SALATIGA - THE VENUE
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THE TRAVELLING

TRAVELLING TO INDONESIA

 F L I G H T S 

PIBBI participants are required to make their own travel arrangements. Travel bookings should be made as early as possible especially for those travelling in the December/January peak period. Tertiary level students and others may be eligible to get discounted flights if they book through student travel agents such as STA or the Student Flight Centre. If you intend making a domestic flight in Indonesia it is usually cheaper (by up to 50%) to include this on your international ticket.

 V I S A 

For Australians and many other nationalities a visa is no longer needed to enter Indonesia, provided that the time spent in Indonesia is less than two months. There can be no extensions. If PIBBI participants wish to stay longer than two months they must acquire a visa kunjungan sosial budaya (social cultural visa) before departure. The Salatiga Program will write a letter confirming enrolment to support any visa application. Participants should inform the Sydney office if one is required. Without a visa it will be necessary to leave the country before two months are up and re-enter. Contact your nearest Indonesian Consulate for more information.

GETTING TO SALATIGA

The best way to get to Salatiga is to fly to Denpasar or Jakarta and then take a domestic flight to Semarang, or Solo (both approx 45 mins - 1 hr away from Salatiga) or to Yogyakarta (approx 2 hrs). A free airport pick-up service is provided at scheduled times from Yogyakarta, Semarang and Solo. This service is only available on the Sunday before commencement of the course. People wishing to get to the program outside of scheduled pick-up times can use the taxi service provided at the airports. Note that participants will need to pay in rupiah.

Travelling overland to Salatiga is possible. Participants should be aware that overland travel is not always 100% reliable and so is best used with some days to spare. Before deciding on overland travel all participants should inform the Sydney PIBBI office to seek up-to-date advice regarding safety. Overland travel is not advised for first time travellers to Indonesia, particularly for those travelling on their own. Overnight buses can be taken from Denpasar, Surabaya, or Jakarta to Salatiga . There are also daily train services from Surabaya and Jakarta to Semarang, Solo and Yogyakarta.

THE ACCOMODATION

The standard accommodation included in the Salatiga Program fee is either a single hostel room or a room in a family home- homestay. Note that homestay accommodation is limited and only available to participants with some Indonesian. Single/double guesthouse rooms are also available in limited numbers. These, however, incur an extra charge.

 H O S T E L 

The hostel is located about a five minute walk from the main campus. Program participants are accommodated in single rooms but they may share if they wish to do so. Each room contains a bed, a built-in cupboard, a wooden table and a chair. There are curtains and fly-screens. Linen is provided but participants provide their own towel. Bathrooms with hot and cold showers are located at the end of each floor. Clothes may be laundered by the hostel staff for a small fee.

 H O M E S T A Y 

Some participants may stay in the home of a local family for the duration of the course at no extra charge. Living with a family helps participants improve their fluency and gives vivid insight into the everyday life of Indonesian people. However, homestays are not available to all participants. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, there is heavy pressure on housing in Salatiga and very few families are able to offer accommodation with a suitable degree of privacy and basic facilities. Secondly, few of our host families have competent English speakers among them. For this reason homestay accommodation will normally only be available to students from language level 11 and up.

Staying with a family is not a simple business arrangement. It almost invariably involves the guest in some degree of interaction with, and personal obligation to, the host family. This means that once a participant has been assigned to a family, they should stay put. There can be no 'trial stays' or shifting around.

Living in a homestay may involve commuting by public transport across Salatiga to and from campus.

 G U E S T H O U S E 

There is a limited number of guesthouse rooms available to PIBBI participants at an extra charge. These are booked on a first come, first serve basis. The guesthouses are located on campus close to the classrooms. Each guesthouse has a living and dining area, kitchen and bathroom. There is a television, refrigerator and telephone for receiving phone calls only.

