Maintaining your health in Jakarta

By Ella Davison
University of Technology Sydney

When I arrived in Jakarta, an Australian woman I met told me how her new Indonesian friends had suggested that she start eating at the warungs immediately so her stomach could become accustomed to the local food.

She contracted a one in a million chance stomach bug, was extremely ill, had to return to Australia and was off work for six months. In no way is this meant to instil fear! I think it's more important to realise that you have to do everything in moderation in Jakarta. Eat at warungs if they are recommended by friends. I wouldn't recommend eating all three daily meals there – try to mix it up a bit with foods you are more comfortable with and may be a bit fresher and more hygienic.

Treat yourself to a nice meal once or twice a week. Explore the amazing restaurants and spend that bit extra for the experience of eating incredible Indonesian food.

Consider taking multi-vitamins. I know a few people fell ill with colds – A/C flu, caused by the extremely cold temperatures most air conditioners are kept at. You might consider taking Vitamin C; an acidophilous multivitamin to line your stomach and protect against bugs; if you have low iron levels, consider taking iron supplements as I found that red meat is either in short supply or is of poor quality.

When consuming alcohol – drink in moderation. Other than for safety reasons - in that it's stupid to become completely blind drunk when in a foreign country – the hangovers always seemed worse in Jakarta. This, combined with a perhaps already compromised immune system could lead to general off-colourness for a few days and you can't afford to lose that time.

In general, try and get as much sleep as possible; it's easy for the city to wear you down. Also, join a gym or make a conscious effort to walk for 20mins every day to maintain your fitness.

And the most obvious – try EVERYTHING at least once. No matter what it is, say yes to any offer, accept any opportunity and I guarantee your time will be memorable for all the right reasons.

Read some of Ella's stories:

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/01/27/indian-naval-ships-arrive-ri.html
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/02/08/ri-indian-navies-cooperate-training-scheme.html