bigpow wrote in post #9916746
October = good time (no rain, trust me, you won't be going anywhere when it rains - also no major holidays, some holidays are stupid because all the businesses have to close shop for days)
Getting mugged or kidnapped, highly unlikely, but again, there's always a possibility.
Just get a good insurance for the gears and keep your travel docs inside a hidden pouch. If you get mugged, just give up your gears - they usually don't try to hurt you if you comply. Resist, that's going to be a different story (the kind of story that gets on the local newspapers)
Travelling/backpacking using public transportation is possible, but just for your information, public transportation in Indo is really bad/inadequate.
Buses come with pickpockets and muggers (gangs), as usual.
Not to forget the street scammers that use some sort of black magic (it's actually more like hypnotism)
Taxis don't usually kidnap tourists, the worst they can do to you is do the round-about, instead of a direct route, they'd drive in circles or deliberately choose traffic jam areas to get the fee higher - this is true even for locals (if they don't know where they're going!) - so it's not like they're specifically targeting tourists.
In big cities, always go with Silverbird taxis. Watchout for fake taxis (no meter, usually try to scam you a lot of cash once arrived since they can hold your luggages). Always call for taxis from your location (hotels, restaurants, etc) - they will call the good reputable taxis for you. From the airport, you could use Limousine taxis (they're not really limos or stretched, most are old Toyota Crowns) - these have fixed rate for going to hotels in the city.
I highly recommend renting a car + driver, it's super cheap (depending on the car, it's as low as $40/day + meal for driver + gas). Driving the car yourself is not recommended, traffic is really horrible, streets signs rare and confusing, etc.
I also agree that you should carry the bare mininum clothing, and just concentrate on carrying camera gears (minimum). Guess what? clothing (even brand name ripoffs) are super cheap, so you could always buy fresh clothes and dispose them at the end of the trip.
I think no matter what kind of bag you carry with you, if it looks like a camera bag - it'll attract attention. Maybe Crumpler bag would be better?
Also, shooting pics in public places can be really bad - dealing with property/business owners (most hotels, restaurants don't allow photography), or even the law (don't even try taking pictures of government buildings!).
It's a lovely place to visit and explore, just act normal and less touristy, and you'll have a great experience. I also think less camera gears would greatly improve your travel experience.
Great culture, great food, great prices (everything's dirt cheap), friendly people (most of the time), and of course, sceneries like no other place on earth.
Don't forget to visit Taman Safari and Puncak (outside Jakarta), Jakarta itself is a city ladden with modern luxurious malls & hotels, awesome to shoot at night. Of course there's Monas, and other touristy areas. Borobudur near Yogyakarta, Malioboro street at night and kraton (palace) in Yogyakarta - must eat: Gudeg. Surabaya has the most delicious food IMO (not much there in terms of scenery unfortunately). Bali, that's just paradise on earth. Tons of info on the internet for Bali places.
Enjoy your trip!
PM me if you want to ask any details (places to go, eat, etc)
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