BLOK M JAKARTA

You name it, we can find it in Blok M
Blok M is waiting for you
If you have ever been in the guesthouse of Euroconsult Jakarta, you will know what Blok M is like. Since it is within walking distance, I can hardly imagine any other Euroconsult office in the world that can beat us as far as convenience goes. Originally it was planned to be a centre for Kebayoran Baru Area, but it turned out to be the place to find people of all sort and nationalities.

Transport
If you need a taxi, just stand in front of Melawai Plaza; the taxi will come to you. The city bus terminal of Blok M has the most advanced design in Indonesia. Not only does it have a tarred surface, but also its lanes are separated by fences. A different lane means a different bus destination.

If your tranport expenses to the airport are not reimbursable, you can take the airport bus which departs regularly from Blok M.

Soon you will be able to find the underground or monorail stopping at Blok M.

Shopping
You still can feel the atmosphere of the traditional market place in Pasar Blok M. But, if you prefer more modern places, you can visit shopping centers like Pasaraya Big and Beautiful, Mega Pasaraya, Melawai Plaza, Blok M Mall, and Blok M Plaza.

Pasaraya has a lage collection of handicraft and traditional textile from all over the country. Here you can buy Irianese statues without having to visit Irian.

You have lots of choice in gold accessories and fine textile in Melawai Plaza.

Mark & Spencers in Blok M Plaza may be interesting when they have big sale on.

Since Blok M Mall is located just under the bus terminal, you can just sit on a chair - while somebody is shining your shoes - and watch the world goes by.

You can find medium-price clothes in Matahari Department Store. Or in Ramayana and Robinson with their never-ending sale.

If you want to cook your own food, you can buy all you need in the supermarkets of Gelael, Hero, Pasaraya or Metro. They also have great fruit.

A little bit out of the center, a Circle K shop is ready to serve you around the clock.

Books shops (serious books available too) are everywhere : Gramedia, Gunung Agung, Scientific, Maruzen, in Mega Pasaraya, or Metro in Melawai Plaza.

Night entertainment
There are a lot of Japanese pubs and karaoke restaurants, altough I don't think every one will approve. If you feel active, you can visit a discotheque, for example M Club in Blok M Plaza. If you like to listen jazz, you can visit Jamz which regularly has international singers or groups.

Perhaps you have heard of dang-dut type of music. It has Indian influences in the way they play percussion. A place with this kind of music is the Lipstick Dsicoteque (also in Blok M). If at the entrance, they ask you to pay a "cover charge", then this means that they are going to perform the snake dance.

Electronics
Pasaraya has a quite large selection of various makes. There also individual shops such as Sony or Toshiba

Audio cassette are cheaper in Indonesia, and Blok M has plenty of shops with collections so large that you will have difficulty in choosing. Most shops clasiffy the cassette according to the type of music; one shop even tries to do it according to the name of the singer. (But under J, you will find John Lennon, instead of Elton John!).

If you don't care about abot quality or copyrght, you can buy CDs for NLG 8 each from street vendors.

You can also buy a video cassette of a new movie for NLG 8 on VHS or Betamax. The quality is OK; you can see in the Golden Eye movie, the Universal Export Import now has a female M.

If the seller trusts you, you can buy a dirty movie, three stars rated.

Video CD players from Sony to Goldstar are also available. The disc is with the newest movies, which look as if they were made in Hongkong, you can buy in Blok M too.

Hotels
If the guest house is full, and you don't want to stay too far away from Blok M, you can book into Melawai Hotel or the new hotel of Ambhara.

Sport and fitness
A brand new fitness centre will soon be opening in Pasaraya. It will include sections for fitness and for massage.

There is no golf course in Blok M, but there is a golf driving range nearby.

Cinema
Blok M Plaza has six cinemas, each showing different movies. In the same building, there is a simulator cinema for those who don't have problems with their heart.

Church
There is a church next to Melawai Plaza, where the services are in English. But you had better to visit soon, as there is a rumour that the church wil be moving (they call it "ruilslacht").

Restaurant and cafe
Pasaraya, on the lower ground level, offers plenty of Indonesian food.

You can get more than five different kinds of fried chicken in Blok M: we have the internationally known Kentucky Fried Chicken accordng to Colonel Saunders' recipe, and also local fried chicken using Ibu Suharti's recipe.

Hoka-hoka Bento is a restoran selling Japanese fast food. Pasaraya has Pizza Hut; Blok M Plaza has a California Pizza. Combo is an economy, fast food restaurant. If you prefer an international brand, there is McDonalds Hamburger, Wendi's Hamburger, or Dunkin' Donut.

In Pasaraya, you can be classy and sit and enjoy a Croissant de Paris. Blok M Plaza has one such restaurant.

Still in Blok M Plaza, you can have various types of cofee in Exelso cafe.

For dessert, you can choose between ice cream from Swensen, or from Baskin & Robbins.

Others
In a hair salon you can have your hair cut for about NLG 8. Pay another NLG 10, and the girl will do the cream bath which also include a massage of you head and shoulders (good for the growth of the hair, she said).

If the day is bright, you can have your hair cut under the trees (or OdB, onder de boom)., which is more simple, efficient and economical. The place is unknown (which trees?), but Mr. Wolf can advice you on this.

There is one place I haven't tried yet, but I intend to give it a visit. It is the internet Cafe in Pasaraya. This place is near to video game area. Perhaps, if you are not used to using the office facilities for personal things, you can send your personal e-mail via this Internet Cafe, during break.