We’re Liz and Jo. We’re friends.

We met over coffee back in 2014 and quickly came to the realisation that we have many common interests. This ultimately lead us to write our Jakarta-based blog,
a journey bespoke.

We hope you find our blog useful as you share in our discoveries of People, Home & Design, Lifestyle and Food.

As I approach 8 years of living in Jakarta and blogging for 5, I’m reflecting on this very exciting adventure which began like this …

Way back on Sunday 23 December 2012 I set out with my 9 and 12 year old daughters to begin an exciting new adventure as a family; we were moving to Jakarta the capital city of Indonesia! After saying goodbye to our family, friends, our children’s school, my secondary school teaching job and our cat, we boarded the 11.30am ‘GA713’ flight from Sydney to Jakarta. My husband had been commuting from Sydney to Jakarta for work for the previous 5 months and our Jakarta adventure as a family was now about to begin.

As soon as I stepped foot in Jakarta I immediately started learning NEW things, and these things changed me. I learned to adjust to a completely different culture and environment; I learned the Bahasa Indonesia language, gained insights about life and people in Indonesia, and I faced some challenges that I never faced in Australia. As someone who relishes change, my new life in Jakarta stimulated my mind and I became increasingly curious to understand how this city ticked.

Fast forward to 2014 … my family was now established in their new routines of work and school and it was then that I first met Jo. We both shared the same love of good coffee and were curious to explore and understand this megacity we now both called ‘Home’. Not long after, a journey bespoke was born.

Writing a journey bespoke together has been more than I could have ever imagined. The people we have had the opportunity to meet have been my most influential teachers. They bought Jakarta to life, and their stories revealed so much more than Google or books could ever do.

If you have never visited Indonesia, my hope is that you will have the chance to experience this very special country one day, including my adopted city, Jakarta.

As I sign off, I present a journey bespoke blog as our gift to YOU and my favourite quote about choosing the path of adventure.

To our families and friends … this is our gift to YOU as a record of our time living in Jakarta, the city that will always be close to our hearts … and to those of YOU who are embarking on your own Jakarta adventure, or weighing such an adventure up. We hope a journey bespoke helps to make your journey as rich and vibrant as ours.

Liz McClean - January 2020

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sail.
Explore, Dream, Discover.” Mark Twain

Late 2013 my family packed up our very happy existence in Melbourne, Australia and moved to Jakarta, the mega-city capital of Indonesia. It was an opportunity of a life time- but Jakarta? Why not New York or Paris or Milan or…
Well, it really didn’t matter as inevitably our lives were to change, bringing growth, enrichment and a love for a place that we previously knew very little.

In my former life, I worked as a secondary teacher whilst juggling the responsibilities of motherhood (I have three children, now aged 18, 15 and 12). I am also married to a partner who regularly travelled overseas - yep, life was manic alright, and the balance was tenuous at times.

Then in September 2013 my husband came home, announcing our imminent move to Jakarta. My head immediately went into a spin. What about my life?.. my friends? my job? And what about our family who were a great support to us?..And the kids- they are happy here!... And what about our doggg?! But then a strange sense of calm swept over me. I knew it would be alright. And it is- in fact moving to this city has been the best thing I’ve ever done!

Liz and I met early in my arrival to Jakarta. We quickly realised we had a lot in common including a shared career in teaching, our serious love of coffee, and our desire to explore and learn more about Jakarta. Together we decided to write a journey bespoke - an experience that has far surpassed all expectations :)

As I write this, I am processing the news that we will be departing Jakarta mid 2020. My heart is feeling very mixed! To leave this city which has become a very firm part of my fabric, fills my heart with sadness; yet the prospect of experiencing a new culture, a new language and making a fresh start fills me with excitement too.

So as you meander through our blog posts, I hope you can feel the love that Liz and I have for this city.
My parting advice: If you find yourself lucky enough to visit (or live in) Jakarta, be sure to arrive with an open mind and an open heart. You will be rewarded more than you can imagine.

Salam hangat,

Jo Stevens - January 2020

Ps: In case you are wondering, our dog has also loved life in Jakarta :)