Archive for December, 2008
JAKARTA (AFP) — In the middle of Jakarta there is a place more reminiscent of the ruins of Cambodia’s Angkor than the heart of a historic capital seeking to promote itself to the world.
Trees grow through the crumbling ceilings of derelict buildings, while thick vines reach out into the sun through dark windows and cracked walls.
Jakarta’s historic “Old Town” of Batavia, the centuries-old centre of Dutch colonial trade and administration until only about 60 years ago, is in ruins.
What could have been the centrepiece of Jakarta’s tourism drive in “Visit Indonesia Year 2008″ is instead being left to the elements and vandals, while investors spend billions of dollars on new shopping malls instead.
“This is actually one of the best and most complete old towns in Asia,” said architect Budi Lim, who has been involved in efforts to revive the area, known as Kota Tua or “Old Town,” for more than two decades.
“The anatomy of the original town exists in full form. The old port and warehouses are still there.”
But unlike other Asian cities that have preserved and celebrated their historic sites, such as Singapore’s Boat Quay and Malaysia’s Malacca, Jakarta’s modern caretakers have left Batavia to rot.
West Jakarta Mayor Djoko Ramadhan recently conceded that “some old buildings” had not survived the capital’s rapid growth into a city of more than 12 million people dotted with skyscrapers and slums.
“We realise that the Old Town’s infrastructure is far from adequate,” he said, referring to a lack of parking spaces which discourages visitors in the absence of public transport.
Kota Tua was declared a heritage site in the early 1970s and town planners have promoted several schemes to revive it over the years, all of which have failed.
About two years ago the city spent more than seven million dollars on a facelift for the European-style Fatahillah square in the centre of Kota Tua, and in the 1970s the 18th century city hall was turned into a museum.
Two other Dutch colonial buildings on the square have been repaired and converted into museums of puppetry and fine arts. The well-known Batavia Cafe occupies what used to be a colonial-era warehouse on the square, but otherwise the area is derelict.
Of more than 284 buildings in Kota Tua which are on the city’s heritage list, 19 are abandoned ruins and many more have been stripped bare with no thought for their historic importance.
“People chopped off the historic parts of their buildings, such as the teak from the 1800s, with no regrets. Many antique aspects of the properties have been vandalized or stolen,” said Kota Tua property owner Ella Ubaidi.
A law supposed to protect historic buildings says violators face six months’ jail and a fine of 100 million rupiah (9,200 dollars). But it has rarely been enforced.
“Law enforcement is weak because we don’t have a solid investigation team yet,” said Kota Tua development agency head Candrian Attahiyyat.
Abandoned and neglected it may be, but history still echoes throughout Kota Tua’s narrow streets.
Leading off the square are alleys and lanes lined with crumbling old shopfronts, warehouses and offices that formed the epicentre of the region’s spice trade for about 300 years.
Asian luxuries such as Chinese porcelain, silk and tea were packed and shipped off to Europe from Batavia’s markets, along with “spice island” delicacies such as cinnamon, pepper, cloves and nutmeg.
The port of Batavia was established on the northwestern coast of Java island by the Dutch East Indies Company in the mid-1600s and remained Indonesia’s capital until it was renamed during the Japanese occupation in World War II.
Since independence in 1945, the mainly Muslim country of 234 million people has naturally celebrated its resistance to the Dutch occupiers and built monuments to its freedom fighters.
The thought of restoring and caring for the remnants of Dutch rule is anathema to many Indonesians.
According to the development agency, most of the 19 heritage-listed buildings which have fallen into total ruin in Kota Tua are state owned.
“The high cost of renovating a building, about 10 billion rupiah (920,000 dollars), has discouraged many investors,” said Robert Tambunan, manager of the state-owned Indonesian Trading Company, which has 22 buildings in the area.
Long-term resident Henry Leo said it was time to restore the historic centre of old Batavia, if not for the preservation of Indonesia’s colonial history then at least as a tourist attraction to boost the incomes of local people.
“I was born here. We’re angry and saddened that the government’s lack of action has caused many buildings to deteriorate,” he said.
“I once brought US visitors to the area. They’ve never come back.”
Source: ANTARA News
December 24th, 2008
Aditya Suharmoko , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta
Attracting 6.4 million foreign tourists to a country so rich in sights and experiences that few places in the world can match it should be an easy task, even without an expensive government campaign.
