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Visas: Visas are required by all foreigners entering Indonesia although, and can be acquired upon entry.
Once
you arrive in Indonesia immigration forms will be available at the
airport. For $25 USD you will receive a one month tourist visas. Longer
visas have to be obtained outside the country. Visas are available from
Indonesian embassies and consulates in most countries.
Health risks: Dengue
fever, malaria and cholera are all present in Indonesia. Immunization
against cholera, hepatitis A and B, and C are good ideas if you decide
to live here. We will keep you updated as to any outstanding health
issues.
Time: GMT/UTC plus eight hours (the whole of Indonesia is set to Beijing time).
Electricity: 220V, 50 AC; plugs can be three-pronged angled, three-pronged round, two flat pins or two narrow round pins.
Weights & measures: Metric
Banking
Indonesia uses Rupiah for currency. (see exchange rate)Credit cards are
becoming more common in Indonesia, but cash remains the preferred form
of payment. You can access funds from your home accounts using Cirrus
and Visa Plus ATM cards in the bank machines of larger local banks.
You can
transfer money from just about any bank in Indonesia to your own bank
at home. You can get a money order or electronically transfer up to
100% of your salary.
Opening an account is very easy. Once you have your Kitas(Work Visa) and registration card, you can open your account.
All you need are the proper documents, which include an employment
statement provided by the school , passport, residence card, and a copy
of your contract.
Banks include:
BCA Bank Central Asia
HSBC(Hong Kong bank)
Citi Bank
and many more
If you don’t have an account Western Union is widely available here.
Communications
If you don’t have your own computer Internet cafes(Warnets) are readily available.
Generally clean- with a variety of services, from printing to scanning, available.
International
calls can be made easily from your home or from a Wartel(a telephone
center)that has facilities for local,national and international calls.
Faxes can usually be sent from a wartel,if not your school should have this facility.
Shopping
Shopping
is one of the major pastimes in Indonesia. If you are an enthusiastic
shopper, you will fit right in. You can shop at street stalls, some of
the largest open markets in the world, big department stores, and small
specialty shops. Whether your looking to shop in an
air-conditioned supermarket or mall, or looking to rough it in a more traditional market, you'll find electronics, t-shirts, handicrafts or souvenirs. There are better bargains to be had in the markets, especially with custom-made goods, leather items, knit shirts, and tennis shoes, and knock offs. Don't be afraid to haggle.
Clothes
Teachers always have ideas about what to bring to Indonesia. Shoes
were most frequently mentioned - in the form of sturdy walking shoes,
wide-sized shoes, and warm boots. For some overall advice, if you are
happy with the shoes you have, bring enough to last your sojourn. Don't
count on finding the same thing in Indonesia (especially good quality
for reasonable prices). The only exception is athletic shoes; sometimes
these are cheaper in Indonesia.
With
regard to all clothing, "Western large sizes" can be difficult to find,
especially for women, and extra large sizes are non-existent. Women may
have difficulty finding larger sizes undergarments. However, if you would like custom-made clothing at affordable prices, Indonesia is a great place to obtain them.
Food
Indonesia has restaurants. By and large, they sell Indonesian food, but there are alternatives as well. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean and Western
foods are available, but relatively expensive. American fast food
chains are here. Some hotels and restaurants offer American, French,
and Italian food. Vegetarian restaurants are few and far between,
though they do exist. Most Chinese food contains meat and/or seafood or
is cooked with meat broth, but the amounts used are small and it's easy
to ask for no meat.
Generally, people acquire a taste for
Indonesian food; if not, they eat Chinese,Korean,Japanese or fastfood and
fantasize about what's not available." Bottled
water is cheap and many teachers have it delivered to their apartments.
If you plan to cook Western food in Indonesia, you'll probably want to
bring some herbs and spices with you. Red and black pepper, garlic
powder, ginger, and cinnamon are easily obtainable. Many Western items
are available as special imports, but they are expensive. If you are
used to limiting your intake of salt, sugar, or saturated fats, you
will find it more difficult in Indonesia. Both Indonesian and Chinese
food can be quite tasty, and oily, and fatty and salty. In moderate
amounts it may even be healthy.
