How to Act Indonesian by Sacha Stevenson

To everyone who is new or curious to the Indonesian culture, I would like to share this parody video by Sacha Stevenson on strange Indonesian culture. She created a whole set of videos featuring the hypocrisy of Indonesian culture, and some Indonesian habits that the educated audience may find amusing, troubling, or endearing? If you are a foreigner you might find this video hillarious, if you are Indonesian you are gonna laugh sadly (yes, it is possible to laugh sadly...)

Sacha Stevenson's Video "How To Act Indonesian #4":

What I find most disturbingly true: 

section 1:03 ---> how (many) job interview process is like in Indonesia

section 3:06 ---> Indonesians don't believe in 'free sex' [damn right they don't!]

If the video file above doesn't work, you may click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5n4Q9Wr6oY

Please Close That "Sex Spa" Next to The Mosque and Muslim School

It is quite regretful that this blog has been dormant in the past few months. Like many idealistic (or hopeful?) people living in Indonesia, I am still continually trying to accept to the double-standards life many Indonesians lead today.

Perhaps seeing the construction of the first MRT station outside UOB Plaza ignited the desire in me to do something about the rising number of illegal sex establishments in this city. Last week, I finally gathered some energy and courage to sent appeal letters to several Muslim organizations in Jakarta, Kantor Walikota of Jakarta Pusat, Kantor Walikota of Jakarta Selatan, and Kantor DKI, hoping to close down Delta Spa in Kuningan which is located right next to a Moqsue (Masjid Baitul Ilmi) and a Muslim school (Sekolah Islam Disdik). FYI, Kuningan is an elite area where most of the embassies are located. This particular Delta Spa is within walking distance to the Austrian Embassy, Swiss Embassy, Hungarian Embassy, Netherland Embassy, and the Moroccan Embassy. It is highly likely that Delta Spa's clientele belong to the elite group (makes alot of sense for a country with the GDP of 3,592USD in 2012) But allowing a whore house prosper right next to a Muslim school and a Mosque? Even as a non-Muslim, I see this is as a blatant insult to Islam... 

Location map of Delta Spa Kuningan:

For those who are not aware what Delta Spa is, you can easily get more information from this site (pretty screwed up, isn't it that you can get SUPER DETAILED INFO ON WHORE HOUSES in this MUSLIM COUNTRY just by doing A FEW CLICKS ON GOOGLE...) Why doesn't the Muslim government do something about this? Put up some kinda internet filter at least?

http://www.jakarta100bars.com/2009/01/delta-spa-many-different-branches-in.html

Below is another disturbing article on Delta Spa entitled "Pamper the Men". The article mentions that you can be a silver member for 300USD/month or a gold member for 500USD/month, this membership can be used in all Delta Spa outlets in Indonesia. Well, if a member gets his sex service everyday, he only pays 10USD for one sex service a day... Isn't it so disturbingly cheap?

http://www.bisnis-kti.com/index.php/2012/01/info-hotel-delta-spa-clarion-manjakan-para-pria/

Delta Spa is not the only massage plus plus parlors in Indonesia, there are several other well-known brands as you can see from the jakarta100bars website. I am highlighting this particular one, hoping to move some government officials to close the one they built right next to a school and religious institution in Kuningan. 

In the past 3 years, I have learned how to to identify massage plus plus parlors/ spas just by looking at the building exterior... Usually, the spa building does not have any windows (worried of specific sounds escaping from inside the rooms?), their main door usually faces the side and if they do face in front the main door will not be made of glass or any materials that allow visibility from outside, the spa signage will be made of neon light, and the signage will not bear the word "family" in it. You can easily find such establishment in middle-high-class neighborhoods in Jakarta... Yes, there is probably one whore house/ whore spa 10 minutes drive from where you live---> if you live in a relatively prosperous area. And remember Jakarta has bad traffic so businessmen who open these facilities make sure they build as many branches as possible to reach out to their target market. See an example of a "whore factory" building below (Doesn't the building below scream " the ultimate whore house?"):

If you have been reading my blog up to this point, I think you might be interested in reading more about sex trafficking and how sex workers are recruited in Indonesia. The following publication by ICMC will shed more light on the facts and issues of child and women trafficking in Indonesia.

http://www.icmc.net/system/files/publication/trafficking_of_women_and_children_in_indonesia_51332.pdf

ICMC has put in efforts to combat such trafficking in Indonesia (not too successful it seems). I believe one way we can help address this issue is to raise people's awareness about the ongoing trafficking happening in Indonesia. We can start by sharing a little or some information to our friends and co-workers.

