'Welcome to Indonesia'<\/p>\n
I am a Dutchman, married to a lovely Indonesian lady. We
\nplanned a three-month trip to Indonesia to visit family and to
\nexplore the country.<\/p>\n
For a three-month visit you need a visa, which we applied for
\nin Holland. To our surprise we were only issued a two-month visa.
\nThe Indonesian Embassy told us that we could extend the visa in
\nIndonesia without cost. But why not a three-month visa initially
\nlike other countries issue?<\/p>\n
We flew to Jakarta. Our boarding card was marked \"Welcome to
\nIndonesia\". We felt quite welcome during our trip. The people we
\nmet were friendly and hospitable. We visited Java, Ambon and
\nBali. We had to extend our visa in Denpasar. But by the time we
\ngot to enter the office, the security personnel prohibited us
\nfrom entering the building, saying we were not properly dressed.
\nI looked at the man in amazement. \"What do you mean by not
\nproperly dressed?\" I asked. \"You're wearing slippers,\" he said.
\nIn fact, my slippers cost US$35 in Holland. Not properly dressed?
\nAnother man came up and ordered my wife to leave the building
\nbecause she was wearing sandals.<\/p>\n
This was not the end of the story. Finally, they asked for two
\nphotographs. We had none as no one in Holland had told us we
\nwould need any photographs. In addition, we were charged Rp
\n50,000 for the extension, which we paid, albeit a little
\nsurprised. The visa could only be collected in two days' time,
\nwhich meant time lost.<\/p>\n
Back to the slogan \"Welcome to Indonesia\". I think your
\ngovernment should do something to make this slogan a reality.
\nDespite all the inconveniences we experienced, we did have a very
\nnice trip afterward and the people of Indonesia made our visit so
\npleasant. However, the government must learn to be a little more
\nlenient toward tourists. Or tourists will unsurprisingly stay
\naway.<\/p>\n
C. M. VAN MASTRIGT<\/p>\n
Rotterdam,<\/p>\n
The Netherlands<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/welcome-to-indonesia-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }