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The KHO News is published monthly for friends of John and Jamal, covering news and their life and times in Bali. March 2008 YET ANOTHER GRAND ASIAN TOUR BALI  JAN 18: John and Jamal were off again on another Air Asia Sale Price Junket, this time to Hanoi via Jakarta, Bandung, Penang and Kuala Lumpur 12:00 HOURS WE ARRIVED AT Denpasar Airport to check-in for our Air Asia flight to Jakarta. Denpasar Domestic Security During the flight I opened my carry-on bag and was horrified to find a pair of scissors in my bag - don't know how they got there - how did that get through security? Actual In-flight Photo We arrived 15 minutes early at Jakarta Airport and were met by old Lombok friend Herman who works in Jakarta for Deutche Bank. Downtown Jakarta Herman and his wife Nini, their two boys and a girl live in Raffles Hills away from the Jakarta pollution. Herman's House With Herman at Raffles Hills

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 2   We Go Golfing Herman's Golf Club In Asia most business is done on the golf course - Important for Herman to belong to a respectable Golf Club in order to close those big banking deals, also important to keep in practice, no point letting the client win with too bigger margin. So we went off to the practice range. Herman Hits a Tweety Herman tells us the annual membership at the club costs an absolute fortune, however the bank picks up the bill. John the Sit-down Caddy Retrieving Lots of Balls The Club House The Club House ceiling has genuine fake Michelangelo's and features a sauna, golf shop, restaurants and a TimeZone to entertain the kids. We Go Shopping Jakarta Shopping Mall What do you do in Jakarta on a Sunday? - Go to the shopping mall. We were no exception as we went with Herman's family to the Mall. Jamal with Ryan and Reynard John "Never buy off the hook" Jamal tries a free foot massage Herman's youngest - Audrie A Final BBQ Dinner Herman, Jamal and Nini

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 3   The Argo Gede train to Bandung MONDAY MORNING JAN 21: We departed Jakarta on the Ago Gede for the 3 hour journey to Bandung, arriving just after 12:30. and took the local 20 minute train out to Ranca Ekek where Jamal's family live. On arrived Jamal's sisters were in full swing cooking lunch for us. The Kitchen Girls Jamal  - The taste test Time to Party We hit the Chevis Regal On our departure from Jakarta, Herman presented us with a bottle of Chevis Regal - most welcome in beautiful; downtown Ranca Ekek. Even Jamal's mum has nip A Bonza Drop The Girls Abstain With Jamal's brother Deni The Party Swings on A Game of Cards Next Day - Deni, Kiki & Aldi Kiki gives John a Haircut We stayed for 4 nights in Ranca Ekek - family came from far and wide to meet us, on the first night 20 people slept over not bad for a house only 8 meters x 10 meters. On the last day we went by train to Cicalengka to visit Kiki's house in the jungle. The house consists of a main bedroom hut, a second ....... With Ramdani on the train

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 4   sleeping hut, a kitchen/chicken house and an outdoor shower.  The Main Bedroom Hut The 2nd Sleeping Hut The Outdoor Shower The Kitchen/Chicken House A basic jungle house, on the side of a mountain - but what a view. Historic George Town, Penang as seen from our AirAsia Flight SAT JAN 26: We flew to Penang. Nothing much has changed, our favourite Cathay Hotel (A$25/n) is still there and opposite is the new International Food Court with over 40 outlets. Saturday and Sunday nights there is a  live band. I had the greatest Dim Sum, Jamal ate from the Japanese stall.  The Old Classic Cathay Hotel Upstairs at the Old Cathay The International Food Court

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 5   A hearty meal for only A$5 Our Waiter from Bangladesh Penang was once an important British freeport before Raffles established Singapore. Many old buildings still exist from colonial times. The Fort is well worth seeing and if the heat is too much take the funicular to the old hill station. The Historic E&O Hotel Typical Old Georgetown Street A Penang Hindu Temple Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion... was built by Mr Cheong in the 30's, he was reputed to be Asia's richest man at the time. Jamal peers through AirAsia porthole as we approach Hanoi Little did we know the fog from the aircraft would be an introduction to Hanoi winter weather. We knew we would be in Hanoi during winter, but we didn't expect it to be as cold as it was, tops of 13oC most days. This colder than average weather was due to the much publicized storms in China to the north. We meet up with Brenda an old Australian friend who has been living in Hanoi for 5 years working as an english teacher. Life on the Road Our Water Heater for morning Coffee and Instant Noodles Jamal is never satisfied with the hotel laundries ironing The bar - for 6pm drinks

