Edition May 2016

Paradiso May, 2016

Cukang Taneuh

Photo by satistour.net

DIREKTUR Igo Kleden [email protected]

EDITOR

Tri Wibowo

[email protected]

MARKETING MANAGER

Dewi Antini

[email protected]

PHOTOCONTRIBUTOR Sonny Tumbelaka

TRANSLATOR

Indira Sari Paputungan

SALES & MistoMARKETING

REPORTER Komang Wahyuni, Wiss Kedang, Dona Trihapsari FINANCE & Yuni ArianiACCOUNTING

GRAPHIC DESIGN Yudick Ariant

DISTRIBUTOR Donny Sakura

CONTRIBUTOR Christovao Vinhas Cok Dewi Modestus Suharman

www.paradiso.co.id

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Thanks To :

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Expecting to Become the Largest Foreign Exchange Contributor

Indonesia is a rich country. Unfortunately, its wealth is still unable to provide welfare to the people. Take tourism sector as an example. Indonesia has natural and cultural potentials, which are far more beautiful than the neighboring countries’. Therefore, there is an attempt to boost tourism sector and make it into the largest foreign exchange contributor in the coun-try. Considering the natural potentials and facilities available, tourism sector should be able to become

the largest foreign exchange contributor.

Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya hopes that tourism sector can become the larg-est foreign exchange contributor for Indonesia. The foreign exchange revenue earned from tourism sector is expected to be higher than those earned by natural resources like oil, natural gas, coal or crude palm oil (CPO).

His expectation is not without reason considering the resources of Indonesia. Currently, tourism sector absorbs 10 percent out of around USD 10 billion of marine tourism potentials in the country. This is below the ability of Indonesia’s neighboring countries to absorb foreign exchange. Compared to Malaysia which has absorbed USD 8 billion from tourism sector, Indonesia is only able to absorb USD 1 billion. With greater potentials, Arief said, Indonesia should be able to earn more. Arief considers the aspect of accessibility to be the weakness of Indonesia in tourism sector. He gave example that only 37 percent of tourists from China come to Indonesia directly.

“The number of Chinese tourists come directly to Indonesia’s competitor coun-tries is higher such as Singapore (85%), Malaysia (78%) and Thailand (81%). Ministry of Tourism is currently doing acceleration in opening access to main countries such as China, India and Australia so that they can come directly to Indonesia. Hopefully, the various efforts performed are able to increase tourist visit so that the target to become the largest foreign exchange contributor can come true. ***

Igo Kleden www.paradiso.co.id

Lamandau regency of Central Kalimantan has quite big tourism, art and cultural

potentials. These potentials can be seen in people’s daily life in every district and village in Lamandau. The traditional art and culture are inherited from generation to generation, and are reflected in the traditional ceremonies such as bagondang and the ceremony of welcoming guests. The traditional ceremonies are continued and maintained through years by the local people.

In addition to the traditional art and culture, Lamandau Regency also offers natural tourist attractions like river tourism. It can be found in Bulik Timur, Belantikan Raya and Delang district. River tourism is promising tourist attraction that should be developed.

Lamandau River is located in the upper course and has interesting river rapids. The river area also has tropical forest. This is very support-ive and can become attraction for river tourism.

Let’s Visit Lamandau

Lamandau Regency

Here are a number of tourism po-tentials in Lamandau Regency that you should know.

Babukung(held on 28-30 October 2016)

Babukung is part of the ritual in the funeral ceremony of Hindu Kaharin-gan people, Dayak Tomun tribe who live in Lamandau, Central Kalimantan. The term Babukung derives from the word Bukung which means the name for a person who dances wearing a mask or LUHA.

The ceremony is held when a Dayak Tomun who holds Hindu Kaharingan belief passed away. The body will be lied down for 3 days or more. When the body is lied down, people will come to give moral and material support and they also wear mask (LUHA) so that they will not be recognized by others. Bukung, the person who dances wearing a mask/LUHA, will decorate himself attrac-tively and the mask worn has different shapes. LUHA usually has the shapes of human face, dog, dragon, monkey, Tingang bird and many more.

Lamandau Regency has held the first Babukung Festival in 2015 with

around 1000 Bukung participating. This festival is going to be annual event which presents Bukung from 8 districts in Lamandau Regency.

Bebantan Laman

Bebantan Laman is a village ritual ceremony and the cleaning of heirloom which is carried out by Dayak Tomun tribe who hold Hindu Kaharingan belief. The ritual is held every year on the 7th of July.

Bamboo Rafting

Bamboo rafting is a race using bamboo rafts along the river with rapid current in Delang regency. The race is held to enliven the ritual of Bebantan Laman.

Art and Cultural Week(Around August)

In the Art and Cultural Week, there are many competitions held to celebrate the anniversary of Laman-dau Regency. This event aims to perpetuate art and cultural traditions of Lamandau Regency.

7 | Paradiso May, 2016

Cukang Taneuh or Green Canyon is river tourism which now has become tourist attraction in Ciamis Regency.

Green Canyon is located 31 kilometers to the south of Pangandaran on Kertayasa village, Cijulang sub-district, West Java Province.

The development of this place into tourist destination has been started since the leadership of President Soeharto in the 1990’s by the construction of post I lo-cated in Ciseureuh, Karangpaci, Kertayasa village. In its development, the area is man-aged by a tourism group KOMPEPAR and Tourism Bureau as the coordinator. With at-tention from the local government, Green Canyon undergoes rapid development, which includes facilities improvement and construction of post II located around

Cukang Taneuh. In the beginning, Post II was built by the villagers. It consisted of shower room and rest area which were later damaged by the flood. Currently, post II is bigger with new facilities of prayer room and rest booth. Local people call it palatar (in Sundanese language means large yard).

The name of Green Canyon was given by French tourist named Bill Jhon. Its original name is Cukang Taneuh. Cukang means bridge and taneuh means soil. Thus, Cukang Taneuh means a bridge made from soil. It is built by nature through natural process. The texture under the bridge consists of stalactite and stalagmite. For distance, it looks like a cave decorated with green canyon. The area under the bridge is where the boat that takes tourists around stops before going into a waterfall which

is by the local people called the golden waterfall. It indeed looks like gold in certain time due to the sunray reflection on the brownish water.

Going further inside, especially when you swim, you can see a stone which looks like an umbrella. Thus it is called the umbrella stone. Visitors are able to climb the stone and if you have enough guts, you can jump into the water from there. The stone is 6 meter high. Farther than this area, there is a place called pemandian putri (the princess bathing place). It has the shape of a bathtub decorated with water seep-age through the walls and stalactite, which makes it, looks like raindrops. The water is cool and refreshing. Local people believe that the water can make people who take a bath there stay young.

CUKANG TANEUH



Flores

The Indonesian government continues pushing tourism sector in order to reach the target of 20 million tourist

visits in year 2020. Wide range of tourism events is held in various areas to attract more tourists to visit the country. One of the events is Tour de Flores which will be held on 19 – 23 May 2016 in Flores East Nusa Tenggara.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that the travel distance in Tour de Flores (TdF) 2016 is 661.5 kilometers. The annual sport tourism event will be started from the town of Larantuka and finished in Labuhan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara.

“Participants are going to go through the tracks which are divided into five stages (Larantuka-Maumere, Maumere-Ende, Ende-Bajawa, Bajawa-Ruteng, and Ruteng-

Labuhan Bajo) and pass main tourist destinations in NTT,” he said. TdF 2016 is held in cooperation with PB ISSI (Indone-sian Cycling Sports Association) and the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) in order to promote the tourism potential of NTT which is presented as program called Pe-sona Indonesia and Wonderful Indonesia.

