Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo also called Gunung Bromo, located in Tengger Caldera, East Java, Indonesia, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indonesia. It is an active Volcano and part of the Tengger massif and even though at 2329 meters it is not the highest peak of the massif, it is the most well known.

The Legend Of Bromo

The eerie landscape of Bromo and it’s neighboring volcanoes has spawned countless myths and legends. It is said that the Tengger crater was originally dug out with just half a coconut shell by an ogre smitten with love for a princess.

But Bromo is of particular religious significance to the Hindu Tengger people, who still populate the massif and first fled here to escape the wave of islam that broke over the Majapahit Empire in the 16th century. The Tengger believe that Bromo once fell within the realm of the childless King Joko Seger and Queen Roro Anteng, who asked the God of the volcano for assistance in producing an heir.
The God obliged , giving them 25 children, but demanded that the youngest, a handsome boy named Dian Kusuma, be sacrificed to the flames in return. When the queen later refused to fulfill her promise, the young Dian bravely sacrificed himself to save the kingdom from retribution.

Today, the mountain is appeased during the annual Kasada Festival,when the local Tanggerese come to Bromo to throw offering of vegetables, chicken and money into the crater of the volcano

SENGGIGI LOMBOK - SISTER OF BALI

Senggigi

Princes of The West Coast

Senggigi, named after a princess in local legend, is the main tourist centre on Lomb0k. The resort area is about 10 km north of Ampenan, and about 20 minutes drive from the island's Selaparang airport. Nowhere near as large or as busy as its Bali counterparts, Senggigi is a great base for exploring the rest of the island.

Senggigi Beach is the large bay that forms the centre of the Senggigi, with the main road running paraller to the Beach, and the large resort accupaying the space between. The beach provides picturesque views of Bali's Gunung Agung to the west and stunning sunsets with the volcano silhouetted on the horizon.

Tourism Information:

• The pasar seni (Art Market) is on the beach between the Santosa and Sheraton resort. There are numerous small stalls selling handicrafts and souvenirs from around Lombok, as well as t-shirt, sarongs and clothing similar to Bali's market.
• Batu Layar, on the hill a couple of kilometers before Senggigi, has an important ancestral grave (makam) where Muslims come to picnic and pray for health and success.
• Pura Batu Bolong (meaning: ''Rock witha hole'') is an interesting Hindu Temple facing Bali across the Lombok Strait. Built on a large rocky outcrop with a natural hole near the base, it is said that virgins were once sacrificed to the sea from the seat-like rock at the outermost point.
• Kerandangan Valley, with a popular beach nearby and some nice hotels slightly out of town in a pretts valley
• Mangsit has developed as an accommodation alternative to Senggigi, with boutique style hotels positioned along the breathtaking bays of the section of coast.
  

Raja Ampat Beautiful Place For Diving

Raja Ampat is a great place where the best diving is now being threatened sustainability of coral reefs. Immediately pictured a white sand, blue sky, sea water of various colors and sound waves. Raja Ampat Located off the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea. It is a part of the newly named West Papua (province) of Indonesia which was formerly Irian Jaya.

Travel Sanur Beach in Bali Indonesia

Travel Sanur Beach in Bali Indonesia

Sanur Beach Hotel at Denpasar city, Bali, has private beach, you crapper relax undisturbed by public, and popular for tourist who has more money to spend. The swimming bet is quite good and clean, so you crapper swim freely as daylong as you like.

Krakatau Volcanic Island : Best of Indonesian Wonders and Exotic of Nature

Krakatau Volcanic Islands, Nestled between the super Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra is the Krakatoa Volcano National Park. In the fourth century, a azygos marine cleft stood at this site, but in 416 A.D., the caldera of the cleft collapsed. The remnants formed a new caldera, or extrusive feature formed by the collapse of realty mass an eruption, around 7 km in diameter, with the peak’s remnants becoming the three islands of Verlaten, Lang and Krakatau.

