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Shanghai Noon
Joined: 18 Aug 2013
Posts: 589
Location: Shanghai, China
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 Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 5:24 am Post subject: |
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| plumpy nut wrote: |
If you bring cash, you won't get your money exchanged at that rate, but maybe somewhere around that. You need to exchange your money from Chinese money changers, shop around the Sarina shopping mall area in Jakarta which is close to Jalan Jaksa street, the backpacker slum in Jakarta. You should bring brand new bills that you can ask for at your bank, otherwise you will get really crappy exchange rates. Get $100 dollar bills or the equivalent in your country. A lot of Chinese money changers are not picky about used bills, it's basically an Indonesian scam that they don't follow. Still be prepared to have brand new bills. Make sure you have US dollar brand new bills for your visa in all denominations or you will get extorted at the airport and have a very bad day. Using Visa debit cards, you might get good exchange rates, but I don't remember how well that works even though I didn't use cash when I was there, so they must have ample ATMs. I do remember being extorted by the crooks at the airport.
There are airport buses that go straight to Monas monument(close to Jalan Jaksa) and some other place that I don't remember, two different buses for two different locations. The buses are on the first floor of the airport. I would use the buses and then take a Bajai (or taxi if you wish) to wherever else you need to go. At the airport you will be followed by fake "workers" for Bluebird taxi with blue shirts and some kind of uniform looking apparel. Do not listen to them or do what they tell you to do. Take the Airport buses. These people will follow you and bother you and you cannot get rid of them period. Just don't do what they tell you to do or be fooled by them. This will be your first introduction to the Indonesian people's paradise that the imperialist United States and Britain is always trying to undermine and damage.  |
Thanks for the advice, but I'm going to Medan. Last time I went I had to pay $35 for the visa on arrival, but this has since been waived. |
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Tazz
Joined: 26 Sep 2013
Posts: 512
Location: Jakarta
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| Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 5:29 am Post subject: |
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Didn't realize that Medan airport dealt with international arrivals? Thought it was only domestic....must be quite a shock for overseas visitors, given the state of the place!  |
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Tudor
Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 339
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| Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 5:58 am Post subject: |
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| Tazz wrote: |
| Didn't realize that Medan airport dealt with international arrivals? Thought it was only domestic....must be quite a shock for overseas visitors, given the state of the place! |
It even has a rail link direct to the city, which puts it one step ahead of Soekarno-Hatta. |
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Shanghai Noon
Joined: 18 Aug 2013
Posts: 589
Location: Shanghai, China
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Shanghai Noon
Joined: 18 Aug 2013
Posts: 589
Location: Shanghai, China
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| Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2016 1:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Tudor wrote: |
| Tazz wrote: |
| Didn't realize that Medan airport dealt with international arrivals? Thought it was only domestic....must be quite a shock for overseas visitors, given the state of the place! |
It even has a rail link direct to the city, which puts it one step ahead of Soekarno-Hatta. |
I arrived yesterday.
Back when I needed the visa on arrival, entering the country had a much shorter wait. Now, I have to line up with all of the visa-free nationals and Indonesians alike. Oddly, the immigration official actually asked me why I came to Indonesia. Never had that happen before. Kuala Namu airport is nice and modern, but like many public facilities in Indonesia has very poor signage. I took the train from the airport to the city center. The airport train station is brand new and totally pristine. The coaches are spotless and air-conditioned. Everything looks good until the train actually starts and then things are a different matter. The station has enough space for three trains simultaneously, but the line is a single track with level crossings. We had to stop for 10 minutes for some unexplained reason. It was better than Soekarno-Hatta airport, but the rail link needs some upgrading, or it honestly won't even be worth using at 100,000 per ride. |
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