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Australians travelling to Indonesia are issued with a 30 day visa upon arrival, which costs $25 USD (payable in USD or Indonesian Rupiah). If you plan ahead you can get a 60 day visa before you arrive, which costs about $50 USD.
A 30 day visa to explore a country with over 13,000 islands a ridiculously short amount of time. It’s a hassle when you compare to visa offers in neighbouring countries. Malaysia give you 90 days upon arrival, as does Singapore, Thailand is 30 days if you arrive by air, and they are all free.
With 30 days my plan was to spend around 10 days each in Sumatra, Java and Bali. Quite a whirlwind trip when you consider the distances involved and it allowed no room for plan deviations.
My plan was blown away by an extended stay in Tuk-Tuk on Lake Toba. I got the overnight bus from Lake Toba to Bukittinggi which takes about 16 hours. It travels on the Trans Sumatran Highway, which is a highway by name only.
Bukittinggi is a pleasant enough place but it’s not really a destination, more of a base for exploring the regions mountains and lakes. I have to be in Padang in 2 days to get a flight to Jakarta so my time in Sumatra has all but run out.
