 

 

Baby Bjorn Carrier Miracle can be used by newborn babies.

Baby Bjorn Comfort Carrier, what I used to carry Brie, is for larger babies.

(Both are exclusively available for sale in Mothercare Singapore stores, btw!)

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Here’s how to win one for yourself (or your good friend’s baby!) :

1. ‘LIKE’ Our Everyday Things Facebook Page, if you haven’t already

2. Share this post on Facebook, Twitter or GooglePlus, by clicking the button at the end of this blog post

3. In the comment box of this blog post, tell us :

a) Baby’s age
b) The country you’re from
c) Which carrier you’d like to win
d) WHY you’d like to win this Baby Bjorn baby Carrier! (Tips : Be convincing! =)

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IMPORTANT :

– Two winners will be chosen by the sponsor, and announced on this blog post within 3 days after the contest closes!

– Contest is open to everyone in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand!

– Contest ends on Tuesday, 18 September 2012, 11.59pm, Singapore time.


[Baby Bjorn Comfort Carrier comes with great waist and back support, which nicely distributes the weight of an older baby !]

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And here’s the SECOND GREAT NEWS :

Simply send a photo of you / your husband carrying your child in a Baby Bjorn baby carrier, any type of Baby Bjorn carriers, and you will WIN a set of TWO Baby Bjorn Spoons, worth S$21!

Yes, it’s a SURE WIN!

Sure is useful for your own kids or as a gift to another family’s child!

 

This is how to win your set of two Baby Bjorn spoons : 

1. ‘LIKE’ Our Everyday Things Facebook Page, if you haven’t already

2. Share this post on Facebook, Twitter or GooglePlus, by clicking the button at the end of this blog post

3. Email your photo to leonny[at]oureverydaythings[dot]com

4. Write ‘Baby Bjorn Carrier Giveaway’ as your email’s subject title

5. In your email, tell us :

a) WHY YOU LOVE YOUR BABY BJORN BABY CARRIER!

b) The links to your Twitter account / Facebook account

c) Your complete mailing address (because the prize will be mailed out to you by the sponsor)

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IMPORTANT:

– Only one set to be won per family

– All submitted photos (and why you love your Baby Bjorn Carrier) will be published on a dedicated ‘Baby Bjorn Carrier Giveaway’ album on Our Everyday Things Facebook Page (No personal details will be published. You are however most welcome to tag yourself on your own photo!)

– Contest is open to everyone in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand

– Contest ends on Tuesday, 18 September 2012, 11.59pm, Singapore time.

[Shot with my iphone, as we walked towards our boarding gate at Hong Kong International Airport]

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We had so much fun in Hong Kong this weekend!

Physically tiring, but … still refreshingly fun!

(Note: Traveling with 3 little kiddos can be quite a handful, but of course thanks to Daddy who’s always there to help things out, a family holiday is still great fun! =)

Will share photos and stories real soon yeah!

Hope you have a great week, everyone!

Before we all moved to Jakarta, one of the things that I get asked quite often is whether we’ll engage a fulltime domestic helper in Jakarta (because we never had one back in Singapore, and we stopped engaging our part-time helper who came once a week since Vai was about 2.5yo)

You see, here in Jakarta, it is common for homes to have at least one domestic helper.

(Coming from a rather big family, I grew up in a home where there’re at least 2 helpers)

But.

For our case, now that we have our OWN family, I don’t feel we need to engage any fulltime helper.

Here are five of my personal reasons:

It would’ve been a little different if we lived in a ‘house’, where the helper could be ‘elsewhere’ around the house and not ‘in the know’ of everything that happened and discussed.

1. We live in an apartment, and with such a confined space (like our home in Singapore), I value our privacy more than an always-clean and less-mess home.

It would’ve been a little different if we lived in a ‘house’, where the helper could be ‘elsewhere’ around the house and not ‘in the know’ of everything that happened and discussed.

Plus, houses are generally bigger than apartment units, which means MORE areas to clean (homes do get dirty and dusty very easily, due to the high pollution level here)

 

[Daily heavy traffic leads to higher level of pollution level, which leads to homes getting dirty much easier everyday]

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2. Part-time helpers charge affordable fees here (some are moms themselves working part-time to earn extra income for the family). They can even be engaged to come in the morning and leave at about 5pm, 6 days a week, if you wish. For our case, we engage one who comes for 3x a week, and about 2.5 hours each time. And I’m happy with the help she’s given to us.

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3. I’m a stay at home mom, and realistically I’d need to watch over our family expenses. I’d rather allocate our funds to something else that’s more necessary for the family (eg. School fees, swimming lessons, etc), than spending it on engaging a fulltime helper.

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I’m a stay at home mom, and realistically I’d need to watch over our family expenses.

4.  I notice the older kids are more willing to learn to contribute, be more responsible and help out around the house when there’s no helper around. Of course you can still teach them to help out etc when there’s a fulltime helper, but we all know how it’s still … different.

(eg. It’s different when they see Mommy sweeps / washes the dishes / bends down to clean up the mess baby makes after her mealtime, than seeing a fulltime helper do the work around the house everyday)

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Well, those are my 4 main reasons.

And, I’d like to add a fifth one (which confirmed my decision to not engage a fulltime helper): 

5. I ever engaged my Mom’s helper to stay with us and help for a week (when I was physically unwell), and here’s what happened:

Our home was cleaner, the dishes were always washed immediately, the laundry basket was always empty, and although I was home, somehow Brie spent ‘most’ of her time with the helper while I did ‘work on the computer’. Once, I asked the helper to also watch over the 2 older ones when they played at the playground downstairs, while I ‘did some work on the computer’.

How strange. Having a helper was supposed to free up MY time so that I could spend MORE time with the 3 kids, but somehow that did NOT happen. Not to me anyway.

