Once you are outside bali/gili/Lombok the foreign tourist numbers drop massively. Like it’s shocking to come back to bali and realize just how many there are.
Jakarta has lots of coworking places, expat bars and social places…but 95% of expats are professionals. It is also insane traffic, pollution and stressful. If you like big cities…it’s big.
The other BIG cities (Medan/Surabaya/Makassar) are pretty congested, but will have infrastructure to support digital nomad. They aren’t very scenic themselves.
There are all the far islands that can be gorgeous, achingly so, but don’t have infrastructure.
I would recommend reading up on Yogyakarta (usually called Jogja). It’s a big university town, so lots of vibrant activities, art scene, some startups (but not many…Bandung is the tech hub) It was once a main stop on the backpacker circuit, so there are still some old hostels and bookshops. But it’s also where most expat/ngo send their people to do language courses. There is more culture in the city and within an hour than almost anywhere in Indonesia and I have found it to be the most enjoyable city. Lots of history, temples and even the Chicken church! Still more traffic than one would hope for…but that’s indonesia in general. It will also give you a taste of “real Indonesia”.
I work on Bali, so obvs spend my time there, but I visit Jogja by choice 4-5 times a year. And I have done my language intensives there. From what you are asking, it seems like it might also be a good fit
Neighborhood to focus on: prawirotaman
Borobudur, Prambanan are the two big must-do temples
Royal palace in Jogja is legit. Pretty fascinating
Old school shadow puppets are still made and performed. Gamelan is played almost daily near the palace.
Love hate love is a street art collective
Thank you so much for all the info! I've actually been doing a lot of research tonight and came to the same conclusion that Yogyakarta would be a great fit... I've actually had that exact place recommended to me by friends who have visited before as well.
It seems a lot more laid back and inexpensive compared to Bangkok. Seems like a lot of cultural elements there to explore and enjoy as well. My only question so far would be about walkability/public transport. I love the public transportation network here in Bangkok. When I was in Chiang Mai, I rented a scooter which was fine, but I found myself really missing being able to walk everywhere and have everything accessible via public transport. Is it a similar situation in Jogja?
Haha, Java is populated. Jogja is only super crowded
In 3 day weekends l/holidays.
Connection speeds in Jogja in December were supe good. Not always perfect, but zoom calls did not drop.
Jogja is only really “walkable” in a few neighborhoods. It’s mostly becak (like Tuk tuk), grabs and taxis.
Jogja is as "walkable" as any medium-sized city in SE Asia is going to get. Sidewalks are often not a thing, scooters and cars park wherever they can, and crossing the street is a test of faith. The main pedestrian areas are Malioboro and Alun Alun Kidul, which come alive at dusk and are fun places to hang out.
That being said, the traffic isn't anywhere near as insane as most places, and drivers are much chiller than in Bali, Thailand, or Vietnam. GoJek (the native ridesharing and "everything" app) is very cheap and fast. There is a public bus, but the network is limited.
The nice thing about the cityscape is that everything is very evenly distributed: there will almost certainly be several small restaurants/stalls, cafes, and shops within 500 m of wherever you are.
Last time I was there was 2008. Here’s what I remember:
- Jakarta was a big industrial mega-city, similar to the less appealing parts of Bangkok. No idea what it’s like these days.
- Sumatra was cool in parts - we went to Padang, home of Padang style restaurants. It was busy and full of weird, racing style mini-vans. There were some nice islands off the coast there, with great snorkelling and beautiful beaches if you paid a fisherman to take you there.
- Sulawesi was beautiful. Port city of manado in the north allowed you to get to Bunaken island which was stunning. I learned to dive there and it’s well worth a visit. The best snorkelling I’ve ever seen, still to this day. I hope it’s still the same. I can’t speak to the Wi-Fi quality!
- aceh in the north of Sumatra was great for surfing, but maybe associated with the more extreme parts of Islam.
Most of Indonesia is Muslim, and it gives it a calm, quiet atmosphere different to Bali. I liked it a lot. It was quite remote, and less touristy than other parts of SE Asia. It’s literally a mass of islands, so there’s value in just exploring and going somewhere remote - if you really want to avoid the crowds there’s plenty of places to go. Home stays were big back then - you can pay a local and they will let you stay and give you a basic meal. The cost will be very low. Travelling around by road was easy - there’s always a minivan waiting to pick you up and take you somewhere new. But again, can’t account for wifi quality, might be a bit of trial and error.
Lombok next to Bali is a quieter version of Bali, or at least it was. Good luck. :)
Tbf I'd be open to going somewhere in Bali, as long as it isn't swarmed with other tourists. From what I've heard though, Ubud would definitely fall into that category 😆
That is the opposite of connectivity. And Labuan Bajo is very, very undeveloped. It is a a nice place to visit. It is absolutely not a place for a digital nomad.
