General Info

[QUOTE=Smoothy;2411072]He absolutely DID NOT add that illegally. There is an airport fee for him to wait at the airport and also the tolls.

What country are you from where you are so un-trusting of people? LOL. That's sad.

Enjoy Indonesia. The people are among the most honest you will find anywhere in the world.[/QUOTE]I find it very relaxing when I visit Indonesia. I don't get that feel anywhere else. To a degree I feel safe in Singapore. But talking about a relaxing vacation Indonesia is the best so far.

I don't understand the hype about manila either. People try to scam if you are not very careful. Comparing to those, I feel very comfortable with Indonesians in general.

[QUOTE=Ricky81;2445714]Thanks, in most of the Indian language Basha means language, there are some similarities in the words.

With Indonesian.[/QUOTE]Thats news. Is there enough similarity for a native Indian speaker to understand a native Indonesian speaker?

Indonesian is based heavily upon Malaysian to the point that Indonesians and Malays can very easily converse. I'm wondering if the early Indian influences in Malaysia have included their language and therefore also Indonesia's??

By "Indian" are you referring to Hindi?

Cheers. G.

[QUOTE=Goferring;2445849]Thats news. Is there enough similarity for a native Indian speaker to understand a native Indonesian speaker?

Indonesian is based heavily upon Malaysian to the point that Indonesians and Malays can very easily converse. I'm wondering if the early Indian influences in Malaysia have included their language and therefore also Indonesia's??

By "Indian" are you referring to Hindi?

Cheers. G.[/QUOTE]Many of the South East Asian languages have some root words from Tamil and Sanskrit. Malay, Indonesian and Tagalog still have many of these words. Indonesian has hundreds of Dutch words, particularly legal, commercial, financial and bureaucratic terms. Bahasa Indonesia was invented by a bunch of scholars to unify the country after WW 2. Before that it was just Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese etc.

A few examples include:

Indonesian / Tamil / Sanskrit.

Topi = Topi = Hat.

Kapal = Kapal = Ship.

Meja = Meshai = Table.

Kursi = Kuruchi = Chair.

Bahasa = Bashai = Language.

——————————————.

Indonesian / Dutch.

Apotik = Apotheek = Pharmacy.

Bengkel = Winkel = Workshop.

Bioskop = Bioscoop = Cinema.

Gratis = Gratis = Free.

[QUOTE=Blanquiceleste;2411974]I also agree asking for a flat fare is not necessarily dishonest, if the ask is reasonable (within 5-10% of the usual meter rate). Particularly in places where it is hard to find a taxi, like Kota Indah. Call it convenience charge. But if someone asks for twice the fare, then I wonder what you would call that.
[/QUOTE]Have you ever tried to use the Bluebird app near that area? It's a comedy watching the icons drive in circles trying to get to you. Then you realize the tragedy when you have to jump in a flat fare taxi.

I always offer about 1. 8 times that of the metered fare near KI. I'm too fucking tired to walk back to my hotel; it's goddamn far away; and I'm sure I'm going to encounter more mosquitoes walking than in that piece of shit taxi.

Ok, flat fare taxi it is.

Oh damn, it stinks in here.

[URL]https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/COVID-vaccines/Indonesia-to-ban-entry-by-unvaccinated-foreigners?fbclid=IwAR0nkq2xUP2tIDgaQmvQRox5Rk6jrEezGqiMAD2yx2soZit4gSiVJFU0YF0[/URL]

Indonesia to ban entry by unvaccinated foreigners.

Chinese and South Koreans are among the exempt.

July 5, 2021.

Jakarta -- Indonesia will bar foreign visitors not vaccinated against COVID-19 from entering the country, a government task force said Sunday, aiming to check the highly transmissible delta variant.

Foreigners entering the country will need to show a vaccination certificate and a negative PCR test. The visitor will then undergo an eight-day quarantine -- up from the previous five -- and will need two negative PCR tests during that time.

Government officials and diplomats, as well as those visiting under the travel corridor arrangements, are exempt. Indonesia has bilateral travel corridor arrangements with the United Arab Emirates, China, South Korea and Singapore.

Unvaccinated Indonesians returning home will receive the shots after undergoing the same quarantine and testing negative via PCR.

The task force did not give a time frame for the new measures. But an official at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, which oversees the tighter social restrictions on the islands of Java and Bali, said earlier Sunday that they will take effect Tuesday.

Indonesia bars foreigners from traveling in and transiting through Indonesian territory without a valid residence permit or certain classes of visa.

