The staple diet for most Indonesians is nasi (rice), which is replaced on some islands with corn, sago, cassava and sweet potatoes. Indonesia’s spices make its local cuisine unique. Indonesians like their food highly spiced – look out for the tiny and fiery hot red and green peppers often included in salads and vegetable dishes. Seafood is excellent and features highly on menus (with salt and freshwater fish, lobsters, oysters, prawns, shrimp, squid, shark and crab all available). Coconuts are often used for cooking. Vegetables and fruit, such as bananas, pineapple and oranges, are available throughout the year; some tropical fruits such as mango, watermelon and papaya are seasonal. A feature of Jakarta is the many warungs (street stalls); each specialises in its own dish or drink.

National specialities:
• Rijsttafel (a Dutch-invented smorgasbord of 12 various meat, fish, vegetable and curry dishes, sometimes served by 12 ‘maidens’).
• Sate (chunks of beef, fish, pork, chicken or lamb cooked on hot coals and dipped in peanut sauce).
• Rendang (west Sumatra; buffalo coconut curry).
• Gado-gado (Java; a salad of raw and cooked vegetables with peanut and coconut milk sauce).
• Babi guling (Bali; roast suckling pig).

National drinks:
• Es (ice drinks with syrups, fruits and jellies).
• Brem (Bali; rice wine).
• Tuak (palm-sap wine, a famously potent local brew).
• Arak (rice or palm-sap wine).
• Kelapa muda (young coconut juice).

Legal drinking age: 18 (minimum purchasing age: 16).

Tipping: 10% is normal.

Jakarta nightclubs feature international singers and bands and are open until 0400 during weekends. Jakarta has loads of cinemas and some English-language and subtitled films are shown. There are also casinos, and theatres providing cultural performances.

Dancing is considered an art, encouraged and practised from very early childhood. The extensive repertoire is based on ancient legends and stories from religious epics. Performances are given in village halls and squares, and also in many of the leading hotels by professional touring groups. The dances vary enormously, both in style and number of performers. Some of the more notable are the Legong, a slow, graceful dance of divine nymphs; the Baris, a fast moving, noisy demonstration of male, warlike behaviour; and the Jauk, a riveting solo offering by a masked and richly costumed demon. Many consider the most dramatic of all to be the famous Cecak (Monkey Dance) which calls for 100 or more very agile participants. Many of the larger hotels, particularly in Bali, put on dance shows accompanied by the uniquely Indonesian Gamelan Orchestras.

Throughout the year, many local moonlight festivals occur; tourists should check locally. Indonesian puppets are world famous and shows for visitors are staged in various locations.

Favourite buys are batik cloth, woodcarvings and sculpture, silverwork, woven baskets and hats, bamboo articles, krises (small daggers), paintings and woven cloth. At stalls and small shops, bartering might be necessary.

Shopping hours: Mon-Sun 0900-2100. Most local markets open either very early in the morning or at dusk. In the smaller towns, shops may close between 1300 and 1700.