The Three Sisters

The Three Sisters is another famous rock formation in Australia. It is located near to Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales. The rocks formation is unique. The rocks stand side by side over the Jamison Valley. They sculpted by wind and rain constant erosion. Each rock has its own name, Meehni (922 m), Wimlah (918 m), and Gunnedoo (906 m). I think the three rocks may totally detach one day in the future because of the wind and water erosion over time.


Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo?? Which is which?


Waterfall with a rainbow ...

A folk tale says that the rocks represent three sisters, namely Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo. The three sisters fell in love and wished to married three men from other tribe. However, the three couples were not allowed to get married by the tribal law. Then, a war between the two tribes erupted. To protect the three sisters from any harm, they were, then, turned to stones by a medicine man. The war killed the medicine man, as a result the three ladies were kept forever in the stones.

Indonesia Travel Tips II

Here are more tips for you ... You can read other tips in ‘Indonesia Travel Tips I’

6. The staple food in Indonesia is steam rice. It is usually served with a variety side dishes. Most of the side dishes taste spicy. So if you can not tolerate spices, make sure you ask for non-spicy food before ordering. One more thing, make sure that you know exactly the prices of your food before ordering.
Then, do not drink from the tap water. The tap water here does not meet the requirement for safe drinking water. Keep a bottled water with you. You can purchase the bottled water from a supermarket.

7. As Indonesia is a hot and humid country; light clothing, like trousers, slack, shirt, is more comfortable. Avoid wearing halter-tops or shorts unless you are on the beach or around sport facilities area.

8. Do bargain when you buy souvenirs or hire a tour guide.

9. Public toilet here could also be a huge problem. Do not expect to find good and clean public toilet on the street, at bus terminals, train stations or even airports. Even for me, I try not to go to the public toilets unless I really really desperately need one. There are some good and clean public toilets in big shopping malls.

10. Most Indonesian can not speak English and most sign boards are in Indonesian. May be it is better if you are familiar with Indonesian words, such as: Good morning: Selamat pagi; Good afternoon: Selamat siang; Good night: Selamat malam; Buka: open; Tutup: closed; Masuk: enter; Keluar: exit; WC/Toilet: washroom; Wanita: ladies; Pria: gents; Kanan: right; Kiri: left; Pesan: order; Terima kasih: thank you; Makan: to eat; Minum: to drink; Air: water.

11. Lastly, do not forget to take note of these emergency phone number:
Police department: 110
Fire department: 113
Ambulance/ medical emergency: 118/119
Phone directory: 108

Well, those are all tips that I think may be useful for your trip to Indonesia. Even that the public facilities are not as good as you have in your home country; visiting and exploring Indonesia’s natural landscape and culture would broaden your horizon ... because everything here is just different and unique ...

Welcome to Indonesia!!

The Twelve Apostles

Welcome to the Twelve Apostles

The Twelve Apostles is an icon of Victoria state, Australia. The Twelve Apostles are a collection of huge natural limestone rocks in the Port Campbell National Park, Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia. I went there when I was in Melbourne. I joined a guided tour to visit the rocks. I had not searched or read any information about this place at that time, so when I heard the name, Twelve Apostles, I expected to see something in total of 12.


The natural limestone rocks...

In the past, this place was known as the Sow and Piglets. I was told that the Sow was an island (Muttonbird Island) and the piglets were the surrounding rocks. It was, then, named the Twelve Apostles in 1950. The new name was aimed to captivate more tourists to visit this place. The rocks are the remaining parts of the limestone cliffs of the mainland that underwent million of years of continuous erosion by wind and waves. The rocks have different height and thickness.

So, then, I expected to see 12 rocks. You will not find 12 rocks. Even it has been named as The Twelve Apostles in 1950, there were only 9 rocks left at that time. Moreover, there was one more rock collapsed in 2005 due to waves erosion and only 8 rocks left since then. It is estimated that the rate of erosion at the base of the rocks is 2 cm every year. So, more rocks being collapsed and new rocks being formed can be expected.

Oh, one more thing, the best views at the Twelve apostles are during sunrise and sunset. You can see the Twelve Apostles change from dark in shadow to yellowish.

Little Girl trapped in a cage of wild stuffed animals

It's every little kids dream: swimming amongst a cozy school of stuffed zebras, bears, fish and tigers. I love how the mom begs her to come back down through the door, and the girls just laughs at her.

Indonesia Travel Tips I

Indonesia is the biggest archipelago in the world. It has 5 big islands, (Sumatera, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua); and many other thousands small islands. Yes ... it is a huge country. It is not only Bali or Jakarta :). I have some friends from overseas and most of them are only familiar with Bali or Jakarta. It has about 300 ethnic groups and each group has its own culture, tradition, and language. So you can imagine how rich Indonesia is in terms of its multi-ethnic cultures, traditions and languages ...

Travelling to Indonesia can be an adventurous unique experience for you, apart from travelling to Bali of course. I think Bali is the most traveller-friendly place in Indonesia.
Well, may be some general traveling tips from me can help you to prepare before your visit to Indonesia.
Here you go:

1. Basically, there are only two seasons here: drought season (June to October) and rainy season (November to March). We have sunshine the all year. The best time to visit is during drought season as you do not have to worry about the rain and floods. The general temperature is 21°C (41°F) - 33°C (62°F). Humidity is high at all times, on average of 70%. So sunblock lotion is a must to avoid sunburning.

