new Indonesia - General info (Part II)

This section was thoroughly checked and updated in 2/99

Travel guides

Indonesia Handbook

- Price 24.95 US$
- This proved to be a very good guide book with an incredible amount of practical info on hotels and restaurants (definitely more info then the other guides). They sometimes "recommend" a hotel, and this is worth it. The advantage over the LP guides is that they are a bit less known, so the places they mention are not that much overrun. They are a bit less good for the less touristic islands like Flores.

Order the Footprint Indonesia Handbook now for only 17.47 US$

Indonesia: a travel survival kit
- Price 25.95 US$
- This is of course the classical book of every backpacker. Their maps are especially good.

Order the Lonely Planet Indonesia now for only 18.17 US$!

Other Lonely Planet titles include:
- Bali & Lombok (3/2001), price 14.39 US$: if you're only heading to Bali & Lombok this is the most up to date guide for the moment.
- Indonesia Eastern Islands (10/98), price 14.36 US$
- Java (11/99) price 14.36 US$
- Indonesian phrasebook (9/95) price 4.76 US$
- Diving guide on Bali & Lombok for 13.59 US$ (3/2001)

Don't forget to go to their fantastic website where they have the "Thorn Tree". You can add your posting with practical questions about your trip: http://www.lonelyplanet.com

They also publish an update of this book on their site at http://www.lonelyplanet.com/upgrades/inex.htm

The Rough Guide

Indonesia
I really like this series, they give very detailed info and often go further then LP. One disadvantage: they're not so strong in middle class and upper class accommodation as the Footprint f.i.

PS: I just had a look at this guidebook in preparation of my trip to Sumatra, and I can say it is indeed very detailed. I checked 2 items: Pulau Weh and rafting in Sumatra, and they were the most complete compared to LP and Footprint. They also had info on rafting in Java which I didn't find in the other books.

Order the Rough Guide Indonesia now for only 22.36 US$!

Bali and Lombok
- Price 16.95 US$
- This is the guide to go for if you only want to visit these islands. I've travelled a lot with the Rough Guides and I like them very much. They give a lot of historical, political and economical information, but at the same time they are very practical.
- They are not that popular, so they can give useful hints without that place getting crowded.

Order the Rough Guide Bali and Lombok now for only 11.87 US$!

Other books

If you can't make up your mind, click on the Amazon.com logo and search for more books

Hotels

You can find excellent value for money in Java and Bali. Our experience was that the more touristic a place, the better the quality offered (maybe with the exception of Mt. Bromo).

For about 20 to 30 US$, you can easily find a good middle class hotel in most places. This price includes a double room with shower, hot water, breakfast and swimming pool.

Of course you can find much cheaper than that: 4 US$ is equally possible.

While discussing the places we visited, I will mention the hotel we stayed in.

If you want to have a splurge in a 5-star hotel while paying for a 3-star, you should try the Jayakarta hotels. This is an Indonesian hotel chain with hotels in most tourist places like Jakarta, Yogya, Senggigi and others. Book them when you land on the airport, because they offer reduced rates which can be very good for the quality they offer. I had a recent update (7/98) on Jayakarta hotels quoting much lower prices nowadays (also look at update 1998). In Lombok you can stay for 110.000 Rp although they will ask for 20 US$ at the airport. They have their own website at: http://www.jayakarta.co.id

Update May 1998

In May 1998, you could stay for as little as 30 to 40 US$ in fancy 5-star hotels in Sulawesi. This was due to 2 reasons:
- The Rp was very low, and hotels were still converting their US$ rates to Rp with old rates like 4000 to 5000 Rp per dollar. By paying with credit card, you could save up to 50% !
- There were very few tourists, so the large hotels were heavily discounting. This situation may of course rapidly change.

Here are some examples of hotels we stayed at:
- Manado: Tasik Ria resort (****): 30 US$
- Manado Novotel (*****): 40 US$
- Ujung Pandang Radisson (****): 15 to 30 US$
- Ujung Pandang Sedona (*****): 40 US$
- Rantepao Novotel (*****): 35 US$
- All prices include taxes and breakfast.