If you are vegetarian
you should bring yeast extract tablets with you if you use them, or any
form of vitamin tablets. Fruit is not that expensive. Vegetables are
cheaper. Being unhealthy is the most expensive.
Fast food is readily available. Pizza Hut,McDonalds,Wendy's,KFC,A&W and Doner Kebab are the big names
Personal Items
Most of the necessities are available in some form, including many locally-made versions of North American brands.
Also, if you are fond of using name brand, over-the-counter medications
(e.g., Tylenol, Benadryl, Rolaids), bring them with you. Those remedies
for diarrhea and hacking coughs are especially useful. Contact
Lenses: Bausch and Lomb, Coopervision, and local brands of contact
lenses are available. Disposable contact lenses can also be found.
Alcon (Flexcare, Preflex) and Bausch and Lomb products are available at
some pharmacies, but usually though the optical stores. These products
usually run 150-200% of U.S. prices.
Chinese
brands of enzyme tablets are available, but their imported counterparts
are expensive. Other product lines tend to be more widely avail able
and less expensive. Many teachers have been quoted as saying, "Oh, I
wish I had brought ... with me." This is usually in reference to board
games, computers, greeting cards, novels, and craft materials (e.g.,
knitting, and cross-stitch).
Some
instructors bring enough personal items to last a few months and have
the rest shipped to them. However, mail can be slow and sometimes gets
lost.
Teaching Materials
If
you have personal materials that you are able to bring with you, do so.
While there are bookstores in Indonesia with sections, they are usually
quite expensive, since the majority of these items are imported.
Especially useful are game ideas as well as activities that can be
transferred across any subject area and level of ability. Most schools
have such games as Scrabble and Word Up available for use in the
classroom, but quantities are limited and tend to get used often.
Postal Services
Indonesian
mail service is less than good, and rates can be more expensive than
North American postal service rates. Airmail to North America usually
takes four to ten days, but delays are not uncommon. Surface mail can
take as long as two or three months.
Registered
mail and express mail services EMS, as well as private services (e.g.,
DHL, Federal Express) are also available. It is best to have mail sent
to your institute address rather than your home address.
Cost Of Living
Shopping:
Rice 1 kilo 15,000 RUPIAH
Pasta packet imported 12,000 RUPIAH
Orange Juice 1 lt. 16,000 RUPIAH
Coffee jar instant 30,000 RUPIAH
Tea box of bags 30,000 RUPIAH
Can of Coke 3-5,000 RUPIAH
Beer 3-10,000 RUPIAH
Chicken fillets 1 kilo 20,000 RUPIAH
Sliced ham 8 slices 60,000 RUPIAH
Sliced bread half loaf 4,000 RUPIAH
Baguette 9,000 RUPIAH
Pastry 10-15,000 RUPIAH
Instant noodles 2-5,000 RUPIAH
Chocolate bar (western) 10,000 RUPIAH+
Transport:
MiniBus 2,000 RUPIAH
Taxi 4,000 RUPIAH+ 1,000 RUPIAH per Km
Minimum charges(pickup on street) 5,000 RUPIAH (Telephone request) 10,000 RUPIAH
Train to Jakarta 60,000RUPIAH (single)
Train to Yojyakarta 30,000 RUPIAH (single)
Train to Banyuwanyi (near Bali) 50,000 RUPIAH (single)
Flight to Jakarta 500,000 RUPIAH (one-way)
Flight to Bali 500,000 RUPIAH (one-way)
Eating Out:
Local Lunch Box (rice, meat and two veg) 5,000-10,000 RUPIAH
McDonalds (burger, large fries and coke) 20,000 Rp
Chinese Restaurant (3 dishes + rice for 2) 30,000 – 50,000 RUPIAH
KFC 30,000 RUPIAH+
Drinking:
Beer (depending on brand and venue) 15,000-40,000 RUPIAH
In the supermarket
Bottled Local Beer 10,000-15,000 RUPIAH
Canned Local Beer 8,000-13,000 RUPIAH
Orange Juice 30-40 RUPIAH
Recreation
Most
of Indonesia's sightseeing attractions are accessible to the dedicated
traveler. Singapore, Malaysia, or Hong Kong are not out of reach.
There
are many open air theaters and cultural sites where individual
performers and groups appear, especially in Jakarta. Indonesia has an
active traditional theatrical and musical community.
