Archive for March, 2008
Nestled at the foot of Mount Slamet, an active volcano on Java Island is Baturraden resort. A stay in this resort is truly unforgettable
Purwokerto (Indonesia): As Indonesians breathe a sigh of relief after a barrage of warnings of eruptions from the country’s most active volcanoes, Baturraden resort at the foot of Mount Slamet in central Java remains calm and shines as an eco-tourism jewel.
Mount Slamet or Gunung Slamet in Indonesia is an active volcano and the second-highest peak on Java island, reaching 3,428 metres above sea level.
The resort itself was established in 1979, and is surrounded by beautiful green gardens, hot springs, ponds and bungalow-style hotels 650 metres up the slopes.
As we indulge ourselves with the harmonic surroundings of a vast pine forest and green valley, we can also dip our feet in the cold spring water running through the middle of the resort.
“It’s such a great place to breathe fresh, clean air for me and my family,” said Widyanarti, 32, a mother who came all the way from Jakarta and who goes by a single name.
“You don’t get this kind of weather in the polluted cities such as Jakarta,” she said, adding that the resort is also a perfect place for children to learn about nature and the importance of preserving it.
The cool mountain breezes are a special draw for domestic and international visitors, and the resort caters to all. Admission is only 0.30 cents (3,000 Rupiah). It opens daily from 5:30 am and closes around midnight.
Around 400 visitors come on weekdays, but during weekends the numbers can reach thousands, one official said.
Baturraden is also a well-known spot to spend a day trekking through its splendid natural forest and villages. Always green, blanketed with a light misty air, the area is blessed with an abundance of natural water resources spouting in numerous waterfalls and rivers, which flow between the huge boulders of hardened lava.
Visitors can spend the whole day picnicking on the grassy lawn or along the river or bathing in the mineral waters.
While children enjoy recreational park facilities including a swimming pool, water slide and mini zoo, the adults can pamper themselves in the natural hot springs. Traditional massages are also available for $3 (20,000 Rupiah).
The resort provides hundreds of opportunities for local people to sell food, beverages, handicrafts and other services for visitors.
“Baturraden has been a great example of how a mountainous area can be managed as a potential asset for eco-tourism,” Indriyani, a programme manager at Indecon, a non-governmental organization specialising in the expansion of eco-tourism in Indonesia, said.
“Nature gives income to the people in its surroundings, and both can benefit from each other’s existence,” she said, adding that eruption from active volcanoes should not be taken as an obstacle.
“Visitors shouldn’t be worried about their safety because the vulcanology agency gives warnings, if they think the volcano enters a dangerous stage,” she said.
Indriyani said eco-tourism in Indonesia has a huge potential, although it is not yet getting proper attention from the government. That includes the need to provide a comprehensive policy for local governments to ensure conservation as well as reaping benefits from nature.
“Indonesia needs to get started on the policy level to maximise eco-tourism potential throughout the country, but I think the government is busy enough trying to handle illegal logging in its forests,” Indriyani said.
Source: http://lifestyle.in.msn.com/travel/
March 11th, 2008
Identity cards display more than just your name, date of birth and address. They also reveal your job, your marital status and your religion.
If you take a close look at the ID card of a Central Javanese Samin tribesperson, you will notice the religion section is left blank.
“It’s because our religion is not one of the five religions recognized by the government,” said Gun Retno, a Samin from Surabaya.
Little is known about the Samin tribe and, unfortunately, they are often stereotyped as lazy and anti-development.
This stereotype is derived from Samin Surantiko, a public figure who lived in the Samin community at the border of East Java and Central Java. Samin led his people through the struggles of Dutch colonialism and was known to refuse to do anything ordered by the Dutch.
His resistance inspired people in Pati, Blora, Kudus and Bojonegoro to respond to the Dutch in the same way. Their resistance to the Dutch, however, created the Samin stereotype, known as sedulur sirep.
Peter Dwiyanto, a photographer from Surabaya and alumni of Petra Christian University, has long felt troubled by the stereotype. He felt motivated to research the tribe for his final major work as a student. He lived for a month with the Samin tribes in Pati, Kudus and Blora to learn more about them.
He learned the people, who wear black clothes and batik headscarves, value honesty, reflected in a list of the tribes’ 20 taboos.
The taboos include being jealous, envious, frugal and easily upset. Stealing, pilfering, touting, lying and being ungrateful are also taboo.
“Essentially the Samin people are honest in their activities and attitudes,” Peter said.
