Forex Wiki Indonesien Indonesisch

Finden Sie die besten Forex Broker in Indonesien Indonesien, oder die Republik Indonesien. Wie es offiziell bekannt ist, befindet sich in Südostasien, zwischen dem Indischen und dem Pazifischen Ozean. Es ist eines der größten Inselländer der Welt, mit mehr als 13000 Inseln und dem viertgrößten Land mit einer Bevölkerung von mehr als 258 Millionen Menschen. Der Archipel von Indonesien ist seit dem 7. Jahrhundert eine wichtige Handelsregion und macht sich heute noch einen Namen. Der Devisenmarkt in Indonesien ist seit einigen Jahren ziemlich schnell gewachsen, und viele sagen, dass es zu einem der führenden Forex-Märkte der Welt werden könnte. Das ist eine gute Nachricht für alle Händler auf der Suche nach den besten Forex Broker in Indonesien, wie viele der großen Namen haben beschlossen, ein Spiel für neue Kunden zu machen. Allerdings sollten wir auch darauf hinweisen, dass Forex-Handel ist immer noch eine relativ neue Idee in Indonesien, und die Regeln und Vorschriften sind oft ändern. Das Problem mit Forex Trading und Forex Broker in Indonesien, ist, dass es nur wenige Gesetze und Vorschriften vorhanden, um die Verbraucher zu schützen. Allerdings sieht es aus wie die Dinge werden immer besser für Forex Trader auf der Suche nach Top Forex Broker in Indonesien. Eine kurze Erklärung von Forex Trading Forex ist derzeit einer der beliebtesten Märkte zu investieren, und wegen der schiere Größe des Marktes ist es unmöglich für einen Körper zu kontrollieren. Es ist 24 Stunden am Tag, von Montag bis Freitag und ist derzeit der größte Finanzmarkt der Welt heute. In der Tat werden täglich mehr als 3,5 Billionen Trades durchgeführt. Das ist größer als die Summe aller US-Finanzmärkte. Bei Forex-Handel gibt es keine Verzögerung oder Wartezeit, da Transaktionen sofort durchgeführt werden. Eine riesige Vielzahl von Menschen sind die Entscheidung, in den Forex-Markt zu investieren, einschließlich der einfachen Menschen, sowie große Finanzinstitute. Kauf und Verkauf von Waren und Dienstleistungen, mit Ländern auf der ganzen Welt, bedeutet, dass es immer einen Markt für Geldwechsel geben wird. Anfänglich waren es nur große Anliegen, die am Forex-Markt teilnahmen, aber heute ist es für jedermann möglich, den Markt zu spielen. Die Währungspreise sind jedoch weitgehend von den großen Marktteilnehmern beeinflusst, die in großen Finanzzentren wie den in London und New York angesiedelt sind. Empfohlene Forex Broker in Indonesien Die Bedingungen für Forex Trading sind ziemlich gut in Indonesien Forex Trading in Indonesien ist sehr schnell erweitert, und wie wir bereits erwähnt, es sieht aus, um einer der führenden Forex-Märkte in der Welt zu werden. Wie ist das geschehen Anfänglich war es, weil die Regeln und Vorschriften nicht so streng waren wie einige weiter entwickelte Länder, und es gab nur sehr wenige Hindernisse in Bezug auf die Regierung Bürokratie. Und während das Land noch hinter solchen Ländern wie Europa oder Australien stehen kann, scheint die indonesische Regierung ziemlich scharf darauf zu sein, ausländische Konkurrenz zu stammen und mehr heimische Firmen zu gründen. Aber es gibt andere Gründe für den Forex-Markt, um so einen Fuß in Indonesien zu gewinnen. Einer von denen ist die Länder Wirtschaft und Regierung Vertrauen auf den Forex-Markt für einen großen Teil seiner Finanzierung. Es gibt auch eine perfekte Forex Trading-Umgebung, mit einem schwimmenden Devisen-System und eine freie Marktwirtschaft. Die indonesische Rupiah ist die offizielle Währung von Indonesien, und im Forex-Markt wird es durch den Buchstaben IDR angezeigt. Alle Banknoten und Münzen werden von der Bank von Indonesien ausgestellt. Während Indonesien noch eine relativ schlechte Wirtschaft haben kann, hat es eine glänzende Zukunft, da die Rupiah eine wichtige Rolle auf dem Forex-Markt spielt. Wie Forex Broker in Indonesien geregelt sind Die Bank von Indonesien ist verantwortlich für den Wechselkurs der Rupiah, und auch die Regulierung von Forex Broker, die im Land tätig sind. Der Wechselkurs basiert auf dem Wechselkurs der anderen Währungen, aber eine Reihe weiterer Faktoren kommt auch ins Spiel. Als Regulator von Forex Broker in Indonesien ist die Bank von Indonesien verantwortlich für die Regulierung und Überwachung, was sie tun. Anbieter von Forex-Diensten müssen bestimmte strengen Bedingungen befolgen und den Regeln folgen. Andernfalls haften sie an kräftigen Geldstrafen. Ein weiterer Faktor, den ausländische Makler berücksichtigen müssen, sind die Länder hohe Steuern und strenge Vorschriften. Aber ich bin nicht entmutigt, wenn Sie auf der Suche nach den besten Forex Broker in Indonesien, da gibt es viel zu wählen. Neben einigen der größeren Maklerfirmen gibt es eine Reihe von lokalen Brokern. Wir würden jedoch neue Händler empfehlen, nur lizenzierten und regulierten Brokern zu vertrauen, die alle die richtige Zertifizierung haben. Und während es noch ein wachsender Markt sein kann, sind neue Richtlinien, die von der Regierung eingeführt werden, und die Tatsache, dass der Handel online durchgeführt werden kann, helfen Forex, ziemlich schnell zu wachsen. Forex Broker nach Ländern War die Informationen nützlichIndonesien überspannt den Äquator zwischen dem Indischen Ozean und dem Pazifischen Ozean. Während es Landgrenzen mit Malaysia im Norden sowie Osttimor und Papua-Neuguinea im Osten hat, beherbergt es auch Australien im Süden und Palau. die Phillipinen. Vietnam. Singapur. Und Thailand im Norden, Indien im Nordwesten. Verstehen Sie mit 18.110 Inseln, davon 6.000 Einwohner, Indonesien ist das größte Archipel der Welt. Etwa 240 Millionen Menschen leben in diesem viertgrößten Land der Welt 8212 nach China. Indien und den USA 8212 und bei weitem das größte Land in Südostasien. Indonesien hat auch die größte muslimische Bevölkerung in der Welt. Indonesien Bevölkerung ist auf Kurs, um die USA zu überholen und werden die drittgrößte vor 2044. In dem Jahrzehnt, das im Jahr 2010 endete, blieb das Bevölkerungswachstum bei 1,49 pro Jahr hoch, aber es gibt erhebliche muslimische Opposition zur Förderung der Familienplanung. Indonesien vermarktet sich als wundervolles Indonesien. Und der Slogan ist ganz richtig, wenn auch nicht unbedingt immer in guter Weise. Indonesien tropische Wälder sind nach Brasilien die zweitgrößte der Welt. Und werden mit der gleichen alarmierenden Geschwindigkeit protokolliert und abgeschnitten. Während der reiche Shop und Party in Jakarta und Bali. Nach jahrzehntelanger ökonomischer Misswirtschaft verdienen 50,6 der Bevölkerung nach Angaben der Weltbank im Jahr 2009 noch weniger als USD2day. Mit der gleichen Benchmark (povertydata. worldbank. orgpovertycountryIDN) Die Zahl der armen Livng um 1,90 pro Tag sank von 44.000.000 im Jahr 2009 Auf 21.000.000 im Jahr 2014. Mehr aktualisierte Informationen aus tradingeconomicsindonesiaminimum-Lohn zeigt, dass die durchschnittlichen Lohnniveaus im ganzen Land als Ganzes markiert wurden bei IDR 2.700.000 (25 Tage im Monat 108.000 pro Tag13.000 8.30) Infrastruktur in einem Großteil des Landes bleibt rudimentär, Und Reisende abseits der ausgetretenen Pfade brauchen Geduld und Flexibilität. Nach der Energie-Zugangs-Arbeitsgruppe Globales Netzwerk für Energie für nachhaltige Entwicklung, im Jahr 2001 hatten 53,4 der indonesischen Bevölkerung Zugang zu Elektrizität und verbrauchten 345kWh für jede Person in einem Jahr. Im selben Jahr hatten die Bewohner des nahe gelegenen Singapurs 100 Zugang und sie verbrauchten 6.641 kWh. Ein sehr großer Prozentsatz der indonesischen Bevölkerung bleibt auf Holz für einen kochenden Brennstoff angewiesen. Die Zentralregierung hat in den letzten Jahren ein Programm des LPG-Gaszugangs eingeführt, um als Ersatz für die Verbrennung von Bio-Massenquellen zum Kochen zu verwenden. Geschichte Die Tempel von Prambanan (um 10. Jahrhundert) Die frühe, moderne Geschichte Indonesiens beginnt in der Zeit von 2500BC bis 1500BC mit einer Welle von hellbraunhäutigen austronesischen Einwanderern, die in Taiwan entstanden sind. Diese neolithische Gruppe von Menschen, die in der offenen Ozean-Seefahrt und der Landwirtschaft qualifiziert sind, wird vermutlich die bestehende, weniger entwickelte Bevölkerung schnell verdrängt. Von diesem Punkt an blühten Dutzende von Königreichen und Zivilisationen in verschiedenen Teilen des Archipels. Einige bemerkenswerte Königreiche sind Srivijaya (7.-14. Jh.) Auf Sumatra und Majapahit (1293-c.1500), die im östlichen Java basieren, aber die ersten, die die Hauptinseln von Sumatra vereinigen. Java. Bali und Borneo (jetzt Kalimantan) sowie Teile der Halbinsel Malaysia. Die ersten Europäer, die ankamen (nach Marco Polo, die in den späten 1200er Jahren vorbeifuhren) waren die Portugiesen, die im Jahre 1522 die Erlaubnis erhielten, eine Godown in der heutigen Jakarta zu errichten. Bis zum Ende des Jahrhunderts hatten die Holländer jedoch hübsche Viel übernahm und das Rasen einer konkurrierenden englischen Festung im Jahre 1619 sicherten ihren Halt auf Java. Was zu 350 Jahren Kolonisation führt. Die Briten besetzten Java von 1811 bis 1816, und infolgedessen fahren die Indonesier immer noch auf der linken Seite. Im Jahre 1824 unterzeichneten die Holländer und die Briten den englisch-niederländischen Vertrag, der die malaiische Welt in niederländische und britische Einflußsphären mit den Niederlanden teilte Abtretung von Malacca an die Briten und die Briten, die alle ihre Kolonien auf Sumatra an die Holländer abgeben. Die Linie der Division entspricht etwa dem, was jetzt die Grenze zwischen Malaysia und Indonesien ist, wobei ein kleines Segment die Grenze zwischen Singapur und Indonesien wird. Verschiedene nationalistische Gruppen entwickelten sich im frühen 20. Jahrhundert, und es gab mehrere Störungen, die schnell von den Holländern niedergelegt wurden. Führer wurden verhaftet und verbannt. Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs eroberten die Japaner die meisten Inseln. Im August 1945 in der Nachkriegsvakuum nach der japanischen Hingabe an alliierte Kräfte die japanische Armee und Marine noch die Mehrheit der indonesischen Archipel kontrolliert. Die Japaner vereinbarten, Indonesien in die Niederlande zurückzukehren, setzten aber fort, die Region zu verwalten, da die Holländer aufgrund der massiven Destabilisierung aus den Auswirkungen des Krieges in Europa nicht sofort zurückkehren konnten. Unabhängigkeitsänderung Am 17. August 1945 las Sukarno die Proklamasi oder die Unabhängigkeitserklärung und die Panitia Persiapan Kemerdekaan Indonesien (PPKI) zog zu einer Übergangsregierung. Eine Verfassung, die vom PPKI-Vorbereitungsausschuss verfasst wurde, wurde am 18. August bekannt gegeben und Sukarno wurde zum Präsidenten mit Hatta zum Vizepräsidenten erklärt. Die PPKI wurde dann in die KNIP (Central Indonesian National Committee) umgewandelt und die KNIP wurde die vorübergehende leitende Körperschaft. Die neue Regierung wurde am 31. August 1945 installiert. Indonesien Gründungsväter Sukarno (Soekarno) und Hatta erklärten die Unabhängigkeit der Republik Indonesien. Die Holländer führten eine diplomatische und militärische Kampagne ein, um ihre ehemalige Kolonie von den Nationalisten zurückzuerobern. Disputationen, Verhandlungen, Partitionierung und bewaffnete Konflikte herrschten zwischen dem neu unabhängigen Indonesien und den Niederlanden. Mehrere Nationen einschließlich der USA kritisierten die Holländer in dieser unmittelbaren Nachkriegszeit und in einem Stadium Ende 1949 sperrte die US-Regierung die Unterstützung der Holländer unter dem Marschallplan aus. Die Sache wurde auch von der neu gebildeten UNO aufgeworfen. Nach vier Jahren des Kampfes nahmen die Holländer die Niederlage auf und am 27. Dezember 1949 übertrug sie die Souveränität offiziell auf die Republik Indonesien Serikat (Republik der Vereinigten Staaten von Indonesien). Im August 1950 wurde eine neue Verfassung verkündet und die neue Republik Indonesien wurde aus der ursprünglichen, aber jetzt erweiterten Republik gebildet, um Sumatra Timur und Ost-IndonesienNegara Indonesien Timur einzuschließen. Jakarta wurde die Hauptstadt der Republik Indonesien, aber die Niederlande und Indonesien blieben in einer theoretischen konstitutionellen Union mit Indonesien, die den Status eines völlig unabhängigen Staates. Im September 1950 führten Natsir und die Masyumi-Partei die erste Regierung von völlig unabhängigem Indonesien. Sukarno kehrte wieder zur Rolle des Präsidenten zurück und im Laufe der Zeit kam, um größere Macht in dieser Rolle zu behaupten. Eine Zeitlang benutzte Indonesien eine vorläufige Verfassung, die sich auf die der USA hindeutete, die sich auch schwer auf die Vereinten Nationen für Menschenrechte der Vereinten Nationen von 1948 stützte. Am 26. September 1950 wurde Indonesien zu den neu gebildeten Vereinten Nationen zugelassen. Die Verfassung von 1950 scheint ein Versuch gewesen zu sein, ein liberales demokractisches System mit zwei Parlamentskammern einzurichten. Später im Jahre 1955, noch unter dieser provisorischen Verfassung, hielt Indonesien seine erste freie Wahl. Die neue Regierung wurde beauftragt, eine endgültige und endgültige Fassung der Verfassung abzuschließen, aber nach einem großen Streit wurde kein Konsens erreicht, was 1958 zu organisierten öffentlichen Demonstrationen führte. 