As many as 21 teams that consist of 16 foreign teams from 24 countries and 5 teams from Indonesia (4 national teams and 1 local team) are going to participate in the event. Arief welcomes positively the implementation of TdF 2016 which is aimed to promote NTT tourism. NTT wants to become tourism province just like its motto “New Tourism Territory” (NTT).

“Sport tourism is effective media to pro-mote tourist destinations so that they can

be more recognized internationally. There are many international sport tourism events such as the Olympics, World Cup and Mo-toGP which many countries are interested in becoming the host considering that those events provice additional economic value and publication” said Arief.

Tourism Minister said that Indonesia has a number of international sport tourism events such as Tour de Singkarak, Tour de Ijen, Bintan Triathlon and Jakarta Marathon which are able to increase the number of tourist visits.

The experience in organizing sport tourism has become one of the consider-ations of choosing Indonesia as the host of international sport tourism events Road to MotoGP 2017 and ASIAN Games in Jakarta and Palembang in 2018. Moreover, Arief Yahya explained that NTT has great tourism potentials for it has world class cultural and natural attractions like Lake Kelimutu and Komodo in Komodo Island.

Participants of TdF 2016 are continua-tion of participants of Tour de Ijen (TdI) in Banyuwangi, East Java who are going to compete on 11 – 14 May 2016. They will head off to Flores on May 16, 2016 via Denpasar after spending one-day vacation in Banyuwangi. Their equipment is sent off first by ship. TdF 2016 activities will include pre-event activities such as visiting Lake Kelimutu, on event activities which is the implementation of Tour de Flores as the main event, supporting events that include touring or fun bike and traditional art and cultural performances and post event ac-tivities when the participants visit Komodo Island and Pink Beach.*(advetorial)

Tour de Flores 2016


Lembata Island is known throughout the world as the home of traditional whaling but what is not known is that

the people of this Island are especially rich in cultural tradition. The beautiful rich Ikat weavings are entirely made from homegrown cotton, spun and dyed by the weaver. These cloths are still important as they are exchanged during marriage for Ivory tusks between the two families. The scenery throughout the Island is breathtaking, from the ever-imposing “Ile Ape” volcano of the palm fringed bays to the colorful bustling local markets - beauty and excitement are everywhere.

Lamalera village located on the south-ern tip of Lembata Island is the home of a traditional whale hunting community. Here, Sperm Whales have been hunted for centuries using all hand made equipment; their spears, rope and boats are all made in the village. The boats are without motors and the harpooner must jump from the

boat to implant his harpoon in to the whale to ensure success. All parts of the whale are either consumed or traded with other Islanders for corn or other food. While whale hunting is not generally condoned by modern societies, when consider the

ancestral links, the primitive equipment used and the importance to the people of Lamalera it is understandable that this traditional hunting has been sanctioned by the United Nations.***

Lembata

Lembata Island

25 | Paradiso June, 2015


After three successful establishments, local government of Bangka Regency of Bangka Belitung

Province (Babel) this year is organizing the annual sport tourism event Singailiat Triathlon 2016, which will be held in Sungailiat on April 23rd, 2016.

This sport tourism event combines three different sports, namely swimming, cycling and marathon (triathlon). It aims to promote Bangka tourism as well as support the national tourism program Pesona In-donesia and Wonderful Indonesia in order to achieve the target of 12 million foreign tourist visits and 260 million domestic tour-ist visits this year.

During the launching of Sungailiat Triath-lon 2016 in Soesilo Soedarman Hall, Sapta Pesona Building Jakarta, Tourism Ministry Office on Tuesday (19/4), Tourism Minister Arief Yahya expressed his appreciation to-wards the event as it gives direct impact on tourist arrival to Bangka. “There are around 1,200 domestic tourists and 400 foreign tourists who come to Bangka to watch the event. Their visit is expected to boost people’s economy and tourism industry in Bangka Regency and Babel in general,” said Arief Yahya who was accompanied by Bangka Regent H. Tarmizi H. Saat.

Minister said that Babel tourism has bright future considering the determina-tion of Tanjung Kelayang area in Belitung as

Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for tourism, which is prepared to be one out of 10 the New Bali. “Tourism in Bangka and Belitung Island has 3A (Accessibility, Amenity and Attraction), which are great and have many advantages. Most of the beaches there have white sand with crystal clear water, stunning underwater panorama and surrounding islands. Many people call it the Indonesian Maldives. It is also an ideal yacht destination because it is not too far from Singapore, Batam and Bintan via Karimata Strait. It is only 45 minutes by plane from Soekarno-Hatta Airport as its potential market,” said Arief.

Bangka Regent H. Tarmizi H. Saat said that Singailiat Triathlon was started in 2013 and this year the implementation is in line with the 250th Anniversary of Sungailiat. “We’d like to promote tourism potentials in Bangka Regency. Therefore, the triathlon route will pass main tourist destinations such as Teluk Uber Beach, Tanjung Pesona Beach, Tikus Beach, Puri Tri Agung, Rebo Agro-tourism, Rebo Beach, Mang Kalok Beach, Air Anyir Beach and Temberan Beach,” said H. Tarmizi.

Tarmizi explained that people’s interest, especially from triathlon community in In-donesia or in Asia Pacific, to join Sungailiat Triathlon 2016 is quite high. This can be seen from the number of participants who have registered as many as 425 partici-

pants from 18 countries, namely: Algeria, Australia, Austria, America, Holland, Brazil, Philippine, Germany, Japan, Italy, England, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singa-pore, Spain, Sweden, Rumania, France and Indonesia as the host. Announcement and promotion via the official website (www.SungailiatTriathlon.com) since it was opened on February 2nd until per March 30th has been seen 12730 times by visi-tors from 34 countries.

Sungailiat Triathlon 2016 opens 70.3 distance category officially as one of the two regions in Indonesia which hold similar category, namely: long distance (1.9 km swim, 90 km bike, 21.1 km run), standard and standard relay (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run) and sprint (750 m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run). To enliven the event, the committee also holds local art performance, Nganggung or Sepinang Sedulang – eating together commonly had by Bangka people, bazaar, Bangka Culinary Festval and media tour.

The number of tourists visiting Bangka for watching Sungailiat Triathlon is increas-ing every year. In 2014, there were 400 domestic tourists and 75 foreign tourists came. It increased to 700 domestic tourists and 180 foreign tourists in 2015. This year, it is targeted to be visited by 1,200 domes-tic tourists and 400 foreign tourists. (*)

Sungailiat Triathlon 2016 to Target 1200 domestic tourists and 400 foreign tourists

Event & Destination


Event & Destination

Puppeteer, Ki Dalang Sujiwo Tejo has created Wayang Jazz (Jazz Puppet), Nanang Hape has introduced

Wayang Urban and Eko Nugroho introduced Wayang Bocor. Each of those wayang has special character, uniqueness and is based on the local culture, which is designed with creativity.

Tourism Ministry has new approach in wayang performance. A wayang perfor-mance is ready to design with modern concept. The language is easy to under-stand even for audiences with the lowest level of intellectuality. The characters will be more up-to-date and contextual pre-sented based on the latest events. All of them can be enjoyed in Wayang Pesona Indonesia, which will be held in East Park-ing Senayan Jakarta on March 26th 2016.

Tourism Ministry wants to prove that wayang will not disappear as years pass by. The traditional art can be enjoyed by people from any level of society. It is entertaining and educating as well. The theme presented can be taken from the recent issues discussed in the society.

“The performance aims to boost cre-ativity of the artists in the field of puppetry and puppet performance. It is also aimed

to increase people’s interest in cultural tourism by knowing, understanding and appreciating the attraction of cultural tourism in the creation of puppetry art and wayang performance,” said Esthy Reko Astuti, Deputy Marketing of National tourism who was accompanied by Deputy Assistant of Personal Market Develop-ment, Raseno Arya.

