Extravagance among rich normal in garish Jakarta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): My friend Nora has a great affinity for hotels.
\nEvery time a new five star hotel is opened in Jakarta -- and
\nthere have been lots of them in the last decade -- she has to try
\nit out.<\/p>\n
She may be the only person in the world who has stayed
\nin all the hotels of Jakarta. She always finds hundreds of
\nreasons to move into a hotel, besides it being new. She may check
\nin because her house is being renovated or because she just feels
\nlike it.<\/p>\n
Staying in a hotel room can be very lonesome so she always
\nasks a relative or friend to accompany her for the night. I was
\nthe lucky one recently.<\/p>\n
I would rather sleep in my own bed than toss around trying to
\nfall asleep in a strange one. But I obliged anyway. Being with
\nNora is usually a unique experience.<\/p>\n
The hotel lobby was very crowded. All types of people were
\nchecking-in and meeting for lunch. I heard strange languages and
\nstrange accents and felt like I was in a foreign country.<\/p>\n
There were many people waiting for the elevator, mostly
\nchildren. Once inside, they fought to press the button. I
\nremembered my friend telling me that he often brought his
\nchildren to hotels so they could get used to the environment.<\/p>\n
\"To prevent them from suffering from culture shock when they
\nhave to stay in a hotel or go to a foreign country,\" he
\nexplained.<\/p>\n
Judging by the behavior of these children, culture shock was
\nlong past.<\/p>\n
I also remembered as I ascended in the elevator how years ago
\nI had sent my driver to a high-rise office building. I told him
\nto take the elevator to the eight floor, but I didn't explain to
\nhim how the elevator worked. He entered the elevator and waited
\nfor the magic to happen. Somebody came in and went to the fourth
\nfloor and he thought he had arrived. He decided to climb the
\nstairs instead.<\/p>\n
I went straight to my friend's room and found her lounging on
\nher bed watching TV.<\/p>\n
\"It's so nice,\" she said, \"I can see all the old movies here.
\nIsn't it fun?\"<\/p>\n
\"No big deal,\" I thought, but kept on watching anyway. It was
\na 1950s movie, one of those without bedroom scenes, but very
\nentertaining. Halfway through, she asked me what I wanted to eat
\nand explained what we could order room service.<\/p>\n
\"They have a good choice here,\" she commented. \"You know, the
\nroom service menu is the key to making guests feel at home.\"<\/p>\n
The meal was finished by the time the movie ended and we soon
\ndozed off.<\/p>\n
When I woke up, I went for a walk in the garden. Nora said she
\nwould do some work. When I returned, she was watching another
\nmovie. We ordered room service again for dinner.<\/p>\n
Before it arrived Nora's maid delivered food from home. It all
\nlooked so delicious that we decided to cancel the room-service
\nbut the waiter showed up at the same time.<\/p>\n
A solution was quickly found: we packed the hotel food
\ninto the containers from home and we enjoyed the home cooking.<\/p>\n
Bedtime came but I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned and
\ntried to read but to no avail. It was almost morning when I
\nfinally fell asleep.<\/p>\n
Nora was up bright and early talking on the phone and
\ninviting other friends over. She knew that I wouldn't enjoy
\nstaying another night. Her friends arrived immediately and we
\nwere soon engrossed in the latest gossip.<\/p>\n
We ate leftovers warmed on a stove the maid had brought along
\nthe night before.<\/p>\n
I packed and left. As I waited for my car, three cars pulled
\nup and out trooped a few families: children, seven or eight of
\nthem with a nanny for each child. That wasn't a shock, the one
\nchild to one nanny ratio was not new to me. Extravagance among
\nrich Indonesians is normal. What shocked me was the
\nluggage that was unloaded. Amongst them were a pile of
\nguling (bolsters). Seeing my stunned face, one of the nannies
\ngiggled and said: \"They all bring their own guling to
\nmake them feel at home. Without it they can't fall
\nasleep.\"<\/p>\n
So that is the trick. Bring your guling so you don't toss and
\nturn all night. I read that some celebrities like to bring their
\nfavorite things with them when they travel. The late Audrey
\nHepburn brought her own salt and pepper shakers.<\/p>\n
I will be more of a sensation when Nora next invites me to
\nkeep her company. I will be there, guling and all.<\/p>\n
-- Myra Sidharta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/extravagance-among-rich-normal-in-garish-jakarta-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }