Inilah salah satu sudut pandang orang luar non Indonesia terhadap Jakarta...
Salam, Lulu Ratna
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Photo Finish In Big Durian's Amazing Race
Zack Petersen | May 29, 2011
Jakarta is infamous for its crazy traffic and difficult-to-navigate layout. But if you were challenged to see and explore as much of the city as possible in four hours, how much of it do you think you could traverse? The participants of Saturday's first annual Amazing Big Durian Race found their answer.
Organized by the American Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Committee, 36 teams of three or four members each participated in the contest, which was modeled after the popular reality TV show "The Amazing Race." The participants had to travel the city on a scavenger hunt, snap photos and collect random items in hopes of winning the grand prize of four new BlackBerry smartphones.
"We really wanted to do something different than what the American Chamber of Commerce normally does — an event where people can still meet new friends and business contacts, but without wearing name tags and standing around a hotel banquet room," said Lauren Tanner, co-chairwoman of the Young Professionals Committee.
She added, "I guess I would also say that the whole reason behind starting a young professionals committee was to offer different types of activities that would allow younger residents to enjoy Jakarta and appreciate it more. By holding events in new restaurants and bars and then having sports days and things like this scavenger hunt, we hope to do that."
Teams, boasting creative names like Uncle Dad Master, Tito Hotsauce and the Space Cadets, and The Jakarta Globe Swimsuit Edition, scored points in the competition by taking photos with at least two team members alongside everything from the mini deer at Monas to foreign ambassadors. They could also collect random items, like a business card from a Pertamina employee or ticket stubs from the TransJakarta busway. Each photo and item, from a list of more than 100 options, had different point values.
The competition, which started at 12:30 p.m. at Amigos in Kuningan and ended at Eastern Promise in Kemang at 6 p.m., forced teams into a mad dash across the city that took them all the way from Mampang to Pluit.
The game's unique rules gave teams a wide variety of strategic options. For example, they could try to score major points by getting a photograph of Ilham Anas, an Indonesian man known for his uncanny resemblance to US President Barack Obama, next to the statue of a young Obama in Menteng. The rules stipulated that a photo of a team with the statue was worth 10 points, while a photo of a team with Ilham was worth 75. But a photo of a team with Ilham Anas standing next to the statue was worth a whopping 750 points.
There were plenty of other photo point options, both wacky and conventional. A picture of a team wearing Burger King crowns inside a Toni Jack's was worth 20 points, while a photo of a team in front of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building was worth 50 points.
"Menteng was a points gold mine for our team," said Anne Conlin, a member of the planning committee. "In 10 minutes, we got pictures with a black dog, someone fishing, a jogger and someone with red shoes. On Jalan Surabaya, we found a blowgun and a ship's wheel and then we all had some jamu. The people we talked to were very friendly."
Malik Ardie, a member of the Party Ardies team, which finished second, said his team's knowledge of the city was its secret weapon.
"When we started out, we figured a lot of people would be using their BlackBerrys and iPods, but we know the streets and knew exactly where we would start and end," Ardie said. "We were pretty well organized. We thought we had our route set up better than anyone else."
Second place is respectable. And sometimes it's better to walk away with a good story than first place.
"The dangdut stage was pretty funny," Ardie said. "We were driving around Wijaya or Dharmawangsa. When we first drove past this place, we thought it was a dangdut stage but it was actually a live radio show. We get out of the cab and there's a crowd of like 30 people and then we four bule [Caucasian] guys run up and are like, 'Can we take a picture on the stage here?' We just got up there and the MC stopped talking. He didn't know what to think. And then we all just run back to the cab. The whole crowd was dumbfounded."
The winning team ended up going with a relatively straightforward strategy and was able to implement it without a hitch.
"Our strategy was to focus on big points and areas that are most reachable and quicker in terms of time," said Nifa Dahlan, a customer service executive with Santa Fe Relocation Services and a member of Team 24, which walked away with the grand prize.
"We poured our ideas, thoughts and laughs together," she said. "Our team was lucky because there was no drama during the race. We laughed most of the time."
"It was amazing seeing all of our participants' excitement and enthusiasm," said Daniel Bellefleur, an AmCham policy adviser. "The Amazing Big Durian Race brought out so many young and not so young Indonesian and expatriate professionals who all had a blast. Based on this incredible positive response, AmCham Indonesia hopes to throw the 2nd Annual Amazing Big Durian Race next year."
Daniel's advice for those who want to compete next year? "Know your city and the unique things in it, and you may also win some fabulous prizes in 2012." |