This message which is going to be conveyed is “this is Indonesia’s perfor-mance for the world.” This is a perfect performance considering that interna-tional organizations such as the United

Nations and UNESCO have determined Indonesian wayang as one of the world intangible cultural heritage on November 7th, 2003. “More importantly, we want to level up the image up wayang to attract more tourists,” said Esthy.

The performance will present four kinds of wayang. They are wayang Ajen, which has been collaborated with Middle East culture last February, leather puppet of Langen Budaya Indramayu, leather puppet of Tuton Jawa and wayang golek Mursidin Banten. “Each of those puppets has different characteristics and will be presented by famous puppet master,” Esthy explained.

To promote wayang art performance to the young generation, Minister of Tourism is going to hold a workshop of wayang art performance which will be held in the afternoon before the main performance in the evening. “No need to be afraid of watching wayang. Watching it will not make us consider as old-fashioned people. Semarak Wayang Pesona Indone-sia 2016 will prove it,” she said.

Arief Yahya who has the hobby of watching puppet leather show welcomes positively the performance. The story of wayang is not originated from Indonesia. Mahabharata and Bharatayudha are from India. It is like keroncong music which popular in Java, Yogyakarta and Solo but is actually from Portugal. “But it is not a problem because our culture is flexible in accepting and acculturating with other cul-tures in the world. It is the characteristic of Indonesian culture,” said minister. (*)

Wayang Pesona Indonesia Exhibition 2016 in the East Parking


Event & Destination

Cirebon is known as the city of prawn. However, this name is no longer suitable for it. The

coastal area located in the north of West Java has various culinary potentials other than prawn such as tahu gejrot, jamblang rice, sego lengko, empal gentong, emping besar, kripik mlaraat, tjampolay and es doger.

Cirebon is also famous for batik. Some of the batik Trusmi and Mega Mendung (cloud motif) are two most popular motifs from the city. Not only famous for its culinary and batik, Cirebon also has many interesting and unique art and culture such as Sintren, Tarling, Gembyung, Sandiwara Cire-bonan and glass painting. In terms of history and center of civilization, there are Kasepuhan Palace of Sunan Gunung Jati, which is still well maintained and

Sunyaragi cave. For those who are look-ing for more modern tourist attraction, Waterland is perfect choice to visit.

The city has almost everything and nowadays it becomes important city and center of economic activities in Java Island. If the construction of double railway track has been completed, there will be 200 train schedules everyday for the route of Jakarta, Semarang and Yogyakarta.

In addition, the distance between Ci-rebon and Jakarta is closer. It takes only four hour drive via Cipali toll. With its marine potentials that have been known for long time, Cirebon is now crowded by 200 hotels. It means that the city a new center of economic growth, which still maintains its natural and cultural potentials.

One thing that should not be for-

gotten is that the role of Kasepuhan (Palace), which is currently led by Sultan Sepuh XIV PRA Arief Natadiningrat S.E as the protector of pillar of life of Cirebon people. Sultan has the initiative to hold Pesona Cirebon Festival. It is an event that performs various art and cul-ture of Cirebon. The event will be held from 31 March to 2 April 2016.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya ex-pressed his appreciation towards the implementation of Pesona Cirebon Festival. According to him, the festival is a blend of various strong cultural values, which can still be maintained due to the role of Kasepuhan Cirebon as the center of culture, art and culinary. The event is designed with commercial value to attract more tourists.

“Cirebon has strong culture. There is no doubt over the cultural attrac-

“Festival Pesona Cirebon” Presents 10 Sultans across Indonesia


Event & Destination

tions from this region. However, cultural aspect is not enough. We need to find the commercial value so that it can result in harmonious combination, which can make Cirebon into one of the best tourist destinations. Considering its close distance to the capital city of Indonesia, the center of tourism market,” said Arief Yahya in Cirebon on Thursday (31/03/2016).

Ministry of Tourism considers Cirebon to have complete tourism potentials, culture, nature, religious potentials, culinary and historical potentials. Thus, the Ministry supports the implementation of Pesona Cirebon Festival. Deputy Assistant of Personal Market Development Ministry of Tourism, Raseno Arta said that the ministry has promoted the festival throughout

Indonesia and abroad since few months ago. It is because the festival is part of the tourism promotion of Pesona Indonesia and Wonderful Indonesia.

Sultan Sepuh XIV PRA Arief Nata-diningrat S.E said that Pesona Cirebon Festival will present various art and cultural programs and culinary. The event will take place in many venues in Cirebon, mainly in Kesepuhan Palace and the harbor. Accord-ing to him, Cirebon is a complete tourist destination. It has cultural tourism, natural tourism, religious tourism, historical tour-ism and culinary tourism. One interesting point is that Sultan Sepuh XIV also invites 12 Sultanates across Indonesia. They are Sumbawa Sultanate, Ternate, Tidore, Bacan, Bintan, Kutai Kertanegara, Deli, Luwu,

Sumedang Larang, Kanoman, Kadipaten Pakualam, Malaka and Jipang.

The event will also be attended by a number of ambassadors, namely: the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Ambassador of Turkey, Ambassador of Thailand, and President International Cheng Ho from Singapore.

Ministry of Tourism completes the series of event by organizing a national seminar with the theme of Optimization of Indonesian Marine Tourism. The seminar is attended by many participants from various institutions and areas in Indonesia. Cirebon is a sample of city that has successfully managed its marine tourism. (*/bw)


Sikka - Flores Island

Koka beach is one of beaches in Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province. Precisely

in Wolowiro Village, Paga District, this beach is located on the south coast of Flores Island. From Maumere City, it takes around 48 km. If you start your journey from Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, and Denpasar, you take a flight to Maumere City.

Koka beach is a beach which is very attractive with clean sea views, as well as the water is very clear, soft white sand stretches forming segment, left and right there are cliffs like a natural painting looks very artistic. Like the other southern coast, Koka beach has big waves but quite safe if we want to swim on the beach. Koka beach is a beach

that is rarely touched tourists. Not many people know more less visit the beach. This beauty beach hid-den from the crowd as the world. White and fine sand stretch along the coastline and that assure us that Koka beach become a hidden para-dise. Strolling on soft sand becomes one of favorite activity at evening. Breezing wind from the beach gives you atmosphere and sensation. That is why most of visitor love to wait the sunset with their friends.

Apart from strolling along the coastline, you also will enjoy two big rocks. These rocks become a separator of two beaches. The clean and blue water in Koka beach make visitor wants to jump as soon as they arrive. If you decide to snorkel, coral reefs and variety of fishes will

accompany you. They look so beauti-ful with many colors. The natural potential of the beach make anyone who comes to Koka will admire the beauty of beach. The authenticity of the beach is so prominent. This condition make local resident decide to spend their holiday here because Koka beach is one of favorite desti-nation in Maumere City.

If you want to visit Koka beach, you can take flight from Jakarta or Bali to Maumere (Frans Seda Air-port). Arriving in Maumere, there’s many bus travel in Frans Seda airport. You must take destination to Koka beach. There is hotel or motel in Koka beach. Or you can stay in Paga hotel, it’s very near from Paga beach. Just ask to local people, they can help friendly. ***

Sikka Koka Beach

Maumere is a port town on the northeastern coast of Flores and a stop over on

the way to Ende or to Larantuka. It is well connected by air with Kupang, Denpasar, and Makasar, and noted for its good beaches. The bay of Maumere

is considered a good diving spot (Flores Marine Resort) as it promises extremely rich marine life. The resort is a paradise for all divers, underwater photographers, and for everyone interested in marine biology.

