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Keep your kisses short in Indonesia's Tangerang
Unrelated people who kiss each other on the
lips for more than five minutes at public places in the Indonesian
city of Tangerang will face arrest, local media said on Friday. It
wa s
not clear if the guideline referred to an uninterrupted
five-minute kiss. The new anti-prostitution laws in Tangerang, a
city of more than one million, sparked complaints from liberals in
February after a female restaurant worker waiting for her husband
on a street at night was picked up because
police officers thought she was a prostitute. (Reuters)
On the pict: A tourist kissing with Flipper
in Batam Indonesia, unaware of the new rule.
Indonesia Set to Execute Three Christian Militants
Papua row prompts
Australia to review visa process
Tame Playboy sparks excitement in
Muslim Indonesia
Indonesia Sells Toned-Downed Playboy
Indonesian police preparing firing squad for
Poso convicts
Pirates attack cargo ship off Indonesia
Indonesian Playboy goes on sale
Conservative Indonesians have taken to the streets several
times since the January announcement to express their opposition.
Pornography, although illegal, is
readily available in
Indonesia's markets. (BBC)
FROM THE EDITOR:
 Some
people probably think bar managers never sleep. The rude call woke
me up at 2.30 in the night. It was the waitress that had I hired a
week earlier. 'Is it true that I am fired? Why? I want to know
why!' She hadn't been to work for four days, after her
'father' had informed us that she was sick. But as Indonesians
often find it difficult to keep secrets, I easily found out that
she left for a holiday in Singapore with a regular guest from
Cazbar. 'Yes, you are fired. By the way, how was Singapore?' I ask
her. 'Huh!?' she stumbled. '....Who told you?' It was too late for
discussions. I wanted to sleep again but she insisted that I
should give her a second change. 'You just blew your second
chance', I replied. 'Never call your boss after 12.' I said
goodnight and hung up. Today I heard that the trip of the waitress
and the Cazbar regular had become a disaster from the start. The
girl had 9 packs of kretek cigarettes with her and went
through the 'nothing to declare' zone at Changi
Airport. The custom official coolly crumbled the cigarettes to
pieces and then threw water over it, to the astonishment of the
waitress. The Cazbar regular had to pay a 50 dollar fine per pack,
450 US in total. Karma?
The take-over of Eastern Promise is in process. Some die-hard
regulars from the old days were actually still holding out in the
forgotten corners of this 20 year old establishment in Jakarta. I
asked one of them how many regulars he thought were actually still
around. Ten? Twenty maybe? He turned his head from the TV
towards me, and I was not sure if he was slightly annoyed or if he
just wanted me to get the facts right. He slowly raised a warning
finger, while looking me straight in the eyes. 'No. There are TWO
regulars. Only two. One is me.' The finger now pointed at himself.
'And the other one will come in a moment.' His eyes turned to the
TV again while mumbling that there were some 10 semi-regulars, but
they didn't count really. OK, I got the point. A few minutes
later, after I left to see how the construction in the front bar
was progressing, an Eastern Promise waitress called me over. A
regular wanted to talk to me. I went back to the little bar in the
back of the restaurant and I immediately figured it was probably
regular number two. Regular number one was still motionless
watching TV, that was hanging high in a corner.
The second regular was slightly nervous. If it was because he was
concerned, I could understand. After all, I was a stranger
overhauling his second home where he had felt safe for so many
years. In front of him was an enormous tankard with his name and
the letters Mamma's Kitchen inscribed. Mamma's Kitchen used
to be a popular expat hang-out in Kemang until they changed
it into a KFC some five years earlier. Before I had the chance to
introduce myself, the man pointed at the beer mug in front of him.
He explained to me that he had a deal with the previous owner,
Carl Gilchriest. He always had been allowed to have the mug filled
up for the price of two normal sized beers. The actual size of the
mug was 2.5 glasses. Just for the fun of it, I wanted to say NO,
but I couldn't. The man's world would have collapsed on the spot,
and maybe even he would have collapsed. He was sitting at the edge
of his barstool waiting for my reaction. Could he still keep the
same deal or not? 'Of course!', I said. The look of instant
relief on the man's face and on his girlfriend sitting behind him,
was fantastic. I will always keep this picture in my head. Now he
shook my hand fervently and introduced himself. The first regular
gave me a friendly wink. Their routine deals are saved. Eastern
Promise is saved. There is still a lot of character in Eastern
Promise and for sure lots of good stories for future newsletters.
Eni the waitress has been working in Eastern Promise for
twenty years. While filling up the enormous mug, she lifted her
nose to prevent her spectacles from sliding off. I asked her if
she had ever been in Singapore. She hadn't. And she also didn't
smoke. People told me that I should get rid of the 'old' staff and
replace them with fresh and young girls. I am not so sure yet. If
Eni hadn't be invited by a regular for an elicit Singapore
trip yet in the last 20 years, it is very unlikely that it will
ever happen in the next 20 years. 'Anything else, Mister
Bart?', she asks me. 'No I am fine, Eni... Just fine....'.
--- Bartele
EASTERN PROMISE NEWS:
 This
new venture is undergoing a renovation at the moment (the front
bar), but the restaurant and bar in the back stay open. On the
menu:Ozzie meat pies, curry's and lost of other Anglo-Indian food.
The Happy Hour is from 11.00am till 20.00pm. If you can come up
with a suitable logo for the Eastern Promise, please send your
design/idea to lens@bugils.com.
Lens will be your host. Eni will pour your beer.
(on the picture: Lens handling an annoying
customer, also known as Mister Tong from the book Bule Gila)
 CAZBAR
NEWS:
Please note that Cazbar serves a great English breakfast or Dutch
Uitsmijter with top quality Caswell Coffee. Open from 07.00am
onward, seven days a week. Sports can be watched live on a big
screen (2nd floor). Cazbar is fast becoming the most popular
hang-out for people after work in the Kuningan area. Check it out!
For reservations or info, contact Leanne at 081808710024 or email
bartele@thecazbar.com
BUGILS NEWS:
This Saturday another great night with THE BEATLES. Bartele highly
recommends this event for all people that plan to stay in Jakarta
during the long weekend. Great music, not too loud and a fantastic
show. Widi will be your host and Riza and Henny the entertainers
behind the bar.
THE ONE TREE BAR:
What is true of the rumors of yet
another bar? In Blok M? Keep posted to this newsletter and we will
let you know in the next newsletter.
What are their names from left to right? The first correct answer
receives a free copy of Bule Gila with signatures of all
staff members in BuGils. Send to
bartele@bugils.com
ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD:
Speech Mistake Prompts Bush Do-Over
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Cameras were rolling. Microphones were on.
President Bush stepped up to comment on a Senate compromise on
immigration legislation.
Chiropractor Claims He Can Go Back in Time
A chiropractor who claims
he can treat anyone by
reaching back in time to when an injury occurred has attracted the
attention of state regulators. (Yahoo)
Students lack basic financial
knowledge?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.
high school seniors continue to struggle with
personal finance basics, according to a study
unveiled on Wednesday at the Federal Reserve by a
nonprofit financial education group.
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