Will my letter of appeal to close down Delta Spa in Kuningan ever reach Mr. Djokowi/ Mr. Ahok? Will any of the Muslim organizations even lift a finger to move (or close) this business away from the Muslim school and Mosque? We can only wait and see...)

Start small... Hope big... Take actions...

Indonesian Golf Course : "Men, You Can See And Touch... Your Caddies..."

Jakarta Golf Clubs Are Getting Shadey
Many of my lady friends have complained to me that they are bothered by the fact that today, most golf clubs Indonesia only hire female caddies. Since I know very little about golf, I did a little research on gold clubs around the world.

Developed countries like USA/ Great Britain/ Japan hire mostly male caddies (usually young athletic men who can carry bags and knowledgable about the game) to help the golfers. Asian countries like Singapore/ India also hire male caddies in their golf courses... with the exception of Thailand and Malaysia, which have started hiring female caddies in their course. BUT nothing beats the female caddies culture in Indonesia.

Indonesian Caddies : How They Hire One
Female caddies in Jakarta golf clubs are hired based on looks, not knowledge of the game or athletism. The most important requirements are: 1) slim 2) long hair 3) in their early 20s [golf clubs will sack their caddies once they hit 30-yr-old, too old for their 50-60 year-old male golfer clientele] 4) fair skin 5) somewhat attractive. They are pretty much eye candies for old perverted men (who are bored with their wives or mistresses), and when the caddies are "lucky", these male golfers will put in 100,000IDR (10 USD) into their tight pants. You get the idea... and if these female caddies score a jackpot, they can be one of these perverted old men's mistresses. As you can see in some of the candid photos below, taken at some of Jakarta's well-known golf course, these male golfers love "touching" their female caddies~ By the way, they did not win any championship... (It might be more acceptable for Tiger Woods to hug his caddy [who happens to be a male] if he won some kinda trophy) It was just one of their golf session with their buddies.

Here are some photos that show how un-inspiring golf game is in Jakarta, well, unless you play golf not to play golf but check out pretty women and take photos with them like these dirty old men in the pictures below. We call them "cewek lapangan golf" aka "Jakarta caddy who don't just caddy"

oh boy, I hope this guy is not any of my friend's dad...

he better be single and desperate *puke*

No, she does not work for a massage plus plus. She's an Indonesian caddy! Remember Jakarta is usually about 32 degrees C/ 85 degrees F warm outside and this female caddy has to let her hair down and wear skin tight long sleeve clothing so the male golfers that hire her will give her big tips~ and even bigger if she lets him take her somewhere... Yes, that's the culture in emancipated Jakarta.

A Shame to The Game
Since I have friends who play golf competitively, I understand their hatred towards this recent trend in Indonesian golf clubs. Some of them, who are males, feel that it is insulting and somewhat disgusting that many men who do not respect the game, hire caddies not to play the game. They pick caddies based on their look, just stare at these ladies throughout the whole game, and score craps for the game.

Should we just tell these men- go get a room! or go to jakarta chinatown for those kinda thing?!