"We already understand that there is an increase in COVID-19 cases and new variants that continue to spread in various countries, so the government added special provisions to protect Indonesian citizens from imported cases," said Ganip Warsito, head of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, in an online news conference Sunday.

The new measure "intends to implement stricter health protocols for international travelers to monitor, control, and evaluate the spread of COVID-19 cases, including the delta variant," he said.

The announcement follows tighter restrictions for domestic travel announced Thursday. Those traveling long distances, including by air, bus and train, need to be at least partly vaccinated against COVID-19.

The ban announced Sunday comes as Indonesia "teeters on the edge of a COVID-19 catastrophe," in the words of the Red Cross here. Daily cases have exceeded 20,000 for the past nine days and hit another daily record on Saturday. A total of 27,233 new cases were reported on Sunday, and deaths reached a new record of 555.

The surge in new cases has been blamed on the delta variant. Indonesia has a cumulative prevalence rate of 22% for delta, according to the [URL]outbreak.info[/URL] portal from Scripps Research of the USA The site defines this as "the ratio of the sequences containing be. 1. 617.2 (delta's scientific name) to all sequences collected since the identification of be. 1. 617.2 in that location. ".

How much do prostitutes charge in Indonesia?

[QUOTE=Upikey;2645483]How much do prostitutes charge in Indonesia?[/QUOTE]Such a vague question.

Same as prostitutes all over the world, prostitutes in Indonesia charge as much as they can depending on their situation. Could be 50 K Rp in one situation and 2 million in another.

If you want more detail then read the forum. People have already posted much information about the prices that prostitutes charge in various situations.

Arrived in Jakarta this week. Everything went super smooth, before and after the IMEI registration. Before reaching customs, a line of signs urges you to register the IMEI of your mobile phone (s). I travelled with two phones. An IPhone pro, my daily driver and a cheaper Samsung, to be used while on vacation.

A lady behind the window started the registration and needed to know the value of my phones. The Samsung's was less than 500 euro's and the IPone's was more than 1000 euro's.

She said, that since the value of the IPhone exceeds 500 euro I will have to pay a tax if I want to use that during my stay. I told her that that was not very visitor-friendly because I believe that many visitors will have a mobile phone that costs more than 500 euro's.

So I had my cheaper Samsung registered while thinking to get me an Indonesian sim card anyway, once in the city. Alas, I already have five failed attempts. The reason? They couldn't find my IPhone's IMEI in the system.

A friend handed me a solution. Top up my Samsung and tettering with my Iphone will provide me a "normal" use of the latter.

[QUOTE=Menteng;2718008]..register the IMEI of your mobile phone (s). I travelled with two phones. An IPhone pro, my daily driver and a cheaper Samsung, to be used while on vacation.

So I had my cheaper Samsung registered while thinking to get me an Indonesian sim card anyway, once in the city. Alas, I already have five failed attempts. The reason? They couldn't find my IPhone's IMEI in the system.

A friend handed me a solution. Top up my Samsung and tettering with my Iphone will provide me a "normal" use of the latter.[/QUOTE]I arrive in Jakarta next week (after 2. 5 years). I also have 2 phones. Is it possible to skip that line if I choose to, and just continue on to Customs? My USA Plan, T Mobile, works in Bangkok although just 2 G. But don't remember how it worked in Jakarta from my last trip. I really would like to have GoJek or Bluebird available, and not at 2 G. How were you able to tether one to the other? I have a cheap A32 Samsung, and also a pricey Note 21 Plus, so just probably register the A32, which actually should work well enough with an Indonesian SiM.

[QUOTE=Menteng;2718008]Arrived in Jakarta this week. Everything went super smooth, before and after the IMEI registration. Before reaching customs, a line of signs urges you to register the IMEI of your mobile phone (s). I travelled with two phones. An IPhone pro, my daily driver and a cheaper Samsung, to be used while on vacation.

A lady behind the window started the registration and needed to know the value of my phones. The Samsung's was less than 500 euro's and the IPone's was more than 1000 euro's.

She said, that since the value of the IPhone exceeds 500 euro I will have to pay a tax if I want to use that during my stay. I told her that that was not very visitor-friendly because I believe that many visitors will have a mobile phone that costs more than 500 euro's.

So I had my cheaper Samsung registered while thinking to get me an Indonesian sim card anyway, once in the city. Alas, I already have five failed attempts. The reason? They couldn't find my IPhone's IMEI in the system.

