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Indonesia - A Hidden Treasure TroveAuthor: Vineeth PurushothamanWith its incredible diversity, India is a feast for the senses for people around the world, with its colour, character, philosophy and organised chaos. All my life I have revelled in this and considered myself very fortunate to be a part of it. However, it has made my search for such diversity and vibrancy elsewhere much harder. Part 1 Bali - the island of the Gods! As a first time visitor to Indonesia, I was excited as well as a little nervous. It's a massive country, spread over thousands of kilometres. So like India, yet so unlike India, with its endless islands forming a chain along the equator. Indonesia to me was a slightly incomprehensible mix of a remarkably beautiful tropical paradise and danger; with communal troubles and civil disturbances, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and earthquakes. During our trip we hoped to find a fascinating reality that lay between those two opposing themes. The excitement stemmed also from the fact that we had a month to spend there exploring these marvellous islands; home to active volcanoes, spectacular beaches and unique wildlife, like the Komodo dragon. We started our trip in the relative comfort of the well developed tourism infrastructure on the island of Bali. In fact only thing that was difficult was trying to get a reasonably priced flight from New Delhi, as we had left it so late! Everything worked out finally and an uneventful Malaysian airlines flight later through Kuala Lumpur, we landed in Bali at Denpasar airport. The landing was spectacular as the plane comes down close to the white sandy Jimbaran beach; as you fly in, all you can see is the sea coming closer and closer until a few seconds before touch down the runway is suddenly visible. As Indonesia has recently relaxed its visa regime for Indians, it was possible to get a visa on arrival - as an Indian passport holder, it is still a novel experience to travel to countries and get a visa on arrival! Laos, Thailand, Hong Kong (interestingly enough one needs a visa for China though), Cambodia and Maldives are a few of the others. It was a hassle free experience and one can straight away see the advantages it brings to tourism and business travel. This is even more important in light of the Indian Tourism Board's efforts to push a similar proposal through for visitors to India. Having pre-arranged some budget accommodation in the nearby beach town of Sanur, we hired a taxi to get us there. Bali's excellent tourism infrastructure made it an easy and painless process, we didn't even need the Indonesian we had been learning, a language much easier to learn than many. Bali, appropriately called 'the island of the gods' is an excellent example of the religious and cultural diversity which exists in Indonesia, and consists predominantly of Hindu communities. By contrast the island of Java, where the capital Jakarta is located, is predominantly Muslim and the island of Flores (where we headed to later in our trip) is mostly Christian. The widely spread islands with their mix of peoples, cultures and religions means that Indonesia has faced a similar problem to India in terms of language. Bahasa Indonesia is the national language but interestingly has faced similar challenges in many parts of the country to that with the adoption of Hindi as the national language in India. Indeed in Bali, Balinese is widely spoken. The Balinese worship the various gods of Hindu mythology and are all as familiar with the Mahabharatha and the Ramayana as many Indians are. Each house is in fact considered a minor temple, adding further to the astounding statistic of some 20,000 temples on this small island of no more than two million people. Offerings are made twice daily to the gods of the house and to the gods honoured in small shrines everywhere. As you drive around Bali, the sight of women carrying rice-and-flower offerings on banana leaves is common. Indeed, the word Bali, dating from the 9th century, means "offering." Sanur - rather unfairly nicknamed 'snore' by us - was a very sleepy town, that had begun to lose its charm through its efforts to pander to all kinds of tourists. Our sense of discovery, lead us to search for the real Bali and we headed to a small island, Nusa Lembongan, about two hours away by boat. Nusa Lembongan is one of 3 islands that sit across the Badung Strait on the Southeast coast of Bali along with Nusa Ceningan & Nusa Penida. These 3 islands are somewhat impoverished, relying on seaweed farming, cattle and other low-return activities, with tourism the brightest light on the horizon. The boat ride across the Badung Strait was smooth to begin with, but as we had been warned, the straits are extremely deep and there is always a large swell in the middle -finely illustrated by the teenage girl sitting behind us unable to keep her breakfast away from the fish! Although we had to get off at the main jetty, we had made up our minds to make our way to Mushroom Bay, an amazing white sand beach which we had spotted from the boat. Getting there meant either taking a small, but expensive, motor boat taxi, or hiking with our heavy back packs up and downhill for a couple of hours. Of course, having