With US President Barack Obama set to jet into Jakarta in only a month’s time, frantic preparations are being made to prepare a suitable “watering hole’ for the beer loving “Barry”.

As the most powerful man in the world, we might have expected the authorities to arrange for Barry to have his drinking sessions at a really classy bar. Shangri La’s BATS comes to mind. Or perhaps the very sophisticated Buddha Bar in Cikini.

But no. Barry’s having none of it, and as an avowed “man of the people” he has made clear his desire to drink with the “common man” (or woman obviously), and in far less salubrious surroundings.

Three different places in Jakarta were initially shortlisted: Blok M, Chinatown and the legendary Jalan Jaksa in central Jakarta.

But with Blok M rejected on fears that Obama might be mown down by an Al Quida hijacked Metromini bus leaving the nearby bus station and Chinatown given the thumbs down because of concerns that the US President might want to “loosen up” a bit at one of the nearby massage parlors, the decision pretty much made itself.

And so Jalan Jaksa it is.

But how are the preparations proceeding?

Well not too great really. Here’s the bar as it currently stands:



Oops, sorry! Just kidding! That’s the building in front of the Obama Bar and yes – it does look a bit like London after the Blitz, but, hey, this is Jalan Jaksa right?

So here’s the real pic of Obama Bar:



Nope, it’s not exactly in the greatest shape either but there’s still time to get the place sorted.

But what sort of a bar will it be? Well, a closer look at the banner probably gives a pretty good indication I reckon:



Yep it’s gonna be the sort of place where the likes of England football star John Terry and golfing legend Tiger Woods would feel very much at home. Barry should like it too and I can imagine there are quite a few young ladies simply quivering in their imitation Jakarta shoes at the prospect of rubbing shoulders with “our” Barry.

So what’s it gonna be Barry? Bintang or Anker? Cheers!!!

Barry sinks another pint in a training session for his Jakarta visit

Obama Bar, Jalan Jaksa no. 49, Central Jakarta, Indonesia

NB: According to the Jakarta Globe, the Obama Bar is going to be styled as a sports bar: the interior will be decorated with pictures of soccer players, and patrons will be offered a variety of Indonesian, Western and African food.

Sounds great to me!!

Back in the 70s the Balinese passed a wonderfully phrased law which forbids the construction of any building “higher than a palm tree”. And just as well they did. Otherwise Bali would probably have ended up a lot like Honolulu.

So with high rise buildings completely outlawed in Bali, you can imagine my surprise to hear that there are plans for the construction of the world’s tallest statue at a private cultural park in the southern tip of the island!

It will be a statue of the Hindu god Vishnu riding his faithful mount Garuda (a mythical bird), and when complete is expected to stand an incredible 146 meters tall, or easily beating the world’s presently tallest statue, the giant 128 meter Buddha which can be found in Henan, China.

So huge is the planned statue in Bali that the wing span of the Garuda is estimated to reach a phenomenal 64 meters and an estimated 4,000 tons of copper and brass will be needed in the statue’s construction!

But progress has been painfully slow so far, and the incomplete statue of Vushnu – without either arms or a lower body - cuts a very bizarre sight indeed.


Other parts of the statue are scattered around the park – like the Garuda’s head – but most bizarrely of all are the huge separated arms and hands of Vushnu.

Worth visiting for the curious but it did get me thinking:

If buildings can’t be higher than a palm tree then perhaps neither should statues!

Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park,
Jl. Raya Uluwatu, Ungasan, Kuta Selatan Badung 80364 PO BOX 139 Nusa Dua Bali, Indonesia