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

farmers in Indonesia

by kilat

Farmers in Indonesian are often very poor. Some of them have only rice to eat. And not always enough. Even vegatables are to expensive in some area's. Of course, not only the farmers have a difficult live. Also in the city's are poor people.If you will meet one, it is possible he will ask for "uang" (money). I would suggest not to hesitate, he probably really needs it to survive. The price of rice is almost 5.000 Rp / kilo (2008). If you give him only 10.000 Rp. (0,70 Euro), he can buy 2 kilo's of rice, that will be about 20 meals.

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sent the pictures you made of locals to them

by kilat

If you want to make a photo of a local man or woman, you can simply ask: "boleh?". Most of them like it and will be enthusiast. Of course, they appreciate to see it afterwords. Mostly, the locals cannot afford to have a camera. If you ask them, they don't even have any photo at all. They will be very pleased if you sent a print later. Simply ask them: "alamat?" (adress?). They will write it down with pleasure. Don't expect a reaction when they received the photo('s). They can often not pay the stamp! Ones, after I asked a woman her adress, she even pulled me into the little mosque of the village, nobody cared that I didn't wear anything over my hair, and they gave me no time to change that. Of course, she also liked to have an official portret as well, inside the mosque, under the motto in Arabic.If I make a picture of someone, I think it is right to sent it as well. It costs a little...

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Ancient musical experience

by Deng249

Gamelan has a very old tradition. Gamelan in Indonesia differs from the one in Malaysia, being that of 7 notes to the octave, or Pelog. While the one in Malaysia, it's slendro which is 5 notes to the octave. Gamelan is normally played to accompany traditional dances.

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THE ETHICS AND HOW TO ADDRESS THE LOCAL

by pangtidor

Every country has their own way to respect others accordingly, depend on their own culture. When you travel to Indonesia, knowing the ethics of local people could be helpful to enjoy your time more. The most important thing is RESPECT THE ELDERS. When somebody is much older than you (like your parents’ ages), you should not call him/her by their name. Call him with PAK (pack) or BAPAK (bah-pack) before his name. For a lady, call her BU (boo) or IBU (ee-boo) before her name. A bow, a smile, raising your hand, or saying hi/hello will be appropriate when somebody greets you. Shaking hands will be ok in all the places. For the relatives or close friends, a hug is ok. Kissing each other cheeks will be accepted among the female. Male don’t suppose to do to the female when you don’t know each other. In the big cities, it will be ok. In most of areas, for the casual occasion you may address the...

YOUR 'PET NAME' BY THE LOCALS

by pangtidor

The guest will be the king for the host in Indonesia. The travel warnings and terrorists' attacks may lead you to the misinterpretation on how the Indonesians will react toward the Westerners. In fact, you will see many Indonesians welcome you with their generousity. Domestic tourists and the tourists from surrounding countries could be seen as local people here. The 'White and Black' people could be seen as circus comes to town when you visit a smaller cities in Indonesia. You will be greeted all along the way, so just smile and say hello. The White/Caucasians will be called as BULE (boo-lay) and the Black/Africans will be called as NEGRO or AFRICA. DON'T BE OFFENDED !!! That is the way of local people to address you, dont misinterpret it as an intimidation. By seeing their face full of smile by saying your 'pet name', you will know that it is not the way to intimidate you.:-)

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Adopting in Bali

by balisunshine

With several orphanages in Indonesiaone would think thatthe government would make it accessible for children in need to be adopted by foreigners and be given a second chance of happiness in life in a foreign country.Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.Adoption in Indonesia can be pretty difficult.Why?Well, here are some of the regulations:The Legal MethodYou must be a resident of Indonesiaand of course, have the financialbackup necessary to complete the application process.Contact the Yayasan Sayap Ibu Foundationon Jalan Barito II no. 55Tel. 62 21 722 1763the only association elected by the Minister of Social Affairs to help foreigners eager to adopt from the city of Jakarta.The ‘Angelina Method’:You must hold a highranking position or be politically connected, this will help you ‘sail through’ the process….The Local Method:To meet an unmarried girl in a delicate situation and to...

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How are orphanages funded?

by balisunshine

The cruel paradox that strikes young Indonesians orphans is that if the government doesn’t allow them to be adopted, or does so with difficulty, it will not take responsibility for their welfare nor will it provide for their education.To make matters worse,they are also subjected to Islamic politicswhereby government grants aresolely intended for Moslem shelters.Nondenominational centers or those of non-Moslem worship find themselves constantly denied governmental resources, even if the orphan is admitted without religious affiliation.Fortunately, many outside organizations come to the aid of these orphanages.

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Car drive from Right side

by meiyergani

In United State or European Country, generally the driver drive a car from the left side, but in Indonesia, as well as South East Asian Countries, the driver is driving on the right side and the vehicles take the left side lane of the street

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Indonesia Currency - Rupiah

by SLLiew

Rupiah comes from the Sanskrit word "rupya"= wrought silver.If you come to Indonesia, you will be an instant millionaire. You will be spending 100 thousands of rupiahs. 10,000 rupiah is almost 1 US Dollar (9,209 rupiah= 1 US$)Common currency bills: Denominations of Rp 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, and 50,000.New 100,000 bill is plastic.Confusing bills: Rp 50,000 (blue) vs old Rp 1,000. Looks similar in color.Obsolete bills: 1992 pink Rp 10,000 or 1992 greenish 20,000 bill, or blue Rp 50,000 of President Suharto.Be careful of old bills which can be confusing, Coins in circulation include the Rp 1,000 (gold and silver colored), Rp 500, 100, 50 and 25 coins.

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Bahasa Indonesia

by SLLiew

The official and lingua franca is Bahasa Indonesia is similar to Bahasa Malaysia but different like UK English vs American English is accent and different words and phrases used. In Malaysia, you will used "Tuan" or "Puan", "Encik" or "Cik" for Sir/Madam or Mister/Miss.In Indoneisa, you will address as "Bapa" or "Ibu" (Father, Mother). For unmarried younger persons, you can use "Abang" or "Kak Kak" (Brother, Sister).Terima kasih = thank youSelamat Pagi = good morningBahasa Indonesia has a romanized script and is an easy language to learn.However in Java, therere are other commonly spoken languages like Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese and a smaller population speaking Dutch, English and Chinese dialects.

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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... 

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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... 

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