uu Indonesian fact file

Indonesian embassy in Website: www.indonesianembassy.org.uk/ Canada Address: 55 Parkdale Ave, Ottawa, ON Telephone: (613) 724-1100 Facsimile: (613) 724-1105 Visa and Consular section Please click here for information regarding your travel Visa

Canadian consulate in Canadian Embassy Address: World Trade Centre I, 6th Floor Jalan Jend. Sudirman Kav. 29-31 Jakarta 12084 Indonesia

Telephone: +62 (21) 2550 7800 Website: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca

Tourist authority of Address: Sapta Pesona Building, Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No.17, Indonesia Jakarta 10110 Website: http://www.indonesia.travel/

Area 4,514.11 Km2 Population 3,311,044 (2014) Capital Language Bahasa Indonesia Tipping It is customary though not compulsory to tip tour guides and drivers at the end of a tour. Hotel and station porters should also be tipped a small amount for their troubles.

Bank opening hours Banks open from Monday to Friday 8.00 am to 4.00pm Post office hours Monday – Friday 8am – 4.00pm Office opening hours 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday Time (+/- GMT) UCT/GMT +8

Electricity 220V 50c, however 110V is still used. Two-pronged slim plugs.

Public holidays Islam's Eid in July, Christian Good Friday in March

Telephone International calls are very expensive in Indonesia. Most hotels have international dialling and fax facilities although these services are expensive. The best way to stay in touch is to buy a local SIM card at any convenience store for your mobile phone if it's free handset. They cost approximately Rp 10,000 ( $1 ) and offer international calling rates as low as Rp.7,000 ( $0.80 )p/m. Please also check with your mobile phone provider if your network & contract enable you to have coverage in . Charity Challenge also has an emergency Satellite Phone available on your challenge at a cost of $5 per minute.

e-mail Internet access and Internet cafe are available in cities and all tourist areas. In the villages and remote locations, there is usually no Internet and often no computers.

Postal Indonesia has a slow but reliable postal service with a range of international services available in the major cities and some hotels.

Currency The basic unit of currency is the Indonesian Rupee. For up to date currency exchange, go to www.xe.com. US dollar and traveller's cheques are widely accepted in Indonesia.

Exchange money Exchange money in-country. The banks and legal moneychangers offer the best rates. US Dollars are the most readily accepted currency.

Credit cards Visa, Mastercard and most other major credit cards are now accepted in many hotels and shops, but the preferred currency is US dollars. ATMs are available in provincial capitals, shopping malls and some hotels; please check with your bank the specific charges applied to your account. Many hotels, shops and restaurants will accept credit cards, however they might add an imposed fee by the credit card companies for them to use this payment type (3- 4% depending on your card type).

Travellers cheque Travellers’ cheques are a useful alternative to cash although cash is preferable. Travellers cheques can be exchanged at banks and some exchange bureaus but can be difficult outside of the major cities.

Passport/visa You must hold a full ten-year passport with at least six months to run from the end of your challenge, and at least one blank page for your visa and entry/exit stamps. All nationalities must obtain a visa for entering Indonesia. Visa on arrival are available prior to the immigration desk for Canadian passport holders, for a 30 day stay. The cost of the visa is approximately A USD $25 fee, please note that only US dollars - clean and new notes only will be accepted. Take care of your passport at all times. Report any loss to the nearest police station. Ensure that your passport is stamped on arrival, especially if you cross over a land border. Enter next of kin details into the back of your passport.

It is advisable and your own responsibility to make sure that nothing has changed regarding your visa requirements for this country. Double check with this countries embassy website. You can also check out cibtvisas.ca or other similar websites for more information.

Vaccination & health Before travelling to Indonesia, check with your GP or travel clinic the vaccinations required on your specific case, however based on the advice provided by the CDC

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/indonesia the below are their recommendations: usually advised: measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, varicella (chickenpox) vaccines to consider: Cholera; Hepatitis B; Japanese Encephalitis; Rabies; Malaria. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over 1 year of age coming from areas with risk of yellow fever transmission. Also see Health notes.

*Requirements change and these are recommendations only*

Hospitals/pharmacies There are good standard of medical facilities in Indonesia, and and Bali also have international hospitals. Pharmacies are also available in the main cities.

Water Do not drink tap water unless it has been boiled or filtered. Bottled water is cheap and readily available. Always use bottled water for cleaning teeth. Also see Health notes.

There have been a number of deaths and cases of serious illness caused by drinking Alcohol alcoholic drinks contaminated with methanol, occurring in bars and hotels in popular tourist areas. Criminal gangs have been reported to manufacture counterfeit replicas of well known brands of alcohol. Take extreme care when buying alcohol. shopping You will be able to purchase gifts and souvenirs in Lombok, notably textiles, clothing, jewellery, lacquer-ware, and other crafts. You may be able to obtain some interesting hill-tribe crafts. climate The weather in Lombok is actually drier than neighbouring Bali during the November to March/April rainy season. And while it does rain during this time the sky generally opens up for only an hour and then you should experience plenty of sun. Year round the island, which is located about 200 miles south of the equator, is tropical… meaning warm and humid. As a small island surrounded by ocean, Lombok weather is more temperate than places like Malaysia or similar areas of large land mass. Sunrise around 6:30am and sunsets around 6:30pm. geography The Lombok Strait lies to the immediate west of the island, marking the passage of the biogeographically division between the prolific fauna of the Indomalayan ecozone and the distinctly different, but similarly prolific, fauna of Australasia—this distinction is known as the "Wallace Line" (or "Wallace's Line") and is named after Alfred Russel Wallace. Wallace was the first person to comment on the division between the two regions, as well as the abrupt boundary between the two biomes. To the east of Lombok lies the Alas Strait, a narrow body of water separating the island of Lombok from the nearby island of to the east. the people 85% of the population are Sasak, mainly muslim, together with Balinese (budhist), Tionghoa- peranakan, Sumbawa people, Flores people, Arab Indonesian culture/customs With its blend of muslim, Catholic, Balinese, Hinduism and Buddhism, Indonesian society tends to be both conservative and fairly tolerant. Although you will rarely be remonstrated with for your dress or behaviour, by following a few simple rules, you can minimize the risk of causing offence. Be particularly sensitive to cultural differences in rural areas where people are less used to foreigners. As in most Asian countries, it’s not done to display anger, and it certainly won’t help things get done more quickly. do’s & don’ts  Do not wear shorts and sleeveless shirts when visiting pagodas, temples and other religious sites.  Do dress moderately if you are a woman – revealing too much flesh is regarded as offensive.  Do be prepared to remove your shoes when entering a pagoda or someone’s home – ask or watch what other people do.  Don’t touch children on the head and, unlike in the West, it’s best to ignore a young baby rather than praise it, since it’s believed that this attracts the attention of jealous spirits who will cause the baby to fall ill.  Don't point your finger at people. The locals believe it sends them negative energy.  Don't let the soles of your feet face any sacred monument, such as a statue of Buddha.  Do not get involved with drugs. Prostitution is also illegal. You could face massive fines, and/or a long prison sentence in grim conditions. We cannot get you out of prison.