After a week, I looked at myself and thought, I’ve become the kind of mom I didn’t want to be. How strange. Having a helper was supposed to free up MY time so that I could spend MORE time with the 3 kids, but somehow that did NOT happen. Not to me anyway.

I don’t know. I somehow was drawn MORE towards clearing more work and spending time on the computer than spending time with my kids when the helper was around.

A natural tendency, I guess?

Whatever it is, it’s not something I’d like to happen in my family.

(Of course I could always remind myself constantly to spend time with the kids while the fulltime helper is around, etc … but then, I’ll go back to my 4 reasons above, and would still choose to have a part-time helper anyway)

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Yes, here in Jakarta, things get dustier faster. It takes an extra effort to keep the home clean too (I need to sweep at least 2x a day), and with the scattered toys, cooking and endless dirty dishes in the kitchen, there’s so much to do and tidy up everyday.

Having a fulltime helper is a GREAT help to many homes, most definitely.

But, to NOT engage one, … it’s just my personal preference, I guess.

Having a part-time helper here in Jakarta works best for our situation right now, and I’m happy with what we have =)

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What’s your view on fulltime versus part-time domestic helpers? 

 

 

Kota Tua literally means ‘Old Town’, but it’s generally more known as ‘Old Jakarta’ , or ‘Old Batavia’.

It’s named that way because, this area WAS Jakarta, centuries ago!

It’s where the city of Jakarta first started out!

(You can read about the history of how Jakarta first came about right HERE)

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And, guess what … ALL THESE YEARS, I’ve never set my feet on this area. Ever.

We usually just drive past it. And that’s it.

Until recently.

[A few seconds after putting our sleeping Brie onto the stroller, she woke up, right when this photo was taken =)]

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Prior to our visit, I didn’t google anything on Kota Tua, and so I had NO idea what the place is like (other than knowing how it’s closely located to the ‘Stasiun Jakarta Kota’ building)

We got there around 3.30pm I think, and I was like, wow … there’s SO many people! So happening!

 

Wherever you look, you’ll see people.

They’re either selling stuff, buying stuff, walking around, cycling, taking photos, sitting on a simple piece of mat hanging out with friends, standing around watching a street performance, etc.

 

 

There are many interesting sights there at Kota Tua, and I just had to snap and capture the happenings.

Like this ‘manual and portable ferris wheel’ for kids!

I’ve never seen one like it, and I just thought it’s so clever!

(PS: Just in case you’re wondering … the seats are too small to fit me =)  Too small to even fit Anya and Vai. And no, I don’t think it’ll topple forward if the man at the back gets of his seat =)

 

 

If you love photography, I think you’d enjoy capturing different corners and happenings at this place.

(We used our iphones and my Nikon D5100 to capture the photos in this post)

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If you’re thinking of visiting Kota Tua, here’re some tips to share with you:

> Come towards the late afternoon. More ‘happenings’ apparently (we left at about 5,30pm).

> Bring your camera along! (well, phone cameras are great too =)

> Please do not litter, because there’s litter everywhere already and I don’t think we should make things worse with OUR rubbish.

The area is not well maintained by the government. Sellers are everywhere, and there are corners where you’ll see rubbish piles. I can’t help but feel sad when I see it all … because, IF ONLY the area is better taken care of, better preserved, better regulated, and better maintained (especially the overall cleanliness), Kota Tua will be able to share its history even better to all who come to visit!

(Jakarta is choosing its next governor in less than 3 weeks time, and I really hope and pray that whoever is elected, the whole team can really make positive changes to this city)

 

> There are quite a few museums in the area. We didn’t check any of them out though, so I can’t say if they are well maintained or not.

Again, I must say that I do long for all these places of visit to be better taken care of and managed by the authorities.

> If you’d like to get drinks, those sold at a small convenience store next to Cafe Batavia (I think the shop is called ‘Indomaret’) are most likely cheaper than those sold by random sellers there.

 

[I love how the flag looked against this wall!]

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> You can rent bikes there!

We rented our tandem bicycle (above photo) for Rp30,000 for 30 mins (S$4). I thought it should’ve been around Rp20,000 / 30 mins, but then … perhaps it’s because we’re there during the one week Hari Raya holiday break that the cost was a little higher than usual? Not quite sure.

You can cycle around the main area, and since there’s no designated ‘cycling area’, do be aware of the moving crowds and small ‘paths’ (ie. You may have to cycle between 2 sellers on the street =)

 

> Be aware and watchful of your own valuables and belongings.

Okay, on this one, I’d like to share an incident that happened during our visit to Kota Tua:

Just before we left, my brother in law who went on this trip with us realised that he’s lost his wallet. He searched all around the area and he couldn’t find it!  It’s rather impossible to find his wallet, I thought. I mean, THIS is Jakarta. And, we were at Kota Tua, a really crowded place, packed with all sorts of people!

(FYI, the big hassle of losing a wallet is the re-application of all those lost documents and cards!)

BUT you know what?

About an hour after my brother realised his wallet was gone, he got a phone call.

From a man who FOUND his wallet on the ground at Kota Tua!

What’s more, he’s a security guard at an office building and when my brother in law went over to collect his wallet that same night because he’s on night shift, … everything was there! Nothing was taken / lost!

Amazing, I thought!

To still have such an honest and helpful man these days in Jakarta, who bothered to find my brother-in-law’s name card inside the wallet and make that phone call too … I’m amazed!

I felt grateful too somehow, because to me, it shows how we shouldn’t ‘lose hope’ when we see an increase in crime, ie. There ARE still people who are willing to do what’s right!)

 

So, there you go.

Be better prepared before you check out Kota Tua, and of course … HAVE FUN! =)