Let's Stop The Undesirable Female Caddy Trend in Indonesia, Ask for a Male Caddy With Knowledge of The Game!
Let's Stop The Silly Indonesian Trend "When Caddie Isn't Just A Caddie"
As you have read in my earlier articles, there are enough places in Jakarta (and other parts of Indonesia) where men are free to commit in various immoral activities. For instance, strip club, massage plus plus, whore houses, drug vendors are easy to find in Jakarta. They even put up signs openly in major roads in Jakarta! They're mushrooming at every corner kinda like McDonald's and KFC (seriously)... Now Jakarta not only have fast food and fast sex service~

Hence, I don't get it why these businessmen have to destroy the beauty of golf by hiring these whore-look-alike caddies. Most of the best golf clubs in the world... Like those in Dubai, Singapore, and California hire male caddies, yet they are still making tonnes of money. I doubt if these Indonesian golf clubs hire male caddies like they did in 1990s, they will lose much of their revenue. The truth is, yes there are screwed up perverted old men but there are lots of young aspiring golfers in Indonesia who want to play golf without distractions. If these golfers want to fool around, they can go to Alexis or Delta Spa or My Spa, which are everywhere in Jakarta now.

HELP TO START THIS MOVE AGAINST INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR & UNDESIRABLE CULTURE IN INDONESIAN GOLF CLUBS BY SAVING THE PHOTO BELOW AND PUTTING IT UP ON YOUR BLACKBERY/ TWITTER/ FACEBOOK ~
THIS WILL HELP SO MANY TRUE GOLFERS WHO REALLY WANT TO PLAY THE GAME.

 

Against Human + Woman Trafficking

Few inspiring sites...
http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/indonesia
http://www.stopvaw.org/What_s_New.html
http://www.depdc.org/
less but still inspiring...
http://www.freeland.org/eng//human-trafficking/act

Let's Close One Whore House at a Time

I have only been back in Jakarta for about a year...

My aunts and Mom have been living here for the past 50 something years of their lives...

Yet, I can spot numerous "spas" (with happy or super happy endings) by looking at the exteriors of the buildings or shops.

Don't get me wrong, I don't frequent such places!
So, how did I acquire my whore-house spotting skills???
Ironically, it was my love for good clean Javanese massage and blackberry! When I first came back from the States, I was excited when I saw so many spas mushroomed around the Jakarta Selatan neighborhood. A spa massage with a good shiatsu master will cost me about 100USD per hour in the U.S. but here, it will cost me Rp.200,000-300,000 (20-30USD) per hour!
With 100USD, you could probably get an Indonesian whore to do anything for u... I think 50USD would probably be enough actually? Sigh...
And I should probably stop calling these women whores, they are called WTS in Indonesia, acronym for Wanita Tuna Susila - Woman who is handicapped of morales

In the past, whenever I saw a new spa, I just walked in and asked how much does scrub+massage cost... I did that a few times until one day, I went to a spa, paid for an hour scrub+massage. The room turned out to be dirty, dark, smelly! The onwards, I decided to do my research first before trying anything new! Now I use my blackberry to google the spa's reviews before walking into one...
Within the past year, I drove past a many new curious-looking "spas" [ "Delta", "My Place", few more... ] and googled them to make sure they're not dirty, dark, or smelly... OH BOY! They are actually whore houses (for men clientele only).

Here are few of the curious & seemingly harmless logos of these "spas":

THERE WAS EVEN A DELTA SPA FOR MEN, SMACKED RIGHT NEXT TO A MOSQUE in my neighborhood. I'm going to take a picture of it sometime soon and post it on this blog or maybe send it to a non-corrupted newspaper company in Indonesia.

My family was not aware of this whore house existence in my neighborhood and I chose to keep quiet about it because there are just too many in Jakarta! Plus, I don't really want to destroy my parents' idea of Jakarta being the ideal hometown (tsk! I never thought so and will not think so until this city is less corrupted, and all these whore house, gambling den craps are all burnt down to the ground)
My parents who are so traditional, old-fashioned, and think the world is a better place with each generation is oblivious to it despite having to pass this DELTA SPA whore house every morning.

But their "innocence" didn't last that long...

