Indonesia and World Tourism News

My Indonesian experience was great, thanks to three local journalist-friends—Ikram Putra, Hendrawan Setiawan and Tutut Handayani—who took time to bring me and the other journalists around to good watering holes, great eating joints and places where we could get stuff we needed at a bargain after class. 

The Indonesian populace is predominantly Islamic. So one can hardly find food considered haraam by the faith. But this is of no concern since Indonesian cooking does miraculous things to mutton and beef, as well as to fish and vegetables.

Food in Indonesia is priced just about the same as food in the Philippines, though because of the currency exchange, the actual figures can be mind-blowing. I’ve never bought bottled tea for 3,000 before. But, then again, I’ve never had the pleasure of being advised to always keep a 10 thousand paper bill handy as “loose change.” A hundred pesos is about 20,000 rupiah.

But being an out-of-towner and in training, one has to live by a budget and a tight one at that. And visits to mom-and-pop restaurants helped made sure I didn’t have to write home and ask for money.

In Padang places, guests are proudly served helpings of all the food in the menu, be it sate, soto, sop or bakar. One is literally served a feast, capped with a nice hot cup of tea.

The trainers from InWent’s International Institute of Journalism were tough, making our after-class excursions all the more necessary and appreciated.

Professor Martin Loeffelholtz’s inside knowledge of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), its institutions, processes and programs was comprehensive.

And the brief—which he presented in seven-hour classes over the next five days—gave journalists an inside look at how Asean operates so we could put into context our coverage of the Asean region.

Andrea Thalemann, who took over during the second week, put our theoretical understanding of the issue to the test and had us interview the charges de affairs of the Eurpoean Commission to Indonesia and other ranking European Union officials, as well as the Asean Secretary General himself, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan of Thailand.

We wrote a lot, presented our stories and go through critiquing. Many participants working for publications in their mother tongue found it particularly laborious. But in the end we all learned a lot and were quite thankful for it.

Asean is under-reported among Asean states, a survey among all the participants bore out early during the training. In the Philippines, it is taught as a subject in school but the presentation is mostly centered on the contributions of the Philippines to the formation of the 41-year-old regional grouping.

And while we take part in the Southeast Asian Games, inter-cultural exchange doesn’t really happen in basketball courts and track fields.

One has to experience Asean.

This is why an existing agreement over the relaxation of travel restrictions between member states is so great. For us in the Philippines, we can travel to any Asean state with only a passport and boarding passes in hand. And, just as easily, can people from other Asean states fly over.

And the folks of the Asean Secretariat are trying to get people among member states become more aware of diversely beautiful community it is a part of.

I got to meet Dr. Filemon Uriarte Jr., chairman of the Asean Foundation when we went to the Asean Secretariat Office on Friday to interview Secretary General Surin, and his team has embarked on a very interesting way of doing this. The Asean Foundation is a group tasked to promote Asean awareness.

They have launched a role playing game called Asean Quest, whereby people could create characters and complete missions carried out within the 10 member states.

I’ve yet to get a copy of the video game but it has already in launched in Manila with a competition that was won by two teens from Indonesia.