Yet somehow it wasn’t. Even with months of preparations and extensive promotions as part of the 2008 Visit Indonesia Year campaign, Indonesia fell short of its target for the year.
By the end of October, the number of foreign tourist arrivals in 2008 had reached 5.1 million, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). While this represents growth of 13.07 percent from the same period of 2007, making up the 1.3 million shortfall by the end of the year seems to be asking too much.
The initial target, when the campaign was launched, was for 7 million visitors. But after months of extensive promotions, in June the Culture and Tourism Ministry revised down the target to 6.4 million, citing weakening purchasing power due to the global economic slowdown.
“With the looming (economic) crisis, I’m afraid we won’t have the expected peak of foreign tourist arrivals in December,” said Sapta Nirwandar, a director general at the ministry.
BPS chairman Rusman Heriawan said Indonesia might receive only about 6 million tourists this year, provided November and December each had at least 500,000 visitors.
“But you can’t say that the government has failed. It (the number) is an expectation, and you can’t expect it to be reached instantly,” Rusman said.
Echoing Rusman, Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association chairman Yanti Sukamdani said it would be good enough for Indonesia to receive 6 million visitors.
“Visit Indonesia Year is a good campaign. Without it, Indonesia’s tourism would remain so-so,” Yanti said, adding that the hotel occupancy rate had risen by between 10 percent and 15 percent from a year earlier.
According to the BPS, the occupancy rate of star-rated hotels in September was 42.66 percent, with an average length of stay of 2.57 days. The rate was higher in August, reaching 55.19 percent.
Despite these improvements, Indonesian tourism is definitely falling behind its neighbors in many respects. The Jakarta Post’s WEEKENDER has reported that Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore combined succeeded in attracting a total of 46 million tourists in 2007.
The three have succeeded by narrowing their promotions to the best they have to offer. Singapore, for instance, has been promoting itself as heaven for fashionistas, drawing shoppers from around the globe, including rich and trendy Indonesians.
Meanwhile, Indonesia keeps singing the same old song: Inviting people to visit without mentioning what makes it different from its neighbors, or indeed, anywhere else in the world.
Promotions that focused consistently on the archipelago’s unique landscape and diverse cultures would definitely help.
The beaches, mountains and tropical forests that adorn so many parts of the country should be a major draw for visitors. Yet, besides the ever-popular Baliwhich for some tourists is Indonesia - so many wonders, whether in Kalimantan, Sumatra or Sulawesi, to name just a few, seem to be overlooked.
The relative low cost of Indonesia should also be a draw, perhaps even more now than ever. Not only could the global economic crisis put some other countries out of reach for those on a shoestring, backpacking is becoming increasingly popular.
Felix Dass, a young traveler, said Indonesia should be a main destination for every traveler.nature in this country is just so beautiful. Natural beauty is one of the reasons a place can be considered as a tourism destination.”
However, he said, Indonesia had yet to manage to provide decent tourism facilities and services.can help people have a comfortable and safe vacation, while Indonesia has not been able to do so. Bangkok has signs in local and Latin languages everywhere, for example, while wefind this kind of thing even in Jakarta.”
Attracting tourists needs more than slick promotions. Further development in supporting infrastructure and more relaxed visa regulations are among the other issues that need to be addressed to better the country’s tourism industry.
The government now has another year to redeem itself, as it has extended the Visit Indonesia Year campaign to 2009, with the target for foreign tourist arrivals set at 7 million.
Sapta has said the ministry remains upbeat about next year’s target, although acknowledging great challenges too.
“Next year there will be greater challenges for tourism stemming from the global economic downturn and the upcoming (legislative and presidential) elections,” he said.
Source: The Jakarta Post
December 23rd, 2008
Urgent Warning from Island’s Government that Unregulated Development May be Irreparably Destroying Bali’s Environment
Bali’s provincial government has begun sounding warning alarms due to the degradation of the island’s natural environment over the past decade. In an article published in Kompas, the erosion of Bali’s shore line now approaches 20%, 55,000 hectares of land mass are considered in a critical state and the island’s average temperature has increased to 33 degree Celsius. According to that report, much of the blame for the rapid decline in Bali’s natural environment is being laid at the door of the Island’s tourism industry.
