"The bule effect (bule essentially means white or foreign) means that every time you venture into a mall or supermarket away from the centre of town you will achieve something akin to rockstar status. The smiles, laughs and shouts of 'Hello Mr!' can easily be turned into something much more physical if you know what you are doing.

"In many countries the giggles and smiles would be seen as nothing more than nerves and not a sign of flirting. However, here in Jakarta the smiles and giggles are often a genuine sign that the girl is interested as she is curious or seeks the 'status' of dating a bule.

"If a girl smiles or flirts with you then do not be shy to approach and give her your phone number or ask for hers - you will rarely get rebuffed. The major obstacle is usually the language, as few girls will speak English very well in the department stores. A smattering of Indonesian will help you tremendously but if not then don't be shy to ask one of her friends to translate for you.

"Fruitful hunting grounds are the cosmetic counters in the big department stores like Matahari. Labour is cheap in Jakarta, so each department store will have literally hundreds of female staff milling around trying to look busy while employed for a menial wage.

"However, they are usually required to wear a feminine uniform and make-up - even more so at the cosmetics counter, and there is something very enjoyable about being surrounded by a horde of young lovelies when you are only going to buy a pair of socks for example.

"Some Indonesians are not shy coming forwards and once while buying some perfume for a girlfriend an older woman gave me the number of one of her co-workers who was standing there smiling at me, despite the fact they all knew I was buying the perfume for a lady friend. This kind of thing has happened regularly to myself and a number of my acquaintances.

"Although the glitzy shiny malls in the centre of town such as Grand Indonesia, Senayan City and Pacific Place are great places to indulge in window shopping of the retail and female variety, they are not the places to use your expat rockstar status to the maxim. In order to really make the most of the bule effect with the shop girls and the shoppers then you should visit malls off the beaten track where you will be the centre of attention.

"In these areas a good natured smile and an eye for opportunity will be enough to get you more dates then your diary can handle. Recommended places include Mall Ciputra in Grogol, West Jakarta - a favourite hang-out for University students and away from the expat areas..."

Delta is located in the Wijaya Graha Puri (Complex Grand Widjaya) on Blok F in between Jalan Wijaya 2 and Jalan Darmawangsa, next to a large police building. The place is clean and has everything the Expat Rockstar wants: sauna, hot tub, steam room, and comfortable massage rooms on the last floor. Cost is under $15 U.S. for a 45-minute session, exclusive of tip.

See also Jakarta 100 Bars. Tator Hotel on Jalan Jaksa has this to say about bringing home girls to your room at their establishment.