1959 gab Präsident Sukarno ein Dekret aus, das die damalige Verfassung auflöste und die Verfassung von 1945 wiederherstellte. Indonesien trat dann in die Ära der geführten Demokratie ein, wobei der Staatsoberhaupt stärkere Präsidialmächte annahm und auch die bisherige Rolle des Premierministers aufnahm. Von ihrer anfänglichen Unabhängigkeitserklärung behauptete Indonesien Westpapua als Teil ihrer Nation, aber die Holländer hielten es in die 1960er Jahre auf, und in den frühen sechziger Jahren gab es weitere bewaffnete Konflikte über diese Region. Nach einem UN-vermittelten Friedensabkommen und einem Referendum wurde Westpapua Teil Indonesiens und wurde als Irian Jaya umbenannt. Die apokryphally steht für Ikut (Teil von) Republik Indonesien, Anti Niederlande. Es heißt jetzt einfach nur Papua. Aber die Unabhängigkeitsbewegung verschmilzt bis heute. Sukarnos Tribut an Unabhängigkeit und Einheit 8212 Nationales Denkmal, Jakarta Während des Nachkriegs und der Kalten Kriegszeit machte Sukarno freundliche Fortschritte in die USA, die Sowjetunion und später in China. Er versuchte auch, gegeneinander zu spielen, als er versuchte, die Nation als einen nicht ausgerichteten Staat zu entwickeln. Viel zu der Bestürzung der Nachkriegs-Westregierungen Sukarno engagierte sich in einem umfassenden Dialog mit den Sowjets und nahm Zivil - und Militärhilfe, Ausrüstung und technische Unterstützung aus der UdSSR an. Sukarno behauptete öffentlich, dass seine Verlobung mit den Sowjets darin bestand, die neue Republik Indonesien als einen nicht ausgerichteten Nachkriegsstaat zu unterstützen und den Wiederaufbau der Nation nach dem pazifischen Krieg zu unterstützen. Zu dieser Zeit versuchten die USA, ihre Kontrolle über regionale und strategische Interessen in Südostasien und Indochina zu konsolidieren. Die USA, die von einem Archipel konfrontiert wurden, scheinbar im Griff des aufstrebenden indonesischen Nationalismus, suchten die Kontrolle über die wichtigen Ressourcen und die Schifffahrtswege der Region. Sie sahen Indonesien als potenziell instabil und in einer Macht Vakuum links im Anschluss an die japanische Niederlage in Indonesien. Die Holländer, ihre Nation, die durch den europäischen Krieg verwüstet wurde, konnten ihre Kolonie nicht vollständig zurückfordern und die Kontrolle über die steigende Flut des indonesischen Nationalismus beibehalten. Die Niederländer waren auch unter Druck von den USA und anderen westlichen Regierungen zusätzlich zu ihren eigenen erheblichen Problemen zu Hause. Die USA unterstützten die Anti-Sukarno-Aktivitäten und Operationen, um die nationalistische Bewegung zu destabilisieren. 1957-58 infiltrierte die CIA Waffen und Personal zur Unterstützung der regionalen Rebellionen gegen Sukarno. Verdeckte Handlungen zu dieser Zeit führten zur Einnahme eines amerikanischen Piloten und Flugzeugs. Die Aktivitäten beinhalteten die Verwendung von Söldnerkräften sowie die materielle und finanzielle Unterstützung der Aufständischen. Die Finanzierung, die Waffen, die logistische Unterstützung und die Ausbildung wurden von den USA verdeckt, um abtrennbare Fraktionen, rechte Elemente und radikale islamistische Gruppen einschließlich des Darul-Islam in einem Versuch, US-amerikanische und westliche Kontrolle über den indonesischen Nationalismus zu gewinnen. Die Aktionen wurden von der US-Botschaft in Singapur unterstützt, von Elementen der US 7. Flotte, die von Sulawesi und Sumatra stationiert wurde, und mit der Kooperation und Unterstützung der britischen Regierung und der westlichen Geheimdienste. Die USA, mit der Teilnahme von anderen westlichen Mächte einschließlich der britischen später beschlagnahmt Sukarnos auftauchenden Dialog und den Umgang mit den Sowjets und später die Chinesen als eine Bedrohung für die Region. Der ehemalige Direktor der CIA William Colby verglich später ihre eigenen Operationen in Indonesien mit dem Vietnam-Phoenix-Programm in Vietnam. In der Tat wurden einige der Ausrüstung einschließlich Militärflugzeuge später auf dieses Programm übertragen. Colby weiter zugelassen, die CIA zu konzentrieren, um sich auf die Zusammenstellung von Listen der Mitglieder der PKI und anderer linker Gruppen zu konzentrieren, war Colby damals der Chef der CIAs Far East Division. Von den Ängsten und Propaganda des Kalten Krieges verhüllt, behaupteten die USA eine ausgedehnte offene und eine verdeckte Kampagne, um Sukarno zu destabilisieren. Die neue Auftragsbearbeitung 1965, in sehr umstrittenen und verwirrenden Umständen, die einen angeblichen Militärputsch beinhalten, wurde Sukarno, bekannt für seine Unterstützung des indonesischen Nationalismus und der Unabhängigkeit, von Suharto vertrieben. Ein Armee-General mit starken anti-kommunistischen Ansichten. Suharto diente ursprünglich in den japanischen Besatzungsmächten unterstützte Polizei, später trat er in die Peta (Verteidiger des Vaterlandes) und fuhr fort, in den japanischen geführten indonesischen Streitkräften der Besatzungszeit zu trainieren. In der Nachkriegszeit ist es geglaubt, dass er unter US-Einfluss und Schirmherrschaft fiel und mit ihrer Unterstützung er und seine Anhänger stieg in Statur und Einfluss. Der Putsch Edit Im September 1965 wurden sechs Armee-Generäle in einem scheinbaren Putschversuch ermordet. Die Entführungen und die nachfolgenden Morde traten in sehr verdächtigen Umständen auf und die etwas verwirrenden offiziellen Konten wurden als sehr verdächtig befunden. Eine Gruppe von leitenden Offizieren, darunter der Armeekommandant Leutnant General Ahmad Yani, hatte anscheinend zunehmend mit einer Allianz von Rechtsbeamten einschließlich Suharto im Widerspruch stehen. Die ermordeten Offiziere unterstützten Sukarno und unterhielten die Beziehungen der Präsidenten zur PKI (Indonesische Kommunistische Partei). Subandrio, Sukarnos Außenminister, zweiter stellvertretender Ministerpräsident und Chef der Intelligenz, von 1960 bis 1966 hatte infiltrierte Agenten in eine geheime Sitzung der rechten Flügel Generäle Plotten der Sturz von Sukarno. Es wird geglaubt, dass er den Aufstand gefälscht haben könnte, indem er Informationen darüber informiert, aber die Details bleiben unsicher. Der Aufstand wurde unter den Einheiten im zentralen Java, Luftwaffeneinheiten bei Halim Luftwaffenstützpunkt und Streitkräfteeinheiten, die den Merdeka-Platz besetzten, einen strategischen Teil der Hauptstadt, gemeldet. Die sogenannten 30. September-Gruppenführer behaupteten, dass die auf dem Merdeka-Platz anwesenden Streitkräfte die Präsidentschaft vor einem geplanten Aufstand schützen würden, um bald von einer Gruppe von Generälen, die von der US-CIA unterstützt wurden, zu orchestrieren. General Suharto berichtete dann nachträglich diese Aktion innerhalb der Streitkräfte an einem einzigen Tag. Die rechten Flügeloffiziere, die sich nachträglich zur Macht erhielten, verurteilten die Tötungen der älteren Offiziere und behaupteten den Aufstand mit den militärischen Einheiten war das Werk der Kommunisten. Als sich aus westlichen Archiven noch mehr Unterlagen ergeben, erscheint es immer deutlicher, dass die Veranstaltung auf die Bühne gelangte, Suharto die Möglichkeit zu geben, die Führung zu behaupten. In den frühen Stadien beschuldigte Suharto die Morde an einer Gruppe von PKI inspirierten Jugendlichen, Frauen und Elementen der Luftwaffe. Die Säuberungen Bearbeiten Die Morde wurden später auf die PKI, die Kommunisten und die 30. September-Bewegung beschuldigt, ironisch die gleiche Gruppe, die behauptet hatte, zusammen zu kommen, um einen rechten Flügel-Putsch-Dtat zu vereiteln. Suharto behauptete zunächst, Präsident Sukarno zu unterstützen, aber dann eroberte er die Macht selbst, setzte Sukarno zurück und verkündete einen neuen Orden (Orde Baru). Eine Reihe von blutigen antikommunistischen Säuberungen wurde dann initiiert, was zum Tod von 500.000-2.000.000 Menschen führte (Schätzungen variieren stark). Die westlichen Regierungen verwandelten die Massaker und blieben für eine beträchtliche Zeit im Westen unbemerkt im Westen. Viele Historiker haben seitdem die Einbeziehung der US-Geheimdienste und in geringerem Maße ihre gegenseitigen Kontakte in der britischen, deutschen und japanischen Intelligenz unter den Umständen, die zur Machtergreifung von Suharto und den darauffolgenden mörderischen Säuberungen führen, aufgezeigt. Suharto und die anschließende Reformasi-Bearbeitung Wenn die Informationen über die weit verbreiteten Tötungen schließlich veröffentlicht wurden, war sie in Geheimnis gehüllt. Die US-Geheimdienste und die CIA wurden später als kompliziert bei der Bereitstellung von Namen und Adressen der PKI-Mitglieder an die indonesische Armee, Suharto-Arbeiter und CIA-finanzierte muslimische Todeskommandos, die die Linken nach unten gejagt und sie ermordet haben. Deklassierte US-Dateien haben seitdem gezeigt, dass die US-Regierung gab verdeckte Hilfe für Suharto und die Todeskandidaten, um die weit verbreitete Säuberungen über Indonesien zu führen. Nachdem Suhartos an die Macht gekommen war, wurden die US-Interessen in der Region gesichert und ihr Einfluss auf die RI und die Nationen Ressourcen in das neue Jahrhundert fortgesetzt. Unter Suharto von 1966 bis 1997 genoß Indonesien Stabilität und Wirtschaftswachstum, aber der Großteil des Reichtums konzentrierte sich in den Händen einer kleinen, korrupten, Elite und Dissens wurde brutal zermalmt. Während der asiatischen Wirtschaftskrise von 1997 sank der Wert der indonesischen Rupiah und halbierte die Kaufkraft der gewöhnlichen Indonesier. In der anschließenden heftigen Umwälzung, jetzt bekannt als Reformasi. Suharto wurde heruntergebracht und ein demokratischeres Regime installiert. Post Reformasi 1998 bearbeiten Die ehemalige portugiesische Kolonie von Osttimor wurde 1975 von Indonesien annektiert, aber dort war bewaffneter Widerstand. Nach jahrzehntelanger indonesischer Herrschaft wurde am 30. August 1999 ein provinzielles Referendum für die Unabhängigkeit von den Menschen in Osttimor überwältigend genehmigt. Indonesien widerwillig aber immer wieder erstaunlich das Ergebnis akzeptiert (obwohl Armee-verbundene Milizen das Kapital Dili in Protest geplündert), und Osttimor gewann seine Unabhängigkeit im Jahr 2002. Eine weitere gewalttätige sezessionistische Bewegung fand im frommen islamischen Bundesstaat Aceh an der Nordspitze von Sumatra statt . Nach jahrzehntelanger Aufstand und abträglichen Gesprächen wurde die Deadlock durch den Tsunami 2004 gebrochen. Die über 200.000 Menschen in Aceh getötet haben. Die indonesische Regierung und die Freie Aceh-Bewegung (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM) unterzeichneten im nächsten Jahr einen Friedensabkommen, wobei Aceh seinen Kampf für die Unabhängigkeit im Austausch für die Gewährung einer besonderen Autonomie einschließlich des Rechts, Syariah (islamisches) Gesetz zu verabschieden, aufzugeben Bis heute hat der frieden gehalten Im Jahr 2004 hielt Indonesien die erste Wahl, in der die Leute direkt den Präsidenten und Vizepräsidenten gewählt haben. Der Präsident von Indonesien kann derzeit maximal zwei aufeinanderfolgende Fünf-Jahres-Bedingungen. Derzeit ist Indonesien eine der weltweit größten Demokratien und führt durch eine Zeit der schwierigen Reformen und Wiedererfindung nach den Reformasi und der Institution einer demokratisch gewählten Regierung. Um die Umwandlung aus den Jahren der zentralisierten Kontrolle unter dem Suharto-Regime zu unterstützen, wurde die Rolle der regionalen und provinziellen Regierung verstärkt und verstärkt. Der Wahlprozess in Indonesien hat eine hohe Beteiligungsquote und die Natur und das Gewebe von Governance und Verwaltung verändert sich langsam in Indonesien. Veränderung in der Nation seit dem Fall von Suharto wurde auch durch mehr Freiheit der Rede und eine massive Verringerung der politischen Zensur, die ein Merkmal der Suhartos New Order Ära war gekennzeichnet. Es gibt eine offenere politische Debatte in den Nachrichtenmedien sowie im allgemeinen Diskurs, politischer und sozialer Debatte. Menschen bearbeiten Trotz 50 Jahre der Förderung der Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) als offizielles Staatsmotto, bleibt das Konzept eines Indonesischen künstlich und die Landsleute teilen sich eine große Anzahl von Ethnien, Clans, Stämmen und sogar Kasten. Wenn das nicht genug war, fügen religiöse Unterschiede eine flüchtige Zutat der Mischung hinzu und die riesigen Lücken im Reichtum schaffen auch eine Klassengesellschaft. Auf einer rein numerischen Skala sind die größten ethnischen Gruppen die Javanesen (45) des zentralen und östlichen Java. Die Sundanese (14) aus dem westlichen Java. Die Madurese (7,5) von der Insel Madura. Und Küstenmalays (7.5), meistens aus Sumatra. Dies verlässt 26 für die Acehnese und Minangkabau von Sumatra. Die balinesischen Die Iban und Dayaks von Kalimantan. Und ein verwirrendes Flickwerk von Gruppen in Nusa Tenggara und Papua 8212 die offizielle Summe ist nicht weniger als 3000 Zum größten Teil Indonesien viele Völker koexistieren glücklich, aber ethnische Konflikte weiterhin in einigen abgelegenen Gebieten des Landes zu eilen. Die von den Holländern initiierte Politik der Transmigration (Transmigrasi), die von Suharto fortgesetzt wurde, setzte javanische, balinesische und Madurese-Migranten zu weniger überfüllten Teilen des Archipels ein. Die neuen Siedler, die als privilegiert und unempfindlich angesehen wurden, wurden oft von der indigenen Bevölkerung und vor allem