Jan 152013
 

A man demonstrates his stone jump in Bawomataluo, South Nias. (illustration)

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Experts from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and Japan are introducing Bawomataluo Village in South Nias to the world. The village is expected to be recognized by the UNESCO as a world heritage as the village is famous for jumping stone tradition.

The observer of Nias Cultural Conservation, Etis Nehe, said such recognition would protect cultural value in Bawomataluo, while more people would be invited to conserve the culture. Continue reading »

 Posted by at 3:02 pm  Tagged with:
Mar 222012
 

The trip to Indonesia’s pristine rainforests of Kalimantan is just as rewarding as the destination. (JG Photo/Nadia Bintoro)

You haven’t really visited Kalimantan until you’ve visited its rainforests. But the question for most tourists is, how?

While the third-largest island in the world is filled with exuberant tropical rainforests, many of them are remote and not easily accessible from major cities. The ones that can be reached tend to be wildly overgrown with no guided paths. For the casual tourist, this makes seeing the island’s greatest treasures a logistical nightmare.

That’s where Loksado comes in. The tiny village, situated about 171 kilometers from South Kalimantan’s capital Banjarmasin, has become a meeting point for those wanting to explore the wilds of Kalimantan without getting lost in the wilderness. Continue reading »

Feb 212012
 

Kampung Cinangneng, where tradition meets modern. Photo: HB Garden Guest House

If you think that your family is enjoying their vacation at an ordinary and crowded holiday destination, think again, because your kids are probably really bored! Have you ever considered a vacation to a natural place that also provides your kids an education about life in the village? Hester Basoeki has developed just that, an exciting educational and vacation program for kids based on the simple philosophy: “we all come from the village”.

Hester Basoeki never thought to build the Hester Basoeki Garden Guesthouse, also known as Kampung Cinangneng. She had initially bought a small area of land in Cinangneng village to use for family vacations. As time went by, and thanks to a flagship program “Poelang Kampung”, or Back to The Village, the place slowly evolved into a tourism site. Continue reading »

Feb 122012
 

BEST 3 Meeting, for Bogor Eco and Sustainable Tourism

Bogor district, located near the capital Jakarta, has cool mountain air, a distinct microclimate and is a weekend retreat for many Jakartans. Bogor is also uniquely supported by distinctive social and cultural conditions, making it ripe for vast tourism development potential. These advantages have inspired many people to pioneer various tourism related businesses around Bogor. Unfortunately, Most of these projects have instead succeeded in creating mass tourism enterprises that tend to be detrimental to the environmental. A number of hotel villas have even been built in areas that should have been marked for preservation. Some of these have created enterprises such as night clubs and bars in sharp contrast to the surrounding serenity and prevailing cultures and religions. Continue reading »

Jan 202012
 

Welcome banner at Muara Karang Fish Market

There are many seafood restaurants in Jakarta, but Muara Karang offers a truly different experience for true seafood lovers. But first, a warning: don’t expect your seafood to be served in a comfortable, air conditioned place and seated on padded seats here. Instead, you can expect to partake of the freshest seafood around, right on the edge of the fish market, surrounded by muddy streets and the stench of fish around you.

And, unlike other restaurants where you just wait for your dishes to be served, you are also going to have to select and buy your own fish here. But one thing is a sure bet, freshness is guaranteed because you will have chosen and bought freshly caught fish directly from the fish auction market. Continue reading »