Indonesia

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Revision as of 13:52, 19 December 2009 by 113.53.16.232 (talk)

Earth > Asia > South-Eastern Asia > Indonesia
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Flag of Indonesia Indonesia
Information
Language: Indonesian
Capital: Jakarta
Population: 234,693,997
Currency: Rupiah (IDR)
Hitchability: from Average.png (average) to Verygood.png (very good)
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<map lat='-2.1088986592431254' lng='113.73046875' zoom='4' view='0' float='right' />

Hitchhiking is a pretty much unknown concept in Indonesia, and it might be hard to get a free ride at times. Despite all that, hitchhiking on islands of Java, Sumatra, Bali and Borneo might go very smoothly: on Java, according to those few hitchhikers who went there, you hardly wait ten minutes before you get a ride. Traffic is very slow though, and if you want to cross the whole country and get a full picture of Indonesia, it is not convenient to take a mere 1 month visa.

The thumb isn't used in Asia for hitching and a sign isnt really necessary. Instead of sticking out a thumb wave down each car as if you were signalling for then to slow down.[[]]

Getting a free ferry ride is also possible at least through a practice of hiding behind the truck seat. In fact, trucks are allowed to take 2 (3?) people for free onto a ferry - so you might be either one of the guys going for free, or one of the extra-passengers; in latter case you should rather hide behind the seat, and once you are on a ferry, relax - no one wants to see the ticket later on.

Most used harbors on Java island are Jakarta's Tanjung Priok and Surabaja's (goes to Borneo, 20h). The passenger ticket for the ferry Java-Bali is half a dollar a price, so you might as well skip hitchhiking there.

Hitchhiking in Sumatra is very easy for people with white skin and can be faster and more comfortable than public transport. The trans-Sumatran highway is used by cars going longer distances and is faster than the more scenic coastal/ small mountain roads. Getting a lift into town is also faster and easier than public transport. Often the Indonesians also feel obliged to pay for food and help find accomodation.

Cities

External links