INACRAFT 2018

Hello, lovelies!

Did you went to INACRAFT 2018, Indonesia's largest exhibition on small medium enterprises' handicraft products? INACRAFT 2018 used Plennary Hall, Assembly Hall, Hall A and Hall B, and the lower ground area. Including the corridors. This year's participants reached 1,700, which occupied around 1,400 booths in the exhibition area. 

I went with former colleague and we had great time perusing the wonderful items of clothes, home decors, other miscellaneous stuffs showcased by top vendors across Indonesia. We spent around eight hours in Jakarta Convention Center, hahaha. 

Bank BNI is the main sponsor of the event, so it's no wonder that the ticket to the exhibition area uses BNI TapCash, its electronic money card. Visitors could use their own card and top up the credit (if they don't have enough credit for the ticket), or buy the cards offered at the ticket counter. I already have a card, but then I saw the lovely design that featured the Bataknese Gorga motif and decided to buy it just because. Argh, good design is my weak spot.

As I'm not exactly a fashion person, I didn't really pay attention to the clothes exhibitors. I think  I can find most clothes I like in Thamrin City. So what I really look for in the event was random things that I seldom find. Here are some photos of such stuffs in no particular order.   

We stumbled upon a booth that sold vintage stuffs, including this first day covers on the 4th Asian Games held in Jakarta in 1962. This year's Asian Games will take place in Jakarta and also Palembang, so these items made good memory on how much Jakarta and Asian Games had been in touch all these years.

This booth brought wicker products from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, and I just fell in love with the stuffs. 

This ceramic tile is in the size of a doormat, and it has batik patterns. Be still my heart. And I forgot to ask for the namecard of this vendor, ouch.

Sometimes INACRAFT has random exhibitors, such as this booth that featured fossils and other geological-related items. 

Hello, Batgirl! Would you dare wearing this eyeglasses frame? Hahaha.

I did buy some stuffs from the event: two headscarves, a wooden spoon and fork (because I often bring lunchbox), a small leather-weaving pouch (the weaving is of Sumba pattern) and the first day covers I put above.

Big Bad Wolf 2018

I've been wanting to visit Big Bad Wolf book sale event for years, but there was never really a free time to do this. As I have just been released from the Sumba project and had yet to have any regular activities, I decided to go to the event.

The event was held in BSD's International Convention Center (ICE), so I took the Commuter Line train, hopped off at Rawabuntu train station and ordered Go-Jek to reach ICE.

I did recite prayers before entering this entryway.

A complete package of books by Beatrix Potter and Dr. Seuss, very tempting. But the price was a turn off...

Comic books galore

And another temptation, a complete package of books by Roald Dahl

Definitely for those in need of challenges in life.

I totally don't get the idea. I would never fold the pages of my books. Why would anyone even suggest this crime?

Conclusion: the books in BBW are mostly children books in English language, which in my opinion is a bit missed target. I mean, how many Indonesian children in Indonesia that actually read English books? As an Indonesian child, I read books in my mother tongue. And I intend to instill Indonesian to my future children before teaching them a foreign language. 

I didn't exactly find the books I liked. But it felt a waste of time to not buy something. So I really looked hard and...

...here were the books I got from BBW 2018:)