My aunt who came visiting us was very annoyed by the traffic near my neighborhood. She is one clever lady... She noticed there's this SPA that's smacked in between the small road she's stucked in and the big road which will lead her home. Hence, she asked her driver to go through the SPA (DELTA SPA) for a short cut. The security of Delta Spa asked the driver to lower the windows... when the security saw my aunt, he told the driver "no women allowed, men only." When my aunt told me the story, I was rather surprised. How dare the security say that to my aunt? My aunt is not a politician but she is extremely well-connected to powerful women and politicians. Plus, this Delta Spa is smacked in the corner of a very prestigious neighborhood. Ohyes, you may think perhaps the men from these neighborhood frequent these places; though I really doubt it because I think philandering men will fool around further from their homes to cover their tracks from their family members...

My aunt told my Mom about it today and my Mom was shocked. I almost laughed when I saw her face because I recalled her telling me "Let's check Delta Spa someday" when we past it few months ago and I just laughed in my heart. Today, she discovered the so-called spa we've been driving past for the past year is a FREAKING WHORE HOUSE! hahaha... I could tell my Mom was terribly shocked by it. She told me in her younger years, you can only find such places (whore houses or masseurs with happy endings, or ktv with whores) in chinatown area in Jakarta. Today, you can find it in many many neighborhoods. For instance, the corner of luxe Mega Kuningan neighborhood, across citywalk near Sudirman CBD aea, behind the prestigious Senayan Residence area, in the shophouses of Wijaya Center which is next to the elite Dharmawangsa, the expensive Permata Hijau area, etc etc. I think THEY ARE ATTACKING WITH FULL FORCE and using MARKETING STRATEGY LIKE STARBUCKS. Scary?

She told me over dinner today that she is planning to file a petition (using the help of our company's legal of course) to close the whore house under the disguise of "Delta Spa" near our neighbourhood. I am hoping (and praying) that this petition will be successful... I am 50% confident because:
1) the Jakarta governor election is around the corner and politicians usually want to make sure such things are addressed clearly.
2) the whore house is located next to a mosque!!! and there are Muslim elementary + high schools attached to the mosque @___@
3) I think the owner is a Chinese (I am not against the Chinese race, I am of Chinese descent myself. I simply loathe these immoral unethical businessmen who open places like this Delta spa crap)... Chinese vs. Mosque in the world's most populated Muslim country? If they don't close this Delta Spa, it just confirms how corrupted the Indonesian government really is! Maybe the government officials actually frequent this particular Delta Spa (uh..oh...)

WISH MY MOM AND THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT SOME LUCK!

Someday... Jakarta will get one extra brownie point for being a moral city...

Dear Marie Pangestu, this is your little Sodom...

[warning this particular entry is only for the strong Indonesian women ready for some unpleasant truths about life in Jakarta]

   I decided to address this entry to our Minister of Tourism because she was featured in Forbes last month for her creative Indonesian tourism campaigns. I wonder if she is aware that many males tourists and expatriates from around the world come to Indonesia (mostly to Jakarta) for sex tourism? And yes, it generates alot of money... primarily for the owners of these illegal establishment, and the government officials who receive bribery to allow these to happen.

   Of course, foreigners are not the only patrons of these shady establishments... in fact, it seems to me that local Indonesian men make up about 75% of the demography who frequent such places.

[ Indonesians sometimes talk disdainfully of the decadent West and the perceived immoralities of ""free sex"". Well, sex is largely free in the West.... Despite the rhetoric of Islamic and Eastern values, most Indonesians are essentially sensual, Epicurean and aesthetic, and love sex (also talking about it), good food and beauty]- Jakarta post http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2005/10/09/jakarta-nightlife-feminist-view.html

   The second month I got back to Jakarta, this hush hush place called Alexis became the hot topic. I have never heard of it so I listened to my fellow Indonesian friends' (males & females) curious stories about this hotel converted to whorehouse called Alexis. They told me it's like the tower of pleasure... The hotel has 7-8 storeys. The 1st storey is just KTV for normal men and women. 2nd storey is for shady men only, KTV plus local prost. and as the storey goes up... you'll get to be entertained and to sleep with international prost. Supposedly, women/ prost. who are trafficked from China, Thailand, and Russia are the most expensive ones because they're high in demand in Jakarta. If I am not wrong, the fares in Alexis are in between 1,000,000 IDR++ for local prost. and 2,000,000++ for international prost. [you have to pay extra to tip the lady (or ladies), drinks, and the special selected room]. And ladies, establishments like Alexis do take credit cards too and I heard the charges will show as "food & beverages from some made up restaurant name"... so yes, if you see a questionable 3 million rupiah credit card bill and your husband is coming home late to "entertain clients", it is not wrong to question your male partner. [he is entertaining clients alright, but he better tell you what he is doing with them]

