Uber Comes to Jakarta

I was uber-virgin before and tonight out of spontanity, I ubernized myself. It was a great short experience.

I downloaded Uber app yesterday but decided to use it 5 minutes before i went home from Plaza Senayan.

The app was a little bit confusing but once you get use to it, it is pretty simple and neat.

It says my Uber Cab will come in 4min. But i ended up waiting for 40min. I understand it tho, since the car has to make a re-route due to 3in1 and traffic jam was really bad. Well you can imagine Friday night. Seriously sometimes I am that impulsive. I wish I tried Uber Cab any other day especiall daylight, so i can take plenty of selfies.

The app is kinda cute. The small black car moving toward your direction on Uber Map, operated by Google. Tho the time estimation missed the correct timing, but you can see where your car is from the map. I called the driver tho, just in case he get confused where to exactly pick me up and I check his position. It was spot on just like the map said.

When the car getting closer, the app will snooze to let me know. There is option for sharing too there. The coolest part is that you can share the taxi fee with your friends if you are sharing a cab. Uber will split the bill and charge it to both CC. Yeah Uber (for now) only available to CC. I hope they will come with membership card soon.

The fare is surprisingly very affordable. Just like regular taxi. 7000 rupiah as starter and 500 rupiah/minute. From Plaza Senayan to Benhil only have to pay 31.000 rupiah which is the same amount of money with other taxi during trafic jam/friday night.

But during this month only, June 2014, Uber gives us promotional code 100.000 rupiah for your first Uber experience. Here is the code "UBERONJKT" or "sucif" you can applied it on Uber app. Available on Android Google Play, Apple store, etc.

I used the code and i don't have to pay anything. Too bad it was only 31.000 worth of trip. Should have used it later next weekend to a birthday party. Sigh.

It must be great to make a dramatic entrance with a cool car.

The interior of the car is really sleek and comfy. The driver was polite and friendly, not so chatty if you are not in the mood, but didn't mind engaging in conversation if you feel like it. Just the perfect amount of friendliness.

Gosh, so much to tell about this Uber experience. I typed this from my cellphone. I will see if I can write and share more about Uber after my trip to Bira Island this weekend.

See you again soon,

Eager Jakartan, Suci Park

Belly Dance in Jakarta

courtesy of Bellydance Jakarta Facebook page

I love belly dancing. I haven't done it for a while now.

I used to join a belly dancing class in Gold Gym. Than I quit my membership because they cross off Belly Dancing from their studio class. Obviously the reason why I join the gym was for Belly Dancing. I am not sure if they have it back in the studio or not. I haven't been to a gym for years. (It could be the reason why I gained weight again....sigh)

Then I join another Belly Dancing class in Step Dance, FX Senayan. The class was being taught by Christine Yaven. If you are a belly dancer or a fan of belly dance in South East Asia, you might recognize her name. She is been in a lot of tv shows and has been performing all over the country and neighborhood countries too. I was lucky to have a chance learning from her.

If you are interested in joining her class, you can visit Step Dance academy in FX Senayan 7th Floor. It is open for public too, not just professional or dance students. Don't worry about not having a background dancing class or skill. The teacher is pretty generous on teaching you the routine. A friend of mine joins their ballet class. She seems to have tons of fun in her class.

Here is their schedule for classes;

Website: Step Dance
Adress:

Fee      : Lat time I was there, 3 or 4 months ago (early 2014) Rp.500.000/month (4 times)

If Step Dance Academy is too far from your house or dorm, you can try this dance academies. I never tried it. I heard they are as good.

1. Belly Dancing @ Anza Jakarta

NZA House | Phone:  +622171793042      

Every Thursday 12noon - 1pm
Fee:           Rp80,000 per member per lesson.

Website:    Anza

2. Belly Dancing with Sandy Ulrich

Every Tuesday. 

Fee:             Rp280,000 for 4 lessons. Contact her for more information. 

Telephone:  +6221-7193924

3. Belly Dancing with Belly Dance Jakarta

Christine Yaven also teaches Belly Dance in this studio. The teachers here already got their certification and recognition for their Belly Dancing skills.

Facebook:   Belly Dance Jakarta

Adress:       Jl. Mas Putih Blok D-48, Permata Hijau, Jakarta

 Phone:

+62 817 981 3346 or +62 21 3354 2239

Email

Schedule:    

NEW Beginner Classes to suit your schedule!

Weeknight - Tuesday 7pm
Weekday - Thursday 10.30am
Weekend - Saturday 10am

Class Schedule 2011 (Permata Hijau)
TUE 11.30 Beg II
19.00 Beg IA - NEW CLASS
20.00 Int II

THU 10.30 Beg IA - NEW CLASS
19.30 Int I

SAT 10.00 Beg IA - NEW CLASS
11.00 Beg IB
12.00 Beg II
14.00 Int I
16.00 Int II

4. Velvet Raqs

Website:   velvetRAQS at the Dancewave Center, Studio Anips Pakubuwono

Jakarta, Indonesia
Type of lessons: Weekly classes, private classes, workshops
Dance style: American Oriental
Phone:          +6232717272    

E-mail  

5. Tian Entertainment

Website:     Tian Entertainment
Jakarta, Indonesia
Type of lessons: Private / Group Belly Dance Classes
Dance style: Shakira's Belly Dance
Phone: + 62 813 11 100 448   

