Globalteer orientation guide Sulawesi, Indonesia All the tips, information and recommendations you need to get ready for your upcoming volunteer placement. Contents 1. Welcome to Sulawesi, Indonesia! • About Globalteer • Getting out and about • Day excursions from the project • Useful local contacts 2. Getting ready for your placement • Visa and insurance information • Packing guide • Getting to Indonesia 3. Volunteering in Indonesia • A brief history of Indonesia • Climate • Health • Safety • Responsible travel • Expenses • Culture shock • Keeping in touch with home This Globalteer Sulawesi Indonesia information pack will ensure you arrive fully prepared for your international volunteering and travel experience. Welcome to Travelling to a new country always causes a few 1 worries and apprehensions, and this guide will give you all the information you need to turn those worries into excitement. Sulawesi, Indonesia! You will also receive an additional project Congratulations on your decision to specific information pack before your arrival. volunteer with Globalteer! We are certain that you will have a fantastic So sit down, have a read, and start getting ready time and also help out your project in an for your trip of a lifetime! amazing way. We also have additional project information on our website, including FAQs, previous volunteer This guide is for everyone who will be stories, photo gallery and further accommodation coming to Sulawesi, Indonesia, to information. volunteer with Globalteer. If you still have questions after reading this guide, please contact us by email. Our team is well travelled and we are able to help answer anything further you would like to know about the project, getting prepared for your placement, and in-country travel! “I donated more than a little blood to the mosquito population, and shared laughter and tears with volunteers that will remain in my memories as bright candles in the darkness of one possible future of our planet. A truly remarkable and unforgettable adventure!” – Ann, Globalteer Indonesia volunteer About Globalteer Globalteer was founded as a UK non-profit organisation in June 2006. Globalteer is a registered charity in the UK (registration number 1119706), which means that Globalteer is legally required to ensure that 100% of all monies received are used to achieve our charitable objectives. Our Strategies • To work with projects that meet genuine local needs, as identified by the communities they serve, and that meet our criteria for sustainability and responsibility. • To work closely with our partner projects to ensure that all volunteer placements are of genuine value to the project and are in keeping with the projects’ short term goals and long term objectives • To place suitably experienced volunteers within approved partner projects on tasks where there is a local shortage of necessary skills. • To encourage the transfer of volunteer skills to local staff wherever possible. • To help fund the continued development of partner projects. • To help all our partner projects to become fully self-funded and locally managed with minimal requirement for external support. • To continually assess the needs of the communities with whom we work and identify new partners and new initiatives as necessary. Getting out and about This section of the orientation guide will give you more information about what to do in and around Sulawesi. Our travel partner can advise if you wish to book excursions before you leave home and if you do book through them, they will make a small donation to Globalteer. Please visit our website for details of our travel partners However, don’t forgot to ask project staff for recommendations once you arrive, especially regarding any local upcoming festivals, or places to visit near your project site. There are many things to do during your free time, including relaxing, reading, observing the animals, exploring the area, socialising with other volunteers, and learning Indonesian. The project also has a TV and DVD player that are available for use during certain hours with a large selection of movies. There are also a variety of games available. On days off, volunteers sometimes choose to take a taxi to the capital city of Manado to spend a night or two. Manado has many restaurants, bars, markets and shopping malls, and is approximately 60 minutes from the rescue centre. You can spend the day there shopping, sightseeing or getting a well-earned massage. Alternatively, you could do a day tour of Manado and its surroundings, including Tomohon Market and Mount Mahawu. The rescue centre itself is situated on a volcanic beach next to a coral reef so many volunteers choose to spend their time off relaxing and snorkelling. Sulawesi is a beautiful island and you may wish to explore via hire care. Please note that you should obtain an international driving licence in your own country if you wish to drive in Indonesia. Day