von Kalimantan und Papua verärgert. Führte zu gewalttätigem Konflikt. Eine besonders bemerkenswerte ethnische Gruppe, die im ganzen Land gefunden wird, ist das indonesische Chinesisch. Bekannt als Tionghoa oder die etwas abfällige Cina. Bei schätzungsweise 6-7 Millionen machen sie 3 der Bevölkerung aus und bilden wahrscheinlich die größte ethnische chinesische Gruppe in jedem Land außerhalb Chinas. Indonesische Chinesen haben einen überproportionalen Einfluss in der Wirtschaft, mit einem berühmten 8212, wenn weitgehend diskreditiert 8212 Studie von Unternehmen an der Jakarta Stock Exchange zu dem Schluss, dass so viele wie 70 seiner Unternehmen (und, durch die Erweiterung, das Land) wurden von ethnischen Chinesen kontrolliert. Sie wurden so der Verfolgung unterworfen, mit den Chinesen, die in den sechziger Jahren gewaltsam in städtische Gebiete verlegt wurden, gezwungen, indonesische Namen und Verbote zu verabschieden, die auf Chinesischunterricht vergeben wurden und chinesische Schriftzeichen darstellten. Es wurden auch anti-chinesische Pogrome stattgefunden, vor allem in den 1965-66 antikommunistischen Säuberungen nach Suhartos-Putsch und wieder 1998 nach seinem Untergang, als über 1100 Menschen in Unruhen in Jakarta und anderen Großstädten getötet wurden. Allerdings haben die Postreformasi-Regierungen die meisten diskriminierenden Gesetze umgestoßen, und das chinesische Schreiben und die chinesischen Festivals haben ein Wiedererscheinen gemacht, wobei das chinesische Neujahr seit 2003 als öffentlicher Feiertag gegründet wurde. Während die meisten Java-Chinesen einsprachig sind Indonesisch, viele der Chinesen in Sumatra und Kalimantan weiterhin verschiedene chinesische Dialekte zu sprechen. Kultur bearbeiten Wayang Kulit Schatten Puppetry, Solo Es gibt keine einheitliche indonesische Kultur als solche, aber die hinduistische Kultur des ehemaligen Majapahit Reiches bietet einen Rahmen für viele der kulturellen Traditionen, die auf den zentralen Inseln von Sumatra gefunden werden. Java. Bali und Lombok. Vielleicht sind die markantesten indonesischen Künste Wayang Kulit Schattenpuppen, wo kompliziert detaillierte Ausschnitte aus den Mahabharata und Ramayana und anderen populären Volksgeschichten und deren Begleitung das Gamelan Orchester, dessen unglaublich komplexe metallische Rhythmen die obligatorische Kulisse für beide religiösen Zeremonien sind, ausführen Und traditionelle Unterhaltung. Indonesien ist kulturell mit den Malaien verflochten. Mit bemerkenswerten Gegenständen wie Batik Tuch und Kris Dolche, und arabische Kultur wurde auch bis zu einem gewissen Grad dank dem Islam angenommen. Die heutige indonesische Volkskultur wird weitgehend von der größten ethnischen Gruppe, den Javanesen, dominiert. Suhartos Verbot der westlichen Einfuhren wie Rocknroll, während längst aufgehoben, führte zur Entwicklung von indigenen Formen von Musik wie Dangdut. Eine schwüle Form des Pop in den 1970er Jahren entwickelt, und die TV-Becken-Stöße von Starlet Inul Daratista im Jahr 2003 waren fast so umstritten wie Elvis einmal war. Anggun Cipta Sasmi ist eine talentierte indonesische Sängerin, die in Frankreich eine berühmte Sängerin wurde. Ihr einziger La Neige au sahara wurde im Sommer 1997 zu einem Top-Hit auf den europäischen Charts. Die meisten indonesischen Filme sind Low-Budget-B-Filme. Daun di Atas Bantal (1998) ist eine Ausnahme, die mit dem Asien-Pazifik-Filmfestival in Taipei, Taiwan (1998), den besten Filmpreis gewonnen hat. Die Raid, Redemption (Indonesisch: Serbuan maut), und auch bekannt als The Raid wurde im Jahr 2011 auf der Toronto International Film Festival veröffentlicht und hat internationalen Vertrieb. Dieser indonesische Actionfilm hatte ein Produktionsbudget von 1,1 Millionen Es wurde von Gareth Evans (UK) geschrieben und inszeniert und spielte Iko Uwais. Evans und Uwais veröffentlichten ihren ersten Actionfilm, Merantau im Jahr 2009. Beide Filme zeigen die traditionelle indonesische Kampfkunst Pencak Silat. Die indonesische Literatur hat auf der Weltbühne noch viel Fortschritte gemacht, mit Fackelträger Pramoedya Ananta Toer s arbeitet lange in seiner Heimat verboten, aber die Post-Suharto-Ära hat einen kleinen Boom mit Ayu Utami s Saman gesehen, der sowohl Tabus und Verkäufe bricht Aufzeichnungen. Religion bearbeiten 80-88 der Bevölkerung von Indonesien Staat ihre Religion als Islam (Sunniten) macht es numerisch bei weitem die größte Religion in der Nation und Indonesien die größte muslimische Mehrheit Land in der Welt. Trotzdem bleibt Indonesien offiziell ein säkularer Staat. Obwohl religiöse Orthodoxien im ganzen Indonesien-Archipel variieren, ist die strenge Einhaltung der islamischen Kleidercodes, die in einigen Ländern offensichtlich sind, in der Regel nicht vorhanden. In größeren Städten sind Kopfschals und offene Manifestationen des Glaubens Ausnahmen und nicht die Regel. In einigen regionalen Gebieten und dem frommen Zustand von Aceh können die Dinge wesentlich strenger sein. In der Tat, obwohl er nominell muslimisch ist, werden viele lokale Geschichten und Bräuche, die Hindu, Buddhist oder Animist im Ursprung sind, von einem Großteil der Bevölkerung treu bewahrt. Die anderen vier staatlich sanktionierten Religionen sind Protestantismus (5), Römischer Katholizismus (3), Hinduismus (2) und Buddhismus (1). Hindus konzentrieren sich auf Bali. Während Christen meist in Teilen von Nord-Sumatra gefunden werden. Papua Nord-Sulawesi. Und Ostnusa Tenggara. Der Buddhismus hingegen wird vor allem von den ethnischen Chinesen in den größeren Städten praktiziert. Es gibt auch Taschen des Animismus im ganzen Land, und viele strenge Muslime verurteilen die lässige indonesische Einbindung von animistischen Riten in die Praktiken der islamischen Gläubigen. Das indonesische nationale Gesetz verordnet, dass alle Bürger der Republik ihre Religion erklären müssen und dass die erklärte Religion eine der fünf sein muss, die offiziell vom Staat sanktioniert wird, aber nach der Reformation wird der Konfuzianismus jetzt erkannt (früher wurde er mit dem Buddhismus, dem Protestantismus, eingeprägt Und römischer Katholizismus), leider nicht für Ahmadiyya Islam und Schia Islam. Dies führt zu offensichtlichen Verzerrungen. Zum Beispiel nennen sich viele animistische Praktiker namentlich muslimisch oder christlich zum Nutzen der Staatsbürokratie und viele Muslime in ländlichen Gebieten haben auch ihre traditionelle Lebensweise, die ihre Praxis des Islam stark beeinflusst. Feiertage bearbeiten Exakte Daten hängen von lokalen astronomischen Beobachtungen ab und variieren von einem Land zum anderen. Ramadan endet mit dem Eid ul-Fitr Festival über mehrere Tage. Multikulturelle Indonesien feiert eine breite Palette von religiösen Feiertagen und Festivals, aber viele sind auf kleine Gebiete beschränkt (zB die Hindu-Festivals von Bali). Das Folgende umfasst die gesetzlichen Feiertage, die landesweit unabhängig von ihrem Glauben angewandt werden. Die bedeutendste Jahreszeit ist der muslimische Fastenmonat Ramadhan. Während ihrer 30 Tage verzichten gläubige Muslime auf die Lippen (Essen, Trinken, Rauch) zwischen Sonnenaufgang und Sonnenuntergang. Die Leute stehen früh auf, um sich vor Sonnenaufgang (Sahur) zu stopfen, gehen spät zur Arbeit und gehen früh ab, um wieder nach Hause zu kommen, um schnell zu brechen (buka puasa) bei Sonnenuntergang. Non-Muslims, as well as Muslims travelling ( musafir ), are exempt from fasting but it is polite to refrain from eating or drinking in public. Many restaurants close during the day and those that stay open ( e. g., hotel restaurants) maintain a low profile, with curtains covering the windows. During Ramadan, all forms of nightlife including bars, nightclubs, karaoke and massage parlours close by midnight, and (especially in more devout areas) quite a few opt to stay closed entirely. Business travellers will notice that things move at an even more glacial pace than usual and, especially towards the end of the month, many people will take leave. The climax at the end of the month is the two days of Idul Fitri (also known as Lebaran ), when pretty much the entire country takes a week or two off to head back home to visit family in a ritual known locally as mudik . meaning going home. This is the one time of the year when Jakarta has no traffic jams, but the rest of the country does, with all forms of transport packed to the gills. All government offices (including embassies) and many businesses close for a week or even two, and travelling around Indonesia is best avoided if at all possible. Other Muslim holidays include Idul Adha (the sacrifice day), Isra Miraj Muhammad SAW . Hijra (Islamic new year) and Maulid Muhammad SAW . Christian holidays include Christmas . Ascension Day . Good Friday . while the Hindu New Year of Nyepi (March-April) brings Bali to a standstill and Buddhists get a day off for Imlek (Chinese New Year) in Jan-Feb and Waisak (Buddhas birthday), celebrated with processions around Borobudur. Non-religious holidays include New Year (1 Jan) and Independence Day (17 Aug). The dates of many holidays are set according to various lunar calendars and the dates thus change from year to year. The Ministry of Labor may change the official date of holidays if they are close to the weekend. There is another official day off for workers, called cuti bersama (taking days off together), which is sometime close to the Idul Fitri holidays. Climate edit Upon arrival and disembarking from the plane, youll immediately notice the sudden rush of warm, wet air. Indonesia is a warm place. It has no spring, summer, autumn, or winter, just two seasons: rainy and dry . both of which are relative (it still rains during the dry season, it just rains less). While there is significant regional variation, in most of the country (including Java and Bali) the dry season is April to October, while the wet season is November to March. In the highlands temperatures will naturally be cooler, and there are even snow-covered peaks in Papua. whose mountains can soar above 5000m. Bring a jacket along if planning to visit, for example, Mount Bromo on Java or Tana Toraja in Sulawesi. Time edit Since the country is very large, Indonesia is divided into three time zones: GMT 7 . Western Indonesian Time (WIB, Waktu Indonesia Barat ) GMT 8 . Central Indonesian Time (WITA, Waktu Indonesia Tengah ) GMT 9 . Eastern Indonesian Time (WIT, Waktu Indonesia Timur ) Regions edit The nation of Indonesia is almost unimaginably vast: More than 17,000 islands providing 108,000 kilometres of beaches. The distance between Aceh in the West and Papua in the East is more than 4,000km (2500 miles), comparable to the distance between New York City and San Francisco. Laying on the western rim of the Ring of Fire Indonesia has more than 400 volcanoes, of which 130 are considered active, as well as many undersea volcanoes. The island of New Guinea (on which the Indonesian province of Papua is located) is the second largest island in the world. Provinces are usually grouped around larger islands and include smaller surrounding islands. The listing below follows this practice, except with Bali which is treated as a separate region in Wikitravel. Regions of Indonesia Papua (Irian Jaya) The western half of the island of New Guinea, with mountains, forests, swamps, an almost impenetrable wilderness in one of the most remote places on earth. Cities edit Banda Aceh visit Tsunami Museum and Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, the mosque that survived from Earthquake and Tsunami in 2004. Ladies visitors must wear a veil Medan visit the Istana Maimun (Maimoon Palace) in the noon to see the inside of the Palace. you can find pork around here, the name they usually use is Babi Panggang Karo Padang famous for Jam Gadang Pekanbaru Jambi Palembang a bustling metropolis in southern Sumatra and the oldest city of the country with rich cultural heritage. Tanjung Pandan Pangkal Pinang Banten Jakarta the perennially congested capital which is also the largest city of the country Bandung university town in the cooler highlands of Java Yogyakarta Java s cultural hub and the access point to the mighty temples of Prambanan and Borobudur Surabaya Malang Banjarmasin the largest town on with a rich architectural heritage Manado Christian city at the northeastern tip of Sulawesi. famous for diving Medan the main city of Sumatra Semarang the capital of Central Java, with a blend of Javanese, Chinese, and Dutch influences Makassar (Ujung Pandang) the gateway to Sulawesi Jayapura the capital of Papua and a gateway to the highlands Kalimantan -, Kalimantan Barat:Gawai Naik Dango Other destinations edit there be dragons This is a limited selection of nine of Indonesias top sights outside of its cities: Baliem Valley - superb trekking into the lands of the Lani, Dani and Yali tribes in remote Papua Borobudur - one of the largest Buddhist temples in the world located in Central Java province often combined with a visit to the equally impressive Hindu ruins at nearby Prambanan Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park - some of the scariest volcanic scenery on the planet and one of the best locations in the world to see sunrise Bunaken - one of the best scuba diving destinations in Indonesia, if not the world Kerinci Seblat National Park - tigers, elephants, monstrous