decided on the water taxi option, we couldn't find one until a booming Australian drawl asked if he could help. Indeed he was the owner of the water taxi company who had been living on Nusa Lembongan for years. Mushroom Bay was every bit as pretty close up and we booked ourselves into some Balinese style lodging for a few nights. Breakfast by the beach is a luxury for anyone and we certainly indulged at the rather aptly named but predictable Bali Café. There was a sense of exclusivity to Mushroom Bay which was only disturbed at about mid-day for a few hours by day trippers from mainland Bali. We spent that time exploring the island and the first time around decided to do a walking tour. Incredibly greenery, and some stunning beaches, were our reward although after a while the humidity made the walk more of an effort than we would have liked. And, of course, temples and offerings were everywhere. The next day we decided to explore a bit further by hiring a motor cycle, with my wife bravely (according to her!) agreeing to ride pillion. The roads were not great and extremely steep in places, but off we set off. It is hard to lose one's way around the island and we made it to the other side of the island, stopping off to admire the views and when stopped by friendly inquisitive children. Our plan was to visit the other two neighbouring islands, if possible, and were told we could drive our bike across a narrow bridge. The bridge was indeed narrow but what worried us even more was the approach ramp - a small miscalculation of a few inches and the probability was that we would miss the bridge and land in the sea. As not-so-brave adventurers, we decided that I try it alone without my passenger. Success! Driving through Nusa Ceningan, it was apparent that the island was much poorer than Nusa Lembongnan; the difference was tourism. Residents of Nusa Ceningan survived mostly through sea weed farming and when the trade wasn't going well they had a difficult life. We stopped at a site where there were clearly plans to build a resort. Most of the structure and layout were in place, but now had been left to rot. As we were enjoying the views and thinking, how wonderful it would be to resurrect the resort, and would it ever be feasible, a man appeared from behind the buildings and came over. Suddenly worried that we were trespassing and that there was no other soul in sight, we tried to apologise and move away. But he was very friendly and told us about the plans for this place and how it had all gone wrong when his foreign business partner decided to pull out when tourism in Bali went into a tailspin after the bomb attacks several years ago. At last our few phrases of Bahasa Indonesia had come in useful! That, with English and body language had helped us communicate. Having had a relatively quiet and relaxed introduction to Indonesia we were ready to make our way back to mainland Bali and get intrepid in pursuit of the Komodo dragon and to see whales in the remote village of Lamalera, in one of the eastern most parts of the archipelago. To be continued..... Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/indonesia-a-hidden-treasure-trove-329123.html About the Author:Vineeth is the Director of his own hospitality company, Hospitality Sales Solutions, based in London, which provides holistic sales solutions to the hotel and travel industry. He spent a month in Indonesia in 2006. For more information please visit www.hospitalitysalessolutions.co.uk |
Vacation to Yogyakarta, City of Culture in IndonesiaAuthor: wulan indahHave you ever went to Yogyakarta, or have you hear Yogyakarta City. If you don't know, let we see a moment. Yogyakarta is located about 500 km east side from capital city of Indonesia. Yogyakarta known as student city since it have many university and also know as 2nd Indonesia tourism city after Bali. Average temperature is tropical temperature, so it will be good if we visit to Yogyakarta at dry season from February until September. Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/vacation-to-yogyakarta-city-of-culture-in-indonesia-481837.html About the Author:My name Wulan Indah from Indonesia, I like to travel and visit interesting place, especially in my own country Indonesia. If you like to know more, please visit http://myvacationpackage.blogspot.com/ Indonesia in One Place - Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in JakartaAuthor: GiredoNow, i would like to talk about the attraction place in Jakarta City. Namely is Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) which is in this place, you can see and explore all about Indonesia from culture, art, atmosphere, religion, lifestly, tourism, and many more. Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) is an area of cultural tourism in Jakarta. Located on the coordinates of 6 ° 18?6 .8 “LS, 106 ° 53?47 .2? BT, in the middle of TMII, there are a lake that tell how so large the Indonesian archipelago in the small shape. Or, in other means, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah as Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park was built to be the showcase of Indonesia. You can see whatever you want about Indonesia, you will find many Indonesia natural & cultural richness such as unique replication of traditional houses (pavilion) from all around Indonesia. I think, this park can represent your want in knowing about Indonesia only go to the smaller place than you go exploring the Indonesia in the real. It’s so match if you do not have enough time to explore Indonesia. In this park, or usually it called TMII, there are various parks, which shows the beauty of flora and fauna of Indonesia such as orchid garden, jasmine gardens, ponds, freshwater aquarium and bird parks. Also there are some museum which is devoted to the history of sport, culture and technology such as the Museum of Indonesia, Museum Pusaka, Museum of Transportation, and The Center for Science and Technology / Pusat Peragaan IPTEK. In Indonesia, almost every tribe has a shape and building in different color, not even one tribe rarely have more than one type of traditional buildings. Building or traditional architecture, which they always followed by environmental and cultural owned. In TMII, illustration, are realized through the Regional Platform, which represents tribes in the nation’s 26 provinces of Indonesia. There are some information about this park that you can find at this site, or you can go directly into the official website of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/indonesia-in-one-place-taman-mini-indonesia-indah-in-jakarta-668552.html About the Author:Blogger, visitindonesian.com owner Jepara, a Safe Place to Visit in Central Java - IndonesiaAuthor: Agus PrayitnoThanks God! This year in the high wet season, there's no flooding or other nature-disasters happened in Jepara and hopefully nothing happen in the next few months. You may seen in TVs that there are many nature-disasters happened recently in Indonesia, mostly flooding. Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/jepara-a-safe-place-to-visit-in-central-java-indonesia-331860.html About the Author:Agus Prayitno Life Off the Tourism Track: Discovering SemarangAuthor: Ritu Raj MishraSurrounded by mystic mountains, Semarang is an appealing place to unwind the mind and soul through excursions along the clay trails. Semarang has a mesmerizing old world charm towered with Dutch colonial architecture fused with contrasting modern mid-rises. Far away from the hustle and bustle of tourist destinations, Semarang presents itself as a place where you can enjoy the serenity along with the composite mix of Javanese, Chinese, Indian and Arabian cultures. The simplicity of Semarang is bound to strike an invisible chord with the traveler who has the passion to discover the natural ambience of life as it is. Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/hotels-articles/life-off-the-tourism-track-discovering-semarang-371178.html About the Author:Avail best deals on Semarang hotels through AsiaRooms at affordable prices and make your trip to this serene paradise of Indonesia a captivating experience to remember. Peace Through TourismAuthor: Denise HummelIt is staggering to think that elephants sought higher ground immediately before the Tsunami hit Asian shores on December 26th 2004, while no advanced technology existed in the form of an early warning detection system that could prevent the loss of human life ... or so said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism of Sri Lanka. I can't say for sure. I wasn't there. I was safe and dry in Varese, Italy at the time, and a long way from Pound Ridge, New York, from where I hail. I have been honored to be one of the many panelists at the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism Global Summit in Pattaya, Thailand, an organizational conference dedicated to exploring the ways in which tourism can and does promote peace. I was one of the only westerners there and was surrounded by Ministers, Members of Parliament and others dedicated to the concept of sustainable tourism and peaceful tourism. While I spoke about the strategies that western tourism enterprise has utilized to confront terrorism and natural disaster in the U.S. and Europe over the past few years, my fellow panelists from Sri Lanka, Uganda, Cambodia and South Africa, to name a few, discussed the ways in which terrorism, internal armed-conflict, war and poverty have affected their lives and those of their families and countrymen. Among a group of co-panelists at breakfast one morning, I was the only person to not have held the status of refugee at some point in my life. To the extent I have changed houses or homeland, it has been entirely through choice and a quest for new experience and I know nothing of fleeing for my life or the lives of my children. My colleagues from across the sea, in contrast, have been counting the years, and in some instances, the months, days, hours and minutes of peace. It is amazing to me that the more I am exposed to through travel and interaction with peoples of other countries, the more ignorant I feel. Like most people, I know that people living in other parts of the world do not share the same standard of living that I do, but I did not know that the single greatest killer of children world-wide is unclean water. I did not know that my colleagues in Jordan get water once a week, but that my female Jordanian colleagues have virtually no "glass ceiling" that prevents them from advancing professionally. I didn't know that