INDONESIA

Indonesia’s an interesting country where traditions and culture happily live cheek by jowl with modernization. Where karaoke lounges, glass-and-steel office buildings and loud nightclubs stand alongside old temples and colonial buildings dating back to the time when Jakarta was called Batavia. Indonesia has its fair share- in fact perhaps more than its fair share- of cities of more historical and cultural value- cities like Surakarta or Solo, with its amazingly beautiful palaces, or Yogyakarta, with its famous temples and palaces. In Indonesia there are settlements, which still retain the beauty of colonial days -Bandung, with it’s quaint old-world charm and its distinctive Dutch art-deco architecture, lives up pretty well to its reputation as the ‘Paris of Java’. And there are places in Indonesia, which are so beautiful- naturally- that even without attractions like monuments and history, they’re worth a visit. The world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia with its mind-bending diversity has something to offer to every kind of traveler.

Capital: Jakarta

Best time to visit:

  1. Temperatures in Indonesia tend to be uniform through most of the year, but the rainy season can cause problems, especially as far as mobility is concerned.
  2. A lot of roads get clogged with mud and water, and the constant dripping and drizzling can get on your nerves, besides being a major inconvenience.
  3. The best time to visit the country is therefore during the dry season (May to September). Be prepared, however, to be surrounded by tourists- this is peak season, and much of Indonesia, especially more popular destinations like Bali are literally flooded with visitors.

Minimum days required: 5 days

Places of Interest:

  1. Bali –Uluwatu temple ,Purahtanah lot, Ubud, Mount Batur
  2. Jakarta– Taman Mini Indonesia Indahor, Monas, Dufan, Ancol,Ragunan Zoological Park

Climate:

  1. The climate of Indonesia is tropical maritime but varies from area to area.
  2. Violent rainstorms and rains, irrespective of the seasons, frequently lash Indonesia.
  3. The driest periods are from June to September – relatively speaking- as the Eastern Monsoon brings lesser amounts of rain than its Westerly counterpart that all but inundates the islands from December to March.
  4.  The temperatures tend to be cooler at higher altitudes and cool weather clothes are essential.

Currency:  Indonesian Rupiah

Things to carry:

  1. When packing your bags, remember that Indonesia’s a hot, humid country so the best sort of clothing is light cotton stuff, which keeps you cool.
  2. Keep the bikinis, shorts and tank tops only for the beach.
  3. Carry along sunscreen creams, suntan lotion, a big hat and insect repellant so you don’t get sun burnt or bitten by mosquitoes
  4.  Carry along essential and prescribed medication and a spare pair of spectacles.
  5. As far as items for personal use are concerned- like medicines and toiletries- most are available in large cities like Jakarta, but don’t expect all the Western brands to be on sale.
  6.  If you use anything out of the ordinary, bring it along with you.
  7. And if you’re planning to go off into the wilds and the villages, take along everything you’ll likely to need.

How to get there:

Air:

  1. Indonesia’s main international airport is Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta.
  2. It’s the main point of entry for much of the country, but other airports also cater to international airlines.
  3.  These include NgurahRai (Bali) and Polonia (Medan, in north Sumatra), which are connected by air to destinations in most major cities of the world.
  4. The national carrier is the main airline linking the country to other destinations, but some other airlines also fly to Indonesia to Manado, Biak, Amban, Surabaya and Batam.