Indonesia

Indonesia offers a multitude of visas via its official e-Visa website. The easiest to get is the 30-day electronic visa on arrival / B1 tourist visa, which is approved within minutes after supplying passport details, the intended address of stay in Indonesia, and a PDF copy of outbound transportation (e.g. a flight which can be cancelled later if plans change). The visa application wizard makes the process pretty straightforward. Just make sure to check "Credit/debit card" for the payment type. The fee for the 30-day visa is Rp500,000, and the visa can be extended for another 30 days. There is…

Indonesia's currency is the rupiah, abbreviated Rp (ISO code: IDR). While the new, colorful large-denomination notes are easy to tell apart, the smaller notes are all confusingly similar pale pastel shades of yellow, green and brown and often filthy and mangled to boot. Banknotes issued before 2000 are no longer legal tender.

By plane

Indonesia's vast area and lack of fixed links between islands mean that the only rapid means of long-distance travel within Indonesia is by air. State-owned carrier Garuda Indonesia is a full-service airline and thus usually comes out as the most expensive, but offers seamless connection between its extensive domestic networks and international flights, and has the best safety record of the lot. Lion Air is a low cost carrier (LCC) that has plenty of flights to a specific destination, though major delays occur sporadically. Wings Air is a subsidiary of Lion Air is also a LCC. Ot…

The sole official language is Indonesian, known in that language as Bahasa Indonesia (not Bahasa, which literally means "language"). It is similar to Malay (spoken in Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore), so speakers of both languages can generally understand each other. The main differences are in the loan words: Malay was more influenced by the English language, while Indonesian was more influenced by the Dutch language. Written phonetically with the Latin alphabet and with a fairly logical grammar…

, a popular tourist attraction in East Java, erupting in 2004]] Indonesia has been and continues to be wracked by every pestilence known to man: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, terrorism, civil strife, plane crashes, sinking boats, and corruption make the headlines on a depressingly regular basis. However, it is important to retain a sense of proportion and remember Indonesia's vast size: a tsunami in Aceh will not cause the slightest ripple on the beaches of Bali, and street battles in troubled Papua are irrelevant in the jungles of Borneo.

The bad news is that every disease known to humans can be found somewhere in Indonesia — the good news is that you most probably will not go there. Malaria prophylaxis is not necessary for Java or Bali, but is wise if travelling for extended periods in remote areas of Sumatra, Borneo, Lombok or points east.

Keeping in touch with the outside world from Indonesia is rarely a problem, at least if you stay anywhere close to the beaten track. In the past the locals would go to wartel (short for warung telekomunikasi or telecommunication booth) to make phone call, but nowadays it is hardly to be found as many Indonesians can now afford mobile phones.

Dress

By and large, Indonesia is a conservative country and modest dress is advisable. At most of the beaches on Bali and Lombok the locals are used to foreigners prancing around in bikinis (never topless or nude), but elsewhere women are advised to keep legs and necklines covered and to match the locals when bathing. Women are not legally required to wear the hijab, except Muslim women in Aceh. Wearing shorts or miniskirts is unlikely to cause actual offence, but clothing like this is sometimes associated with sex workers. Men, too, can gain respect by wearing collared, long-sleeve shir…

Multicultural Indonesia celebrates a vast range of religious holidays and festivals, but most celebrations are effectually limited to small areas (e.g. the Hindu festivals of Bali). All Indonesians, regardless of religion, get a day off for all these public holidays: