Surabaya Travel Trips

Healthy Traveling

Indonesia in general is getting better in terms of hygiene and medical facilities but it still has a way to go. You do not want to have a medical emergency here. Play safe and make sure you have medical insurance before you come. Best to have insurance that will evacuate you if you get terribly sick or have a serious injury and need airlifted to Singapore or home. Here are a couple of other common sense points that should keep you in good shape and enjoying your visit.

Drink plenty of fluids (water and fruit juices) to avoid dehydration. Drink bottled water ONLY - ice in drinks, however, is not a problem. Use common sense when choosing a place to eat. Eat in your hotel or established restaurants that are clean and well patronized by local expatriots.

If you are using prescription drugs bring a sufficient supply. Pharmacies (Apotiks) often can fill a prescription but the dosage may not be quite the same as your doctor has prescribed. Take prompt care of any cuts or burns - do not risk infection in this environment. Malaria is not a problem in Jakarta. For additional information there's a list of hospitals and clinics in the Emergency Info section. Additional information on health matters may be obtained from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC home page on the Internet is at http://www.cdc.gov.

Travel Tip
Outward Bound - When planning your departure, on the way out of the hotel, keep a little extra money handy.

The hotel can advise you approximate cost for taxi ride to the airport (don't forget the tolls). As well, keep in mind that all foreign visitors departing Indonesia from Surabaya Juanda Int'l Airport are required to pay an airport tax of Rp. 100,000.- That said, as mentioned earlier it is against the law to leave Indonesia with more than Rp. 10,000,000.-.

Departure tax for a domestic flight is Rp. 15,000.- often this will have already been included in the ticket price - but sometimes not, especially if you have purchased the ticket locally as local agents like to quote the absolute lowest fare - or fear losing your business.

Business Hours
Most shops in the major shopping centres are open from 10.00am until 8.00pm, seven days a week. Restaurants start serving from 7.00am or so until 10.00pm. Government offices and banks operate from 8.00am till 3.00pm, Monday to Thursday and 8.00am till 12.00noon on Fridays. Banks are closed on Saturdays.

Phone Home
All telephone numbers listed herein are local numbers. To reach any number in Surabaya dial: International access code + 62 + 31 + (local number). Wherein "62" is Indonesia country code and "31" is the area code for Surabaya. Be advised most telephone numbers are 7 digits but some now have 8 digits. Cellular service in Indonesia is GSM. If you bring your own handphone you may purchase a prepaid calling chip from any Satelindo distributor (and it's usually cheaper than using your home country telephone service or in-room hotel phone).

Telecommunication capabilities have improved greatly over the last few years but patience is the keyword when trying to dial overseas from Indonesia - especially during office hours. Most better hotels offer International Direct Dialing (IDD) and Home Country Direct (HCD) services. Overseas calls can also be made at state-run telephone offices known as a wartel (warung telephone).

Need to get online? Both AT&T Globalnet & AOL have local access numbers in Surabaya (check before you leave home). If you plan to be in Surabaya for a while and need to be connected there are several local ISPs. That said, it isn't that easy to find a internet shop in Surabaya (there is one in the basement level of Tunjungan Plaza) so for most it will be cheaper and easier to use the business centre in your hotel.

Here's a neat concept: The local phone company allows anyone internet access on its network without having to establish an user account or pay any monthly fees (the telcom makes its money by adding a 50% surcharge to its normal per minute tariff) making it easy to check web based e-mail accounts (i.e. Yahoo, Hotmail) on your laptop. To access dial 0809 - 89999 / username: telkomnet@instan / password: telkom.

Place of Interest at Surabaya

Surabaya being more a destination for business travelers quite honestly lacks attractions for the casual tourist within in the city itself. There are a few, but if you are going to be in Surabaya for a more than a few days or perhaps through a weekend, it would well worth your time to get outside the city for some golf. There are eight golf courses within 30-40 minutes of the downtown areas.

For non-golfers a trip through the countryside to the city of Malang or a visit to the top of Mt. Bromo to see the sunrise are a great way to see Indonesia and meet its people.

Red Bridge
Description: Known locally as Jembatan Merah, the Red Bridge is so named because the railings are painted bright red. Once the heart of Colonial Surabaya, when the Red Bridge neighborhood was in its prime, it was the geographic centre of the city, halfway between the docks in the north and the gracious suburban administrative precinct in the south. It is historically important because it was at this location during the Battle of Surabaya that the British General Mallaby lost his life.

History tells us that the end of colonialism in Indonesia has its origin at the former Hotel Oranje (currently the Hotel Majapahit/Mandarin Oriental) which opened in 1910. It was (and still is) without question Surabaya's finest hotel. Countless settlers, ship owners and cruise ship passengers, including Charlie Chaplain, were served in its palatial dining room and sipped Bols on its polished terraces. This is the location of the "Flag incident which ignited the Revolution"

Grahadi
Description: The residence of the former Dutch governor, still stands. An oasis of tranquility preserved by the presence of today's Governor of East Java. Opposite the residence stands the corpulent figure of Joko Dolog, a 13th-century statue which has long been Surabaya's trademark.

The Surabaya Zoo
Address: Jl. Setail No. 1 Surabaya.
Description: Claiming to be "the largest zoo in S.E. Asia" this "Kebun Binatang" may be of interest to some visitors. A short 15 minute drive along a tree shaded six lane road from the city centre, this is a good place to see the famous (infamous?) Komodo dragons. However, don't expect much more. The zoo is not as well maintained as it could be for animals or visitors alike. Shaded walkways are often slippery - especially after a rain, not all the birds are in cages, and the smell can often be quite pungent in the heat of the day.
Admission: Admission in a mere Rp. 6,000.- (80 US cents).
Hours: 7.00am to 5.00pm.

Kali Mas
Description: This harbor is the home to the notorious "Bugis Schooners," tall-masted sailing ships and the preferred means of transport for the Bugis sailors (the "boogie man" of nightmares). The dock complex at Tanjung Perak, the historic port of Surabaya, remains much as it was, except for its new air conditioned passenger terminal, may be of interest to some who have never witnessed a working port (and busy it is). The port is also home to the Indonesian Navy which