Update November 1998

- The currency situation has changed again in the month of October. The Rupiah has strengthened till about 6.500 Rp for 1 US$ (coming from 11.000 Rp that's not bad). This means of course that some of the bargains written here will become a bit less interesting. Take than into account.
- The rate was 9.000 Rp a dollar in 7/2000.

Safety

Introduction

A lot of the e-mails on Indonesia I get nowadays concern the safety question, so I decided to add this small chapter (1/99). However, bear in mind that this is just a personal opinion based on my 2 trips (albeit trips in May 1997, just before general elections and in May 1998 during the Suharto crisis).

When we first visited Indonesia in 1997, Indonesia was considered to be one of the safest countries in the world. That image has changed a bit since in the minds of travellers. However, bear in mind that Indonesia is still much safer than the average Latin American country.

Influence of election period on your travelling

ELECTIONS WERE ON 7/6/99.

In 1997, we were there during election period. Suharto was still strongly in power. An election will ALWAYS influence your trip whether violent or not. This is especially true in Java and Sumatra, less so in Bali and less populated islands. The Indonesians like to organise big rallies in support of one or another party. In 1997, there were 3 parties, and each one of them could rally once every 3 days starting from 12 o'clock more or less. If such a rally is crossing your way, you'll have to wait until it has passed, and sometimes this can be up to 30 minutes. 50 km futher down the road, the same thing might happen again. So, we had to adapt our travelling in a sense that we either travelled before 12 o'clock, either during the day that the least popular party (the red PDI at the time) had their very short rally. We never got involved in violent rallies, we just lost some time now and then. These rallies where much less in Bali then in Java.

At this moment, there are rallies in the big cities every Sunday, but in May this will probably increase to daily rallies.

Violent clashes with demonstrators

During our 2 trips, there were reports of violent clashes between demonstrators and police. We never had any problems with this. These clashes were unvariably in big cities, especially Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan, and to a lesser extent also in Solo and Ujung Pandang. Yogya was saved of these clashes due to the charismatic Sultan calling for calm demonstrations.

So, I always say, avoid Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan as much as possible, there's nothing for the tourist anyway (don't believe guidebooks saying you could easily spend 1 week in Jakarta, we left after only 3 hours). If possible, don't even go into town and take a domestic flight from Jakarta airport right away (to Yogja f.i.), or else arrange a pick up with people from the English language school in Cianjur (see Jakarta chapter).

During the Suharto crisis, we were in Sulawesi, and the only thing we saw were students blocking some crossroads and burning tires in Ujung Pandang. This caused some traffic jams, but nothing more then that.

We spoke to tourists who were in Solo during the unrest, and they said they didn't have too much problems with it.

SO MY ADVICE IS: avoid the big cities in Java and Sumatra as much as possible, and if there is unrest, simply use your common sense and you'll be OK. Don't panic by taking the first plane back home. We had one of our best trips ever in Sulawesi in May 1998: no tourists and cheap accommodation.

Info on violent outbreaks (4/99)

There have been violent outbreaks of ethnic violence in several parts of Indonesia:
- East Timor has clashes between people favouring independence and immigrants preferring to remain part of Indonesia. These clashes are still going on, a referendum is scheduled for August (7/99).
- The Moluccas have known clashes between catholics and muslims with many people being killed. This is still going on at the time of writing (8/99). Reports say that muslims are now sending weapons and "jihad-warriors" to support their fellow religious fanatics.
- In Sulawesi, tension is also building up, especially in and around Ujung Pandang since a lot of refugees from the Moluccas now live there, and also a lot of military personnel is stationned there to intervene in the Moluccas (8/99). I recieved this info on sulawesi in 2001: Serious warning for troubles in Poso: Since August 1998 there have been sev

ral serious religious troubles in the Poso regency. More than 200 people are killer at an Maluku-like way. Lakar Jihad is active in the area. Especially the area between Tentena and Poso are UNSAFE. Below the last message with an hyperlink to the indonesiamu site. Many other Indonesian newspages give information. In English: The Jakarta Post, the English version of Kompas.
- In Kalimantan, especially inland of Pontianak, there have been clashes between Dayak and Malay people on the one side and Madurese people on the other. Many Madyrese were butchered in the traditional Dayak way with people eating the hearts and liver of their victims.
- In Aceh, there have been clashes between locals and police, and these are still going on (8/99).

