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JAKARTA GOOD TO KNOW: Water Quality

July 6, 2010

Before we came to Jakarta we were warned by my mother-in-law not to brush with the tap water because when she was in Jakarta in the 90’s she brushed her teeth with tap and got amoeba! To think that she was staying in the best hotel in Indonesia then. Note that she drank only bottled mineral water but brushed with the tap (never swallowed). 

I am not sure how much the water systems here has improved since then. But even in hotels, we brush our teeth with bottled mineral water.  The only exceptions are when we are in a very high-end hotel and they confirm that they have a water purifying system for their tap and it is safe to use for brushing. Even then, they usually supply bottled water in the toilets for brushing.

We live in an old building and the tap is quite dirty, as shown by the following:

  1. When the washing machine water level is full, it is not clear – a bit brown actually. The water hose to the machine is now opaque brown from all the particles stuck onto it. Most people have their whites done in the laundry shop here – but they don’t charge by the Kilogram here, they charge per piece. Ouch.
  2. When we shower and water gets in our eyes, it REALLY hurts/stings our eyes.
  3. The bathtub floor by the drain is stained brown.
  4. My skin was breaking out so I had to start washing with mineral water.  Expensive right? But it’s cheaper than what I had to pay the dermatologist to fix my skin.

So our solution was to buy a water purifying system for our bathroom sink. It takes out the smell and particles. Good enough for brushing but still not good enough for drinking.

 

Master’s Bathroom Sink & Philips Water Purifier 


After 6 months of using it, the filter was due for replacement. IT WAS NOT A PRETTY SIGHT.

Supposed to be changed on July 19 2010, but it was too dirty for comfort so we changed the filter today.

The filter cartridge is actually white, so that brown stuff is crud.

The sediments left in the cover

The new filter is pristine white - top and body. Just compare it with the 6 month old filter above. Gross.

I assume that the following are also related to how limited the supply of clean water is here in Jakarta and how expensive it is to clean water.

  • Water is never free here. Unlike in Manila where one can just ask for a glass of water in a restaurant and expect to be given a glass of purified water, here you have to pay for mineral water because, if you ask for a glass, you will be given the dreaded tap water.
  • Ice is hard to find. One cannot just buy it in a convenience store, like any Mini-stop in Manila. That’s the thing with parties, one has to make sure to find ice ahead of time.
  • In restos avoid asking for your drinks in ice, or at least ask for the ice separately so that you can check it before you pour your drink in. I attended a party catered by Hotel Mulia and I saw that some of the ice was dirty (ewwwww!) and that’s Hotel Mulia already!

TIP FOR ANYONE MOVING TO JAKARTA: Make sure that the apartment/house you are going to rent has a good water purifying system for the entire flat/house because this will resolve a lot of headaches like laundering whites, ruining your skin, cooking water, etc.

17 Comments · jakarta good to know

Comments

  1. OCMominManila says

    December 15, 2010 at 2:57 PM

    I recently started an online business in Manila selling shower filters and drinking filters because the water here is quite dirty as well. Coincidentally, one of our customers is Indonesian and keeps telling me the water in Manila is so much worse than in Jakarta. =) Of course, he does live in this old condo in Makati so I think the pipes have a lot to do with the water quality.

    Reply
    • thediplomaticwife says

      December 16, 2010 at 4:35 AM

      That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard! How is that possible? LOL. We lived in an older condo in Makati as well (circa 1990s) but the water is cleaner… let’s just say I can keep my eyes open in the shower without any stinging sensation!

      Btw since you are in the water purification business… I noticed that for some reason my hair dries much quicker in Manila (and feels much lighter after) than here in Jakarta? Do the amount of sediments and dirt in the water have anything to do with it? SO weird!

      Reply
      • OCMominManila says

        December 17, 2010 at 7:44 AM

        I’m no expert on water (yet!) but based on what I know, the stinging sensation is probably from chlorine. Maybe they over-chlorinate their water? It’s similar to the feeling when you swim in a pool and it stings also, right?

        On your question, it is most probably from water quality — and water quality depends on a lot of factors: the quality of the initial water coming into the dams, the water treatment process, the city’s pipes, the house’s pipes, even the weather (when there’s a drought or when the rainy season starts, you sometimes notice the water is dirtier). I live in QC and given the same period of time, I’ve noticed that our filters are more dirty than my IL’s house in Pasig. So it’s a difficult science! Very nerdy.

