Posts Tagged With: Colonial

Jakarta Biennale 2017: making a piece of art myself

Posted on November 28, 2017 by Tet Roberts

The Jakarta Biennale is at different locations and the two main museums at Kota Tua – the Old Town – both have installations on exhibition. Ten at the Jakarta History Museum  and the Museum Keramik, which is located in the former Court of Justice of colonial times. A beautiful building.

This was the day planning: arrive at ten, have a breakfast at Cafe Batavia with a view at Fatahillah square, then to Keramik museum followed by the Jakarta history museum.

In practise: due to circumstances I arrived with a headache at 1.30 pm, had a late lunch at Cafe Batavia, visited Keramik museum after which I arrived at closed doors at the other museum. Who siad it that life is what happens to you while making other plans?

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Sunday afternoon at Kota Tua 

 

Categories: Art, Indonesia, Jakarta, Steden | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Discover Malacca, a rickshaw ride through a world heritage city in the heart of Malaysia

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Tet Roberts

I was more than surprised when I arrived in the old town of Malacca, what a beautiful place this is. The old center of town is roughly divided in three parts: the Portuguese area with an old church and remains of a fortress.  The Dutch part is at the east side of Malacca river, an old townhall, a church and a handful of redbrick buildings around a square. And at the west bank of the river the large Jonker street area, a labyrinth of small colonial streets filled with local shops, galleries and restaurants.

I went there without any expectations, and so the effect on me was great, such great architecture and so much to explore and discover. It reminded me of just a few cities, none of them comparable on how it looks, but they can describe the kind of mood that flows through the alleys: Cartagena des Indes, Cusco, Ubud, Glastonbury and Florence. I mean, the feeling that after each corner something wonderful will show up, and then it actually happens. Got it?

If you also know of such a surprising town or city, let me know in a comment below because I would definitely put it on my bucketlist and visit it!

Categories: Ontdekkingen, Reizen, Steden | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Is hiking fun? Lost at Gunung Kendang…

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Tet Roberts

Gunung Kendang is one of the mountain tops surrounding the vast volcano area of Malabar, directly south of Bandung. In colonial times there was a once world famous radio transmitting station (Hello Bandung!) but only some crumbling stone walls are left. What is still there are valleys filled with tea plantations, as far as the eye can reach.

On the five hour drive from Jakarta to Malabar I started reading The Tea Lords (Heren van de Thee), from Hella Haasse. Its a historic novel of a family emigrating from Deventer to this area to start a kinine and tea plantation. A true life account based on letters from the family archive. Once I was reading further at the veranda of the guest house where once some of the key characters lived, I could dream away in the moody and gorgeous landscape. The last administrator of the plantage was RAK Bosscha, whose tomb is still to be viewed on a stone throw of the guesthouse.

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The hike was great as well, but when descending gunung (mount) Kendang I slipped from the track twice, once because my eyes were filled with sweat and sunscrean and now way to flush it. As I was on the wrong road for a while and there was nobody around, I shared some frustration in the camera. No worries: the next trip is already scheduled!

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Puncak (mountain top) of gunung Kendang.

Categories: Hiking, Indonesia, Ontdekkingen, Reizen | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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