This is probably the first international trip (not counting Australia) wherein I didn’t make a travel budget prior to leaving. After last year’s trips, I now have a pretty good idea of how much damage I can do to my wallet when I travel. Also, I got too busy and lazy to thoroughly research everything, much less create a spreadsheet. True enough, the amount was as I projected.
The cost of traveling in Indonesia is pretty much the same as other Southeast Asian countries — not as expensive as Singapore, though not as cheap as Vietnam. It’s not a dirt cheap trip — it wasn’t meant to be. It was a vacation, and I don’t want to scrimp. A lot of people have done the same trip far cheaper than I have, but they’re them and I’m me.
I also decided to give CouchSurfing another try so I CouchSurfed with Zuky in Jakarta. Actually, I had intended look for accommodation when I get to Jakarta, but I couldn’t stand the thought of arriving without any accommodation. I tried to find a good, cheap place in Jakarta but the ones that had decent reviews are either already fully booked or are too expensive. I turned to CouchSurfing when I ran out of options, and luckily, Zuky welcomes last minute requests. I requested to CouchSurf with her the night before I had to fly to Jakarta, since the host I initially contacted canceled at the last minute. I had two tickets out of Yogyakarta actually, and I was already considering taking the August 25th flight instead of the 24th in case I can’t find a place. Thankfully, Zuky replied quickly, so I made my way to Jakarta and had a very positive CouchSurfing experience.
Of the three cities in Indonesia, Bali is the most expensive (and has the most touts), but it’s also the most interesting. Admittedly, I am partial to beaches, but it wasn’t the beaches of Bali that endeared me to the place. It was the Balinese culture that’s making me want to go back and explore the island.
| Indonesia and Singapore 2010 | |||
| August 21 – September 5, 2010 | |||
| Currency exchange rate varies. Rate used is the current rate for each day or rate used by my bank. | |||
| In local currency | In Peso | ||
| Air transport | |||
| Manila to Singapore | |||
| Jetstar Asia | US$ 200.00 | PHP 9,528.40 | 1 |
| Singapore to Yogyakarta | |||
| Air Asia | SG$ 44.00 | PHP 1,496.13 | 2 |
| Includes Red seat (SG$11 fee) | |||
| Yogyakarta to Jakarta | |||
| Air Asia | IDR 21,000.00 | PHP 106.19 | 3 |
| Yogyakarta to Denpasar | |||
| Air Asia | IDR 21,000.00 | PHP 106.19 | 3 |
| Denpasar to Singapore | |||
| Air Asia | IDR 114,200.00 | PHP 564.75 | 4 |
| Includes Red seat and meal (IDR 99,200) | |||
| Manila airport tax | PHP 750.00 | PHP 750.00 | |
| Philippine travel tax | PHP 1,620.00 | PHP 1,620.00 | |
| Yogyakarta departure tax | IDR 25,000.00 | PHP 125.97 | |
| Jakarta departure tax | IDR 40,000.00 | PHP 201.56 | |
| Denpasar departure tax | IDR 150,000.00 | PHP 749.54 | |
| Transport to and from airport – Manila | PHP 720.00 | PHP 720.00 | |
| Transport to and from airport – Yogyakarta | IDR 120,000.00 | PHP 603.63 | 5 |
| Transport to and from airport – Jakarta | IDR 60,000.00 | PHP 302.34 | 6 |
| Transport to and from airport – Denpasar | IDR 310,00.00 | PHP 1,533.68 | 7 |
| Accommodation | |||
| 1001 Malam – Yogyakarta | |||
| Double room with breakfast, 2 nights | US$ 77.88 | PHP 3,446.58 | 8 |
| Tune Hotel Legian – Bali | |||
| Double room, 2 nights | IDR 450,960.00 | PHP 2,389.06 | 9 |
| Puri Saraswati Bungalow | |||
| Single room with breakfast, 1 night | US$ 60.00 | PHP 2,661.36 | 10 |
| Transportation | |||
| Jakarta | IDR 100,500.00 | PHP 506.06 | 11 |
| Bali | IDR 125,000.00 | PHP 399.74 | 12 |
| Singapore | SG$ 20.00 | PHP 665.04 | 13 |
| Meal expenses | |||
| Yogyakarta | IDR 287,400.00 | PHP 1,495.03 | 14 |
| Jakarta | IDR 260,700.00 | PHP 1,352.65 | 15 |
| Bali | IDR 397,999.00 | PHP 1,994.78 | 16 |
| Singapore | SG$ 45.00 | PHP 1,495.80 | 17 |
| Miscellaneous | |||
| Borubudur tour | IDR 200,000.00 | PHP 1,605.71 | 18 |
| Ramayana ballet | IDR 310,00.00 | PHP 1,555.61 | 19 |
| Jakarta History Musem | IDR 2,000.00 | PHP 10.07 | |
| Wayang Museum | IDR 2,000.00 | PHP 10.07 | |
| Beach lounge chair and umbrella | IDR 30,000.00 | PHP 150.68 | 20 |
| Kecak Dance | IDR 75,000.00 | PHP 374.77 | 21 |
| Souvenirs | IDR 360,000.00 | PHP 1,807.42 | 22 |
| Internet | IDR 14,000.00 | PHP 70.00 | |
| Toilet fee | IDR 1,000.00 | PHP 5.00 | |
| Roaming | IDR 37,000.00 | PHP 185.45 | 23 |
| Total: | PHP 40,589.26 | ||
