John Falch, better known as Uncle JC. After years of radio and TV stardom here, he has written a book and is now calling quits on Jakarta. Tell us about yourself. I am a redneck from Jacksonville, Florida. To further my education, I moved to California when I was 19 and got a great job, [...]

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Meet Airam Nogueira, the passionate Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Instructor who teaches martial arts as a way of life. Hi Airam. You have a very unique name. Where are you from originally and how did you end up living in Jakarta? Hi! I am from São Paulo, Brazil. I used to teach in Integração Jiu Jitsu [...]

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Meet Jacob Vredenbregt. The humanitarian, educator, and art collector from the Netherlands. Somewhere hidden in Ciputat is a walled estate. Inside the estate is a set of unique buildings surrounded by orchards and ponds. It is a hidden jungle in the metropolis, given back to Mother Nature. “I bought this land, gave it water and [...]

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Meet Stephen Chatham, the well travelled family man who has a soft spot for Indonesia. Hi Stephen, where do you come from? I come from Australia, but was born in the UK before moving when I was 5 years. What countries have you lived in before Indonesia and what brought you over here? I have [...]

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Meet Gareth Rae, a British Expat and the Captain of Jakarta Komodos, who has lived most of his life in Asia.   Gareth, where do you come from and what brought you to Indonesia? An interesting first question and I get a lot of stick for it. I am “British.” I grew up in Hong [...]

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Meet Natalie Stewart. American-born animal lover, animal protector and one of the founders of Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN).   Natalie, where are you originally from and how did you end up here in Indonesia? I grew up in Canada but was born in the US. We have been overseas for 30 years now. My [...]

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Bonjour Thierry Le Queau! The French Executive Chef at Mandarin Oriental who began his career at 16 and enjoys bringing a new twist to traditional dishes.   Thierry, where do you come from? Pays Bigouden, Finistère, Brittany, France What brought you to Indonesia, and how long have you been living here? I have lived in [...]

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Meet Gary Dean. The Australian expat who went from budding Musician, Animal Husbandry, Computer Programmer to Director of Okusi Associates here in Indonesia.   How long have you been living in Indonesia and what brought you here in the first place? I’ve lived in Indonesia since 1996 and firstly and principally, I came here because [...]

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Meet Dr. David E. Parry, the Soil Scientist, Environmental Development Consultant and Curator who has been a resident of Jakarta since 1980. So David, what exactly do you do and how long have you been a resident of Indonesia? I am a soil scientist and remote sensing expert by training which means that I map [...]

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Meet Stefan Thiele. The German Born Jazz Musician and General Manager of Double Doors – One of the Few Venues in Jakarta that Hosts Jazz Nights. So Stefan, what brought you over here to Jakarta? Back in 2000 I travelled to Indonesia and fell in love with this country. A few years later I came [...]

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Meet Melissa Calmes. Passionate Belly Dancer, Musician and one third of the Calmes Triplets!   So Melissa, where were you born and raised? I was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, raised in Lexington, Kentucky and lived most of my professional life in Washington, DC. You and your sisters form the dance trio the “The Calmes [...]

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Meet Bob Holland. The avid Aussie Hasher and Deputy Director at AIPEG. You have been the Deputy Director at the Australia Indonesia Partnership for Economic Governance (AIPEG) for the last three years. Can you tell us a little bit about what you do? Firstly I should point out that my contract with AIPEG finishes shortly [...]

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Meet Warwick Purser. The Australian-born entrepreneur who gained Indonesian citizenship through his passion for humanitarian work. So Warwick, what first brought you to Indonesia? A one week honeymoon in Bali in 1969, aged 22. I was on my way to London to start work in a big international travel agency. The one week became two [...]

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Meet Andrew Whitmarsh. The adventurous travel writer and author of the newly released walking tour guide, Jakarta: 25 Excursions in and around the Indonesian Capital.   As a travel writer you must be quite well acquainted with the islands of Indonesia. What’s your favourite spot? I like to be on the tops of volcanoes, no [...]

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