Following this philosophy allowed Peter to enjoy unforgettable experiences during his stay in the communities.
“Someone left some money in a Samin community in the 80s and it is still being well-kept,” he said.
Gun said the Samin maintained honesty in everything they say and do. They do what they say and say what they do. If they think they will not be able to do it, they will not say they can. Because of this tradition, the Samin are often regarded as strange.
Gun, who has four children, is reluctant to speak Indonesian because he thinks he is not proficient in the language.
“I prefer to speak Javanese because this is the language I know and understand best. When I speak Indonesian, I feel afraid I will make mistakes,” he said in Javanese.
The farmer in black said that his choice to speak Javanese did not mean that the Samin rejected anything new introduced to them, including technology.
“We also have TVs, tractors to harvest the rice fields and other modern items in our village. But we only use them when necessary, not excessively,” he said.
When it comes to education, the Samin prefer to teach their children about life based on their own experiences. The sons learn how to farm from their fathers while the girls learn cooking from their mothers.
“We don’t teach them reading and writing, but if they want to, they can learn from their friends,” he said.
As a result, most of the Samin do not have the same type of education as other Indonesians. After graduating from elementary school, they work on the land.
The Samin refuse to pretend they belong to one of six recognized faiths — Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.
“If we say we are Muslim or Christian, we have to live a way of life in accordance with the religion. But we are not Muslim and we are not Christian and we don’t have any religion recognized by the government,” he said.
The Samin have their own religion they call Adam so they prefer to keep the religion section on their ID cards blank.
“It seems we can’t do that anymore because we have to fill in that part,” he said.
A two-week photo exhibition featuring the life of the Samin people is being held at the French Cultural Center in Surabaya until March 11.
Source: The Jakarta Post
March 10th, 2008
London (ANTARA News) - Indonesia took part in a “Sajam Gast” tourism and culinary festival held in Split, Croatia, recently, an Indonesian diplomat based in Budapest, Hungary, reported.
“It was the first time for Indonesia to take part in the event,” First Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Indonesian Embassy in Budapest, Octaviano Alimudin, told ANTARA News here on Wednesday.
Indonesia took part in the festival also to promote its Visit Indonesia Year 2008 program and an Indonesia Expo to be held in Warsaw, he added.
The Sajam Gast Festival was opened by Split Dalmatia County Governor Ante Sanader representing Croatian President Stjepan Mesic.
The Indonesian Trade Promotion Center in Budapest had supported Indonesia`s participation in the festival by providing information kits on Indonesian tourism and export commodities.
Some 1,000 companies from Europe and Asia were taking part in the festival which was cohosted by Bosnia and Herzegovina. (*)
Source: ANTARA News
March 10th, 2008
Padang, West Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Tourism industry in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, was preparing programs and activities to support the Visit Indonesia Year 2008 and to give the best services to tourists visiting the city.
“Travel agent, hotel, and restaurant businessmen as well as tourist resort managers are committed to supporting the Visit Indonesia Year 2008,” Head of the Bukittinggi tourism service Nasrul Pietra said here on Wednesday.
Bukittinggi planned to organize an International Self Defense Championship in May 2008, a Minangkabau traditional and cultural performance from July 6 to 15, a Pagaruyung Festival in July 2008, and a Dragon Boat Race in Padang, he said.
The city also offered discounts for hotel, restaurant and souvenir to tourists this year, he said.
Bukittinggi, about two hour drive from Minangkabau international airport, has 54 star-rated hotels with around 2,000 rooms.
The city is situated in highland, at around 800 meters above the sea level. It has interesting tourist objects such as ‘Jam Gadang’ (Big Clock built by the Dutch in 1926), a Japanese cave built by the Japanese during World War II, Ngarai Sianok (Sianok Canyon), and Taman Bundo Kanduang park. (*)
Source: ANTARA News
March 6th, 2008
The Jakarta Association of Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA) has set a target this year to draw more than 1.22 million foreign visitors to the capital.
“We hope more tourists will come to the city compared to last year,” said ASITA secretary, Hasiyanna “Yanna” Ashadi, on Tuesday.
She said the number of foreign tourist arrivals would depend on conditions in Jakarta, such as floods.
The figure has been quite stable in the past few years.
Last year Jakarta had 1.22 million foreign visitors and had the same number the year before. In 2005 there were 1.17 million visitors and in 2004 there were 1.07 million, according to the Jakarta Statistics Agency (BPS Jakarta).
