Tuesday, 23 April 2013

Nias : Interesting Island to Travel

Nias : Interesting Island to TravelNias is an island in western of North Sumatera Province. Nias is an interesting island to travel because not only for its beautiful pure and origin nature,  but cause Nias have also a unique and different culture from  others area in Sumatera Island. It is more interesting if we remind that Nias Island is not too far from the mainland Sumatera Island. All of this things make Nias becomes an interesting island to travel. Nias : Island to Travel - MegalithicIn this pretty island to travel, Nias, there are many megalithic remains and there are many old traditions that still continue today. The Megalithic remains in this beautiful island to travel, were made from stone and such as statues, pillars, sarcophagus, altar, throne, tables, chairs and many others. Archaeologist predicted that the remain were about 12,000 â€" 30,000 years old. All of the megalithic remains have unique carving and smooth enough that shows the civilization in that time. For the archeologist, Nias is an interesting island to travel. Nias : Interesting Island to Travel - Hombo BatuThere is a tradition in this unique island to travel, Hombo Batu. Hombo Batu is a very old tradition that a teenage had to jump over a 2.3 m stone structure then he could call himself, ‘A man’ and became a warrior. It needs a skill and ability to jump  over the stone, especially when he land to the ground, to avoid fall down, muscle injury or broken legs. In this unique island to travel, a teenage who can do this attraction is considered old enough to have a wife. That’ why, in the past, Hombo Batu is an arena to find partner. For anthropologist, Nias is an interesting island to travel. Nias : Interesting Island to Travel - BaluseThe people in this interesting island to travel, are the warriors. In the past,  there were sometimes the wars between villages in Nias, the warrior island to travel. They were also known as head hunters. The wars happened, were usually about the border of the villages because it determined the resources of the villages. But, in fact, people of Nias is peace community.  It is showed by their greeting “Ya’ahowu” which means “bless you”.  This greeting is said to everybody and it shows that they take care of each other. The remains of war troops of this warrior island to travel, can be seen in the war dance, Baluse. For  sociologist, Nias is an interesting island to travel. Nias can be an interesting island to travel for everybody. For the surfer and diver, the seas around Nias island is provided for their activity. For the adventurers, the jungle of Nias Island is challenge enough to explore ( I had did it on 1978 and 1982), Well, Nias is really interesting island to travel. Ya'ahowu bale ! [hide-this-part]

Island to Travel

Island to Travel

Island to Travel

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Lombok Diving Travel

Lombok Diving Travel 1The underwater of  island of Lombok has attracted many tourists to explore and therefore, the dive operators create Lombok diving travel. Lombok diving travel serve the tourists who like to dive. There are many Lombok diving travel because of there are many good dive site off the coast of Lombok island.

Here are several Lombok diving travel spots for you to explore.

Shark Point Lies along the west coast of Gili Trawangan, north-west of Lombok Island and one of most popular Lombok diving travel sites.  Find black-yellow Bannerfishes swim around the coral reefs, a school of Jackfish or Trevally or sometimes Reef Sharks and occasionaly Rays. Blue-spotted stingrays, turtles, cuttlefish and more colorful reef fish also live here. At this Lombok diving travel site, you can dive at three levels : deep dives, midwater drifts anf shallow dives.

Manta Point This Lombok diving travel site is generally an easy one. Lies at the south-west of Gili Trawangan. This Lombok diving travel site is the best site to see Mantas. In the rainy season, the Mantas migrate here because the waters is rich with planktons. You also can see lobsters or moray eels or cuttlefish in this Lombok diving travel site.

Meno wall This Lombok diving travel site lies west of Gili Meno, north-west of Lombok Island. There is wall that drops from 6 metersto 27 meters. This Lombok diving travel site is good for nightdive. You will see all kinds of nocturnal activities. Sleeping fish rest in coral and rocky holes. Also it’s a good place to see things like Nudibranch, Spanish dancer lobster and crab.

Lombok Diving Travel 3Sulat Drop-off Near Gili Lawang at north-east of Lombok Island, there is the Lombok diving travel site, Sulat Drop-off. This is a dive site from 4 until 40 meters deep. A lot of coral, like brancish and tabulate coral also Acropora coral, are there. You can see a lot of shrimps and crabs. You can find a lot of big fish like Barracuda, Parrot fist and White-Tip Shark. This Lombok diving travel site is good for night dive.

Gili Nanggu This Lombok diving travel site is situated off of south-west Lombok. It is ideal for snorkeling. This Lombok diving travel site is a water paradise with white sand beaches and turquoise water that provides experiences of underwater world amongst thousands of tropical fish and various sea creatures. Here, you watch more a lot of species of marine life living just off-shore.

