Southeast Asia 14th Edition, March 2008 [PDF] / se-asia-14-indonesia

160 T R A N S P O R T • • G e t t i n g A r o u n d

DEPARTURE TAX

Airport tax for international departures is 100,000Rp and for domestic flights the tax varies with the airport, from 10,000Rp to 25,000Rp.

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(Sumatra) and Melaka (Malaysia); Pulau Bintan (Sumatra) and Johor Bahru (Malaysia); and Pulau Batam (Sumatra) and Kuala Tungkal (Malaysia).

For east-coast Kalimantan, fast ferries connect Tarakan and Tawau (Malaysia), and speedboats depart frequently from Tarakan to Nunukan and from Nunukan to Tawau; see p304 for full details.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Boats leave daily (weather permitting) from Hamadi port near Jayapura to Vanimo in Papua New Guinea; charters are also possible (350,000Rp per person). A visa is required if travelling into Indonesia.

SINGAPORE

Ferries link Singapore with Pulau Batam (S$18) and Pulau Bintan (S$25), both in Sumatra.

GETTING AROUND

Air

About a dozen airlines fly internally within Indonesia, some flying to just a handful of destinations on ancient prop planes; others, including Air Asia, use modern Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

Many Indonesian airlines have a history of operating with poor safety standards, and maintenance levels are not what they should be. The airlines with the best reputations are Air Asia, Merpati, TransNusa and the national carrier Garuda (though this airline has had accidents in the last few years). Adam Air has a particularly poor safety record and had several of its aircraft grounded by the government in 2006 after a series of accidents.

Flight prices have fallen on the most popular routes in recent years. As many carriers now operate on low-cost airline price schemes, it really pays to book early – a ticket from Jakarta to Denpasar can be as little as 349,000Rp including all taxes.

Note that many of the smaller Indonesian airlines’ websites don’t function for weeks on end, so be prepared to have to purchase tickets on arrival for many routes. Delays and cancellations are very common, particularly in remote areas, so build plenty of flexibility into your travel plans.

For contact details of the main domestic airlines see p176 and p211.

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162 T R A N S P O R T • • G e t t i n g A r o u n d

Bicycle

Basic bicycles can be hired in all major centres for around 15,000Rp per day from hotels, travel agents and stores; though decent mountain bikes are rare except in Bali. The tropical heat, heavy traffic and poor road conditions make long-distance travel a challenge, but a few hardy souls manage it. Consult the ‘on your bike’ cycling forum at http://thorntree

.lonelyplanet.com for more inspiration.

Boat

Sumatra, Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara are connected by ferries. Pelni, the national passenger line, covers just about everywhere else.

PELNI SHIPS

Pelni (www.pelni.co.id) has a fleet of large vessels linking all of Indonesia’s major ports and the majority of the archipelago’s outlying areas. Pelni’s website is rarely updated and seldom works, so it’s best to check schedules well in advance with a good travel agent.

Pelni ships have four cabin classes, plus kelas ekonomi. Class I is luxury-plus with only two beds per cabin (and is often more expensive than using a low-cost airline); Class IV has eight beds to a cabin. Ekonomi is extremely basic, but is air-conditioned and

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and Sumatra to trek (trucks) with wooden seats that rumble up the dirt roads of Flores. Local buses are the cheapest; they leave when full and stop on request – on the outer islands this is often your only choice.

Minibuses often do shorter runs, while in Bali air-con tourist buses ply popular routes.

Car & Motorcycle

Self-drive jeeps can be hired for as little as 110,000Rp per day with limited insurance in Bali, but become increasingly more expensive and hard to come by the further you get from tourist areas. If you’re not happy negotiating Indonesia’s chaotic roads, a Toyota Kijang with driver can usually be hired for between 300,000Rp and 500,000Rp per day; the more remote areas tend to be the most expensive.

Motorcycles and scooters (usually 90cc to 125cc) can be hired across Indonesia for 25,000Rp to 50,000Rp per day. Be sure to get a crash helmet, as wearing one is supposed to be compulsory.

Hitching

Hitching is possible, but cannot be advised. Drivers may well ask for as much as the bus would cost – maybe more – and safety is obviously a concern.

Local Transport

Public minibuses (most commonly called bemo, but also known as opelet, mikrolet, colt and numerous other names) are everywhere. Bemo run standard routes, but can also be chartered like a taxi.

Cycle rickshaws are called becak, while bajaj are Indonesian túk-túks: three-wheelers that carry two passengers (three at a squeeze) and are powered by rasping two-stroke engines. In quieter towns, you may find horsedrawn carts, variously called dokar, cidomo, andong and ben hur.

An extremely handy form of transport is the ojek (motorcycle taxi); expect to pay about 2500Rp to 5000Rp for a short ride. Most towns have taxis and the drivers sometimes even use their argo (meters).

Train

Java has a good railway service running the length of the island (see p166). There is also an extremely limited rail service in Sumatra. Visit www.infoka.kereta-api.com (in Indonesian) for times and fares.

