Practical information
Time zones:The Indonesian archipelago is made up of more than 17000 islands that stretch out into three totally different time zones. During British summer time it is GMT+ 6 hours in western Indonesia (Java and Sumatra), GMT+ 7 hours in central Indonesia (Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi and Kalimantan) and GMT+8 hours in eastern Indonesia (Moluccas paket wisata pangandaran and Iran Jaya). Indonesia would not use daylight saving time, so in winter time the difference is GMT+7, GMT+8 and GMT+9 hours, respectively.
Communication: If you wish to take your mobile phone away with you, be sure you check along with your provider before you permit whether you can use your mobile phone in Indonesia. As a way to minimise the prices of your calls, you could select to purchase a prepaid phone card. These often value no more than a couple of pounds and you should buy an additional calling card to top your credit up. Today phone reception is generally fairly good on most of the islands and calls to Europe and the UK are loads cheaper. You’ll be able to call the UK from a lot of the phone centres like Wartel, Telkom or Perumtel found on a lot of the (larger) towns. To call the UK you’ll have to dial 00 44, adopted by the UK phone number, but without the initial zero. Web cafes are popping up all over the place so you will find loads of locations to check your email or surf the internet. It’s low-cost and straightforward, but connections could be poor and typically painfully slow.
Language:The official language on all of the islands is Bahasa Indonesia, although every of the islands (or regions) has its own dialect. Many Indonesians speak a little bit of English, especially in the bigger more touristy areas.
Suggestions: Tips are often considered to be a complement to an individual’s salary. You may tip a porter 25p – 50p per bag, for taxi rides just spherical off the amount. In hotels and eating places you should use the 10% rule.
Haggling: Bargaining is customary for many everyday purchases in local shops and markets. Before you enter the game of offer and counter supply, be sure you resolve what worth you’re keen to pay. Keep in mind, as soon as your worth is accepted you need to buy it. Haggling is a part of the purchasing course of, so only do it if you happen to’re really considering buying the product, and not just haggling for the fun of it!
Departure tax: On your final day you may be saying goodbye to Indonesia and boarding the plane back home. Before you spend all your Indonesian Rupiahs in a last-minute memento-shopping spree, keep in mind to save some money for the airport departure tax of 150,000 IDRP (approximately 10) which you will have to pay after check-in. Departure tax additionally applies for domestic flights, although the fees are considerably lower, between 50,000 – 80,000 IDRP (approximately three – 6), relying on the airport