At last, just to remind you that do not forger the diving insurance for your Lombok diving travel. Have a nice diving ..

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Lombok Diving Travel

Lombok Diving Travel

Lombok Diving Travel

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Indonesian Cruises

Indonesia is an archipelago consisting of more than 13,000 islands. And the nature of Indonesia has a good potential for Indonesian Cruises. Although, there are not many Indonesian Cruises, but there have been several Indonesian Cruises which will provide a wonderful experience for you.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="325"]Indonesian Cruises - Ombak Putih Ombak Putih ( The White Waves)[/caption] Indonesian Cruises more often wade in the Nusa Tenggara / Lesser Sunda Islands. Lesser Sunda Islands region consists of many islands, it is suitable for Indonesian Cruises. So doe in the Banda Sea, around the Maluku islands to the south. And of course the famous Raja Ampat Archipelago

One of Indonesian Cruises sailing in this area is Ombak Putih (White Waves), a Buginese schooner built in 1996/1997 by traditional craftsmen and custom designed in western style. Ombak Putih, the Indonesian Cruises, has 12 twin cabins with shower and toilet for each. The cabin are also equipped by their own air-conditioner. And there are 16 crews who are ready to serve and take care the passengers' needs.

Indonesian Cruises, Ombak Putih, has several scheduled cruises. And these are some of Ombak Putih scheduled cruises.

7 days Indonesian Cruises, Bali - Komodo - Flores This Indonesian Cruises takes 7 days. Depart from Tanjung Benoa, Bali to Labuanbajo, western tip of Flores Island. This Indonesian Cruises will stop at Padang Bai, East Lombok, Satonda and Bima on the island of Sumbawa, Komodo and Rinca Island and Labuanbajo. In Padang Bai, Bali, we will see the tribal life of Bali Aga, and see the village of pottery makers in East Lombok. Beautiful coral gardens and stunning crater lake are waiting for us at Satonda, the remained of an Extinct volcano of the which the caldera was filled with water when nearby Mount Tambora erupted in 1815. At the island of Komodo and Rinca Island, we will see the relic Jurassic, Komodo.

9 days Indonesian Cruises, Komodo, Sumba-Savu-Lembata-Maumere This Indonesian Cruises, starting from Labuanbajo and stop at Komodo Island, Waingapu on Sumba Island, Savu Island, Ende, Lembata and Maumere. On the island of Komodo, we will look at the Jurassic dragon, komodo, and in Waingapu and Savu we will see making the famous “ikat” weaving. In Ende we will make the journey to the stunning three-colored crate lakes of Mount Kelimutu. In Lembata, we will visit Lamalera, the whaling village. Here you will be hard to imagine how to hunt whales with the tools and techniques are very simple from the top of a small boat.

13 days Indonesian Cruises, Maumere-Ternate This Indonesian Cruises depart from Maumere to Ternate. A place of transit is Waienga Bay, Island of Kumba, Tukang Besi Islands, Buton Island, Muna Island, follow the east coast of Sulawesi to Tolo Bay, Morowali National Park, Banggai Islands, Sanana Island, Bacan Island, Tidore Island and Ternate Island. In this Indonesian Cruises, you can go snorkeling in Island of Kumba, make an acquaintance with the Bajau people at Tukang Besi Islands, visit limestone caves with ancient wall paintings in Muna Island, meet the Wana tribe at Morowali National Park. You can also find beautiful sceneries and amazing flora and fauna in Bacan Island, Tidore Island and Ternate Island.

There are many other routes traveled by the Indonesian Cruises White Waves such as:

  • 12 days Indonesian Cruises, Ternate-Halmahera-Raja Ampat-Sorong
  • 11 days Indonesian Cruises, Ambon, Banda Islands-Tanimbar-Kai
  • 11 Days Indonesian Cruises, Kai-Agats-Timika
  • 13 Days Indonesian Cruises, Timika-Agats-Raja-Ampat-Sorong
  • 13 days Indonesian Cruises, Banda-Ambon-Ternate

Do you want an adventure? Indonesian Cruises is the answer.

