Is Jakarta worth a visit?

[Minuman]

May I suggest a visit to Club Monaco's new "Urban Flava" RnB -night, held weekly on wednesday's, for your look but don't touch -excursion. The music is decidedly crap (IMO) but it's safe to say girlies have really taken kindly to this event, yes indeed. I also like their "Passion" -night, held on fridays, introducing more housey beats.

 

Ok I might just as well use this opportunity to vent a little about the phenomenon that is wasting a-class venues like Mille's, Millenium, 1001, Sydney 2000 etc. etc. by filling them with the same exact laughable "music" that is strongly favoured by many a bemo/angkut -driver. I mean it's amazing if you think about it, I really can't imagine that sort of stuff being played at any self-respecting club anywhere else in the world. It's definitely not "hard-house" as it's locally called, in fact it's got nothing at all to do with house. I think "happy hardcore with breaks" or even "pop-hits with base" would be more appropriate terms of classification. And to think Mille's/Millenium call themselves "International executive clubs"... Bahh! In this respect Stadium wins hands down but their sound-system totally lacks some balls (and I'm not saying I particularly enjoy ringing ears, it's just that at Stadium you have to be positioned pretty much in the centre of the dancefloor [impossible most nights] as elsewhere it's just too muddy/lacks base).

 

Retro is still the best but absolutely packed on fri & sat after 2am. Apart from Stadium which does not entirely qualify, are there any clubs playing (good) trance on a regular basis?

 

And one more question (for now), are there any (serviced) apartments -type places offering short-term (a month or 2) accommodation? I know a couple of places but they are either akwardly located or astronomically expensive. As a yardstick, I was happy staying at Park Lane for 550,000 Rp./night including 2 brekkies but wouldn't mind something more economical for a longer term stay.

 

Thank you, gentlemen, this is an excellent thread.

[Prosal]

Minuman, thanks for those excellents lines.

 

About clubs playing good trance, maybe you could check the program of Centro or Embassy (but those places are usually more in the so-called 'hardcore' house shit) ; Zanzibar, on the first floor of a commercial building just in front of Pasaraya, had a very good music programation but to tell you the truth it's quite a long time I've not been there ; the place is really nice and was really good on some buzzy nights (many fashion shows, tons of model-style upscale girlies) with the best music in town .....

 

I've not yet been in Monaco in the Gran Mahakam hotel but it will surely be one of my bases (with my all time favs Retro and CJs) for the next stay in town, thanks to your report. One of my best Indonesian friend is owner of the Elite Jakarta agency and goes out every week-end in those kind of spots, so let me bring you to Monaco with him and it could be more than a "look but don't touch" excursion.......

 

BTW I have a very complete list of the short/long term serviced aparts, I'll try to find it and PM you.

 

When do you project to spend those two monthes in Jakarta ?

[soppy]

i think hotel borobodor and hotel kristal have good deals on serviced apartments...

[Prosal]

The most expensives surely being the serviced apartments attached to the Dharmawangsa Hotel in Kebayoran Baru, which is from far the best hotel in town, way above Grand Hyatt, Mulia or Shangri-La.

 

I've been dining there a few times and visited the place, it's a five storeys boutique-hotel of pure Indonesian luxury, built like a Majapahit palace (the restaurants and lounges are beautiful), with huge rooms (with CD/DVD players and balconies) in thematics schemes like Java, Bali, Eastern Islands or Sumatra, a beautiful swimming pool in serene Balinese style gardens ........ and all this in a nice tree-lined street only 5 minutes walking to Pasaraya and Block M !!!!!

 

Unfortunatly this unique place has a price !!!!

[carlton68]

From The Jakarta post, September 17th

 

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91 foreigners rounded up, 5 arrested

 

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

 

An joint antidrug operation between the Jakarta Police, Jakarta Provincial Narcotics Agency (BNP), Jakarta Immigration Office and the city administration was unsuccessful in arresting foreign drugs suspects on Thursday. Instead, the officers detained five foreigners for being unable to produce their passports.

 

"We examined 91 foreigners and only five of them had problems with their passports, either they did not have a passport or they had more than one," the city police psychotropic substances unit chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Anjan P. Putra told the press.

 

The joint operation was conducted in several areas in Tanah Abang district including Kampung Bali, Petamburan I Hotel and Petamburan II Hotel in Petamburan and on Jl. Jaksa, all in Central Jakarta. No evidence of drug dealing was found during the operation.

 

Anjan said the raid was focused on those places because they were notorious for drug dealing allegedly involved foreigners.

 

The officers detained five foreigners: Thiokary Ali from Mali, Jaiteh Ismaila from Gambia, Camara Ali from Guinea, Wilson Chiskwemeka Oboiora from Nigeria and Pouambe Lyeste from Cameroon. They were taken to the BNP office on Jl. Trunojoyo, South Jakarta.

 

Except for Ismaila, who had two passports, the other four were arrested as they failed to show their passports.

 

Later in the afternoon, couriers brought to the BNP office the passports of the four foreigners. The BNP officers later handed them over to the immigration office for further investigation.

 

"The immigration office will decide what kind of measures should be taken," Anjan said.

 

Speaking about the failure to find drugs in the operation, Anjan was looking into the possibility that information on the planned operation had been leaked to the suspected dealers.

 

"We just hope that the raided areas are free of drugs," he said. "However, it is not easy to declare areas that are notorious for drug dealing clear of drugs."

