Nude Casinos: All in a Night's Work

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 2, 2008 -- Sashimi sex and nude casinos: It's hardly what you'd expect to witness after the sun goes down in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

But best-selling author Moammar Emka, known as Emka, knows otherwise. He's been tracking the steamy nightlife scene in Indonesia's capital city, Jakarta, for the last six years.

"It was unusual because the sashimi, a Japanese delicacy of sliced raw seafood, was not served on a tray with chopsticks, but presented on the naked body of a beautiful, sensual girl," Emka writes in his first book.

Today, as he continues prowling the seedy underground for its latest trends, the former reporter is most surprised by the basic concept of sex as entertainment.

"You can find anything at anytime here," the East Java native says over the pumping music in his black BMW, heading out for a night of research.

Clubs with sex menus, invite-only swingers parties and orgies at people's private homes are detailed in Emka's little black books.

His popular published trilogy is titled "Jakarta Undercover." The first two novels have been translated into English and are visibly available at bookstores throughout the Jakarta region. A comic strip and movie have been based upon his work.

Arriving at the night's chosen venue, Emka doesn't need to wait in line. Well-known in nightlife circles, the doorman greets him and waves him through security.

Once inside, a scantily clad, pale-skinned beauty on stage makes eye contact with Emka. Recognizing him, she breaks into a smile and points.

They share a dance from a distance, and it's clear why Emka fans remain curious about whether he's an observer or a participant.

Emka, who is Muslim and studied at schools with strong Islamic backgrounds, including the Government Institute for Islamic Studies in Jakarta, makes a point of omitting graphically explicit material when he writes about "after-lunch stripteases," "midnight lesbian packages" and "drive-thru sex."

Like the culture of the region, his tone is more discreet as he divulges the reality of Indonesia's sex industry. And, not wishing for his work to be mistaken for a tourist sex guide, he masks the names of venues and locations.