2. There are three different time zones here, namely West Indonesia Time (WIB: Waktu Indonesia Barat), Central Indonesia Time (WITA: Waktu Indonesia Tengah), and East Indonesia Time (WIT :Waktu Indonesia Timur).
West Indonesia Time/ WIB is UTC/GMT + 7 hours includes Sumatera, Java (including Jakarta) and Western and Central Kalimantan.
Central Indonesia Time/ WITA is UTC/GMT + 8 hours includes Eastern and Southern Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali and Nusa Tenggara.
East Indonesia Time/ WIT is UTC/GMT + 9hours includes Maluku and Papua.
So, always check the local time if you travel across the different time zone cities.

3. For electricity, we use 220 Volts and a two-pronged plug.

4. To make calls or send emails to your hometown/ home country is quite easy. The long distance calls within Indonesia, international calls, facsimile and internet services are available in most of big cities and hotels If you have a limited budget to make a call, you can go to the telecommunication offices, known as WARTEL (Warung Telekomunikasi). It is cheaper than making a call from the hotel. There are also public internet services (WARNET) available in big cities.
You also can accept international calls from your home country. Indonesia country code is +62. Check with the hotel for the local area code, eg. Surabaya area code is 031.

5. Do not expect a good and cheap public transport services here :(. The cheap public transports, like ‘bemos’, ‘bajajs’, and busses, are crowded, not reliable and not safe. If you still want to try the public transports, just be aware to pick-pockets or robbery. Be careful with your belongings. There is a new public transport in Jakarta, Trans Jakarta Busway. I have not tried this bus, so I do not how good it is.
Alternatively, you can take metered-cabs (available in some big cities in Indonesia, like Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Solo, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Bali and Lampung) or rent a car (for the rest of other cities). Yup, it is a bit more expensive …
If you want to take a cab, hire a good one. Check with the hotel where you stay. Just be aware, there are some bad and unsafe taxis especially in Jakarta … the driver purposely takes you in the middle of traffic jam or does not take you through direct route to your destination … as a result, you have to pay extra.

If you want to rent a car, it is better to rent it with the driver. First, because we drive on the right hand side of the road here. So it would be a problem for you who are from the left-hand side driving country. Second, most of the road sign boards here are in Indonesian ... could be a problem if you do not familiar with Indonesian. Third, even you are the best driver in your home country, the traffic here is just crazy ... you will not only have to share your way with other lots of cars on the street, but also busses, bemos, motorcycles, bicycles, becaks (in some cities), people crossing the street etc, so you have to know artistically how to drive safely here. If you rent a car, then, it is important to know all the renting terms and conditions and the fare including fuel or driver meal.
In some big cities, you will find people sell food, snacks, drinks etc or singing beggar or beggar asking for money at the traffic light. Just wave your hand to them and do not open your window for safety reason ... just to avoid robbery.

More tips on the next post ...

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle ... it is beautiful, isn't it?

Leeds Castle is situated 6 km south east of Kent, England. The castle sets in 202 hectares of beautiful parkland and is surrounded by a natural lake. In the past, it was a Saxon royal manor which was then transformed into a castle by Robert de Crevecoeur in 1119. In 1278, the Castle became a royal palace for King Edward I. Since then, Leeds Castle has been the home of several queens and kings of England, including King Edward III, King Richard II, King Henry V, King Henry VIII.

The Castle was bought and privately owned by Lady Bailie in 1926. She redecorated the interior and exterior of the Castle. Then, she restored it in 1974 and opened the Castle to the public in 1976.


The ticket counter


Beautiful swans

The Castle exhibits the great collection of Medieval furnishings, tapestries and paintings. In addition to the Castle, there are many attractions here, such as Knights Realm playground, Chidren's turf maze, Hi Flyer static air balloon, Maze, Grotto, Dog collar museum, Falconry, Bird Aviary, Gardens, and Vineyard.

Apart from the Castle, I was interested to try the maze ... I wanted to challenge my brain. I entered the maze, even that I thought I was not smart enough to get to the exit ... but I managed to find the exit :). The maze was designed using 2,400 yew trees in 1988. I also loved and enjoyed its magnificent huge garden … the garden is superb!!

Loch Ness and Nessie

Have you ever heard somebody say that ‘his/her dreams come true’? I said the same thing when I had chance to go to the UK. Exploring and going around Europe is one of my dreams ... Yup, you can say that I am a big dreamer for having lots of dreams. So, when I had chance to go and stay for sometime in the UK, it is like dreams come true, especially when I visited places that I read during my childhood. One of those places is Loch Ness and its famous monster ‘Nessie’ myth. I always imagine what this monster actually looks like. I visited Loch Ness on my way to Inverness. I joined a guided tour from Scotland. The tour stopped by this place for half hour and the tour leader told us the tale about this lake.


Loch Ness ...

The existence of Loch Ness monster is still a controversy until now. Some people believe that Nessie resides in the water. Some people claimed that they have seen this monster and others say that it is only a myth.

