JAKARTA REDUX

From its former glory days in the 1960s, an Indonesian icon comes full circle. In the past, Hotel Indonesia Kempinski has played host to stars and statesmen. Mark Lean experiences the legendary hospitality of the refreshed property first-hand.

The early morning sun shines its benign rays in a glittery formation on the Hotel Indonesia roundabout, better known as the Bundaran HI. This is arguably Indonesia’s most famous landmark. Built in 1962 as a symbol for the Asian Games held that year, the monument continues to be the nerve centre of a city constantly in flux. Bright and early at 6am, the traffic swirls around smoothly like a never-ending creamy sundae minus its cone. This is the perfect spot to appreciate the morning as well as a cup of freshlybrewed coffee. After all, the best vantage point to witness Jakarta’s infamous traffic is from the sidelines. Or, even better, beneath the surface of a warm, bubble-filled bath.

BEAUTY IN THE JUNGLE

Sarawakian self-taught artist, Tan Wei Kheng, has a niche: painting tribal communities and telling their stories to the world.

Tan Wei Kheng’s fascination with indigenous communities started when he was growing up in Marudi, the largest town in Sarawak’s Baram district, where communities from the deep interiors would visit to buy necessities and seek entertainment. He said: “The Orang Asli are so different, beautiful and artistic in the way they look. Some have tattoo on their arms, hands and feet, or they completely shave off their eyebrows.” In particular, Tan likes to paint old people and plans to continue doing so until he cannot find them. He said: “The elders have weathered faces from toiling in the fields and hunt in the jungle for years. Their eyes and faces tell a story and they have elongated earlobes, sometimes stretching down to their shoulders. This is a culture unique to Sarawak and I want to capture it in my paintings.”

THE CAT’S MEOW

Located in an old Chinese shophouse along Jalan Wayang, Kuching’s oldest street, The Junk, as Diana Khoo discovers, continues to tickle the taste buds of the Cat Town’s hip and trendy crowd.

A narrow little pathway, flanked by assorted bric-a-brac, leads diners into the cavernous belly of The Junk, one of the preferred restaurants among the Kuching set. Owned by restaurateur couple George and Roselyn Ling, The Junk is filled with a motley crew of items, a cheeky allusion to its name, and is fascinating to explore. From lanterns hanging overhead and antique enamel spittoons to Iban totem poles, tribal handicraft, old steam irons, an antique steamboat tureen and even a tin garbage can lid, there’s plenty to amuse the eye in this cheerful, chockfull-of-atmosphere restaurant. Spread out over a few shophouses, The Junk is a veritable maze of nooks and crannies and the scene is positively heaving come Friday and Saturday nights, with most of the action taking place in the area regulars call ‘The Backstage’.