People who live in slope of mountain which is known as good farmers and ranchers, have another passion, namely art. A variety of traditional and contemporary art shown by artists from Mount Merapi, Merbabu, Andong, Sumbing, and Menoreh Mountain, when they enliven the Festival Lima Gunung (FLG) X – or Five Mounts Festival, in Keron sub-village, Village of Krogowanan, Magelang Regency, Central Java. Continue reading »
Papuan tribesmen perform with traditional drums known as ‘tibas’ during the Lake Sentani festival in Indonesia’s eastern Papua province. AFP Photo/Romeo Gacad
For decades, the only foreign visitors to venture into Papua were gold-diggers, anthropologists, missionaries and soldiers fighting imperial wars.
But the vast, western half of New Guinea island is slowly opening its doors to tourists as a “hidden paradise,” a land of ancient tribal cultures, glittering reefs, soaring glaciers and teeming wildlife.
Recreational travelers number a few thousand a year at most: people like Sarah Gabel, a 29-year-old American who says she is “captivated by people who live in harmony with nature.” Continue reading »