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 6   Dinner at Brenda's Brenda's new house in Hanoi We visited Brenda's new four story house in Hanoi for Vietnamese dinner cooked by her partner Canh. The kitchen and dining area is on the ground floor and each of the upper floors has two large rooms and a bathroom. The Kitchen One of 3 Upstairs Bathrooms On Tour of Upstairs Brenda's partner Canh Enjoying the meal The Vietnamese Feast After - Special Sticky Rice Cake The Especen -our room 1st floor Brenda found us a wonderful Pension Hotel, right in the heart of the old French Quarter. The cables in the street need a bit of a tidy up. You could touch them from our 1st floor balcony. First Floor cables

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 7   Our Room at Especen The three windowed room with private balcony, fridge, cable t/v and hot & cold air-con cost A$17/n. Free Broadband Internet Helpful Receptionist Luong Out and About in Hanoi Hanoi consists of the old city built while Vietnam was a French colony and the new modern city that surrounds it. The centre point of French Hanoi is the Hoan Kiem lake, one of many in the city. There are many parks and gardens, unusual in asia. The old city is a feast of French buildings, with boutiques, churches, coffee shops, restaurants and bakeries it was hard to believe we were not in the middle of Paris. Hoan Kiem Lake near our Hotel Paris on the Hoan Kiem Lake  Lakeside Flowers Colonial Houses St Joseph's Cathedral, a stones throw from our hotel Paris with motorbikes and more motor bikes

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 8   The 6,000 seat Opera House   The Lythaito Statue Government Offices A Cyclo The best way around the inner city is to rent a Cyclo, most destinations cost 20,000 Dong (~A$1.50). Grocery Stall Fresh Vegetables Streetside Restaurant Sellers The Central Market Museum's Galore Hanoi has it's more than fair share of museums to check out and you can even see Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body at his mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum The Ho Chi Minh Museum The Military Museum

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 9   Ornate Department Store Metropol Café Pubs & Food Hanoi has an excellent range of restaurants from very cheap to outrageously expensive. Make sure to check the prices on the menu outside the restaurant before entering, that way you won't get burnt. Alcohol is very cheap, a bottle of Johnny Walker will only cost you around A$15 on the street. Imported and local wines are freely available at reasonable prices. There are a small number of western style pubs catering to the expat and the tourist trade. At the "Polite Pub" "Polite Pub" Staff Brenda at the R&R Tavern Jamal meets old Bali friend Tim Music at the R&R Tavern Morning after Coffee Dining Alfresco with Brenda Restaurant on the Lake Lakeside Coffee Shoppe Expensive Italian

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 10   Our Favourite Eats Brenda first introduced us to Mocca Café less than 200 meters from our hotel. Food very good and their coffee excellent and they do a great breakfast, but you only get butter for your toast after asking. Maybe they are just looking after our cholesterol levels. Mocca Café Mocca's Coffee Roast Machine Breakfast at Mocca We tried most of the cheaper restaurants in our area, most were mediocre, after all you get what you pay for. However our favourite cheapy became Bamboo restaurant, two doors up from the eccentric Australian Mad Max's Kangaroo restaurant. Bamboo served Vietnamese and western food all excellent and the local Dalat wine at only A$6 per bottle (other places up to $12). My favourites were the steak and pizza, Jamal loved the Tafu Seafood. Bamboo Restaurant Dalat - Local Vietnamese Wine With Brenda at the Bamboo Jamal Enjoys a Dalat Wine Bamboo Waiter With the Owner of the Bamboo Air-Con Installation Jamal took this photo of a guy installing an airconditioner, he was hanging from the top of a 6 story building with only a thin rope.

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 11   We were lucky enough to be in Hanoi for the annual new Year Celebration Tet, the year of the rat. On New Years Eve, like thousands of others we went down to the lake near our hotel to watch the fire- works display, and what a display. Some of the Revellers Our receptionist at the Especen Luong, invited us to share a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label after we came back from the fireworks, most welcome in the near zero temperature. New year at Especen Hotel The celebrations went on for almost a week. The first couple of days Hanoi was like a ghost town with many returning home to their villages for the holiday. The city was very colourful with decorations and street shows.

