extra money

how much is a wait(er)ress paid? depends on the city.
here in indonesia, we have a regional minimum wage, set by the government. therefore, it depends on the region a.k.a province where the person work. in east java (the eastern part of java island - the most populous island of five indo's big islands) it's around Rp. 350,000.00 (last US$ rate to IDR: 1 US$ = Rp. 10,600.00 -- go figure the inflation rate yourself).

if you eat in a local mcdonalds, you'd spend around US$ 1.00 - 2.00. if you eat in a pretty fancy resto, you'd spend US$ 10.00 per person.

say if you eat in a pretty fancy resto and the meal was good, so was the service. how much would you tip the wait(er)ress? would US$ 0.50 (50 cents US) sound too much? I'd say no. because in the bill you didn't see "tax and service included -- please provide no tip" or something like that.

would you bitch about that much tip (the 50 cents US) to your dear brother/sister about it? having realized that the person who tends your table only brings home around Rp. 400,000.00 (divide it by Rp. 10.600,00 for current US$ rate) and service is not included.
I definitely would.

simple calculation:
US$ rate to IDR: 1 US$ = Rp. 10,600.00

take home pay: Rp. 400,000.00

expenses:
lodging: Rp. 50,000.00
meals: Rp. 300,000.00 (Rp. 3,000.00 per meal x 30 days).
transport: Rp. 400,000.00 (Rp. 2,000.00 x 20 working days).

total expenses: Rp. 750,000.00

where do you think the person who tends your table will get the rest of the Rp. 350,000.00?
your tip for sure.