INDONESIA
Money
& Cost
The Indonesian currency is the rupiah (abbreviated to "Rp").
Notes come in denominations of Rp100, Rp500, Rp1000, Rp5000, Rp10,000,
Rp20,000, Rp50,000 and Rp100,000; coins , mainly used for public
telephones and bemos (minibuses), come in Rp25, Rp50, Rp100, Rp500
and Rp1000 denominations. Officially, rupiah are available outside
of Indonesia, but the currency's volatile value means that very
few banks carry it. The current exchange rate is Rp7,500 to US$1
and Rp13,000 to £1.
There were severe price hikes for daily necessities after the
rupiah devalued by 600 percent in the twelve months from August
1997 and, as wages haven't increased proportionately, hotels,
restaurants and services aimed primarily at Indonesians have been
slow to raise their rates for fear of pricing out customers. Strictly
tourist businesses, however, have responded by charging for their
goods and services in US dollars . Even where prices are displayed
in US dollars, though, you're usually given the option of paying
with cash, travellers' cheques, credit card or rupiah.
With the currency in free fall, and prices responding at varying
speeds, it's difficult to say exactly how much Indonesia costs
on a daily basis. However, you'll keep all costs to a minimum
if you concentrate on Java, Sumatra, Bali and Nusa Tenggara where
it's possible to travel cheaply. In Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian
Jaya, flying or cruising between places is often the only option
for travel, while the cost of importing goods makes everything
more expensive. Taking all this into account, if you're happy
to eat where the locals do, use public transport and stay in simple
accommodation, you could manage on a daily budget of £6.50/US$10
per person. For around £20/US$30 a day (less if you share
a room), you'll get hot water and air-conditioning in your accommodation,
bigger meals and a few beers.
You'll find banks capable of handling foreign exchange in provincial
capitals and bigger cities throughout Indonesia, with privately
run moneychangers , who sometimes offer better rates, in major
tourist centres. You may be asked to supply a photocopy of your
passport, or the receipt (or proof of purchase) that you get when
you buy your travellers' cheques. Always count your money carefully,
as unscrupulous dealers can rip you off, either by folding notes
over to make it look as if you're getting twice as much, or by
distracting you and then whipping away a few notes from your pile.
In less-travelled regions, provincial banks won't cash travellers'
cheques, but will take US dollar notes . Credit cards are beginning
to set exchange-rate ceilings of around Rp7500 to the US dollar,
irrespective of the official value, and over-the-counter cash
advances on Visa can be used for obtaining the full international
rate. A growing number of bank ATMs across the country also have
Cirrus-Maestro connections.
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