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 12   We left Hanoi for 2 days and travelled 160 km down to Halong Bay, famous for it's 3000+ islands jutting out of the sea. We booked on to a local Junk-like ship with sleeping accommodation for 18 passengers plus lots of crew. The cost was ~A$44 for the boat trip, accommodation, 4 meals and transport from Hanoi. We Arrive at Halong Bay Jamal gets the Voyage Briefing We left Hanoi at 08:30 and arrived at Halong Bay port around 12:00 and boarded our ship. Boarding at Halong Bay Hundreds of tour ships were tied up at Halong Port, we had to climb over 3 ships before we got to ours. The Dining Room We sailed around 1pm and a Vietnamese lunch was served. After lunch we were given the keys to our downstairs cabins. Our Cosy Cabin Tet New Year Kumquats In Hanoi it is mandatory that you MUST have a Kumquat tree in your house, office or business to celebrate the Tet New Year. Tree in our Hotel Foyer Where ever we went Kumquat trees were being delivered by motor bike, some up to 4 mtrs tall. Kumquat Tree Delivery

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 13   Our Cabin Bathroom From our Cabin Window Ship Similar to Ours Yes, there are 1000's of islands Jamal take in the View And what a view it is ... At around 3 pm we arrive at the caves and tour them, naturally there are some enterprising sellers appear on small boats.  Jamal asks for clove cigarettes The Extensive Caves View from the Caves Having Coffee Ashore After visiting the caves we set sail again for another hour to our night mooring spot. On the way we had pre-dinner drinks. Anchored for the night At 7 pm dinner was served, wines were available at an extra charge. Dinner on board Revelling with the crew

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 14   Jamal gets some night air At 7 am the crew woke all the passengers and at 8 pm breakfast was served as we set sail home. Two Bob a Dozen Sailing Home We arrived back in Halong Port at noon and were taken to a local restaurant for lunch, before our three hour trip back to Hanoi. Jamal says goodbye to our guide We certainly enjoyed our trip to Halong Bay and recommend it to anyone visiting Hanoi. Goodbye Hanoi We spent 17 days in Hanoi, enough time to get to know the inner city quite well. We returned to Kuala Lumpur for 3 days before winging our way back to home in Bali. Final night dinner with  Brenda and Canh We had a great time in Hanoi and would especially like to thank  Brenda for her hospitality, information and helping me get a Visa on Arrival for Vietnam. also Canh for his sponsoring of my visa and for the information and excellent cooking. Also we would like to thank Luong at Especen Hotel for all his help and local information. Luong is now a subscriber to the KHO News, our first Vietnamese national to subscribe. Where From Here? We are now back in Bali for four months before heading off in June to Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo and then on to the Philippines for a first ever visit. John will travel to Australia in late July returning via Singapore in the Super Jumbo Airbus  A-380. In mid-September we will travel to Thailand visiting Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai.  Bali News Brief Dede Departs the KHO SAT FEB 23: Dede who has been looking after the house for us while we were on holiday returned home to Bandung with AirAsia Dede departs for  the Airport with  Fendi to Jakarta, then train to Bandung. Air Asia to Start Bali Hub INDONESIA AIR ASIA (QZ) have announced a new hub in Bali.  With new flights to Malaysia, Darwin and Perth. That should open some new opportunities  for travel to Melbourne, Sydney and other Australian ports. Lion Air to Australia INDONESIA's LARGEST Jakarta based domestic carrier is looking to launch Australia's fourth low-cost domestic airline, a further challenge to Qantas-Jetstar and Virgin Blue's dominance of the local market.

