Meet Thibaud, the French behind Jakarta100bars.com; One of the main sources of information about the nightlife of the city.
where are you and when did you come to Indonesia?
I am the French Alps, near Grenoble. I live on and out of Jakarta since 2003. Currently I am in Bali, but I still make time to visit the last scene of happening in Jakarta.
How could start Jakarta100bars.com?
He started in 2007 as a French blog called "Crazy Nights in Jakarta," which was a kind of internal log to close friends in the French expatriate community. We shared our experiences clubbing line, trying to look as many places as possible, particularly those of the person knew. When we visited our 100th bar, we decided to review all in English, as the Jakarta100bars. There was not much information about nightlife in Jakarta that time, so the blog quickly became popular.
Your comments are refreshingly unpretentious.
We spend too much time describing the food or decor the questions we try to answer are:. How to describe the place in a few words Who would be interested in such a place Who should avoid it how? compare to similar places? This is usually sufficient to help someone decide to go or not.
How many clubs have you covered?
There must be about 500, including restaurants, bars and clubs. The amazing thing is that there are many other places to visit.
Do you ever approached favorable opinions?
Approximately 50% of the examined locations have contacted me at some point. None asked directly for a good review, but they ask for corrections and provide additional information or request the removal of negative comments. I then changed some criticisms that were too hard or incorrect. I receive many invitations for the free food, but I accepted only one offer like that would hurt me comfortable when I review the place.
You get many comments and daring personal ads. Do you censor?
Comments are really fun and one of the main reasons that people visit Jakarta100bars. I almost never delete comments or personal ads unless they are spam or really insulting or provocative. Although I do not agree with a comment, I leave, if it is informative. Some reviews can be very elegant, but they tell the truth. Some items on the site were hundreds of comments in the forum where to find prostitutes. I do not condone prostitution, but I do not think removing comments would improve the lives of prostitutes or solve all problems. Prostitution is widespread in Jakarta. A blog about Jakarta nightlife would be useless if it did not talk about it.
The site has become profitable?
I'm just blog for fun. There is no money or gifts involved. This is partly due to my weak in marketing and design skills, and crude content may scare away potential advertisers.
Are you now focuses more on the shady bars restaurants?
Yes, because there are still plenty of restaurants to consider, while the supply of new bars and clubs is becoming scarce. Also, I left a lot less now, maybe because I'm older. Only 5% of the site content is shady bars, the rest covers restaurants, bars normal, normal massage venues, cultural centers, etc. But surprisingly, people tend to read the hottest items first, ha-ha!
Have you made new friends through the site? All crazy?
I made some good friends through the site, as I am always eager to meet people who contact me. I also get people who were interested in discovering the other side of Jakarta nightlife. I usually filter crazy before meeting them. Many people the false impression that I am a crazy man, who spends most of his time in the dirty joints, which is far from the truth.
What visitors ask you questions about Jakarta?
Most of the questions I get are about where to meet girls. The number would be: Where can I find girls who are not prostitutes but sleep with me the first night? Number two: Where can I get a massage near my hotel? (And very often they ask if it includes a "plus"). Number three: Do club / security zone
Have you Indonesians seeking to meet foreigners
The comments I get from Indonesians usually responses to? articles I wrote about the relationship between foreign and Indonesian girls. Many girls think I am painting negatively Indonesian women. It was not my intention, but he made me understand the sensitivity of the questions can be and how sarcasm can easily be misunderstood.
Your craziest night in Jakarta?
I do not know where to start! A marathon of 56 hours in the stadium; a car chase in Senayan with the singer of a famous group; hiding in a club in North Jakarta as he was attacked by a rival gang; discover some nightclubs completely messed such as Moonlight, Puja Sera, Exotis or KSC 117; Late night shopping in Taman Lawang.
Have you witnessed any sexual exploitation?
I am not a specialist in the subject, but I have seen different types of prostitution in Jakarta. In the South and in most nightclubs where guests are businessmen or expatriate, girls are usually freelancing. According to the girl, she will be looking to catch a man for money for a night, or trying to find a boyfriend to support her. In most cases, however, a boyfriend will not be enough. In the North and in more organized places, girls are usually contracted for a certain period of time. Contracts are usually very strict in terms of discipline and working hours and the net salary is very low because most of the money paid by the customer is kept by the "house". The same girls can also freelancing in clubs in these places, usually in Golden Crown, Millenium, Thousand, Stadium, etc. They often have a local friend, too. I guess there are huge differences in the material conditions between a girl working in Alexis, and work in a massage parlor in Grogol. Despite these conditions, the girls freely apply for these positions and are not duped into working in a brothel, to my knowledge. I've heard really painful stories. Sexual exploitation is not just coming clubs salons / massage but also boyfriends and / or the family of the girl. The relationship between sex, money and love in Indonesia is so complex that I find it very difficult to have a clear opinion about it.
Your top five Jakarta nightclubs?
I do not really have a favorite nightclub, but I have a favorite routine. Usually a good night means to change the location a few times. Start with a bar (Lucy in the Sky, Loewy, Skye, Eastern Promise), then go to a hotel bar (BATS, CJs, Tempus), then one or two clubs (Immigrant, Blowfish, Domaine Dragonfly Place red, X2), then one or two stops in Kota (Stade de Mille, Golden Crown, Illigals, Millenium). Depending on who I'm with, I will try to visit one or two new places, too.
Your five best restaurants?
I prefer small independent restaurants that are good value for money. In this category, my favorites are: Taj Mahal, an Indian restaurant warung-as in Pasar Baru, Hunan Kitchen on Jalan Labu, near Jayakarta Hotel, Le Bistro, a super-kitsch French restaurant on Jalan Thamrin, Toscana, romantic Italian restaurant in Kemang and Liyen, another Chinese restaurant in Kota Tua. There are many better restaurants, especially in 5 star hotels, but they will not be as charming as any of the foregoing.
How Jakarta compared to other capitals?
I am a fan of madness, the strangeness and disorder Jakarta. I think there is more adventure in this city than anywhere else I am. With very few rules applied, Jakarta is a jungle, where the unexpected is the norm. It is also so gigantic that it is virtually impossible to understand all this. It is a fascinating subject of study.