The story began in 565 AD when St. Columba drove the monster away and gave command to it to stay in the water because it frightened St. Columba’s disciples when they were in their boat. It was the first recorded sighting of the monster. Then, the rumours spread far and wide that there is a creature live in the lake. There were also documentation from the 20th century about this monster, such as a photo of a slender head and neck rising above the surface of the water taken by a London surgeon or a survey that concluded there were an average of 20 monster sightings per year.

Until now, there is no firm evidence regarding the existence of Nessie. The controversy still goes on ... Whether Nessie exists or not, I still wish to visit this place one day if I have the chance ...

Kya-kya ... Surabaya's China Town at Night

Night in Surabaya's China Town

Kya-kya is located in Kembang Jepun Street, the old Surabaya. Kembang Jepun is Surabaya's China Town and in the nothern part of Surabaya. During the day, Kembang Jepun is one of the busiest trading centres in the city. In the past, this area was very desolate at night...because it was a very quiet area, nobody would dare to walk in this area at night.

Since 2003, Kembang Jepun street was turned to outdoor eating place at night with all Chinese adornment, namely Chinese paper lanterns, Chinese lion statues that guard the entrance gate for good luck etc. In this place you can have local, chinese and western dishes. My two favourite food stalls here are Ahong Chinese food and Mie Kembang Jepun (Kembang Jepun noodle). Their food is good with reasonable prices. Sometimes, there are live music performances, like dangdut (it is Indonesia's music specialty), jazz, Chinese, Javanese or Arabian music etc.


Ahong's cook in action!!

My last visit to this place was two years ago. I have come to this place for many times. Everytime my friends came and visited me in Surabaya, I always took them to have dinner in Kya-kya. I like this place and it was a cozy place. The only problem is when the rainy season comes ... because it is an open space eating place, then as you can imagine, nobody want to have dinner under the rain right?!

Unfortunately, I got information from my friend that Kya-kya is not as lively as two years ago. Many stalls are closed and some paper lanterns are torn. It is pitiful. I think this place can be a great tourist attraction if it is managed well.

Surabaya ... the city of heroes

Surabaya is the second-largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta. I live here for nearly 30 years :-). It is the capital city of East Java and the population is about 3 million ... a lot?! Yup.In Indonesia, Surabaya is known as the city of heroes because there were some famous heroes from this city and of its heroic role in Indonesia history.

The name 'Surabaya' is from two syllables: 'Sura or Suro' meaning Shark in English and 'Baya or Boyo' meaning Crocodile in English... then these two syllables combine - Surabaya. There is a folktale about it... the two animals got into a fought to obtain the title as 'the strongest animal'. Then, these two animals become the symbol of Surabaya.

Basically Surabaya is just like other metropolitan cities in the world ... there are big shopping centres, movies, good restaurants, live entertainments etc. If you like to shop, this city can be your shopping heaven. Some shopping centres, namely Tunjungan Plaza, Galaxy mall, Surabaya Plaza, etc, offer good quality stuffs and there are lots of choices. In the old part of the city, you can visit China town, the historical red bridge, House of Sampoerna, Hero monument and museum, old church in Kepanjen etc. If you want to see around the city, you can take cab or rent a car for one day. Just FYI, Surabaya is really hot during the day, so apply your sunscreen and bring your cold drinks.

How to get here? There is an international airport, Juanda Airport. There are many domestic flights arrive in this airport, but not many for international flights. I think only flights from Malaysia, Singapore and Hongkong do arrive in Juanda. If you are from other cities in Java Island, you can come by car, bus or train.

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Yogyakarta Palace and Malioboro Street

The Kraton Yogyakarta entrance

Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat or Yogyakarta Palace is a historic building with its classical Javanese architecture. The kraton was built in 1755 by Prince Mangkubumi. It is located in the center of the city and stretches from north to south, in line with Mt Merapi. Each part of the Kraton has its own name. For example, the front yard of the palace is Alun-alun Utara (North Square), the back yard is Alun-alun Selatan (South Square), the front gate known as Danapratopo, the meeting hall known as Pagelaran etc.
There are two main parts of the Kraton, namely Purworetno, where the Sultan conducts his daily duties; and Gedong Kuning, a building where the Sultan and his families live. You also can see many sets of Gamelan instruments, antiques, Sultan's family pictures, and paintings at the Sultan's Palace.

Then, from the Palace, I went to a building to see the collection of the Sultanate's unique 'andongs' or horse carts. Each cart serves different functions ... there are carts serves for the Royal family wedding ceremony, carts for carrying coffin, carts that served the Royal family members as the transportation mode in the past etc.
The Kraton open daily from 8am-1pm, except Friday from 8am-12noon. There is admission fee to enter the Kraton, but I can not recall how much I paid for the fee.


A cart from the collection (1)


Another cart ... they are really unique, aren't they?

In the evening, I walked around the Malioboro street. In Malioboro street, you will find food stalls along the pavement and souvenir kiosks. You can have dinner here and enjoy 'Gudeg' rice. Gudeg is a specialty of or Yogyakarta. It is made from young jackfruit cooked in coconut milk. I do not like it because it is sweet. But you have to give it a try though, just to know how it tastes. It is not bad, it is just sweet. My friends like it. If you wish to have dinner here, make sure that you ask and know exactly the prices of the food that you want to have before you order. And do bargain if the prices of the dishes are unreasonable or if you want to buy souvenirs.