Home Entertainment
Television
A few good local stations. Trans TV is a local favorite as it has
two English-language movies every night. Cable isn’t needed for local
channels. A cheap rabbit ears device is enough. Cable is available for
those who need ESPN, Star movies/sports, HBO or Discovery channel.
Radio
There is at least one English language radio station.
Swimming Pools
Swimming is popular in Indonesia. There are a lot of public pools and most fitness clubs and hotels have nice facilities.
Hiking
Indonesia
is such a mountainous country that hiking is always an option. There
are a number of trails and passes that you can explore. Early morning
is the best time.
Fitness Clubs
There are some private health and sports clubs.
Atlas, Tresor, Celebrity Fitness
Books, newspapers magazines and videos
Bookstores
Gramedia, Trimedia and Gunung Agung all have English language sections. Sogo supermarket has a fairly swank bookstore.
Bring a couple of novels and swap with friends.
Newspapers and Magazines
Time,
Newsweek, the Economist, GQ, Esquire, Premiere and a few other
magazines are available in Indonesia for the English only speaker.
Don’t expect to find Playboy or Penthouse here.
A daily newspaper, The Jakarta Post, published in Jarkata but distributed daily in Surabaya...
Movies
Movie going is made easy in Indonesia by the 21 Chain of Cinemas.
Videos
You
can rent a wide selection of new and old movies on VCD or DVD. In some
stores you will find a large sampling of Chinese,Hong Kong, and
Indonesian. The bulk of the selection, old or new, is American.
Nightlife
Lots of bars, discos and cafés and restaurants are available.
Dining Out
There are also a number of nightclubs, discos, café, bars and karaoke clubs in downtown Surabaya and the surrounding areas.
Leisure time in the various cities can be spent in a number of ways.
You could go native and take to the shopping streets; bowling is
another very popular pastime; there are bars and discos to dance and
drink the night away in and there are restaurants of every
denomination. The more up-market western bars and restaurants can be
expensive and dining in these on a regular basis would be a strain on
your purse strings to say the least. However, there are other western
eateries in which one can eat at affordable prices, such as 80RUPIAH
per head inclusive of beer.
Generally
beers are quite steep in nightclubs at a cost of around 60-70,000
RUPIAH and wine is very expensive and can cost as much as 100 RUPIAH per
glass. However, eating in local restaurants and drinking Bintang beer
is very affordable and living in this way you'll find that your wages
will go a long way. A large lunch or dinner in a local mid-range
restaurant will cost from 50-60,000 RUPIAH per person including beer or
a soft drink.
Coffee Shops
Coffee
shops and café are a major hangout for Chinese. You'll find these by
exploring, or by asking older students,staff or teachers.
Religious Services
A
number of different religions are represented in Indonesia.Five are
officially recognized; Islam, Hinduism,Buddhism, Catholicism and
Christianity are the two most common. Yes those last two are consided
quite distict here. Mosques,temples and churches abound and some
services are available in English.
Safety
Applicants
for teaching/or study positions in Indonesia are advised to contact
their Embassy. The Embassy should have an information service for
people considering an extended visit to a foreign country. Don't
carry large amounts of cash, jewelry or your personal ID. Be discreet
with camera equipment.Don't use ATMs late at night if it can be
avoided. Be aware of your surroundings. Surabaya's relatively safe,but
it's still a large city with all the good and bad that entails.
Getting around
Public
transportation is inexpensive. Indonesia is accessible, and has a fair
amount of cheap taxis and buses. Transportation within Indonesia is
cheap and convenient. Nearly all areas within Indonesia are connected
by a network of air service, trains, boats, ferries and buses.
Indonesian Lessons
There are a number of schools and there are private lessons available. Ask around.
Martial Arts
Do you want to study Silat, Tae Kwon Do, Wushu, Kung Fu or Tai Chi.
View it as alternative fitness or cultural enrichment. Take a
chance.
Embassies
Applicants
for teaching positions in Indonesia are encouraged to contact their
Embassy, which has an information service for people considering an
extended visit to a foreign country.
Medical Care
You'll always here stories about how bad doctors are, even at home. Indonesian medical care and dental care is clean, prompt, courteous and not at all expensive
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