Petty crime

As anywhere in the world, petty crime can also occur in Indonesia. Well known spots are f.i. the Gili's where bathrooms in the bungalows have no roof, so theft is easy if you didn't lock your bathroomdoor. Kuta moneychangers are also famous for their attempts to rip you off (see Kuta section).

However, with recent economic crisis, reports on petty crime seem to increase. There have been reports on robberies in Taxis in Jakarta, so stick to the well known taxi companies like Bluebird and Silverbird. There are also increasing reports of theft at Lombok, both around Rinjani and Kuta. Most of these reports say hotel owners lack any interest in the case when reported, and travellers thought they were into the deal. Be a bit more careful then otherwise and don't expose your wealth.

Nevertheless, don't forget that Indonesia is still far safer then the average Latin American of African country.

More info

If you want recent and first hand info, this site can be helpful: The Singapore Strait Times has daily excerpts from the newspaper and often has info on Indonesia as well.

Medical matters

The info you find here was provided by the Belgian Tropical Institute

Malaria

Where to take what
- Malaria isn't such a big problem in Java and Bali, in fact it's not even necessary to take drugs if you take proper precautions, especially a night, to avoid getting stinged by mosquito's.
- On the Gili's however there is still a problem.
- In Sulawesi it's not necessary to take drugs if you only visit the South-West, i.e. Ujung Pandang and Toraja.
- On Irian Jaya you should definitely take prophylaxis, chances of getting the disease are 80 % if you stay 3 months.

Stories about Lariam
Every now and then you will here terrible stories from fellow travellers like "I didn't take it myself, but I heard from other people they got nightmares, psychosis, depression etc..." This is of course a good story on any tropical beach, but they are often exaggerated. Have a look at 2 genuine stories on Lariam I heard myself and ware clearly a misinterpretation of facts.
- A friend of mine went to Senegal for 2 months and took Lariam as malaria prophylaxis. He has no problems with it, but after 2 weeks he gets fever and starts vomiting. After 3 days, things don't get better, and he goes to see a local doctor. This doctor doesn't do any tests, but says: "you surely have malaria, start taking Quinine and Doxycycline". After a couple of days, things get better, and now my friend is still telling everyone "he had malaria while on prophylaxis with Lariam", while in fact he probably just had a simple gastro-enteritis. The local doctor said he had malaria, because indeed most of his local patients, who don't take prophylaxis and have no problems with local food hygiene will indeed have malaria.
- The second story I read on the LP-site. A traveller said he had been using Lariam for 3 years without problems. The fourth year, he had a paralysis of his right face after 2 weeks. He went to his GP, and he said it was caused by Lariam. So he stopped Lariam and the paralysis went away after 2 weeks. This looks a reliable story, but in fact the GP was wrong, and the guy just had a "Bell's palsy", this is a viral infection of the facial nerve which resolves on its own. So Lariam had nothing to do with it.
- I hope these stories make you realize you should be careful with interpreting "side effects of Lariam".

So here are some bare facts to consider before you decide not to take Lariam in areas where you need it:
- Lariam is recommended by the World Health Organization as first choice prophylactic agent in areas with resistance to Chloroquine. It is also approved by the American Food and Drug administration.
- 80 % of people have no problems whatsoever.
- 20 % have minor problems like slight stomach problems.
-5 % of patients has to stop taking the drug due to side effects like dizziness, heartbeats, sleeping problems, nightmares etc... These symptoms can be exacerbated by alcohol and fatigue.
- 1/15.000 patients will develop serious side effects like severe depression, epileptic seizures or psychosis. These side effects are always reversible.

What to do if you've never taken Lariam
- Start taking Lariam 3 weeks before you leave. If you get side effects, chances are 75 % you will get them the first 3 weeks, so you can seek advice at home.
- Otherwise take Lariam 250 mg/week starting a week before you leave and stopping 3 weeks after your return. Do not get pregnant till 3 months after stopping since Lariam can stay in your blood a long time ("half life" of the drug is 14 days in some people).
- If you do have side effects, Doxycycline 100 mg/day starting a day before you leave and stopping 3 weeks after your return is a good alternative. However, Doxy has side effects too, especially skin hypersensitivity.