The head of the Bali Environmental Agency, Gede Putu Wardana, confirmed the government’s growing concern over the environment, and said a long-term environmental protection plan stretching to 2050 is now being formulated.
According to Wardana, in the shorter term of 2009 to 2014 there are plans to replant Bali’s forests, stop the erosion of shorelines and re-green critical water-absorbent green zones.
Data provided by the Director General of Water Resources the air temperature in November 2008 reached 22-33 degrees Celsius. Previous to that, the average temperature ranges between 28-30 degrees Celsius.
At the same time, water levels are now 50 centimeters higher on almost all beaches of Bali.
The fast-declining condition of Bali’s environment is also underlined by the fact that the 51,950 kilometers of eroded shore line recorded in 1987 has now grown to 91,070 kilometers or approximately 20% of Bali’s entire shoreline (436,500). At the same time, officials report that the intrusion of sea water into the water table has become a major concern in many areas of the island.
A local activist from Conservation International Indonesia, Made Iwan Dewantama, has characterized the soon-to-be-announced timetable for preventing further environmental degradation as coming too late. He points to the many environmental and green conferences held in Bali, including the U.N. Climate Change Conference held in December 2007, as demonstrating that Bali has done little for the environment despite the dire warnings sounded during numerous conference held at the Island’s conventions centers.
Source: www.balidiscovery.com
December 22nd, 2008
Jetstar has increased its Perth-Denpasar (Bali) service to four times weekly following its launch in October. Jetstar now fly between Perth and Denpasar (Bali) each Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with fares from AUD259 one-way (JetSaver Light) fare at Jetstar.com.
Jetstar Chief Executive Officer Bruce Buchanan said, “This additional Perth-Bali service reinforces Jetstar’s position as the largest Australian airline serving Bali with our flights growing to 17 weekly return services via multiple capital city points,” Mr Buchanan said “Since we announced our decision to operate on the Perth-Denpasar (Bali) route earlier this year, Jetstar has offered fares from as low as AUD179 one-way.”
“Visitation trends continue to show Bali as a high demand destination, experiencing strong double digit growth in Australian visitor numbers this year. Jetstar’s expanding services to Bali has the airline well placed to serve growing traveller demand.”
Jetstar’s additional weekly international service expands its overall Perth operations, serving the existing markets of Melbourne (14 times weekly), Singapore (daily), Bali (4 times weekly) and Jakarta (3 times weekly).
The carrier’s operations from Perth will be further bolstered with the commencement of new daily direct flights to Adelaide from 02-Feb-09 and three times weekly to Cairns from 06-Feb-09.Source: http://peanuts.aero/low_cost_airline_news
December 22nd, 2008
What? No air-conditioning? Getting back to basics amid a setting of untouched rainforest is the idea at Nikoi
“Boutique” is no longer chic: the next generation of Asian resorts is all about “barefoot luxury” — an upmarket restatement of the backpacker beach holiday, stressing simplicity and raw nature. Nikoi Island, www.nikoi.com, is a good example.
Ringed by white-sand beaches and coral reefs, and lying some 53 miles (85 km) southeast of Singapore, the Indonesian island of Nikoi comprises 37 rainforest-covered acres (15 hectares). The six two-story thatched beach houses (nine more are due to open in mid-2009) were built using driftwood. Double-vaulted roofs draw hot air up, so there’s no need for air-conditioners. Guests will search in vain for televisions, but there are iPod speakers, stone-floored open bathrooms, a pavilion for massages and direct access to the beach. (For more travel tips and stories visit time.com/travel.)
Meals are served on a dining-room table carved from a 30-ft. (9 m) slab of driftwood. Guests can also head out for a picnic on a nearby deserted island. A quartet of bars comprises the pre- and postprandial entertainment.
Two swimming pools have been sculpted among granite boulders on the north side of the island, and there are ample opportunities for sailing, windsurfing, snorkeling and rock-climbing. Movies are screened outdoors, and a nightly beach bonfire provides the perfect chance for stargazing. Mainstream destinations like Phuket and Bali used to supply au naturel pleasures such as these; the good news is that Nikoi is not going to change.