| 1 I stalled and ended up booking my ticket late. I was aiming for Singapore Airlines, but I waited too late and by the time I was ready to buy, the fare has shot up. It was either Jetstar or PAL, but since my trip is more than 8 days, it was cheaper to go with Jetstar. Other airlines that fly to Singapore aren’t into consideration because the 20 kilo baggage allowance is important to me. | |||
| 2 In my previous trips, I noticed that the Red seat section of the aircraft was always almost empty. Decided to try them out and modified my booking several days before I had to fly out. | |||
| 3 Oh yes. Booked this and all the Air Asia flights in this trip back in November 2009 during Air Asia’s Zero Fare sale. | |||
| 4 Modified booking again to include Red seat selection and Nasi Lemak meal | |||
| 5 Taxis from the Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta have fixed prices depending on your destination. It cost IDR 50,000 from the airport to Sosrowijaya in downtown Jogja and IDR 70,000 for the car from 1001 Malam to the airport | |||
| 6 This is shockingly low because I took the X-trans (minibus) from Soekarno Hatta Terminal 3 to BSD City | |||
| 7 Taxis from the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar are also on a fixed rate. It was IDR 60,000 to Double Six in Legian/Seminyak. Since Ubud is 1 hour inland, I had to pay top money for a car to the airport. At least I had the car to myself and it’s blissfully airconditioned. | |||
| 8 Ack! Expensive, I know! I booked this through Agoda, mainly because if I book through the site, I can pay via Paypal (thus reducing the damage done to my pocket money and credit cards). Agoda charges an additional 10% for their services. | |||
| 9 Room with double bed, 24-hour aircon credit and one 24-hour internet access | |||
| 10 Decided to splurge for my last day and I do not regret it! My room and the resort’s environs is definitely worth the $60 | |||
| 11 I took all manners of public transportation in Jakarta from taxis to angkot (their version of a jeepney or songtheaw) to ojek (motorcycle taxi) to the busway (bus that has its own lane) to the train (not the MRT-type train, mind you!) | |||
| 12 Two taxi rides, one ojek ride and one 50-minute ride in a non-airconditioned bus to Ubud | |||
| 13 My brother lent me his EZ-link card, so I topped it up with a SG$20 credit. My actual usage was approximately $30 for 8 days | |||
| 14 Ate mostly at restaurants catering to tourists. Breakfast included in hotel and temple tours | |||
| 15 Pretty expensive considering I was technically just in Jakarta for 2 days. A chunk came from my meal at Plaza Indonesia and my Starbucks fix at the airport. Zuky even treated me to dinner on my last day, and our extra food was my breakfast the following day. | |||
| 16 I was running out of cash and I even had the gall to order a Php700+ dinner! I figured that since I wasn’t doing the tours and dining at Jimbaran Bay, I might as well splurge for the seafood at Legian. Meals in Bali were a mix of cheap beach brunch, fast food, restaurants, an Anthony Bourdain approved babi guling and a junkfood dinner. | |||
| 17 My meals in Singapore actually avaraged at SG$6.00 not including drinks. This is very low for 8 days in Singapore since I ate most of my meals at home and was treated to a couple of meals by friends and family | |||
| 18 I initially meant to hire a car with driver and guide, but it was too expensive, so I just opted to join a group tour. It was a great decision since there were only 2 of us. Admission fee for the Borubudur and Prambanan is $15 each, but the Simple Tours agency offers it at only $12 each. Transport that covers both temples and a couple of temple stops only cost IDR 80,000 and includes a light breakfast at Borubudur. | |||
| 19 The Ramayana Ballet was highly recommended by Marvin and Babes, so signed up for it as well. Decided to splurge and got VIP tickets (IDR 250,000). Transport included (IDR 60,000) | |||
| 20 This is optional; you can still lay your sarong or towel on the sand. | |||
| 21 This is a traditional Balinese dance that tells the story of the Ramayana. I was lucky that there are several sites around Ubud where you can watch this dance. | |||
| 22 Includes a wayang kulit, flower clip, vanilla pods and saffron. | |||
| 24 Bought an Indonesian sim card since Globe Telecom’s roaming service sucks (won’t let me text but I can call). | |||
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This post was last modified on Wednesday, 30 January 2013 17:09
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