Ledalero museum at the out skirts

of Maumere has an interesting collec-tion of ethnological objects from the region. Visitors are welcome but ad-vance arrangements should be made. Ledalero is also a name of a major catholic Seminary from where many of Flores priests originated.***

Maumere


Sikka - Flores Island

Taga Kamba Minggu,7 agustus 2016 Pukul : 15.00 Wita Tempat : Museum Tenun Ikat, Ende

Rakor Tiga Batu TungkuSenin,8 agustus 2016Pukul : 09.00 WitaTempat : Museum Tenun Ikat,Ende

Parade Budaya Rabu,9 agustus 2016 Pukul : 15.00 wita Tempat : start Depan Kantor Bupati Finis Lapangan Pancasila Ende

Expo10 s/d 12 Agustus 2016Pukul : 19.00 WitaTempat : Lapangan Pancasila Ende

Pagelaran Budaya Kamis, 10 - 12 Agustus 2016 Pukul : 7.30 Wita Tempat : Lapangan Pancasila Ende

Trekking To KelimutuSabtu,13 Agustus 2016Pukul : 06.00 WitaTempat : Kec. Kelimutu

Pati Ka Dua Bapu Ata Mata Minggu, 14 Agustus 2016 Pukul : 08.00 Wita Tempat : Kawasan Danau Kelimutu

Pawai PembangunanSenin, 15 Agustus 2016Pukul : 03.00 WitaTempat : Star Lapangan Stadion Marilonga EndeFinis Lapangan Pancasila Ende

Untuk informasi join this event, contact :Travindo Jaya

Jl.Batas Dukuh Sari Gg.Curik No.11 Pedungan Denpasar - BaliHp. 081339385058 | Email: [email protected]

SEPEKAN PESTA DANAU KELIMUTU7-15 Agustus 2015

SEPEKAN PESTA DANAU KELIMUTU7-15 Agustus 2015

Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Kabupaten EndeJl. Soekarno No.4 Ende - Flores - Nusa Tenggara Timur

Prosesi Laut Selasa,31 Mei 2016 Pukul : 10.00 Wita s/d 12.00 Wita Tempat : Start Kecamatan P. Ende Menuju Pelabuhan Soekarno Ende

Prosesi DaratSelasa,31 Mei 2016Pukul : 12.00 Wita - selesaiTempat : Pelb. Soekarno Ende, De-tasement POM Ende, Situs Bung Karno, Gedung Imakulata, Makam Ibu Amsi, Finis Lapangan Pancasila Ende

Malam Pagelaran Selasa, 31 Mei – 02 Juni 2016 Pukul : 19.00 Wita – selesai Tempat : Lapangan Pancasila Ende

Upacara Bendera Memperingati Hari Lahirnya PancasilaRabu, 01 Juni 2016Pukul : 08.00 Wita - SelesaiTempat : Lapangan Pancasila Ende

Menyalakan Obor PancasilaSelasa, 31 Mei 2016Pukul : 08.00 Wita - Selesai Tempat : Lapangan Pancasila Ende

Malam RenunganSelasa , 31 Mei 2016Pukul : 24.00 Wita - SelesaiTempat : Taman Bung Karno Ende

Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Kabupaten EndeJl. Soekarno No.4 Ende - Flores - Nusa Tenggara Timur

Untuk informasi join this event, contact :Travindo Jaya

Jl.Batas Dukuh Sari Gg.Curik No.11 Pedungan Denpasar - BaliHp. 081339385058 | Email: [email protected]

HARI LAHIRNYA PANCASILA 01 JUNI 2016( PARADE KEBANGSAAN )

“PANCASILA RUMAH KITA DARI ENDE UNTUK INDONESIA “

TINGKAT KAB. ENDE

Ende - Flores Island


Ende - Flores Island

Mt. Kelimutu National Park is the smallest among six national parks in the stretch between Bali and

the Nusatenggara islands. Its size obviously does not matter much when it offers one of the most spectacular wonders that nature has to offer. There are three lakes on the mountain sharing the same name, Kelimutu, meaning ‘the boiling lake’. Each has its own colors and a local name. But all are believed to be the resting place of departed souls.

Located some 66 km. from the town of Ende or 83 km. from Maumere, Lake Ke-limutu was discovered by a Dutch named Van Such Telen in 1915. It gained global fame after Y. Bouman wrote in his notes in 1929 about the bizarre color-changing lakes.

As travelers start ascending from Moni, a small rural town, a basecamp for back-packers, idyllic views appear which will re-main perfect in the mind. The westernmost lake is named Tiwu Ata Mbupu, meaning ‘the lake of old people’. The middle one is called Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai, or ‘the lake for young men and maiden’. The eastern-most is called Tiwu Ata Polo, or ‘the lake for evils spirits’. The three lakes are quite a display as their colors keep changing.

Unlike the Blue Lake in Mt. Gambier, South Australia, that changes color from blue to cold steel grey within a predictable

period, or Lake Yudamari in Mt. Nakadake, in Japan, that changes from blue-green to green, the Kelimutu lakes are unpredict-able as to when and what color they will change into. Sometimes, the colors are blue, green, and black, and some other times they turn to white, red, and blue. The last time a traveler saw them, one was dark brown, just like a pond of chocolate. Previ-ously, the east lake was red and the middle lake was blue.

Scientifically speaking, lakes change colors due to subaqueous fumaroles. Scientists believe that these are the result of minor phreatic eruptions in ancient time. The phenomenon here, however, are of particular interest to geologists since the three lakes present different colors but are yet located on the peak of the same volcano. The local ranger in the national park explained that this is due to chemical reactions of materials contained in the lake, triggered by volcanic gaseous activities. The local people in Moni, however, believe that somehow people around the mountain have done something evil and have died there.

Lake Kelimutu is part of the Kelimutu National Park, presenting a highly aesthetic value and surreal experience. The national park’s highest point is 5,679 feet at Mt. Kelibara (1,731 meters), and 5,544 feet high (1,690 meters) at Mt. Kelimutu. It is a national park that protects 19 endemic and endangered animals, among which, the Floresian punai (Treron floris), Wallacea owl (Otus silvicola), Floresian kancilan (Pachycephala nudigula), Floresian eagle (Spizeatus floris), and Timorese tesia (Tesia everetti).

Here are also endemic mice, deer, porcupines, and the legendary luwak or civet (Pharadoxurus hermaphroditus) that gained its fame for the expensive coffee it produces. Visit Mt. Kelimutu and the three-colored lakes as an essential part of your Flores adventure. ***

KELIMUTU, THREE COLOUR LAKES

Mount InerieMount Inerie is one of tourist

attractions in Flores Island. The mountain is located in Bajawa

district, Ngada regency of Flores Island. From Bajawa city we can see the mountain as a pyramid with perfectly straight which is an eye-catching peak in the Florinese ‘mountain skyline’. With an altitude of 2,245 meters above sea level, Mount Inerie is also one of the highest volcanoes in Flores.

If you would like to climb to the top, you can start your trip at night or in the very early morning. You will be rewarded with a magical moment when the sun slowly rises up behind the hills. It is perfect sunrise moment for the visitors and hikers. From the top of Mount Inerie, you have a stun-ning view that sometimes even goes as far as Sumba Island in the south. Starting from an altitude of about 900 meters, the hike will take you about 2 hours. Be aware that climbing Mount Inerie demands a good

physical condition, and the expertise of a local guide who knows about the safe trails and weather conditions.

Besides mountain climbing, the area around Mount Inerie itself has much to offer. Exploring the slope of the mountain in surroundings of lush green trees is refreshing for both body and soul. As in many mountainous areas in Flores that are of high biodiversity, you can also observe the endemic birds and listen to their amus-ing songs here. If you wish to enrich your Inerie explorations with some cultural expe-riences, nearby traditional villages such as Gurusina or Bena offer you opportunities to experience the fascinating Ngada culture.

