Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. It is located on the northwest coast of the island of Java. The population is around 10,000,000. This article is about living in Jakarta, and is not applicable to living elsewhere in Indonesia. Jakarta is much more crowded and far more polluted than other parts of the country. Some other parts of Indonesia are much less accepting of foreigners than in Jakarta.
I found the people very friendly, and very accepting of other religions and cultures. The majority religion is Islam, but many other religions are followed by some of the people: I worked with an atheist, a Roman Catholic and a Protestant; there are also some Buddhists.
Indonesia has a number of different ethnic groups from different parts of the country, many with their own languages. Jakarta is a huge melting pot of different cultures, so you can meet a very wide range of different people there. There is a significant community of Chinese immigrants.
Because the majority of people are Moslem, you will find that you cannot have meetings at certain times of day, because it is prayer time. Many offices have space set aside for prayer, but in the office where I was the worshippers regularly overflowed into the lobby, meaning that I needed to use an alternate exit (and visitors could not get to reception at certain times, mainly Friday lunchtime).
The other major impact is the foot washing. Washing feet is part of the standard purification ritual when preparing for prayer. Office toilets typically have a foot-bath, and the floors get very wet as people get ready for worship. The mess is usually cleared up quickly, but you will learn to schedule toilet visits to avoid prayer times.
In Islam, a number of things are forbidden (haram): for instance, pork, alcohol and lying. For people who take their religion seriously, the prohibition of lying can be problematic for work: it is very hard to negotiate a contract without lying.
Islam does instruct Moslems to respect other people's religious beliefs, and the people with whom I worked took this seriously. Respect is a two way street, however, and does not mean that you have free reign to insult their religion, nor to commit blasphemy.
There are more than 700 languages spoken in Indonesia, but the official language is Bahasa Indonesia, a version of which is spoken by most people in Jakarta. Most people in the city speak at least a few words of English. Indonesia is an ex-colony of The Netherlands, so there are a few people in Jakarta who speak some Dutch.
Bahasa Indonesia can be a little confusing. The word for water is "air"; the trucks you see with "Semen" written on the side, are carrying cement.
The weather is hot and humid: daytime temperatures are usually above 30°C, and humidity is typically above 80%. When it rains, the temperature goes down a little (for a short while), but the humidity goes up, so it feels just as hot. Luckily, most offices, hotels, apartments and shopping malls have air-conditioning. Air-conditioning is an essential for life in Jakarta.
There is a "winter", but that simply means more rain, not cooler weather. When it rains, there are often floods in the streets, with rain bubbling up from manhole covers and the like; in the rainy season, expect to have to wade through puddles to get to and from the office. Sometimes the floods are larger, such as when a dam is overwhelmed, resulting in whole sections of town being flooded and streets being closed.
Rain is very often accompanied by thunder. The rain can be very intense. One the good side, in rainy weather you will find people (usually children) hanging about near offices, hotels and shopping malls with an umbrella; you can hire the umbrella. They will walk behind you (often in bare feet), and when you reach your destination, you return the umbrella and pay them.
The best weather prediction system seems to be the sewer rats. When a heavy storm is coming, they sometimes rush out of the sewers to avoid drowning. I saw some huge rats in Jakarta!
Jakarta is very polluted. The air is polluted, and in some places the streets are littered with garbage.
The level of air pollution is one of the worst in the world. You will see people walking about with surgical masks over their mouths, like in Japan, and maybe that is a good idea. I got sick every month while I was there (bronchitis, colds, flu, sore throats, etc.), in part due to the pollution, and my ears were blocked the whole time I was there (but after 12 hours in Singapore, my ears were always fine).
The tap water is not safe to drink, so you will need a supply of bottled water; you need this not only for drinking, but also for tooth brushing.
Bottles of basic flat water are cheap and widely available. I prefer to drink sparkling water, which is a little harder to find and more expensive.
You can live very cheaply in Jakarta. Basic food, fruit juice and water are cheap. Public transport, even taxis, are cheap. Even eating out can be cheap (if you don't drink alcohol and are careful where you eat).
Apartments, and even hotels, are also reasonably priced. You should, however, check a place out before moving in, to make sure that the services (water, air-conditioning, lifts, etc.) work, and that it is not overrun with cockroaches (a big problem there, as in all tropical countries).
There is a fairly good supply of reasonably priced apartments in Jakarta. Partly, this is because the locals do not like living in apartments, and prefer to commute long distances so that they can live in a house.
There are a large number of companies offering serviced apartments (many of the hotels also have serviced apartments), which are quite comfortable. Typically, someone comes to clean, change towels and bedding, collect/return laundry and dry-cleaning etc., every day. Mine also had a fitness room with a good range of (admittedly rather old) fitness equipment, a swimming pool and a "restaurant" (I ate there once in the evening - that was enough, but breakfasts there were OK).
There are the usual international hotel chains present in Indonesia. Standards are OK. One thing that you may notice everywhere, but especially in hotels, is that there are lots of staff. People are cheap, so there are lots of them.
