Indonesia is an archipelago of 13,500 islands that spreads in an arc some 3,000 miles from Asia to Australia along the Pacific Rim’s “Ring of Fire.” It is one of the most active volcanic regions on earth; as many as 80 are active. The land and surrounding sea is dramatically beautiful and the country is populated by virtually as many distinct ethnic groups as there are populated islands.
Much has been made over the years about the island of Bali: its stunning beauty, its friendly people, the richness of its dance and art, the slow pace and tranquility of the Balinese way of life. All of this is true, and in some ways it presents a microcosm of Indonesia as a whole.
Anyone who visited Bali 10 years ago will tell you the place has been ruined, but those who came 10 years before that had said the same thing, as had those who had come 10 years before them. Bali has been changing for years, with the low-rent tourist ghetto of Kuta Beach and the high-rent districts of Sanur and Nusa Dua courting the traveling dollar, pound, franc and deutschemark, but it remains one of the world’s true gems.
Like Bali, Java has a lush agricultural landscape with paddy fields terraced up mountain slopes, but it is home to remnants of ancient Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms and the fine city of Yogyakarta, formerly a major trade center and royal seat. Today Yogyakarta is the center of Javanese art and dance, and a good place to bask in Indonesian traditions.
Sumatra is the world’s fifth largest island and remains largely wild. It is a place of dense jungles, wide rivers, deep canyons, and exotic wildlife–some of it on the edge of extinction. Travel around Sumatra, at least between the main tourist points, is no longer an arduous challenge. The trans-Sumatran highway is paved all the way up the island and modern buses make the long journey to Lake Toba every day.
Crime throughout the country is far lower than in most Western cities, even in the chaotic capital city of Jakarta. Most crime against visitors is petty theft and pickpocketing.
Worldwide updates
Bolivia: A national state of siege was extended for another 90-day period July 22 because of the refusal of coca leaf growers to reduce their production. The move was met with widespread condemnation by opposition parties and the Catholic Church, and growers clashed with police. Strikes and further violence is possible. Avoid all large gatherings of people.
France: A bomb exploded on a train in the Paris Metro in the St. Michel station July 25 killing seven and wounding 88. The timing and location of the blast suggested an intention to cause maximum injury. Thus far no one has claimed responsibility, but authorities suspect Algerian Islamic extremists or Serbian terrorists. Tighter security has been implemented at stations, airports, and all borders, and some 2,800 extra police were deployed in Paris and other major cities. The St. Michel station reopened July 26.
Greece: The U.S. State Department reported July 14 that the U.S. Embassy in Athens may be the target of an attack by a Middle Eastern terrorist organization. This is not the first time such information has been received but to date no attack has materialized.
Hong Kong: Recent kidnappings of businessmen traveling in southern China has spawned a boom in bodyguard services. Executives are paying $100 an hour for guards to accompany them while doing business in China. Reportedly some 70 kidnappings of Hong Kong and Taiwanese businessmen have happened in China so far this year.
India: Travel to Kashmir should be avoided. Militants have kidnapped foreigners in the region in recent weeks and are still holding an American, two Britons, a German and a Norwegian. Clashes flare regularly between militants and government forces.
Israel: At least seven people were killed and 32 wounded in an apparent suicide bombing of a bus in Tel Aviv July 24. The incident occurred the day before the deadline for an accord to expand the 14-month-old Palestinian self-rule beyond Gaza and Jericho into the West Bank. The hard-line Islamic group Hamas claimed responsibility. For travelers, there is virtually no way to guarantee safety against such terrorist attacks. The best you can do is try to avoid traveling by public transit on or around important anniversaries or significant dates.
Such incidents, and passions, cut many ways here. On July 21 Jewish settlers in the Occupied Territories of the West Bank fired shots, stoned Arab cars and blocked 15 West Bank roads to protest the transfer of more land to Palestinian self-rule. Police clashed with the settlers and arrested 13.
Pakistan: Travel to Karachi should be avoided because of ongoing violence between rival Muslim groups. The U.S. government has ordered its officials to avoid Karachi regardless of their destinations in Pakistan.
Singapore: Two convicted drug traffickers were hanged in Singapore July 28, a reminder that drug offenders are dealt with severely here. The men, both Indians, were convicted of attempting to sell 11.5 ounces of heroin to undercover agents. Singapore has reportedly hanged more than 120 drug traffickers since its drug laws were passed in 1975.
South Africa: Police recently arrested more than 700 people in a four-day action against crime in Johannesburg and the surrounding industrial area. The move was part of a community safety plan which also involves roadblocks and searches of houses to cut down on illegal guns in the province.
Sri Lanka: A military offensive against the Tamil separatist stronghold on the Jaffna peninsula has been underway for weeks and travel to the northern and northeastern parts of the island should be avoided. Travel in the southern regions of the country has been generally safe, however.
Tibet: A report dated July 18 stated that riot police expelled tourists en masse from Xigaze, Tibet’s second city, in an attempt to preempt a protest by Buddhist monks angry with the Chinese government’s intervention in the selection of the new Panchen Lama, the second most important religious figure in Tibet after the Dalai Lama. Security has been tight for years in Tibet, and crackdowns sometimes come without warning.
Venezuela: Violent crime has risen so dramatically in Caracas that some 300 people protested government inaction July 20. Reports say about 40 people are murdered each weekend in this city of five million, sometimes for as little as a pair of shoes. Much of the crime takes place in shanty-towns around Caracas, where anger has been simmering since June when a TV news program broadcast live images of a bungled police attempt to capture a gang of kidnappers. Avoid these high-crime districts.
Because conditions can change overnight, always make your own inquiries before you leave home. In the United States, contact a Passport Agency office or the State Department in Washington; abroad, check in with the nearest American embassy or consulate.
