Best currency for Indonesia - Bali

Hi all,

Taking a trip later this year, is the best currency to take Rupiah or are
you better taking dollars to spend in the local markets & to pay for
sightseeing trips.

Thanks for any advice.

Col.

--
Remove the 'old' to reply to me.

Use ATM's there to get rupiah. There are ATM's beside the carousel in the
arrival area and elsewhere in the Arrival Terminal - and they're very common
on the island.Otherwise take your local currency (Money changers on Bali
will exchange any convertible currency eg. USD; CAD: EUR; AUD; NZD; GBP etc
etc). Buying rupiah outside Indonesia is expensive because of the huge
spread built into its price because of the instability of the currency!


"Col" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Taking a trip later this year, is the best currency to take Rupiah or are
you better taking dollars to spend in the local markets & to pay for
sightseeing trips.

Thanks for any advice.

Col.

--
Remove the 'old' to reply to me.

Probably best getting Rp. from the ATMs. A word of caution. Be VERY
careful if you use money changers. My wife who is Indonesian and used to
dealing with Rp. was almost ripped off. The guy kept counting the Rp.
and was most certainly trying to take advantage of her. Her brother in
law (Indonesian and former Bali resident) WAS ripped off by a money
changer the same day.
We would generally go to a bank which you can probably trust or use the
ATM. The money changers offer the best exchange rate, but you may not
end up with as much as you think!

Good luck.
Col wrote:
Hi all,

Taking a trip later this year, is the best currency to take Rupiah or are
you better taking dollars to spend in the local markets & to pay for
sightseeing trips.

Thanks for any advice.

Col.

The best currency in all countries is the LOCAL currency, except in Cuba and
North Korea.
US $ is for people who like to show off or are not capable to convert into
local currency.
The result, when you pay in $$, is that you pay more for what you get and
everyone one considers you as a tourist, not a traveler.


"Col" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
Hi all,

Taking a trip later this year, is the best currency to take Rupiah or are
you better taking dollars to spend in the local markets & to pay for
sightseeing trips.

Thanks for any advice.

Col.

--
Remove the 'old' to reply to me.

I have to say that Bali is the one country where this isn't necessarily so.
Yes, you do need Rupiahs and I got a decent rate from Marks and Spencer in
UK before I went, but US$ were very widely used and saves one stage at
immigration.
"Runge" wrote in message
...
The best currency in all countries is the LOCAL currency, except in Cuba
and North Korea.
US $ is for people who like to show off or are not capable to convert into
local currency.
The result, when you pay in $$, is that you pay more for what you get and
everyone one considers you as a tourist, not a traveler.


"Col" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
Hi all,

Taking a trip later this year, is the best currency to take Rupiah or are
you better taking dollars to spend in the local markets & to pay for
sightseeing trips.

Thanks for any advice.

Col.

--
Remove the 'old' to reply to me.

"Runge" wrote in message
...

The result, when you pay in $$, is that you pay more for what you get and
everyone one considers you as a tourist, not a traveler.

oooh.... what a shocking thing! i guess you carry a copy of the beach
stuffed down your crotch so no one will mistake YOU for a tourist! and
memorize whole stretches of the LP culture and history bits so no one sees
you reading it? do they have t-shirts for travelers now?


michael

Hehe you are so proud of your $ that you think it's the world currency
Not any more, now if you want to show your wads of greenback in your flashy
flowershirt wearing your purple butterfly sunglasses and talking loud with
your quack quack (daffy duck) accent, no problem for me !
Happy travelling, er...bus touring with an english speaking guide, folks and
don't forget to buy those made in China mugs !
:-)))



"michael" a écrit dans le message de news:
LNbAe.1926752$Xk.1898248@pd7tw3no...

"Runge" wrote in message
...

The result, when you pay in $$, is that you pay more for what you get and
everyone one considers you as a tourist, not a traveler.

oooh.... what a shocking thing! i guess you carry a copy of the beach
stuffed down your crotch so no one will mistake YOU for a tourist! and
memorize whole stretches of the LP culture and history bits so no one sees
you reading it? do they have t-shirts for travelers now?


michael

"Runge" wrote in message
...
Hehe you are so proud of your $ that you think it's the world currency
Not any more, now if you want to show your wads of greenback in your
flashy
flowershirt wearing your purple butterfly sunglasses and talking loud with
your quack quack (daffy duck) accent, no problem for me !
Happy travelling, er...bus touring with an english speaking guide, folks
and
don't forget to buy those made in China mugs !

why is it that the stupid always assume a person is american when that
person questions the juvenile imbecility of something they've said? somebody
oughta do a study...

and as to your speculation concerning my travel-style and my fashion
choices: really, i'm neither your dad nor your mom nor your future self...

michael

"Wolfie" wrote in message
.. .
(cut)
We would generally go to a bank which you can probably trust or use the
ATM. The money changers offer the best exchange rate, but you may not end
up with as much as you think!


I agree about using banks. However, at least in Jakarta, I get a slightly
better rate from local banks such as BNI and BII than with any reputable
money changer here, and I suspect it may be the same in Bali. I used money
changers for years then because mine was out of money one day I tried the
bank next door - and got a better rate to my surprise, plus a far more
secure environment. But foreign banks have really bad rates, especially
Citibank and HSBC.
You can check the BNI and BII rates on their websites (but they also charge
a rp4000 stamp duty which money changers do not). BCA, Permata and other
locals should offer similar rates.

"Runge" wrote in message
...
The best currency in all countries is the LOCAL currency, except in Cuba
and North Korea.
US $ is for people who like to show off or are not capable to convert into
local currency.
The result, when you pay in $$, is that you pay more for what you get and
everyone one considers you as a tourist, not a traveler.


Disagree partially.
In Indonesia some things are priced in US$ because of the instability of the
rupiah. This applies to international airline tickets, many top grade
hotels, and sometimes for computers etc. For these things the list price may
be $ and you can pay in $ or Rp, but check the exchange rate used by the
hotel/shop first - you may lose money if they convert it to rupiah at their
rate. It is not an issue of showing off or being a tourist - I have found it
is a bit cheaper to buy tickets in US$. There are ATMs here in Jakarta which
issue US$ and they are used more by local people than tourists. But for all
day-to-items you should pay in rupiah.
In Laos people use Thai Baht and US$ alongside local currency because the
local money comes in notes of such low value that you would not want to use
it for payments of more than a few $. People generally use Baht or $ for
hotels, airlines etc. Paying a few hundred $ is a few notes in US$ or Thai
baht, and several hundred notes in Lao money which would take a while to
count. It is just more practical not an issue of showing off or being ripped
off. I have seen this in other countries too.