Jakarta

[QUOTE=JuneFly;3022248]Jakarta can be boring during daytimes, especially if you're staying in the north. However, Blok M is lively with its mall, food stalls, coffee and juice shops, massage spots, outdoor music, and movie theatres, plenty of fish. It almost reminded me of being in Latin America. On my last trip, even though I had a hotel in Central Jakarta, I booked a room in Blok M for two nights over the weekend (Hotel M, Sotis Falatehan) just to enjoy the local vibe in and around the area. If you want to go north, you can take the Metro from Blok M to Mangga Besar and then Grab visit the bars.[/QUOTE]The metro ends at the bundaran.

[QUOTE=Amadeuss;3022266]Bule everywhere?

Distorting the quality?

Please explain, if you dare to.[/QUOTE]It is changing the dynamic as Classic becomes more well known. Many more hardened prostitutes, more fat bellies, and average age seems higher than pre-COVID.

More sex tourists, quality declines and / or prices rise. We see this everywhere whether Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines.

Classic has a ceiling of 365 k on what each girl costs and is it 100 k they can earn plus tip, so naturally quality declines over time. Classic was never great, but now it Classic attracts the real bottom of the barrel.

Also, there seems more girls now from outside Java. One from Sumatra, several from east Indonesia just in my small sample size. I don't remember this in the past. Maybe recruitment has become more challenging. Fast forward to 2030 maybe we will see Papuan women in Classic.

[QUOTE=JuneFly;3022248]Jakarta can be boring during daytimes, especially if you're staying in the north. However, Blok M is lively with its mall, food stalls, coffee and juice shops, massage spots, outdoor music, and movie theatres, plenty of fish. It almost reminded me of being in Latin America. On my last trip, even though I had a hotel in Central Jakarta, I booked a room in Blok M for two nights over the weekend (Hotel M, Sotis Falatehan) just to enjoy the local vibe in and around the area. If you want to go north, you can take the Metro from Blok M to Mangga Besar and then Grab visit the bars.[/QUOTE]This sounds like a great idea, North Jakarta is really a dump. But why does the Metro from block M to Jakarta Kota take one hour? Is Jakarta so big or is the metro really slow?

In Jakarta most girls even with ok job civies look will ask money for kid rent etc mu experience.

The referrals you got all are paid?

How did it work for you ask for her friends or other girls open to meet you and share pictures.

Curious about referrals some paid or all paid girls.

Thanks.

Definitely different experiences better GFE than those active hunting for customers.

Edit Asian rain user
[QUOTE=Asian rain;3022082]


It was at Atrium that I met the girl who would become my girlfriend and Alpha Pimpette. We developed a mutually beneficial relationship and she brought me dozens and dozens of girls over my visits. Don't think I will ever come close to the fun we had. I know that Atrium became a lot more gentrifed, but given the location and setup, I (would like to) believe that there are still memories to be made there. Enjoy Jakarta, AR.


.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Marky1;3022329]It is changing the dynamic as Classic becomes more well known. Many more hardened prostitutes, more fat bellies, and average age seems higher than pre-COVID.

More sex tourists, quality declines and / or prices rise. We see this everywhere whether Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines.

Classic has a ceiling of 365 k on what each girl costs and is it 100 k they can earn plus tip, so naturally quality declines over time. Classic was never great, but now it Classic attracts the real bottom of the barrel.

Also, there seems more girls now from outside Java. One from Sumatra, several from east Indonesia just in my small sample size. I don't remember this in the past. Maybe recruitment has become more challenging. Fast forward to 2030 maybe we will see Papuan women in Classic.[/QUOTE]And you blame the bule for the decrease of quality? (not logic but racist).

You simply have an increase of income over the past years also in Indonesia. Many more guys from all Asian countries are ready to pay higher rates. Chinese / Taiwanese are meanwhile the big spenders. In addition, young girls have nowadays other options than to fuck old men. There are more girls in university in Jakarta then guys!

Ohh. And Papuan women are dangerous (if you ever been there, then you know what I mean).

Thanks for the advice, now I have a clear idea of how much I should tip a girl.