Yanna said her association supported the city administration’s tourism campaign and its target for tourist arrivals.
“We just follow the target set by the city administration,” she said.
This year the Indonesian government’s Visit Indonesia 2008 campaign aims to attract 7 million foreign tourists to the country, a sharp increase from last year’s 5.5 million.
To promote Jakarta’s tourism destinations and draw more foreigners here, ASITA cooperates with the city administration and other organizations, such as hotels, travel agents and local and international airlines.
“We also cooperate with the Java Jazz organizers, a three-day jazz music festival, to promote the capital. We arrange packages for tourists who want to get around the city and enjoy the festival,” Yanna said.
She could not say, however, how many people were interested in the packages.
Java Jazz will be held from March 7 to 9 at the Jakarta Convention Center, featuring local and international jazz musicians.
Earlier this week, BPS announced the number of foreigners visiting the capital had decreased.
In January 2008, there were 106,470 foreign tourists arrivals in the city, down from 110,799 in December 2007.
The head of BPS Jakarta, Djamal, said their statistics were from the immigration office which calculated the number of foreign tourists visiting the capital through Tanjung Priok port and Halim Perdanakusumah and Soekarno-Hatta airports.
Djamal said that the number of foreign tourists depended on the capital’s facilities and services.
“If floods like those that hit Jakarta in early February happen again, it could affect the number of tourist arrivals. They will avoid Jakarta,” he said.
According to Yanna, the declining number of tourist arrivals in the past few months was not surprising because the early year is low season for tourism.
“January and February is usually the low season, while the peak season is usually in mid-year, which is also the holiday period,” she said.
She said foreign visitors came to Jakarta for different reasons in different seasons. (trw)
Source: The Jakarta Post
March 6th, 2008
The number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia rose 13.24 per cent to 437,617 in January from 386,453 in the same month last year, but fell from 518,696 in December.
A government official described the performance in January as encouraging despite the decline compared with December as normally the number of visitors is higher in December, which is a peak season.
However, the association of travel operators Asita said the increase is not up to expectation and not significant to boost the tourism industry. There is no multiplier effect. The government is more
concerned with the target in number but what we see is the spending per day by the visitors, Asita deputy chairman Rudiana said.
Source: http://www.property-report.com/
March 5th, 2008
Warsaw (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Government will hold the First Indonesian Expo in Central and East Europe (1st IE-CEE), in Warsaw, Poland, from May 7 to 10, 2008, as part of its export and investment promotion program in Europe.
The 1st IE-CEE would be the largest and most comprehensive Indonesian exposition of trade, investment and tourism in a foreign country in 2008, Indonesian Ambassador to Poland Hazairin Pohan, as coordinator of the first IE-CEE, said recently in a statement published on the expo`s website.
The First IE-CEE would be an excellent opportunity for Polish business people to meet their Indonesian counterparts in one-on-one meetings, investment seminars, as well as tourism promotions, he said.
There will be cultural performances of the best traditional music, dances, as well as exotic cuisines of Indonesia.
Ambassador Pohan urged the business community in Poland to take advantage of what the 1st IE-CEE would offer.
He said, the theme of `Bridging the Distance` was expected to foster strong links between some 1000 best Indonesian producers of goods and services with Europe.
The expo would be supported by Indonesian embassies in Belgrade, Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Kiev, Moscow, Prague, Sofia, and Warsaw. (*)
Source: ANTARA News
March 4th, 2008
Beijing (ANTARA News) - A number of China`s journalists who would be facilitated by Indonesian embassy in Beijing, are slated to visit a number of regions to write and promote tourism potentials in the country relating to the Visit Indonesia Year (VIY) 2008, a spokesman said.
“A number of China`s journalists will come to Indonesia to write and promote several tourism potentials, arts and culture in a bid to promote them to China`s people,” Arianto Suroyo, 3rd secretary dealing with social and cultural affairs of Indonesian Embsssy in Beijing on Saturday.
This program is part of promotion program on arts, culture and tourism handled by Indonesian Embassy in Beijing during 2008, he said, adding that the visit will be carried out in March and April, 2008.
“The China`s journalists will visit several regions in Indonesia, which will be decided later and cooperate with regional government,” he said.
Arianto expressed hope that the China`s journalists who would visit Indonesia`s tourist resorts would write and their writings about the country`s tourist objects would attract China`s tourists to visit Indonesia. (*)
Source: ANTARA News
March 4th, 2008
London (ANTARA News) - Indonesia will participate in the upcoming International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin, Germany, from March 5 to 9, 2008.
