I heard about Jakarta’s Jalan Jaksa as being referred to as ‘kampung bule’ before. If you know this street, it is obvious why: it is pre-eminently a western backpacker’s hangout.
On a Belgian gathering in the Eastern Promise last Saturday, the term was used for another place: an area where (nearly) all inhabitants are western. So when I asked a guy where he lived, his girlfriend replied: “in kampung bule, south Kemang.” I had to think twice before I knew what she meant.
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