According to Camping Explorer, the overall crime rate in the country is quite low, but in tourist areas, cases of theft from cars and hotels, as well as pickpocketing, are quite frequent. Recently, the speeches of Islamic fundamentalists have become more frequent, but this applies mainly to the internal and remote regions of the country.
It is not recommended to visit the West Timor region, Irian Jaya and Ase.
It is better to use bottled drinking water. You should also monitor the quality of the supplied ice – often it is prepared from unboiled tap water, which is not recommended.
Food in restaurants and cafes is usually carefully checked and processed.
When buying products on street stalls and markets, you should be careful. This is especially true for fruits (it is necessary to thoroughly wash them in running water and scald with boiling water) and ready-made dishes from the trays.
The use of repellents and mosquito nets is recommended.
It is also worth constantly wearing sunglasses, hats and using sunscreen – solar radiation here significantly exceeds what we are used to in the middle latitudes.
Many beaches are framed by powerful coral reefs, it is recommended to swim and move along them in rubber slippers, as the coral blocks have rather sharp edges.
Some species of marine life are poisonous, so you should definitely consult with local residents – which representatives of the ichthyofauna can be touched, and with whom such treatment can end in failure.
There are strong currents and high tidal waves around many of the islands, so when swimming in unfamiliar places, strict safety measures should be observed.
On all beaches, sunbeds and umbrellas are provided free of charge.
The use and distribution of drugs is punishable by death (for foreigners, a mitigation of punishment is possible – up to 20 years in prison).
Indonesians are cordial and hospitable, but the abundance of local religious and cultural “taboos” makes a foreigner carefully monitor his behavior, otherwise you can cause a severe insult to a local resident.
Touching the head (even if it’s just a child) is considered humiliation.
The left hand is considered “unclean” – it is impossible to pass anything to it, and even more so – to touch the interlocutor with it.
You can not point a finger at someone, put your foot on the foot, and even more so – put your foot in someone’s direction (the foot is considered an “unclean” part of the body), as well as shout and show anger in public.
You can’t wear shorts and skirts in public places, sunbathe topless, in public institutions and mosques clothes must cover your knees, and you can only enter Balinese temples in a national costume (a small shop in front of the entrance to the temple usually serves to rent them).
They eat only with the right hand and usually without cutlery. Restaurants naturally use a spoon and fork, but the knife is considered a symbol of aggression, so it is never on the traditional Indonesian table.
Before and after eating, the right hand is washed in a special bowl with water and a piece of lemon.
On 11.02.2006, Jakarta introduced a ban on smoking in public places, including restaurants, hotels, schools, company offices, airports, public transport and on the street. The violator, by a court decision, may end up in prison for a period of 6 months or will be forced to pay a fine of 50 million rupees (about $5.5 thousand).
Tipping is 5-10% of the cost of the service. In a taxi, you can round up the fare to 500 rupees. In hotels and large restaurants, tips are usually included in the bill, but doormen, porters and guides expect hundreds or two of rupees. Porters at the airport are usually given 2,000 rupees for small luggage and 5,000 rupees for large suitcases.