Walking anywhere can be a challenge in Jakarta. For one thing, it is hot, and after a few minutes you will start to feel it (especially if, like me, you don't deal with hot weather well). The other issue is the pavements. They are fine in some areas, and in other areas they are an obstacle course. You need to watch where you place your feet to avoid tripping over. By some roads there are no pavements at all.
Sometimes someone will dig a hole to repair something, resulting in the pavement being partially or even fully blocked. If it rains, the piles of soil from the hole will start to spread over the surrounding pavement, and stepping in the wet soil will make a mess of your shoes.
One problem that you won't have is treading in dog poop. Pet dogs are rare in Indonesia, and are rarely seen on the streets.
Sometimes the pavements (like the roads) can be very crowded. People will pass very close to you (no sense of personal space) but somehow always manage to avoid bumping into you. It takes a while to get used to.
There are a couple of local train lines in Jakarta, which are fine if you want to go where they can take you. There are also some busses, but they are usually very crowded, and also have limited coverage.
The main public transport is provided by taxis. They are plentiful and cheap, but not all drivers speak English. If you want a driver who speaks English, use one of the well known firms. Some of these firms even have apps for your smart-phone, so you can order on-line.
In addition there are ojeks. These are the mopeds and small motorcycles that you can see hanging about near offices and hotels. They are for hire, and are cheap and quick (but maybe not for the fainthearted), although not ideal when it is raining.
I would never want to drive in Jakarta. The roads are very busy. It was a constant source of amazement that accidents were so rare. The other problem is to find parking when you arrive.
Jakarta has serious rush hour congestion, and horrific traffic jams. One bizarre thing that you may see is a "civilian" (a shopkeeper, or a passer-by) directing traffic at difficult junctions on side streets (not on major streets). They do this voluntarily. Passing motorists (especially taxi drivers) may give them a tip as they pass, in recompense for this ad hoc service.
If you are going further afield, you might want to rent a car, but you might not. Navigation can be difficult, and stopping to ask directions might sometimes be problematic. Roads can also be "interesting". A taxi can be just as cheap, even for long journeys.
There are several good quality clinics where you can get western style medical treatment. There are also a large number of specialists offering everything from acupuncture to physiotherapy. These places are easy to find on the Internet, or by asking someone at the office, hotel reception or the desk at the apartment building.
Many medicines that require a prescription in the west are available over the counter in Indonesia: antibiotics, anti-histamine nasal spray, pain-killers, cough medicine, etc. You may find, however, that not all the medicines that you need are available.
If there are medicines that you cannot find in Jakarta, another option is to get them at the airport in Singapore. Once inside the international zone of Changi airport, a prescription is also not required.
There is currently no requirement to prove that you have been inoculated against certain diseases (unlike Africa). Nevertheless, protection against hepatitis is a good idea.
I didn't have any bouts of food poisoning while in Jakarta (I scrupulously avoided street food). Food hygiene seems to be good (again, this may not be true outside of the city).
What I did have problems with was colds, flu and bronchitis, mainly due to the climate and the pollution. I lost two or or three working days every month that I was there due to such respiratory infections.
There are some very good restaurants in Jakarta. There is also a tremendous choice: Indonesian, western, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai, Indian, etc. Some can turn out to be not so good (I had the worst sushi meal of my life there). Service varies, with the main problem being language, rather than willingness to provide service.
Shopping malls usually have a very good selection of dining options. Some hotels are also fairly good, but more expensive.
If you want wine with your meal, it does make it significantly more expensive. Despite being mainly Moslem, Indonesians are not generally against other people drinking, and some drink alcohol themselves, despite alcohol being haram. The problem is that that the market for wine is still relatively small (many people who do drink, prefer cocktails or beer) and the wine has to be imported, plus tax is fairly high on alcohol. Another annoying aspect is that many restaurants serve red wine chilled, because that is how their local customers prefer it.
Restaurants which I can recommend include the Bacco, in the Lotte Shopping Avenue, and the Sky Bar/Restaurant (there is no web-site, but there are many reviews and photos which you can find with a simple search) on the top of the Plaza Semanggi (the views are amazing, but you will need to book, it is a little pretentious, and they have a dress-code).
One warning: do not eat street food! You will get sick (one person who worked for a friend of mine spent several days in hospital after eating food from a street vendor, and then had to be repatriated because he was so sick!). It may also be a good idea to avoid salads.
There are lots of western-style grocery shops and supermarkets in Jakarta: for example, there are three Carrefour supermarkets in the city. I found that I could buy nearly everything that I wanted (although I never managed to find ground cardamom), but I did notice that some items were not available all the time (notably Branston Pickle). Some western-style shops have a special section for pork, ham and bacon.
Local produce, such as tropical fruit and coconut milk, is readily available, and generally excellent.
You will need to get a Visa-On-Arrival when you first arrive in Indonesia; this is for a limited period (3 weeks). After that, if you are staying longer for business, you will probably decide to get a business visa, which is valid for multiple visits of up to 60 days, over a year. A business visa cannot be issued to you in Indonesia, so the normal procedure is for your employer to apply, and when it is approved, for you to go to Singapore to collect it. There are visa agents in Singapore who make a living from queuing up to collect your visa, for a reasonable fee.
