Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Some outfits offer partial
insurance
as part of the fee; typically, the maximum you'll end
up paying in the event of any accident will usually be $150-500. The conditions of insurance
policies vary considerably and you should make certain you know what you're signing. Bear
in mind that under this system, if there is minor damage - for example if you smash a light -
you'll end up paying the whole cost of it.
Before you take a vehicle,
check
it thoroughly and record any damage that has already been
done, or you may end up being blamed for it. Most vehicle rental agencies keep your passport
as security, so you don't have a lot of bargaining power in the case of any dispute. Wherever
you get the vehicle from, take an emergency telephone number to contact if your car breaks
down.
On the road
Traffic in Indonesia drives
on the left
, and there's a maximum speed limit of 70km/hr
(though you'll be lucky to average 40km/hr in traffic-chocked south and west Bali). Foreign
drivers need to carry an
inter-national driving licence
and the
registration documents
of
the vehicle or are liable to a fine. Seatbelts must be used. The police carry out regular spot
checks and you'll be fined for any infringements.
In recent years, there have been reports of police stopping foreign drivers for supposed in-
fringements and “fining” them on the spot - accepting only foreign currency - in what is es-
sentially an extortion racket. Official cleanup campaigns have followed; if it happens to you,
the best advice is to keep calm and have some easily accessible notes well away from your
main stash of cash if you have to hand some over.
It's worth driving extremely defensively.
Accidents
are always unpleasant, disagreements
over the insurance situation and any repairs can be lengthy, and many local people have a
straightforward attitude to accidents involving tourists - the visitor must be to blame. Don't
drive at
night
unless you absolutely have to, largely because pedestrians, cyclists, food carts
and horse carts all use the roadway without any lights. There are also plenty of roadside
ditches.
Note that most
petrol stations
are cash-only.
Hiring a driver
Hundreds of drivers in tourist areas offer
chartered transport
- this means you rent their
vehicle (generally cars or jeeps) with them as the driver. Ojeks (single-passenger motorbike
taxis) are also common. You're expected to pay for the driver's meals on all trips and ac-
commodation if the trip takes more than a day, and you must be very clear about who is pay-
ing for fuel, where you want to go and stop, and how many people will be travelling. With
somebody driving who knows the roads, you've got plenty of time to look around and fewer
potential problems to worry about, but it's very difficult to guarantee the quality of the driv-
ing. If you're hiring a driver just for the day, you'll generally pay Rp450,000-550,000 for the