Yogyakarta ... Indonesia's cultural city

Yogyakarta is the centre of classical Javanese culture. If you have interest on old ancient Javanese culture, you must come to this city. This city is one of the 'Special Regions' in Indonesia ... we call it Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta or 'The Special Region of Yogyakarta'. It is special, because Yogyakarta is the only province in Indonesia that is governed by the Sultanate which has been passed from generation to generation for years, namely the Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat. However, the current Sultan, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, has announced his resignation as a governor. I think I kind of like him ... he is a nice person ... once I saw him in TV, it seemed that he is a humble leader.

Well, back to Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta is situated in Central Java. It is located between the mighty Mt. Merapi in the north to Parang Tritis beach in the south, a beach with the powerful Indian Ocean wave-swept. The airport is Adisucipto International Airport. Even it is International, there are not many international flights arrive in this airport. If you are a foreigner and want to visit Yogyakarta, you can go to Bali first and then take a domestic flight going to Yogyakarta. For me, I went there by car from Surabaya. On the way to Yogyakarta, I stopped by and visited many places, namely Solo (City), or Prambanan Temple, Borobudur Temple, Ambarawa ... then Yogyakarta. I spent 2 days on this trip.

Yogyakarta was part of Mataram Kingdom, the Javanese Empire. Then, this kingdom split up into two parts: the Sultanates of Yogyakarta and Surakarta (Solo), in the 18th century. The Kraton of Yogyakarta (Yogayakarta Palace), which is the centre of Yogyakarta, was bulit by Prince Mangkubumi in the 18th century. The Kraton still exists until now with its Javanese traditional life and culture.

There are many places of interest in Yogyakarta. You can visit beaches (eq. Parang Tritis), mountain (eq. Kaliurang), museums, batik research centre, the palace, traditional market, malioboro etc. Also do not miss to see the traditional Javanese music, Gamelan orchestra, and the shadow puppet (wayang kulit) performance. If you stay at the centre of the city, you should try the traditional public transportation, 'becak' and 'andong'. You can go around the city with becak (pedicab) or andong. During my visit, I went to The Palace and a museum nearby the Palace . This museum exhibits various unique 'andongs'. 'Andong' is a four-wheeled carriage drawn by horses. I also shopped in Malioboro street. I'll write about my visit on my next post, ok!?!

by Vilas Yang

QDR Acoustic Cafe: Crystal Shawanda, Part two

Crystal played three songs on this day. I was inspired to post this video after vacationing near the land she calls home in Southeast Ontario. Beautiful country up there, but I can't say I cared for their brand of radio. Her album is scheduled to be released on August 19, but it's already available in Canada.

Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot is a sea temple located in the Beraban village, 30km from Denpasar, the capital city of Bali. It is one of the unique temples in Bali. The temple stands on a big offshore rock. In Balinese language, Tanah Lot means 'land in the middle of the sea'. Some call this place as Tanah Let, meaning 'the ancient land' or Tanah Lod, meaning 'the land to the south'
The temple is one of seven sea temples. The seven sea temples formed a temple chain along the Bali south-western coast.

There is a story related to this place. Back to the 15th century, there was a Hindu priest, Dang Hyang Nirartha, who came to Beraban village. He preached and had many disciples from the village. Then, the villagers abandoned their village priest, Bendesa Beraban. When Nirartha walked along the south coast, he found this beautiful huge rock and started to meditate on the rock and pray to the God of the sea. Bendesa was irritated because he lost lots of his followers, then he disturbed Nirartha's pray and meditation. To avoid Bendesa, Nirartha moved the rock into the sea with his spiritual power. It is believed that he also created lots of snakes and one big giant snakes from his scarf to protect and guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders. It is also believed that the snakes are still there until now and they reside in the caves nearby the temple to guard the temple.


The temple

The temple is only accessible when the tide is low. When the tide is coming in, the rock looks like a large boat floating in the middle of the sea. If you visit Tanah Lot, it is best to come in the afternoon just before sunset, so you can see the temple and take the picture clearly before sunset and also enjoy the beautiful sunset view in Tanah Lot.

Kuta beach

Kuta beach

Kuta is in the southern part of Bali. It is 15 minutes drive from the Airport. Kuta is the most crowded area in Bali, because this area has the best beach with its beautiful sunset view and lots of hotels. It is also the centre of entertainment... there are pubs, bars, restaurants, dischoteques, live entertainments, shopping centres etc. The nightlife in Kuta offers a thrilling range of activities with plenty of clubs and bars.

The white-sandy beach, Kuta beach, is the main tourist attraction in this region. I love this beach. It is beautiful. You can walk along the beach, sunbath, surf, or swim within certain area of the beach. Do not miss the sunset. I like to walk along the beach and usually just sit down, enjoy the wind and see the surfers surfing the waves. Do not forget to bring and apply your sun protection lotion. Bring extra clothes if you want to swim in the beach.