In 2000 years ago, Mount Inerie had a little eruptions, a red-colored lake emerged out of the mountain’s crater named Wawomudha. Thus, the new-born lake was called Wawomudha Crater Lake. This spectacular natural phenomenon is located an hour hike from Ngoranale Village. To get

to Mount Inerie there are most popular starting point for climbing Mount Inerie is Watumeze Village, just 15 kilometers from Bajawa (about 20–30 minutes). From Bajawa head to Terminal Watujaji; then take the right side of the road which leads to Langa Village, and then straight up to Bela Village. From here, continue driving in the direction of Watumeze Village. Instead of taking private transport, you can also take a bemo (public transportation) to Bela Village and continue the way to Watumeze by motorcycle. The interesting ones from the mountain peak you can see the entire panoramic view of Bajawa City, on the north-west, which is covered with slight mist above the city. On the south of the mount, the blue sea of Sawu lies in the slope of Mount Inerie.***


Ngada - Flores Island


Wae Rebo is one of Indonesia’s precious destinations in the formn of an old Manggaraian

village. It situated in pleasant, isolated mountain scenery in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. The village offers visitors a unique opportunity to see the authentic Manggarai housing and to experience the everyday life of the local community. In Wae Rebo village, the visitors can see “Mbaru niang”, a traditional, circular cone-shaped houses with very unique architecture. Nowadays, it is still a place to hold meetings, rituals and Sunday-morning prayers together.

Wae Rebo can only be reached by way of a three-hour hike, or depends to your situation, from the lowlands. The hike is definitely worth the effort, where we reach the village we can find the dense rain forest along the narrow path to Wae Rebo, which is one of a stunning biological

diversity. This village is host some interest-ing vegetations, including orchids, palms, and different ferns, and also the impres-sive population of singing birds. The village has been supported to become the major culture tourism attraction in West Flores.

For increasing the beauty of the village, Indonesian government together with pri-vate organization and local community has renovated four of their “Mbaru Niang” or the ‘drum houses’. This house is a commu-nal building, it gathering eight families who are descended from a common ancestor under its huge roof. Its structure symbol-izes the unity of the clan, with the sacred drums considered the clan’s medium to communicate with the ancestors. The massive roof id made out of palm fiber, and it is supported by a central wooden pole. Furthermore, the ceremonial house, which has different in size from the other

buildings, is the place where the sacred heirloom drums and gongs are stored, and where different ceremonies and rituals are held.

After the authentic ‘Mbaru Niang’ or the traditional Manggaraian house, the thing to see in Wae Rebo is witnessing the daily life of the inhabitants. Most of the people work in their gardens from early morning until dawn, and get busy with harvesting coffee and processing the beans. Even though weaving is not a major activity in Wae Rebo, you may encounter some women weaving traditional songket cloth. The visitors are welcome to spend the night in the ‘Mbaru niang’, to socialize and dine with the Wae Rebo community. You will sleep on a ‘tikar’, a woven mat made out of pandanus leaf, and get a taste of how life used to be when the extended families still lived their lives under one roof.

Wae ReboThe Traditional Manggaraian Village, Flores

Manggarai - Flores Island


How to get thereThere are several options to reach Wae Rebo:

Car or motorbike from Ruteng:Start the 2.5 – 3 hour drive by heading

south towards Golo Lusang. After having passed Pong Nggeok village, you will cross Wae Mese bridge. Go ahead to Narang vil-lage, followed by Nanga Ramut village, and you will end up in Dintor. From this small fishing village you can see the beautiful Mules Island. The road to the north brings

you to Kombo – Wae Rebo’s twin village – and finally to Denge village, which is the starting point for the hike to Wae Rebo.

Truck (oto kayu) from Ruteng:From the Mena Bus Terminal, the truck

route will take you across the villages of Cancar, Pela, Todo, and Dintor before you finally reach Denge Village.

The oto kayu usually departs from the terminal in the afternoon. The trip takes about 3 – 3 1/2 hours. If you want to go back from Denge to Ruteng, you will have to wake up early as the bis kayu departs from Denge at 5.30am.

Boat:The boat trip is a good option if you start

the trip from Labuan Bajo. Head south to the coastal village of Nangalili. Once there, you have to rent a boat (about Rp 400,000) to take you to Dintor. As there is no regular boat schedule, it is highly rec-ommended to charter the boat in advance (contact Pak Irwan, +62 812366 89171). The boat trip takes about two hours and leads you across to Mules Island. After hav-ing arrived in Dintor, continue your trip to Denge by ojek (about Rp 10,000) for about 20 minutes.

HikingIn Denge, start the hike by taking the

path between a local homestay and village SDK (elementary school). The hike will lead you across three rest spots. The first one is at Wae Lomba River, which is less than an hour from Denge. After another hour of trekking, you will find the second one, Pocoroko. This is an important place for villagers (and visitors) who want to make phone calls and send text messages from their mobile phones, as there is no mobile signal in Wae Rebo. From Pocoroko you will reach the third post, Nampe Bakok, which takes about 40 minutes. From here, enjoy the beautiful hill scenery before you reach Wae Rebo. ***

Manggarai - Flores Island

Tours ARROUND FLORES

4 DAYS FLORES – THE THREE COLOR LAKES TOUR

Day 1: DENPASAR – MAUMEREDepart to Maumere, Flores, by

Nam Air or Wings Air. Upon arrival at Frans Seda airport of Maumere our local guide will meet you there. Then drive to SAO WISATA RESORT or similar hotel for accommodation and dinner (15 minutes drive from the Maumere town). Lunch at local restaurant in town. (L,D)

Day 2: MAUMERE – KELIMUTU – MAUMERE

Early morning at 03.00 AM drive up to Kelimutu volcano 119 kms to see the three colored lakes.

Upon arrival walk for 1.5 km and then ascend 127 steps to the inspira-tion point to view Kelimutu’s light turquoise, olive green and dark blue lakes. A Dutch geologist discov-ered Kelimutu in 1914. At that time the lakes were red, blue and white. Descend to Moni village to see hand woven textiles and to visit Koanara village famous for its Lio traditional house. Lunch will be served at local restaurant in Paga. Proceed to Mau-mere, accommodation and dinner at SAO WISATA RESORT or similar hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 3: MAUMEREBreakfast at hotel. Visit Wuring

village to see the houses built on stilts over the sea. Next, drive on to Ledalero, a major Catholic Seminary, to visit the museum with its varied collection of local royal family’s old portraits, antique hand woven clothes, fossils of ancient elephant (Stagedon Trigonosephalus Florensis) Proceed to Sikka village, a center of ‘Ikat’ weaving, to see the traditional weaving process and an old church built in the 16th Century. Return to hotel, lunch at local restaurant in town. (B,L,D)

Day 4: MAUMERE-DENPASAR/KU-PANG

Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to the airport to depart for your next destina-tion. (B)

4 DAYS FLORES – DIV-ING EXPLORATION

Day 1: DENPASAR – MAUMEREDepart to Maumere, Flores, by Nam

Air or Trans Nusa. Upon arrival at Frans Seda Airport of Maumere our local guide will meet you there. Then drive for 15 minutes to Waiara Beach 12 km to eastern Maumere town and check in at SAO WISATA RESORT or similar hotel for meals and accommodation.

