Jakarta

[QUOTE=Smoothy;1641735]<SNIP>
JAD's tour introduced me to the places in North Jakarta. That night, we met at the Hyatt and he took me to Kartika, Bintang Mawar, Hotel Travel (quite different from what it is now), Orchard hotel, Medika, Today's Country (Tiara Ceria), and a place that just had some girls sitting in a room that you could select and take home. At the time, the price in those places was not more than 150 k in any of them. I think Medika was 100 k and the girl there was stunning (they only had curtains on the rooms though, no doors to the rooms). JAD would have gladly shown me other places, but I was shagged out and ready to go home. That was back in the golden days of Jakarta though when it was still pretty much the best kept secret in the world. His tour was almost mandatory back then if you wanted to learn the less known places in Jakarta. Now with the internet, there are not many secrets anymore. Jakarta is still fun, but the "innocence" of the place is not what it was.

<SNIP>

A toast to JAD![/QUOTE]I came to Jakarta for the first time in 1991 and at that time the Hotmen Bar was quite famous. The name was just an abbreviation of the hotels' name, Hotel Menteng, but it was very appropriate. It was loaded with "self employed young women", as they were called at the time and was very popular with expats. I remember taking quite a number of SYT's back to my hotel (Kartika Plaza, ah! Memories.) The next time I came to Jakarta, in 1995, the Hotmen Bar had degenerated into a meeting place for the gay community and I switched to Blok M. The Tambora was in full swing then.

Funny that nobody else remembers the Hotmen Bar.

Regards,

Ko.

[QUOTE=KoperenKarel;1641766]I came to Jakarta for the first time in 1991 and at that time the Hotmen Bar was quite famous. The name was just an abbreviation of the hotels' name, Hotel Menteng, but it was very appropriate. It was loaded with "self employed young women", as they were called at the time and was very popular with expats. I remember taking quite a number of SYT's back to my hotel (Kartika Plaza, ah! Memories.) The next time I came to Jakarta, in 1995, the Hotmen Bar had degenerated into a meeting place for the gay community and I switched to Blok M. The Tambora was in full swing then.

Funny that nobody else remembers the Hotmen Bar.

Regards,

Ko.[/QUOTE]I remember it well as it was one of my favorite haunts in 1988 through about 1992. Wonderfully sleazy, full of syts, and horny expats.

GE.

[QUOTE=Firebird;1641738]His decision to "retire" was a religious one. [/QUOTE]Well good for him, each to their own I suppose. The same reason the legendary Tanamur closed down.

Hey, what's that which just flew past me in the breeze? A straw? There seem to be quite a few of them these days.

I've bored friends and colleagues on this subject before but I suspect the scene in Jakarta ten years hence will not resemble anything it is today and most certainly nothing like it was ten years ago. Good thing my old prostate will probably have packed up by then, if the cirrhosis hasn't finished me off I'll at least have the consolation of a choice selection of photos and memories to keep me going.

Feel sorry for the younger guys mind you.

(That's if any of them can even access the site, the powers that be have now managed to block the anonymiser software too, it's down to Tor now. Dammit, where are all these straws blowing from?

[QUOTE=KoperenKarel;1641766]
Funny that nobody else remembers the Hotmen Bar.
[/QUOTE]Although I have heard many great stories about both over the years, Hotmen and Tambora had both gone under by the time I arrived in town. Pentagon was still open in Blok M when I arrived, but it didn't last long before closing down. I used to love watching the girls dance in front of the mirror at Pentagon late at night. Even Tanamur was on it's way down when I had first arrived, but it was still great fun. I miss that place for fun, but not for the parking mafia outside. They wanted 10,000 rupiah for parking back in the days where everyone else wanted 1,000. Tanamur was the only place in town I can recall that allowed lady boys inside. Luckily they stayed upstairs while everyone else was downstairs. And they had those hot sexy dancers in the rafters that every guy wanted, but nobody got to take them home as far as I know. Same with the smoking hot big breasted chick in the back part of the bar who always wore that shiny USA bikini top. I don't know anyone who ever got with her either. That place was wild. It was not only a good place to pick up working girls, but also the best place in town to pick up university girls out to have a good time.

JJ's right next to Tanamur was another great place. Remember when JJ's used to have that huge projection TV over the dance floor and they would show that animated porno "Once Upon A Girl"? Haha. That's the only place in Jakarta I've ever seen have the guts to show that kind of video in the open. The best times I had in Jakarta were when I first arrived. I imagine had I arrived in the early 90's it would have been even better.

