Shopping for "Oleh-oleh"

It's customary for Indonesian to bring "oleh-oleh" (souvenirs) when visiting friends or relatives, or when you come home from a vacation.  It's one of the most important thing to think about when you are planning your vacation.

Choosing the right "oleh-oleh" for each person can be as tricky as choosing the right school for your child. Okay, maybe not that tricky. But it's hard nonetheless. There are many things to think about such as, "will she/he like it?", "will it fit?", "is it useful?" "will it break easily?" etc etc etc. A separate budget is needed, especially if you have a large family.

I usually spent roughly 2 months trying to plan and get something uniquely Indonesian for each relative or friends. It gave me a warm feeling seeing that they love the small things that I brought for them.  These were the choices for my trip to Europe last year:


1. Traditional Spa Products
Indonesia is well known for its traditional beauty rituals. Spa products from Indonesia have distinct sweet and exotic smells. Malika Splendor and Sensual series from Dewi Sri Spa and the bar soaps from neBali Soap are my favorites. Malika Splendor has a subtle hint of jasmine and cempaka flowers, which reminds me of the exotic traditional Javanese style spas. You can choose to give a body cream, body lotion, body wash, scrub, aromatic oil or body mist.

neBali Soap offers many different exotic fragrances from Sandalwood, jasmine, cempaka, ylang-ylang and frangipani as well as more western-origin fragrance such as lavender, rose, grapefruit and peppermint. Their product ranges from bar soap, body wash, body lotion, massage oil or cream, body scrub, bath salt, crystal deodorant, shampoo and body butter.

2. Batik Scarves
This one is a no brainer. Batik scarves come in a wide range of colors. Very light, simple and easy to carry.

3. Batik Tutu
Cute and adorable Batik tutu for the little ones. Usually made from the colorful Batik Garutan (Batik from Garut), these tutus and matching kebaya from bebeglow are guaranteed instant hit with the little girls. Boys, obviously, don't want to wear tutus. So you can opt for batik shirt instead.

4. Food
This is probably the most insane thing to bring. I brought lots of dried Indonesian food for my relatives, the things I take for granted because they're in abundance here. For those who live abroad finding food that reminds them of home was somewhat a luxury. Things to consider are: shrimp chips, instant spices, or a few small rtd boxes of Teh Botol Sosro.




Photo credits
1. Dewi Sri Spa Products, http://lollibunnie.onsugar.com/tag/Dewi-Sri-Spa-Javanese-Rose
2. Batik Scarf, http://www.yaktree.com/scarves-and-stoles/blue-and-peach-indonesian-batik-womens-scarf-100-pure-silk-medium/