Vacation Holidays in The Bunaken Beach : Bunaken is Beautfully Beach

Bunaken is one of Indonesia's most famous dive/snorkeling areas, and it draws scuba different & snorkelers from every over the world. In addition to Bunaken itself, a kinda featureless banana-shaped island, the National Park includes the neighboring islands of Manado Tua, a characteristic cone-shaped extinct volcano, Siladen, Montehagen, Nain, and Nain Kecil.The humour of Bunaken National serviceman Park are extremely deep (1566 m in Manado Bay), clear (up to 35-40 m visibility), refreshing in temperature (27-29 C) and harbor some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. Pick some of group of interest - corals, fish, echinoderms or sponges - and the number of families, genera or species is bound to be astonishingly high.

About half an hour by a trimotored outrigger canoe from Manado, Bunaken island is a veritable region for snorkelers and scuba enthusiasts. The coral reef off Bunaken island is specially good for that and shouldn't be missed while you're in this region. The drop off wall at Liang Cove is not only rare in the world, as it's described by planetary different as being spectacular with caves, gullies, and caverns harbouring an immense wealth of marine life. The water averages a bats 28 degrees C and saliency is shocking (over) 30 m. The Bunaken sea garden is rich with colourful equatorial marine life

Travel News

Batik As Indonesian Cultural Heritage

The word "batik" is Indonesian in origin, even if the concept was known by Egyptians and Indians. It is known to be more than a millenium old, and there are evidences that cloth decorated through some form of resist technique was in use in the early centuries AD in several West African, Middle-Eastern and Asian communities.

The word Batik is originally an Indonesian-Malay word and derives propbably from 'titik' which means to dot .This art of textile is well spread in the hindu and malay world, but Indonesia is certainly the heart of the Batik.This way of painting and coloring on textile cloth has reached its higher degree of excellence in the Island of Java , in cities like Solo, Yogyakarta, Pekalongan or Cirebon. From Java this 'batik' cloth was exported to other islands of the archipelago and to the Malay peninsula.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has officially recognized batik as an Indonesian cultural treasure. Unesco, would make public its decision to recognize batik as a unique hallmark of the country’s heritage during a meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Intangible Heritage, held from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The government has conducted field research since 2008 involving batik-producing communities and experts in 19 provinces across the country in preparation for the nomination of batik as a cultural artifact. “Batik is not only considered part of Indonesia’s cultural heritage, but is also now recognized as a representation of humanity’s culture,” adding that as a traditional cloth, batik was rich in value as well as cultural inheritance.

Meanwhile, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said that in 2003, Unesco recognized wayang kulit , or shadow puppets, and a traditional dagger as aspects of the country’s cultural heritage, adding that it would continue to seek Unesco recognition of its cultural artifacts. Batik techniques: painting on cloth.

The art of "batiking" is similar to the one of drawing or painting on a piece of cloth. The main tool, thecanting ('tjanting'), is used in stead of a pencil or a brush, andliquid wax(see paragraph here below)in stead of paint. Finely detailed designs are first drawn freehand with a pencil on the textile. Then hot liquid wax is applied. Here above, a Javanese woman applying wax in the intricately involved patterns with a canting (tjanting), a small copper container with a long slender spout.

From time to time she blows on the tip of the canting to secure an easy flow of the wax. Areas not slated for coloring are filed with the wax. The cloth is then passed through a vat of dye. The wax is removed with hot water, scraped from the portions of the dried material still to be dyed. The parts that were covered by the wax did not absorb the dye and thus remain white (or whatever color the original cloth was previously dyied). Since the wax behave as a resisting medium, this process is called resist-dye process.

Next, other areas are waxed over. this is repeated during each phase of the coloring process, up to four or more times, until the overall pattern and effect are achieved.

THE WAX

A traditional recipe for batik wax is a mix of beeswax and paraffin, about 60%/40%. Beeswax is soft, pliable, and blocks completely: no cracking. Paraffin is more brittle, and lets dye penetrate wherever cracks form. Crackle is a characteristic batik effect, a scatter of thin dark wavy lines, a batik hallmark. Some dyers seek crackle, freezing and crumpling the cloth to make more. Others avoid, if they can, any effect that seems uncontrolled. For more crackle, more paraffin.