A temple in Kuta beach

Other thing that you can do is walk along Kuta, Poppies and Legian streets. You can find lots of shops around this area. They sell clothes, handicrafts, jewellery, shoes, music CDs, paintings or exotic wood carvings. It is more expensive though to shop in this area. If you want to buy clothes, paintings, statues or other art works, I suggest you to go to Sukawati market. And again, you need to bargain to get the reasonable prices.
You also can visit the 2002 Bali bombing memorial on the site of Paddy's Pub on Legian street. My deepest sympathy to all the victims and their families.
There are lots of budget/ low cost accommodation located in Poppies 1 & 2 streets. Along these streets, there are many small restaurants or cafes offer local or western cuisines.

Well, you should not miss Kuta beach if you come to Bali...Hmmm... I think nobody will miss it as it is a very popular beach!

Bali ... The paradise island

I bet you must be agree with my title. Yes... I want to write about Bali this time. Bali is very famous and I think nobody in the world does not know Bali. May be Bali is more well-known than Indonesia. I love this island. I have been to the island for many times and still want to go again.

Bali is half hour by plane or 12 hours drive from my hometown, Surabaya. Going to Bali is very easy. Lots of domestic and international flights arrive in or depart from Denpasar. Denpasar is the capital city of Bali. The airport is Ngurah Rai International airport. I Gusti Ngurah Rai is the famous hero from Bali. Everytime I arrive in Bali, I always feel different. The island's atmosphere is very very special... it is difficult to describe how I feel in words, you better go there and feel it yourself, ok?!

The population in Bali is about 3 million and the majority is Hindu. They have many religious ceremonial events in one year, namely Kuningan, Galungan, Saraswati, etc and the biggest one is Nyepi. Nyepi is Balinese New Year according to Caka Calender. On that day, there will only be silence and no activities in the island for the all day. The Balinese should stay at home and they do reflection on whatever they have done in the past year.

There are many things you can do in Bali. Bali has beaches, mountains, lakes, waterfalls ... all naturally created. You can also visit Hindu temples, museums, art villages. One of the famous beach is Kuta beach. I bet you have heard Kuta beach in Bali. This beach is very beautiful. Surfers like this white-sandy beach because the waves is perfect for surfing. Bali also has fascinating cultures ... the art works and dances. I have wrote about Kecak dance in this blog, and you can find it in Garuda Wisnu Kencana post.

The other unique thing about Bali is the caste system. There are four castes in Bali, namely Brahmana (the priest), Satria (warriors), Wesia (officials and merchants) and Sudra (farmers and craftsmen). Brahmana is highest caste in the society. Sudra is the lowest and represent 90% of Balinese. The caste system, then, affects how parents name their children. For example, if someone is from Brahmana caste, then their names are Bagus (for man) and Ida Ayu for woman, or Ksatria caste - name: Anak Agung Dewa (for man) and Anak Agung Dewi (for woman). As far as I know there are 4 popular names for the majority of the population, Putu/Wayan (1st child), Made (2nd child), Nyoman (3rd) and Ketut (4th). Then, if the Balinese has his/her 5th child, then he/she will be name Putu/Wayan, like the 1st child.

Anyway, Bali is very highly recommended by me. Do not forget to apply sunscreen if you want to sunbath. Then, do bargain at least by 50% if you want to but souvenirs.

Jatim Park

Jatim Park

Jatim (Jawa Timur) Park or East Java Park is situated in Batu, East Java. It is 1-1.5 hours drive from my hometown, Surabaya. Jatim Park is a theme park that offers kids rides and other entertainment attractions, like ghost house, 3D mystery house, pipe house etc. The kids rides include marry go around, bumper car, small coaster, mini jet ski, go kart, jet coaster etc. It also include swimming pool for kids. If you like a challenge, you can try the maze park. Jatim park also has a range of collection of reptiles and birds.

There is also a section called 'Taman Sejarah or History Park' In Taman Sejarah, you may see miniature of Sumberawan temple and statue. Then, you also can visit East Java Pavilion and Papua Pavilion. In the Pavilions, you can learn about the culture of East Java and Papua.

Actually, Jatim Park is a small-sized park. Nothing special in this park, but if by any chance you pass by the park, may be you can stop and look around the park.
It opens daily from 8.30am to 4pm.

Garuda Wisnu Kencana

Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park is about 10 minutes drive from International airport Ngurah Rai. This 25 hectares park is located in the southern part of Bali. The Park is a limestone plateau. In the past, this place was a limestone mining site and the small-scale unorganized limestone mining was done by the local people led to environmental destruction. Then, the GWK concept was created to avoid further destruction and provide job opportunities to the locals. But, there is a controversy regarding this idea. Some religious leaders believed that the giant statue may disturb the spiritual balance of the island.


Vishnu Statue

The initial concepts of the park that there will be a complete statue of Vishnu, one of the Hindu deities, riding his mount a bird, Garuda. This statue will stand on top of a pedestal building. The height of the statue will be 150 metres above the ground and one of Bali's icons. The pedestal building will consist of viewing gallery, restaurant, art gallery etc. When I visited this place, only two parts of the statue that have been completed, the Vishnu statue (22 metres height) and Garuda head statue (18 metres height). I do not know exactly why it takes so long
(the concept of the park has been created since Soeharto era, so it has been at least more than 10 years now) to make the statue and build the pedestal building. Is it because of the controversy, not enough financial support or high difficulties in the art works? I do not know, but I just imagine if the idea of the Park is fully accomplished, this place can be a very very attractive tourist site as you can enjoy the unique Balinese art work here... the sculpture, reliefs, statues.

