While it may seem unnecessary to study the Indonesian terms for "thousands" and "millions," learning these words will actually come in handy. The exchange rate for one U.S. dollar hovers around 2,400 Indonesian rupiah. Meals are likely to cost in the thousands, and airline tickets in the millions of rupiah.

Be aware of cultural differences. While travelers tend to judge local inhabitants according their own cultural standards, locals are just as likely to evaluate them according to Indonesian customs and traditions. Sensitivity towards cultural differences will make your visit a richer and happier experience, while insensitivity is likely to produce the opposite effect.

In Indonesia, the concept of time is flexible. Instead of being slaves to appointments and dates, many Indonesians metaphorically adjust time to fit their schedules. The phrase for this adjusting is "jam karet," which literally means, "rubber time." If someone is 30 minutes late for an appointment, people naturally assume that something legitimately detained the person, and it's considered poor form to point out the person's tardiness.

Acting congenial is normal behavior in Indonesian interactions. It's common to smile and nod while talking to others--even when you're complaining about poor service and during other, uncharacterisctically smile-worthy interactions. Avoid public shows of emotion, particularly anger or irritation.

One last piece of advice: don't be afraid to make mistakes. The best show of a willingness to learn is a willingness to be corrected. Take it all in good stride: getting the locals to laugh is a time-tested icebreaker, so long as you have the grace to laugh along with them.

Selamat jalan!

2torial #08286: Learn2 Get By in Indonesian (Continued) Food, drink and shopping   Rumah makan or restoran = restaurant warung = small restaurant/eating small makan = to eat makanan = food minum = to drink minuman = a drink.drinks   makan pagi = breakfast makan siang = lunch makan malam = dinner pisau = knife garpu = fork sendok = spoon piring = plate gelas = glass mangkok = bowl   boleh lihat daftar makanan? = may I see the menu? (daftar = list) saya mau pesan --- = I want to order --- minta garpu dan sendok = please give me a fork and spoon minta sati lagi = please give me one more (satu = one, lagi = more) minta bon = please bring me the bill (bon = bill) air (pronounced a-yer) = water air minum = drinking water nasi = cooked rice telur = egg roti = bread gula = sugar   garam = salt lada = pepper ayam = chicken daging = beef susu = milk kopi = black coffee buah = fruit   Shopping   jual = sell beli = buy toko = shop pasar = market uang = money tunai = cash harga = price mahal = expensive murah = cheap/inexpensive ukurnan = size/measurement   harga ini berapa? = how much does this cost? saya mau ini/itu = I want this/that one ada warna yang lain? = do you have another color? (warna = color) tidak mau = I don't want it/this   Numbers nol, kosong = zero satu = one dua = two tiga = three empat = four lima = five enam = six tujuh = seven delapan = eight sembilan = nine sepuluh = ten   "Se-" is the prefix indicating one. "Puluh" is the suffix idicating ten and multiples of ten. So, "sepuluh" is ten. "Dua puluh" is twenty and "tiga puluh" is thirty.   "Belas" is the suffix for numbers in the teens. "Dua belas" is twelve, "empat belas" is fourteen.   dua puluh satu = twenty-one dua puluh dua = twenty-two tiga puluh lima = thirty-five empat puluh eman = forty-six   ratus = hundred seratus = one hundred dua ratus = two hundred tiga ratus dua puluh = three hundred twenty empat ratus sembilan puluh tiga = four hundred ninety-three   ribu = thousand seribu = one thousand tiga ribu empat ratus = three thousand four hundred   juta = million milyar = billion   -end- Learn More! -or- All steps at once (printable version)