[QUOTE=Hilo77;1641800]The same reason the legendary Tanamur closed down.
[/QUOTE]Is that really why Tanamur closed? The last couple of years it was open, it was never busy anymore. There would rarely ever be over 10 people in there those last couple of years. I thought they just closed it because it was already dead quiet and Stadium had just opened so that put the nail in their coffin as the best late late night place.

Tanamur was voted best night club in all of Asia for over 10 years in the 90's. But by the early to mid 2000's, it was quite dire.

[QUOTE=Smoothy;1641829]Is that really why Tanamur closed? The last couple of years it was open, it was never busy anymore. There would rarely ever be over 10 people in there those last couple of years. I thought they just closed it because it was already dead quiet and Stadium had just opened so that put the nail in their coffin as the best late late night place.

Tanamur was voted best night club in all of Asia for over 10 years in the 90's. But by the early to mid 2000's, it was quite dire.[/QUOTE]The guy who ran it was an Arab-Indonesian and his family owned the land with his uncle providing the financing, he wanted to revamp and expand the place but his uncle who had gone on the haj was very unhappy about being involved in the business and insisted that the place be shut down. The nephew did his best to try and keep it going but eventually conceded and the place folded.

Note Stadium is now closed, as is Today Country before it, and neither will reopen, now in each case you can say that they shut for different reasons but when I say Jakarta is changing I mean the free-wheeling, easy-going place of the past will be gone, with a few super-knocking shops run by a small tight business group which provide a generic not very satisfying service restricted to specific "ghettos" will be the future. The small-time, free-lance places where you can relax and have fun scattered across town will be gone.

Think about how you used to be able to buy liquor off the shelf of Hero supermarket ten years ago but now can only find it in specific, expensive, monopolistic outlets restricted to certain locations. The future is clear and the underlying reason behind it seems fairly obvious too.

Maybe I'm just too pessimistic.

[QUOTE=Hilo77;1641877]Jakarta is changing I mean the free-wheeling, easy-going place of the past will be gone, with a few super-knocking shops run by a small tight business group which provide a generic not very satisfying service restricted to specific "ghettos" will be the future. The small-time, free-lance places where you can relax and have fun scattered across town will be gone.

Think about how you used to be able to buy liquor off the shelf of Hero supermarket ten years ago but now can only find it in specific, expensive, monopolistic outlets restricted to certain locations. The future is clear and the underlying reason behind it seems fairly obvious too.

Maybe I'm just too pessimistic.[/QUOTE]There's simply too much money to be made even by the government for these places to shut down permanently. Give it a few months and Stadium will be back.

Liquor isn't only available in expensive and exclusive places. I know a handful of small corner shops across town selling for prices almost the same as Duty Free shops.

As a full-time sexpat I don't see any declining trend in the scene here (compared to Thailand or Sing), just that getting BBBJ and BBFS has become harder or needs more tips.

[QUOTE=EgyMonger;1642009]

As a full-time sexpat I don't see any declining trend in the scene here (compared to Thailand or Sing), just that getting BBBJ and BBFS has become harder or needs more tips.[/QUOTE]Yeah, maybe you're right and I am just being too pessimistic but it seems to me that in the years since I've been here, little incremental changes have been made, here and there and always for a variety of good reasons but all of which, combined, show a picture of a changing environment, we're not about to turn into Kabul, don't get me wrong, perhaps more like Malaysia than the Jakarta of old. I agree the money-men will ensure there is always action in Jakarta but with the combination of one ethnic group's piety and another ethnic group's fondness for market control it will be a much more rigidly controlled scene. Out in the sticks (and by the sticks I include towns that most of us would regard as part of "Jakarta") it will be even more difficult.

Forgive me for going off on a tangent but let us imagine someone who first arrived in the fun-capital of West Java, Bandung, a mere 10 or 15 years ago and who enjoyed the free-wheeling life of a young man about town in a relaxed and friendly city in Indonesia back then. Let us imagine he has recently returned for the first time and has checked into his favourite hotel looking forward to catching up on old times. So first of all as it's early he hooks up his lap top to read on ISG about the local scene and maybe surf a little porn. What's this? All the sites are blocked, he logs on to his privacy software, it too is blocked, wow, since when did the authorities give a hoot about what we watch on the computer? That's a surprise.

Anyway he goes out for a wander around town, as usual the schoolkids greet him as they always did with a "Hello Mister!" from the boys and a shy smile from the girls. In the old days he was a younger man and might have admired the shapely forms of the older high school girls in their tight fitting knee-length skirts, short-sleeved shirts and long hair (yeah, I know I'm coming a across as a bit creepy here but bear with me I do have a point), now he has no idea what they look like as their hair is all covered up and they're wearing big voluminous baggy skirts and long sleeves. Thinking this is odd he asks around and is told they must now dress like this by law, as must the female local-government workers. Hmm, that's a change he thinks.

