People
The people in Indonesia, coming form very diverse ethnic backgrounds are, generally outspoken friendly and easy to get along with. You will find most of them are nice and relatively tolerant of other cultures.
Religion
Five religions are recognized by the Indonesian government: Islam, Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist and Hindu. Mosques, churches, temples are found throughout the country. Although Indonesia has a predominantly Moslem population, some religious holidays of other religions are also celebrated as national holidays.
Climate
Indonesia has a fairly even climate all year round. Bandung’s climate is quite cold and humid. The average temperatures range from 23º Celcius at night and early morning to up to 26º Celcius at noon. The rainy season is usually from November to April, with some regional variations. Bandung has the heaviest rainfall from January to February.
Food
Indonesian cuisine often demonstrates complex flavour,acquired from certain ingredients and bumbu spices mixture. Indonesian dishes have rich flavours; most often described as gurih (savory which equate to umami) and pedas (hot and spicy), and also combination of basic tastes such as manis (sweet), asin (salty), asam (sour) and pahit (bitter). Seven main Indonesian cooking methods are goreng (frying), bakar (roasting) or panggang (grilling), tumis (stir frying), sangrai (sautéing), rebus (boiling) and kukus (steaming).
Some popular Indonesian dishes such as nasi goreng, gado-gado, sate, and soto are ubiquitous in the country and considered as national dishes. The official national dish of Indonesia however, is tumpeng, chosen in 2014 by Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy as the dish that binds the diversity of Indonesia’s various culinary traditions. Two foods adored by Indonesians are tempeh – fermented soybeans usually found in block form that are high in protein and fibre – and krupuk, or deep fried crackers, made from prawn, seafood or vegetables, which are eaten at the start of a meal.
As the population of Indonesia is predominantly Moslem, pork is usually not served except in Chinese restaurants, non-Moslem and places serving international cuisine. Pork dishes are served in some non-moslem parts of Bali, Papua and the North Sumatra highlands and North Sulawesi.
Drinks
Tap water is not safe to drink. Water coming out of taps may contain bacteria and therefore must be boiled or sterilized before it is consumed. Branded bottled water is readily available for sale in nearly all grocery stores and convenience stores.
Indonesian coffee is one of the finest in the world. You can enjoy the exotic taste of our coffee in the coffee shops commonly available in many entertainment centers or in any commercial areas of the cities.
Alcoholic drinks or local beers are available in major supermarkets and hypermarkets. Wine is sold only in major restaurants and hotels.
Business Hours
| Embassies | : | Mon-Fri 8am-4pm |
| Banks | : | Mon-Fri 8am-3pm & Sat 8am-1pm |
| Malls/shopping centers |
: | Mon-Sun 10am-10pm |
| Post offices |
: | Mon-Thur 8 am -2 pm Fri 8-11 am Sat 8 am – 12.30 pm |
| Airline Offices | : | Mon-Fri 8 am – 4 pm & Sat 8 am – noon |
Other celebration affecting the business hours
(Government) offices close at 11.30 am – 1 pm on Fridays (Moslem mass prayer)
Ramadan (the ninth Moslem month or October 2004) is a month of fasting for Moslems. Food counters and restaurants are generally closed during daylights, while discotheques are totally closed. The starting of the business hours delays half an hour and close one hour earlier.
Time Zone
Indonesia is divided into three time zones: WIB/Western Indonesia Time (Sumatra, Java, West and Central Kalimantan) is seven hours ahead of GMT. Central Indonesia Time (Bali, South and East Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara) is eight hours ahead of GMT. Eastern Indonesia Time (Maluku, Irian Jaya) is nine hours ahead of GMT.
(http://www.livinginindonesiaforum.org)
Transportation
You can visit : http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Indonesia/East_Java_Province/Bandung-1223569/Transportation-Bandung-TG-C-1.html for information about transportation in Bandung.