Any clean, low-oil paraffin, melting from 130 - 150° F will work. Beeswax should be light yellow or tan and clear of debris. But most batik today is done with synthetic micro-crystalline waxes. They’re more consistent, more often reusable, penetrate better, can be heated (safely) to higher temperatures. They usually fall between beeswax and paraffin in price and in working properties. They can be blended with other waxes for intermediate effects.


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Travel News Sukabumi

Hundreds Of Thousands Tourists Fill Pelabuhan Ratu

Entrepreneur Association of Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants (PHRI) of Kenya recorded at least 110 thousand tourists crowded the Beach Pelabuhan Ratu, Sukabumi on the sixth day after Lebaran 2009.

Density of tourist attractions in the region has occurred since the entrance to the Beach Pelabuhan Ratu. Long queues of vehicles were seen up to 1 km more. Most tourists who come to use two-wheeled vehicles and pickup vehicles.

Lebaran holiday peak actually occurs at H +3 Lebaran. It records the incoming tourists to Palabuhanratu at H +3 reached 150 thousand people. Most tourists who come from Greater Jakarta.

The number of tourists who come to the Harbor Queen rose to 90 percent of the days normally. Most tourists vacationing in Queen Palabuhan to swim at the beach or shopping trips and fish cuisine. The number of tourists predicted to grow until late into the night, especially when it was Sunday night.

For that it is providing facilities and infrastructure for the tourists who come to Pelabuhan Ratu, like a tent to rest and where culinary and discounts for hotel rates.


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Travel News Bali

"Songket", Balinese Upper Class

Songket Woven an important part in the daily and ceremonial life of the Balinese. They not only serve as protection against the cold and sun but are also symbols of status and well being of the wearer.Songket cloth is often brocaded (sungkit or nyuntik; decorated with an extra weft) with metallic thread.

This cloth is often worn during weddings and other religious occasions by the royal family and the upper class. Authentic Balinese cloth is specially designed and plays a significant role in religious, ceremonial and community life. A rather unique type of cloth known as kain "gringsing" originates from the village of Tenganan and follows the technique of ikat weaving.

Bali has a number of traditional cloths including batik, ikat and songket. The art of making these is passed down from generation to generation and they are used for daily life and religious ceremonies. is another heritage that has been passed down through generations of Balinese women.

Like many other local art forms, weaving is based on the principals of harmony. This is indicated in the Hindu philosophy Tri Hita Karana, which refers to the balance between man, his environment and God Almighty.

Art based on these values often reflects great beauty. Textiles in Bali are not only used for clothing purposes, but also as accessories in places of worship. Statues, shrines and even trees on the island are often shrouded in pieces of cloth.

The specific characteristi Songket is also handmade in other Indonesian territories and it is often promoted as the ideal cloth for performers as the composition of shiny threads never fails to draw audience attention to the grace and elegance of the dancer’s body.

The glimmer of gold and silver in songket cloth complements the dynamic spirit of traditional Balinese dance. A single piece of songket cloth takes up to three months to produce.

Many women in the village of Sideman in East Bali are quite adept at weaving and it is a skill that is passed down through generations of families from mother to daughter. There are generally three types of patterns that are followed in songket weaving and the cloth is matched to the religious occasion that it will be worn for, which includes dance performances, weddings, tooth filing rituals and cremation ceremonies.


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Travel News Maluku

TOLIRE LAKE, Maluku: A Walk To Remember

Long time ago, in a small village, a father impregnated his own daughter and causing God fury. God cursed the father and his daughter-the form of big Tolire Lake reflected the fathers figure and the Small Tolire Lake reflected his daughter. Other myth about the lake, local people believe that the lake is the house for many invisible crocodiles.

