Tidbits
This the area where you can find miscellaneous stuff that does not fit anywhere else on this site.
- Currency:
Indonesia has its own currency. It is called Rupiah (Rp). It has six different bills
(Rp. 50,000; 20,000; 10,000; 5,000; 1,000; 500; 100) and five different coins (Rp. 1,000;
500; 100; 50; 25)
- Transportation and Parking:
Whenever you're talking public transportations such as bus and pedicabs (becak), be prepare
with small change. The price ranges from Rp. 500 - Rp. 3,000 depending on how far your destination is.
Please notice, when you're taking the bus stop, you can stop almost everywhere you want (there
aren't designated bus stops, except for the bus pool). And for parking, usually at shopping centres
they use parking tickets. But for small stores, clinics and others, there are some people called
Tukang Parkir (Parking Lot Attendant). They will charge you from Rp 500 - Rp 1,000. Usually
it depends on what kind of car you're using. The more fancy your car looks, the higher they charge you.
The traffic is also an important matter, especially in Jakarta. Traffic jams are as common as
people eating bread in well developed countries. It would be better if you have food, drink or something
to read while you're in the car and not driving.
- Food:
In many places in Indonesia, some of the good food can be found not in fancy restaurants. But
you can find a lot of good food at food vendors on the streets. Be aware of the hygiene. Examples
of street vendor food: bakso (meatball soup), martabak manis (stuffed pancake), sate padang/madura/
ayam, batagor, coconut drink (straight from the coconut itself!), etc. Restaurants
are also availabe with different varieties. Hard Rock Cafe (Jakarta and Bali), Fashion Cafe
(Jakarta), Planet Hollywood (Jakarta), Sundanese restaurants (food from West Java), Javanese
restaurants, Italian restaurants, Japanese restaurants, Chinese Restaurants, etc.
- Entertainment:
You can find pretty much everything in Jakarta and other big cities in Indonesia. Even though
Indonesia doesn't get very cold, it does have a couple of ice skating rinks. Cyber cafes are
available almost in every big city. Movie theatres, shopping malls, night clubs are also available.