E-mail    

6. Sahara Dance Studio

Jakarta, Indonesia
Type of lessons: Workshops, privates, weekly classes
Dance style: Belly dance
Phone: +62217193587    

E-mail    

Bule Only Date Brown Skin Indonesian

Yesterday I came by to a store in front of my kosan (dorm). There was a girl (might be early 20 or about to be 20). She is a housekeeper for the store's owner. The store is also 2 story house, first floor is the store and the owner's house and 2nd floor is a dorm where my friend lives. The housekeeper has seen me several times when I visited my friend. Apparently, she remember me as the girl who date bule. Now, I didn't take pride of dating bule. Besides I don't really date a bule. I am currently dating a hybrid. How cool is that? He is half Chinese-Indonesian and half American (or Irish American? He is a quarter Irish too). His skin color is a little bit pale but not as white and his face looks a bit more Asian than bule (caucasian). But apparently people in my neighborhood still consider that to be bule.

Anyway, this girl started to giggle when I came to the store and she was (clearly) so excited when she saw me. She asked me if my boyfriend is a bule. I was confuse on what to say because I don't really consider him a bule. He is a hybrid, my hybrid man. So, I just nod, I figure it was easy and quick answer. Boy, I was wrong. She started pulling my hand and giggled while excitingly telling me that she talked to her friends about my boyfriend. I was wondering why they were talking about it. She said they noticed that bule in Indonesia only dates brown skin Indonesian. They seems so sure about it that bule only likes an exotic looking girl. Usually the word 'exotic' in this context offended me. But I know she meant nothing bad. It just that when people saw bule with a brown skin Indonesian, they always assume that the girl is not that pretty and most probably has 'kampung' face. Even my own best friend said so. Seems like they judge people here also by the skin color. Fair skin is prettier than brown skin girl. A lot of ads backs up the theory. If i turn on my TV, I will see 35% of the ads are about skin whitening lotion/cream/mask/treatment.

The girl's friend asked her to go to a skin doctor and get skin whitening injection serum. At this point, she noticed my expression. I must have shown a horrible looking expression because she finally slow down on her excitement. I told her what is wrong with your skin? It looks healthy and young looking. Don't tarnish it just because some false ads. Not sure if she actually listened tho. She started getting all fired up talking about something else. She was telling me that they went to Grand Indonesia to see bule (some sort of entertainment?) and they saw most of them coming with their brown skin 'exotic' looking girlfriend or wife. She started to look at me, my skin, and my body.

I was getting uncomfortable. So, I paid for the water (I came there to buy mineral water) and left just in time when her boss came.

Bikram Yoga: Hot Stuff to do in Jakarta

26 positions for Bikram Yoga

First time I heard Bikram Yoga, I thought it was some kind of kinky sex combine with Yoga. I was so curious. So I started a small research on YouTube (Yes, I search for 'what i think as' porn in YouTube). I was surprise it was a different kind of porn. It was porn for sport maniac. I mean in a good way. All the moves seems pretty easy and fun to do. I widen my search through Jakarta/Indonesia Bikram Yoga, turned out Jakartan seems to think Bikram Yoga is pretty cool or hot (suit yourself).

A couple hours after starting my research on Bikram Yoga, at this point, I am already hooked and baited by Bikram Yoga. I decided to find a class with reasonable price. Then I found a link on voucher selling website that they were selling Bikram Yoga voucher for really really cheap price. My boyfriend encouraged me to buy the voucher. Well, actually he bought the voucher for us. 35$ for 10 visits per person. Not so bad, compare to 150$ per month.

We started doing Bikram Yoga on weekend. Unfortunately the place was pretty far from our place, so we only managed to visit the place 3 times. We were both too lazy.

During the visits, we learned to breath properly during the practice and respecting other's exercise is highly important. There are rules inside the hot studio; like you are not suppose to leave the room, if you are tired you may sit down, you are not suppose to talk or disturb other people, make sure to drink plenty of water before-during-after, and all other rules. Tho some of Jakartans seem to think less of the rules; some of them comes late to the hot studio, talk to their friends, or drinking water when it is not the time. Ah well, what do you expect.

But the practice of Bikram Yoga was wonderful. Too bad we didn't come the day after our first day to get use to the practice. We also gave up on the 7 more visits. The place where way too far, taxi fee cost a lot and we are way too lazy to take public transportation.

If only, I had a chance of getting another voucher for Bikram Yoga for a closer place. I would gladly buy it. The exercise was fun and relaxing in the same time. I would like to do it again someday.

Anyway, if you are Jakartan and currently wanting or planning to join Bikram Yoga exercise, these will be my recommendation for the studios.

1. Bikram Yoga Jakarta
Website: http://www.bikramyogajakarta.com/
Address:
 

Price:

2. Bikram Yoga Kuningan

Website: http://www.bikramkuningansouthjakarta.com/

Address:

EPICENTRUMWALK - 2ND FLOOR | KOMPLEKS RASUNA EPICENTRUM | JL. HR. RASUNA SAID, JAKARTA 12960 | T/F : (+62 21) 2991 2128

Price:

Maybe I will come across your schedule someday. Don't hesitate to wave your hand and say 'hi!' as long as we are not inside studio or during exercise. See you there, Chicas.

Love,

Suci Park