Tolire lake covered 5 acre and 50 m depth located 10 km from the main city, Ternate and reachable by bus or Ojeg (ojeg: rented bike) depend on the mode of travel (if you manage your travel individually/couple, you better take ojeg, otherwise, for those who wish to travel in a group, hiring bus would be perfect). Tolire lake stated in the deep crater of Mt. Gamalama, the highest mountain in North Maluku with highest peak is 1715 m above sea level.

The relaxing and oozing view of Gamalama mountain, the crystal clear water of the lake, the luscious green view of the forest, the enchanting sounds of chirping birds and the lovely smile of Ternates people, all bounding together make this place glowing with beauties.

Getting There

Lot of eager visitors questioned this simple-easy-issue. Dont worry, all you have to do is prepare your packs and then take flights.

* From Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport flight toward Hasanuddin Airport, Makassar (it takes you 3.45 hours). Dont forget to have SARABA in the airport (SARABA is local beverage)
* Take 30 minutes flight from Hasanuddin Airport to Sultan Baabullah Airport, Ternate.
* You are getting close to Tolire Lake and Gamalama Mountain. Be patient during 10 km trip by hired-bus.
* For individual traveler, use ojeg (rented bike drives by owner).

Where To Stay

You can stay in non-star hotel owned by local people, installed with Television and Air-Conditioning.

Moving Around

You can acces the lake using hired bus if you wish to travel in a group, while "ojeg" will be the perfect choice for individual traveller.

Dining Guide

There are several foods, beverage and fruit to boost-up your taste and surely make your visit unforgettable. Unique and genuine! Thats how the visitors, whether it Indonesian or foreigner express their feeling the moment they give it a try.
* SARABA : made from coconut milk, brown sugar and ginger
* Sagu : local food made from sago palm
* Durian: a very famous fruit in Indonesia with strong aroma. You can buy it along Tolire Lake and it costs you Rp. 5.000,-
* Bagea: traditional cake made from sagu, crispy and a bit salty. And the best way to enjoy it is with sweet black tea
* Makron: made from sagu (sago) mix with almond
* Nasi Jaha: made from submerged rice in coconut milk-put in bamboo stick-grilled in charcoal

Souvenir Tips

You can buy various souvenir in Pasar Gamalama or in the middle of Ternate town, traditional food, local handicrafts and etc. Make sure you know how to bargain the price to get the best price

Other Things to See Or Do

After an extraordinary experience at Gamalama Mountain and Tolire Lake, dont forget to visit other places of interest which located near by the lake. Make sure you dont miss these:

* Small Tolire Lake
* Ngade lake
* Sultan Baabullahs grave
* Old forts as the legacy of Portuguese
* Sulamadaha Beach
* Gamalama market
* If you are not tired enough, found your self in Saturday night pub crawl and count 1-2-3 step for the POCO-POCO (line dancing focused on food-step)


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Travel News West Papua

Raja Ampat, A Reefy And Fishy Diving Experience

Raja Ampat is a 43.000 km2 island and has more than 610 islands, located at the west-side of Papua, Irian Jaya and its famous for diving. Here you can find more than 540 type of reefs, 1000 type of reef's fish, and 750 types of mollusk. It means, Raja Ampat offer 75% of world's reef. Healthy with unusual reef structure dive spot with the most diverse marine is the best way to express the beauty of Raja Ampat.

Here you'll witness other unique species such us pigmy seahorse, webbegong, manta ray and endemic fish called eviota raja (king eviota). One of the best spot is Chicken Reef; you'll surrounded by thousand of fish, bamboo shark and snappers. There just too many species to be named in Raja Ampat, just come and experience all the glories of Raja Ampat.

One of the most breathtaking diving experiences is the encounter with school of barracuda (an expert assistance will be needed in certain diving spot), reef shark, and tortoise shell. In certain dive spot like Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo you could find Dugong or mermaid. Raja Ampat offers you another cutting edge experiences except the under water habitat, the above water view, beautiful sunset.