there are still cold-storage containers on the shores of the Andaman coast in Thailand that contain the bodies of unidentified loved ones after the wave hit and I didn't know that police boats and huge fishing trawlers still lie kilometers from the sea where they lie against buildings, but otherwise upright, as if they are simply dry-docked in the wrong place at the wrong time. What is sustainable tourism and how can we in the western world assist our brothers and sisters in less developed areas to face problems that affect fragile economies so dependent upon tourism? And how can we, as tourists, promote peace when we travel? So many of us, as individuals as well as public and private enterprise, donate money. Is that the way to assure that families and businesses post traumatic natural or terrorism-related episode continue to survive? It appears, based on what I have seen and heard here, that despite our display of compassion, exemplified by our overwhelming generosity, that this may not be the answer. Houses built with Tsunami donations, for example, but which failed to consult the cultural, physical and spiritual needs of the people, lay vacant. Boats built with Tsunami donations lay idle on the shores awaiting beurocratic clearance before they can be used by Thai fisherman. Tsunami money to Sri Lanka remains unutilized because the Sri Lankan administrative offices charged with administering the money, are located in an area of the country which is governed by a para-military entity not recognized by the U.S. or the United Kingdom. The best answer seems to be exemplified in the request I heard time and again from His Excellency Akel Biltaji, Special Advisor to His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordon, His Excellency. Eng. Ziad Al-Bandak, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Palestine National Authority, Ibrahim Yusuf, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, and James Lu, President of the International Hotel and Restaurant Association, to name a few. The way to be a part of sustainable tourism in each of these countries, is for the average tourist to "come back." This means -- to go back to Bali and to Jordan as soon as possible after the recent bombings, to frequent the hotels that were rebuilt after the Tsunami, but that are not yet at full occupancy, to eat the fish caught by local fisherman served in local restaurants and to buy the handicrafts of the indigenous peoples. The way to be part of the movement of "peace through tourism" is to be an ambassador of acceptance, traveling with an open heart and open mind, and demonstrating respect in our words, behavior, and interaction with peoples of all cultures. "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness," said Mark Twain. In this era of terrorism, a reality that Mr. Twain probably never contemplated, truer words were never spoken. As a general rule, we do not hate people we understand, and we have no reason to destroy what we do not hate. As I walked around Khao Lak in Thailand, an area that was almost completely washed off the map by a wall of water, I was also reminded of the words of Francis Ford Coppola, "Time is the lens through which dreams are captured." As my lens captured the images of hotels, local businesses and homes in ruins, I feel that it was simultaneously capturing the ghosts of the people who walked in and out of these thresholds. But, it also captured the dreams of the Thai people to rebuild their land. It captured the dreams of lasting peace of the Sri Lankan people whose internal armed-conflict screamed to a halt because they lost almost all their weapons and ammunition in the wave. And it captured my dream for all of us in the Western world to revisit this world of smiles, elephants, pristine shores, Buddhist temples, limestone caves, blue skies and peaceful waters. Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/peace-through-tourism-17201.html About the Author:Denise Hummel is a native of New York, who moved to Italy with her husband and children. She directs a public relations/ communications business focused on sustainable tourism called Imagine Communications. |
Aceh Tourism Information - Indonesia Travel GuideAuthor: Wina LimAceh is a special territory of Indonesia , this position is the same with Jakarta and Yogyakarta. Aceh was located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Aceh's full name is Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. Banda Aceh is the provincial capital and largest city of Aceh. Banda Aceh is a city which was established on April 22, 1205 by Sultan Alaidin Johansyah, is one of the oldest Islamic city in the South-East of Asia. The population was approximately around 500,000 peoples in 2007. The prior city name was Kutaraja, determined as the provincial capital in 1956. Later its name was changed into Banda Aceh, where the first part of its name comes from the Persian bandar and means "port" or "haven". It is also proudly referred to as the "port to Meccah", as Islam first arrived in Aceh and spread throughout Southeast Asia. In the early seventeenth century the Sultanate of Aceh was the most wealthy, powerful and cultivated state in the Malacca Straits region. Aceh has a history of political independence and fierce resistance to control by outsiders, including the former Dutch colonists and the Indonesian government. Aceh has substantial natural resources, including oil and gas - some estimates put Aceh gas reserves as being the largest in the world. Relative to most of Indonesia, it is a religiously conservative area. Until December 26, 2004, Banda Aceh was a relatively a little known town. On that day the Indian Ocean earthquake struck off the western coast of Sumatra. Banda Aceh was the closest major city to the earthquake's epicenter, and suffered further damage when a tsunami struck shortly afterwards. It was the worst hit area out of all the locations hit. 130,000 people died and many more were injured. 