rafflesia flowers and so much more in this huge expanse of forest in Sumatra Komodo National Park - home of the Komodo dragon and a hugely important marine ecosystem Lake Toba - the largest volcanic lake in the world Lombok - popular island to east of Bali with the tiny laid-back Gili Islands. mighty Mount Rinjani and much more Tana Toraja - highland area of Southern Sulawesi famed for extraordinary funeral rites Get in edit Immigration on board On some Garuda Indonesia flights, immigration entry procedures are conducted during the flight, which saves passengers from the need to queue to clear passport control upon arrival at the airport. More information is available on the Garuda Indonesia website. Immigration on board is currently available on the following Garuda Indonesia international flights: Pudong International Airport (PVG), Shanghai Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK), Jakarta Incheon International Airport (ICN) Seoul Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK), Jakarta Sydney International Airport (SYD), Sydney Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK), Jakarta Sydney International Airport (SYD), Sydney Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), Denpasar Narita International Airport (NRT), Tokyo Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK), Jakarta Narita International Airport (NRT), Tokyo Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), Denpasar Kansai International Airport (KIX), Osaka - Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), Denpasar Dealing with Imigrasi serves as a useful introduction to the Byzantine complexity of Indonesias bureaucracy. The long and short of it, though, is that most Western travellers can get a visa on arrival for USD35 at virtually all common points of entry (Java, Bali, etc), so read on only if you suspect that you dont fit this description. There are three ways of entering Indonesia: Visa waiver (non-extendable) . Show your passport, get stamped, thats it. Applies to citizens of 169 countries. Visa on arrival (extendable) . Pay 35 USD on arrival, get a visa in your passport and get it stamped. Visa in advance . Obtain a visa at an Indonesian embassy before arrival. A minimum of 6 months validity must be available in your passport and it must contain at least one or more blank pages. This same rule applies to any visa extension that may be sought whilst in the country. One peculiarity to note is that visa-free and visa-on-arrival visitors must enter Indonesia via specific ports of entry . Entry via other ports of entry will require a visa regardless of whether you are a visa-free or visa-on-arrival national or otherwise. Also note that the days a visa holder is within Indonesia are counted with the day of entry being day 1, not day 0. This means that by 24:00 (twelve midnight) on the night of the day of arrival you have been in Indonesia for one day. If you enter at 23:59 (11:59pm) then 2 minutes later you have been in Indonesia for 2 days. Immigration officials may claim that a 30-day visa-on-arrival means that you must leave before 30-days (ie on the 29th day or before). Be careful about this. Customs in Indonesia is usually quite laid-back. Youre allowed to bring in one litre of alcohol, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100g of tobacco products, and a reasonable quantity of perfume. Amounts of money carried in excess of 100 million rupiah, or the equivalent in other currencies, have to be declared upon arrival or departure. In addition to the obvious drugs and guns, importing pornography and fruit, plants, meat or fish is (technically) prohibited. Indonesia imposes the death penalty on those caught bringing in drugs. Indonesia Immigration maintains its own website. The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore (KBRI Singapore) also has some good information on Customs and Immigration requirements. Visa edit Visa waiver edit Indonesia allows visa free entry to the citizens of 169 countries as of July 2016. The nationals of these countries who are going on holiday, attending conventions or engaging in similar such activities are allowed to stay in Indonesia of up to 30 days without a visa. This type of visa cannot be extended, transferred or converted to any other kind of visa nor can it be used as a working permit. Those visitors eligible under the visa waiver program have a visa issued at the Indonesian border checkpoints with that issuance subject to the discretion of the visa officer. The visa is not for employment and is not extendable. The citizens of the following countries are eligible: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia amp Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica (Commonwealth), Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao, Peoples Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe 1. These visas cannot be extended or converted to another type of visa. Visa-free entries are only permitted via the following ports of entry: Airports: Aceh, Maimun Saleh Airport (SBG) Aceh, Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport (BTJ) Bali, Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) Bangka-Belitung, H. A.S. Hanandjoeddin Airport (TJQ) Batam, Hang Nadim International Airport (BTH) Java, Bandung, Husein Sastranegara International Airport (BDA) Java, Jakarta, Halim Perdana Kusuma International Airport (HLP) Java, Jakarta, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) Java, Semarang, Ahmad Yani International Airport (SRG) Java, Solo, Adi Sumarmo International Airport (SOC) Java, Surabaya, Juanda International Airport (SUB) Java, Yogyakarta, Adi Sucipto International Airport (JOG) Kalimantan (East), Balikpapan, Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport (BPN) Kalimantan (North), Tarakan, Juwata International Airport (TRK) Kalimantan (West), Pontianak, Supadio International Airport (PNK) Kupang, El Tari International Airport (KOE) Lombok, Lombok Praya International Airport (LOP) Maluku, Ambon, Pattimura Airport (AMQ) Papua, Biak, Frans Kaisiepo International Airport (BIK) Papua, Merauke, Mopah Airport (MKQ) Papua, Timika, Mozes Kilangin Airport (TIM) Riau, Pekanbaru, Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (PKU) Sulawesi (North), Manado, Sam Ratulangi International Airport (MDC) Sulawesi (South), Makassar, Hasanuddin International Airport (UPG) Sumatra (North), Kualanamu International Airport (KNO) Sumatra (North), Medan, Polonia International Airport (MES) Sumatra (North), Sibolga, Dr. Ferdinand Lumban Tobing (Pinangsori) Airport (FLZ) Sumatra (South), Palembang, Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport (PLM) Sumatra (West), Padang, Minangkabau International Airport (PDG). Seaports: Achmad Yani, Ternate Amamapare, Tembagapura Anggrek, Gorontalo Bandar Bentan Telani Lagoi, Tanjung Uban Bandar Sri Setia Raja, Bengkalis Bandar Seri Udana Lobam, Tanjung Uban Batam Centre, Batam Batu Ampar, Batam Bagan Siapi-Api, BaganSiapi-Api Belawan, Belawan Benete, Sumbawa Besar Belakang Padang, Belakang Padang Biak, Biak Boom Baru, Palembang Celukan Bawang, Singaraja Citra Tri Tunas, Batam Ciwandan, Cilegon Dumai, Dumai DwiKora, Pontianak Gunung Sitoli, Sibolga Jambi, Jambi Jayapura, Jayapura Kabil, Batam Kendari, Kendari Kota Baru, Kota Baru Kuala Enok, Tembilahan Kuala Langsa, Aceh Kuala Tungkal, Jambi Kuala Tanjung, Tanjung Balai Asahan Lauren Say, Maumere Lembar, Mataram Lhokseumawe, Lhokseumawe Malahayati, Aceh Malundung, Tarakan Manado, Manado Marina Teluk Senimba, Batam Marore, Tahuna Miangas, Tahuna Merauke, Merauke Nongsa Terminal Bahari, Batam Nusantara Pare-Pare, Pare-Pare Nusantara, Tahuna Padang Bai, Bali Panarukan, Panarukan Pangkal Balam, Pangkal Pinang Panjang, Bandar Lampung Pantoloan, Palu Pasuruan, Pasuruan Pemangkat, Sambas Probolinggo, Probolinggo Pulau Baai, Bengkulu Sabang, Aceh Samarinda, Samarinda Sampit, Sampit Samudera, Bitung Sekupang, Batam SelatLampa, Ranai Semayang, Balikpapan Siak Sri Indrapura, Siak Sibolga, Sibolga Sintete, Sambas Soekarno-Hatta, Makassar Sorong, Sorong Sri Bayintan, Tanjung Pinang Sri Bintan Pura, Tanjung Pinang Sungai Guntung, Tembilahan Tanjung Benoa, Denpasar Tanjung Balai Karimun, Tanjung Balai Karimun Tanjung Emas, Semarang Tanjung Gudang, Pangkal Pinang Tanjung Harapan, SelatPanjang Tanjung Intan, Cilacap Tanjung Kelian, Pangkal Pinang Tanjung Lontar, Kupang Tanjung Pandan, Bangka Belitung Tanjung Perak, Surabaya Tanjung Priok, DKI Jakarta Tanjung Uban, Tanjung Uban Tanjung Wangi, Jember Tarempa, Tarempa Teluk Bayur, Padang Teluk Nibung, Tanjung Balai Asahan Tembilahan, Tembilahan Tri Sakti, Banjarmasin Tual, Tual Tunon Taka, Nunukan Yos Sudarso, Ambon Yos Sudarso, Cirebon. Land crossing: Aruk, Sambas Entikong, Entikong Metamauk, Atambua Motaain, Atambua Nanga Badau, Sanggau Napan, Atambua Skouw, Jayapura. Visa on arrival edit All visitors entering Indonesia by way of visa-on-arrival must have a return to point of origin, or onward destination ticket on their person when passing through immigration into the country (E-tickets are acceptable), or be able to present sufficient evidence of the means to obtain one to an Immigration official. This is often checked, and visitors who are unable to fulfil this requirement may be denied entry. Transit visas are available from Indonesian embassies and consulates and may be provided at the border under some (limited) circumstances. Often airlines carrying passengers to Indonesia may decline boarding for a departure to an Indonesian entry point if this cannot be provided. Visa-on-arrival are only available at the following entry points: Airports: . Sultan Iskandar Muda, in Banda Aceh, (Aceh), Kualanamu International Airport in Medan, (North Sumatra), Sultan Sharif Kasim II, Pekanbaru, (Riau), Hang Nadim, in Batam, (Riau Islands), Minangkabau, in Padang, (West Sumatra), Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II, in Palembang, (South Sumatra), Soekarno-Hatta, Jakarta, (DKI Jakarta), Halim Perdana Kusuma, in Jakarta, (DKI Jakarta), Husein Sastranegara, in Bandung, (West Java), Adi Sucipto, in Yogyakarta, (Yogyakarta Special Region), Ahmad Yani, in Semarang, (Central Java), Adisumarmo, in Surakarta, (Central Java), Juanda in Surabaya, (East Java), Supadio, in Pontianak, (West Kalimantan), Sepinggan in Balikpapan, (East Kalimantan), Sam Ratulangi, in Manado, (North Sulawesi), Hasanuddin, in Makassar, (South Sulawesi), Ngurah Rai in Denpasar, (Bali), Lombok International Airport, Praya-Mataram, Lombok, (West Nusa Tenggara), El Tari, in Kupang, (East Nusa Tenggara). Seaports: Bandar Bentan Telani Lagoi (Bintan, Riau Islands), Bandar Seri Udana Lobam (Bintan, Riau Islands), Batu Ampar (Batam, Riau Islands), Belawan (Medan, North Sumatra), Benoa (Bali), Bitung (Manado, North Sulawesi), Jayapura (Papua), Marina Teluk Senimba (Batam, Riau Islands), Maumere (Flores, East Nusa Tenggara), Nongsa (Batam, Riau Islands), Padang Bai (Bali), Pare-Pare (South Sulawesi), Sekupang (Batam, Riau Islands), Sibolga (North Sumatra), Soekarno Hatta (Makassar, South Sulawesi), Sri Bintan Pura (Tanjung Pinang, Bintan, Riau Islands), Tanjung Balai Karimun (Karimun, Riau Islands), Tanjung Mas (Semarang, Central Java), Tanjung Priok (Jakarta), Teluk Bayur (Padang, West Sumatra), Batam Centre (Batam, Riau Islands), Tenau (Kupang, West Timor) and Yos Sudarso (Dumai, Riau). Land crossing: the Malaysia-Indonesia border crossing at Entikong (West Kalimantan-Sarawak). Visa on arrival fees: A visa on arrival is issued for a stay of up to 30 days, the cost is USD35, but can be paid in all major currencies. In general, the VOA is extendable once for an additional 30 days. This can be done in an immigration office inside Indonesia for an officially published fee of IDR250,000, it is recommended to do this ten days prior the visa expiration date. No other currency is accepted at the immigration office. the fee is IDR250,000 paid in cash. Extending the VOA can be a complicated arduous process and allow yourself a few trips to the immigration office before your application is admitted for processing. The processing period takes 3 working days. Your application will consist of several documents including Photocopy of your passport, original visa-on-arrival and your passport itself Payment in Cash Letter from the hotel or host your are staying with confirming you are a paying guest or an invited guest if staying with a friend. This letter must be in Bahasa and signed by an Indonesian national along with a photocopy of their Kita (National Indonesian ID card) This person will also be your Indonesian sponsor on your application form, they will have to give their address email and phone number. Plane or boat ticket out of Indonesia within the 30 days of the extension period. Credit cards, Visa and MasterCard, maybe accepted in Jakarta and Bali, but dont count on this service being available there, it is not normally available elsewhere. Note that some entry points, mainly at land or sea entry points, issue non-extendable VOA (ports in the Riau Archipelago being notable examples). How to get visa on arrival: At the above airportsseaports, the following procedure should be followed to get your VoA (Visa on Arrival). Before arriving, fill in the arrivaldeparture card provided to you. This card will be your visa application