Indonesian Cruises

Wednesday, 10 April 2013

Anantara Seminyak – Bali Indonesia

anantara seminyakAnantara Bali is a resort and spa located in Seminyak Bali. Being on the land area of 3500 square meters on the main beach of Seminyak, Anantara Bali presents 59 suites each covering about 80 square meters, equipped with Anantara style, including plasma screen TVs, Asian-inspired contemporary furniture, internet connection and a spacious and comfortable bathroom. In addition, the Anantara Bali also provides a penthouse with an area of 420 M2, which has an indoor-outdoor pool and a view of width of 270-degree panorama toward the Indian Ocean and Seminyak beach. Anantara Bali provide facilities on the ground floor dining room. There are 3 dining room at the Anantara, each of which presents a different flavor of international cuisine. And each dining room also presents the different places and situations. You can enjoy your meal indoors or outdoors in the company of beautiful ocean views. All of that will take you on an amazing experience. anantara seminyak Anantara Bali also provide facilities for your leisure, whether organized by the hotel or you can do it yourself. Rafting on the Ayung river, elephant safari, horse riding, bungee jumping, diving and snorkeling, excursion to Ubud or Tanah Lot, Kuta or Legian shopping or riding a Harley Davidson, all of them are some activities that you can do outside the resort. But if you do not want to get out of the resort, you can also do interesting activities in the environment of resort such as , beach soccer, beachminton, kite flying, surfing, swimming, fitness or yoga class. And if you are more interested in reading, Anantara Bali also provides a quiet library where you can read their collection of book while enjoying a glass of smoothies juice. Anantara Bali also provide several special packages. You can look for to their website for further information. Awaken to the rustle of a sea breeze through coconut palms. Toast the world-famous Seminyak sunsets from your private balcony. Dive into fabled Balinese culture and unique island discoveries from your luxurious Bali resort outpost on the island's most sought-after stretch of shore.

Travel to Lombok

Lombok Island, one place that perhaps you have never heard before. Well, Lombok is one of undiscovered paradise island in Indonesia which may be I can be your new destination for your new experience. Lombok island is located east of Bali and has friendly people, a tropical climate and magnificent white sand beaches. Miles and miles of fine beaches! Definitely place to go for a seaside relaxation experience. There are many activities to do on the island of Lombok such as rock climbing, scuba diving, trekking, biking, sailing,snorkeling, bamboo rafting, surfing, fishing, boating, paragliding, parasailing, and even golfing. You will experience some pretty cool and memorable dive and snorkeling in the underwater of Lombok. And the surfers can also hit the waves in Lombok too.   [caption id="" align="alignright" width="244" caption="Mount Rinjani"]Mount Rinjani[/caption] Mount Rinjani National Park, the third largest volcano in Indonesia with a measurement of 3726 meters, also situated here, in Lombok Island. You can trek on the mountain or on a natural trail. Most trips are usually done with an average of 15 to 20 people and accompanied by a local guide. You can even go camping and view some of the natural animals and vegetation. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="220" caption="Senggigi"]Senggigi[/caption] The city of Senggigi holds various of local nightlight filled with many dining establishments and dining restaurants. You will be sure to find something that will want to remind you of your visit and other unique items to take back as gifts. You will find exotic foods that will provide you with experiences unlike any other. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="241" caption="Gili Islands"]Gili Islands[/caption] Lombok is also your base for the Gili Islands, a set of three island that lies just of the northwest coast. There is no cars and motorbikes disturbing the peace Gili Islands, The only choices for transportation are your feet, bicycle or horse drawn carriage. Dive, snorkel, swim, bask on the beach as you wish. Do not swim between islands! It may look swimmable, but the currents are fierce and you will be risking your life by doing this. Otherwise, the Gilis are all yours! The best time to plan your trip is from the months of May to October. The peak season during the months of July and August so you will want to plan your trip early and make sure you have reservations! When you visit Lombok Island you might not get a chance to see everything. You might be so overwhelmed by all the activities and adventures that happen here. You might decide not to do anything at all but simply meditate, relax, and get pampered. That can be done here as well. Whatever your vacation ideal is you can have it when you come to Lombok Island. It is a tranquil place with unheard of beauty and lulling waters that soothe your senses. The colors are so vibrant they appear to have been painted by an artist. You will not want to leave.

Wakatobi Marine Park : Another Underwater Paradise

Wakatobi Marine Park -  Wakatobi Dive ResortWakatobi Marine Park is located in the Wakatobi Islands in Southeast Sulawesi. Wakatobi Islands (formerly known as Tukang Besi Islands) has four major islands, namely WAngi-Wangi, KAledupa, TOmia and BInongko, whom the locals called WAKATOBI. And the Wakatobi Marine Park established since 1996.

Wakatobi Marine Park has a high potential of marine natural resources, both the type and uniqueness, with amazing underwater panorama. In general, Wakatobi Marine Park has a configuration of flat to sloping towards the sea, and some areas are steep. Water depth in the Wakatobi Marine Park is also varied, the deepest reaches 1044 meters with mostly sandy and rocky bottom.