        Anyway, let’s not bore your readers. haha. I actually sent you a separate email. Hope you can read it.

        Reply
        • thediplomaticwife says

          December 21, 2010 at 10:23 AM

          Dear OCMominManila, thanks for the info! I am very interested in all this! I am OC myself! I can’t imagine what I will be like when I am a mom! LOL. Yes I’ve received your email. Unfortunately I’ve been so busy attending the Suzuki Cup and the surrounding Filipino Community events that I was unable to reply. I would love to try your shower filter! I’ve been looking for one but have been unable to find one here in Jakarta! If you’re friend from J&J can bring it, I would very much appreciate it. Since we are not going home over the holidays. Thank you so much!

          Reply
  2. Amory Sotto-Busalla says

    April 5, 2011 at 8:54 AM

    Hello! I just discovered your blogsite. Very helpful to this expat wife who just moved in to Jakarta, the fact that it’s authored by a co-Pinoy makes it a little more personal too 🙂 Having a grand time browsing here, keep it coming!

    Reply
    • diplomaticwife says

      April 5, 2011 at 10:14 AM

      Hello Amory, thank you for your comment. I am glad you are finding the site helpful! Happy browsing!

      Reply
  3. Chopper (@NorbertNoon) says

    March 17, 2013 at 10:01 AM

    Where in Jakarta did you buy your filter?

    Reply
    • diplomaticwife says

      March 17, 2013 at 12:50 PM

      I can’t remember exactly but I know it is available in Metro and Electronic City. You can also check Best Denki.

      Reply
  4. Velvet Starship says

    February 15, 2014 at 10:17 PM

    Aha! NOW I see what you mean…! (you responded last December, to a comment I made, on another blog, about Berlin’s water quality, and I’ve only now seen your comment). I suppose even matters of water quality are relative! Enjoy Berlin, then, and drink up! (laugh)

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Fred Tipsy Toes – add a little kick to your cocktail! « The Diplomatic Wife says:
    November 22, 2010 at 4:27 AM

    […] water-filled plastic “ice cubes.” This is perfect because as you know there is a “situation” with the water here in Jakarta so we spend a lot of money on mineral/filtered water, which we use for everything from cooking to […]

    Reply
  2. TRAVEL DIARIES ✈ Things to know when visiting Indonesia « The Diplomatic Wife says:
    February 7, 2011 at 12:19 AM

    […] The water situation […]

    Reply
  3. DIPLO BEAUTY SECRET ♕ Aquasana Shower Filter | The Diplomatic Wife says:
    February 15, 2013 at 3:00 PM

    […] I’ve moved to Jakarta one of my main complaints is the dirty tap water, it doesn’t help that we live in an old building and I get massive chunks of metal and stones […]

    Reply
  4. Renting in Jakarta | The Diplomatic Wife says:
    September 26, 2013 at 5:59 PM

    […] Our landlord only gave us a centralized water filter after 2 years. This is a must if you are living in an old building, if you don’t want to be washing all your clothes and bathing in brown water. […]

    Reply
  5. REPOST: Worst Drinking Water in Southeast Asia | The Jakarta Globe | The Diplomatic Wife says:
    October 28, 2013 at 5:20 PM

    […] wrote about my own experience of the tap water in our Jakarta home here and here. Some things we’ve done to […]

    Reply
  6. First day back in the Philippines says:
    January 3, 2014 at 8:09 PM

    […] to have a shower here – I don’t have to be scared of opening my mouth or eyes hehe! (This is why I can’t do this in Jakarta) It’s so good to be […]

    Reply
  7. MEDAN TRAVEL DIARIES: Arrival and Nelayan Restaurant says:
    January 27, 2014 at 12:47 PM

    […] Note: water cleanliness is an issue in Indonesia and after (1) seeing delivery trucks in Jakarta just dump their delivery on the sidewalk, (2) seeing some yellowish/unclean water at a Mulia catered party (Mulia is an upscale hotel in Jakarta) and (3) TD getting diarrhea at least once a month from catered/restaurant food, we are now more wary than ever. […]

    Reply
  8. Moving To Jakarta? 10 things nobody told you. - Mummynista✰ says:
    November 20, 2014 at 6:31 AM

    […] removed even through normal filtering. Read more about it in this article by expat.co.id and also this post by another expat blogger – The Diplomatic […]

    Reply

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Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport? We are very lucky th HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport?