form. When you arrive, go to the bank counter and pay the required amount for your visa. You will be issued a bar-coded receipt. Take the receipt to the Visa on Arrival counter where your arrivaldeparture card, passport and receipt will be recorded by the officer. A visa sticker will be issued and stuck in your passport. Proceed to the immigration counter for your passport to be stamped. As always, there may be variations to this layout, especially at the smaller points of entry. Bank and visa counters may be placed together. Anyhow, your visa must be applied for before you reach the immigration counter. Upon arriving, the arrival card will be detached from the departure card by the immigration officer, and you will have to keep the latter until you depart from the country to avoid any troubles later on. Make sure that the departure card is stamped with the correct number of days of your stay. Visa before arrival edit Nationals of countries not listed above are required to apply for visas through the nearest Indonesian Embassy or consulate. Single-entry visas are valid for 60 days and fairly routine if pricey at USD50-100 depending on the individual country and prevailing exchange rates. Multiple entry visas are also available but, as the issuance policy varies in different embassies and is occasionally changed, it is best to inquire at your nations embassy well in advance of departure. Normally, Indonesian embassies and consulates stipulate 3-4 clear working days for processing however, applications may take at least one week to be processed. The citizens of 15 countries need to obtain an approval from the immigration services head office, the Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi in Jakarta. The 17 countries are: Afghanistan. Israel. Albania. North Korea. Angola. Nigeria. Pakistan. Cameroon. Somalia. Cuba. Ethiopia. Tanzania. Ghana. Tonga. Iraq. Those affected must have a sponsor in Indonesia, either personal or company. The sponsor must go in person to the Immigration Head Office in South Jakarta (Jakarta Selatan) and must produce a photocopy of applicants passport, a supporting letter and the applicants photograph. When it is approved, the Immigration Head Office will send a copy of approval letter to the applicant. By plane edit Beware the departure tax Travellers departing on international flights have to pay a Passenger Service Charge ( departure tax ) in Rupiah . so be sure to stash away enough to pay it. The amount varies by airport, but can be as much as IDR200,000 (approximately USD 17) in the airports in Bali (DPS) or Jakarta (CGK). Starting Sep 2012, the airport tax in Indonesia will to be included in ticket price for Garuda airlines flights. Other airlines may decide to follow the lead of Garuda but it should be understood this is an initiative of the individual airlines rather than a broadly mandated change of policy by either the individual airport operators or the Indonesian department of transport. Update . Since 1 October 2014 Garuda Indonesia has officially separated airport tax in the price of its tickets. In the two years since the inclusion of airport tax in its ticket, the carrier had claimed to have lost IDR2.2 billion each month since the inclusion of airport tax had created a perception that the airlines ticket price is relatively more expensive compared to its competitors. Update 160: Effective from 1 March 2015, Passenger Service Charge already included on ticket on All airlines in Indonesia. The three main international airports are Soekarno-Hatta (CGK) at Tangerang, Banten, near Jakarta. Ngurah Rai (DPS) at Denpasar. Bali and Juanda (SUB) at Surabaya. East Java. There are however many cities which have air links with Singapore and Malaysia which can be interesting and convenient entry points into Indonesia. Garuda Indonesia 2. the Indonesian flag airline operates to Asian destinations including China. Taiwan. Japan and Korea. Australian cities, Middle Eastern destinations such Saudi Arabia and Dubai in the UAE and has recommenced services to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The airline also has extensive code sharing agreements and this assists in providing quite good flight frequencies from airports in countries nearby to Indonesia. While its fleet still has some tatty aircraft, its safety record has improved dramatically. Improvements include a significant fleet upgrade programme utilizing 55 newer Boeing 737-800NG series and 14 Airbus A330 aircraft for higher capacity routes with further of both those types on order. They also have new Boeing 777-300ER series aircraft on order. While banned from the EU for a while, the ban was lifted in 2009 and they have made direct flights to Europe via Dubai in middle east since third quarter of 2010. Garuda Indonesia has outlined various plans to commence flights to major world hubs such as London. Frankfurt. Paris. Rome. Moscow and Los Angeles using the new Boeing 777 in 2015. Garuda has previously operated to several of these destinations. Travel to Indonesia from America costs around USD1,000. As travel from most of Europe or anywhere in the USA will take over 20h, many flights stop in Hong Kong. Seoul. Taipei or Singapore before arriving in Jakarta. Sydney, though, is just 6-8h away. The cost of flying to Indonesia from within the Southeast Asia and Pacific region has gone down a lot with the advent of low cost carriers or LCC. A similar and important development has been the offering of reasonably priced one-way fares departing Indonesia and the development of online booking and payment systems. The acceptance of non-Indonesian issued credit cards by the online booking systems of Garuda and Lion air only occurred as recently as the beginning of 2011. Among the LCC carriers providing services to Indonesia are AirAsia. which has excellent coverage of Indonesia from its hubs in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta ( Indonesia Air Asia ), as well as Singaporean competitors Tiger AirwaysTiger Mandala. Jetstar AsiaValuair and SilkAir. SilkAir is actually a full-service, full-fare regional airline, but they often have very good promotions if you book in advance. Indonesian carrier LionAir 3 provides flights international flights between Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur-Surabaya, Penang and Medan and between Hi Chi Minh City, Singapore and Jakarta, and is often the cheapest option (cheaper than AirAsia and others). Australia and New Zealand are also serviced by LCC airlines including Jetstar 4 sharing the Jetstar Asia network, Virgin Australia 5. Indonesia AIr Asia 6. It is worthy of note that Lion Air has engaged in a massive fleet upgrade program buying a large number of Boeing 737-900ER series and ATR72-500 series turbo props. The steady replacement of their previously rather clunky old fleet of very well used Boeing and MD aircraft is revitalising Indonesias 2nd largest carrier. Lion air currently operate 62 new 737-900ERs with 133 more 737-900ERs, 7 of the 737-800NG series and 201 Boeing 737 MAX 9 on order. Lion Air have announced plans to position themselves as a major regional airline when sufficient aircraft are delivered. The only Medium service airline in Indonesia, Sriwijaya Air7 also had some limited regional routes from Penang to Medan and Dili to Denpasar. They also had some flights to Ipoh, Kuala Terengganu(from Medan), Chongqing, Ningbo, Nanjing, Chengdu, Wuhan and Wenzhou(from Denpasar) but only as seasonal charter flight(but some routes to China reported to be regularly operating soon). They also ever flying to Singapore from Jakarta, unfortunately they ceased this route from 2013. Even their aircraft is quite old(737-300,400,500), but their aircrafts seems to be good maintained and there is no any notable incident in last 5 years. Recently Sriwijaya Air also adds some newer 737-800NG and 737-900ER to fleet to replace their ageing 737-300 and 737-400. By boat edit Ferries connect Indonesia with Singapore and Malaysia. Most connections are between ports in Sumatra (mostly in Riau and Riau Islands provinces) and those in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. although there is also a ferry service between Malaysias Sabah state with East Kalimantan on Borneo. Onward boat connections to Jakarta and other Indonesian islands are available from these ports. See the pages for each city for more details. Frequent ferries tofrom the various ports of Batam (Sekupang, Batu Ampar, Nongsa, Marina Teluk Senimba and Batam Centre). Frequent ferries to Tanjung Pinang and Bandar Bintan Telani Lagoi (Bintan Resorts ) on Bintan . Several ferries daily tofrom Tanjung Balai in Karimun Island. One daily ferry, increasing to two during weekends, tofrom Tanjung Batu in Kundur Island. From Peninsular Malaysia From Sabah, Malaysia Visa-freevisa-on-arrival is available at all ports above except those tagged with , which require a visa in advance, though there may be exceptions for visa-free visitors. By land edit From East Timor: The main crossing is at Motaain between Batugade in East Timor and Atambua, West Timor. From Malaysia: The only formal way to enter by land from Malaysia is at the Entikong-Tebedu crossing between West Kalimantan and Sarawak. Malaysia on Borneo. The crossing in on the main route between Kuching. (Sarawak ) and Pontianak, the capital of (West Kalimantan ). As the crossing is listed only as a visa-free entry point, nationalities who do not qualify for this will have to apply for visas beforehand. From Papua New Guinea: The only recognized crossing into Indonesia is at Wutung . between Vanimo in Sandaun Province in Papua New Guinea. and Jayapura. the capital of Indonesian Papua. Its not guaranteed that you will be able to enter Indonesia through these crossings and non-Indonesians are required to apply for visas at the nearest Indonesian Embassy or Consulate. Get around edit By plane edit Domestic airport tax Airport tax (service charge) is paid in cash on check-in. Charges vary by airport, but IDR25,000-40,000 for domestic flights is typical. From 1 March 2015, Airport taxes already included on ticket. Merpati Airlines ceased to operate As of May 2014, the budget airline has suspended all operations due to financial issues. Mandala Airlines ceased to operate As of July 2014, the budget airline has suspended all operations due to financial issues. The only rapid means of long-distance travel within Indonesia is the plane. The largest domestic carriers are state-owned Garuda 8 and private competitor Lion Air 9. and Sriwijaya Air 10 but in recent years a host of low-cost competitors have sprung up, including Indonesia Air Asia 11. Garudas low-cost subsidiary Citilink 12 and many more. Routes for less popular destinations and routes (particularly in eastern Indonesia) are served by AirFast 13. Sriwijaya Air 14 and more, often flying smaller planes. If you really get off the beaten track, eg. settlements in Papua. there are no scheduled services at all and youll need to charter a plane or hitch rides with missionaries. Previously also served by Merpati Nusantara, but this airline ceased its operation in 2014. Many carriers have poor on-time records and frequent cancellations, and the safety record of the smaller companies is dubious, with Adam Air, Lion Air and Mandala suffering fatal crashes in recent years. A majority of the aircraft are planes from the 1970s and 1980s, which have been flown by many previous operators and may be poorly maintained. A select a few carriers, such as Garuda, Lion Air, and Mandala among others, have recently bought brand new planes straight from an aircraft manufacturer which have replaced some of the older planes in their fleet. Still, compared to the carnage on Indonesias roads, a flight even on an aging turboprop is probably far safer 8212 and far more comfortable 8212 than travelling the same distance by bus. Garuda and Air Asia are run to international standards and are considered the safest options. Indonesia AirAsia, however, is not as cheap (except their regular promotional prices) on Indonesian domestic flights as their local competitors, and Garuda is usually quite expensive. Fortunately after new regulation is introduced, Aircraft incidents and accidents rate in Indonesia seems to be decreasing and almost no any major fatal incident involving large planes since 2008. Prices are low by international standards, with more or less any domestic return flight available for under US100 even on short notice, and fares for a fraction of that if you plan ahead. Many airlines, such as Sriwijaya Air and Lion Air, tend to decrease their price on the last week before flight, if the plane is not full enough - so you may try that and get cheaper fare, if youre not on tight schedule and do not need to go during public holidays or weekends. The hardest part (but not as hard as it was just a couple of years ago) is often finding what carriers serve what route and making a booking online - while all major airlines, as of 2012, finally feature online booking service, sometimes (always for Merpati) they do not accept foreign credit cards. Plus, many flight search engines aggregators do not know many (often all except Garuda and AirAsia) local airlines - to check if they do, try to search for e. g. Jakarta-Denpasar (the busiest route) flight and