Jakarta Underground

We'd heard a lot about it, but last night was my and Erin's first glimpse into "Jakarta Underground," the side of Jakarta where people drink alcohol, girls wear clothes that would be normal in an American bar, and the conservative culture seem to disappear (although, this was just a glimpse, not the real deal--the real Jakarta Underground includes huge clubs that start the party Thursday night, end it Sunday morning, and feature topless partiers). After the office's internet went out, we left with Hugh and headed for Eastern Promises, a British-Indian bar and restaurant.

The place certainly lived up to its name, though we didn't realize it at first. We were transported back to the states as we entered a smoky wood-and-brass pub for Pressure night, where between 5 and 6 PM all the drinks are free unless someone leaves or goes to the restroom. At 5:30, pressure hour was still going strong, and we had just taken the second sips of our beers when someone cracked. The bar was jam-packed with American, Australian, and British men.

We hung out for a while before other ex-pats started approaching us, the new faces, and only white women, in the bar. After a few minutes of conversation and a round of darts (and a couple more beers), did Erin and I really start to pick up on the vibe of the place (maybe with some help from our new friend Robert, too): each man seemed to have his own "Eastern Promise," usually a good decade or two younger than himself. These women wore the skimpy clothes Ive seen in store windows in the Jakarta malls but had yet to see ON anyone; they smoked, flirted, and as Robert said, gave out the "I'm looking for a green card" vibe.

We moved into the back room for some Indian food, but not before I was introduced by Robert to Ari, a friend of his...and the NYU alum who happened to have found me this job. While this was extremely fortuitous, Ari was late for a party and we didn't have much time to talk, but hope to meet up next week. "All roads lead to Toad's" flashed through my head, and I realized at that moment--I have found the Jakarta Toad's.

Past the Indian restaurant full of families with children, we entered an outdoor bar area where a stage was being set up and we ordered Indian food to go with our beer. While the ex-pat men and their wives/mistresses/catches of the night looked on, a cover band of six or so Indonesian girls took the stage and completely blew us away with some Alanis Morisette and Tina Turner. All in all, a great, though somewhat bizarre, night.

(video to come-blogger not wanting to upload it)

(picture courtesy my lovely co-intern Erin Stock)