[QUOTE=NuttinSerious;3022209]They will almost always pass you your change back if you pay cash, and 365 k usually means 35 k in change from large notes. So up to you what you do with it. I usually promptly pass it to mama with a smile (its $2. TWO FUCKING DOLLARS FFS!) as that tends to help the general vibe. But the couple of times mama is a right cow I've pointedly pocketed the change in front of her.
[/QUOTE][QUOTE=JuneFly;3022154]At Classic, they usually return 35 k in change stapled, which I normally give it to the Mamasan. For the girl, I tip 200 k for excellent service, 100 k for good, 50 k for average. The cover charge is 5 k if no drinks.[/QUOTE]If not handing the 35 k to the mamasan is going to negatively affect my experience, then definitely I would tip her with it. It's a no brainer. BTW is it "mamisan" and not "mamasan"?

[QUOTE=Fudimaar;3022103]Tip for the mamis: fuck that. I've never tipped one. They're annoying see at nts who hassle you all the time. They earn money whenever someone takes ones of their girls.

...

How to pay: when you choose the girl, tell mami that you will sign the voucher.[/QUOTE]Funny how opinions can be so diametrically the opposite.

Good to know about the voucher!

[QUOTE=Amadeuss;3022124]If you are from the US, you have to tip. It's in your blood.

If you are from Japan, you never tip.

If you tip mamasans, you also can tip the guard, the cleaner, the DJ.

Others only tip if the service was very much above excellence. Or, you got her phone number and she may come to your room later that night.[/QUOTE]Of course I didn't mean that. I think tipping left and right could be seen as rude. I should only tip when I am benefitting from someone.

[QUOTE=Marky1;3022161]Not so long I was in Classic the quality of girls was terrible, I have never seen it worse. Also, more foreigners than ever before. 7-8 years ago it seems like you would see one bule at most, sometimes none. Even a couple years ago there weren't a huge amount of white men, but more than 7-8 years ago. Whereas bule are everywhere now in Classic, and a lot of Chinese (they were there before anyway), I even saw a black in there with his black woman. Never seen that before. I would say 10 x the number of bule in Classic compared to pre-COVID.

It seems Jakarta is firmly on the sex tourism radar and it is distorting the quality of bottom of the market.[/QUOTE]Sad. Hopefully I'll have a taste of it before the place is completely transformed.

[QUOTE=AsianRain;3022089]Back in the day, my go-to hunting ground was the Atrium Mall, which was reliable to pick up sweet talents in the early to late afternoon. It was very easy to walk around and most of the girls open to pickup would hang at the circular railing at the south end of the mall. From the 4th floor, there was a line of sight to the upper and lower floors, so everybody could look at everybody and it was obvious after lurking which girls were working as they were unaccompanied and just hanging at the railing. [/QUOTE]Is it Atrium Mall Kelapa Gading 4? There are some other Atrium malls when I search on google map.

[QUOTE=Safado70;3022370]This sounds like a great idea, North Jakarta is really a dump. But why does the Metro from block M to Jakarta Kota take one hour? Is Jakarta so big or is the metro really slow?[/QUOTE]Jakara metro consists of MRT, LRT, Commuter Line, Bus. Jakarta's MRT is still a bit messy due to ongoing construction, they are investing in the infrastructure to make them better and faster. The MRT line runs from Lebak Bulus in the south to Bundaran in the north. If you board at Blok M, you will ride to Bundaran and then transfer to the Commuter Blue Line to reach Jakarta Kota, Mangga Besar. Wait times, transfer times, they all add up.

Where can I withdraw cash in Jakarta? I'd like to be able to withdraw decent amounts, at least 2 M, in 100 k or 50 k notes.

Now that I think about it, 50 k is probably more versatile.

I have a Wise card, which means I have IDR in my account which I can withdraw (and pay) directly without any fees. You should get Wise if you don't have it.

I also use Wise on Grab and Gojek and only the exact amount is being taken.

[QUOTE=LetMeIn6969;3022183]I followed Classic Bunker on IG and texted them on WhatsApp. They wanted 50% deposit up front and their girls are outcall only. I think they're not affiliate with Classic Hotel ground floor bar at all. Did anyone have any experiences dealing with them through IG or WhatsApp?[/QUOTE]I'd asked a couple mami's in Bunker about this and they had no idea. The pics on their insta are too good to be true and heavily photoshopped.