We are very lucky that the Geneva Airport is very near because it is located 4 km northwest of the city centre. It takes us less than 15mins by car & is easier to get to than airports outside the city.

BUT also means that many of the Geneva residents suffer from AIRCRAFT NOISE POLLUTION. 

In some parts of Geneva, like Vernier, Meyrin, Bellevue, Versoix, etc will have the airplane pass on top of you or very near you. This is something to consider when you are MOVING TO GENEVA & looking for a home.

When we were in @bioparcgeneve recently, it felt like airplane after airplane was going overhead every few mins. The poor animals were screaming each time.

A  report by the European Environment Agency(EEA) in 2017 said that 12% or 73,500 Geneva residents have their hearing disturbed by aircraft noise. Probably the figures have risen with the natural increase population & travel?

“The EEA describes noise as a pervasive pollutant that directly affects the health and well-being of humans and wildlife. Populations exposed to high noise levels can exhibit stress reactions, sleep-stage changes, and clinical symptoms like hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. All of these can contribute to premature mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) reckons that humans exposed to noise levels above 40 decibels at night experience adverse health effects.

Across Europe it is estimated that noise contributed to at least 900,000 additional cases of hypertension in 2011.” - @le_news_ch 

DID YOU KNOW that owners of homes affected by the noise can request for soundproofing to be paid for by GVA? 

Check if your home meets the conditions for FREE SOUNDPROOFING c/o Genève Aéroport here:

https://www.gva.ch/en/Site/Geneve-Aeroport/Questions-Reponses-FAQ/Bruit#

SAVE or SHARE this now with someone you know who might be moving to Geneva or is already suffering from aircraft #noisepollution. 

#UDWinGeneva #UDWgenevagoodtoknow #expatingeneva #diplofamily #expatlife #genevaswitzerland #expatingeneva #filipinoingeneva #pinoyingeneva #movingtogeneva #movingtoswitzerland #movingtogeneva #genevaexpats #switzerlandexpatlife #geneva #genevaswitzerland
MERCADONA HAUL Whenever we go to Spain, we love t MERCADONA HAUL

Whenever we go to Spain, we love to go to @mercadona. It might be small but has a good affordable selection. It’s my thrifty Spanish MIL’s favorite.

We were so lucky that we had a @mercadona right beside our hotel Marina Badalona. Very convenient.
Our favorite things to bring home are:

☕️ frozen porras (bigger than churros)

🐑 baby lamb chops (the only lamb I eat coz it’s not malangsa & all you need to do is fry till crispy in olive oil with S&P) it’s called Chuletas Cabrito but TD calls it lechal 

🐽 chicharon or crispy pork rinds

🥔 Homemade potato chips. The best potato chips for me are from Spain. I don’t know how it’s so much yummier! The olive oil???

🎣 canned Sardines & tuna for me and Yaya B

TIPS:

🧊 For frozen items, we usually ask the hotel before we buy if they can put it in their freezer until we fly.

✍️ I usually bring different sizes ZIPLOCK BAGS, MASKING TAPE & MARKER when we travel so we can put everything in, label with our name and room number.

📸 then I take a photo so we can just show it to the staff and they can easily find it in their freezer.

✈️ When it’s time to pack, I placed our beach towels around the frozen packages coz I know they will SWEAT & I don’t want our other things to get wet 💦 

What  grocery do you usually like to shop for when in Spain? Where do you buy them?

#udwinbarcelona #udwinbadalona #udwtraveldiaries #udwtraveltips #udwtraveltip #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW C FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW Calisthenics Park 

📍Chem. des Tuileries 140, 1293 Bellevue

After the lovely BIOPARC we headed across to this chill park with ample PARKING that had so many things for kids & anyone who wants to move & work out:

⚽️ The kids wanted to kick around a football so we borrowed a ball from @boxup.app (they also have pumps, 🏓, 🏐, 🏀, etc) just download the app & turn on your Bluetooth & follow instructions! Return after 3hrs.

