Travel to Indonesia: July 2008

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Jul 30, 2008

Trikora Beach

The most popular beach on the coast of Bintan Island is Trikora beach and its only some kilometers from Tanjungpinang ferry terminal.

So from the urban Singapore you will discover the untuched paradise at Bintan Island in Indonesia, in 1-2 hours.

Every hour a fast boat goes from Tanah Merah ferry teminal at Changi airport in Singapore to Tanjungpinang ferry terminal.

The most popular beach on the east coast is Trikora, where also the locals use to go for relaxation on the holidays. It can be difficult to get there, go by taxi or the occasional bus from Tanjung Pinang. Even if the beach is isolated we can find simple accommodation here, even a more luxurious alternative. The sand is white and the water clean, a great place for relaxation after the hot and busy streets of Tanjung Pinang. We can also visit a fishing village nearby and a small ship building facility to have a look at traditional boat building.

Penyengat Island Important in Historical of Riau Kingdom

riau

Penyengat Island, 6 kilometers away from Tanjung Pinang, can be reached in 15 minutes by sampan boat. The seat of the powerful Bugis descended viceroys of Riau during the 18th century; Penyengat still bears the traces of its illustrious past. Ruins, abandoned for almost 70 years, were recently resorted. The oldest ruler's palace and royal tombs, among them the grave of the book respected Sultan Haji, author of the first Malay language grammar book among the legacies left by the Riau sultanate. A newly built cultural center for stage performances of Malay music and dances can be found.

In the 18th century Raja Haji built an outpost here as part of the defense around Bintan. He controlled the area until the Dutch at Malacca eventually killed him in 1784. His remains are now buried here. The ruler of Johor, Sultan Mahmud, gave the island to his Bugis wife Raja Hamidah in 1804. Raja Hamidah's son then ruled the Riau islands from Penyengat, while his half-brother ruled in the Lingga Island to the south. Raffles turned this division to his advantage in 1819, when the prince of Penyengat gave him the island of Singapore in return for a large sum of money and the protection of the British crown.

Under the protection and support of the British the area saw an "golden age", and the remains of this prosperous time can still be seen on the island. Some of the ruins have recently been restored, like the old ruler's palace and royal tombs. The old mosque, Mesjid Raya, is still in use. A cultural center is also newly built for performances of Malay music and dance. At the west end of the island there is an impressive stone fort, built by Raja Haji to fend off Dutch attacks.

The restored palace of Raja Ali is located in the center of the island. Raja Ali was a strict follower of Islam, things like gambling and cockfighting, the wearing of gold and silk for men and mixing of unmarried men and women were strictly forbidden. His yellow and green Royal Mosque can be seen from far away, completed in 1844 it became an important center for Muslim Malay learning in the 19th century. Penyengat Island actually became the cultural capital of the Malay world, and some 9.000 people inhabited the island, among them religious scholars from as far away as Mecca.

The importance of Penyengat ended when the last Sultan of the Riau-Lingga, Abdul Rahman Muazzan Shah, refused to sign a contract with the Dutch that terminated the rights and authority of the traditional king and officers of Riau. The Dutch then informed him that his palaces, buildings, land, etc, would be confiscated. To prevent this, he ordered Penyengat people to destroy the Dutch possessions on the island, this is the reason why there is not much left on Penyengat that shows its former glory. Today there are about 2.500 people living on the island, about one third of them are descendants of the former royalty, most of the residents make their living of fishing, while some work on the main island.

Because the participation of Penyengat Island was very important in historical of Riau Kingdom, so the island what relatively is very small it is to be well known and attention peoples to visit it. More over at there is still has much kind of historical last sites. At this island beside has much some kind of historical sites; it founded another interest objects like wonderful views, tradition couch, arts attraction, and traditional villages.

