So with all these malls all over the place, you could go window shopping – again – but that is all getting a bit, well, old.

Sound familiar? Maybe it’s time to break out of your regular rest and recreation routine and look for alternative ways to amuse yourself.

But neither do you have to spend your downtime somewhere glamorous or expensive; there are plenty of simple ways to amuse yourself that still give you plenty of relief from your hectic day-to-day life.

Consider, for example, Indies Jakarta, a one-of-a-kind place where you can find rare movies from all over the world that were produced independently or for festivals.

Ever heard about the inspiring film Beautiful Boxer, which tells the (true) story of a young Thai man who was both a champion boxer and a transvestite beauty queen? Or the much-protested A Hero’s Journey, which narrates the tale of the first president of East Timor, Xanana Gusmao?

You can find these films on DVD at Indies Jakarta, along with some other 700 titles from 65 countries. The huge collection ranges across all sorts of topics, such as love, mystery, women, children, queer issues, human rights, war, politics and the environment.

“But we don’t ever want to call this place a DVD rental store,” said Wim Prihanto, general manager and co-owner of Indies Jakarta. “We promote it as a library for independent and festival movies.”

Wim started collecting rare movies in 2005, and decided to open his library to the public in late 2007.

“My friends and I just want to pass on the spirit to watch these kinds of movies, which are not only insightful, but also enjoyable.”

What a lot of people don’t realize, Wim said, is that such movies are just as fun to watch as any Hollywood blockbuster.

“Many of them think that independent and festival movies are just idealistic and boring,” Wim said. “But after you watch what we have here,” he added with a chuckle,

“I can guarantee that you’ll get addicted.”

Chuckles aside, this is no joke. Wim said this “addiction” was experienced by most of his customers, who kept coming back for more after the first enjoyable time.

Indies Jakarta offers two suggestions for your viewing pleasure.

“First is to borrow the DVDs, and second is to watch them here in our viewing room [a small cinema],” Wim said.

Just like at any other library, those who want to borrow from the collection must first register as a member. Indies Jakarta has four types of membership: regular, silver, gold and premium. The membership type determines how many DVDs can be borrowed in each visit in one month, and what extra services you can get.

A regular member, for example, can borrow two movies on each visit, with no specific return date within a period of one month. This membership costs Rp 125,000 per month. The value lies in the math, as Wim explained: “If you can return the two movies in one week, you’ll get eight movies to watch in a month.”

Silver and gold memberships both allow three movies to be borrowed at each visit, but “gold members get the home delivery service,” Wim said. “They just have to pick up the phone, tell us what movies they want to watch, and then we’ll deliver them [within the Jakarta area only].”

The fees for silver and gold memberships are Rp 175,000 and Rp 250,000, respectively.

A premium membership allows the member to borrow five movies on each visit, as well as providing a delivery service and an invitation to an exclusive premier screening for new additions to the Indies Jakarta collection. The fee for this membership is available on request.

But not all the movies can be borrowed – certainly not the rarest of the rare.

Among those on this list are The Kite Runner, 881, Persepolis, A Hero’s Journey and Tragedi Jakarta 1998.

Some other movies displayed a tendency for not getting returned.

“There are also some great movies that once were not returned and so lost. We had trouble getting them back, so we decided not to lend them anymore,” Wim said. Among those on this list are Beautiful Boxer, The Motel, It’s All Gone Pete Tong, I Not Stupid and The Doors.

So to enjoy these special collections, viewers simply have to rent out the small cinema within the library area.

“We currently only have one viewing room with a capacity of eight people,” Wim said.

If you’re interested in renting this room, just have ready Rp 120,000 for one movie, and the private cinema experience will be yours.

Wim guarantees that all movies in Indies Jakarta’s collection are original.

“It’s part of our idealism,” Wim said. “We want the audience to feel good about watching original pieces.”

Feeling good by enjoying a great collection is also an option at the pleasant and modern public library in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Yes, it’s a real public library, officially known as the National Education Ministry Library. But don’t let that put you off: It is a wonderland for lovers of English-language books, as well as those who are looking for free and fast Internet access.

And if you’re one of those who think there’s no public space for you to escape from the hustle bustle of Jakarta, the peaceful feeling in this public space will soon prove you wrong.

“We noticed that a lot of people came here early in the morning when we were just opening, and spent their time here until we closed,” the library’s head Hanjar Basuki said. “Maybe that’s why this place is called an office for freelancers,” he added.