Lunch at local restaurant in town. (L,D)

Day 2: DIVING IN BABI ISLANDBreakfast at hotel. Depart to Babi

Island by Boat for a 1,5 hours cruise. Full day diving in this beautiful island. First dive: we explore deep and color-ful wall and coral garden, plenty of lob-ster, fishes, pelagic, etc. Second dive further distance to Tanjung Darat to explore the beautiful myriad reef fish. Afternoon back to Waiara and accom-modation at SAO WISATA RESORT or similar hotel. (B,L,D) Day 3: DIVING IN BESAR ISLAND

Breakfast at hotel. Depart for Babi island by boat for 45 minutes. Lunch will be served on boat (lunch box). Back to Waiara and accommodation at SAO WISATA RESORT or similar hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 4 : MAUMERE – DENPASARBreakfast at hotel. Transfer to the

airport to depart for Denpasar, Bali, by flight. (B)

5 DAYS – DIVING & THE THREE COLOR LAKES

Day 1: DENPASAR – MAUMERE Depart to Maumere, Flores, by Nam

Air or Wings Air. Upon arrival at Frans Seda airport of Maumere, our local guide will meet you there. Then drive 15 minutes to Waiara Beach 12 km east of Maumere and check-in at Sao Wisata Resort or similar hotel. For ac-commodation lunch or dinner at local restaurant in town. (B,L,D)

Day 2: FULL DAY DIVINGBreakfast at hotel. Depart for Besar

island by boat, Full day diving around the island where the particular interest is the estuary of the river, such as on the south west point where corals are different and consequently support other forms of marine life. The vast area on the east needs exploring as the shallow water channels have potential for young fish thus especially of scientific interests. Afternoon back to your hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 3: FULL DAY DIVINGBreakfast at hotel. Depart for Babi

Island by boat for a 1,5 hours cruise. Full day diving in this beautiful island, first dive: explore deep and color-ful wall and coral garden, plenty of lobster, fishes, pelagic, etc.

Second dive further distance to Tan-jung Darat for exploring the beautiful and myriad reef fish.

Afternoon back to your hotel for ac-commodation and meals. (B,L,D)

Day 4: MAUMERE – KELIMUTU – MAUMERE

Early morning at 03.00 AM drive up to Kelimutu volcano 119 kms to see the three colored lakes.

Upon arrival walk for 1,5 km and then ascend 127 steps to the inspira-tion point to view Kelimutu’s light turquoise, olive green and dark blue lakes. A Dutch geologist discovered Kelimutu in 1914. At that time the lakes were red, blue and white.

Descend to Moni village to visit hand woven textiles and to visit Koanara village, famous for its Lio traditional house. Lunch will be served at local Restaurant in town. Proceed to Maumere for accommodation and din-ner at Sao Wisata Resort or Sea World Club hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 5: MAUMERE – DENPASARBreakfast at hotel. Transfer to the

airport to depart for Denpasar, Bali, by Wings air or Nam Air. (B)

www.komodoadventuretour.com | Email : [email protected]


6 DAYS THE WHALE HUNTERS ADVENTURE

Day 1: DENPASAR – MAUMEREDepart to Maumere, Flores, by Nam Air

or Wings air. Upon arrival at Frans Seda airport of Maumere our local guide will pick you up there. Then transfer to Sao Wisata Resort or Sea World Club hotel about 12 km away to the eastern part of Maumere town. Stay overnight at the hotel. Lunch will be served at local Restaurant in town. (B,L,D)

Day 2: MAUMERE – LARANTUKA – LE-WOLEBA (LEMBATA ISLAND)

Breakfast in hotel. Drive 123 km (123 km – 4 hours driving) to Larantuka, a small town on the eastern part of Flores island. Lunch will be served at some local restau-rant in Larantuka.

Transfer to the pier for boarding on a wooden boat to cruise to Lewoleba – Lem-bata island.

Stay overnight and dinner at Losmen Rejeki – Lewoleba. (B,L,D)

Day 3: LEWOLEBA – LAMALERABreakfast at hotel. Drive to Lamalera,

about 4 hours, On arrival join with the whale hunters. If you are lucky you will see muscular harpooners chasing the whale, using traditional wooden canoe called ‘Pledang’ with its sail, made of palm leaves. Stay overnight at Albert Home Stay. (B,L,D)

Day 4: LAMALERA – LEWOLEBA

After having breakfast you still have another opportunity to observe the whale hunting activities, learning their ways of hunting and listening to the stories about whale hunting. After lunch drive back to Lewoleba. Overnight stay and meals at Los-men Rejeki. (B,L,D)

Day 5: LEWOLEBA – LARANTUKA – MAUMERE.

Breakfast at hotel. Cruise back to Laran-tuka. On arrival direct drive to Maumere, on the way stops will be made depending on local happenings. Stay overnight and meals at Sao Wisata Resort or Sea World Club hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 6: MAUMERE – DENPASARBreakfast at hotel. Transfer to the airport

for departure for Denpasar, Bali, by Nam Air or Wings Air. (B)

7 DAYS FLORES OVER-LAND TOUR

Day 1: DENPASAR – LABUANBAJODepart from Bali by Nam Air, Garuda Air

or Wings Air. Upon arrival in Labuan Bajo, west Flores

at 12.00, our local guide will meet you there.

Transfer to BINTANG FLORES HOTEL / JAYA KARTA HOTEL for accommodation and meals.

Labuan Bajo, the town serves as a jumping-off point for the trip to Komodo.

Lunch at local restaurant.Then a visit to Batu Cermin Cave, 5

km away from the town of Labuan Bajo. The cave is 75 by 4 m large and contains stalactites and stalagmites.

Proceed to Puncak Waringin to see the beautiful sun set.

Back to your hotel for dinner and over-night. (L,D)

Day 2: LABUANBAJO – RUTENGBreakfast at hotel. Start to explore the distinct tribes in

Flores island (Manggarai, Ngada, Ende, Lio Sikka).

Drive overland to Ruteng, a cool and small town as the capital city of Manggarai Regency where major Mangarainese tribe dwelt.

On the way stops will be made at Lembor and Cancar where you can enjoy the beautiful panorama of rice fields with lush and dry hills in the back ground and other places depending on local happenings.

On arrival check-in at MBC. The guest house belongs to Missionary or Sindha Hotel.

Afternoon visit Ruteng PUU village where you will visit the unique slander-shaped traditional house of Mangarai tribes and be with local people.

Return to hotel for accommodation and meals. (B,L,D)

Day 3: RUTENG – BAJAWABreakfast at hotel. After breakfast depart for Bajawa, an-

other cool and small town located at 1200 meters above sea level and is the capital town of Ngada Regency (home of Ngada, Riung and Nagekeo tribes).

On the way stops will be made at Ranam-ese Lake and snapshot at magnificent peak of Mount Inerie, an active volcano and Aimere to see the palm wine process.

On arrival check-in at Bintang Wisata Hotel or similar for accommodation and meals.

Afternoon is free program where you can spend your time walking to the market

nearby the hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 4: BAJAWABreakfast at hotel. Explore traditional

village of Bajawa tribes. Drive 2 km to Boloji to attend traditional

dance performance of Bajawa called ‘Ja’I Dance’, followed by Suling, a bamboo flute orchestra. Visit Bena village, a megalith vil-lage where people preserve their ancestral spiritual belief and way of life which can be seen in their Ngadhu and Bhaga, these are conical thatched huts symbolizing their male and female ancestral spirits.

On the way stop on the slope of the mountain Inerie active volcano to take pictures.

Return to Bajawa for lunch at local restaurant.

Afternoon drive to Soa district to visit Mengeruda, a natural hot spring water for relaxing and taking a bath. Return to Bintang Wisata for accommodation and meals. (B,L,D)

Day 5: BAJAWA – ENDE – MONIBreakfast at hotel. Continue drive for 6

hours to Moni (175 km) through scenic roads where you can enjoy beautiful panorama of the valley with blue sea in the back ground.

Stops will be made at Wogo, another tra-ditional Bajawanese village and Nage Keo tribe to observe their tradition and culture. Stop at Ende for lunch, Then drive another two hours to Moni.