Well it's early doors so he decides to pick up a bottle of whiskey from the local supermarket like he used to, the clerk wonders what on earth he's talking about, they haven't been allowed to sell booze in ages. Oh, then I'll pop across to Circle K to pick up a few Bintangs instead, oops, sorry mister we can't sell beer here in West Java, it's against the law now.

He goes back to his hotel and wonders what has happened to the Bandung he used to know, no doubt he will still strike lucky tonight in some bar or club but he just wonders, given the way things are going, whether it would even be worth coming back in ten years time.

It's all incremental and I can see similar things in Jakarta (only last week my local Giant supermarket stopped selling beer, the old days of picking up nice girls on the Busway are gone now that we have gender-segregated buses), they successfully banned Vimeo, how long before the dating sites and Tinder join the list? If I asked whether in ten years time Jakarta will be more like Bandung today, or Bandung will be more like Jakarta ten years ago, I think we all know what the answer would be.

Like I say, the Taliban are not at the gates but things are getting tighter and tighter, a little bit here, a little bit there, so slowly you might not notice it, but in my opinion the future is clear.

But ignore me, I'm just an old misery guts.

[QUOTE=Hilo77;1641877]The guy who ran it was an Arab-Indonesian and his family owned the land with his uncle providing the financing, he wanted to revamp and expand the place but his uncle who had gone on the haj was very unhappy about being involved in the business and insisted that the place be shut down. The nephew did his best to try and keep it going but eventually conceded and the place folded.[/QUOTE]I don't know if I buy that, and I could be wrong. But the place is open for 20 years, and when they don't have many customers anymore they finally decide to close it due to religious reasons? If those guys were so religious, why would they keep those places open during the most sacred month of Ramadan. Both JJ's and Tanamur used to be open during Ramadan back in the old days. I was in JJ's once during Ramadan when a bus of "ninja" protesters drove up and the guys got out carrying machetes. They chased everyone out of JJ's, trashed the place, and closed it. But it was open again soon enough. They didn't hurt anyone that night, but I didn't go back there until after Ramadan. I do believe they opened again though before Ramadan was over. After that event, I used to joke with the taxis to take me to JJ's and they would always say "big problem, JJ's. are you sure you want to go there?". haha. Those places stayed popular at the time and didn't close down for another 6 or 7 years after that. I personally think if they could have been assured to make money, they would have likely revamped those places regardless of their religious preferences. They used to have close to a monopoly on late late night fun in Jakarta. However, Stadium was tough to compete with and My Bar had taken most of the expat late night business by then. I'm not sure Tanamur would have been a success even with renovations.

[QUOTE=Hilo77;1641877]
Note Stadium is now closed, as is Today Country before it, and neither will reopen, now in each case you can say that they shut for different reasons but when I say Jakarta is changing I mean the free-wheeling, easy-going place of the past will be gone. The small-time, free-lance places where you can relax and have fun scattered across town will be gone.
[/QUOTE]Both of those places were nice, small (I think only one 747 could fit inside), slow paced places with no mamasans bothering you every minute (at least they would leave you alone for one or two minutes each hour), well lit so you could easily see the girls (provided you carried a flashlight), and you could have a beer and a good chat because the music wasn't too loud (once you went to the shagging rooms). Relaxing is a perfect description for both Stadium and Today's Country. Well, at least I always felt relaxed when I got home after visiting those places. They will be missed.

Seriously though, I get your point. I do agree with you that the fairly recent influx of more organized big places like Malioboro, Classic and others are starting to control the market and will likely drive the smaller places out of business eventually for the most part. Kind of like when Delta came around, it caused most of the small little places to go under. I miss going to La Luna, but it's bankrupt now. Number 65 there was absolutely awesome. Damn Delta Spa. And the hangout spots are going more and more up market like immigrant, dragon fly, cloud, etc. Jakarta is not the old place we used to know back in the days of the Green Pub and when the Hard Rock was in Sarinah. Remember when you could go to Hard Rock, take a right as soon as you walk in and sit at the bar there and pick up girls for an early shag right after work? That doesn't happen at the Hard Rock anymore now that it's in Pacific Place. Hell, I don't know of any place in Jakarta like that anymore.

It would seem that I will find myself in Jakarta for the Christmas-New Year period. I'm wondering if any of the more experienced members of this forum could provide an insight into the scene at that time of the year? Does Jakarta generally "close down" for that period of time?

Any thoughts on a forced trip that time of the year would also be appreciated.

Thanks.

Styk.