Because of the 60 day limit per visit, you will need to leave the country and return, before the 60 days are up. Again, the normal procedure is to go for a weekend to Singapore, because it is close, and therefore flights are quick and cheap. Once in Singapore, it is certainly not cheap. Hotels, meals and taxis are expensive: Singapore is the most expensive city in the region. The Indonesian authorities are much less likely to be suspicious if your visits are shorter than 60 days, and your absences are longer than one day.
Your Visa-On-Arrival and your business visa both clearly state that you may not work while in Indonesia. The visa is for business: meetings, negotiations, sales etc. Have a ready answer for why you were or will be in the country, when exiting and entering, since you will be asked at some point.
From time to time the immigration police raid business premises to check for illegal foreign workers. Sometimes the problems are then solved by the company making a "donation". Such solutions rarely work twice, so if you are working on a business visa, a raid means it is time to register for work and residence (that also means paying Indonesian income tax).
If you are found to be working illegally, you will be deported. This may take 3 or 4 days, during which time you will be in jail; and Indonesian jail is not somewhere you want to be. If you want to recover your possessions left at the office, hotel room or apartment, you will need to get a friend or colleague to ship them to you.
There seem to be a lot of police in Jakarta. This may be because of past problems with terrorism, or simply because labour is cheap. Mostly, they do not bother you. Do not do anything to make them interested in you, such as making jokes with/at them as you walk by. Chances are their English is not good enough to see the funny side, and they will assume you were hurling an insult; at this point your life might become very unpleasant.
Indonesia has a very very tough policy on illegal drugs. They have the death penalty for drug smuggling, something that has been in the news a lot recently. Even if you don't get shot (yes, they shoot you - no hanging, lethal injections or electric chair there!), you really don't want to spend time in an Indonesian jail (no, I am not speaking from personal experience, merely hearsay).
The police force is run and organised in a military fashion. Lots of parades, uniform checks, and authority is very hierarchical.
One oddity is that women (unmarried women, at least) who join the police are expected to be virgins, and this may need to be verified. This has been in the news recently, and public attention may mean that this practice will be phased out.
Every day while I was in Jakarta there were Falun Gong protesters outside the Chinese embassy (which was next door to the office). Usually there were only a few protesters, and they were very calm. There were never any threats or violence against them from the police.
There were no terrorist attacks whilst I was in Indonesia, but there have been in the past: there were bombings in Bali in 2002 and 2005; there were bombs at the Ritz-Carlton hotel and the Marriot hotel (close to where I lived and "had my business meetings"), in 2009. There is a detailed list here. As a result, some representatives of an Indian company that I dealt with in Jakarta would not stay at any American-owned hotel, for fear of terrorist attacks.
Because of this risk, not only is there a strong police presence, but most offices, hotels and shopping malls have private security and metal detectors, and your bag is likely to be searched several times a day.
I was never the victim of any street crime (mugging or pick-pocketing), and had no break-ins. Most people seem to be very law abiding and not aggressive.
TV services in hotels and apartments are usually satellite based. This means that the channels are a mixture of national and regional. Many of them are multi-language transmissions. You can find a good selection of movies, both classic and recent, and many of the TV series that you have at home; I found much of the viewing to be more up to date than at home in Germany (where it takes time to dub everything into German).
There is a good selection of operators in Jakarta, so you will be able to roam, and also sign up for a local service. Some services are better than others, and some of the operators have issues about renewals/top-ups of pre-paid subscriptions, so ask a local for some recommendations.
In the past there have been issues around public decency. A few years ago there was a law enforcement campaign against provocative and revealing clothes being worm by women (short skirts, leggings, shorts). I believe that the legislation is still on the books, but not enforced. Nowadays there seems to be no problem in Jakarta. People wear what they want; there is no expectation that women will cover their heads.
Other areas of the country have different standards and expectations, so if you are not sure, check with a local before visiting other places.
What is likely to get you into trouble is naked or topless swimming and sunbathing.
If your home or origin is a western country, you may be used to recycling. In Indonesia it really doesn't exist. There are no facilities in supermarkets to return empty cans and bottles, and almost no separate bins for different kinds of garbage.
Despite the pollution, Jakarta is surprisingly green. Because of the climate and the amount of rain, trees and other plants grow on any small patch of soil. There are many trees by the roads, around offices and residences. There are plenty of public places where flowers are planted and tended. If you keep your eyes open you may spot mangoes growing by the side of the motorways.
Apart from the rats, cockroaches and mosquitoes, you will see lizards, butterflies, dragonflies, bats and a few species of birds (sparrows, of course, and swallows which were imported by the Chinese) around the city.
The cost of labour is very low in Indonesia. As a result, offices and hotels have huge armies of cleaners and unskilled service workers. You will see lawns being mowed with hand clippers, because it is cheaper than buying a lawnmower. Many restaurants and fast food joints provide delivery service, and often it is free.