On the way to Moni we will make few stops at Detusoko for photography and Nduaria for fruit market.

Late in the afternoon check-in at Eco Lodge Moni or Flores Sare Hotel for ac-commodation and meals. (B,L,D)

Day 6: MONI – KELIMUTU – MAUMERE.

Early morning at 03.00 AM drive up to Kelimutu volcano 119 km to see the three colored lakes.

Upon arrival walk for 1.5 km and then ascend 127 steps to the inspiration point to view Kelimutu’s light turquoise, olive green and dark blue lakes. A Dutch geologist dis-covered Kelimutu in 1914. At that time the lakes were red, blue and white. Descend to Moni village to visit hand woven textiles and to visit Koanara village, famous for its Lio traditional house. Lunch will be served at LOCAL RESTAURANT in Maumere. Accommodation and dinner at Sao Wisata Hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 7: MAUMERE – DENPASARBreakfast at hotel. Transfer to the airport

to depart for Denpasar, Bali, by Wings air or Nam air.



News

Tourism Ministry puts serious effort to promote Indonesia tourism internationally. This time, 10 travel

agents and tour operators (TA/TO) from Australia are invited to visit Indonesia in an attempt to boost tourist visit from Australia in line with implementation of free-visa policy for the Australians. The Familiarization Trip (FamTrip) by Tourism Ministry aims to promote tourist destinations in Bali, Lombok and Komodo Island.

The FamTrip was held on 3-9 April 2016 and as many as 10 people from TA/TO in Australia were taken on a trip to Bali, Lombok and Komodo Island. The main goal is to provide direct experience to TA/TO to tourist destinations in Indonesia because ‘seeing is believing and experiencing is believing.’ By directly visiting tourist desti-nations in Indonesia, they are expected to

be able to sell tour package to Indonesia with detailed information to their clients in Australia.

The TA/TO representatives are Angela Marie Roche (Flight Centre), Barbara Mary Nicholls (Qantas Holiday), Moon Bethwin Laurel (Our World Travel), David Tu Quy Trang (Golden Global Int.Travel), Ibrahim Halil Kumru (Sky Blue Escape), Kyung Cho Foreman (Flight Centre), Hoang Nina Thoa (Kim Travel), Raymond John Bolger (Travel Magic), Brasier Sandra Joy (Italk Travel Mt. Waverley) and Santosh Kumar (Hebbale Nagesh).

“FamTrip is one of the programs of Tour-ism Ministry, which is effective to promote Indonesia with the concept of seeing is believing,” said Vinsensius Jemadu, Deputy Assistant of Asia Pacific Market Improve-ment and Development, Ministry of Tourism.

Vincent admits that Australian tourists are still concentrated in Bali. Thus, his de-partment feels the need to promote other destinations around Bali such as Lombok and Flores (Komodo Island). It is expected that TA/TO will make tour overland tour package of Bali, Lombok and Komodo Island.

“Promotion has become vital part of tourism industry. It is impossible for people to visit destinations which they have not heard or seen directly,” said Vincent.

The group of TA/TO from Australia ar-rived in Bali by Garuda Indonesia Airline on 3 April 2016. They watched Barong Dance performance in Batubulan, Gianyar on the next morning ( (4/4/2016).

Barong dance is originally from Pre-Hindu Bali culture. The dance depicts the fight between good (dharma) and evil (ad-harma). The good is symbolized by Barong,

Tourism Ministry Holds FamTrip for Australian Travel Agents

a dancer with a costume of four-leg animal. The evil is represented by Rangda, a scary creature with two sharp fangs.

The dance lasted for one hour. The dynamic movement of the dancers and beautiful music made audiences cannot take their eyes off of the stage. After the performance, audiences were given a chance to take picture with the dancers.

After watching Barong dance, partici-pants were taken to see various silver crafts in Celuk, Ubud. From ubud, they went to see the stunning panorama of Kintamani with its famous icons, Mount and Lake Batut. Here, the group had lunch. One of the participants Santosh Kumar from Heb-bale Nagesh Travel expressed his amaze-ment. “This is amazing scenery, a mountain and a lake,” he said.

The trip was then continued to Tirtaem-pul Temple to watch directly the religious activities of Balinese Hindu. After that, the participants were taken to enjoy a cup of coffee in Taman Ayu Coffee Plantation. The place offers a beauty of coffee plantation and information on Bali’s coffee and Indo-nesian spices. Here, participants could buy coffee, which is processed traditionally and organic plants.

On the next day (5/4/2016), the group departed to Lombok Island with a target to visit several main tourist destinations in the island such as Selong Belanak Beach, Sade Traditional village, ceramics industry in Banyumulek village and the trip was closed with a sunset cocktail in Sheraton Senggigi.

FamTrip participants had important agenda on the next day, which is a Busi-ness Gathering with tourism practitioners in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). As many as 27 tourism industries in Lombok attended the event. Participants were very enthusias-tic in watching the explanation on Lombok tourism potentials given by ASITA NTB. Not only that, tourism industry in Lombok which consists of hotels and travel agents provided door prize of free staying at hotels in Lombok for the group.

Chairperson of ASITA NTB, Dewanto Umbu Joka said the Business Gather-ing is important so that tourism industry practitioners from Australian can get to

know tourism practitioners in West Nusa Tenggara, especially Lombok Island. “The essence of the Fam Trip is to directly visit tourist destinations in Lombok and get to know the local tourism practitioners so that business agreement to sell Lomboj can be established continuously. At the end, it is expected to increase tourist visit from Aus-tralia to Lombok,” said Dewanto in Shera-ton Senggigi on Wednesday (6/4/2016).

Meanwhile, one of the Fam Trip partici-pants, BarBara Mary Nicholls from Qantas Holiday Australia stated that the meeting is significant to ease her company to get partner in Lombok. “Lombok is very beauti-ful, especially for honeymoon destination. Thus, it is important to get business partner in Lombok when we sell tour package to Lombok to our clients later,” said Barbara.

After exploring Lombok Island for two days, the participants departed to Labuan Bajo. In Labuan Bajo, they visited islands around Komodo National Park on a wooden boat or phinisi. They visited many marine tourist destinations such as Padar Island, Rinca Island, Pink Beach, Kalong Island and Kelor Island. They also stayed overnight on the boat enjoying special culinary by the boat’s chef and the night view of the surrounding islands.

Participants also had the opportunity

to try snorkeling in Kelor Island and Pink Beach, watch directly Komodo dragon in its real habitat in Rinca Island and climb Padar Island which is famous for its natural beauty.

One of the participants, Kyung Cho Foreman from Flight Centre Australia expressed his amazement of traveling in Komodo National Park. “This is extraordi-nary experience for me. I can snorkel and see various fish and coral reefs. I feel like home here,” said Kyung Cho Foreman.

Another participant, Ibrahim Halil Kumru from Sky Blue Escape also gave her ap-preciation. “I think traveling on a traditional boat around Komodo National Park is the best in the world. Everything can be found here. The underwater scenery is outstand-ing. Komodo is something that can only be found in Indonesia. Everything is here and very natural,” said Ibrahim.

David tu Quy from Golden Global Int. Travel Australia admits that he is amazed by the existence of thousands of fruit bats when he visited Kalong Island. “Thousands of fruit bats flew out from the island in the evening. It was such a dramatic view. It was just amazing for me to see the evening sky covered by thousands of bats,” said David enthusiastically.

After exploring Komodo National Park for two days, participants went back to Bali to catch flight to Australia. They feel satisfied and impressed went around Bali, Lombok and Komodo National Park for a week. They were also happy with the togetherness of the group initiated by Tour-ism Ministry. “The service is great. We are impressed and all Fam Trip participants are happy all the time during the trip. We would like to thank for inviting us to directly see the beauty of Indonesia,” said one of the participants, Barbara Mary.