The Indonesian contingent at the ITB would be supported by 65 hotel and travel agent industries and five regional administrations namely Bali, East Java, Central Java, West Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara Province) and Jayapura (Papua Province), Minister Counselor of the Indonesian Embassy in Berlin Wahyu Hersetiati Priyanto said in a statement on Saturday.
Indonesian Tourism Minister Jero Wacik was slated to officially launch the Indonesian Visit Year 2008 campaign in Germany and dedicated the Indonesian Pavilion at the ITB on Wednesday (March 5, 2008), he said.
Minister Jero Wacik was also scheduled to hold a meeting with Jurgen Klimke, a member of the German Bundestag (Parliament).
The Indonesian minister was also expected to hold a press conference on Thursday (March 6) at the ITB, which would be joined in by more than 10,000 participants from 180 countries and was projected to be visited by around 180,000 people, Priyanto said.
Indonesia would also hold an industrial gathering on March 7 in connection with the country`s tourism promotion in Berlin. The country`s pavilion would present traditional dances and demonstrations on traditional clothe waving during the world`s biggest tourism exhibition.
Some 12 members of Germany`s Free Democratic Party (FDP) led by Erns Burgbacher planned to visit the Indonesian Pavilion at the International tourism Bourse, he said.
Last year, Indonesia won a prize for the Best Exhibitor category for Asia, Australia and Oceania, at the Berlin ITB.
For 2008, Indonesia has set itself the target of attracting seven million foreign tourists and earning a total of US$6.7 billion in foreign exchange from them.
A total 5.5 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia last year.
Topping the list of countries where the tourists came from was Singapore with 1.46 million tourists, followed by Malaysia (941,202 tourists), Japan (593,784), Australia (313,881), South Korea (423,098), China (335,172), Europe (528,171), and the United States (154,846). (*)
Source: ANTARA News
March 3rd, 2008
Sri Ramadhani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
One of many Chinese food restaurants in Jakarta offering healthy traditional Chinese cuisine is Soup Restaurant, located on the 3rd level of Plaza Indonesia shopping center in Central Jakarta.
Among the restaurant’s specialities are various soups using Chinese herbs, including ginseng.
The menu includes Double Boiled American Ginseng with Abalon Soup, Double Boiled Tien Chee with Chicken Soup and Double Boiled Puk Kay and Tong Sam with Black Chicken Soup.
The names of the soups describe a beneficial effect on one’s health. For example, Double Boiled Puk Kay and Tong Sam with Black Chicken Soup is believed to cut down on high blood pressure. One of the restaurant’s attendants said that Puk Kay and Tong Sam are kinds of Chinese herbs.
The restaurant’s marketing coordinator, Virna Haryanto, said patrons can order cholesterol-free dishes.
“Our restaurant offers Samsui Ginger Chicken and a new dish, called Salted Egg Prawn, created by chef Fei Lie Meng,” she said.
According to Virna, Samsui Ginger Chicken is a popular dish in Guangdong city, northern China, served once a year during Chinese New Year celebrations.
“We want our guests to enjoy Samsui Ginger Chicken here at Soup Restaurant every time they want it instead of going to Singapore on Chinese New Year,” she said.
Samsui refers to Cantonese women from the Samsui district. Samsui women are migrant workers and famous for their bright red headgear. They left behind their families in China and came to Singapore to work on construction sites during the early 20th century.
Chef Fei Lie Meng recently gave a cooking demonstration for journalists and invited guests at the restaurant. He whipped up Samsui Ginger Chicken (steamed chicken with ginger sauce), Tenderloin ala Mongols (sliced beef stirred up with butter, milk, black pepper, chili sauce) and Salted Egg Prawn (Crispy fried prawn stirred up with minced salted egg).
After watching the hour-long cooking demonstration, guests were served a plate of Samsui Ginger Chicken, Tenderloin ala Mongols, Salted Egg Prawn and vegetable dishes.
The Samsui Ginger Chicken had a strong gingery taste and the chicken was very tender.
The chef’s assistant, Suci Suprianto, said the whole chicken was marinated with ginger and steamed for about 45 minutes. He suggested guests eat Samsui Ginger Chicken by dipping sliced chicken meat into the ginger sauce and wrap it with fresh lettuce.
Source: The Jakarta Post
March 3rd, 2008
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