Jul 24, 2008

Bull Racing The Famous Tourist Attraction at Madura Island

east java event

Madura Island is part of East Java regency that needs a better access. Madura that consist of four regencies has a lot to offer. It has excellent quality of agriculture outputs and beautiful tourism objects and more. The presence of the bridge had expected to improve smoother flow of people, goods and service from and into this island. Mayor impacts had expected to emerge this facility, be it socially and economically. The Suramadu Bridge that connects Surabaya and Madura Island extending 5.43 km with 28.10 m width.

bull racing famous attraction madura island

The sea crossing from East Java to the small island of Madura takes just half an hour. Measuring about 160 km in length and about 40 across at its widest point, Madura supports population of close to 3 million inhabitants, whom most are farmers or fisherman.

The most famous attraction of this island is the annual bull racing (kerapan sapi), which takes place during the dry season in August – September. These exiting and colourful tournaments consist of a race between two pairs of bulls, each team pulling a rider and sled. Then, the finals are held in Madura’s capital, Pamekasan on October.

The interesting part of this attraction is when a rider stands on the ‘Keleles’, yelling and slamming while his hands hold two sticks and slap the bull’s weight and attached to the bulls. A pair of male cow races each other in 200 m length or known with Kerapan Sapi. Madurese always hold this race yearly from sub district level, district, and finally to get a President Cup.

This tradition has done for so long and it is a symbol to thank to God by cow breeders in Madura. Brown cow, a Madurese cow which is always in the race. Tourists are also can notice Sapi Kereman, to enjoy how Madurese takes care of their cows. It is the interesting part, begins with how the Madurese graze the cows, take care of the cow’s health with traditional herbs and train the cow about running. In the middle of bull racing event, there is an additional attraction "Sapi Sono". It is a female bull contest.

Beautiful Scenery at Baliem Valley Papua

event west papua

Baliem Valley has been the most visited part of the island, especially in the recent years. It is inhabited by the Dani tribesmen, which are one among many tribes who speak related Papuan, or non-Austronesian languages and live in the high central ranges of Irian Jaya. Until the last few decades, the Dani people were some of the most isolated populations by swamps and mountains. They grew root crops, raised pigs and used polished stone axes and adzes. They did not make pottery, but their technology was very much like of the Neolithic of the Old and New Worlds.

There may be 250,000 Dani living in the central mountains. The Western Dani of the Konda or the Yali of the East may live scattered among the steep mountain slopes. The Baliem Valley has one of the highest densities of population in Irian Jaya. The Dani tribes build their huts in a compound nicely express both environmental adaptation and Dani's character. The men's and women's huts have thick thatched roofs which keep out of rain, yet retain the heat from the hearth along with just enough smoke to discourage the mosquitoes. The temperatures of the highland range from 26°C at the day time to 12°C at night. It is even cooler in the Southern region, Habberna lake and higher elevation which reaches down to 7°C at night.

The highlights of the sightseeing are Dani market in town, Wauma villages, and Sinatma hanging bridge which can easily be reached either on foot or by car from Wamena. Farther out are Aikima with its 250-year-old mummy, Suroba, Jiwika, and neighboring villages. With two-hour climbing, you can see the salt spring where the Dani women have been making salt in a primitive fashion for centuries. Outer adventures are southward to Kurima area, where the Dani and Yali ways of life mixed into a unique combination.

How to get to the Baliem Valley is not as difficult as to reach other parts in Irian Jaya. There are daily Merpati flights from Jayapura to Wamena, the district capital of the valley. Incase of the flight is fully booked, there is an option which is flying with Air fast, a cargo plane that sometimes takes passengers. For a short visit around Wamena, there are some fair hotel accommodations while in the villages, tourists may stay at Dani huts. Villages near the town are no longer interesting as recently there are less Dani men wearing koteka. More beautiful scenery with primitive villagers is Southern out to Kurima region. It has no differences, but when you explore up to Baliem George and the villages of Wamena, Tangma, and Ibiroma, you will discover a perfect combination of Dani compound inhabited by primitive tribesmen with adorable scenery.

