Doing Business in Indonesia: a Short Guide

By: Julia Tchezganova, first published on Bali Expat

With a population of nearly 240 million people, with more than 17,000 islands, and with a significant political and economic place in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is playing an increasingly prominent role in global economy. As a result, not only is Indonesia clearly of interest to foreign investors, but it also sparks excitement in foreigners who wish to come to the archipelagic state in order to enjoy its beauty and culture while setting up their business in a growing market.

It is outside of the scope of this article to cover every aspect of doing business in Indonesia, however, it will serve as a guide in terms of where to look for information and what to look for. In addition, there will be a closer analysis of business structure options available for foreigners in Indonesia.

Let’s get Quizzical in Siem Reap…

By: Simon Hare

Time for something a bit controversial: Anyone who stays longer than 3 days in Siem Reap might just  risk getting bored of 1000 year-old temples, fish pedicures and cheap beer. There, I’ve said it. *Ducks for cover*.

But something else tends to happen when visitors stay longer too. They can’t help wanting to do something to help alleviate the poverty that hits you like a fist once you venture beyond the well-trodden tourist streets of the town’s buzzing centre.

But the perils of misguided acts of spontaneous philanthropy are well documented, so anything that keeps the longer term visitor amused and takes the mental anguish out of working out how to give responsibly, must surely be a win-win situation…Ladies and Gentlemen I give you: the Siem Reap charity trivia quiz circuit.

Cross-Cultural Couples: Sonia and Hung

By: Diana van Oort

Our family of mixed couples is growing bigger and bigger. The Latitudes Cross-Cultural Couples series is a testament to the intermingling of cultures that makes this world a more interesting and colorful place. Are you a mixed couple and would you like to be featured on Latitudes? Do you have an extraordinary tale of love that surpasses cultural boundaries and geographical borders? Then e-mail us at info@latitudes.nu!

Sonia and Hung are an unlikely couple as not many Western women marry Vietnamese men. After they met, they had a wirl wind romance, married and had a cute son. They live in Saigon, Vietnam. When their son is grown up they want to travel the world. This is their story.

Bangkok Living Costs, a City that Caters to All Your Wants and Needs

By: Isaac Olson

One major draw to Bangkok is the city's reputation for having a low cost of living, which helps attract people from nearly every corner of the globe. However, maintaining a low cost of living is only possible with self discipline. Being a globalized mega city, Bangkok caters to all classes and price ranges. One can easily spend just as much money as in any other global city, since there are plenty of temptations competing for your baht. It can certainly be a low cost place to live with a little self discipline, but the temptation to scale up is always present.

Below are expenses contributing to the monthly cost of living in Bangkok.

THB = Thai baht

USD = United States dollar

The Early Years

By: Thomas Weber Carlsen

Thomas Weber Carlsen is a Danish architect who has been living in Cambodia with his Cambodian wife and their two children for over 10 years now. Apart from designing and building his own house, he has been working with humanitarian projects, worked as a tour leader and made video documentaries about the Khmer Rouge and indigenous people under the influence of globalization.

His first literary work Third World Man (Out of Denmark) is the personal account of his journey from Denmark to Cambodia and the various impacts it has had on his life. It is also a critical comment to the divided and unsustainable world we live in today. Thomas is now looking to have Third World Man (Out of Denmark) published in hard form and/or as an e-book. This article, “The Early Years”, is based on the third chapter of the book and is the second in a series of three articles by Thomas Weber Carlsen, all taken from chapters in the book, to be presented on Latitudes.nu in the near future.

Jakarta Living Costs: Accommodation, Transportation, Food & Entertainment

By: Ario Triwibowo

Jakarta is one of the world’s busiest, largest and most populous cities. The Indonesian capital is ranked as the 9^th largest city and 13^th most populous city in the world. As the center of governance and business, the city attracts more and more people (Indonesians as well as expats). Indonesians come to Jakarta in search of better education, work and above all luck. Expats mostly for the latter two. Adding to the estimated 10-15 million people, this is not without consequence. The traffic is pure mayhem and living costs soar.

Jakarta Living Cost: Housing / Accommodation

For many foreigners, renting an apartment is probably the most convenient way to live in Jakarta. The city’s real estate / property sector has been growing rapidly throughout the past decade, as the need of strategic-located housing increases. Traffic jams have also contributed to this rapid boom. Traffic jams eat time, money and patience, so location becomes even more important when you want to settle down in Jakarta. If you work in the business district, be sure to find housing in the neighborhood, or with good access.

Wanted: Dutch Expats for Research on Expat Life in Post-Colonial Indonesia

Hello Latitudes.nu readers. My name is Yannick Wassmer, and I am a 24-year old 'Dutch' student. I'm currently finishing my masters degree in Intercultural Communication at the University of Utrecht. At the moment I'm doing an internship at Fortune PR in Jakarta. My Indonsian roots (grandparents of both sides are Indonesian), sparked my interest in this country.

For my master-thesis I want to conduct a research on the life of Dutch expats in Indonesia with a special focus on the post-colonial context in which it takes place. To be more precise: I want to research to what extent the colonial past is of influence on the lifes of Dutch expats in Indonesia. Do Dutch expats notice any aspects of this shared past in their day to day activities and interactions with Indonesians?

20 Reasons You May Have Been Living in Thailand for too Long

By: Noël Lindquist

1. When an ant crawls into your noodle soup or plate of spicy som tam, you don’t bother removing it and chock it up as extra protein.

2. When someone shoves you at a local vegetable market, runs over your toe with a shopping cart, or cuts in front of you in line, you are the one to turn and apologize.

3. You start to exhibit withdrawal symptoms if you go more than a few days without a plate of phat kraphao.

4. When it comes to driving, you know full well that it doesn’t matter who got there first, it matters whose vehicle is bigger.

5. You have applied bling to your laptop, cellphone and motorbike, and are considering buying those oddly attractive tiger-eyed contact lenses.

Design on Bali: Less is More

By: Ed Caffin, first published on Jakarta Expat

Keeping up with the latest contemporary trends, architectural design on Bali is of course all about minimalism. Or at least, that’s what everybody building a new villa on Bali seems to talk about. Because less is more, you know? Modern minimalist architecture may be trendy, but how does that combine with the architectural traditions known to the island? I discussed these and other questions with one of Bali’s young and emerging architects: Made Dharmendra.

Melasti day. Ceremonial processions block the streets as I am on my way to meet Made in his Denpasar office. Today the annual washing of the temple implements takes place, just a few days before the biggest day of the year on Bali, Nyepi Day, the holy day of silence. I am happy to see that beautiful Balinese traditions, like this one, are very much alive. And so are mine I’m afraid: I will be fashionably late for my appointment.

Singapore Living Costs: Accommodation, Transportation, Food & Entertainment

By: Farah Ong

Try locating Singapore on the world map and you will see this little red dot tucked underneath Malaysia in the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. This little red dot may be the smallest country in South-East Asia, but it has now ranked the 3^rd most expensive city in Asia to live in, just after Tokyo and Osaka, beating Hong Kong.

Singapore has transformed from a small, chaotic seaport into one of the richest, cleanest, safest, efficient and most expensive cities to live in. This quick emergence from a third-world to a first-world nation has inevitably transformed the people’s mindset and expectations of worldly pursuits. From the laid-back inhabitants of island people to a city known for it’s materialistic culture obsessed with their pursuit of the 5C’s- cash, car, condo, credit card and country club.