see how many of the airlines mentioned above will be found. When travelling off the beaten track, its imperative to reconfirm early and often, as frequencies are low and paid-up, occasionally even checked-in passengers are bumped off with depressing regularity if a VIP happens to show up. Make sure you arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before the departure time. Of late there has been considerable improvement in the safety standards and recently Garuda Indonesia has been allowed to fly into Europe. Lion Air has reportedly inducted 178 new 737 900 ER planes which now service not only domestic but also international routes. Unfortunately if youre looking at its reliability, Lion Air had a very poor On Time Performance compared with other airlines in Indonesia. Moreover in February 2015, Lion Air also had a massive delay with almost all flights delayed for more than 6 hours or even cancelled. Garuda has also changed its livery and added new aircrafts. Adam Air and few other companies have been closed and their licences withdrawn. With entry of low cost carriers like Indonesia Air Asia the cost of travel has further reduced. Another airline that should be considered to fly with is Sriwijaya Air as there is (almost) no any notable incident invloving this airline, and ocassionaly they offer cheaper prices but with better services than other LCCs. By boat edit PELNI route map Indonesia is all islands and little infrastructure so akin to the Philippines. ferries have long been the most popular means of inter-island travel. Unlike Philippines, Indonesia rarely suffers from typhoons, but does have some intense storms or dry spells. While short runs may be run by various companies, the largest company (state run) is PELNI . whose giant ferries visit practically every inhabited island in Indonesia on lengthy journeys that can take two weeks from beginning to end. In addition to Pelni s slow boats, ASDP runs fast ferries ( Kapal Ferry Cepat . rather amusingly abbreviated KFC ) on a number of popular routes. Both PELNI and ASDP tickets can be booked via travel agents. Last but not least, there are also countless services running short island-to-island hops, including Merak - Bakauheni (hourly) from Java to Sumatra, Ketapang - Gilimanuk (every 15min) between Java and Bali and Padangbai - Lembar (near-hourly) between Bali and Lombok, as well as in between the Riau Islands. Besides such ferries, there are also tours that organize their own boats, such as Perama Tours, or modern hulking cruise ships from Singapore or Australia that dock in places such as Bali. In general, schedules are notional, creature comforts sparse and safety records poor. Try to check out what, if any, safety devices are on board and consider postponing your trip if the weather looks bad. For extended trips this may be impossible to judge, for safety reasons breaking up into shorter trips may be preferable. Maintenance can be poor and overloading is common, sinkings are all too common on ferries run by smaller companies, so try to stick to the larger ones if possible. Basic food on ferries can be bought beforehand by numerous vendors where people queue to board, especially the ubiquitous nasi bunkus . often wrapped in leaves to protect and prevent delay spoilage. Onboard ferries, especially for longer journeys, there is often a food stall where food can be purchased. However, do not expect gourmet as hygiene and freshness may not be taken seriously. In general Indonesians do not take to travel well, seasickness especially among children may occur, journey times can stretch well beyond the schedule. If its a 12 hour or more trip, make sure you bring along enough to tide you over even if the engine stalls and you end up drifting for an extra day. Oddly it may be very hot and stuffy on board or on deck, but as Indonesia is vast, strong winds with a bit of a wind chill sakit angin are also possible depending on exact routes and weather conditions. You may get hassled by people onboard trying to extract extra money under some dubious excuse. Feel free to ignore them, although on the upside, it may be possible to bribe your way to a better class of accommodation. By train edit PT Kereta Api runs trains across most of Java and some parts of Sumatra. The network was originally built by the Dutch and few new lines have been built since independence. Double-tracking of the most congested lines has been done, though, and is still ongoing. Maintenance is spotty and derailments and crashes occur occasionally. Java has by far the best railway network, with trains connecting the capital city of Jakarta with other main cities, eg Surabaya both via Semarang on the north coast and via Yogyakarta and Solo through the southern main line. Bandung is connected to Jakarta by some 30 trains per day, and is itself connected to Surabaya through Yogyakarta. Bali has no railway lines, but there are trains from Surabaya to Banyuwangi. connecting with ferries to the island. Sumatras networks are concentrated on the northern (around Medan ) and the southern (Lampung to Palembang ) parts of the island. Passenger trains on the island are much less frequent than in Java. Type of service: Air-conditioned Eksekutif (first) class Air-conditioned Bisnis (second) class Air-conditioned Ekonomi (third) classes are also available for the more budget-conscious traveler, but comfort and safety are noticeably less (due to congestion and length of travel time). No sleeping car service is provided in Indonesia, and the best accommodation provided is air-conditioned, adjustable reclining seats in the Argo and other eksekutif class trains. Ticket reservations can be made three months in advance, although a few generally tickets will still be available almost to the last minute. An exception is the very busy Lebaran season, in which time it is not advisable to travel due to the extremely high demand for tickets. On-line ticket reservation is available or you can get only the booking code and pay at the stations, post offices, train ticket agents, Indomaret group, Alfamart group and Railcard amp Railbox. You can also directly buy ticket without booking code at these online ticket distributors. The ticket fares is depends on time departure (different even in one day) and peak season or not, so seems as airplane fare ticket, but you can choose your own train seat number. Various food and beverage available for on train purchase. Generally, trains in Java travel through scenic areas, and travelers not in a hurry should consider the length of the journey and the scenery as a bonus to their travels. Some of the best scenery is from Jakarta to Bandung. However, in some areas outside the Bandung-Jakarta route, theft is uncommon, there are few security guards on those trains, but always look after for your valuable belongings to prevent theft. By bus edit The major types of buses are air-conditioned bus (AC) which divides to Executive or not and non-air-conditioned bus (non-AC or economy class). The air-conditioned chartered buses can be rented with its drivers for a tourist group. Indonesian bus companies offer intercity and interprovince routes. The interprovince routes usually include transportation to other islands mainly between Java and Sumatra. Bus maintenance for Executive buses is good, and drivers drive carefully, because they will be paid in commission basis and should bear the cost of repair if the bus struck something. Long, overnight journeys are convinient, because travellers can sleep and arrive in the morning. Using Executive bus is safe and secure because the assistant driver ia always counting the passengers and bus cannot pick someone during their trip. No more bus bandits in Indonesia. Ticket reservation can be made through many bus tickets agency which located on many locations. The agency mostly located inside or outside bus stations on many cities on Indonesia. In the future, Indonesian Ministry of Transportation used Online Tickets to simplify reservation. Currently there is an Online Bus Tickets Portal called Bosbis . This portal serve bus tickets reservation to many routes in Indonesia across Java, Sumatra, Bali, Kalimantan, and Nusa Tenggara. Passengers can book tickets with many bus operators choice like Pahala Kencana, Kramat Djati, Haryanto, Gunung Harta etc By point to point (scheduled) travelshuttle edit Scheduled travel is the latestnewest moda of Indonesian transportation, but recently is rapidly growing inline with the new toll roads and better highways. The travel use various AC minibus with passengers from 6 to 14 persons on reclining seats and run based on point to point routes. It means every operators have their many own shelters (points) at every departures and destinations cities. So, we may choose so many alternatives routes and may stop before destination point. Fromto airport they sometimes use also smallbig luxury buses (DAMRI, Primajasa and others) and is suitable for who get a lotmoderate of belonging.15 16 The most developed route is Jakarta to Bandung with ticket prices varying from Rp.54,000 to Rp.110,000 (USD 5.5 to 11.3) depending on convenience, leg spaceroom and luxuriousness. Every major city in Indonesia has travel agencies including Bali .17 18 - Bali shuttle-bus operator other than Perama The scheduled travel ticket is more expensive than the Regular AC Executive Bus, but the scheduled travel is faster and we may choose the points (routes). For going not more than 200-300 kilometers inland please consider it compared to using trains, regular buses or airplanes. Your belonging in the scheduled travels are more safe than using trains or regular buses, but expect to pay additional fees for surfboards and big packages on the minibus. Please contact the travel agency in advance and make a booking without any payment. Usually they are waiting to book passengers until the scheduled departure time and then they give the seats to wait listed passengers, if necessary. By car edit Traffic drives on the left in Indonesia. Indonesian driving habits are generally only slightly less atrocious than India or Vietnam. Lanes and traffic lights are happily ignored, passing habits are suicidal and driving on the road shoulder is common. Renting a car in Indonesia is cheap compared to renting in many other countries, and fuel costs remain relatively low, despite recent fuel price increases: the fixed price for gasoline ( premium ) is IDR8,500L and for diesel ( solar ) is IDR7,500L. Fuel price will increase very high, it can reach more than IDR12,000L for gasoline if you buy it at a fuel kiosk on rural areas (far from the city and not in an official gas station). For example in remote areas such as palm tree plantations in Sumatera or Kalimantan, very rarely are there official gas stations there. To drive a car yourself, an International Driver Permit is required in addition to your home country issued driving licence. Consider renting a car with a driver, the additional cost is quite low and having a traffic accident whilst driving in Indonesia will certainly spoil your trip. Road conditions and road maintenance in Indonesia is poor, especially so outside the major cities. During rainy season, major roads in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi are often flooded for several weeks. Even if road conditions are good in major cities such as Jakarta, their driving habits are still dangerous, often causing traffic accidents. By becak edit Becak (BEH-chuck) is a tricycle (pedicab) transportation mode for short distances such as residential areas in many cities. In some areas, the driver is sitting at the back of the passenger, but in some areas (like Medan ) the driver is sitting on the side of the passenger. Good communication skills is integral to prevent getting overcharged on these rides. Often, sly drivers try to get some more money out of you after youve reached your destination, so be sure that you know how much it costs beforehand. Note that there are no becak in Jakarta or Bali and in the other cities Becak is allowed only in limited area or street. Instead, the motorized bajaj (BAH-jai), somewhat similar to the Thai tuk-tuk, serves the same function. In some other provinces (eg. North Sumatra, Aceh) you can also find motorbikes with sidecars, known as bentor or bemo (short for becak bermotor ). Becak is not cheap, but if you want to you can get Becak in Malioboro, Yogyakarta for a city tour package. By ojek edit If youre in such a hurry that youre willing to lose a limb to get there, then ojek motorcycle taxis might be the ticket for you. Ojek services consist of guys with bikes lounging around street corners, perhaps identified with a coloured, numbered jacket, who usually shuttle short distances down alleys and roads but will also do longer trips for a price. Haggle furiously. In some remote area with bad and narrow roadpath, we can use Ojek only. In major areas, such as Jakarta and Bali, you can download and use apps like Gojek, Grab, or Uber, which have transparent pricing and a variety of options, from motorbike to car. Talk edit The sole official language is Indonesian . known in that language as Bahasa Indonesia . The Indonesian language has adopted a number of loan words from Arabic, Dutch, and Sanskrit. It is similar to Malay (spoken in Malaysia. Brunei