THE FOOD

All meals (three daily plus morning tea) are included as part of the Salatiga Program package. Bread, eggs and fresh fruits are served for breakfast. For lunch and dinner various Indonesian dishes, with some Chinese influence, are served. Rice is always the main staple with a variety of side dishes consisting of vegetables and small amounts of meat, chicken or fish. Tofu (soya bean curd), tempe (fermented soya bean cakes) and noodles are found regularly on the menu. Fresh fruit is provided, including the tropical delights of papaya, rambutan and pineapple. The food is not spicy (pedas) but chili paste (sambal) is always available on the table for those who like it. Hostel guests eat breakfast and dinner in the dining hall adjacent to the dormitory units. Guesthouse and homestay guests are provided breakfast and dinner at their respective accommodation. Lunch for everyone except at weekends is served on campus near the classrooms. Morning tea is also provided between classes. For vegetarians there is always a choice of vegetarian dishes. The catering service assures PIBBI organisers that MSG is not used in the preparation of food consumed by PIBBI course participants.

THE DRESS

Dress is conservative in Indonesia. Skimpy clothing can be offensive, particularly in the classroom, in places of worship, or on formal occasions. Generally participants should avoid wearing tops that do not cover the shoulder or midriff, mini skirts, short shorts and pants or skirts made from transparent fabric. Participants may find that moderate compromises in their personal presentation will make their experiences more pleasant and allow for greater interaction with the local people.

THE MONEY

Travellers cheques can be changed at some but not all banks in Salatiga. The PANIN Bank on Jl. Diponegoro and the BCA (Bank Central Asia) or BII (Bank International Indonesia) on Jl. Sudirman will change travellers cheques. The university will also change travellers cheques but at an exchange rate lower than banks. Note that the exchange rate in Salatiga is generally lower by several percentage points than that offered by banks or money changers in larger cities. Only a small number of shops accept credit cards in Salatiga. BCA and Bll can advance cash for holders of Visa and Master Cards. There are ATM facilities located in Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Diponegoro.

WELFARE AND SAFETY

From time to time Indonesia experiences political and economic difficulties. For this reason all Australian participants are automatically registered with the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. It is strongly recommended that people of other nationalities register with their own embassy in Jakarta. All participants are advised to read the travel advice issued by their embassy in Jakarta.

When travelling overseas it is always advisable to take sensible precautions and safeguard your valuables.

TIPS ON STAYING HEALTHY

Health threats in Indonesia tend to be immediate, easily identifiable and reasonably responsive to medication. Malaria is a serious problem in Indonesia and it is very important that adequate precautions are taken. After dusk, light coloured clothing, with long sleeves and legs should be worn. Note that perfume, cologne and aftershave attract mosquitoes. Effective mosquito repellents are available such as RID -Tropical Strength. Anti-malarial tablets can be taken to minimise the likelihood of infection but participants should consult their doctor about which brand is most effective and any possible side effects.

 VACCINATIONS 

Participants should seek medical advice on which vaccinations are required at least two months before departure. Usually vaccinations against cholera, typhoid and hepatitis B are advised. With the spread of rabies to Java participants should seek immediate medical help if bitten by a dog or monkey and get a rabies post-exposure vaccination. A tetanus injection is advised if a participant cuts or gashes themselves in the street or countryside.

Bottled, sterile drinking water can be bought everywhere. Drinking water in hotels and restaurants is boiled as a matter of course. Likewise in family homes. Unboiled water should not be consumed. Note that it is often used for washing dishes and preparing food. Many 'stomach troubles' however are a result of a sudden change in diet rather than poor hygiene in food preparation.

There are several competent general practitioners in Salatiga. There is also a small public hospital in the town, and several well equipped larger hospitals in the nearby city of Semarang. Satya Wacana University runs a small clinic within the hostel complex and the university doctor will treat minor complaints free of charge. Participants are required to pay for any medicine and hospital treatment. Therefore it is strongly recommended that participants take out a good travel insurance.

Hospital fees in Indonesia are very high. Though hospitalisation is not common, on occasions program participants have been treated in hospital for gastroenteritis or similar ailments. Australian participants should note that Medicare and most of the private health insurance funds no longer refund any medical expenses incurred outside Australia.