Cheap sidewalk eateries serve sex on the side<\/p>\n
By Putu Wirata<\/p>\n
DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Until a few months ago, residents and
\nvisitors in Denpasar rarely saw pretty young women at small
\nwarung (street stalls), which sell cups of coffee, snacks and
\nmeals on the city's main streets and in traditional markets.<\/p>\n
These beautiful warung attendants, mostly from rural villages
\noutside Denpasar, are flocking Denpasar in the hope of fulfilling
\ntheir dreams and seeking their fortune in the tourist and service
\ncity of Denpasar.<\/p>\n
What they sell in their warung is just modest and cheap food
\nand local drinks priced at between Rp 1,000 to Rp 2,000. But,
\nthey also run a more lucrative sideline in a separate service
\nbusiness -- illegal sex business.<\/p>\n
The girls, popularly known as dakocan, which stands for dagang
\nkopi cantik (pretty coffee sellers), are the city's most talked
\nabout subjects among its youth and middle-aged men, whose wallets
\nare not thick enough to take a girl to expensive restaurants or
\nfive-star hotels.<\/p>\n
Every night, dozens of Denpasar youths flock to the dakocan
\nshops to buy cups of coffee, nasi jenggol (rice and meat wrapped
\nin banana leaves) and some other snacks. But the main attraction
\nfor them are the girls' sensual bodies.<\/p>\n
While sipping their coffee, the boys' hands aggressively
\nexplore all parts of the girls' bodies. Often, sexual
\ntransactions follow.<\/p>\n
In a city like Denpasar, such establishments, which mix
\nentertainment and the sex trade, are easily found in every corner
\nof the city. Discos, karaoke bars, pubs and many other places are
\nnot only known as entertainment centers but are also disguised as
\nplaces for the "flesh" trade. Such places usually attract middle
\nclass and upper class clients.<\/p>\n
However, Denpasar was quite startled when suddenly, dozens of
\nyoung rural women appeared on the city's main streets, such as on
\nJl. Diponegoro, Jl. Sulawesi, Jl. Kartini, to cater for the
\ncity's less opulent customers.<\/p>\n
Amid the hustle and bustle of Kumbasari market, in downtown
\nDenpasar, the newcomers from Buleleng in North Bali, Karang Asem
\nin East Bali, and Jembrana in West Bali, are ready to compete
\nwith the city's higher class of call girls and prostitutes in
\nluring customers.<\/p>\n
Under the dim light of kerosene lamps, a number of males were
\nflirting with the girls.<\/p>\n
Their "business" has more or less ruined the image of
\nDenpasar's original nasi jenggo and coffee sellers, whose clients
\nare mainly university students and low-income workers.<\/p>\n
Nyoman Sunarta, a law student at Mahasaraswati in Denpasar,
\nsaid he used to buy nasi jenggo for his dinner.<\/p>\n
"I just don't believe that there is a new-style of 'nasi
\njenggo'" said Sunarta.<\/p>\n
While chatting at a warung nasi jenggo at the corner of Jl.
\nSulawesi, Sunarta accidentally witnessed a sexual transaction
\nbetween the seller and a young man.<\/p>\n
The young customer and the girl got into his Feroza jeep and
\ndrove to a certain place. Within two hours, he drove her back to
\nher warung.<\/p>\n
Poet Hartanto, 40, has been traveling around the island's
\nrural villages and has found this social phenomenon interesting
\nto study.<\/p>\n
"This is how youngsters in small villages are 'dating'.
\nDenpasar's youths usually take their chances at cafes, coffee
\nshops, disco or hotels," said Hartanto, who is often inspired to
\nwrite poems while sitting at a dakocan warung.<\/p>\n
He went on to say that in some villages, many parents have
\neven forced their teenage daughters to set up dakocan warung.<\/p>\n
"Mothers who have pretty daughters have more chances to get
\nprofits because their charms will easily attract more buyers to
\ntheir shops," said Hartanto.<\/p>\n
Some of the girls become prostitutes to get more money from
\ntheir customers.<\/p>\n
These young and naive girls rarely state their dating rate.
\n"It's up to their customers. But, some have started to understand
\nthe meaning of 'money and pleasure'," said Hartanto.<\/p>\n
It is these girls, who are not satisfied with their meager
\nincomes at home, that seek fortune in the more glittering
\nDenpasar.<\/p>\n
Dewi, for instance, was bored with her life in a small
\nBuleleng village. She came to Denpasar a few months ago.<\/p>\n
Clad in tight pants teamed with a bright-colored fake branded
\nsexy shirt, Dewi has been transformed into a "night queen".<\/p>\n
Her almost perfect legs tattooed with animal figures,
\nblossoming breasts and sensual mouth have made her popular in
\nDenpasar.<\/p>\n
Her cellular phone never stops ringing. Her small shop at
\nKumbasari market is only a transit place for her real "business"
\ntransactions. Dewi and other girls at the shops usually get Rp
\n300,000 for a two-hour "date". No wonder these country girls are
\nable to afford luxury clothes, branded bags and cellular phones
\nto optimize their businesses.<\/p>\n
According to a reliable source, who requested anonymity, the
\ngirls' operation is elaborately organized by an influential
\nperson who acts as their pimp.<\/p>\n
And it seems such tangled prostitution practices get by the
\narea's security officers, whose office is only 200 meters away
\nfrom this location. It appears that many more girls will pour
\nDenpasar's dim corners.<\/p>",
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