👟 Outdoor gym - this was a huge hit with the kids

⚽️ football - this too!

🏀 basketball court

🏓 Ping-pong 

🏐 Beach volleyball court

🤸🏻 Monkey bars

🛝 small playground

Thanks for the wonderful afternoon guys @lidia_otilia_botezatu! 
How lucky are we to have these beautiful, clean open spaces. And the free rental gear is AMAZING! so convenient.

This is in Geneva, about 15mins drive from where we live.

SAVE THIS on your list of PARKS to visit!

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. It’s not as close as the bioparc but bring earplugs/earphones if you are sensitive.

#udwingeneva #genevaswitzerland #genevaforkids #diplobaby #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
BIOPARC GENÈVE Yesterday was a holiday in Switze BIOPARC GENÈVE

Yesterday was a holiday in Switzerland (except for Geneva). It was raining & miserable so I wanted to take @diplobaby out for a few hours. Thankfully midafternoon it stopped raining.

We met with our friends @lidia_otilia_botezatu in @bioparcgeneve and had a lovely time in this volunteer run zoo.

TIPS💡

🆓 It’s free for families on your FIRST visit!

🦢 you walk inside animal enclosures so wear shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty/stepping on poop. We wore boots & happy we did

🅿️ there’s parking inside on wood chips, if it’s full there’s another pavement parking (free up to 4hrs) across the roundabout 

🦔 Do not feed or touch the animals no matter how cute they are

🗺️ There are 2 routes (purple & blue) and 1-1.5hrs #diplshould be enough 

❎ Park closes at 4pm

SAVE THIS NOW if your looking for a fun & not too you can do in well und2hrs. It’s nice that you can go inside unlike most zoos so it’s quite unique.

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. @diplobaby who is super noise sensitive did not mind as much as I thought he would because he was so entertained by the animals.

#udwingeneva #genevaswitzerland #genevaforkids #diplobaby #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
MARINA BADALONA HOTEL At first we were going to MARINA BADALONA HOTEL 

At first we were going to stay in the heart of Barcelona, where we stayed 8 years ago (I didn’t even know that @diplobaby was already in my tummy at 2 weeks old) but the “hotel” is now expensive with no amenities & small rooms. So TD found a hotel in #badalona - a 20min taxi ride from Barcelona city center - that was so fabulous & slightly less expensive.

SAVE THIS NOW for future trips to Barcelona

WHY I LOVED marinabadalona
🤍 All white interiors was so beautiful & calming
🤍 Gorgeous view of the Marina 
🤍 Everything was so aesthetic, even where you tap your card to enter the room
🤍 Massive bed
🤍 Electric curtains
🤍 Lots of closet space & hangers
🤍 2 TVs
🤍 Refrigerator
🤍 White/cream Nespresso & kettle
🤍 Architecture & interior design is sooooo me!
🤍 Small rooftop pool with unbelievable views (need to do a separate post)
🤍 5min walk to the beach
🤍 Gorg esplanade
🤍 Yummy restos beside
🤍 Mercadona right beside - so convenient!

FEW RECOS FOR IMPROVEMENT:
✌️ Loved the textured wall paper, but it’s difficult to keep clean inside the bathroom
✌️ The bathroom surface area was a bit small & our stuff kept falling off the sink
✌️ Not a single chair in the family room so when we had room service we had to eat standing
✌️ No salt & pepper with room service so we called to ask & were told we would be charged for them taking it up. After TD clarified that there was no S&P with our meal, they said they would bring it up. The person brought a small bowl of of salt & pepper combined. The salt was for DiploBaby’s salmon, but he can’t eat pepper, I wanted both for my pesto. Had to run down in my slippers & the resto staff were very apologetic coz who serves a mixed S&P ever? They gave me individually packaged ones which I really appreciated.
✌️ Since the hotel has a pool & is by the beach, I wish there was a place to hang & dry swim suits. Our suits & watershoes did not dry in the tub.

All in all the value we got from staying in this hotel was so high compared to a more expensive hotel in Barcelona. No hotel stay is perfect.

Now, would I stay there again? YES PLEASE! Would you?

#udwinbarcelona #udwinbadalona #udwtraveldiaries
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