Indonesia in a nutshell
1. Bali Belly
Bali belly is very common for visitors to Bali. Bali belly I think is caused by the change of foods, but it could also be the air pollution or the unsafe drinking water. This usually results with a couple of days on the toilet.
2. Food
The food in Indonesia is very different to Western food. The three main dishes that you can find in most Warungs (Restaurants) are Nasi goreng (Fried rice) and Mie goreng (Fried noodles) and Soto Ayam (Chicken soup). You can also find western food in most restaurants and in the big cities you can find fast food places like McDonalds and Starbucks.
3. Water
Water in Indonesia is unsafe to drink from the tap, but you can easily find cheap water at supermarkets. The best brand of water I think is Aqua, but Cleo is also fine.
I would recommend when ordering a drink ask for no ice because some ice is made with tap water.
4. Accommodation
There are so many different types of accommodation in Indonesia from big villas with a pool to hot concrete hotel rooms.
5. Transport
Transport is very easy in Indonesia. Taxi’s, buses, trains, planes and boats are all available. I find trains a very easy way of getting to your next destination if you are traveling for 20 minutes or 7 hours. There are usually local buses that just go around town and they are easy to hop on and very cheap, but keep in mind you might end up sitting next to a chicken.
6. Toilets
There are two main types of toilets in Indonesia, the western toilets and the squatty potty. In the big cities they usually have western toilets but as you head out of the city squatty potties become more prominent.
Quick tip: I have found most toilets, even the western ones, usually don’t have toilet paper.
7. Clothes
When in Indonesia you may notice that the locals wear long pants and a long-sleeved tee-shirt. In the cities I just wore shorts and a tee-shirt but in little villages I felt more comfortable wearing long pants as it is part of their religion.
8. Animals
There are so many different animals in Indonesia. You can find chickens sitting at your doorstep, cats following you and dogs barking at you, everywhere. I have tried to avoid touching them because you never know where they have been.
9. Weather
We were in Indonesia during January and February which is the wet season. During the wet season you should always bring a rain jacket or umbrella, because it can be bright and sunny one minute and grey and stormy the next.
10. Religions
Religions are a big part in an Indonesians life. When driving through the cities and towns you can see big and colourful Churches and Mosques. They are very pretty but if you stay too close to one, be prepared to be woken up at 4 in the morning with their calls to prayer.
11. Basic phrases
How much? - Barupa bunya?
Welcome! - Salamat Datang!
Thank you - Terima Kasih
No - Tidak
Hello - Hello
Restaurants - Warungs
Fried - Goreng
Rice - Nasi
Noodles - Mie
Soup - Soto / sop
Chicken - Ayam
One - Satu
Two - Dua
Three - Tiga
Four - Empat
Five - Lemar
Six - Enam
Seven - Tuju
Eight - Delapan
Nine - Sembelan
Ten - Supuluh