3 and a half Years after tsunami , a small number of people are still living in barrack-style temporary living centers (TLC) or tents. Reconstruction is visible everywhere, that a great thing for aceh people. Nice to See in Aceh Still a little people knows that Aceh is rich of events, attraction and unique cultures that it can be fascinate anyone. Aceh is also rich in natural beauty, waves and sea garden which is suitable for diving. Some of most beautiful Aceh tourism and historical sites and beaches have been damaged by the massive earthquake and Dec '04 Tsunami but peoples there take care of their beautifull places. This province which is also known as "Porch of Mecca" (Serambi Mekkah) has various coastal attractions, handicrafts and various coastal attractions, handicrafts and nature tourism. Besides that, You can also enjoy spiritual tourism and family tourism. The Government of Aceh wants to change the image that the tour is interesting not only on the beach or other beauty nature places but also spiritual sites and family attractions that can provide insight and spiritual values. Some of nature interesting place are Lhok Nga beach, Ujung Bhate beach, Rencong handicrafts, hot spring water, etc. Spiritual and family tourism such as Indragiri Citadel Mosque (one of the oldest mosque in Aceh), tomb of Admiral Malahayati, Teuku Cik Ditiro tombs, etc. Below are the list of interesting places in Aceh Banda Aceh
Aceh Besar / Jantho
Sabang (Pulau Weh), Sabang island has gorgeous beaches and spot for diving. Virging Iboih forrest with beautiful waterfalls and Keuneukai hotspring. This beautiful island on the most western tip, is where the measurement of geographical of Indonesia starts. The zero kilometer sign is situated in the island. Sabang is also a famous place for weekenders from Banda Aceh. The island is a gorgeous spot for snorkelling and diving. It has beautiful beaches with beautiful coral reefs. I hope I am not too boasting by saying Sabang is heaven for the divers. There are diving operators in Sabang. Famous spot for diving is Iboih, Rubiah island and Gapang. The facilities in Sabang are simple and modest. Moderate class is found in Gapang. There are cottages with AC and attached bathroom. Cottages in Iboih are much simpler. Bring your own sleeping bag If you don't dare to lay down in the thin mattress. The price is considerably cheap. Breakfast is rarely included. From Banda Aceh, it is recommended to take speedboat from Ulee Lheu. It only takes 45 minute with cost of Rp 60,000. If you are heading to Gapang or Iboih, you can take public transportation ( L-300 minibus stuffed with passangers). The cost is around 40,000 to 50,000 with travelling hours around 1 hour. Aceh Utara / Lhokseumawe Lhokseumawe is a town located 274 km from Banda Aceh which is now being developed as an industrial zone. Many gigantic plants are constructed following the discovery of huge LNG resources in the area. Touristic features of the town is a.o. Samudera Pasai. It was the first great Islamic kingdom of Indonesia. All that remains of it, however, is a graveyard 18 km east of the town. One of the graves belongs to Malikussaleh, as Samudera Pasai's first king. Other objects for visitors at Lhoksuawe city are Blang Kolam Falls and Ujung Blang beach Aceh Tengah / Takengon
Aceh Tenggara / Kutacane
Simeulue's Lobster Simeulue is beautiful. although many places are not enjoyable for swimming because of its reefs. Most of beautiful beaches are found in Salang and Alafan sub-district. Simeulue is surrounded by small islands. There are surprisingly people living in some of those islands. As Simeulue has reefs around the island, this is a perfect place for lobster, shrimp and crabs. When you visit Simelue, your visit is not completed without having a plate of lobster. Sambai village (Teluk Dalam sub-district) is recommended favorite palce to get fresh lobster. Although you can't expect lobster to be cooked, you can buy lobster as much as you like, then take it to near small restaurant stalls and have them cooked for you. Although the wave is not as dramatic as in Nias island, not too bad areas for surfing. In Teupah Barat and Teupah Selatan, there are places nice for surfing. There is also one well-known resort name Willy's Resort (in Busung village) which is known among the surfers. If you want to visit Indonesia, you can find more information about Indonesia travel guide at www.VisitToIndonesia.com Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/aceh-tourism-information-indonesia-travel-guide-1281259.html |
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