I visited this park during the day to take some pictures of the Vishnu and Garuda. The park opens everyday and no admission fee. I walked and saw around the place. It is hot, so bring your hat or umbrella and apply sunscreen to avoid sun burning. At night, there are some daily events going on in the festival park. Sometimes, local, national and international concerts are conducted in this open space area. I had a chance to see the Kecak Dance in the festival park at night.


The Kecak Performance

The Kecak dance is a unique Balinese dance. The dance illustrate the Ramayana story. The legend is about Prince Rama saved the life of Princess Sita, who has been kidnapped by the evil King of Lanka, Rahwana. On his rescuing mission, he was helped by the white monkey, Hanoman. Finally, he succeeded to save the Princess and defeated the evil. The dance lasts about 45 minutes.

It is a unique dance and you must see it. The dance has no musical background like other dances you know. The dance is accompanied only by the rhythm which is produced by the melodious chanting of 'cak-cak-cak-kecak' chorus. Hence, it is named the Kecak dance. There are around 100 or more men sitting and making the human circle. They chant while they sway their bodies and wave their hands as well. They chant continuously while the dancers perform the epic Ramayana in the middle of the human circle. I love it. I would like to see it again if I go to Bali next time. It is a highly recommended performance that you must see in Bali.

You can see the Kecak performance in GWK Park. It performs everyday 6.30-7.30pm, so do not miss it ... and it is FREE!!! It is great, isn't it?

Bali Bird Park

Bali bird park is about half hour drive from Kuta. I rented a car with a driver at that time to visit the Park. This park has a collection of almost 1000 birds of 250 different species from Indonesia, Africa and South America. Not only birds, you can also see Komodo Dragon, a giant lizard which is a descendant of the dinosaur, on the display. The park also exhibits more than 2000 tropical plants.


Pelicans on the display

Some birds, including exotic and rare birds, being displayed are the Bird of Paradise from Papua, Hornbill, the Bali Starling, Javan Hawk, Servent Eagles, Pelicans, Cranes, Parrots, Owls etc. The park is designed as natural as possible for the birds, so you can see a bird walking along the pavement.


Look... it is on the pathway!!

The park is also a birds conservation. It protects and conserves the rare and endanger species. You can see some endanger baby birds that are placed in the incubators through observation windows .

Other activities you can do are feeding the birds during interactive feeding time, taking unique pictures with a bird on your shoulder, seeing bird show etc.

The park is open daily from 9am - 6.30pm. The admission fee is quite expensive though for me. For adult is 22,50USD (including service charge) per person. It is a good place to visit if you have plenty of time during your visit to Bali, you like birds or you want to expose your children with many species of birds. Otherwise, it is the least priority place to be visited.

Gunung Bromo ... Bromo Mountain

Gunung Bromo (2,392m), known as Mt. Bromo in English, is an active volcanic mountain and located in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, East Java, Indonesia. Bromo Tengger Semeru national park is the largest volcanic area in East Java with Mt. Semeru (3,676m) as the highest mountain. The Tengger Caldera is at the northern part of the park. Bromo is one of many peaks inside the massive Tengger Caldera. It is still active and easily recognized as you can see the white sulphurous smoke is belched continuously from the crater. So, Bromo is not the highest mountain, but it is a well-known tourist attraction.


Which one is Mt. Bromo???

I went to Mt. Bromo in August 2003. The best time to visit this place is in April-October (during drought season) so you can have a beautiful sunrise view. It is around 4-5 hours by car from Surabaya. Therefore, if you plan to see the sunrise, you have to depart from Surabaya about 11 or 12pm. Alternatively, you can stay at a hotel around the mountain and you have to wake up at 3 am to go up to see the sunrise. I arrived at around 4 am, parked my car and rented a jeep to go up to the place to see the sunrise. The temperature at the top of Mt. Bromo is 5-16 degree Celcius early in the morning. After enjoying the sunrise, you can ride the jeep or a horse to cross the sea sand. At the end of the sea sand, there is a stairway with 249 steps. If you are in a good stamina, I suggest you to go up and you can view the unique crater.


Waiting for sunrise...


The stairway to heaven with 249 steps

There is a big ceremony held every year by the native people of the Mt. Bromo. The ceremony is carried out on the 14th day of the Kasada or on the September 7th. It is known as Yadnya Kasada festival. The Tenggerese go to Poten Bromo, they pray to the Hyang Widi Wasa (the main God) and the God of the Mountain for blessing. They also present offerings of rice, vegie, fruits and other local products to the God. This ceremony is related to a legend.

On the 15th Century, Princess Roro Anteng (she was from the Majapahit Kingdom) and Joko Seger ruled the people around Mt. Bromo. The king and queen succeeded in bringing prosperity to their people. However, the couple was not happy as they had no children. Then, they climbed Mt. Bromo and prayed to the gods. The gods granted their request with one condition, they have to sacrifice their youngest child. Finally, they had 25 children and were forced to sacrifice their youngest child, Kesuma, as they were threaten with catastrophe. They threw the child into the crater. It is believed that roro anTENG and joko seGER (look at the capital letter: TENG GER - TENGGER) were the ancestor of Tengger tribe.

