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Healthy Traveling
Indonesia is getting better in terms of hygiene and medical
facilities but it still has a ways to go. You do not want to have
a medical emergency Yogyakarta. Play safe and make sure you have
medical insurance before you come. Best to have insurance that will
evacuate you if you get terribly sick or have a serious injury and
need airlifted to Singapore or home. Here are a couple of other
common sense points that should keep you in good shape and enjoying
your visit.
Drink plenty of fluids (water and fruit juices) to avoid dehydration.
Drink bottled water ONLY - ice in drinks, however, is not a problem.
Use common sense when choosing a place to eat. Eat in established
restaurants that are clean and well patronized. See our restaurant
guide for a few suggestions. If you are dead set on trying the
hawkers in the street stick to those not serving meats unless your
system is already well adjusted.
If you are using prescription drugs bring a sufficient supply. Pharmacies
(Apotiks) often can fill a prescription but the dosage may not be
quite the same as your doctor has prescribed. Take prompt care of
any cuts or burns - do not risk infection in this heat and humidity.
If you are sleeping in the open air, use mosquito repellent and
a mosquito net. Malaria is not a problem in Yogyakarta. For additional
information there's a list of hospitals and clinics in the Emergency
Info section. Additional information on health matters may be
obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Telephone
the CDC international travelers hotline at (404) 332-4559 or visit
the CDC home page on the Internet at http://www.cdc.gov
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Money
Matters
You can exchange most major world currencies (cash or travelers
checks) easily into the local coin, the Indonesian Rupiah. Hotels
generally give less favorable exchange rates (the price of convenience).
Or - and this our choice -
go to a branch office of one of the
local banks. However that being said, there are a squillion
"authorized" money changers available. If you choose to
deal with an money changer BE CAREFUL - The number of stories we
hear about people being cheated are shameful and the authorities
are seemingly helpless to shut these despicable characters down.
Nonetheless here are a couple of points worth remembering. First,
the rate posted on the door usually is for amounts in notes of US
$100. - lesser denominated notes (i.e. $50.00) will be given a less
favorable rate. Next verify the exchange calculation (ask to use
the calculator or - better yet - bring your own) and count your
change before you leave the window. Lastly, be prepared, if
you are cashing travelers checks you will need to present your passport
for identification and many money changers do not accept cash notes
that have been defaced - or are in less than near mint condition.
The official exchange rate posted is daily in all major newspapers.
Rupiahs come in paper and coins. Paper denominations are 100, 500,
1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000; coin denominations
are 10, 25, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000. Just a word of caution there
are many styles of the same denomination and together with all the
"zeroes" even we who live here get confused once and awhile.
ATMs are quite common and the ones with VISA / Cirrus logos dispense
local currency at the bank's then current exchange rate. Some have
the rate on the screen. (Our feeling is that this is still far better
than going to a money changer considering the high probability of
being short changed.) A note of caution though - you must be absolutely
sure to take your card - if not and the card remains in some machines
additional withdrawals may be made WITHOUT having to reenter the
PIN ! Also, read the sidebar about using credit cards in Yogyakarta.
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Tipping
Tipping is relatively new in Yogyakarta. Most large hotels and restaurants
will automatically add a service charge of between 5 - 10 percent
to your bill which is quite sufficient. Smaller restaurants generally
don't add anything extra but considering that the waiter's wage
is often only $1.00 a day - a tip of 5 - 10 percent is very much
appreciated.
Other. Bellmen and skycaps generally get Rp. 1,000 - Rp. 1,500 for
a small to medium sized luggage and at least Rp. 2,000 for those
house trailers some people carry around. For taxi drivers, rounding
up to the nearest Rp. 1,000 or Rp. 5,000 (depending on the length
of trip) is the norm. If you hire a car for an entire day it is
good form to give the driver Rp. 5,000 - 10,000 for each meal and
tip (say Rp. 20,000) at the end of the day. With tour guides and
the like tipping is up to you - just remember that chances are your
driver/guide has most likely already received a commission from
anything you purchased during the day.