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 15   FRI FEB 29: Ines celebrated her 60th birthday by inviting 17 guests to an exclusive (quote Ines) "No Expense Spared" dinner at Café Des Artistes in Ubud. The champagne flowed and everyone enjoyed the good food.... Happy Birthday Ines. Erna, Gerda, Wilhelm & Fendy Café owner, Ines & Serge John, Clive, Wendy, Ines, Jamal Rob, Wendy, Win, John & Ines Table from the Belgian Consul General INES' BIRTHDAY MENU Belgian Aperitif Based on Belgian ‘Bessenjenever Watercress-cream-soup Garlic-croutons Duck-liver and green pepper-corn pate, homemade blackberry jam and toasted baguette Waterzooi Boneless chicken slowly cooked in white wine and cream Baby-potatoes, green beans, mushrooms OR Butterfish Estragon Grilled butterfish on a tarragon-cream Broccoli gratin and mashed potatoes OR Tenderloin Steak Archiduc or Rocquefort Grilled tenderloin with your choice of two sauces Sautéed root-vegetables and French fries Chocolate Delight Chocolate cake, rum infused Whipped cream, grated chocolate OR Dame Blanche Vanilla Ice cream and Hot Chocolate sauce Illy coffee or Javanese green tea Leo and Erna Depart Leo and Erna BALI MARCH 1: Leo and Erna from Holland who have the enviable lifestyle of holiday-ing in Bali for 4 months every year when they close their sea-side hotel in Holland for the winter. They departed on Eva Air for Taiwan and then on to the Netherlands. Thursday in Sobat we had a farewell dinner for them. In attendance were Leo, Erna, Rob, Win, Nyoman, Jamal, Erik and John. We look forward to their return in November. John, Erna, Rob, Nyoman & Win

Kerobokan Home Office News - June 2007 Page 16   Last month Qantas/JetStar announced they would increase their fuel surcharge on all routes, due to the price of crude oil reaching US$100 per barrel. On Asian routes the increase is $15 making the fuel surcharge $120. Financial analysts have criticized the decision saying Qantas was already overcharging and it would add millions to their revenue. At the KHO we did our own investigation in to the actual cost of fuel for a flight from Melbourne to Bali. An Airbus 330 according to Airbus uses .023 litres per passenger, per Kilometre with 300 PAX (JetStar 303 PAX) the aircraft consumes 6.9 litres per kilometre. The flight to Bali from Melbourne is 4,477 Km, so the fuel consumed would be 30,891 litres. Jet A1 Fuel A$ 1.21/litre The current Singapore price for Jet A1 fuel is A$ 1.21 per litre. (Feb 244) (Note: Qantas claim they pay less than that price because of hedging) Now here is the stinger - the fuel consumed per PAX on the MEL-DPS leg assuming 300 seats is  MEL-DPS A$ 124.58 102.96 litres - that would cost @ A$ 1.21/Ltr = A$ 124.58, how can they justify $120 as a surcharge. Basically they are allowing A$ 4.58 as the fuel cost in the ticket. Now if we consider they have hedging the fuel price at say A$ 1.10per litre, IT IS NOT A SURCHARGE, IT'S THE PRICE OF THE FUEL (very conservative) that would make the fuel cost A$ 113.25 .i.e. Less than the Fuel Surcharge. Recently British Airways got into trouble over this kind of pricing. No Wonder Low Cost Asian Carriers Can't Wait To Get Into Australia No wonder the low-cost Asian carriers are so interested in competing with Qantas/JetStar, there is so much  profit to be made. undercut JetStar by 10-20% and you still make a fortune. Interesting Singapore's Tiger Air recently announced that they will not be having a fuel surcharge - they said that the price of fuel is an operational cost to the airline and should be included in the ticket. Air Asia have now got JetStar on it's toes by offering a $166 one-way fare KUL-Gold Coast. JetStar SYD-KUL $ 399 – obviously Sydney punters thought why not JetStar to Gold Coast then AirAsia to KUL. JetStar offered a $199 fare ex-SYD.  The sooner Lion Air, AirAsia and others arrive in the Australian international the better. And what are Virgin going to do with their umpteen long range Dreamliners? E&OE. The information for this article was sourced on the web from Airbus, Bloomberg, JetStar, The Age and AirAsia sites. The KHO is the affectionate name of our house in Bali, this is a non - commercial site, to keep our many friends in touch  with the local scene. Our aim is to help the local people through promoting tourism.  If you would like to subscribe (it's free) and receive notification of a new edition email us at:jbsymons@indo.net.id Check Past Editions Copyright ©2008 The Kerobokan Home Office - All Rights Reserved