Indonesia
If you've never been to Indonesia but are planning a trip soon, you're probably starting to wonder what the country is like. To begin with, forget the preconceived image of beaches, palm trees and people sipping fruit cocktails in the sun.
Our first tip is to do a search on Booking Hotels to realise it's so much more than that. Indonesia is known for the friendliness and calm of its people: when you make eye contact with any passer-by in the street, you're greeted with a smile. What we'd simply call "good people". Even in touristy, heavily visited places like Bali, if you're polite and friendly, you'll be treated very warmly and gratefully, and avoid being scammed or "badly received".
Indonesia is a very culturally rich country, where everyone contributes in one way or another to its important culture: making handicrafts (every kind you can imagine and more), playing an instrument, putting on puppet shows, or whatever it takes.
Food is another highlight and one of the country's great virtues. You can taste fruits you've never tried or even heard of, as well as other dishes such as delicious freshly grilled prawns. Another great virtue is its landscapes, both mountains and beaches: spectacular and very different from what we usually see on our coasts.
It's a very large country, with big areas full of hotels but also many hidden corners of great beauty, not only visually but also thanks to the riches mentioned above. Visiting just a small part is enough to realise its vastness and greatness, and after your first visit you'll soon feel the urge to return.
You'll discover a world full of curiosities when you fulfil your dream of travelling to Indonesia, but first we want to share a few interesting things that will help you plan your trip:
- At mealtimes, people often don't use cutlery, eating with 3 fingers instead. When they do use cutlery, they only use a fork and spoon.
- The currency is the rupiah; roughly 1 euro equals around 14,200 rupiah.
- In Bali you can usually leave things wherever you like and they won't be stolen; you'll see this with jackets or motorbike helmets if you use them.
- Be aware that people understand many languages but, unfortunately for you if languages aren't your strong point, Spanish isn't one of them.