After a few months in Indonesia having experienced and written about the Jakarta scene, reading the forum inspired me to try the dating websites.

I had one bad experience in Jakarta where the women showed up on the date with her friend. Perhaps I should have seen that one coming, but I did not. We went to dinner at Burger King. Their choice after walking the food court at the mall. And they ordered 2 each of everything they wanted. My bill went from 50 k for me to 250 k after they were done. Of course in Bahasa I had no idea what was going on. I stopped the sale and started over. Got it down to 180 k rupiah.

Went back to the hotel and she talked about staying over. The 3 of us sat in my room for a short while and we agreed to meet tomorrow and she wanted to stay the night. Great.

Next day I get a text and a demand for $120 USD in cash for her to go shopping if she is staying the night. I politely declined saying I was looking for a girlfriend, not a hooker.

That was my crazy night out at the Glass House, Maribaya and CJ's reported earlier.

I have 62 interests from the website, but only 1 really interested me. So we connect 2 weeks ago and chat. The positives are she is cute in a GND sort of way and has a very cheerful upbeat disposition.

I work in Central Java and she is from North Sumatra. I suggest if she wants to meet she must come here. She says ok. After a week of chatting, I buy plane and train tickets at a cost of 2. 5 million.

I have now discovered that she is recovering from a bad breakup 5 months ago with a boyfriend who cheated. Claims she wants to meet, but I must "inspire" her to get over the old love. Today, she says she has no sexual desire at all and that if we are to get into bed together, I must inspire her now and send sexual messages (dirty talk) by Whatsapp. Not used to this, I Google dirty talk and get a webpage with 50 great lines, some of which I use. Seems to work great. She is talking dirty back and says she is really horny. She has some great lines of her own. Then I get the clincher. When we meet, I have to work really hard because it takes her an hour or more to cum.

Yikes. I've had a few of those woman in my life who can't seem to orgasm and never really enjoyed it. Seemed more like work than pleasure.

I am trying to decide if it is worth the effort or not, I also detect a just a small bit of selfishness in the things she says & does with me in communication.

Usually I am very decisive about things like this, but this one is too close to call.

What do you think? Should I keep the date and chalk it up to life experience or should I try to get a refund on the tickets (Lion Air) and just have fun in Jakarta again sometime soon. I only have a few opportunities left to visit Jakarta before I am gone for good so I don't want to waste it on a bad experience.

Thanks for the advice.

Traveler

[QUOTE=Stykler;1642220]It would seem that I will find myself in Jakarta for the Christmas-New Year period. I'm wondering if any of the more experienced members of this forum could provide an insight into the scene at that time of the year? Does Jakarta generally "close down" for that period of time?

Any thoughts on a forced trip that time of the year would also be appreciated.

Thanks.

Styk.[/QUOTE]Indonesia is over 90% muslim and that percentage is even higher among working girls. Most Indonesians don't even celebrate Christmas for the most part so it's a non issue. Everything will be open. Many Jakarta expats will go to Bali or home to their own country at that time, so although the same number of girls will be in Jakarta, there is less competition from the guys during that period. The only problem at that time is New Year's eve. The traffic in Jakarta that night around Monas and Ancol is horrible. Avoid those areas that night and it's fine.

[QUOTE=SeaTraveler;1642310]After a few months in Indonesia having experienced and written about the Jakarta scene, reading the forum inspired me to try the dating websites.
What do you think? Should I keep the date and chalk it up to life experience or should I try to get a refund on the tickets (Lion Air) and just have fun in Jakarta again sometime soon. I only have a few opportunities left to visit Jakarta before I am gone for good so I don't want to waste it on a bad experience.
Thanks for the advice.
Traveler[/QUOTE]It's a coin toss. She might be a winner or she might be the opposite. Also, you didn't say how long she would be staying. If she is coming in for a day or 2, you can try it out and hopefully it will be great.
On the other hand, you have been there for awhile and you know what other options available to you. So if you enjoy the other options, you could go that route. At least you know where the money will go.

If you do decide to keep the date, have a backup plan (just in case). Enjoy.

[QUOTE=Smoothy;1642359]Indonesia is over 90% muslim and that percentage is even higher among working girls. Most Indonesians don't even celebrate Christmas for the most part so it's a non issue. Everything will be open. Many Jakarta expats will go to Bali or home to their own country at that time, so although the same number of girls will be in Jakarta, there is less competition from the guys during that period. The only problem at that time is New Year's eve. The traffic in Jakarta that night around Monas and Ancol is horrible. Avoid those areas that night and it's fine.[/QUOTE]Hi Smoothy. Thanks for your response and sound advice. I'm now looking forward to my enforced visit.

Most grateful.

Styk.