Wakatobi Marine ParkWakatobi Marine Park has 25 clusters of coral reefs, with the greatest number of species of coral reef in the world. This happens because of Wakatobi Marine Park is in the center of the golden triangle of world's coral reefs, stretching from Thailand, Malaysia, Philippine, Indonesia (Bunaken Marine Park, Wakatobi Marine Park, Bali, and Lombok), Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and Solomons. Based on data from the Operational Wallacea, Wakatobi Marine Park has 750 of  850 coral species in the world  and 943 fish species, such as grouper, unicornfish, triggerfish, napoleon, snapper, rabbitfish and others. There are also three species of sea turtles that frequent the Wakatobi Marine Park for laying of the hawkbill turtles, loggerhead turtles, and olive ridley turtles. In addition, Wakatobi is also home to several species of seabirds such as the brown booby, malaysian plover, common kingfisher.

Wakatobi Marine ParkBeside Wakatobi Marine Park with its underwater beauty, Wakatobi Islands has also other beauty and richness such as white sandy beach, clear sea water, sunset in every islands edge, historical ruins like ancient fortresses and cannon that spread out in the four main islands, old village with its pillar house, traditional waving, blacksmiths, Bajo tribe and various particular dances. This nature and culture heritages put Wakatobi Marine Park  as the world's famous marine tourism objects.

Wakatobi Marine Park can be reached by sea or air. Being by air, Wakatobi Marine Park can be reached  with a plane ride from Makassar, transit in Bau-Bau and then continued toward the airport of Matohara in the city of Wanci at Wangi-wangi Island. Being by sea, Wakatobi Marine Park can be achieved by using ferry, transit in Bau-Bau, Buton Island and then headed Wanci at Wangi-Wangi Island.  And to get to other islands in the Wakatobi Marine Park can only be by sea.

At least there are three resorts are ready to serve you in the Wakatobi Marine Park, namely: Wakatobi Dive Resort, Hoga Island Resort and Patuno Resort Wakatobi.

Have a nice diving trip in the Wakatobi Marine Park .. (*o*)

