Written by Lihini Ratwatte & Shawn Russell Photos by Shawn Russell & Lisa Marie Fernandes On our second day in Makassar, we went on a tour around the Chinatown vicinity, where our local guide Ms. Yuli Tanyadji, made us aware of the existence of a popular red light district.
The main red light district in Brussels is north of the Gare du Nord.In Rue d'Aerschot, Rue de Brabant and the surrounding side-streets there are sex shops and many windows where prostitutes sit. VIP Guided Red Light District Walking Tour (From $47.43) Sex Worker Guided Amsterdam Red Light District Walking Tour (From $37.94) Last Chance!! In those days the neighborhood was extremely unsafe, with a lot of heroin junkies and dealers around.So we, including the children, all went to learn karate to defend ourselves. If you don't make an issue out of it, it will not be an issue for children.I know all of my neighbors, along with the prostitutes and window operators, and the owners of the old pubs and the sex stores. Why would a tourist behave any differently?Most of the time I like living here. Most of the prostitutes near the Gare du Nord, including Rue d'Aerschot, are Romanian and Bulgarian. But the Amsterdam police department is struggling with major staff shortages. Amsterdam, Red Light District, Sint Annenstraat. Closing the windows [there are around 330 window brothels in De Wallen] wouldn't make a difference. Moreover they were installed mid-April when the Aprilfeesten (a local run outdoor festival) on Nieuwmarkt Square starts and King's Day is around the corner. The first time it happened, it was in the late evening and a family with three kids rang the bell.We were all a bit in shock and we felt so bad for them. It is a relatively common sight to see the sex workers leaning against the car windows to negotiate prices before eventually getting in.In terms of violence in the area, most of the people whom we interviewed felt that despite the element of seediness prevalent (especially the presence of gangs and violence) there is minimal violence, risk or hostility in the red light district. People only come here to watch them and don't actually pay to visit them. I also hate that locals sometimes deliberately cause collisions with their bikes, just to scare them [tourists].
But the other day he asked why they have almost no clothes on. I think if you inform visitors [about rules and codes of conduct] while they're on the airplane, or via a text message as soon as they arrive in the city, they would be more aware.
When my second child was born it [the house] became too small and we had to move.Me and five others bought a big building, which was originally built in 1450, on the canal Oudezijds Achterburgwal.It was a dump, but we cleaned it up together. It just gets too busy and dirty.From my experience, the 'We Live Here' campaign has had no effect. Because I love it. The sex workers usually charge more for foreigners than for local clients; requesting around 200,000 rupiah per hour from local clients and around 1 million rupiah per hour from foreigners.Street-walkers (or sex workers) tend to operate in groups of twos and threes, attempting to sell sexual services to potential clients. It's like King's Day, a holiday we celebrate in the Netherlands each April, is happening every night. Now we all experience the same nuisances and we can't do anything about it.I am very pleased with the ban on tours. On our second day in Makassar, we went on a tour around the Chinatown vicinity, where our local guide Ms. Yuli Tanyadji, made us aware of the existence of a popular red light district. We ended up calling around and found them a place to stay for the weekend. If we had hosts -- not police -- walking around, it would work more effectively.I have never lived in a neighborhood or street in Amsterdam where I know so many of my neighbors.The locals mostly focus on each other and are very mindful when it comes to keeping the street a livable space. There's something about this place, I can't really explain. 'There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. The tourists tend to concentrate in a very small area. No Airbnb here. I love my house, and it's close to everything. They would know that it's forbidden to photograph sex workers and they're not allowed to drink alcohol on the streets. Today, only me and the neighbor above me are left from that original group.Now we experience a lot of nuisance from loud tourists. The picture of our place looked either like a New York loft or a Swiss chalet. She also mentioned that the red light district is situated next to the port. Further away from the station the girls are more from Ghana and Nigeria.