and Singapore ), and speakers of both languages can generally understand each other. The main differences are in the loan words: Malay was more influenced by the English language, while Indonesian was more influenced by the Dutch language. Written phonetically with the Latin alphabet and with a fairly logical grammar, Indonesian is generally regarded as one of the easier languages to learn, and A. M. Almatsiers The Easy Way to Master the Indonesian Language . a 200 page small paperback, is an excellent starting point. It can be found in any Indonesian bookstore for less than USD3. That said, it is not by all means saying that Indonesian (and Malay) language is all that easy and to be underestimated it has its own complexities (ie, verbs), but it is correct to say and presume that difficulties in learning Indonesian may not be comparable to those in, say, Russian or Mandarin. Spoken Indonesian, however, is a bit different story. An Indonesian dialect in one area will most likely be to a certain extent influenced by the respective local language. Sole proficiency in (formal) Indonesian grammar (and vocabulary) does not guarantee you to easily blend in deep conversation with Indonesian. Indonesians tend to speak a high level of slang and colloquial language daily. One largest form of this language, the Jakarta dialect, is mostly spoken in and around Jakarta but widely understood (and sometimes also used) elsewhere in Indonesia. Since 1992 the surf and language guidebook Indo Surf and Lingo has taught thousands of travelling surfers the basics of the language. The language went through a series of spelling reforms in the 1950s and the 1960s to reduce differences with Bahasa Malaysia and hide its Dutch roots. Although the reforms are long complete, you may still see old signs with dj for j . j for y . or oe for u . While Indonesian is the lingua franca throughout the archipelago, there are thousands of local languages as well, and if you really get off the beaten track, you may have to learn them as well. Some ethnic Chinese communities continue to speak various Chinese dialects, most notably Hokkien in Medan and Teochew in Pontianak. And unlike in Chinese in Malaysia or Singapore, large part of Chinese Indonesians speak fluent Indonesian and converse regularly in Indonesian even among themselves - in fact a lot of Chinese Indonesians do not speak any Chinese dialect of all, and learn it as a foreign language (An increasingly number of predominantly-Chinese private schools teach Chinese (in this case Mandarin), either as compulsory or optional subject). The same thing can also be said to most Indonesian citizens of Arab, Indian, or Japanese ancestry among others. Most educated seniors (70 yearsolder) in Indonesia understand Dutch. but realistically speaking English is far more useful these days. Though Arabic is not widely spoken, many educated Muslims, especially those who graduated from Islamic religious institutes, understand Arabic to varying degrees. Unlike in neighbouring Malaysia or the Philippines. English is generally not widely spoken, though this is often due to shyness. Hotel, airline, banking, cellular operator and other service staff generally speak an acceptable level of English, and English is widely spoken on the touristy island of Bali. English has been taught in schools consistently over the last couple decades, particularly in large cities (more rural areas teach their local language instead, or both), so anyone reasonably educated under the age of 25 will have had some sort of English practice. While they may be shy to attempt it, they will generally understand simple English. If you need surefire help, college students tend to be most eagerable to help out a passing foreigner needing a hand. English language TV channels are available on most hotels. MetroTV (local TV channel) broadcasts news in Chinese from Monday to Friday at 07:00. MetroTV also broadcasts news in English from Monday to Friday at 07:30. TVRI (state owned TV station) broadcasts news in English from Monday to Friday at 16:30 in the afternoon. All schedules are in Waktu Indonesia Barat (WIB), which is 7h ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and includes the capital city of Jakarta. See edit add listing Natural attractions edit The crater lake of Mount Rinjani in Lombok Indonesia is home to no less than 167 active volcanoes . far more than any other country. Some of the more accessible for visitors are in the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park and the Ijen Crater in East Java. Mount Rinjani in Lombok and perhaps easiest of all, Mount Batur in Bali. A list of 226 Indonesian mountains has recently been compiled. Hardly surprisingly in the worlds largest archipelago, beaches are significant attractions. Aside from the obvious like Bali. there are wonderful beaches in off-the-beaten-track locations in Maluku. Nusa Tenggara and Sulawesi. In a nation of 18,000 islands, the options are almost endless. An endemic Sumatran Orangutan in the Gunung Leuser National Park Indonesia has some of the largest remaining tracts of tropical forest anywhere in the world, and these support an incredibly diverse wildlife from Orangutans and other primates to critically endangered Javan Rhinoceros and Tigers, and an extraordinarily wide range of bird species. Forest areas recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Sites are Ujung Kulon National Park in West Java. and three huge parks in Sumatra. which together comprise the Tropical Rain Forest Heritage of Sumatra . Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park. Gunung Leuser National Park and Kerinci Seblat National Park. Further east, Komodo Island is the home of the remarkable Komodo Dragon and a very diverse marine life. Close to the very eastern limit of Indonesia, the remote Lorentz National Park in Papua has a permanent glacier, and is the single largest national park anywhere in Southeast Asia. Historical and cultural attractions edit Borobudur in Central Java is the worlds largest Buddhist monument, dating from the 8th century, and nearby Prambanan is a remarkable Hindu monument dating from just a few years later. Those two, together with the charm of Yogyakarta. make for a popular cultural combination in Central Java. Pura Ulun Danau Bratan in Bali Also in Central Java, the Dieng Plateau is home to the oldest extant temples in Indonesia, predating Borobudur by some 100 years, and just north of Solo. the early man archaeological excavation at Sangiran is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In such a vast archipelago it is hardly surprising that there are some very distinct and unique cultures, often contained in relatively small areas. Bali has a unique Hindu culture, descended from the great Javanese Majapahit Kingdom in the 13th and 14th centuries. The whole island is adorned by beautifully kept temples ( pura ), and there is a seemingly endless procession of colourful ceremonies. Some of the better known are the mother temple at Besakih. Pura Ulun Danau Bratan. and Pura Uluwatu. Further east, Sumba is home to one of the few remaining megalithic cultures anywhere on earth. In Sulawesi. the Tana Toraja region is famous for spectacular animist burial rites. Visiting the vast hinterland of Papua in the far east of the country requires considerable planning, an awful lot of money, and a tolerance for extremely challenging conditions. However, for those who want a true wilderness experience and the opportunity to witness first-hand cultures that have had very little contact with the outside world, it is hard to think of a better option anywhere on earth. Itineraries edit Do edit add listing Scuba diving edit Indonesia has some of the best scuba diving in the world . and this is a major draw for tourists with places like Bunaken in Northern Sulawesi. Wakatobi in South East Sulawesi and Raja Ampat in Papua known worldwide. Diving off Bali is often overlooked although it is superb with daily trips to the mantas of Nusa Penida. Travel guides have been raving about the Gili Islands although dynamite fishing has damaged the once beautiful reefs. Bali and the Gili Islands are Indonesia s most important teaching centres. Pulau Weh in the Indian Ocean has the best diving in Sumatra. Spa treatments edit Visiting a spa is a very popular activity for all types of visitors. These vary from simply constructed huts to lavish so-called wellness centres in the grandest of five star hotels. There is usually an option to suit just about every budget. If massage is your thing, there are few places anywhere which offer such high quality for such low prices. Again this could be at a five star hotel or it could be under coconut tree on a quiet beach. Surfing edit Indonesia is a premier destination for travelling surfers. The Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra feature dozens of world class surf spots. Chartering a private boat for up to two weeks is the most popular way to access the island chain, however there is a public ferry from Padang. Just to the north Nias is equally popular amongst hard-core surfers. Further east, Bali and tiny Nusa Lembongan have some great waves, the south of Lombok likewise, and for the more adventurous, Sumbawa offers world class surfing. All Indonesias surf beaches are described in the beautifully photographed Indo Surf and Lingo surfing guidebook 19 together with comprehensive listings of the best surf camps and surf charter yachts. Buy edit add listing Indonesias currency is the Rupiah ( IDR ), abbreviated Rp . The Rupiahs value plummeted during the 1997 economic crisis, but has strengthened again significantly in recent years. The trailing three zeros are often abbreviated with rb ( ribu . thousand) or even dropped completely, and for more expensive items you will often even see jt ( juta . million). The largest banknote is the red Rp 100,000, which may only be US10 but is still inconveniently large for most purchases. Next in the series are Rp 50,000 (blue), Rp 20,000 (green), Rp 10,000 (purple), Rp 5,000 (brown), Rp 2,000 (gray) and finally Rp 1,000. The Rp 1,000 note is discontinued and currently being replaced with a coin. While the new, colorful large-denomination bills are easy to tell apart, the smaller bills and pre-2004 large notes are all confusingly similar pale pastel shades of yellow, green and brown and often filthy and mangled to boot. A chronic shortage of small change 8212 its not unusual to get a few pieces of candy back instead of coins 8212 has been to some extent alleviated by a new flood of new coins, available in denominations of Rp 1,000, Rp 500. The Rp 200, Rp 100, Rp 50 and the thoroughly useless Rp 25 are being withdrawn during 2012. Older golden metallic versions are also still floating around. Bills printed in 1992 or earlier are no longer in circulation, but can be exchanged at banks. Currently the smaller coins are being withdrawn from circulation. US dollars will be accepted by many in a pinch, but are typically used as an investment and for (very) large purchases, not buying a bowl of noodles on the street. Unlike some other South East Asian countries, you will do the vast majority of your spending in local currency and hence should carry a good supply of Rupiah, as most people will not know current exchange rates and worry about stringent rules banks and money changers impose on the condition of notes (see below). Many hotels quote rates in dollars, but all accept payment in Rupiah and many who quote in USD then seek to convert the billing into Rupiah for payment. Many will likely use a somewhat disadvantageous rate to do this. If you pay any bill in Indonesia with a credit card it will be charged to your account in Rupiah, regardless of the currency you were quoted. Aside from the US dollar, other major international currencies are also widely accepted for a cash settlement, especially in more touristy areas. Changing money edit Banks and money exchangers are widely available on Java, Bali and Lombok, but can be a major headache anywhere else, so load up with Rupiah before heading off to any outer islands. Money exchangers are very picky about bill condition, and pre-2006 dollars or any imperfect bills or (ripped, wrinkled, stained, or marked in any way) will normally be rejected. Banks will most likely reject any pre-2006 US currency. Counterfeit US dollars are a huge problem in the country and as a result the older your dollars are, the lower the exchange rate. You will get the highest exchange rate for dollars issued in 2006 or later and the exchange rate drops for dollars for currency outside a very narrow range of perceived acceptability. There are even different exchange rates according to the serial number for dollars from 1996. Banks and money exchangers on outer islands are sparse and will charge commissions of 10-20 if you can find them. In the reverse direction, money changers will be happy to turn your dirty Rupiah into spiffy dollars, but the spread is often considerable (10 is not unusual). Be very careful dealing with moneychangers, who are very adept at distracting your attention during the counting process and short-changing you as a result. As a precaution, consider bringing a friend along to watch over the transaction very carefully. Be aware of