I have long been convinced of the fact that the three greatest books in the English language are the complete works of Shakespeare, the King James Bible and Her Majesty’s Stationery Office’s Highway Code and invariably societies that read these books tend to be more successful, peaceful, safe and healthier than those which do not, it goes without saying that the vast majority of Indonesians are cheerfully innocent of any contact whatsoever with these magisterial tomes.
The streets of Jakarta swarm with busses and motorcyclists that don’t believe the rules of the road apply to them but woe betide a car driver who crashes into one of them; from nowhere will suddenly emerge a street mob intent in exacting retribution on the driver seen as being at fault.
Indonesian people are on the whole the friendliest and most laid back people you could want to meet but every so often, well, just let us contemplate that one of the few phrases in Indonesian ever to make it into English is “running amok”, so it pays to take care.
Every once in awhile you gotta hit up the Blok. Blok M that is. To me Blok M is like Taco Bell: you know you’re gonna regret it, but every once in a while you gotta get some. I try to stay at some of the more unknown joints in Jakarta. Places more akin to the ERS maxim which is: drink, party and play, but do it big time. However, that’s not to say that Blok M doesn’t offer fun for all you readers who hold highly the principles of the Expat Rock Star.
Me and Mr. Smith had been drinking for a good portion of the night (him scotch and me bourbon) and the snap decision was made to hit up the old Blok (quite like the decision for going to Taco Bell hits you). So we caught a Blue Bird from the Shangri La and headed out on the hope something spectacular was gonna happen (I was hoping to get into a knife fight).
After reading Anthony Otomo’s article on Gambling in Cebu I started to get “the itch” for a bit of table action. So when Nick Gatsby and the Expat Player decided to take a quick trip to Phnom Penh I decided to tag along and hit a Cambodia’s main gamming center Naga World.
I hit a casino that was in an old rusting ship the last time I was in Phnom Penh (about 5 years ago) and it was a bit of a dump so I really wasn’t expecting much out of Naga World especially considering its silly Japanese theme park name. So when my moto taxi pulled in I was a bit shocked, it was actually a nice looking building complete with the standard casino flashing lights. So far so good I thought as I walked through the metal detector and ever present “no guns or explosives” sign you see all over Cambodia.
Ding, ding, ding, ding – Ahhhhh… the sweet song of a casino.
As an expat, you will often be living in certain places where your presence alone may attract uncalled attention from a variety of unwanted elements. Jealous locals, fake business partners, women that want to take advantage of you, prejudiced people who do not like your race or nationality, corrupt police looking for bribes, etc. One has to be on guard at all times as one is not at home and may not know the ropes in a foreign land.
I am by nature a very gregarious, open and friendly person; and I like having many people around me, host noisy parties, have a whole bunch of guys and gals hanging out my house all the time- all these things make me happy. However, after having lived in places where people were of a different race, different culture and different values and modes of behavior, I have learned to appreciate the value of privacy, discretion, low profile and introversion.
I went to the Shanghai Bar in Phnom Penh yesterday with ERS correspondents the Expat Player and Nick Gatsby. I haven’t actually been to Cambodia in about 5 years so I was interested in seeing how the bars and clubs have changed since then.
The Shanghai Bar opened in 2000 and has been a pretty popular hangout with locals and tourists alike. Not a big bar but it has a few booths in the back and a square shaped bar in the middle, also note the AC is on full blast. The menu has a mix of western and bar chow with some Mediterranean specials. The bar is well stocked with reasonable prices for drinks (they also have western beer, something you can’t get in Jakarta).
But the real reason people go isn’t for the food or drinks – its because they employ a full staff of cute Cambodian girls in sexy uniforms.
Editors Note: Adrale Holland is our new Correspondent for South/Central/Latin America. Adrale will write a few articles every week so be on the lookout…
I can see the lights of Panama City from the port windows in the Captains office of this ship. I just came aboard today and now I can’t get off again until Christmas. I arrived in the country two weeks ago and have made good use of my time getting accustomed to what promises to be one hell of a new playground. Looking out over the water makes me wish that I was still pursuing that effort.
I spent most of my time in a dicey part of town called Calidonia. Its one of those low rent areas that still manages to eat away at your finances while overloading your senses. My first impression of the place was slightly overwhelming. You can go out at anytime of the day or night and see the same panhandlers and chicle salesmen combing the blocks for customers. Sit at any of the outdoor cafes and you’ve got your life’s work ahead of you trying to shoo away one needy person after another.
Calidonia is teeming with other sorts of people as well. There are Colombian girls from the land of the $1000.00 boob job showing more cleavage than they cover while they play escort to their new boyfriend for the day.
A common question on expat blogs and websites across south-east Asia is “where to meet girls from outside the bar and club scene?” And a common answer to this is malls, with many tips being written on how to be a mall hunter. However, I have often found that these places do not present the best opportunities, unless you happen to live in Indonesia that is.
The “bule” effect (bule essentially means white or foreign) means that every time you venture into a mall or supermarket away from the centre of town you will achieve something akin to rockstar status. The smiles, laughs and shouts of “hello Mr” can easily be turned into something much more physical if you know what you are doing. [CLICK TO READ MORE... >>]
A few days ago, I had a business appointment at the JW Marriott on Sukhumvit Soi 2. As is my norm, I walked out to the main street, Ladprao Road, stuck my thumb out, and hailed a cab. It was 6:00 in the evening and the sun was setting. The air was cool and free of humidity and I was feeling good.
A taxi pulled up, I opened the front door of the cab, and then asked the driver if he would take me to Sukhumvit Road. “Too much traffic,” he quickly responded. Despite Bangkok’s taxi drivers constant complaining about their poor wages, they consistently turn customers away.
Traffic was indeed heavy–but in Bangkok, the traffic is always miserable! TOT–this is Thailand–you would think as cab drivers they would be used to it, but this is one of their common reasons for denying fares.
