Barack Obama in Jakarta: meatballs, the Istiqlal Mosque and, er, the Obama Bar?

In an astute move which is expected to make him even more popular in Indonesia than he already is, US President Barack Obama has announced that he will be accompanied on his upcoming trip to Jakarta by the delectable Pamela Anderson!


The sexy showbiz star is taking the opportunity to visit Indonesia so that she can hand over the US$25,000 of funds she raised (by modeling nude, what else?) to the victims of the recent disasters in Mentawai and Central Java.

A positively beaming Obama is obviously delighted to have new “company” on his trip.

“Besides, it should be a hell of a lot more fun without Michelle just tagging along,” he explained.

Obama’s itinerary on 10 November 2010 is said to include the following:

1) A visit to Istiqlal Mosque. Nothing gives more credence to the claims by right-wing crazies that Obama is a closet Muslim than high-profile mosque visits. Obama just wants to bait them more.



Mesjid Istiqlal (Istiqlal Mosque) is impressive for its size rather than its beauty: but then again it was a pet project of former president Soekarno so that is hardly surprising. He liked things BIG (he would have loved Pamela!) Whether Soekarno’s support for the construction of the mosque won him any kudos in the afterlife is unknown of course, but he’s certainly left his mark on Jakarta as the many buildings and statues dotted around the city testify. I processed this image into HDR from several separate RAW files.

2) Meatballs Lunch - of all the epicurean delights that Obama could sample in Jakarta and what does he choose? Chinese meatballs! Not exactly the Dog’s Bollocks in my opinion – but it could well be the cow’s – that’s exactly the problem with Chinese meatballs; you simply don’t know what you are eating. It could be ***king anything; all mixed together with copious quantities of cacogenic borax… Yummy, I don’t think!!!

3) As it’s Hero’s Day when Obama’s here (10 November), Obama will be taken to a specially revamped branch of Hero supermarket packed full of US made goods. Oh the joys of shopping!!!

4) A visit to his old stomping grounds in leafy Menteng. To get there from his hotel Obama is insisting on traveling in a fully restored 1961 Lincoln Continental, open-top, modified limousine, which, incidentally, has already been shipped over to Jakarta. “I have every confidence in the ability of the secret service agents to keep me safe,” he explained.

Huge crowds are expected and the authorities are already undertaking “baby beauty contests” for mothers wanting Obama to hug their baby. So far, 45 babies are on the shortlist.

5) A night out on the town. Obama is with Pamala Anderson don’t forget, so don’t be surprised if he “retires early” to his hotel. But if things with Pamala are cool the President has options aplenty in the big, smelly Durian – from the stylish yet controversial Buddha Bar to the classy BATS bar in the Shangri La Hotel. (*)

(*) A trip to the Obama Bar on Jalan Jaksa is still a possibility although a bar crawl in Blok M has been ruled out on fears that Obama could be mowed down by an Al-Qaeda hijacked Metromini leaving the nearby bus station.