Hepatitis A

- If you travel with a backpack and don't mind eating in cheap restaurants, it's easy to catch Hepatitis A. Chances of getting infected range from 1/300 to 1/50 per month depending on your standard of travelling. It's not dangerous, but you will be sick for some weeks.
- There is a good vaccination for Hepatitis A nowadays, so ask your doctor. You need 2 shots (used to be 3 shots) at 0 and 6 months, although if you can it's even better to postpone the second shot till after 12 months. They are expensive, but they protect you for 10 years.

Hepatitis B

- You can only get this through sex and blood transfusion. Since prevalence of Hepatitis B is much higher in SE Asia then in the Western world, it might be wise to get vaccinated.
- Get your shots at 0, 1 and 6 months. They are equally expensive as hepatitis A.

Typhoid fever

There is also a good vaccination consisting of 3 pills to be taken every 2 days. Take them early enough before you leave since it's better not to combine them with malaria pills, although these guidelines have recently changed (meaning you can combine them). The vaccination works for 3 years.

Travellers diarrhea

We always have antibiotics at hand in case of diarrhea. We take Ciproxine 250 mg two tablets at once and then another 3 tablets, one tablet every 12 hours.

Poliomyelitis

There are still cases reported of polio in Indonesia, so it's safe to take a boost if you've been vaccinated before.

Weather

It's best to go during the dry season from May till October, in Sulawesi it might be better to avoid May and go in June.

In the beginning of May we still had some heavy showers sometimes, but always in late afternoon (around 3 pm), they lasted for an hour or so.

If you want to know what the weather will be in Indonesia for the next 4 days, go to the CNN page and click on the city you want to go to http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/cities/asiapcf.html By the way, it's easier to get a weather forecast from behind your computer than at the place itself. In Sulawesi, nobody knew anything about the weather, and it was not in the newspaper either.

What to take

We took sleeping bags with us, but that was a big mistake. Except for Dieng Plateau and Mt. Bromo, it's almost always very warm at night.

Bring some mosquito repellent or even an electrical device against mosquito's. We could use it almost everywhere.

It might be wise to bring tampons with you, although you can find them with some luck in touristic areas.

Sports

Rafting
It's possible to go rafting f.i. in Bali and Sulawesi. Typical price seems to be 65 US$ per day, but discounts of at least 20% are given.

We went rafting in Rantepao with Sobek, and that was a great experience. We only paid 25 US$ p.p.

Climbing volcanoes
There are numerous volcanoes to be climbed in Indonesia. We did 5 of them and this is the list in order of preference:
- Bromo: absolutely the best, not difficult to get there.
- Kelimutu (Flores): also quite nice with 3 multicoloured lakes. A truck brings you almost to the top before sunrise. It is often cloudy, especially after 7 am
- Ijen: quite difficult to get there, first about 2 hours by jeep/bus, then 90 minutes by foot. At the top you'll see both the crater lake and also the sulphur diggers which is quite unique.
- Mahawu (Sulawesi): A nice 45 minutes walk to the top, quite spectacular crater, definitely worth the walk
- Papandayan (Java): 30 minutes walk, not so spectacular.

Snorkeling and diving
There are some superb places to go snorkeling or diving.
- The best place we've been to is Manado, Sulawesi. The coral is great and you will see plenty of fish. The Togian islands are less touristic, but equally good.
- Second best was Flores. Waicicu beach was quite good, and if you take a boattrip to Komodo and Rinca, you will stop twice to go snorkeling.
- Gili Air is quite nice, but nothing compared to Manado.

For those who really want to dive, there are plenty of dive operators. Check "asiandivers" for more info on http://www.asiandiver.com

Surfing
Coming from a country like Belgium, I haven't got the slightest idea of how to surf. But of course, Indonesia has some excellent spots for surfers. I can't give you any first hand info, however there are some other sites which can give you info:
- Indo surf and lingo is an excellent site specifically focusing on surfing in Indonesia. Not to miss!
- Kai Viti Coconut Wires is a non-commercial site made by Patrick Cridland, a guy who surfes around the world. His info on Indonesia has recently been expanded (1/99), but there's more to come after his 4 month trip through Asia. There's also info on Fiji and Australia.
- Mentawai: these are islands off the Sumatran coast. This is a commercial site of "99 expeditions" offering surfing trips to these islands.

Go on to the "Java introduction page"