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MONEY AND COSTS |
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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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