   Dear Indonesian ladies, there are various types of shady establishments widely available in Jakarta. Sometimes Indonesian men go there to carry out business deals, to do something "fun" during their lunch breaks, or just to do "guy-bonding activities". I am going to list them based on the level of revolts they may cause: 1) All-men spa that provide hand jobs i.e. Delta 2) All-men spa that provide all the way services, i.e. My Spa 3) Massage parlors with happy endings 4) 1/2/3-star hotels that offer happy endings 5) Nightclubs that offer happy endings, usually drugs are widely available in these clubs 6) Nightclub/ KTV/ Spa/ Hotel that offers everything else a narcissist immoral pervert can imagine, i.e. Alexis

   Seeing is believing, thus I am going to copy and paste several websites that give you more information on such establishments in Jakarta. A word of warning, Indonesia's nightlife is not for the faint-hearted. This metropolitan city, peppered with mosques and populated with women wearing jilbabs, is not as pure as it seems...
Take a deep breath... get a bucket... here we go ladies... [I was surprised that I have past these places on my way to work everyday without knowing what these places actually are, though the shadiest (and weirdest) ones are located in Central & North Jakarta]
http://www.jakarta100bars.com/2009/06/jakarta-nightlife-tips-summary-of.html
http://www.jakarta100bars.com/2010/01/best-spas-massage-parlour-jakarta.html
http://www.jakarta100bars.com/2009/01/sparks-hotel-m-n-b-music-and-bar-jalan.html
http://www.jakarta100bars.com/2009/01/my-place-massage-spa-jakarta.html
http://www.jakartaafterdark.com/
http://berita.assyams.com/foto/berita-tempat-hiburan-malam-paling-bergengsi-di-alexis-ancol-jakarta
The surprisingly numerous reviews of Alexis from men all over the world:
http://www.jakarta100bars.com/2009/01/alexis-hotel-ancol-jl-r-e-martadinata.html
If you're curious how it feels like when these perverted men go to these places (just the interior and the girls):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZaiPYFvMpI&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL3F9004DA9118A94D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m5Cd3Gqpk8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG2SYSeakyk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PCk1G9CNgE
The inside of Alexis: [it is quite repulsive imagining a guy you know having been there]:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ9MN6-vcSY

   It may be quite depressing or revolting to discover these dark decadent lifestyle that exists around us (and our loved ones), especially when they are so easily accessible, affordable, and seem so "legal" a.k.a. all the other men are doing it? For a country who jails people for committing pre-marital sex, it just seems so hypocritical that they allow hundreds of whore houses to exist. And these whore houses are getting "better" at attracting their customers~ My Jakartan lady friends who are aware of it are so hush hush about it; even if they are aware their men are going to such places, they feel helpless about it. What can us women do..?

   The existence of these sinful establishments degrade the general moral standards and respect for women in Jakarta. All Indonesian women should be aware of it- open their eyes, acknowledge that these places exist... and perhaps DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Obviously, we cannot just parade to these shady establishment and burn them down. Protesting to the government on how un-halal these activities are won't do much either since the corrupt government officials probably frequent these places too. Condemning these prostitutes aren't going to work because they are pretty much victims of poverty and the manipulation of unethical, despicable businessmen.