Source: The Jakarta Post
December 19th, 2008
Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The House of Representatives passed a new tourism bill into law Wednesday that orders the establishment of an independent board to promote Indonesia’s tourism at home and abroad.
The Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board will be responsible for all promotion-related activities, including coordinating promotional works of central and local tourism enterprises.
The 2008 Tourism Bill, initiated by the House, was passed during its plenary session to replace the 1990 Tourism Law.
The “slow and bureaucratic” promotional work by the government — in this case the Culture and Tourism Ministry — prompted the idea to establish an independent tourism body.
“The Tourism Promotion Board is an independent body. It will not be under any government institution. It will thus have greater freedom to develop creative ideas and promote Indonesia overseas,” United Development Party (PPP) lawmaker Djabaruddin Ahmad told the plenary meeting.
Articles on the tourism board were the main reason the bill was deliberated in the House for almost three years.
Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik told reporters after the plenary session that the private status of the board would allow it to conduct promotional jobs quicker than when it was part of his office’s responsibility.
“The government, for instance, has to offer a contract when it wants to create a promotional product. Many consider this process to have slowed down the pace of developing national tourism in the past. As the board is a private institution, it won’t have to go through bureaucratic process,” he said.
Jero said the board’s policy-makers would comprise representatives from associations of airlines, tourism businesses and tourism professions, as well as academics.
The board members would be recruited by the tourism ministry, he said.
The board is expected to start operating under the new Cabinet next year, he said, and will be funded by both the government and the private sector.
Indonesia is expected to receive up to 6.5 million foreign tourists in 2008, contributing US$7.5 billion to the country’s reserves.
Article 41 of the 2008 Tourism Law:
(1) The Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board is responsible for:
a. enhancing the image of Indonesia’s tourism
b. increasing the number of foreign tourist visits and state revenues
c. increasing the number of domestic tourist visits
d. collecting funds from sources outside state and regional budgets in accordance with the regulations; and
e. conducting research to develop tourism businesses.
(2) The Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board functions as:
a. coordinator of tourism promotional works by both central and regional enterprises
b. working partner of the central and local administrations
Source: The Jakarta Post
December 19th, 2008
Denpasar (ANTARA News) - Bali is determined to turn its 130,686 hectares forests which cover 22.6 percent of its land into green and well preserved areas in facing climate change.
Head of the Land and Forest Rehabilitation Agency of the Bali Forestry Office, Agung Ngurah Buana said here Wednesday that the areas were expected to protect the economy of the local population.
Addressing a workshop on Bali’s Action Plan in facing the impact of the climate change he said that it would take everyone’s commitment and concrete action to solve the impacts of the global climate change.
Bali’s land covered 563,666 hectares, of which 22.6 percent consisted of forested land, including 55,313 hectares of arid land.
“The land in a critical condition and needs serious handling to prevent floods, landslides and other natural disasters,” he said.
The Bali Forestry Office provided 2.1 million trees in 2008 as an effort to support an ongoing reforestation program.
Since the beginning of the rainy season in November and December 2008 the seedlings were planted in various places in Bali involving the local population, government and other sides.
The effort was also to support the national movement of forest and land rehabilitation in Bali as well as to lower global warming.
The movement which was launched in 2004, had successfully revitalized 28,520 hectares arid land inn and outside of the forested land.
In this way, only 26,793 hectares of arid land were left for cultivation in the coming years. (*)
COPYRIGHT © 2008
Source: ANTARA News
December 18th, 2008
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia plans to open 11 new Indonesian Trade Promotion Centers (ITPC) abroad at the end of this year, the head of the National Export Development Agency (BPEN), Bachrul Chairi, said here on Tuesday.
The new ITPCs are located in Shanghai (China), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Mexico City (Mexico), Chicago (the US), Busan (South Korea), Chennai (India), Barcelona (Spain), Lyon (France), Santiago (Chili), Vancouver (Canada) and Lagos (Nigeria).
Chairi said the decision was part of the country’s efforts in seeking new export markets particularly in those regions.
“The state minister for administrative reform and the foreign minister have agreed to the opening of the new ITPCs which are expected to start operating by the end of this year,” he said.
Indonesia has so far already operated nine ITPCs in business cities like Sao Paolo (Brazil), Los Angeles (the US), Milan (Italy), Johannesburg (South Africa), Dubai, Osaka, Sydney and Budapest (Hungary).
