Job Discussion Forums

[p1randal]

Hey Guys:

Accepted a job in Serpong (Alam Sutera) and I was wondering if anyone knew of good places to eat/drink etc. If there is any sort of ex-pat scene and how easy it is to meet them. I have a few Indo friends that I am close with and the reason I coming to Indo so it's not too important more curious.

Second, what sort of things do you wish you brought more of from home? I did 3 years in Korea but I was wondering what sort of things people in Indo miss from USA, Canada, etc.

Thanks,

Phil

[godmachine12]

Good beer. Not that you can bring a stock but you'll get tired of Bintang and Anker on ice rather quickly.
Books. You can get them in Jakarta but they're expensive (compared to your earnings anyway) and used books are a rare sight.
Non-smoking areas. If you don't smoke, good luck.
Food. This is a tough one to say is it good or bad. I quite like Indo food but it becomes monotonous no matter how good it is.

Best of luck to you.

[Fishy]

Sepong is a nice place to live, I really enjoyed living there for 2 years. It is a growing area with a major new mall opening at Alam Sutera and lots of really nice restaurants and bars. Tangerang is very close too with a few bars and restaurants where expats hang out. I worked at big international school just down the road in BSD so always had other expats to hang out with, you will probably find you meet some of them as you walk around the mall etc.

Indonesian food is incredible and never ever got monotonous for me. There is just so much you can choose from, different types of Indonesian food to chinese food and plenty of western options (although never as nice as the Indonesian in my experience.) Plenty of cinemas, a bowling alley, golf course, tennis courts, anything you want really. Where do you come form Phil?

Books can be expensive but there are a few brilliant book shops in the city centre. You will find plenty of 2nd hand book shops in Bali if you go there for hols so can stock up then.

Serpong is brilliant, I may end up there again some day....

feel free to PM for more info.

[jef dam]

I'm currently living in Gading Serpong and it's great. As has been mentioned, there are plenty of places to eat and drink, and plenty of ex-pats if that's what you're looking for in the way of a social circle.

The quality of life out this neck of the woods is pretty good. The traffic isn't anywhere near as bad as Jakarta (although it can get pretty bad at times), it's pretty clean and well maintained, and you're far enough from the city that the smog isn't overpowering.

It's pretty easy to get down to the coast as well.

8.5/10.

[p1randal]

Thanks for the information. I come from "The States" in particular Michigan. I have a couple Indo friends so im sure they can help me as well. I was just curious as to the style of life there in Serpong (Alam Sutera).

Do most people get scooters? I found out that unlike Korea, you can't walk to everything so how does one get to food and grocery store and the like?

Thanks for the help,

Phil

[Gajah Oling]

[jef dam]

Just as an aside, even though you won't be able to walk from place to place. Alam Sutera, Gading Serpong, Lippo Karawaci, and to a lesser extent BSD City are pretty pedestrian friendly, by Indonesian standards at least.

Also a scooter is a good idea, just don't get a Scoopy, horrible things

[bradleycooper]

By and large, the only people who end up out in Tangerang are those who can't get a desirable job in central Jakarta. Have known several who ended up out there after poor performance in the capital. Want to live in a housing estate that is 2 to 3 hours away by taxi from central Jakarta? You have found your neighborhood! Yes, they have a mall or two out here, but it is not attractive to most people who have better options. Try and get something more central if you can. An exception might be people with Indonesian spouses, some of which buy houses out that way (it's cheaper).

[p1randal]

Since I started this,

For what it's worth I like it so far and I see a lot of benefits to living out here. It is quite a big quieter than Jakarta and I feel that is a good thing. Granted I have only been here a month but I don't see a whole lot of difference from JKT and here. The malls are more or less the same (unless you are looking for a certain store) so that isn't a big issue. I will agree about the nightlife, which (At least in Alam Sutera) there doesn't appear to be much. I don't even see a local bar to get a beer but maybe that is due to rhamadan (spelling?). Yeah the 100k to goto JKT each way kinda stinks but I only spend like 200,000 all week on food at the canteen so money isn't much a problem.

Maybe in time I will find a big advantage to being in the city center but I don't see one now.