Jul 9, 2008

Tangkuban Perahu Volcano Crater Vacation Destination

mountain west java

Tangkuban perahu is a volcano, 25 kilometers north of Bandung direction of Lembang. Its location is in between Sagalaherang village, Sagalaherang district, Subang regency and Cikole village, Lembang district, Bandung regency. This is Bandung's most famous tourist volcano just 28 km north of the city. This volcano offers many places to see and explore. Whether we look into the huge crater or hike down into it, stroll through the forest on its slopes, or simply enjoy the splendid panoramic scenery. Mt. Tangkuban Perahu is an interesting destination that everyone in the Bandung area is fond of visiting. When seen from Bandung, Mt. Tangkuban Perahu has a distinctive shape, like an upside down boat. Tangkuban Perahu means, in fact, "up-turned boat" This peculiar shape has stimulated the fantasy of the Sundanese people from early times as expressed in the Legend of Sangkuriang. Geologically, Mt. Tangkuban Perahu has played a significant role in the development of Parahyangan highlands. Eruptions have contributed immensely to the hills north of Bandung through lava flowing into the valleys and hardening into rock, thus forming big cliffs over which waterfalls leap. Likewise, mud flows have formed a semi-circular cone of gentle gradient (what geologists call "a fan"), which is now a mass that blocked the valley of the ancient Citarum River near present day in Padalarang (some 18 km west of Bandung), this caused a lake to form covering the whole Bandung plain.

Tangkuban Perahu is a volcano with three craters into which areas tourists can walk through. These three craters are: Kawah Ratu ("Queen Crater"), Kawah Domas ("Domas Crater"), and Kawah Upas ("Upas Crater"). Tourists can go down into the Domas Crater where exist many hot geysers in which they can boil eggs. Though the mountain appears peaceful, mild eruptions occurred in 1969, when Kawah Ratu spewed ash and barrages 500 m high. As recently as September 1992 it was closed to the public for a few days because unusually high seismic activity leads volcanologist to fear a new eruption. On the mountain's northern flank is an area called Death Valley, so named for its frequent accumulation of poisonous gases. On a reasonably clear day, from Kawah Ratu, the main crater, we can see not only the mountain range to the east, with Mt. Bukittunggul as its highest peak (2,209 m), but also two other in a northeasterly direction. The lower and nearer one is Mt. Tampomas (1,684 m) just north of Sumedang some 40 km away. To the right and about 90 km away is Mt. Ciremai close to Cirebon on the north coast. At 3,078 m, Mt. Ciremai is West Java's tallest mountain. At the foot of Mt. Tangkuban Perahu we see the Ciater tea plantation covering the rolling hills. Farther to the left are the northern coastal plains of Java, and on an extremely clear day we may even be able to see the Java Sea beyond.

Ratu Crater, which means "Queen's Crater", is just a big gray hole, which sometimes has a pool of water at its center. Poisonous gases sometimes accumulate in Ratu Crater, thus making it somewhat of a risk to descend to the crater floor. Beyond the saddled shaped depression on the far side of Ratu Crater is the still active Kawah Upas, the oldest crater on the mountain. On the very far western cliff we see a spot where all vegetation has been destroyed by constantly rising sulfurous vapors. On the crater walls, note the various layers of material consisting of rock, sand, and pebbles. Overtime, new craters have formed again and again in a rather consistent shift from west to east. The most well known of these is the Domas crater, but also there are other smaller ones in jungle on the mountain's northeastern flank. Facilities in Tangkuban Perahu Crater are comfortable parking area, souvenir kiosks, and restaurants.

Jul 8, 2008

How to Get and Accommodation to White Sand Beach in Lampung

beach lampung

White Sand Beach, or Pantai Pasir Putih, in Indonesian truly describes the atmosphere. The enticing white sand refreshes the eyes and feeds the soul with the burning energy to explore. Only 20 kilometers away from Bandar Lampung, this spot has gained more and more popularity these days.

how to get and accommodation to white sand beach in lampung

Getting There
By a car passing Trans Sumatera road from Lampung, you will reach this place in about 30 minutes. You can also ride public transportation from Lampung straight to White Sand Beach.

