By The word “spa” probably comes from the name of the town Spa in Belgium. A spa is a place to go to treat and heal your mind, body and spirit using a variety of different techniques such as massage, scrubs, yoga, acupuncture, reike, reflexology, nutrition and body wraps etc. Introduced in the early 1990’s, spas are a relatively new phenomenon in Thailand.

VISAS

A small number of countries have a Visa-Free regime with Indonesia. Mainly ASEAN member states (Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) but also Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR, Chile, Morocco and Peru. Another substantial group of 34 countries including Russia , most of the EU (25 countries including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and UK) the USA and many Arab states can obtain a Visa on Arrival -either a 10 day one for US$ 10 or a 30 day for US$ 30. If you want to stay longer then you should apply to an Indonesian Embassy before departure and a 60 day visa will cost US$35. VOA are only available at recognized ports of entry and do not include any land crossings. If you are not eligible for VOA or are arriving at a non-approved port then you will need to apply in advance. Costs vary as they are charged in local currencies. Check with your local Indonesian Embassy. People travelling on Israeli and North Korean passports are not admitted to Indonesia.

LAST YEAR I WAS A GUEST OF the Indonesian Embassy on a media familiarization tour of Indonesia. Our flight, from Moscow with Singapore Airlines took almost 22 hours to Bali with a two-hour Dubai stopover and in Singapore about four hours.