Banks/Money Changers
There are quite a number of national banks in Manado. Their operating hours is between 8:30am to 3pm or 3:30pm, Monday to Friday. It is hard to find a bank in Manado that accept traveller's cheques. There is one bank that does traveller's cheque encashment but charges ? 5 per cheque.
Privately run money changers are mostly located in city areas and only a few of them accept traveller's cheques. Usually they don't charge commissions. While ATMs are conveniently available in many parts of the city and most of them do accept international cards, though you need to check with your bank for international withdrawal fees.
Banks in Manado
Bank Artha Graha
Location: Jl. Kemakmuran 23, Calaca
Tel: (+62 431) 868033
Website: www.arthagraha.com
Bank Central Asia
Location: Jl. Sam Ratulangi 17-19
Tel: (+62 431) 868438, 852778
Website: www.klikbca.com
Bank Danamon
Location: Jl. Sutomo 62
Tel: (+62 431) 868138
Website: www.danamon.co.id
Bank International Indonesia
Location: Jl. Sam Ratulangi 18
Tel: (+62 431) 860543
Bank Mandiri
Location: Jl. Datulolong Lasut No. 15
Tel: (+62 431) 847138
Website: www.bankmandiri.co.id
Bank Negara Indonesia
Location: Jl. Datulolong Lasut No. 1
Tel: (+62 431) 868019, 861331
Website: www.bni.co.id
Bank Rakyat Indonesia
Location: Jl. Sarapung 4-6
Tel: (+62 431) 863378
Website: www.bri.co.id
Bank Sulut
Location: Jl. Sam Ratulangi 9
Tel: (+62 431) 851451
Website: www.banksulut.co.id
Bank Tabungan Negara
Location: Jl. Wolter Monginsidi 56
Tel: (+62 431) 868095
Bank Niaga
Location: Jl. Sam Ratulangi 205
Tel: (+62 431) 863100, 843749
Bank Panin
Location: Jl. Dotulolong Lasut No. 7
Tel: (+62 431) 853055
Climate
Manado and its neighboring towns in the south has quite a big difference in climate. Manado which lies next to sea stays hot and humid, where Tomohon and Tondano lie up on a high ground that gives them a pleasant yearly average temperature of 22°C (72°F).
However, north Sulawesi has only two seasons: wet and dry seasons, where usually between June to August as the driest months.
Health
Hospitals and Pharmacies
There are a few hospitals (Rumah Sakit or "RS" /roo-mâ sâ-kit/ ) in Manado and its surroundings, which some have considerably good standards and also has a 24-hour emergency service. There are also numbers of clinics (klinik), while pharmacies/chemists (apotik) are plentiful.
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Police operated ambulance
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Hospital sign
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A typical chemist sign
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List of a few hospitals in Manado, in alphabetical orders:
RS Advent, Manado
RS Budi Mulia, Jl Sam Ratulangi X/9A, Bitung
RS Islam Sitti Maryam, Jl Pogidon Raya 53, Manado
RS DR. Sam Ratulangi
RS Siloam, Desa Tounelet, Sonder
RS Setia Budi, Kota Langowan
RS Pancaran Kasih, Jl. Sam Ratulangi XIII, Manado
RS Pusat Malalayang, Malalayang, Manado
Important Telephone Numbers (Local Call - 0431)
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Airport - Sam Ratulangi |
814320 |
Ambulance Services |
118 |
Police |
112, 840690 |
Hospital - TNI-AL, Bitung |
(0438) 21264 |
Hospital - Dr Sam Ratulangi |
321022 |
Ship/Pelni Information |
(0438) 35818 |
Telkom Call Centre (a telephone company) |
147 |
Telephone Number Information |
108 |
Public Phone
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Embassies and Consulates |
click here |
Miscellaneous
People
Local people in Manado are generally friendly and helpful, and mostly are believers of Christianity. Even though it is a Christian predominated region, women travellers are advised to dress up properly in order to avoid unnecessary attention, especially when visiting churches. Click "Tips" above or here for more matters on Clothing.
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People in a pub
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Local teenagers with their laptops in a shopping mall
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Local crowds
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You might also experience a few greetings on streets, especially from local kids or people those might try to make conversations with you. If you think the locals laugh or smile a lot during talking to you, don't take it wrongly as if something is funny or wrong with you, it is just part of their smiling cultures.
Photos
Should you like to develop and print your photos, there are many photo services in Manado. Generally locals go to either Kodak or Fuji shops. Processing time depends on the numbers of printing, but usually it takes around one hour or less for a set of photos, and cost about Rp. 1,500 for one print.
Safety
In old days, a group of people, usually the young ones, liked to get drunk and made troubles, especially in remote areas. However, today locals in north Sulawesi believe the situation is much better, even though they still advice visitors to avoid walking alone along Jalan Pierre Tendean (Boulevard), see Manado City, after 10pm.
Other common crimes in big cities like pickpocket is fortunately a rare problem.
Police in Indonesia (and Manado itself) in general is changing towards better public service standards. Though changing the old habits (and public perception) is not easy and takes time, they have been doing lots of things to improve public perception. For instance, renewing a driving license which in the past took a few hours and would make people ended up paying a lot more, today it can be done almost instantly without extra charges.
For more general information and tips on Indonesia please click here: "General Information" and "Tips".
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