Hanjar can find good reasons for this. “Most people take advantage of using the wireless Internet access here without paying a penny and for as long as they wish [during opening hours],” Hanjar said, adding the bandwidth meant Internet access was fast.

Of course, Hanjar pointed out, to use the library facilities, including the free Internet, you have to register as a member. But no worries – that’s also free of charge.

“We have three types of membership: basic, regular and premium,” Hanjar said. “But all of them are free. All you have to do is become an active and good borrower to be upgraded to a higher membership.”

The type of membership determines how many books and audio or visual items you can borrow on each visit. A basic membership, for example, allows you to borrow one book and one CD/VCD/DVD, while the premium lets you borrow three books and two audio or visual items.

“At the moment, we have about 20,000 books and around 5,000 audio or visual items,” Hanjar said.

Because the library was once run in cooperation with the British Council, it has a huge collection of English-language books and magazines, as well as CDs, VCDs, DVDs and VHSs.

“We also have Braille books for blind people,” Hanjar said.

University students who need access to international online journals will be also happy to know they can get them in this library.

“I can say many people love this place, because it costs them nothing for many things,” Hanjar said with a smile, adding that, in 2008 alone, the library had around 1,400 active members, most whom were regular workers and university students.

So that’s the day time taken care of. If you’re looking for somewhere different to laze away the evening, a jazzy lounge could be your option.

At first glance, the Oranye Concept Lounge in City Walk Sudirman, Central Jakarta, looks like an expensive place to hang out. But don’t be fooled by the way it looks: A great location and good menu don’t always cost a lot.

“Our [luxurious] exterior and interior, as well as live jazz performances, have fooled many people,” Oranye’s public relations officer Ario Cahyo Nugroho said.

“Those who don’t read our menu [which is placed outside the lounge] would just ignore this place. But those who take the time to read it quickly open the door and take a seat,” Ario said, laughing.

Ario was not exaggerating. For a lounge that offers a range of Western and Eastern foods, coffees, juices and wines – all served in a pleasant environment – Oranye is worth a try.

Prices for dishes range from Rp 25,000 to Rp 120,000. Fried rice, which tastes like what you’d get in a five-star hotel, for example, will only set you back Rp 25,000, while unusual and tasty dishes such as the escargot are no more than Rp 35,000. Drinks start at Rp 12,000. A medium cappuccino costs only Rp 18,000, while less common combinations, such as the coffee mango juice, are Rp 12,000.

But the affordable prices are just a bonus; the real attraction is the lounge’s pleasant and jazzy ambience, and stunning view.

“What distinguishes us from other lounges is our live jazz performances at night,” Ario said. The performances start at 8 p.m. from Wednesday to Friday.

“On Saturday, we have a jazzy jam session [with freelance bands], while on Sunday, we have jazz auditions for young musicians.”

Oranye has embraced jazz as its defining characteristic attracting young urban professionals since its opening in June last year.

“Why jazz? Simple. Because it goes really well with the concept of a lounge,” Ario said. “Jazz is calming and chills you out, just like our place itself.”

Indeed. On the evening The Jakarta Post swung by, a few young things were sitting on the sofas, waiting to watch the sunset through the wide windows. They sipped at their drinks while working with their laptops (yes, of course, free Internet is available here) to the company of jazzy tunes.

“You see that area?” Ario said, pointing his fingers at the left side of the lounge where walls of glass give you a view of the city from above. “That’s the most popular area. People compete to sit there to catch the sunset.”

He chuckled. “Well, sometimes they just want to laugh at those trapped in traffic jams, too. They think, ‘thank God, I’m not out there’.” Fair enough. Given the choice of where to spend an evening, better to be kicking back in a place like that, rather than battling the traffic.

And with Oranye, Indies Jakarta and Senayan library on your list now, do you still believe that malls are the only places in town to hang out?

— Photos by Dian Kuswandini

Alternative spots for some rest and recreation:

Indies Jakarta Movies

Jl. Tebet Raya No. 82

Tebet, South Jakarta

(021) 8292082

www.indiesmovies.com

Senayan Library

(The National Education Ministry Library)

Kompleks Depdiknas RI

Ged. A, 1st Fl.

Jl. Jenderal Sudirman

Central Jakarta

(021) 5707870

www.perpustakaan.diknas.go.id

Opening hours:

Mon–Fri: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sat: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday and holidays: Closed

Oranye Concept Lounge

City Walk Sudirman

1st Fl. Unit 1–2

Jl. KH Mas Mansyur No. 121

Central Jakarta

(021) 25558640

Opening hours:

Weekdays: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Weekends: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

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