Pangandaran's fishermen count the cost of tsunami

Friday, July 21, 2006
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Pangandaran, Ciamis

Even in dangerous times, fishermen find the sea to be their sanctuary, the place they understand best. As a torrent of water built ominously off Pangandaran beach Monday, many fishermen rushed to their boats and headed out to sea.

"I knew that the tsunami would break onshore, so I hurried to sea. Nothing happened in the middle of the sea, except for slightly higher waves than usual," Ateng said as he untangled nets on the western shore, the center of the tourism in the resort.

The 35-year-old's family was safe, but one of his two boats was destroyed. His livelihood, and of many other fishermen along the southwestern coast, is threatened.
It was cruel timing, because the fishermen were enjoying good catches after a long period of scarcity. It struck during the dry season, one of the most productive periods for fishermen, who save up for the inevitable leaner times ahead.

Memed, who sets sail from the eastern stretch of shore, said the last five months were tough for fishermen.

"But this month had been good. There were signs of shrimp everywhere, and plenty of fish," he said.

The sad, exhausted-looking 47-year-old stood by his ruined boat air with the air reeking from the destroyed fish auction center nearby.

Shortly before the tsunami, he withdrew some of his savings to pay for gas and the boat service. Now he is counting his losses, after a boat and 10 nets were destroyed.
A boat costs at least Rp 18 million (US$1,900), with the vessel itself accounting for Rp 8 million, and the machine Rp 10 million.

Dadang fared even worse; he lost two boats and 35 nets, each of which costs Rp 700,000. He is thankful that his family and their home was safe, although he suffered a slight foot injury carrying a friend to receive medical attention.

"They had been good days for fishing. A few months ago, we were lucky to get Rp 100,000, which was barely enough because we need at least Rp 50,000 to go fishing. But these past few weeks, we could earn Rp 300,000 to Rp 500,000 a day."

The 26-year-old's three siblings also lost their kiosks by the beach. Luckily, the kiosks were closed that Monday as they wanted to take a break after the busy school holiday that ended Sunday.

The fishermen's families are now living in tents in the hills of nearby villages. The fishermen come down during the day to scour the shore for anything that is salvageable.

"Aid? We've just got food, because my family lives near an aid post. But I haven't eaten since this morning," Dadang said.

Many fishing villages were destroyed, he said, like Batu Hiu, Bojong Salawe, Batu Karas, Legok Jawa and Cipatujah.

"I hope the government will help us so that we could go back to sea again," he said.
Memed noted that catches were most abundant from August to September.

"It's then that we need to save up our money for the long term. That's how fishermen do things. We can earn more than a civil servant in one period, but get nothing in another," he said, adding that he would immediately go back to sea after the situation was declared safe.

Meanwhile, Ateng plans to spend three months at his parents' home in nearby Kalipucang.

"Even if I fished, who would buy them?" he said.

Labels: tsunami

Posted by hera at 8:26 PM | Permalinks | Comments

Privacy comes with price at Da Vinci penthouses

Sunday, July 16, 2006
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Every so often, there seems to be a need for wealthy Indonesians to build bulky, colonial-style houses with gigantic pillars and over-the-top ornamentation that may not necessarily blend with its surroundings (rundown buses, stinky rivers and regular floods during the rainy season).

Bulky, colonial-style houses need matching furniture. Enter Da Vinci.
The Singapore-based company is the creator of furniture which makes you think your time machine is working and it is the Roman period all over again.

The Da Vinci Tower in the heart of the business district on Jl. Sudirman says it all. It has more ornamentation than Borobudur Temple and at night, it gives a new meaning to the Greek Tragedy.

The tower has 12 floors for showrooms, each occupying about 400 square meters taking a different theme (Greek, classical, colonial, baroque, etc.)

Cynics say the furniture is for people for whom the phrase "money can't buy taste" exists, or else, nouveau riche.

A restaurateur even mused over who would buy this furniture which she thought was too heavy.

"Who would buy that? I mean, it's not that it's cheap," she said. Indeed, a chandelier after being discounted still costs nearly Rp 200 million (around US$22,000).

However, Da Vinci has enjoyed good sales all this time. Aside from the tower in Sudirman, Da Vinci also has a showroom in Jl. Panglima Polim, South Jakarta and another one in Surabaya, East Java.

"Demand is still high. More and more people are opening businesses at home, and they need classical and glamorous furniture to express power," said Da Vinci's general manager Erwin Hawawinata.

Business is good, so it is time to expand. Seeing the thriving apartment market, Da Vinci decided to add floors to its tower to build penthouses.

"The apartment market is still good. We are offering a combination of good location, privacy, quality and elegance," Erwin said.

The project, which began three years ago, has been completed and the penthouses were launched last week. The Da Vinci Penthouses occupy the 14th to 32nd floors of the tower with only 28 units.

There are three types of units: The Penthouse, Deluxe Penthouse and Grand Penthouse, ranging from 340 square meters to 382 square meters, and each unit has a name like Naples, Firenze and Giovanni.

And yes, the penthouse has adopted classic European design in every detail, starting from the elevator that is all marbles with floral motifs and engraved mirrors.

The unit has a private elevator lobby, foyer, living room, breakfast area, pantry, kitchen, dining room, and four bedrooms each with an attached bathroom. The interiors are about gold and marble, 3.2 to four-meter high ceilings, floral motifs, statues, fountains, four-poster beds, and all that.

Facilities include private access, fingerprint scan, videophone, two shifts of 30 security personnel, as well as tennis court, "The Bath of Apollo" swimming pool, private spa and gym.

Surprisingly, Da Vinci has also built a contemporary and more urban unit called Puccini. It has a trendy, minimalist look, which is a 180 degree departure from the usual Da Vinci style.

According to Erwin, 30 percent of the penthouses have been reserved. The price? Rp 10 billion and above.

Labels: culture, urban

Posted by hera at 8:28 PM | Permalinks | Comments