
Last Saturday, despite it being Hallowe'en, Jaksa mid-evening was quieter than usual, so we repaired round the corner, to a place called Baku Dapa, which means ‘handshake’ in the Manado language. Manado is up on Sulawesi island, and I’ve not been there, but the bar was fine, excellent live music, old songs from the 50s, 60s and 70s, both local and Western, and beer at Rp.36.00 a bottle. It runs till 3am, and when we moved on at 1 o'clock, people were still arriving, mostly respectable Indonesians, but a few Arabs, though I was the only Western patron. It didn't seem to be a pick-up bar, though waitresses/hostesses will happily sit and dance with customers - once you've got to know them, it is no doubt up to you and your hostess if the friendship deepens!