The four main island offer you a world class diving spot and reefs :
* Waigeo Island
* Misool Island
* Salawati Island
* Batanta Island

Getting There

• Take 6 hours flight from Jakarta toward Sorong via Menado. Flight serves every day (please check to specify the flight schedules)
• 2 hour flight from Manado to Sorong is by jet, extra luggage is allowed
• To access the dive spot please contact and use the professional diving organizer
• From Sorong, there are 2 type of boat available; Speed Boat (40 minutes - 1 hour boat trip, carry 15 passangers and cost Rp. 2 million/ US$ 208.55); Long Boat (2-3 hours boat trip and could carry 10 passangers-cost Rp. 1,2 million/ US$ 126) - please note that all rates are subject to change without notice
• Domestic flight served by Silk Air, Garuda Indonesia, Pelita Air and Merpati
• To enter Papua you need to have passport photo page, 3 Copies of the passport page with the Indonesian Visa)

Where To Stay

You may choose those alternatives where to stay during your visit to Raja Ampat :

• Hotel (star or budget) in the city
  
  
  
  
• Sorido Bay Resort famous for the house reef
• Kri Eco Resort is a traditional resort built over the water
• Island camp
• Living on Boat (most of diving agent provide this service)

Moving Around

• You may rent small boat if you wish to make a personal escape a long the line of the beaches

Dining Guide

• Dining are prepared by diving organizer, from international menu to local traditional food made fresh by local people
• Try Sup Ikan (fish soup)- Local people called it Sup Ikan Kuning (Yellow Fish Soup)-with local spices
• Sea food

Souvenir Tips

Many divers said that the best souvenir ever after visit Raja Ampat is the stories/experiences to tell, other wise if you wish to have other souvenirs for your own or to be given to your friends, this stuff will be perfect

• Asmat sculptures
• Traditional cloths
• traditional music instruments
• Suling (traditional flute)
• Tambur (traditional drum)

Travel Tips

• Oct/Nov is the best season for diving the area because the sea wave is typically flat and its perfect for photograph
• Bring your under water camera, because you wont let all the under water beauty pass without capture your experiences
• For beginner please take a course first on how to dive and shot picture
• To organize your travel you can arrange it using travel agents services in Indonesia
• Sun block, sunscreen and hat are required
• Bring your own anti-malarial medicine

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Travel News Gorontalo

Gorontalo, The Pieces Of Paradise On The Equator

Hidden Paradise on the Equator. There are just so many things that make Gorontalo perfect for holiday, the beauty of its nature, the culture and not forget to mention, the friendly people. General information about Gorontalo, stated at North Sulawesi. Mountains, hills, shore line are the main characteristic of Gorontalo and it makes the island perfect for marine tourism.

Most of diving site take you just a few minute from town, Diving in Gorontalo mean diving within the richness of biodiversity, health and unique coral and reef. Lot of beautiful place could be found here, Tomini Bay famous for under water habitat and undefined creatures. There is several number of unsettled small islands. Tomini Bay is a heaven for divers, because the geographic position of Tomini Bay itself, which is crossed by the equator line, has naturally presented various kinds of sea creature inside.

Desa Olele or Olele Village is well known as the wild diving spot among world class diver. Olele beach is a gate to underwater paradise. The amazing beauty of underwater life on this area has been recognize and proofed by the enthusiasm of the divers who come to Olele beach. The divers called Olele as Traffic Jam dive spot.

In Tomini Bay and Olele Beach, you can find some or maybe the most amazing and diver creature such as :

• Lumba-Lumba hidung botol (torsiops trancatus)
• Giant Reef (Petrosia Sp.)
• Angkutan Kota (City Transport " small car)
• School of Gobi Fish (Bryaninops erythrops)
• Salvador Dali reef (Petrosia lignose)
• Kipas Laut Biru (Acanthogorgia Sp.). There are only 3 acanthogorgia Sp. In Gorontalo
• Anemon Koralimorf (Discosoma Sp.)
• Nemo
• Ikan Behang (plectorhinchus chaetodonoides), some people call it cha-cha fish caused they dance and swim around the coral.
• Blenni (Escenius Caeruliventris)
• Cardinal Fish, damsel, platax pinnatus, scorpaenopsis, oxycephala, goropa fish, butterfly fish, pusillus, cockatoo fish, Randal fish, parapterois hetururus, Bothus Sp " half face fish, frog fish, celebes
• Not forget to mention that Gorontalo is the Kingdom of Nudibrancia
• Seahorse and pigmy seahorse

