out with good buddies, speculate on the horses in the nearby corrals and feel the thrill of half a dozen beautifully muscled beasts sprinting 1,400m around a track under a hot Jakarta sun. Most of the horses are G3 or G4, which means they are the third or fourth generation of a local Indonesian horse that was bred with a thoroughbred from abroad. They are now referred to as a KPI (kuda pacu Indonesia), an Indonesian racing horse. You can get more information by picking up a racing guide at the track that features lists of horses and their stats, race start times, jockey names, stables and prize money for each race. Note: It’s best to have some binoculars to watch the action from start to finish.
Races are held throughout the year, though in order to get the updated schedule or race information you will need to call ahead. The races are not held regularly, but you could just rock up on a Sunday and pray it’s your lucky day.
HEADS UP
Gambling is illegal in Indonesia, and at the race track there is no formal place to bet. All money wagered is passed from hand to hand rather than through any official channel.
WHERE TO GO Pacuan Kuda Pulomas in east Jakarta, bounded by Jl. Kayu Putih and Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan.
HOW TO GET THERE Take Busway #2 to the ASMI stop and walk or take an ojek.
FOR DRIVERS Take the Ir. Wiyoto Wiyono toll road to the Suprapto flyover and head east on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, turn on to Jl. Pulomas Timur and then turn left on to Jl. Sirap.
CHECK OUT www.forum-sandalwood.web.id
ICE SKATING
In a country where snow and ice don’t exist, there is nothing more entertaining than watching a bunch of people trying to figure skate for the very first time. The Sky Rink ice rink in Taman Anggrek Mall is just the place to go, with open skating for the public, private and group lessons, competitions and a hockey league that plays once a week (for the Canadians).
It’s a bit small to attempt those triple axles you’ve seen on TV, but it’s a great place to set the kids free, letting them run into walls and stumble around like newborn giraffes in high heels. It’s not an activity for the self-conscious, however, since an observation area looks over the rink from one level up.
FAST FACT
The rink is located in Mal Taman Anggrek (Orchid Garden Mall), which was built on what was once a massive orchid garden. Now the only flowers one can find here are the cheap plastic ones for sale in the Metro Department store.
CHECK OUT www.skyrinkjakarta.com
WHERE TO GO Taman Anggrek Mall on Jl. S. Parman.
PAINTBALL
Slithering through the greasy mud, a soldier clutches his weapon of war. Sweat pools in his ears as the sniper on the hill pins him down. A solid hit in the shoulder and he is going home. Well, he’s going back to the starting point, at least, to load up on more paintballs.
The Patriot Paintball Sport office is full of guns and war memorabilia—Vietnam War era pictures depicting grunts getting pulled out of hidden underground bunkers and big guys with big weapons.
After signing in, donning the fatigues provided and picking out your widow maker (made for paintballs, of course), you’ll get an introductory course on why you shouldn’t shoot others in the head at close range and other important information. Then you’re let loose in a jungle-like setting and encouraged to blast away at loved ones while stealing their team flag to win the competition.
Kitted out for a game of paintball.
Between rounds, keep an eye out for paint-ball commandos who come religiously to play assassin, soldier and mercenary, as well as members of the Indonesian army who frequent the place.
Patriot Paintball Sport also has a special ‘management retreat’ in which mid-level managers are encouraged to drop the polite water cooler conversations and instead imagine that ‘Bob from accounting’ is actually a baby-killing Commie from the mountainous regions of Crackistan.
WHERE TO GO Alam Sutera Family Park, Sutera Boulevard, Alam Sutera, Serpong, Tangerang.
HOW TO GET THERE Take the Jakarta-Merak toll road to Jl. Serpong Raya, then head south as far as the Alam Sutera clocktower. Turn left on to Jl. Alam Sutera to Sutera Boulevard.
WHO TO CALL 021-539-7777
GETTING IN Open 10am to 5pm, 7 days a week.
OTHER Children ages 12 and under are not allowed to play.
RUNNING
If running and drinking beer are two activities you thoroughly enjoy, the Hash House Harriers will be right up your alley. Hashing is running made fun, because rather than just jogging around your neighborhood in circles, someone sets up a course out in nature and others must follow the clues to make it from start to finish. Once a runner has successfully completed the course, the fun begins, with a social activity called the
‘circle’ where members socialize, sing drinking songs (while drinking) and new members get named. Generally runs start at 5pm on weekdays and last one hour, although the circle can go on through the evening. Weekend runs usually start at 4pm and last from one to one and a half hours.
Guidebook author Andrew Whitmarsh running in a local neighborhood.
There are several different groups that cater to men, women or both. Jakarta HHH runs on Mondays and is made up predominantly of men. The Pussy Hash, or Jakarta Hash House Harriettes, is women only. Their runs tend to be milder and they go out on Wednesdays. Batavia Hash House Harrier Hoons (or B4) runs on Thursdays. Only men are allowed except on the 4th Thursday of each month. TGIF is held on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month and is co-ed. Betawi H3 runs on the 1st and 3rd Saturday and 2nd and 4th Friday of each month. Finally, JAVA House Hash Harriers runs on the last Sunday of the month.
CHECK OUT www.indohash.com. Also try going through Jakarta Free Spirit (see contact information below).
HELPFUL HINT To join, just show up at one of the runs and pay up to whoever is collecting money.
JAKARTA FREE SPIRIT For those looking for more running and less drinking, this is the go-to group. It meets every Saturday at the Ragunan Zoo at 6.30am to run among the animals. The group runs a 5km loop, which anyone is welcome to join. Smaller groups run together in Pondok Indah, Kemang, Kelapa Gading, Pelita Harapan and start from the Four Seasons during the week.
Co-ed teams playing Ultimate Frisbee.
For a fee, you can get on the mailing list to find out more about the runs, get discounts on stores in Jakarta and Singapore, be part of social gatherings throughout the year, join trips outside of Jakarta and be up on their 5km, 10km and marathon race schedules.
CHECK OUT www.jakartafreespirit.org