Tips:
You can rent a car to go to Mt.Bromo
It is better to rent a jeep (you can find one once you reach the parking lot) to go up to the peak to see the sunrise. Remember to bargain!!
Do not forget to bring a hat because it is hot during daylight when you cross the sea sand.
Climb the stairway only if you are in a good stamina as there are lots of steps on the way up and the sulphurous smoke can be a problem for your breathing (bring handkerchief).
Bring snacks and drinks for your breakfast.

Holiday in West Nusa Tenggara

If you like beaches, may be you can consider to visit West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. I went to Senggigi beach and the three 'Gilis'. I also visited Sasak village and Sukarare village.

Senggigi beach is the oldest and most famous beach in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. It is a white sand beach. It has good waves for surfing and safe swimming areas, so you can surf, swim or only relax and sunbath. However, I do not really like this beach. When I visited this beach, it was so crowded (may be because of holiday season) and a bit dirty.




View from the Gilis

Then I continued my trip to the three 'Gilis', namely Gili Air, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan. Gili is in Sasak language, means island in English. The three islands are located at the northwest coast of Lombok. You can rent a boat to go to the islands. On the way to the islands, you will see jumping fishes or you can dive to enjoy the colourful reef and marine life. The nearest island is Gili Air, that can be reached in 10-15 minutes by boat from Bangsal harbour. I recommend you to visit the islands. The beaches at the islands are lovely white sand beaches. You can sunbath or snorkle in the shallow water near shore. The water is clear and you can see colourful fishes swim around the reefs. It is a beautiful view and I like it.


Sasak House

The other places that worth to visit is Sasak village and the traditional weaving centre, Sukarare village. Sasak people are the native people in Lombok. They are still related to Balinese race, but Sasak people mostly are moslem and Balinese are Hindu. In the past, Lombok was ruled by Majapahit Kingdom and most of Sasaks were Hindu or Buddha. Then, in the early 17th century Sunan Giri and Moslem Makassarese brought Islamic belief to this land and most Sasaks at that time converted to Islam. In the early of 18th century, Gelgel Balinese kingdom conquered and took over Lombok. During this time, there was a large population of Balinese came to Lombok and they settled there.


A lady and Songket tools

Sukarare village is located in the southern part of Cakranegara, Lombok. You can see the traditional knitting hand-made process of Lombok's traditional cloth, Songket cloth. The techniques of cloth fabrication and the designs/motifs of the cloth are inherited from generation to generation.

Prambanan Temple

Prambanan is another unique temple in Central Java. If you visit Yogyakarta, do not miss this temple. You only need to spend half day to visit this temple. It is famous with its well-known legend that happened in the past. It is located 15 km east of Yogyakarta. It is the largest Hindu (Shiva)temple in south-east Asia and was built in the 9th century. This temple is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

There are 224 temples within the Prambanan complex. The main temples are typical Hindu temple with tall and pointed architecture. The three main temples/shrines decorated with reliefs depict the legend of Ramayana. Those three shrines are dedicated to the three Hindu deities, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Brahma temple is in the north and Vishnu temple is in the South. Shiva temple is between Brahma and Vishnu temples. The height of the biggest temple, which was dedicated to Shiva, is 47 metres.


Prambanan ...

Prambanan temple is very famous with the legend of Loro Jonggrang (Slender Virgin), the daughter of King Boko. Loro Jonggrang was a beautiful princess. Many men proposed her to be their wife, but she always refused them. One day, the Prince Bandung Bondowoso proposed her and she turned down his offer of marriage. She did not want to accept Prince Bandung Bondowoso because he killed Loro Jonggrang's father and took over her kingdom. At the end of the day, she was forced to agree to marry the Prince, but she asked the Prince to fulfill her wish. She asked him to build 1,000 temples for her just in one night... an impossible wish. With the help from spirits (demons), the Prince managed to build 999 temples. When he was about to build the last temple, the Princess tried to abort the Prince's work by deceiving him. She attempted to make the Prince and spirits believe that the sun was about to rise. She ordered her maid to awake the women in the village and asked them to start pounding rice and set a fire in the east of the temple, hence the cocks crowed. The Prince believed the sun was rising and all the spirits went back into the stone. Finally, the Prince found out he was tricked by the Princess and he was very angry. He cursed the Princess to be the big statue and use it as the decoration for the 1,000th temple.


Sewu Temple

In the Prambanan area, you also can visit some of the earliest small Buddhist temples, such as Bubrah temple, Lumbung temple, Sewu temple, Plaosan temple, Kalasan temple, Sari temple, and Sambisari temple.

If you have chance to visit this temple on the full moon evenings in the month from May to October every year, you can also see the Ramayana ballet performance.

Tips!
Well, you can come here by rented car or join a local tour. Usually in the hotel, they provide tour service especially for the Ramayana Ballet performance at night.
Please bargain if you wish to buy souvenirs or you also can buy souvenirs in Yogya (if you stop by Yogyakarta)
Apply sunscreen and bring hat or umbrella during drought season (April - October)
Bring umbrella during rainy season (October - April)
Bring snacks or drinking water as it is a bit difficult to find a cafe or a restaurant within Prambanan complex

Lastly, hope you like this unique temple ...

