Ok, every other Asian Blogger has had a Betelnut Girls story so I figured “if you cant beat them – join em”
Mr Smith
The term Betel nut beauty refers to a common sight along roadsides in Taiwan: a young woman selling betel nuts and cigarettes from a brightly lit glass enclosure while wearing revealing clothing.(Openshaw) The Mandarin term names the women after Xi Shi, the legendary beauty of imperial China’s Spring and Autumn Period. Though betel nuts are chewed in many regions of the Asia-Pacific, the betel nut beauty phenomenon is distinctly Taiwanese.
The original betel nut beauties were the “Shuangdong Girls” who, in the 1960s, brought glamour to the opening of the Shuangdong Betel Nut Stand in Guoxing Township, Nantou County. The success of the marketing strategy led competitors to follow suit, and by the end of the century betel nut beauties and their neon-topped kiosks were a trademark feature of Taiwan’s cities and countryside. The kiosks appear in urban, suburban and rural settings alike. They are most characteristically encountered along major highways where truck drivers–famously enthusiastic consumers of betel nuts–can easily find them.
Controversy surrounding betel nut beauties generally centers on two questions: (1) the propriety of their revealing dress in public places and (2) whether their dress marks them as victims of exploitation.
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Located in one of Jakarta’s swanker shopping malls and (oddly) above a bowling alley and pool hall is one of Jakarta’s best bar/lounges, the Mojito Lounge. The Mojito Lounge is a small lounge and bar with a great selection of cigars, comfortable couches and a wile menu of different types of Mojito’s (hence the name).
The first time I went to the Mojito Lounge I was invited by a local lady friend because she knew I liked smoking cigars. At first I was like “you want to hang out at a bar in a shopping mall?” but I figured why not go ahead and check it out.
The first thing I noticed when I walked in was ten drop-dead beautiful Indonesian girls all wearing white dresses sitting around.
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Their are several different methods of funding your travels or life overseas. You can make money through Internet marketing methods. You can become a service provider (like a graphic designer) and conduct your business online. You can also start a business that capitalizes on the fact that you are living overseas (like being involved in import/export or being a travel photographer).
And unlike your western counterparts you won’t have to make 20 or 30K a year just to cover your living expenses. Like I have mentioned before, making a thousand dollars a month can fund your expenses overseas, and everything after that is money in your pocket. Or you can build an Expat Empire and drive a Bentley, it’s up to you.
The 6 Most Common Ways to Make Money Overseas are:
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When I first moved to the armpit of Arabia known as Qatar there were only two things I was worried about not being able to have; ladies, because I thought all of the women were kept on “lock down” and had to wear burkas, and no booze. I could pretty much deal with the no ladies thing because I figured whenever I got “anxious” I would just sweet talk an Army gal or hop over to Bahrain or Dubai.
Much to my relief, when I first arrived I saw a plethora of beautiful off-duty stewardess (from the local airline) hanging out at Starbucks I felt a wave of relief that at least one of my “needs” would be fulfilled. But not having booze would have killed me, I was positive that I would have had a “coming off of heroin” like experience if I couldn’t drink.
I quickly learned as far as Booze goes in Qatar there were only 3 options as a for me to get my medicine…
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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.
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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.
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I remember the first time I saw a dangdut show not long after I moved to Jakarta. About three years ago a few of my local buddies came over to drink and watch an MMA fight at my apartment. After the fight we were a bit sauced up so I suggested “hey, lets friggin do something”. One of my buddy asked me “Have you ever seen a dangdut singer?”, I was like “a what, is that a traditional dance?” thinking it was some sort of traditional Indonesian village dance with painted faces dancing around with shields and spears. “Hahahahaa… no man, no worry, you will like it”.
After driving over an hour through Jakarta’s traffic with 5 guys stuffed into a compact Honda we arrived at the show. At this point I could just hear the singing and thought to myself “Is this Indo pop music?”. But whatever, I had a buzz and it was better than sitting in my apartment. To my surprise, as soon as we walked around the corner I saw a beautiful Indonesian gal wearing a skimpy outfit dancing like Shakira at a strip club on stage. “This is off the hook Bro! What is this?” I said, “Its dangdut man, it used to only be popular in the villages but now it’s popular with everyone” my buddy explained. After watching the dangdut dancer sing and shake it for an hour I was hooked, I was now an official dangdut fanboy.
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*Note: After looking over this article I realized that this is more like a low budget example, not a medium budget
Last week a Friend of mine in the states asked me how much it would cost for her to live in Jakarta, Indonesia. Not an exotic lifestyle eating at the Ritz Carlton and drinking Crystal nor the starving expat life ether – more like the “average Joe or Jane” expat lifestyle.
My lifestyle is a bit on the “not average” expat scale now so I asked a British friend of mine whose lifestyle better represents the average independent expat to break down his monthly expenses. He is an English teacher for a private school here in Jakarta and also makes some money with a website and freelance photography.
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