Tuesday, 9 April 2013

7 Wonderful Culture in indonesia

Indonesia, a country that is famous with the motto : Unity in Diversity. Well, Indonesia consists of thousands of ethnic and cultural diversity. Here are some unique culture that exists only in Indonesia Fahombo FahomboFahombo is stone jump tradition on the island of Nias, which was done by a man wearing traditional clothes and skip stone structure which is built of  2.3 meters tall. This tradition is only found in the Teluk Dalam area, South Nias. At the beginning, this tradition was a forum aimed for physical and mental test of the young men in Nias before adulthood. Every male who wanted to go to the war had to pass this ritual. In addition, Fahombo was also assessed as a requirement for those who are ready to get married. The jumper is not just have to cross a pile of stones but he also should have the right technique at the time of landing. Bad landing can cause muscle injury or broken bones. Fahombo  was once displayed in a thousand rupiah denominations in the early 1990s with a picture of a man of Nias, which was jumping the stone. Tomb in Stone Cliff - Toraja Tomb in Stone Cliff - TorajaToraja Tribe settle in the mountainous northern part of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and very famous for its funeral rituals which is the most important ritual and very expensive.  Only the royal family who can make this ritual which was attended by thousands of people and lasted several days. A funeral is sometimes just held after weeks, months, even years since the death relevant and along that time, the family collect enough money for funeral expenses. In this ritual, there is slaughter of buffalo and the quantity of buffalo shows the powerful of the person. Toraja people believes that the more buffalo slaughtered will make the more quickly reach Puya (Hereafter) for the death. There are three ways a funeral: The coffin can be stored in the cave, or stored in a tomb carved stone, or hanging on the cliff. Rich people are sometimes buried in the tomb of carved stone and wooden statues, called Tau Tau usually placed in a cave and facing outward. For baby coffin or the children will be hung with ropes on the cliff side. Ngaben - Cremation in Bali Island Ngaben - Cremation in Bali IslandNgaben is Hindu cremation ceremony in Bali, Indonesia, which was conducted in order to send the soul to the next life. Ngaben does not performed immediately after someone dies. While waiting, the body is placed like a sleeping person who is only waiting for reincarnation or towards Moksha (freedom from the wheel of death and reincarnation). On the day, corpses is laid in a coffin which is then stored in sarcophagus formed of ox or monasteries made of wood and paper. Then the ox or the monastery was draped and brought to the cremation. Then, the ox or the monastery and the bodies therein are burnt. The fire is needed to liberate the spirit from the body and facilitate reincarnation. For the high caste, this ritual can last for 3 days. But for a low caste, first bodies were buried and then, usually in the event group to a village, was cremated. Funeral in Trunyan Bali Funeral in Trunyan - BaliTrunyan Village is a village located on the shores of Lake Batur,Kintamani, Bali and famous for its unique burial customs. The body of citizen who died,  was simply laid on large stone which has 7 pieces basin and is enclosed by a wovenbamboo.  Uniquely, though the corpse was not embalmed, it does not spread bad smell. When a Trunyan resident died by reasonable cause, the bodies will be covered by white cloth and be prayed, then placed  without buried under a big tree, Taru Menyan, at Sema Wayah. However, if the death cause by unnatural reason, such as accidents, suicide, or murdered, the the corpse will be placed at a location called Sema Bantas. As for burying babies and children or unmarried people will be placed in the Sema Muda. Bodies that lay on the sema, does not cause odor though there is the decay of the bodies. It is due to Taru Menyan tree, which produce the smell of fragrant and neutralize the smell of rotting corpses. Taru Menyan tree only grows in this area. Taru means the tree, while Menyan is fragrant. Then, Taru menyan later became the name of the village, Trunyan. Angklung Angklung Angklung is a traditional musical instrument that evolved in Sundanese in western Java Island. Made from bamboo and sounded by shaken. Angklung’s gamut as traditional musical instruments are salendro and pelog. Angklung is estimated to have been used since Neolitikum era. The creation of angklung related with the agrarian life of Sundanese. Initially, angklung played to lure Dewi Sri (Rice Goddess) for going down to earth and enrich people's rice crop. This tradition still can be seen in the Baduy community, which is the remnants of native Sundanese people, who use angklung as part of the ritual planting of rice. Angklung was also used as a spirit generator during the battle In 1938, Daeng Sutigna (1908-1984) changed the traditional scales angklung (salendro and pelog) to western scales (diatonic) so that angklung can be played in major orchestras. Then in 1966, Udjo Ngalagena (1929-2001) began to teach how to play angklung to many people from various communities and developed a culture workshop for angklung in Bandung, named Saung Angklung Udjo. On 18 November 2010, UNESCO set angklung as  a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Batik BatikBatik is the typical clothing of  Javanese culture in Indonesia and has existed since the 12th century. Things that make batik became so amazing is the beauty of the pattern which is very unique and traditional. The process of making batik is as follows:  
  1. The first wax is applied over the outline of pattern by using canting (tools that used to draw in batik process) or by stamping. Almost the original cloth is white or beige.
  2. The cloth is dyed in the first dye bath and the area of the cloth where the wax was applied before will remain white.
  3. The two process above can be repeated if there are more color want to be applied to the cloth.
  4. After the coloring process finish,  then all the wax that has been applied thus far is removed. This is done by heating the wax and scraping it off and also by applying hot water and sponging off the remaining wax.
In the past, batik showed the social strata or the family that someone came from. Now, it is no longer valid, although still there are some motifs that are unique and special family-owned by Palace of Yogyakarta and Palace of Surakarta. Batik patterns and motifs have evolved because of interaction with outsiders, particularly in coastal areas. Currently on the island of Java there are many centers of batik with its distinctive patterns and motifs respectively. Some of them are in Yogyakarta, Surakarta, Pekalongan, Banyumas, Cirebon, Tasikmalaya, Garut, Banten, Jember, Kediri, Malang, Madura. In addition, in regions outside Java are also many centers of batik with each pattern that adds a richness of Indonesian culture, such as Bali, Aceh, Palembang, Manado, Bugis, Kutai, Banjar etc. On October 2, 2009, the UNESCO Masterpieces of batik as a set of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Pencak Silat Pencak SilatPencak silat is a martial art from Indonesia and every region in Indonesia has their unique martial arts. In antiquity, the ancestor of the Indonesian created martial art by mimicking the style of animals,  to protect and defend himself and his group. Furthermore, this martial arts very much used at the time of the kingdom in the archipelago and at the time against the Dutch colonial occupation. Pencak silat prefer the dodge and parry techniques and using the power of the opponent motion. Attack techniques are also learnt, but it only used if necessary. So it was obvious that Pencak Silat is an art to defend and not to attack, though it can make a deadly attack. In improving their physical abilities, the warriors also practice by using the “inner power” of human energy. Currently, the human “inner power” is used to cure various diseases and is a kind of alternative medicine.