[QUOTE=HappyFarang;3022774]Where can I withdraw cash in Jakarta? I'd like to be able to withdraw decent amounts, at least 2 M, in 100 k or 50 k notes.

Now that I think about it, 50 k is probably more versatile.

I have a Wise card, which means I have IDR in my account which I can withdraw (and pay) directly without any fees. You should get Wise if you don't have it.

I also use Wise on Grab and Gojek and only the exact amount is being taken.[/QUOTE]Any BCA ATM works well. Indomaret has them. Wise doesn't seem to work in BNI tho.

[QUOTE=HappyFarang;3022774]Where can I withdraw cash in Jakarta? I'd like to be able to withdraw decent amounts, at least 2 M, in 100 k or 50 k notes.

Now that I think about it, 50 k is probably more versatile.

I have a Wise card, which means I have IDR in my account which I can withdraw (and pay) directly without any fees. You should get Wise if you don't have it.

I also use Wise on Grab and Gojek and only the exact amount is being taken.[/QUOTE]That's because the FX fee was charged by Wise when you transferred to your IDR account.

AFAIK, N26 is better than Wise for this. Wise still has a fx fee, though much smaller than almost any other card (except some USA ones, which I can't get), while N26 does not.
I tested once to verify this by paying twice within the same one (possibly, two) hours. Once with N26, once with Wise, and N26 came out cheaper. Since then, I'm always using N26 over Wise when paying.

Anyone know different, I'd like to hear it.

[QUOTE=Werqweq;3022814]That's because the FX fee was charged by Wise when you transferred to your IDR account.

AFAIK, N26 is better than Wise for this. Wise still has a fx fee, though much smaller than almost any other card (except some USA ones, which I can't get), while N26 does not.
I tested once to verify this by paying twice within the same one (possibly, two) hours. Once with N26, once with Wise, and N26 came out cheaper. Since then, I'm always using N26 over Wise when paying.

Anyone know different, I'd like to hear it.[/QUOTE]I use my Chase ATM card and get pretty good rates. But mostly I just use my Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa card, get great FX rates and points as well. Cash needed only for tips etc. The only exception is non pro / SB girls that I pay in cash. The Maybank ATM near the Novotel is the best for larger draws, it gives 3 M in 100 K notes.

First time visitor to Indonesia. Will be arriving on an Air Asia flight from Bangkok. Carrying an American passport and entering on an Electronic Visa on Arrival (e-VOA).

Should I expect a search of any kind? Or will the customs checkpoint operate like the one at BKK where the overwhelming majority of passengers are waived through?

If there is a search, what form does it take? X-ray screening? Or "open your suitcase sir?

I realize Indonesia is a secular republic with a constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religion, but I don't want to run afoul of the local sensibilities. Won't be carrying any, them, er, "adult" material. No imagery, toys, tobacco or liquor. Are there any other items that will irritate the inspector that I might not be aware of?

DIGITAL DEVICES: Should I expect a search of my phone and / or laptop? Will I be compelled to unlock those devices?

PRESCRIPTION MEDS: I'm on a typical Old Guy Regimen: statin, anti-hypertensive, plus a couple of meds for a-fib. It's much cheaper for me to buy those meds from online pharmacies (or at pharmacies in Thailand) than buy them at my local chemist. The meds are in blister packs vice personalized bottles. Would that be a problem with Indonesian customs?

[QUOTE=Bunky;3022905]Are there any other items that will irritate the inspector that I might not be aware of?

DIGITAL DEVICES: Should I expect a search of my phone [/QUOTE]Drugs. Many that are socially acceptable or legal are not in Indonesia. Penalties for, to us, trivial amounts are extremely stiff. Recreational drugs are a total no go. Prescribed drugs should be researched before coming. Valium, ADHD or mental health meds are often banned even with a valid prescription. I don't know about individual hypertension meds but check first.

No need to be paranoid but do your homework if these apply to you.

99.99% of travellers walk through without a data search. You will too if your past hasn't put you on a alert list.