Blok M is a bus terminal in southern Jakarta near the CBD area. It is quite a famous spot in Jakarta due to the easy transport available to travel there. You can travel there cheaply by Busway costing Rp 3,500 (US$0.30) and the route is connected to many parts of Jakarta. The special thing about Blok M is that the area is populated with many expatriates like Caucasian and Japanese. Right at the bus terminal in Blok M, there is a side street called Jl Pelatehan that feature many bars and clubs. These bars are open at evening time and are marketed towards caucasian men. Why are these bars so popular? There are many Indonesian girls that travel to these bars hoping to meet a caucasian men. The bars in Jl Pelatehan are not brothels and they have been government inspected to curb the use of narcotics so it is not illegal to entertain yourself there especially if you are a swinger. However it is just a small street and the bars look like small shops from the outside. Unless you are a caucasian there really is nothing special there. Next to the bus terminal is Pasarraya Grande, a new shopping center which have some nice products and a food court but are still quite empty.
If you walk towards Pasarraya Grande and continue walking, you will come across Melawai Plaza. This is an old building with nothing interesting. There are many oldies in this Plaza. Continue walking and you will come across a town square. This town square has a huge shopping mall Blok M Square with Carrefour in it. It would be interesting to shop in this mall. Walking around the town aquare you will come across many streets with many Japanese restaurants. These restaurants are special as they are not ordinary Japanese restaurants. They look like nightclubs with Japanese themes decorated in their buildings. They also offer massages at hourly rates.
Blok M is definitely an interesting place to travel to in Indonesia and to meet girls. There are nice things to see here and the life seems fresher than the rest of Jakarta.