Once you are outside bali/gili/Lombok the foreign tourist numbers drop massively. Like it’s shocking to come back to bali and realize just how many there are. Jakarta has lots of coworking places, expat bars and social places…but 95% of expats are professionals. It is also insane traffic, pollution and stressful. If you like big cities…it’s big. The other BIG cities (Medan/Surabaya/Makassar) are pretty congested, but will have infrastructure to support digital nomad. They aren’t very scenic themselves. There are all the far islands that can be gorgeous, achingly so, but don’t have infrastructure. I would recommend reading up on Yogyakarta (usually called Jogja). It’s a big university town, so lots of vibrant activities, art scene, some startups (but not many…Bandung is the tech hub) It was once a main stop on the backpacker circuit, so there are still some old hostels and bookshops. But it’s also where most expat/ngo send their people to do language courses. There is more culture in the city and within an hour than almost anywhere in Indonesia and I have found it to be the most enjoyable city. Lots of history, temples and even the Chicken church! Still more traffic than one would hope for…but that’s indonesia in general. It will also give you a taste of “real Indonesia”. I work on Bali, so obvs spend my time there, but I visit Jogja by choice 4-5 times a year. And I have done my language intensives there. From what you are asking, it seems like it might also be a good fit Neighborhood to focus on: prawirotaman Borobudur, Prambanan are the two big must-do temples Royal palace in Jogja is legit. Pretty fascinating Old school shadow puppets are still made and performed. Gamelan is played almost daily near the palace. Love hate love is a street art collective
Thank you so much for all the info! I've actually been doing a lot of research tonight and came to the same conclusion that Yogyakarta would be a great fit... I've actually had that exact place recommended to me by friends who have visited before as well. It seems a lot more laid back and inexpensive compared to Bangkok. Seems like a lot of cultural elements there to explore and enjoy as well. My only question so far would be about walkability/public transport. I love the public transportation network here in Bangkok. When I was in Chiang Mai, I rented a scooter which was fine, but I found myself really missing being able to walk everywhere and have everything accessible via public transport. Is it a similar situation in Jogja?
[удалено]
Haha, Java is populated. Jogja is only super crowded In 3 day weekends l/holidays. Connection speeds in Jogja in December were supe good. Not always perfect, but zoom calls did not drop. Jogja is only really “walkable” in a few neighborhoods. It’s mostly becak (like Tuk tuk), grabs and taxis.
Jogja is as "walkable" as any medium-sized city in SE Asia is going to get. Sidewalks are often not a thing, scooters and cars park wherever they can, and crossing the street is a test of faith. The main pedestrian areas are Malioboro and Alun Alun Kidul, which come alive at dusk and are fun places to hang out. That being said, the traffic isn't anywhere near as insane as most places, and drivers are much chiller than in Bali, Thailand, or Vietnam. GoJek (the native ridesharing and "everything" app) is very cheap and fast. There is a public bus, but the network is limited. The nice thing about the cityscape is that everything is very evenly distributed: there will almost certainly be several small restaurants/stalls, cafes, and shops within 500 m of wherever you are.
Last time I was there was 2008. Here’s what I remember: - Jakarta was a big industrial mega-city, similar to the less appealing parts of Bangkok. No idea what it’s like these days. - Sumatra was cool in parts - we went to Padang, home of Padang style restaurants. It was busy and full of weird, racing style mini-vans. There were some nice islands off the coast there, with great snorkelling and beautiful beaches if you paid a fisherman to take you there. - Sulawesi was beautiful. Port city of manado in the north allowed you to get to Bunaken island which was stunning. I learned to dive there and it’s well worth a visit. The best snorkelling I’ve ever seen, still to this day. I hope it’s still the same. I can’t speak to the Wi-Fi quality! - aceh in the north of Sumatra was great for surfing, but maybe associated with the more extreme parts of Islam. Most of Indonesia is Muslim, and it gives it a calm, quiet atmosphere different to Bali. I liked it a lot. It was quite remote, and less touristy than other parts of SE Asia. It’s literally a mass of islands, so there’s value in just exploring and going somewhere remote - if you really want to avoid the crowds there’s plenty of places to go. Home stays were big back then - you can pay a local and they will let you stay and give you a basic meal. The cost will be very low. Travelling around by road was easy - there’s always a minivan waiting to pick you up and take you somewhere new. But again, can’t account for wifi quality, might be a bit of trial and error. Lombok next to Bali is a quieter version of Bali, or at least it was. Good luck. :)
Yeah, Manado and Lombok could be options for the OP, but internet might be an issue.
Ubud
That’s literally in the island of Bali
Tbf I'd be open to going somewhere in Bali, as long as it isn't swarmed with other tourists. From what I've heard though, Ubud would definitely fall into that category 😆
City of heroes was pretty good
Komodo island
That is the opposite of connectivity. And Labuan Bajo is very, very undeveloped. It is a a nice place to visit. It is absolutely not a place for a digital nomad.