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Phone
Home
All telephone numbers listed herein are local numbers.
To reach any number in Yogyakarta dial: International access code
+ 62 + 274+ (local number). Wherein "62" is Indonesia
country code and "274" is the most common area code for
Yogyakarta. Be advised most Yogyakarta telephone numbers are 6 digits
some are still 5. Cellular service in Indonesia is GSM. If you bring
your own mobile phone you may purchase a prepaid calling chip from
any Satelindo distributor (cheaper than using your home country
service).
Telecommunication capabilities have improved greatly over the last
few years but patience is the keyword when trying to dial overseas
from Indonesia - especially during office hours. Most better hotels
offer International Direct Dialing (IDD) and Home Country Direct
(HCD) services. Overseas calls can also be made at state-run telephone
offices known as a wartel (warung telephone).
Need to get online ? There are any number of WarNets (Warung Internet)
that are reasonably quick and very cheap. Be careful of entering
credit card data on public computer terminals.
For those using a laptop in their hotel room the local phone company
allows anyone access to its network without having to establish
an user account or pay any set fees (the telco makes its money by
adding a 50% surcharge to its normal per minute tariff) making it
easy to check your internet email (i.e. Yahoo mail or mail2web.com).
To access dial 0809- 89999
/ username: telkomnet@instan
/ password: telkom.
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Business
Hours
Most shops and sidewalk vendors along Jl. Malioboro trade from 10
am till 8-9 p.m. daily. Street vendors and Lesehans
(sidewalk food vendors) who use the shop fronts and parking areas
in front of buildings start to set up around 6 pm and go to 11.00
- 12.00 pm. Established restaurants start serving from 7 a.m. or
so until 10-11 p.m. Government offices and banks operate from 8
a.m. till 3 p.m., Monday to Thursday, and 8 a.m. till 12 p.m. on
Fridays. Museums have their own hours and are generally open for
half a day Monday - Saturday.
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Bargaining
Difficult for many first timers but once you get the hang
of it you’ll never pay retail again! However, not everybody
wants to bargain anymore. Many of Yogyakarta's finer retailers now
refuse (price tags generally signify a fixed price) but bargaining
is still the norm in the batik displays, trinket and T-shirt stalls
along Jl. Malioboro. But don’t get cheesy. Nothing is more
irritating nowadays than watching a well clad tourist trying to
squeeze the last 1,000 Rupiah (about 12 US cents) out of a shopkeeper.
Just remember how much it cost to get to Yogyakarta. So what is
the value in not taking home that beautiful wood statue or silk
batik? Negotiate a good price and take home a good story.
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Street Wise
The Javanese have a reputation as a very gentle and friendly
people. Unfortunately, this lulls some people into becoming less
than vigilant. And whilst Yogyakarta is still far, far safer
than most large cities in this world, there are still those who
prey on visitors. Pickpockets, car break-ins and drive by bag snatching
seem to be the most common complaints.
To reduce your risk, use plain common sense and take the same basic
precautions you would if you were visiting any big city. So, keep
a tight grip on your purse or camera, Never leave any bags (whether
valuable or not) in your car, use the hotel safety deposit box,
don’t go down dark deserted gangs (alleys) and don’t count
money in the open. Not so hard...
On the flip side don't even think of committing a crime in Indonesia.
You are a long way from home with far fewer rights than you think.
Behave yourself and be a gracious guest.
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Outward
Bound
On the way out of the hotel be sure to keep a little extra
money handy. All passengers leaving Yogyakarta on a domestic flight
via Adi Sucipto Airport are
required to pay an airport departure tax of Rp. 15,000.- Sometimes
this has already been included in the ticket price - but often not
- ask and be prepared.
If you are leaving Indonesia from Solo's
Adi Sumarmo International Airport you are required to pay
an international departure tax of Rp. 75,000.-. Tax for domestic
departures from Solo is Rp. 10,000.-.
And finally be advised that it is against the law to leave Indonesia
with more than Rp. 10,000,000.- in cash.
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