Bali travel tour

TIPS from Bali travel tour

Airport Tax and Transport
Passengers departing on international and domestic flights have to pay Rp. 50,000 and Rp. 11,000 airport tax respectively.Metered taxis are available only at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta. At other major Indonesian airports, taxis operate on a fixed rate basis. From Jakarta airport, all taxi fares include a surcharge of Rp. 2,300 and a highway toll of at least Rp. 4,000, depending on destination. The surcharge does not apply to trips to the airport, though the highway toll does. In both directions, airport taxis offer a 25 percent discount on the toll fee.

Customs
On entry to Indonesia, each adult is allowed to bring in tax-free a maximum of one liter of alcoholic beverages and 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 grams of tobacco.
Cameras, video cameras, portable radios, cassette recorders, binoculars and sport equipment are admitted provided they are taken out of the country on departure. They must be declared to Customs. Prohibited are firearms, narcotics, pornography, Chinese printing and medicines, transceivers and cordless telephones. Films, pre-recorded video tapes and laser disks must be screened by the Censor Board.
There is no restriction on the movement of foreign currencies or travellers checks in and out of the country. However, the import and export of Indonesian hard currency exceeding Rp. 5 million is prohibited.

Communications
Long-distance telephone calls within Indonesia are by direct dialing. International Direct Dialing (IDD) is available in all 26 provincial capitals and in more than 320 cities throughout the country. For the business travellers, facsimile, telex and email services are available in most hotels and at service outlets.

Currency
Exchange facilities for the main foreign currencies are available in banks or at authorized moneychangers in major cities of Indonesia. Rupiah comes in denominations of 100,000, 50,000, 20,000, 10,000, 5000, 500 and 100 in bank notes, and 1000, 500, 100, 50, 25, 10 and 5 coins.

Time
Indonesia is divided into three time zones. Western Indonesia Time (Sumatra, Java, West and Central Kalimantan) is seven hours ahead of GMT, Central Indonesia Time (Bali, South and East Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara) is eight hours ahead, and East Indonesia Time (Maluku and Irian Jaya) is nine hours ahead.

Electricity

Electricity is supplied at 220V 50Hz. Outlets are the European standard CEE-7/7 "Schukostecker" or "Schuko" or the compatible, but non-grounded, CEE-7/16 "Europlug" types. Generally speaking, U.S. and Canadian travelers should pack a voltage changing adapter for these outlets, if they plan to use North American electrical equipment (although a lot of electronics with powr adapters will work on 220 volts, check your equipment first).

Climate

Day-time temperatures are pleasant varying between 20 and 33 degrees Celsius or 68 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. From December to March, the west monsoon can bring heavy showers and high humidity, but days are still often sunny with the rains starting in the late afternoon/evening and passing quickly. From June to September the humidity is low and it can be quite cool in the evenings. At this time of the year there is hardly any rain in the lowland coastal areas.

Office hours

Most government offices are open from 8 am to 3 pm. On Fridays, they close at 11:30 am. On Saturdays, they are open until 2 or 3 pm.

Business offices

open from 8 am or 9 am to 4 pm or 5 pm. Some work half day on Saturdays. Banks open from 8 am to 3 pm on weekdays. Banks are closed on Saturdays. Money-changers open longer hours till the evening.