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Dangers & Annoyances

Java is not generally a dangerous or hassleprone destination. Take extra care in Jakarta (see p169) against petty theft, as you would in any large city. It’s best to avoid any large religious or political rallies, which occasionally become violent. Thugs calling themselves ‘Defenders of Islam’ have been known to smash up perceived dens of iniquity like bars and clubs from time to time; this is particularly true during Ramadan.

Getting There & Away

AIR

Jakarta is the main hub, with connections to destinations across the archipelago. Surabaya is the second most important hub, while Solo and Bandung also have international connections to Kuala Lumpur on Air Asia.

BOAT

Java is a major hub for shipping services. Jakarta (see p176) and Surabaya (see p206) are the main ports for Pelni ships; check www

.pelni.co.id for more information.

Ferries (7000Rp, one hour) shuttle between Gilimanuk in western Bali and Ketapang in Java every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day.

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operate on the major runs. Many hotels can arrange pick-ups.

LOCAL TRANSPORT

Dream up a way of getting around, and you will find it somewhere on the streets of Java; ojek (motorcycle taxis) are very widely available. Dokar – brightly coloured, horse-drawn carts, awash with jingling bells and psychedelic motifs – are a highlight.

TRAIN

Trains are usually quicker, more comfortable and more convenient than buses for getting between the main centres.

Ekonomi trains are dirt-cheap, slow, crowded and often run late. Seats can be booked on the better ekonomi plus services. For a little extra, express trains with bisnis (business) and eksekutif (executive) sections are better and seating is guaranteed. For aircon and more comfort, go for the top-of- the-range argo (luxury) trains, though don’t expect anything luxurious – cracked windows and semiswept aisles are the norm, but a meal is always included.

For basic ekonomi trains, tickets go on sale an hour before departure. Bisnis and eksekutif trains can be booked weeks ahead, and the main stations have efficient, computerised booking offices for eksekutif trains.

Try to book at least a day in advance, or several days beforehand for travel on public holidays and long weekends.

For details of times and prices, check out www.infoka.kereta-api.com.

JAKARTA

%021 / pop 8.9 million

America can keep its big apple; Indonesia’s capital was never going to be an easy fruit to swallow. Dubbed the ‘Big Durian’, Jakarta is a chaotic landscape of freeways, skyscrapers, slums and traffic jams built on a plain that floods (often to biblical proportions) every wet season (see boxed text, opposite). A vast waiting lounge for those queuing up for their share of Indonesia’s financial stir-fry, this is a fast-paced city of function rather than form; somewhere for the rich to forge political alliances and for the rest to escape a humdrum life hunched over a rice paddy. Tourists, as a result, are at a premium.

But just like the big fruit itself, Jakarta rewards those who are prepared to hold

their noses and dig in. Pull back the concrete curtain and Indonesia’s capital contains elements from the four corners of the archipelago – Batak taxi drivers, musicians from Maluku, religious radicals from Solo and gangsters from Flores – with all the cultural traits and culinary treats that a nation of 250 million has to offer. From the steamy streets of Chinatown, through the swanky expat suburbs, to the city’s decadent nightclubs, Jakarta is unique, stuffed with all the excesses, contradictions and wonders of Indonesian life.

Lacking a coherent centre, Jakarta is a tough city to explore. The old city around Kota offers a clutch of museums and sights, however, as does the area around Freedom Sq, which is capped with Soekarno’s suspiciously phallic national monument. But sometimes it is best just to accept Jakarta for what it is, and explore the restaurants, bars, clubs and shopping malls that the city does best.

Orientation

Metropolitan Jakarta sprawls 28km from the docks to the southern suburbs. Soekarno’s national monument (Monas) in Lapangan Merdeka (Freedom Sq) is an excellent central landmark. North of the monument is the older part of Jakarta, which includes Chinatown, the former Dutch area of Kota and the old port of Sunda Kelapa. Tanjung Priok, the main harbour, is several kilometres further east. The sprawling modern suburbs of Jakarta are south of the monument.

Jl Thamrin is the main north–south street of the new city and has Jakarta’s big hotels and

banks. A couple of blocks east along Jl Kebon Sirih Raya is Jl Jaksa, the cheap accommodation centre of Jakarta.

Information

BOOKSHOPS

Periplus (Map p168; %718 7070; Level 3, Plaza Senayan, Jl Asia Afrika; h9am-7pm) Has a wide range of English-language titles, including Lonely Planet guidebooks and Periplus maps.

QB World Books (Map p168; %718 0818; Jl Kemang Raya 17) Sells English-language literature and magazines.

CULTURAL CENTRES

Australian Cultural Centre (Map p168; %2550 5555; Australian Embassy, Jl Rasuna Said Kav C15-16)

British Council (Map p168;%252 4115; www

.britishcouncil.org/indonesia.htm; S Widjojo Centre, Jl Sudirman 71)

GETTING INTO TOWN

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is 35km northwest of the city. It’s about an hour away via a toll road (up to two hours during rush hour).

There’s a Damri bus service (15,000Rp) every 30 minutes from 3am to 7pm between the airport and Gambir train station.

Alternatively, a metered taxi costs about 130,000Rp, including the airport service charge and toll-road charges. These should be organised through the official booths in the arrival terminal; avoid the freelance drivers outside for safety reasons.

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