A friend handed me a solution. Top up my Samsung and tettering with my Iphone will provide me a "normal" use of the latter.[/QUOTE]Brother I have had the same problems with also my expensive iphone 13 pro max I couldn't use my indonesian simcard the solution is very simple just go to central park mall top floor simpati and go to the counter and show your foreign paspoort they will activate it for 3 months with your imei number and its absolutely free of charge very simple indeed, I also don't want to pay tax for my own phone are they crazy in Indonesia?

[QUOTE=PapaeNoel;2718043]I arrive in Jakarta next week (after 2. 5 years). I also have 2 phones. Is it possible to skip that line if I choose to, and just continue on to Customs? My USA Plan, T Mobile, works in Bangkok although just 2 G. But don't remember how it worked in Jakarta from my last trip. I really would like to have GoJek or Bluebird available, and not at 2 G. How were you able to tether one to the other? I have a cheap A32 Samsung, and also a pricey Note 21 Plus, so just probably register the A32, which actually should work well enough with an Indonesian SiM.[/QUOTE]It started back in 2020, but of course not many of us would have reported about this issue then for obvious reason.

If you continue to use T-Mobile, you should be fine and T-Mobile might have even upgraded that speed to 256 kbps for everyone. Still slow but should be decent enough for the taxi app. I used to always purchase high speed data from T-Mobile whenever I travel. Now my plan allocates me 5 GB of high speed data every month, and it works well enough for me.

This is only an issue if you want to use the local SIM card. If you are not planning any local SIM card on your phone, I will not be bothered to register it. But as long as the value is less than USD 500, you should not need to pay any tax.

I think you might even get a waiver if you plan to use it for less for 90 days as a foreign tourist. Maybe you can get it done when purchasing local sim card from the local shop and they can register and activate it for you on the spot. This is based on what I had been told, so YMMV.

[QUOTE=Ggekko2009;2718085]It started back in 2020, but of course not many of us would have reported about this issue then for obvious reason.

If you continue to use T-Mobile, you should be fine and T-Mobile might have even upgraded that speed to 256 kbps for everyone. Still slow but should be decent enough for the taxi app. I used to always purchase high speed data from T-Mobile whenever I travel. Now my plan allocates me 5 GB of high speed data every month, and it works well enough for me.

.[/QUOTE]Just chatted with TMobile. My plan includes Simple Global feature. Up to 5 GB Hi-speed data, and then up to 256 Kbps, unlimited text, and. 25 cents / min for any calls while in Indonesia. Just need to send text #766# to turn on international roaming, and #763# to turn off. Not sure how much data will be used if not actively using the phone while roaming. Probably try to keep it off except when needed.

I still haven't confirmed if insurance is needed, and if they ask for evidence at CGK. Bought it several times for Thailand and Brazil, but tired of throwing money away.

[QUOTE=PapaeNoel;2718190]Just chatted with TMobile. My plan includes Simple Global feature. Up to 5 GB Hi-speed data, and then up to 256 Kbps, unlimited text, and. 25 cents / min for any calls while in Indonesia. Just need to send text #766# to turn on international roaming, and #763# to turn off. Not sure how much data will be used if not actively using the phone while roaming. Probably try to keep it off except when needed.

I still haven't confirmed if insurance is needed, and if they ask for evidence at CGK. Bought it several times for Thailand and Brazil, but tired of throwing money away.[/QUOTE]I have the same T mobile world plan. Texts are unlimited. Only voice calls cost money. For data it is limited. But use wi fi wherever you go. Nowadays all the places you visit like restaurants, salons, massage places, clubs and of course hotels and stores has wi fi you can use. One good thing is nobody knows where you are. Anybody calls can reach you and also you can call anybody. Even the caller I the says just your number and name and not which place you are in the world.

I use T-mobile all over the world, even now. It's a handy way to bypass censors, like in Indonesia.

MadVic.

[QUOTE=Madvic;2719489]I use T-mobile all over the world, even now. It's a handy way to bypass censors, like in Indonesia.

MadVic.[/QUOTE]Same same, I have never opened any of my phones to swap out the SIM (usage in various countries like yourself). Last night, used Gojek to from hotel to another hotel. Good signal at all times. FWIW, I noticed the IMEI registration desk just prior to Immigrasi. It was closed up for the night at 11:25 pm.

Anyone else wondering about travel insurance, nobody asked to see. Maybe not required, but still not sure.