IS INDONESIA A CHEAP COUNTRY?

Well, this question depends. Indonesia is a poor country with very low wages. However, some things are extremely expensive for the Indonesian pocket to afford. I currently live in Manado so the prices are based on prices in Manado. So how can a minimum waged person afford the living? That I don't know. Please find the list of rates and you can decide if Indonesia is a cheap country yourself.

An egg currently costs USD 0.10.
Local vegetables costs USD 0.25
A complete Indonesian meal costs $ 1
A restaurant meal for 1 person costs approximately $5
A kilogram of Chinese Apples are $ 2
A kilogram of Grape is $ 3
A second hand 10 year old car costs $ 5,000 at the least
A new budget car year 2008 costs $ 15,000
A 5 Star Hotel in Manado is $ 100 per night
One month rent for a room is at the lowest of $30
One 200 paged local book costs approximately $ 8
One 200 paged imported book costs $30
You can rent a car at the daily rate of $ 25 (self drive without fuel)

The decision of Indonesia being a cheap country is up to you to decide. So let me ask you this? How can a minimum waged person live and survive in Indonesia. The Indonesian minimum wage is approximately $ 85 per month. It’s basically heaven on Earth when you have a salary in dollars if you’re living in Indonesia as everday needs and food are extremely cheap and you can afford the most luxurious spots throughout the country. You are considered highly paid in Manado if your salary is USD 500 per month. Try and compare that with the US.

BR, A 175429102008

MANADO - AN INTRODUCTION

MANADO - NORTH SULAWESI

Manado - Let's start off geographically. Manado is located in Southeast Asia in the country named Indonesia. The city is located in the eastern part of Indonesia and is the capital province of North Sulawesi (north-eastern tip of Sulawesi or Celebes Island). Although located in the eastern part of Indonesia, we are in the WITA Timezone (Central Indonesian Time).There are many ways to describe this city. First let's talk about Bunaken although many Indonesians or even Manado locals doesn't know the difference between diving (menyelam) and snorkeling (I've had many experiences with this one). That's very unusual knowing the fact that Bunaken is world famous for it's diving - maybe I wasn't clear, famous outside the country not inside. Not only famous for it's diving, Manado is also one of the international gateways to Sorong (specifically Raja Ampat) - although many people don't know that Raja Ampat is currently more popular than Bunaken at international dive exhibitions (but let's not talk about Raja Ampat in detail - my focus is Manado and North Sulawesi in general). Let's not forget about critter diving in Lembeh - I think people living in Manado doesn't know that there's even life existing at Lembeh. It's a 1.5 hour drive from Manado to Bitung (port) and 10 minute boat ride to Lembeh Island. I think there's between 5-10 resorts currently located surrounding the strait. Diving at Lembeh Strait mainly focus on critter diving (I think it means tiny sea creatures about the size of 1cm). Enough about diving.Apart from the diving, Manado is also famous for it's good and unique cuisine. It's a shame if you're a foreigner and only limit yourselves to western food while you're in Manado. I haven't heard a nasty comment from a foreigner about Manado cuisine so far. Even Bondan Winarno (the culinary expert that's been hosting the popular Trans TV program for the last 3 years) stated that Manado cuisine is one of his favorite foods. Exotic spices are commonly used in everyday Manado dishes - and a few ingredients are only found in Indonesia itself. Chili (cabe rawit), limegrass, basil, etc are some of the everyday spices that we use. But Manado is most famous for it's spicy food - although I am not an extreme fanatic of spicy food. You can find these extremely spicy food at small restaurants along the main streets - Restaurants at malls and shopping centers aren't extremely spicy due to adjustments to the international / national cuisine which is not too spicy. People here in Manado won't likely go for a strike when fuel costs increase, but don't expect them to stay quiet when chili rates (cabe rawit) increase. Chili rates went up until Rp. 100,000/kg last month - that's equivalent to USD 10 (you can even buy about 5 pounds of apple in the US with that much money). But don't worry, the storm ended - at the moment it's currently down to a stable Rp. 20,000 per kg.

HOPE THIS INFORMATION IS USEFUL AND FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A BLOG

BR, A 020610292008

MANADO - JADWAL PENERBANGAN (how to get there)

Kota Manado adalah sebuah kota di provinsi Sulawesi Utara yang juga merupakan ibu kota dari provinsi tersebut. Letak Manado berada di ujung utara pulau Sulawesi. Manado terletak pada zona waktu WITA (Waktu Indonesia Tengah). Pernerbangan ke Manado dapat ditempuh dengan pesawat dari kota-kota besar Indonesia. Berikut jadwal penerbangan domestic dari dan ke Manado –

DARI JAKARTA

JAKARTA-MANADO
Garuda GA 602 ETD: 07.10 ETA: 12.50
Garuda GA 520 ETD: 18.00 ETA: 23.20
Lion Air JT 776 ETD: 05.00 ETA: 09.10
Lion Air JT 778 ETD: 08.40 ETA: 14.15
Lion Air JT 770 ETD: 18.55 ETA: 23.05
Batavia 7P-635 ETD: 08.40 ETA: 12.55
Batavia 7P-631 ETD: 15.05 ETA: 20.15

MANADO-JAKARTA
Garuda GA 513 ETD: 07.00 ETA: 10.10
Garuda GA 603 ETD: 13.30 ETA: 17.00
Lion Air JT 771 ETD: 06.55 ETA: 09.05
Lion Air JT 775 ETD: 09.50 ETA: 12.00
Lion Air JT 777 ETD: 15.05 ETA: 18.45
Batavia 7P-632 ETD: 07.00 ETA: 10.00
Batavia 7P-636 ETD: 13.30 ETA: 15.35

DARI UJUNGPANDANG

UJUNGPANDANG-MANADO
Garuda GA 602 ETD: 11.10 ETA: 12.50
Lion Air JT 740 ETD: 20.55 ETA: 22.30
Lion Air JT 778 ETD: 12.40 ETA: 14.15

MANADO-UJUNGPANDANG
Garuda GA 603 ETD: 13.30 ETA: 15.05
Lion Air JT 741 ETD: 06.45 ETA: 08.20
Lion Air JT 777 ETD: 15.05 ETA: 16.40

DARI DENPASAR, BALI

DENPASAR-MANADO
Garuda GA 620 & 602 ETD: 08.55 ETA: 12.00
Lion Air JT 740 ETD: 19.00 ETA: 22.30

MANADO-DENPASAR
Garuda GA 603 & 621 ETD: 13.30 ETA: 18.00
Lion Air JT 741 ETD: 06.45 ETA: 10.15

DARI SORONG

MANADO-SORONG
Lion Air JT 1178 ETD: 11.05 ETA: 13.35 Senin, Rabu, Jumat
Express Air XN ETD: 06.30 ETA: 09.00 Selasa, Kamis, Sabtu
Trigana Air TGN ETD: 06.00 ETA: 09.34 Senin, Rabu, Jumat

SORONG-MANADO
Lion Air JT 1177 ETD: 09.15 ETA: 10.05 Senin, Rabu, Jumat
Express Air XN ETD: 14.30 ETA: 15.00 Senin, Rabu, Jumat
Trigana Air TGN ETD: 13.50 ETA: 15.25 Selasa, Kamis, Sabtu

JIKA ADA YANG BUTUH ASSISTANCE DENGAN PENERBANGAN DI ATAS, MOHON HUBUNGI SAYA.