Ahh Indonesia. Great weather. If you like it hot. and humid. :0) As you can see in the above world temp map, Indonesia is in a hotter portion of the world. Indonesia sees at a maximum, a change in daylight of about 48 minutes between its longest and shortest days; equating to an awesome year-round growing season with temperatures that are pretty constant throughout the year. To give you an idea of heat and humidity, when we were in Jakarta in May, it was typically between 80-90 degrees. The kicker was the 95% humidity (feels like 104 degrees when 85 out). In Borneo in May it was 91 degrees with 97% humidity (feels like 133 degrees). Check out this handy dandy heat index calculator if you want to see what it will actually feel like where you are going based on the temperature and humidity.
Because of the heat, it is important to pack accordingly. However, you also have to be mindful of what you are wearing. While many tourists traveling to “hot” places typically get giddy and roll out the booty shorts, tanks and strapless tops, flip flops, and board shorts, if you want to stand out less and show that you’ve actually done some research and respect the people you around, do yourself a favor and leave he see-through (albeit, much cooler) tops at home. Ditch the booty shorts. Stow the flip flops for Kuta.
Traditional hijab worn by Muslim women. (Credit to: http://hijabfashionstyles.com/hijab-fashion/hijab-designs-introduced-by-leading-brands/)
In Jakarta, the majority of the population is Muslim. They pray multiple times a day and you can hear loud speakers blasting prayers at different times throughout the day. While many women still wear the traditional hijab (see photo at right), in this more modern day, a lot of women have put aside the hijab. Regardless, the majority of women in Jakarta wear shirts with sleeves that are not low-cut and shorts/skirts/pants/dresses that go past the knee. While you may see some women defying the “norm” in short-shorts or spaghetti straps, these women stand out completely. Do yourself a favor and get some linen pants or some leggings for under that dress. Additionally, I wore simple sandals- not much more than flip flops, but they had straps around the heel and looked a bit more dressy. Trust me you’ll be more comfortable- especially if you try your luck at walking around the city. You may not always find 100% perfectly maintained sidewalks.
While we were in Jakarta, I frequently wore jeans that I rolled once or twice at the bottom to let some air flow up my legs with a pair of a sandals, a short sleeved-shirt and a button down 3/4 length sleeve shirt over the short-sleeved shirt (unbuttoned). I also brought a light weight halter dress (not a vneck but a straight across dress) that I wore leggings and a light weight shirt over so my shoulders were covered.
As for the men, similar dressing/clothing means apply. Don’t wear booty shorts or see-through shirts or tank tops or flip flops. Stick to pants and polos or t-shirts or light button downs. Sneakers or comfortable shoes are preferable to flip flops. For work, Andrew typically wore khakis, shoes (think work shoes but not polished shiny ones– more comfortable Toms work shoes), and a button down.
The biggest thing that you’ll notice is that locals don’t sweat nearly as much as you do. They are used to the weather or were somehow graced with non-sweating genes. They can wear layers or long-sleeves and look like they’re relaxing in the air conditioning… I on the other hand tended to look like a drown rat after 10 minutes outside :0).
In Bali, things are a bit more flexible because of it being a major tourism location, combined with the fact that most people in Bali are Buddhist and thus you more rarely see the hijab. While in areas like Kuta, Lovina, and Ubud, you’ll find tourists wearing the whole gamut of clothing from pants to bathing suits, remember that rule #2 of traveling (at least in my book) is to always do your research and dress respectfully; even though you may still completely standout, it will look like you care and locals will appreciate it.
A note on Bali temperatures/weather: while it is still warm and humid (80 to 90 degrees most days), if you travel to the mountains, you will find it to be A LOT cooler. When we traveled to Bali, we made sure to pack a sweatshirt or warmer long-sleeved shirt for mountain travels.
A second note on Indonesia dressing/custom: Depending on where you travel, if you visit many Religious sites, you may need to rent or purchase a wrap or remove your shoes. In many of the larger touristy sites, you are not required to do this, but you should be especially mindful to not wear revealing clothing when visiting Religious places. Finally, note that it is considered a sign of disrespect to show the sole of your foot. While we never had locals mention anything to us, it’s something to make a mental note of and try to avoid crossing your legs in a way that shows the sole of your foot. Just something small that you can do that will be more respectful!
Helpful Resources/Apps:
1. Wunderground (Website and Free App for Iphone Users): This App (and website) is fantastic for weather. You can search by zip or city or country. It will pull up a graph of the temperature changes over the past several days (and for future days). You can also see a map of the location, the temperature, humidity, and the “feels like” temperature. Additionally, with the App, you have the ability to select a “green check mark” or a “red x” to agree or disagree with what the App’s weather is saying– ie, social media/real time weather updates.
2. NOAA’s Heat Index Calculator (Website): Mentioned earlier in this post; this website allows you to plug in the temperature and humidity and spit out the “feels like” temperature.
Larking Our Way Through Life 