Indonesia Local Customs

  Jakarta roses -bunga mawar in little...
by ullfri49
 
  • Jakarta roses -bunga mawar in little house garden
      Jakarta roses -bunga mawar in little...
    by ullfri49
  • 'Black Jack Kopi', Banda Aceh
      'Black Jack Kopi', Banda Aceh
    by Daihappydai
  • Sweet treats at a coffee shop, Banda Aceh
      Sweet treats at a coffee shop, Banda...
    by Daihappydai
  • A small warung selling local coffee, Banda Aceh
      A small warung selling local coffee,...
    by Daihappydai
  • 'Dakota Kopi', one of the many coffee shops
      'Dakota Kopi', one of the many coffee...
    by Daihappydai
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

what gift to bring for friend in indonesia

by snailmail

unless you know what your friend's is like to (read, travel, cook, techy) everything uniquely represent where you are coming from will definitely accepted. small to medium size gifts are usually more favorable. indonesians are like to have good memories and often happily show it by placing mementos around the house. food will be a difficult choice. if your friend is a moslem, halal food is a must so unless you are sure about the ingredients it will make your friend uncomfortable. quite different from the west, personal things (perfume, earrings) are also well accepted as gifts. books are not favorable for many indonesians though there are indonesians that crazy for books. have a nice trip to the beautiful country.

GREETINGS !

by DAO

Greetings can be a slightly complicated affair. ‘Selamat’ is the greeting word, but you must specify the time. • Selamat pagi = Good Morning• Selamat tengah hari = Good Afternoon (from noon to about 2pm)• Selamat petang = Good Afternoon/Good Evening• Selamat malam = Good Night I did have a grumpy policeman on a train just say ‘Pagi’ to me one morning.Some other greetings: • Terima Kasih = Thank You – this is an important phrase to memorise.• Sama = You are welcome. Sometimes they will say Sama Sama as a way of saying Thank You very much. They do not have the word for ‘very’ so they repeat a word to indicate this. • Selamat datang = Welcome • Apa khabar? = How are you?• Khabar baik, terima kasih.= I'm fine, thank you.• Selamat tinggal =Goodbye. Said by the person leaving • Selamat jalan =Goodbye. Said by the person staying

Tip Photo
Bogor Botanical Gardens

by lmkluque

Opened 18 May 1817 this Botanical Garden has survived two world wars and a revolution. When Indonesia gained full independence, they took charge of the Garden and renamed it 'Kebun Raya' (Great Garden). In 1962, the Garden became part of the Lembaga Biologi Nasional (LBN) (National Biological Institute) and has been an important source of research since. Location: West Java Jl. Ir. H Juanda 13

Tip Photo
Nasi Kuning-yellow rice, special dish in Indonesia

by ullfri49

If there is some like birthday, special in Jakarta people like Nasi Kuning - it means yellow rice with spices and so on. So usually even in a office at noon at someones birthday there will come this. If you happend to be there as guest and they offer You the top of the yellow rice cone, it is a very special honour for the guest- see the photo!

Tip Photo
to swim?

by kilat

Please remember, most of the Indonesian people are Moslims. Please try to respect their traditions.An Indonesian woman will NEVER swim in a bikini, she will wear clothes when se wants to swim in the sea or take a bath in a lake, for example a dress or a t-shirt and trousers. A man will wear short trousers (not very short, till the knee) and sometimes also a t-shirt.Of course they also never change their clothes if their are men around. In Western hotels and very touristic places it is allowed to wear a bikini in the swimmingpool and at the beach, but everywhere else it is NOT DONE!! Even the residants of the villages around Toba-lake and lake of Singkarak are not pleased if you just wear a swimsuit! By the way, it is not a big trouble, just wait untill your clothes dry again .. When you want to swim or take a bath in a river, ask the people first where to go. There are places where the...

Tip Photo
smile, say hello, be patient

by kilat

If you go to a village or a neighbourhoud (kampung) don't forget to great all the people you see. They will be very pleased and smile back to you, sometimes they will even welcome you in their homes. It's polite to ask if you may pass their street. It's easy, just ask "boleh?" (is it allowed?) or "boleh lihat?" (is it allowed to look?) and they will welcome you in their neighbourhoud or village. If you would like to take a photo, they will allso like it if you ask "boleh?". At the other side, it is not polite to say nothing, they will think you are arogant. According to the Indonesian culture you have smile allways, you have to meet a lot of people, you have to talk to all of them and you have to be patient. Because of that Indonesian people are allmost allways nice to everyone and because of their patientness they are used to wait long.If you are a tourist, however, you have to be...

Tip Photo
Traditional javanese sweet cake

by ullfri49

In every good restaurant-and even in the markets from the street sellers and in good malls you find it- and if a friend invites you to a cup of tea with shure he will offer it too- the traditional sweet javanese or indonesian cakes.Very nice, and it is recommend to probe- but of course- very sweet.Here in the photo it is just served after meal in a greater restaurant in Jakarta.

Tip Photo
Modest Dress for Women

by Chezal

Due to Indonesia being a largely Muslim country dress should remain modest outside of Bali. Many female travellers come straight from Thailand and continue to wear revealing clothing and then wonder why they are being stared at by men. To avoid unwanted attention, particularly in remote areas women should have their shoulders covered. Simple t-shirt will do, avoid strappy tops and tops that show off cleavage. Moreover, just show that you respect the local culture by covering up a bit.

Give and recieve things with your right hand.

by Chezal

In Indonesia and many other parts of Asia it is impolite to take or give things with your left hand. This is due to the left hand begining used to wipe when going to the toilet. You will also get strange looks for eatting with your left hand. When eatting with your hands you should always wash your right hand before you eat as well as after. There is usually a small hand washing bowl provided.

communication

by kilat

Please notice the Indonesian people may have a different way of communication. They are not used yet to sending and receiving emails. Often they don't have access, or don't look at it. Don't expect that all locals are able to answer a letter eather. There is a simple reason: a lot of them don't have the money for the stamp. In Indonesia, food and clothes are cheap, but stamps are for them not cheap at all. Besides that, food is allways more important. They often live with one day at a time, if there is money today, they buy what they need for that day. If you never have enough money, you are not used to save money. A lot of Indonesian people invites you to stay in their house if you visit again. They are used to be very polite and friendly to everybody. Think before you decide to stay in their house, what does it mean to them? Can they really afford it? Make sure you pay enough for -at...

Tip Photo

Top 3 Hotels in Indonesia

The Laguna Resort & Spa  Bali

 8 Reviews and 841 Opinions  MY WIFE AND I STAYED IN THE SHERATON LAGUNA FOR THREE WEEKS IN JULY 2006. THE HOTEL HAS JUST GONE... 

 Hotels in Bali

Hotel Mulia Senayan  Jakarta

 15 Reviews and 403 Opinions  My family was planning to have a new year's eve here in Hotel Mulia, so we went there and I've once... 

 Hotels in Jakarta

The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta  Yogyakarta

 4 Reviews and 564 Opinions  I had a fantastic stay in the old colonial Phoenix Hotel. It's a beautiful building and the staff... 

 Hotels in Yogyakarta

Questions and Answers

snurt profile photo

Q:  Hello Folks, I am going to Indonesia and want an idea as to what is a realistic daily budget, a little further... 

Mozumbus profile photo

A: Motorcycle may cost you around 30-50k + 10k for the petrol. Say 50k on average for both basic accommodation will be around 100k-150k 30k-50k for the food so 300k... 

Read 2 Replies

postQuestion_button