Higher prices for foreigners<\/p>\n
\"Foreigners are regarded by many Indonesians as walking bank
\naccounts, from which they would like to make a withdrawal.\" So
\nsays our Lonely Planet travel guidebook to Indonesia. We thought
\nit was quite funny when we read it before coming to Indonesia.
\nAfter five weeks on Bali and Java we do not think it is so funny
\nanymore.<\/p>\n
We can imagine and do not mind so much that a becak driver
\nwants to make some more money by asking a higher price than
\nusual. At least you can bargain.<\/p>\n
We do mind though, for example, that an officer of a Post
\nOffice charged us nearly twice the price for sending a postcard
\nor that an employee of a government tourist information center
\nlied by saying you can only buy the tickets for a specific bus
\nthere, not on the bus. Of course, once on the bus, we found out
\nthat you can buy the tickets on the bus and they were only half
\nthe price we paid.<\/p>\n
The most incredible thing however is the entrance fee for the
\nBorobudur temple in Central Java. Indonesians pay Rp 1,000 and
\nforeigners Rp 4,000. The manager explained that this is to make a
\nvisit easier for us, so we do not have to pay separately for a
\nguide (we might not want) and for bringing a video camera (we
\nmight not have). So much for freedom of choice!<\/p>\n
We are very tired of being cheated all the time and are very
\nsorry to admit it spoiled our stay in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Ellen Baarslag and<\/p>\n
Sandra Polderman<\/p>\n
Utrecht, Netherlands<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/higher-prices-for-foreigners-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }