paying at immigration not really necessary
[quote=panya]i have sms-ed my golden bird contact and this is what he can do:
1. let him know in advance via sms your arrival date/time/flight number. please be informed that he works in shifts, and there are many golden bird counters where he can be stationed --so some advance arrangement is needed.
2. on your arrival, there are escalators/steps that you go down after disembarking from your plane. he will be waiting for you at the bottom of the steps with your name on a sheet of paper.
3. he will walk with you to the "visa on arrival", take your documents and deal directly with the immigration officer without having to queue. while this is being done, you will wait for him nearby the "visa on arrival" counter.
4. after that, he will walk with you to the immigration counter where he will "clear" you through, and you wait for him near the smoking area/toilet entrance. he will handle the immigration formalities for you.
for this, he would like to charge rp 150,000 per head (he claims that he has to give at least rp 100k to the officers at both counters). for those who are interested, you can send me a pm, and i will provide his name and mobile phone number. for god's sake, don't even for a minute think i am getting a commission out of this!!
i find that the downside of this arrangement is that sometimes there are no queues at all when you arrive, but you will still have to pay him for showing up! :(
a[/quote]
i'm sure that all of this information is correct and useful for some people. but it's important to realise that it's not really necessary. first-timers to jakarta should know that jakarta airport is not some nasty african shithole where you must pay corrupt officials or queue for hours in an iron shed. it may not be bangkok, but there's really no hassle at all. as panya mentioned, there are often no queues at all. the recent renovation of the immigration counters also appears to have speeded things up.
if you're really keen to get to the ladies 10 mins earlier, then by all means pay a golden bird man. but i personally don't bother. and i come in and out of the country about every month.
Massage at your hotel or in call WG services
I've RTFF, but am looking for a good outcall massage or WG service (not Mr Don, been there done that).
Anyone got any suggestions for getting a good massage in your hotel room other than using the over-priced (and usually over-weight, over-aged women they send!).
Also looking for a good in room outcall service when the need arises there too !
Any pointers in the right direction?
Cheers,
Maaars
Some Indonesian required for best price:
[QUOTE=Maaars]I've RTFF, but am looking for a good outcall massage or WG service (not Mr Don, been there done that).
Also looking for a good in room outcall service when the need arises there too !
Maaars[/QUOTE]I don't know about the straight massage, but this one is full-service sex. Better pricing (and service) then you are likely to get by calling one of the many numbers featured in the Jakarta Post classifieds.
Try one of these numbers – both for the same place. Cost is 350k rups for short-time (roughly 90 minutes), and negotiable for longer, including over night, though I never tried that.
You need to be able to speak enough Indonesian to give directions and to agree price. If they think you are a bule tourist, the price quoted will be 600k, but you can bargain down . . . in bahasa (smile).
The service guarantee below the numbers (loosely translated) states that they guarantee the service, and your money back if you are not satisfied. I don't know what would happen if you asked (smile again), but it's a nice thought.
021-68159375, 021-68159573
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