There are just too many creatures to be named in Gorontalo, Just come, wear your suit and experience the Pieces of Paradise on the Equator. In your spare time, go cruise with the fisherman and catch/fishing your own fishes.

Getting There

• Jallaludin airport is the entrance for the visitors who use the airplane service (located approximately 15 km from the town of Gorontalo)
• Flight from Sukarno Hatta Air Port-Jakarta " Jallaludin Air Port, Gorontalo (Filght served every day, please check the exact schedule to your airline services)
• For visitors who use sea service, Gorontalo has 3 harbors, Anggrek Harbor, Kwandang Harbor and Crossing Harbor

Moving Around

• Within the town, Trans Sulawesi is a land acces that connected the province in Sulawesi
• Mini bus
• To access the diving spot you can use rented car/bike, then take a boat toward your spot preferences
• For those who use dive companys services, they'll arrange your activities (transport, meals, lodging) the moment you arrived at Gorontalo
• Take a ride with Bentor, support by motor bike machine, for one or two passenger only. Dont worry with the rain, cause Bentor installed with veil

Dining Guide

* Within the city, its easy to find any kind of food you want to have for your meal, international menu and traditional menu are available. Make your order, and youll find your meal rich in spices.

• Seafood lover will be pleased here
• Perkedel ikan nike (nike fish). Mashed nike fish mix with flour and spices, then fried
• Pepes Ikan Nike. Fresh nike fish mixed with certain spices, wrapped with banana leaf then baked or some prefer it grilled.

Souvenir Tips

• Kerawang: one of Gorontalos traditional cloth materials, which made by hand (man cloth and woman cloth for all ages). Althought Kerawang made by hand but is doesnt look like a hand made at all. Its a Must to buy and make sure its on your list
• Ornaments of intricate carved wood are common in all the district

Other Things To See Or Do

• Wreck of Japanese Cargo, Tjendrawasih Ship
• Sail with the fisherman
• Sentinels: Best of the Best in Diving
• Fishing
• Potanga Pool with natural cool and fresh water-directly comes from the mountain spring
• Otanaha Castle was the protection and defense of the Kings of Gorontalo
• White sand of Leato
• Limboto Lake
• Ayuhulalo Waterfall
• Boalemo Beach
• Bolihutuo Beach
• Bajos Tribe Village

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Travel News Sukabumi

GUNUNG HALIMUN SALAK NATIONAL PARK : The Land Under The Rainbow

Established in 1992, Gunung Halimun Salak National Park (GHSNP) is the largest remaining primary lowland forest in Java, home to 23 mammal species, at least two of which are endemic and endangered (the Javan gibbon and the grizzled langur). The roughly 113,000 hectares found within its boundaries also cover a wide range of plant and animal species. The park also supports more than 200 bird species, of which 18 are endemic, and over 500 plant species.

Indigenous Kasepuhan and other Sundanese communities live in and around the park and depend heavily on its natural resources. The park protects an important watershed for Java. However, small-holder and plantation agriculture, infrastructure development, small-scale gold mining, and unsustainable fuel wood and non-timber forest product harvesting threaten GHSNP’s resources. Visitors trek here to observe rare primates, birds, and other forest attraction, and to relax in the tranquil setting of towering water falls.

How to Get There

Firstly, fly to Jakarta and continue to the town of Bogor, West Java. From Bogor drive to Kabandungan via Parungkuda in a 1.5 hours drive, or drive to Cisangku located 50 km (1.5. hours drive) away.

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