So, what can we do? These are the only 4 things I can think of now, the 4th is probably the most important:
1. Make smart decisions, protect yourself. If you find out the guy you are dating frequent such places, leave him. If your husband is frequenting such places, scold him and stop him from going back again... if he's addicted to prostitution or drugs, leave him - you and your children are probably better off living in a healthier environment.
2. Share this information with our loved ones, or fellow Indonesian women who care.
3. Try to address this issue to important/ powerful people who care. Let them be ethical businessman or less-corrupt government officials... [MARIE PANGESTU OPEN YOUR EYES DEAR... all these money that got into prostitution can probably be used to build much needed subway system + proper public housing in Jakarta or build schools to educate these street kids who will otherwise work in these red light districts eventually]... I think someday, someone up there might actually hear our concerns and prosecute officials & businessmen who profit from human trafficking.
~ how come these places are less "in your face" during Suharto era? Or was I too young and sheltered to realize all these things?
*4. Protect the future. Being a realist, sometimes I think it may be too late changing the lifestyle of current generation of Jakartan men whose mind have already been polluted by the plethora of immoral night activities available here. Plus, it might take more than decades to convince the Indonesian government officials to convict people responsible for these illegal establishments...
Hence, let's educate our children... girls and especially boys:
- girls be respectable and kind, don't just love men for their money
- boys be respectful of women
- girls learn how to love so your men don't search for love elsewhere
- boys learn how to love so your girls also don't search for love elsewhere
- boys & girls...
a) ...be aware of STDs (do they teach this in local Indonesian schools?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexually_transmitted_disease
b) ...be aware of human trafficking and do something about it. Human trafficking is very common in Indonesia and strangely many educated men (with college degrees locally/ abroad) find it socially acceptable ... http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/indonesia
Do emphatize with the less fortunate souls; these prostitutes are often transported in good cargos via ships. Most of these women are sold for the wrong reasons, and they have to squeeze 50 bodies in one giant container, share 1 mobile toilet, and eat cr*ps for months until the ships reach the destination, then they're delivered to whichever whorehouse orders them or bids highest for them.
I have heard of stories of how in Africa, the cut the feet of women to force them into prostitution... In Jakartan whorehouse, they pretty much lure these ladies into taking drugs, or threaten them, or create false promises to hook them into the business, to give up their bodies until they waste naturally with age and with multiple customers they have to serve... Have you ever wondered what happen to these women after they turn 30-plus-year old? When their wrinkles start to form, cellulites become more obvious, and STDs consume them physically?

   I can only hope for the Indonesian ladies to be educated on this, and pass their words of wisdom to the new generation of Indonesian boys and girls~

"Once you choose hope, anything is possible" C. Reeves

Indonesian Men and Their Vices

I wish I can continue the Mother Goose Rhyme for Indonesian men (boys)...
Coming back to Indonesia after spending more than half of my life in a foreign land (and not getting the oppotunity to interact with many Indonesians abroad), I was expecting to meet plenty of sweet Mummy's boys in Jakarta. The harmless sort of family men who are somewhat spoilt and innocent. I was not expecting much since I had dated Indonesian men or found attractive ones abroad. Yet I was pretty hopeful~
Right I was NOT... Indonesian men in general look do round and harmless... but most are round but far from harmless. It was quite sad I had to discover it the hard way... I guess most women have to discover this the hard way...
Aside from career and being responsible, my parents taught me these are the criterias for a good man:
1) no smoking (personally, this one seems relatively acceptable)
2) no drugs
3) no gambling
4) no prostitution or multiple affairs
I thought it would be easy to find a guy who will be the 4 criterias above, especially in Jakarta! Plus, my ex boyfriends have all met these 4 criterias and they were not Indonesians Mummy's boys.
Uhm uhm uhm...
This Jakartan religious Mummy's boy I got to know for months apparently broke all 4 criterias above. Yes, it was a very shocking moment... upsetting to a large extent... at the same time, it was a moment where little things started to make sense to me. For instance, I used to wonder why all men's gym in Jakarta has signs made of ugly nenon lights... why there are spas that closes at 1am in Menteng area... why those cheapskate-looking hotel put up signs like 500,000IDR only per-room <notice, it's not per night?> in shady billboard sign. They all make sense now :(