 

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I would like to know what you guys make of this. And from the guys who know a bit more about it or even were there a reply will be very welcome.

 

I am just speculating. Unlikely that they didn't round up several bule in Jl Jaksa ( I don't know the other places). And I can't imagine that these bule all had their passport handy. I would like to know if the police accepted photocopies of the passports or went with the people to the hotels to get the passports from the safety deposit.

For me photocopies of passport and visa stamps always satisfied the police. Just hope this policy will not change.

 

PS, you are there right now, but I guess since your missus is respectable Jl Jaksa is off limits for you?

[Minuman]

Cheers, Prosal, such a list would be greatly appreciated. My next visit was projected to commense during the period of dec. -04 - feb. -05 but right now it seems I might have to postpone... But it's not definite yet.

 

Oh and thanks for reminding me about Zanzibar, have been meaning to visit but somehow never got around to actually doing so. From what I've understood it can get pretty wild there on saturday nights, courtesy of free-flowing draught beer for 40,000 Rp between 9pm and midnight and tequila shots going for 15,000 Rp .

 

One place that I don't recall seeing mentioned yet is the "Blue Oasis Entertainment" at Oasis Amir Hotel in Senen (the place is still fairly new and my limited experience is that the taxi-drivers are none too familiar with it; it's on Jl. Senen Raya, near Aston Atrium and Plaza Atrium). It's a very good looking (everything shiny new) disco with some of the hardest, most pumping progressive trance/hard house in the city, but unfortunately it was totally empty during the week, -and I'm not talking JJ -kind-of-empty with a handful of customers standing in the bar and two handfuls of girls strutting their stuff on the dancefloor- I mean really, totally empty. Yet despite this, it's open till 5am every day, and possibly longer on the weekends. The hotel itself is the favourite (or one of them, anyway) of the Middle-Eastern tourists, and when the folks actually turn up (it was more happening when I happened to stick my head in at 03:30am one saturday morning), the disco is like a more polished cousin of Tiga Kuda (with more palatable music IMO and no Ambonese mafia-types as far as I could tell ). Like I said, the concept has all the ingredients of a great, happening after-hours spot but somehow it's just not working, at least not yet (and the 50,000 Rp. cover charge they are nominally charging is BS and you'll probably be given a nod to enter without paying). I guess there are karaoke rooms as well but I wasn't really able to locate them, nor was I particularly interested either.

 

The band at CJ's is set to change any day now so all of you (us) who were less than impressed by the current one, sporting some 38 or so singers simultaneously on stage, half of them not able to sing worth damn, could be in for a treat. As to their successor, it's not entirely clear (for me) whether it'll be a completely new crowd-puller or whether the old favourite (with the Greek lead singer) of yesteryear will make a comeback. I guess this will be verified shortly by the fotT (followers of the Thread).

[Guest]

Carlton,

 

I am still here, and you are right, Jaksa is off limits. Actually my missus told her mom I stayed there last time and she gave me that look that could have pickled milk. Still, I am in her good books. I won't be paying a visit there any time soon as it was only cheap accom and beer that drew me there in the first place. As far as I know, that crazy biatch you met that night almost 2 years ago is there still, someone I am not keen to see again. At the moment, I have a nice pad in Kemang with pool and cable for 195 a night and the missus is just down the road, so close she can make it from the office for a quick lunchtime bang! Good perving to be had in the afternoons at plaza Indonesia EX entertainment centre where I met adikgede for a coffee the other day. Hope you aren't too bored there in Germany, if you are, pop out for a visit soon!

 

Cheers

 

PS

[Prosal]

carlton68 said:

 

Anjan said the raid was focused on those places because they were notorious for drug dealing allegedly involved foreigners.

 

The officers detained five foreigners: Thiokary Ali from Mali, Jaiteh Ismaila from Gambia, Camara Ali from Guinea, Wilson Chiskwemeka Oboiora from Nigeria and Pouambe Lyeste from Cameroon.

 

 

 

Those guys risk a death sentence, and deserve it as they knew the rules in this country. I can't understand how those notorious african drug dealers, can come and go around Jl W Hasym (and latter in JJ) without any fear .....

 

Anyway Jaksa has always been off limits for me .... In the 'laid-back' style, Kemang is WAY nicer .....

[Prosal]

Minuman said:

As to their successor, it's not entirely clear (for me) whether it'll be a completely new crowd-puller or whether the old favourite (with the Greek lead singer) of yesteryear will make a comeback.

 

It could a great news if they come back, the party atmosphere was GREAT every night when they played in CJs. If they come back, CJs will become once again the absolute best in town !!!

 

The singer is a very nice guy, as the drummer ..... last time in town I stayed almost 5 weeks in Mulia and met them around the pool almost every day, all the band were very cool and friendly people.

 

::

[adikgede]

I would like to know what you guys make of this. And from the guys who know a bit more about it or even were there a reply will be very welcome.

 

This is pretty common, mostly Africans living in Tanah Abang suspected of selling drugs. People get busted on Jl. Jaksa but its mostly pretty safe because the cops that hang out there, there are lots, are pretty well fed.

 

However for people who like to do drugs when they are clubbing, bad news. The city just aquired some mobile urine testing machines that can process wholsale quantity of urine in just one hour. I wouldn't recommend anyone do drugs in Indonesia, even if they have a regular habit at home. Any cooked up drugs are usually cut with CMA and who the hell knows what else. Judging by the number of people poisened by caterers on a regular basis, I doubt the drug makers are any more conscerned about the end users.