excursions from the project Mount Klabat Hike 35-40 minutes drive from the project The highest peak in the Minahasa region (1,995m) with a spectacular view to the coasts and islands all around, Klabat is a popular hike for local residents as the trail is in good condition. It is possible to complete the climb as a day hike, although the 1,750 m elevation gain with a steep and steady climb makes this quite challenging. Four to six hours are required for the ascent and approximately four hours for the descent. Tangkoko-Duasudara Batuangus Nature Reserves 1.5 hour drive from project Tangkoko is particularly attractive as its unique wildlife can be observed roaming free in the forest on easy level walks, such as the critically endangered Macaca Nigra – also known as black crested macaque – the nocturnal Spectral Tarsier, and various bird species, like the Sulawesi Knobbed Hornbill. Masarang Sea Turtle Project 1 hour drive from the project This project provides the unique opportunity to support sea turtle populations from a small beach in North Sulawesi. Visitors will not see turtles held captive in tanks or have any opportunity to touch turtles, as the programme is focussed on increasing wild populations that already suffer too much human disturbance. If you do a night safari, there may be the chance to witness hatchlings emerging from the nest and going to sea. It may even be possible to witness turtles nesting during March-September, but this is often difficult as the presence of visitors can deter the turtles from coming to shore. Minahasa Highlands 1.5 hour drive from the project This is an excursion of breath-taking scenery heading through the city of Tomohon, known locally as the ‘city of flowers’. It sits at about 900m in elevation in a saddle between two volcanoes: Mt Lokon and Mt Mahawu. You can visit the local market and see the traditional Minahasa wooden houses, or stroll around the sulphurous Lake Linow near Lahendong Village, or visit Pulutan Village – the centre of local pottery. Easy climbs up to the crater rim of Mahawu volcano are possible for views to Lokon-Empung and beyond. Useful local contacts You will be provided the essential project contact details in your travel confirmation email from Globalteer. Here are some general phone numbers and addresses for your stay in Indonesia. The project will be able to provide recommendations for health care clinics and hospitals if necessary upon your arrival. Emergency numbers US Embassy Police – 110/112 (SMS 1717) Jl. Merdeka Selatan No. 5, Jakarta 10110 Ambulance and Rescue – 118 +62 21 34359000 Fire – 113 Medical Emergencies – 119 Canadian Embassy Tourist Police (Jakarta) – (021) 526 4073 World Trade Centre, 6th Floor, Jl. Jend Sudirman, Kav. 29, P.O. Box 8324/JKS.MP, Immigration Jakarta Department of Immigration – Manado +62 21 2550 7800 Jl. 17 Agustus Kel. Teling, Kec. Wanea, Manado Australian Embassy (0431) 841688, 863491 Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said Kav C 15-16, Jakarta [email protected] Selatan 12940, Jakarta http://www.manado.imigrasi.go.id +62 21 2550 5555 Embassies and consulates For other nationalities, you can find a full list British Embassy of embassies in Indonesia here. Jl. Patra Kuningan Raya Blok L5-6, Setiabudi, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 12950 +62 21 23565200 Visa & insurance Getting ready information 2 Getting your visa It is the volunteer's responsibility to arrange an for your placement entry visa. To volunteer in Indonesia you will require a ‘Social- Cultural’ Visa. Now that your placement confirmed, it is time to start getting prepared for your You need to apply for this visa before you travel from the Indonesian Embassy in your country. You trip of a lifetime. will get a 60 day visa, which is extendable up to 6 months. This includes organising flights, insurance, visas and of course trying to A single entry Social-Cultural Visa is valid if fit everything in your bag! presented within 3 months from the date of issue. You are required to send us a copy of your Everything in this section will help you Passport photo ID page so the center can provide know exactly what you need to do a sponsor letter for your visa application. before coming to the project and starting your placement. You can read more about getting your visa on our website. Travel insurance Insurance is not included in your volunteer placement fee. Travel insurance is only a boring subject if you are unlucky enough to get sick or injured, or find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere on your big trip. Being uninsured in such situations can work out much more expensive than the cost of an insurance premium and can also be dangerous. In developing countries reliable healthcare and emergency treatment can be hard to find, and extremely expensive for foreigners. This is why we strongly recommend that all our volunteers take out suitable travel insurance.