So Mark, what were you doing before you started Equinox Publishing? I started working in Switzerland after college with a bank and they moved me around a few times from Zurich to Hong Kong, back to Zurich and then finally here in Jakarta in March 1997. You know – young, dumb and full of…ummm…energy – [...]

Read the full story

Ian Burnet, a former geologist and avid historian is visiting Jakarta, he spoke to us about his recently published book Spice Islands. Spice Islands takes the reader on the historical quest for spices. The book starts with the fact that cloves and nutmeg only grew on a few tiny islands of Maluku in Eastern Indonesia, [...]

Read the full story

Meet Andreas Stokowy. The German Restaurant Manager and Founding Member of the Combined Martial Arts Academy Jakarta.   Andreas, where are you originally from?   I was born in 1962 Germany, growing up in and near Hamburg. In 1978 I started as a Fish Breeder and Fishery Biologist at a combined fish farm near Bremen. [...]

Read the full story

Meet Chris Littlechild. The Comedy Club consultant from England who likes to unwind in the boxing ring. So Chris, where do you come from and what is it you do here in Jakarta? Reading , England. I’m a consultant for Singapore based The Comedy Club Asia. How did you get involved in the Jakarta Comedy [...]

Read the full story

Meet Dan Roberts. The clown with a heart of gold, devoted to helping Indonesia’s underprivileged youth. So Dan, can you give us a little background information about yourself? I spent six years growing up in Jakarta with my family.  When I graduated high school from JIS (Jakarta International School) in 2002, I returned to America [...]

Read the full story

Meet Stephane Poggi, the French Interior Designer with a passion for discovery and design. Stephane, could you share a few things about yourself with us? I am French, 34 years old. I graduated from a French school and I am an interior designer with the habit to like to change my environment and discover new [...]

Read the full story

Meet Laila Airlie Dempster, the talented portrait artist with a love for all things Indonesian. Laila, could you tell us a little about the early years of your life and when you discovered your creative talents? I was born into a Diplomatic family with a long artistic tradition. My first studies in art were made [...]

Read the full story

Meet Mark Wouters. A Dutch F & B Manager at the Mandarin Oriental who’s fresh off the boat from New Zealand.   Congratulations on becoming the new Food & Beverage Director at the Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta. How are you settling in? I am settling in perfectly well thanks and adjusting to humidity and the temperature [...]

Read the full story

Meet Olaf Aistleitner. The Austrian Restauranteur with over 15 years of experience running restaurants in paradise.    Where do you originally come from, and how did you end up here in Indonesia? I come from Austria, the homeland of Arnold Schwarzenegger. My last divorce drove me to far away lands…actually islands, so I came here [...]

Read the full story

Meet Sharon Sobotka. The extrovert who lives life to the full in Jakarta. You have a very interesting last name – where does it come from? Thank you. I’m Polish American. My parents were first generation which makes me second generation Polish.  And where in the States are you from? I’m a Chicago girl, born [...]

Read the full story