The saying above was "discovered" in Flores by Belle Holahan sailing on the catamaran Simpatica and it best describes your upcoming Indonesian experience. Getting things done in Indonesia is often a bureaucratic nightmare requiring many photocopies of all your documents combined with often having to make "facilitation" payments to ease the way when obtaining goods or services. These things alone combine to mean it is a very different kind of place and sometimes getting the simplest task done can take all day. There are usually no set procedures or clear rules of engagment and the concept of time in the manner familiar to the wester mind is not familiar to the Indonesia society and the wonderful phrase "Jam Karet" delivered with a smile, translated as "rubber time" will explain why the parts you are waiting for or the taxi you have ordered are late or does not arrive all.

For the sailor Indonesia offers an safe and amazing cruising ground and to see the experiences of yachts in previous years go to the NEWS/Stories section on the tool bar at the top of this page.
A piracy attack against a pleasure yacht has not occured for over 10 years, however theft from yachts may occur and when you are anchored off a village or in port a "neighbourhood watch" is always a good idea.

Before you leave for Indonesia
English is not widely spoken away from the main centres and the Indonesian Language, Bahasa Indonesia is not a difficult language so before you leave Darwin get yourself a phrase book and at least arrive with a few words and remember, if in doubt smile.

Yacht Spare Parts
Obtaining yacht spare parts in Indonesia is almost impossible, engine spares may be available but they will be difficult to locate away from the main centres, you should take any spares that you may need before Singapore with you, especially fuel filters.

Guns
Indonesian regulations concerning firearms and ammunition are very strict, all weapons must have a registration certificate from the country of origin; proof of purchase is NOT enough.
On your arrival you must declare all firearms and ammunition to the Indonesian Customs.
In 2004 a boat captain spent four months in a Bali jail for not declaring his shotguns and ammunition.
In Kupang in 2005 a rally skipper declared his shotguns with the receipt from the store where they were purchased. The weapon was not registered and his gun was confiscated, he was also threatened with court proceedings and a possible 16 year jail term. It required considerable negotiations and the intervention of his country’s diplomatic mission to resolve the issue.

Importing Yacht Parts into Indonesia
This is a complicated and difficult process as the Indonesian Customs procedures are very bureaucratic for yachts in transit and in any case these services are only easily available inports of entry and exit such as Kupang, Bali, Surabaya, Batam and Jakarta.
Most important, according to Customs Regulations, to avoid having to import taxes on items you are expecting, even though you will be taking them with when you leave Indonesia, you will need to go to the Fedex or DHL office with your paperwork to make import arrangements BEFORE the items arrive in the country, if you do not do this you will have to pay the full Indonesian import duty of 30 percent and there is no way around this.

Supermarkets are in all large owns and stock just about anything you may want, in Bali the "Makro Supermarket " which around 3 kilometers from the Bali Marina is the best for provisioning.
Western stlye delicacies such as wines, cheeses, processed meats, olives, and other items that you are used to are only available it the large cities at specialist shops.

Indonesian Internet Facilities
There are internet facilities in all Indonesia cities and larger towns, however these services are usually slow and often unreliable. As with most things in Indonesia you will need a lot of patience and they are sometimes not easy to find, a WARTEL shop is where you will find internet facilities.

Indonesian Phone Services
The GSM phone network is well established all through Indonesia and the best option when you arrive is to purchase an Indonesian SIM card for your phone from one of the many outlets, as the SMS service is very cheap. The country code for Indonesia is 62.
Note if you have an Australian prepaid phone it may not work in Indonesia.

Medical Services
Away from the main urban centres vary from limited to non existant, if you do need medical treatment SOS International Medical Clinics in Bali, and Jakarta offer a world class service.
The SOS contact in Bali is International SOS-Bali Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai No. 505X Kuta 80221 24 hours Alarm Center number +62 361 710 505

Bargaining is the system of commerce in the smaller local markets away from the large stores and supermarkets and usually around 60 per cent of the origional asking price is about what you could expect to pay, but again as with all things in Indonesia there are many "different types of grasshopper"

Water in Indonesia is not drinkable unless it is bottled and large 20 liter returnable bottles are available everywhere costing around 10,000 Rupiah plus your refundable deposit for the bottle.

Your Stomach, In Indonesia medical supplies are very reasonably priced and are available at most "Apotik" stores, prescription drugs are usually available however their quality and authenticity is not always guaranteed.
The very popular stomach upset known as "Bali Belly" may not be in fact a bug but rather the result of different food or too just much fun, a very effective remedy you may wish to try first are the activated charcoal pills called "Norit" again these are easily obtained from any Apotik store.

Diesel Fuel is available everywhere in ports in Indonesia, however it is often contaminated with foreign material so a good supply of filters is recommended. Since the bombings in Bali and other places in Indonesia it is now illegal to carry fuel in jerrycans (jerry jugs) so getting fuel to your yacht can be difficult often requiring those "facilitation" payments again.
Diesel known in Indonesia as "Solar" is cheap by world standards costing around 5000 Rupiah per liter which is around 55 US cents at February 2008, this is the pump price and of course there will be delivery charges if you have it delivered to your yacht.

LPG Gas Bottles Indonesian goverment regulations do not permit gas bottles with non Indonesian connections be refilled in Indonesia so you should take 3 month supply of gas with you, if you wish you can have your gas system modified to take Indonesian bottles while you are in the country.