Where to Stay
You can stay at inns and hotels in Bandar Lampung. Should you wish to spend the night in the middle of the island, you can stay at an inn in Condong Island. The furnishing is simple yet comfortable. A luxurious villa is available in Bule Island. Also, you can find inns on the road to Pasir Putih.

Moving Around
On foot. Or you can use a motorboat to visit nearby islands.

Dining Guide
Visit the nearby inns and hotels for food. Alternatively, you can bring your own lunch.

Souvenir Tips
You can buy souvenirs related to this beach in the area, or, better yet, in Bandar Lampung.

Other Things to See or Do
You can ride a motorboat to circle the beach and visit Condong & Bule island. Bule Island has many varieties of fish, coral reefs, and marine biota that will amaze you. You can also rent a boat and view the marine life through the wooden boxes that have a glass on them in one side. If you put the box in the sea water using the glassy side on the bottom, you'll be able to view the life in the sea. You can also have a picnic in this beach.

Travel Tips
* If you don't want like crowded beach, visit this site on weekdays.
* Book your room in advance in your hotel/inn of choice.

Jul 7, 2008

House of Sampoerna Historical Museum

east java museum

Situated in “old Surabaya”‚ this stately Dutch colonial-style compound was built in 1862 and is now a preserved historical site. Previously used as an orphanage managed by the Dutch‚ it was purchased in 1932 by Liem Seeng Tee‚ the founder of Sampoerna‚ with the intent of it being used as Sampoerna’s first major cigarette production facility.

The compound consisted of a large central auditorium‚ two smaller buildings on the east and west sides and numerous large‚ single story‚ open-space structures behind the central auditorium. The side buildings were converted to family residences and the large warehouse-like structures were used to accommodate facilities for tobacco and clove processing‚ blending‚ hand-rolling and packaging‚ printing and finished goods processing.

The compound is still functioning as a production plant for Indonesia’s most prestigious cigarette‚ Dji Sam Soe. In commemoration of Sampoerna’s 90th anniversary in 2003‚ the central complex has been painstakingly restored and is now open to public.

The original central auditorium is now a museum and the east side has been transformed into a unique structure containing a café, a merchandise kiosk and an art gallery. The building on the west side remains the official family residence.

The Museum
The Museum offers a truly unique experience for visitors. From the story of the founding family to closely watching a real hand-roll production facility and ending up with an unforgettable experience of rolling a stick of Dji Sam Soe cigarette yourself. Yes‚ you can join the 3‚500 women in this plant‚ hand-rolling cigarettes using traditional equipment. They do it at a speed of more than 325 sticks per hour.

The Museum Shop offers a wide selection of gifts and souvenirs. These include items such as miniature of traditional cigarette rolling equipment‚ packets of cloves‚ books‚ t-shirts and polos.

The Art Gallery
The Art Gallery presents a rotating series of exhibits representing the works of the finest artists in Indonesia as well as providing the opportunity for the display of works by up-and-coming talents. It will present both
works “on loan” as well as those that are for sale.

The Kiosk
The Kiosk stands ready to supply you with a wide selection of merchandise including mugs‚ t-shirts‚ jackets‚ ashtrays‚ caps‚ bags and much more. These items are not only well suited for your personal use but also make great gifts.

The Cafe
With a touch of art deco‚ a splash of wild creativity and a dash of history‚ the Café offers a unique sensory and culinary experience. Blending original painted and leaded glass windows and century old carved teak panels with clean modern design‚ the Café is indeed an experience that you should not miss. A wide selection of Western
and Asian flavors are especially prepared to satisfy even the most discerning of visitors. On selected evenings‚ live music performances will accompany your dining experience.

Source: http://houseofsampoerna.com