Practical information
Time zones:The Indonesian archipelago is made up of more than 17000 islands that stretch out into three different time zones. During British summer season it’s GMT+ 6 hours in western Indonesia (Java and Sumatra), GMT+ 7 hours in central Indonesia (Bali, paket wisata pangandaran Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi and Kalimantan) and GMT+eight hours in eastern Indonesia (Moluccas and Iran Jaya). Indonesia would not use daylight saving time, so in winter time the difference is GMT+7, GMT+eight and GMT+9 hours, respectively.
Communication: If you wish to take your mobile phone away with you, be sure to check along with your provider before you allow whether or not you need to use your mobile phone in Indonesia. So as to minimise the prices of your calls, you could choose to purchase a pay as you go phone card. These usually value no more than a couple of kilos and you should purchase a further calling card to top your credit up. Lately phone reception is usually fairly good on many of the islands and calls to Europe and the UK are so much cheaper. You possibly can call the UK from a lot of the phone centres like Wartel, Telkom or Perumtel discovered on most of the (bigger) towns. To call the UK you’ll need to dial 00 44, followed by the UK phone number, however without the initial zero. Internet cafes are popping up everywhere so you will find loads of locations to check your electronic mail or surf the internet. It’s low cost and easy, but connections can be poor and sometimes painfully slow.
Language:The official language on all of the islands is Bahasa Indonesia, although each of the islands (or areas) has its personal dialect. Many Indonesians communicate a bit of English, particularly within the larger more touristy areas.
Ideas: Ideas are often considered to be a complement to an individual’s salary. You possibly can tip a porter 25p – 50p per bag, for taxi rides just round off the amount. In hotels and eating places you should use the 10% rule.
Haggling: Bargaining is customary for most on a regular basis purchases in native outlets and markets. Earlier than you enter the game of supply and counter offer, be sure to decide what value you’re keen to pay. Bear in mind, as soon as your price is accepted you have to buy it. Haggling is a part of the buying course of, so only do it if you happen to’re really occupied with shopping for the product, and not just haggling for the enjoyable of it!
Departure tax: On your last day you may be saying goodbye to Indonesia and boarding the aircraft back home. Before you spend all of your Indonesian Rupiahs in a last-minute souvenir-purchasing spree, bear in mind to save some money for the airport departure tax of 150,000 IDRP (roughly 10) which you’ll must pay after check-in. Departure tax additionally applies for domestic flights, though the fees are considerably lower, between 50,000 – 80,000 IDRP (approximately 3 – 6), relying on the airport