Chairi said the 11 countries where the new ITPCs would be established were the world’s trade hubs that had high per capita income and buying power as well as pontentials to import products from Indonesia.
“Indonesia’s export market share in those countries is still relatively small and may still be increased while those countries are also a gateway for exports to their neighbours,” he said.
Chairi said the ITPCs which cost Rp4 billion each could be used as an exhibition venue for world products.
He said one of the reasons for establishing the new ITPCs in those countries was that those countries generally have big ports to support exports and imports.
In the 2009 budget the Indonesian government allocates Rp86 billion to increase ITPCs and operate 20 others. (*)
COPYRIGHT © 2008
Source: ANTARA News
December 17th, 2008
JAKARTA: The government and the House of Representatives’ tourism commission have agreed on a new tourism bill to be passed into law this week.
The bill is expected to “ease” the licensing of tourism businesses and provide them with the standard operating procedures (SOP) “in line with ethics and religious norms”, Culture and Tourism Ministry director general for the development of tourism destinations Firmansyah Rahim said Sunday.
He said under the new bill, businesses would simply need to register in order to start their operations.
“But businesses cannot do anything they like. Through the SOP, running illegal activities like prostitution and gambling will be strictly forbidden,” he said.
Firmansyah said the new bill would specifically provide tourists with both protection and guidelines under which a violator could be sanctioned.
The bill also suggests the establishment of an institution responsible for promoting Indonesia’s tourism. –JP
Source: The Jakarta Post
December 16th, 2008
Tom Wright
Indonesia’s Lombok island sits just across a narrow strait from Bali. But unlike its sister island - a travel Mecca that has become even more popular thanks to Russian and Chinese package tours - Lombok has remained largely in the shadows, save for a trickle of foreign travellers who have discovered its charms.
Now the bucolic island is gaining a following among tourists turned off by the commercialisation of Bali. A number of posh boutique resorts have recently sprung up along Lombok’s western coast to cater to this crowd. They serve capiroscas and other fancy cocktails on the beach at sundown, but are just a stone’s throw away from rural, unspoiled countryside, much as Bali was four decades ago.
Lombok’s new wave of resorts marks the latest attempt by the island to become a serious tourist draw. Like travel destinations throughout the region, Lombok has battled to overcome a series of setbacks, including the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s and terrorist attacks in Bali a few years ago. Despite new challenges on the horizon, including a global recession, locals here are hoping that a major investment from a Middle Eastern developer, combined with Westerners’ desires for less expensive resort alternatives in the area, will finally put Lombok on the tourist map.
The standard rooms at the stylish Qunci Pool Villas, which opened this summer near Senggigi Beach, cost less than $150 a night, at least a third less than rooms at a comparable upscale hotel in Bali. The resort also has a top-notch spa offering lulur, a traditional Indonesian body scrub that uses a paste made from sandalwood, tumeric and rice flower.
About 25km up the coast, the newly opened Hotel Tugu Lombok, part of the high-end Indonesian Tugu chain, has rooms appointed with antique Javanese furniture that evoke the Dutch colonial era. The Lombok Golf Kosaido Country Club, designed by former British Open champion Australian Peter Thomson, is just next door. Further north, there’s an Oberoi Hotel, part of the India-based chain of luxury resorts.
And just off the coast, on the largest of three tiny islands known as the Gilis, an Australian couple has opened the 23-room Beach House Resort, one of a handful of modern hotels that have sprung up there in the past few years. The resort ships in fresh water daily from the Lombok mainland to fill its private-villa pools. (Fresh water is in short supply on the island.)
It’s quite a change from even five years ago, when accommodations on the Gilis amounted to little more than spartan bungalows with saltwater showers and catered to scuba divers and backpackers who arrived by traditional fishing craft. Still, the little islands retain their rugged feel, with horse and carriage the only mode of public transport.
Lombok’s shabby-chic image and stunning natural beauty (Mount Rinjani, Indonesia’s second-highest peak, is a popular destination for trekkers) is also attracting big outside investors. Emaar Properties, the Middle Eastern developer that is erecting the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai, is investing $600 million in a joint venture with the Indonesian government to build a five-star, 10-hotel complex on Lombok’s south coast. The plans include an Armani-branded resort, vacation homes, exclusive shops and marinas, according to Maureen Ferry Cuellar, Emaar’s assistant director of development.