Candi Borobudur

Candi Borobudur

Candi Borobudur or we name it as 'Borobudur temple' in English is one of the well-known cultural heritage sites in the world. It is the famous Buddhist temple in the world. I visited this temple in 2006. I tell you the reason why you have to visit this place if by any chances you travel to Central Java.

Yup, Borobudur is situated in Central Java. It is closer to Yogyakarta than to Semarang. So if you want to travel to Borobudur, it is better for you to arrive in Yogyakarta instead of Semarang. Furthermore, there are more place of interests in Yogya than in Semarang. Borobudur is located in Magelang, 42km from Yogyakarta.


The Stupas........

The temple was built in the 8th century during Syailendra kingdom. It covers a total surface of 2,500 m2. It is an andesite stone temple. It was built in three levels: a pyramidal base with five square concentric terraces, the trunk of a cone to circulate with three platforms and, in the upper part, the Great Stupa. Around 72 the pierced circular platforms they are Stupas, each with a statue of Buddha. There is a belief, if you can reach one of the Buddha's ear in a Stupa, all your wishes will come true. So give it a try!! It is fun though.


The view of Mt. Merapi from Borobudur temple...beautiful isn't it?

To reach the top of the temple, you have to go up the stone stairs. The top of the temple, the Great Stupa, is 40 m above the ground. From the top of the temple, you can see distant hills, green field, even you can have a nice view of Mt. Merapi.
One more thing, please do observe the walls of the temple, then you will see the fabulous artworks. The walls and balustrades are decorated with bas-reliefs. The reliefs depict the religious journey of Buddha. In some reliefs, it also illustrate the episodes of everyday life of ordinary people.

How to get there? You can rent a car with the driver to go there.
Tips:
If you come here during drought season, please apply sunblock, bring an umbrella or a hat. It is hot, believe me!!
If you come during rainy season, bring your umbrella.
If you want to buy souvenirs, do bargain with the sellers.

So, can you imagine how the people in the old days managed to build such a beautiful and huge temple with the magnificent bas-reliefs on the temple's walls?

House of Sampoerna

Surabaya has been my hometown for nearly 30 years. There are many spots that you can visit if you have chance to visit this city. One of the best spot is House of Sampoerna. I love this place. This place has a lovely and warmth atmosphere. I do not smoke and I am against smoking habit.

Briefly about Sampoerna. Sampoerna is one of the biggest cigarette companies in Indonesia. It was founded in 1913 by Mr. Lim Seeng Tee. Before 2005, this company was owned by Sampoerna dynasty, then this family sold the company to Philip Moris International from Switzerland.

The House of Sampoerna is a unique museum. I have visited this museum three times, but only today I have chance to see the mass production of hand-made cigarettes. It is located at the 'old part' of Surabaya, Taman Sampoerna Street 6, Surabaya. The museum opens everyday from 9am-10pm and the visitors must be above 18 years old. The admission fee is FREE and you can have a tour guide there to explain to you in detail about what the museum is about. Oh, ... the guide is also free of charge and they are really nice and friendly.

The building of House of Sampoerna was bought by Mr. Lim in 1932 and since then, the cigarette production was carried out in that building until now. The cigarette production is taken place at the back of the building. The east
side of the building consists of a cafe, where you can order eastern or western food here, a merchandise store and an art gallery, where you can enjoy some paintings and art works from Indonesian artists. The meal is also good with reasonable price. The west side of the building is the official family residence.

The museum consists of 2 levels. Once you enter the museum, you smell the tobacco aroma. In the museum, you will see a miniature stall of the Sampoerna founder, his bikes, Kebaya and Sarung of the founder's wife, some family pictures of Sampoerna dynasty, old smoking equipment, first R&D development (burette, old weighing scale), a miniature of cigarette stall, Sampoerna marching band equipment, cloves, tobacco, etc. Then, after you have done with your visit at the 1st floor of the museum, go to the 2nd floor.

From the 2nd floor, you can see the hand-made cigarettes mass production. The cigarette production that takes place here is only the production of 'Dji Sam Soe (234)' cigarette. The other brands are produced by machines in other location. The workers (they are all women) hand-roll cigarettes using traditional equipment. They are very amazing. Their hands are very fast in hand-rolling the cigarettes. Their speed of hand-rolling is 325 sticks of cigarettes per hour. If you want to experience how to hand-roll the cigarette, you can do it here and it is FREE. You only can see the cigarettes production Monday-Saturday (except Sunday) during working hours (9 am - 3 pm; except Saturday from 9am - 12 noon). It is such a unique experience. I amazed by the worker's speed. As I mentioned above, I only got chance to see the production today, as my 2 visits previously were in the evening.

How to get there? You can take a cab to come to this place. There are several good cabs in Surabaya, such as Blue Bird, Zebra or Silver taxi. Public transports, like bus or 'bemo' here are not reliable and safe. Most of the time, it is not advised for tourists to travel by bus or 'bemo' here.

This place is highly recommended by me as I love it. Enjoy your visit...