Kalijodo Red-Light District
I had lost touch with red-light districts in and around Jakarta until I saw this in the Sunday 7 March 2010 edition of The Jakarta Post:
From as long ago as the turn of the 18th century, tales of the beauty of the women strolling the notorious Kalijodo red-light district, on the border between West Jakarta and North Jakarta, have lured many into experiencing the vibes of Indonesia’s oldest complex of brothels. The Jakarta Post delved into Kalijodo to explore its underbelly and uncovering the secret of its longevity. Here are the stories:
The typical welcome afforded to visitors to the Kalijodo red-light district comes from the stream of sex workers and their handlers out on the street.
One mamasan who goes by the improbable name of Ncim, a middle-aged Chinese-Indonesian woman, repeatedly thrusts her 19-year-old charge, Imel, onto visitors fresh off the proverbial boat.
“She’s very good at doing things all night long, and for a reasonable price, only Rp 100,000 [US$10.70] for a short time,” she says.
When no one takes the bait, Ncim chisels the price down to Rp 80,000.
“I usually get Rp 20,000 for each trick the girl turns, and the pimp gets Rp 30,000,” she later tells The Jakarta Post.
“The rest goes to the girl.”
Ncim is among hundreds of veteran mamasans and pimps working the 1.5-kilometer stretch along the Grogol River lined with Kalijodo’s 100 brothels and pubs.
The red-light area straddles Penjaringan district in North Jakarta and Tambora district in West Jakarta.
Spread over 2.8 hectares, it’s open 24 hours a day and caters mostly to middle- and lower-income Jakartans, including civil servants, police, truckers, dock workers, street thugs and university students.
Kalijodo means “river of destiny”, and fittingly enough it has come to epitomize Jakarta’s seedy underbelly thriving amid the capital’s ups and downs, the elephant in the room that pays the rent.
The bizarre love child of organized crime and a corrupt bureaucracy and law enforcement system, Kalijodo came into being as a cash cow.
While prostitution is illegal, many of the brothels are located just 20 meters from the local district office, and 100 meters from a police station, lending credence to allegations that Kalijodo is a source of income for many bureaucrats and police officers.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar and Jakarta administration spokesman Cucu Ahmad Kurnia both declined to comment to the Post on the issue.
Besides the obvious corrupt officials looking for a slice of the pie, chronic urban poverty and unemployment are also key factors behind Kalijodo’s thriving flesh trade.
City officials have repeatedly pointed out the difficulty of closing down the brothels without upsetting Jakarta’s fairly stable security situation.
The livelihoods of at least 5,000 people — from hoodlums to sex workers, brothel owners to waitstaff, cigarette and food vendors to local residents — are tied to the continued existence of the district.
Closing down the brothels will only force the people to move to other areas to ply their trade, say critics.
Worse yet, the neighboring residential areas are among Jakarta’s poorest, for whom a sliver of the proceeds from Kalijodo’s lucrative business has always meant a lot.
The complete article may be found at:
[url]http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/03/07/poverty-corruption-feed-kalijodo-honeypot.html[/url]
[size=-2][b][u]EDITOR'S NOTE[/u]:[/b] [blue]I would suggest that the author or another Forum Member consider posting a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please [url=http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/announcement-reportsofdistinction.php]Click Here[/url] for more information.[/blue][/size]
A question on cost of keeping a mistress
Curious whether any Jakarta residents have experience or advice on keeping a mistress in jakarta? I am trying this now, and have a lovely young women stashed in an apt equidistant between office and apartment (I'm married) at a total cost of about 800 USD per month-300 for her apt and 500 per month for her. Sex is not GFE-but far far better than any GF I ever had. I enjoy the convenience for daytime fun, but realize that it would be cheaper to visit places like travel, etc. Anyone trying something similar or can advise on usual price, if such a thing exists?
Thanks