Lombok’s potential has been touted before and never come to much. Some people in the travel business here fear the global economic recession could thwart the island’s latest ambitions once again. “Every time Lombok is ready to take off, something happens,” says American Scott Coffey, a former stockbroker who owns the Qunci Pool Villas.
In the early 1990s, the then-government of Suharto, the dictator who ruled Indonesia from 1967 to 1998, developed the beach at Senggigi, which has a big Sheraton resort. The area did well for a while but the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98, followed by the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings and another attack on a Bali beach in 2005, had a devastating effect on Lombok’s tourism industry.
The financial crash also put on hold another ambitious plan by Suharto’s business cronies to turn a 16km stretch of pristine beaches and bays on the southern coast into a mega-resort. It was modeled after the luxurious Nusa Dua complex, which kick-started Bali’s development in the late 1980s. This will be the site of the venture by Emaar. The company agreed to buy the land from the Indonesian government, which took it over after the financial crisis, and plans to begin construction next year; phase one is scheduled to open by 2011.
Indonesia has made huge strides in the last few years to curb terrorism, including making scores of arrests. Earlier this year, the US lifted its travel warnings on the country, and travellers and expats here say they feel perfectly safe.
As part of the deal with Emaar, the Indonesian government is constructing a modern airport only 20 minutes from the planned development. Roads are being upgraded across the island as well.
Lombok’s boosters want to avoid the kind of over-zealous building that some say has scarred large swaths of Bali. “We can set up regulations to stop it becoming too crowded,” says Zainal Majdi, the governor of West Nusa Tenggara province, of which Lombok is the administrative center. “We can learn from mistakes over there.”
Visitors who want a taste of Lombok’s southern coast before Emaar’s development gets underway can stay at the four-star, 100-room Novotel Mandalika Resort, the only large hotel in the area. Putri Nyale beach, on which it is situated, rivals anything on Bali, say tourists and expats. On a hilltop overlooking the beach, Pierre Emmanuel Barthe, a former French movie executive, has built an isolated villa with stunning ocean views. “It’s really beautiful,” he says. “Bali is too overcrowded now.”
Those selling Lombok as the “unspoiled Bali” have many historical connections to draw upon. In the 18th century, a Hindu Balinese king conquered much of the island, and his progeny ruled until the Dutch pushed them out at the turn of the 20th century. Today, 10 per cent of Lombok’s population, mainly in the western part of the island, are of Balinese origin, and the island is dotted with Hindu shrines. In the town of Narmada, the same king built a temple on a hill as a replica of Mount Rinjani, an ancient pilgrimage site. On days leading up to a full moon, the temple in the palace is festooned with garlands of flowers and baskets of fruit offerings.
Yet Lombok’s culture is also distinct from Bali’s, and is the product of a complex cultural mixing. Islam arrived here in the 16th century and over time the dominant ethnic group - the Sasaks, who today make up 85 per cent of the population - became Muslim. But as in many parts of Indonesia, orthodox teachings were only partially embraced. The mountain village of Bayan, in the northern part of the island, is the center of Wetu Telu, a religion that blends elements of Muslim, Hindu and animist beliefs. Followers pray three times a day, instead of Islam’s standard five.
Nearby, Mount Rinjani is the spiritual heart of Lombok’s animist traditions. It is also the place where Alfred Russel Wallace, the noted Victorian explorer and naturalist, observed the differences between bird species on Bali and on Lombok. He later identified the Wallace Line, which runs between the islands and divides Indonesia into two distinct parts: one where the birds and animals are more closely related to those found in Asia and the other to those in Australasia.
Taking a two-day trek to the 4000m-foot-high summit of Rinjani is the perfect way to crown a visit to Lombok. Starting off under the jungle canopy at its base, travellers are likely to see wild pigs and black-leaf monkeys along the way, before arriving for the night at the rim of the mountain’s lake-filled volcanic crater.
The steep push for the summit begins before daybreak the next morning. As dawn approaches, the circular contours of Lombok become visible below. And to the west, across the Lombok Strait, a faint outline of Bali’s Mount Agung becomes visible through the morning mist.
Source: www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
December 15th, 2008
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