moneychangers who offer great rates. They will quote you one price, and start counting stacks of Rp.20,000 notes, and ask you to count along with them. This is a ploy to confuse and shortchange you. If they realise you are onto them, they will tell you that they have to subtract 6-8 for commission or taxes. Reputable money changers will have rate boards advertising a rate slightly below the current market rate (or need to look up the current rate first) and not charge any commission. This isnt a guarantee you wont get short changed though. Always count your money carefully and dont change too much at once to avoid confusion over the large number of zeros and minimize the extent to which you can be ripped off. ATMs edit ATM s (pron. ah-teh-em ) on the international PlusCirrus networks are common in all major Indonesian cities and tourist destinations, but may be harder to come by in the backblocks. Beware of withdrawal limits as low as Rp.500,000 ( US55) per day in some machines. As a rule of thumb, machines loaded with Rp 50,000 denomination notes (theres a sticker on ATM often) do not dispense more than Rp 1,500,000 (30 notes) per transaction even in Jakarta. Those with Rp 100,000 notes can give more, up to Rp 3,000,000 (many CIMB, PermataBank, HSBC, BII and some BRI machines Commonwealth bank on Bali) at once. Note, however, that these notes can be harder to break, particularly in rural non-tourist areas. Bank branches are generally happy to break large notes taken from their ATMs up into smaller ones at no charge. For most ATMs, you can make repeated withdrawals up to the equivalent amount by your home countrys bank. Say for example you withdraw Rp 50,000 from an ATM, which can dispense a maximum of Rp 50,000 per transaction. Once the ATM releases your ATM card you can insert it back in and make another maximum withdrawal from that same ATM. Just keep in mind of the foreign transaction fees, if applicable, and daily withdrawal limits allowed by your bank. Credit cards edit Be careful when using credit cards . as cloning and fraud are a major problem in Indonesia. Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted, but American Express can be problematic. At smaller operations, surcharges of 2-5 over cash are common. Discover is not accepted. A good rule of thumb to minimize fraud is to use your credit card for larger purchases such as hotels, and use cash everywhere else. Costs edit Living in Indonesia is cheap, as long as youre willing to live like an Indonesian. For example, Rp 10,000 (about 1.15) will get you a meal on the street or a packet of cigarettes or three kilometers in a taxi or three bottles of water. But as a tourist it is often necessary to haggle and negotiate a minimum of 50-70 off an initial asking price, otherwise you will spend your money quickly. Fancy restaurants, hotels and the like will charge 10 government sales tax plus a variable service charge. This may be denoted with after the price or just written in tiny print on the bottom of the menu. Shopping time edit While most commercial places close on Sunday in old Europe, it does not apply in Indonesia, which has a positively American attitude to Sundays as in Sundays are for Shopping. Most of them even have the largest visitors in Sunday (and national holidays) and shopping malls often become VERY crowded on Sunday. So if you plan to go to Indonesian malls and shopping centers, weekdays (Monday to Friday) is the best time to visit. Saturdays and Sundays (as well as national holidays) are favorite days for Indonesians to go shopping and sightseeing, and as a result, most commercial points open 7 days a week. The notably exceptions are Idul-Fitri ( Lebaran . end of Ramadan celebration), which most commercials close or open late up to two or three days afterwards (though most likely less applied in non-Muslim majority areas like North Sulawesi and Bali ), and Indonesian independence day, the 17th of August. To the lesser extent, the same goes with Christmas, particularly in Christian-majority population areas (North Sulawesi and parts of North Sumatera) and in Chinese-run majority commercials (like Glodok or Mangga Dua in Jakarta), as a large number of Indonesian Chinese living in major cities are Christian. Shopping malls and commercials open at around 10 am, and street shops (and traditional markets) open as early as 6 am, and close at around 8 to 9 pm. Twenty-four hours stores (not malls) is not uncommon in major cities. Eat edit add listing Spiced nasi kuning rice shaped into the ceremonial tumpeng cone and topped with beef floss abon With 17,000 islands to choose from, Indonesian food is an umbrella term covering a vast variety of regional cuisines found across the nation, but if used without further qualifiers the term tends to mean the food originally from the central and eastern parts of the main island Java. Now widely available throughout the archipelago, Javanese cuisine consists of an array of simply seasoned dishes, the predominant flavorings the Javanese favor being peanuts, chillies and sugar. All too often, many backpackers seem to fall into a rut of eating nothing but nasi goreng (fried rice), and perhaps other commonly available Javanese dishes, but there are much more interesting options lurking about if youre adventurous and take the trouble to seek them out. In West Java, Sundanese many fresh vegetables and herbs are commonly eaten raw. Padang in Sumatra is famous for the spicy and richly-seasoned cuisine of the Minangkabau people, which shares some similarities to cooking in parts of neighbouring Malaysia, and eateries specialising in the buffet-style nasi padang are now ubiquitous across the nation. Both the Christian Batak peoples and the Hindu Balinese are great fans of pork, while the Minahasa of North Sulawesi are well known for eating almost everything, in particular dog and fruit bat, and a very liberal usage of fiery chillies even by Indonesian standards. Tamed Muslim-friendly versions of all three can be found in the malls and food courts of many Indonesian cities, but its worth it to seek out the real thing especially if you happen to be in these regions. And by the time you get to Papua in the extreme east of the country, youre looking at a Melanesian diet of taro and sago. Due to the majority of Indonesians being Muslim, most of its dishes are considered as Halal (not containing any pork substances), though a few exceptions do exist, such as Balinese babi guling(roast pig). Rice edit Sundanese nasi timbel (rice in banana leaf) with ayam penyet (smashed fried chicken), sambal chili sauce and lalapan fresh veggies Chinese-style tofu and seafood sapo claypot Popular main dishes include: ayam bakar . grilled chicken ayam goreng . deep-fried chicken cap cay . Chinese-style stir-fried vegetables gado-gado . blanched vegetables with peanut sauce gudeg . jackfruit stew from Yogyakarta . ikan bakar . grilled fish karedok . similar to gado-gado, but the vegetables are finely chopped and mostly raw perkedel . deep-fried patties of potato and meat or vegetables (adopted from the Dutch frikadel ) sate (satay), grilled chicken and lamb sapo . Chinese-style claypot stew Another common popular dish in Indonesia (mainly in larger cities) is the so-called gorengan . Literally means something fried . it is basically pretty simple: raw food dipped in rice flour starch mixed with salt, sugar, pepper, and sometimes green onion slices, and then deep-fried. What is fried may vary from banana, tofu, tempeh, sweet potato, cassava, etc. Gorengan is commonly sold in street hawkers, usually recognized through their specifically-designed carts. Gorengan usually comes with two variations: the sweet-taste gorengan (banana, sweet potato), and the salty-tasted one (cassava, tofu, tempeh). Both are usually consumed as snack, and the salty ones can also be served as the main dish (complementary to rice). In fact, gorengan is so popular that it is uncommon for official meetings and gatherings to serve it, at least during the break. Being street food, however, you might need to be aware as the level of hygiene and cleanliness may be questionable. Also be wary that gorengan is commonly fried using the recycled cooking oil, that is the same portion of cooking oil used to fry gorengan over and over, and sometimes, unsold gorengan is fried repeatedly to keep it warm. As such, there are increasing concerns that regular and prolonged consumption of gorengan can lead to various health effects (the most serious being even cancer). That being said, gorengan is still very popular, because it is cheap - one piece of it can cost as low as 500 IDR for the small-sized cut, and 1000 IDR (around 10 cents US dollar) for the bigger one -, tasty, practical, and, in case a full meal is not immediately available, a few pieces of it can usually make you stuffed quickly due to carbohydrate it contains. Condiments edit Indonesian chillies: tiny but brutally hot cabe rawit (left) and comparatively mild lombok (right) Chillies ( cabe or lombok ) are made into a vast variety of sauces and dips known as sambal . The simplest and perhaps most common is sambal ulek . which is just chillies and salt with perhaps a dash of lime pounded together. There are many other kinds of sambal like sambal pecel (with peanut), sambal terasi (with shrimp paste), sambal tumpeng . etc. Many of these can be very spicy indeed, so be careful if youre asked whether you would like your dish pedas (spicy) Crackers known as kerupuk (or keropok . its the same word spelled differently) accompany almost every meal and are a traditional snack too. They can be made from almost any grain, fruit, vegetable or seed imaginable, including many never seen outside Indonesia, but perhaps the most common are the light pink keropok udang . made with dried shrimp, and the slightly bitter light yellow emping . made from the nuts of the melinjo fruit. Desserts edit Dessert in the Western sense is not common in Indonesia, but there are plenty of snacks to tickle your sweet tooth. Kue covers a vast array of traditional cakes and pastries, all colorful, sweet, and usually a little bland, with coconut, rice flour and sugar being the main ingredients. Es teler . ice mixed with fruits and topped with coconut cream or condensed milk, comes in infinite variations and is a popular choice on a hot day. Perhaps the cheapest, tastiest and healthiest option, though, is to buy some fresh fruit . which is available throughout the year, although individual fruits do have seasons. Popular options include mango ( mangga ), papaya ( papaya ), banana ( pisang ), starfruit ( belimbing ) and guava ( jambu ), but more exotic options youre unlikely to see outside Indonesia include the scaly-skinned crisp snakefruit ( salak ) and the alien-looking local passionfruit ( markisa ). Probably the most infamous Indonesian fruit, though, is the durian . Named after the Indonesian word for thorn . it resembles an armor-plated coconut the size of a human head, and it has a powerful odor often likened to rotting garbage. Inside is yellow creamy flesh, which has a unique sweet, custardy, avocadoey taste and texture. Its prohibited in most hotels and taxis. Dietary restrictions edit The vast majority of Indonesian restaurants serve only halal food and are thus safe for Muslim travellers. This includes Western chains like McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut. The main exception is ethnic eateries catering to Indonesias non-Muslim minorities, especially those serving Batak, Manadonese (Minahasan), Balinese, and Chinese cuisine, so enquire if unsure. That being said, the different religions are not uniformly distributed throughout Indonesia, so while it is a somewhat safe assumption that any food you get off the street in Jakarta or Palembang will be halal . this may not be so in areas dominated by other religions such as Bali or Jayapura. Strict vegetarians will have a tough time in Indonesia, as the concept is poorly understood and avoiding fish and shrimp-based condiments is a challenge. Tofu ( tahu ) and its chunkier, indigenous cousin tempeh are an essential part of the diet, but they are often served with non-vegetarian condiments. For example, the ubiquitous sambal chili pastes very often contain shrimp, and kerupuk crackers with a spongy appearance, including those always served with nasi goreng . nearly always contain shrimp or fish. (Those that resemble potato chips, on the other hand, are usually fine.) Eating by hand edit In Indonesia eating with your hand (instead of utensils like forks and spoons) is very common. The basic idea is to use four fingers to pack a little ball of rice, which can then be dipped into sauces before you pop it in your mouth by pushing it with your thumb. Theres one basic rule of etiquette to observe: Use only your right hand . as the left hand is used to clean yourself in the toilet. Dont stick either hand into communal serving dishes: instead, use the left hand to serve yourself with utensils and then dig in. Needless to say, its wise to wash your hands well before and after eating. Eating by hand is frowned on in some classier places. If you are provided with cutlery and nobody else around you seems to be doing it, then take the hint. Places to eat edit A kaki lima serving up bakso meatball soup in Kuta. Bali