Indonesia is a good place for a get away from it all holiday, great if you like the great outdoors, the simple life and you are on a budget.
Indonesian is one of the easier languages of Asia. It is written in the Western alphabet (also known as the Roman alphabet - which is a lot easier than the Greek alphabet, unless you are Greek). You can use most of the same words in Malaysia, like British English and American English.
Please and thank you in Indonesian and Mandarin speaking businesses run by the industrious Chinese are not as prevalent and obligatory as in English (and European languages and Japanese). You can generally get by with a smile and a nod.
The words you need to recognize and say most often are for food and drink and transport and accommodation. You can make yourself a list of common words and the memory aids you will need the first day or the first visit until you have picked up the vocabulary.
FOOD AND. DRINK
Food - makan /makanan (Memory aid: Mack, make me some food for Ann, and ...)
Drink - minum (I drink the minimum alcohol when driving but ...)
Water - air (I survive on air and water)
breakfast - makan pagi
lunch - makan siang (mid-day meal) pronounced see-ang
selamat siang (greeting at that time)
dinner (evening meal) - makan siang
selamat like salaam in Arabic and shalom in Hebrew - peace (be with you)
Minibuses are called different names in different places.
day - hari (as in hari raya festival)
hour - jam (Memory aid: We have been in this traffic jam for an hour.)
Food - makan /makanan (Memory aid: Mack, make me some food for Ann, and ...)
Drink - minum (I drink the minimum alcohol when driving but ...)
Water - air (I survive on air and water)
breakfast - makan pagi
lunch - makan siang (mid-day meal) pronounced see-ang
selamat siang (greeting at that time)
dinner (evening meal) - makan siang
selamat like salaam in Arabic and shalom in Hebrew - peace (be with you)
Minibuses are called different names in different places.
day - hari (as in hari raya festival)
hour - jam (Memory aid: We have been in this traffic jam for an hour.)
ACCOMMODATION
Room - rumah (The rumour is you have a room, uh?)
Room - rumah (The rumour is you have a room, uh?)
TRANSPORT
Motorbike taxi - ojek
taxi - taksi
Left - kiri
Right - kanan
straight on - trus
di depan - in front of
Tourist Destinations
1 Bali
Temples with flower petals on the steps, the scent of tuberose, shows of gamelan music and dancing, shadow puppets. Clifftop hotels with infinity pools.
2 Batam island
3 Jakarta (if on business, at the weekend, or weekdays the hanging around spouse can take tours to assorted monuments and theme parks)
4 Borobodur temple
5 Trek one of the extinct volcanoes with a group, either commercial or privately organized.
If you take a commercial group, you might find a fellow enthusiast who knows private groups. They generally send one person to do a recce or fact finding mission on transport, accommodation, food and routes and costs of hiring guides.
Do you need a guide? Some routes are well-marked and can be done in half a day or less.
But you don't want to get lost on a volcano. It's best not to climb alone and in case of bad weather or sickness or injury.
You will need a lot of water. On an overnight or dawn trip, it helps or just to have somebody carrying a heavy bag with food and water, or going on ahead to set up a tent or two and supper for the group. Plus, of course, carrying your bulky empty containers and litter back with you. As they say, leave only footprints.
Motorbike taxi - ojek
taxi - taksi
Left - kiri
Right - kanan
straight on - trus
di depan - in front of
Tourist Destinations
1 Bali
Temples with flower petals on the steps, the scent of tuberose, shows of gamelan music and dancing, shadow puppets. Clifftop hotels with infinity pools.
2 Batam island
3 Jakarta (if on business, at the weekend, or weekdays the hanging around spouse can take tours to assorted monuments and theme parks)
4 Borobodur temple
5 Trek one of the extinct volcanoes with a group, either commercial or privately organized.
If you take a commercial group, you might find a fellow enthusiast who knows private groups. They generally send one person to do a recce or fact finding mission on transport, accommodation, food and routes and costs of hiring guides.
Do you need a guide? Some routes are well-marked and can be done in half a day or less.
But you don't want to get lost on a volcano. It's best not to climb alone and in case of bad weather or sickness or injury.
You will need a lot of water. On an overnight or dawn trip, it helps or just to have somebody carrying a heavy bag with food and water, or going on ahead to set up a tent or two and supper for the group. Plus, of course, carrying your bulky empty containers and litter back with you. As they say, leave only footprints.
Websites
wiki
simple wiki
wikitravel
wikivoyage
tripadvisor
lonely planet
indonesiatouristboard.com
indonesiatravel/gb/en/home
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of languages to individuals worldwide by Skype, plus keynote speeches, after dinner speeches and workshops for businesses and colleges. I am very busy with Toastmasters International which has meetings every night and most days. I even attended a Speakers' club meeting in Prague, Czech Republic on Boxing Day (Dec 26). If you think I might be able to help you or your family or business please get in touch.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of languages to individuals worldwide by Skype, plus keynote speeches, after dinner speeches and workshops for businesses and colleges. I am very busy with Toastmasters International which has meetings every night and most days. I even attended a Speakers' club meeting in Prague, Czech Republic on Boxing Day (Dec 26). If you think I might be able to help you or your family or business please get in touch.
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