News


News

Active promotion carried out by the Ministry of Tourism to Chinese market has shown

significant impact. Bali, the icon of Indonesian tourist destination is no longer dominated by tourists from Australia. The position of Australia, which has always been on top position, is now taken by Chinese tourists.

Data of Bureau of Statistics Bali shows that tourist visit from China per February 2016 has reached 30.4 percent or 93,920 people from the total of 338,991 foreign tourist visits. This means that China is on first place. Australia is on second place with 18.17 percent or as many as 71,336 people.

On third place is Japan, which reached 6.13 percent or 22,662 people. It is followed by Malaysia as much as 3.86 percent or 14,456 people on fourth place and England with 3.70 percent or 9,087 people on the fifth place. Tourist visit from China has experienced significant increase. The growth reached 48.75 percent compared to the previous period,” said the head of Bali Province Bureau of Statistics, Adi Nugroho.

According to Adi, the growth is due to more effective promotion performed by Tourism Ministry in China. In terms of transportation aspect, the Ministry establishes cooperation with Garuda Indonesia to provide support by flight

routes to important cities in China. Garuda opens direct route to come re-gions such as Denpasar – Beijing and Denpasar – Guangzhou since 2015.

This year, Garuda also serves direct flight of Denpasar – Shanghai three times a week. The government also provides free-visa for short visit, opens CAIT access for yacht and Cabotage for cruise ship.

Ministry of Tourism never stops hold-ing sales mission, travel mart, tourism exhibition, culinary promotional week, gamelan performance, festival as well as participating in the tourism mart in China. The more massive promotion on online and printed media has resulted in significant growth of tourist arrival to Indonesia from China.

“Promotion is the key word. If it is successful, tourism will become the generator that triggers the dynamic of development in Indonesia,” said Adi.

It is normal considering that The World Tourism Organization (WTO) has predicted that tourism will become the biggest industry grows in the 21st century. The growth is predicted to reach 1.6 billion tourists in 2020 with the spending reaches US$ 2 trillion.

Head of Bali Tourism Bureau, Anak Agung Gede Yuniartha Putra said that active promotion is the right strategy taken. The upturn trend of tourist visit to Indonesia, especially Bali, accord-

ing to Agung is the result of active and massive promotion in any channels in various target countries.

The cumulative result is that the number of foreign tourists who visited Bali directly in the period of January – February 2016 reached 726,336 people. This figure is higher than the same period in the previous year as many as 640,739 people or an increase of 13.36 percent.

In February 2016, most of foreign tourist arrival were from the airport as many as 367,024 people (97.68%) and via harbor as many as 8,720 people (2.32%).

The increase is followed by the growth of the number of international flight from airport as many as 2,423 flights or increase by 17.68% compared to February 2015, as many as 2,059 flights. “The strategy of Tourism Minis-ter Arief Yahya is just perfect. If we want to steal the market, we have to be able to compete through creative promo-tion. If we don’t do that, we might lose the momentum,” said Agung.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya continues seeking for connectivity breakthrough by negotiating with many airlines. On Friday 8 April 2016, CEO of Singapore Airlines Mr. Goh Choon Phong attended the hearing in Sapta Pesona Building on Jalan Merdeka Barat, Jakarta. He has agreed to renew and improve the MoU with Indonesian Tourism Ministry related to the readi-ness of SQ – Singapore Airlines and Silk Air to open flight route to Indone-sia via China, India and Australia as The First Top-3 Main Success Points. “We have done deregulation by providing Free Visa for those three countries,” said Arief Yahya.

Besides that, the ministry will also make quick move related to joint pro-motion for Wonderful Indonesia with Singapore Airlines. Mr. Edwin Chiang, GM of SQ Indonesia will follows up the partnership. “SQ will open direct flight to other tourist destinations in eastern Indonesia such as Solo, Lombok, Labuan Bajo and Medan,” said Arief Yahya. (*)

Tourist Arrival from China to Bali Increases Significantly


News

The town of Sabang is visited again by luxurious cruise ship, MV Artania. The ship with GT 44,348 and length 230

meters brought 700 foreign tourists and 500 crews. Most of the passengers and crews joined overland exploring Aceh.

Artania is special ship made by shipyard in Helsinki, Finland and started operating in 1984. The name of the ship was Royal Princess as Princess Diana gave the name when it was firstly launched. In 2011, the name was changed to MV Artania after formerly named MV Artemis. The change was done due to the change of owner in Artania Shipping. Currently, the ship is operated by Phoenix-Reisen.

“This is the second visit of MV Artania to Sabang. In 2014, the ship brought 1,000 foreign tourists to Sabang. Today, it docked in Port CT3 of Board Management of Sabang Area, Pasiran, Sabang at 10.00 am,” said Head of Aceh Tourism Office, Reza Pahlevi.

In accordance to tradition in Aceh, passengers were welcomed by the ritual of Peumulia Jamee or welcoming guest ceremony and then followed by Guel

dance, a traditional dance from Gayo highland, Aceh. A flower necklace was given to welcome Artania’s captain, Elman Muehlebach.

Passengers who come from different countries were very happy with the warm welcome. Many of them tried to follow Guel dance enthusiastically. Some of them even danced and took photos with the dancers.

“Thanks to the brilliant breakthrough of Tourism Minister Arief Yahya. Now, cruise ships are free to dock in big harbors in In-donesia. This gives many benefits to many areas in the country,” said Reza.

After the welcoming ceremony, most of the passengers and ship crews went around and enjoyed the beauty of Sabang. They visited the beach and Zero Kilometer Monument, which becomes favorite spot of MV Artania passengers. Those who like adventure can try the sensation of riding motorized pedicab or pedaling bicycle. “Many of them chose to walk with their couples or friends enjoying the hospitality of Sabang people and the beauty of the city,” said Reza.

There is multiplier effect created through this visit. Passengers and crews who got off the ship never hesitate to spend money for shopping. Their expenses included renting motorized pedicab, bicycle or buying sou-venirs from local handicraft booth visited, Aceh coffee and many more.

“For this year, there have been 16 cruise ships that docked in Sabang. This is great advantage for Sabang people, especially those who involve in the tourism industry,” he said.

After 8 hours docking in the port of Sabang Bay, MV Artania continued its trip to Madagaskar, Panama, through Malaka Strait.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya mentioned that deregulation in tourism sector needs improvement. The cabotage principle has been abolished so that foreign cruise ships are able to dock in Indonesian harbors as well as to embark or disembark pas-sengers. “This should be promoted and informed to cruise ships operators all over the world, especially operators which have routes to Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia,” he said. (*)

MV Artania Cruise to Dock in Sabang


News

Bali and Lombok become more attractive to international investors. In accordance to the data collected

by Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), there will be capital investment that involves star-hotel chain from Taiwan. The capital investment in the field of hospitality is still analyzing the business potentials in Bali and Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara/NTB).

“Indonesia becomes one of the priority countries for the hotel chain. The economic growth potential of Indonesia is considered to be high. The hotel chain is interested to build hotel area in beach area of Bali and Lombok,” said Head of BKPM Franky Sibarani.

According to Franky, BKPM supports the coming of five-star hotel chain to Indonesia. He believes that not only five-star hotel that will attract tourists, but also three-star hotel which has its own market. The market is open widely. “The trend of tourist visit to Bali and Lombok is increas-ing. The demand is high and the market is open widely,” he said.

Currently, Indonesia is considered to have important position by the investors, especially in ASEAN region. It is because its population represents 40 percents of the total population in South East Asia.

“Therefore, supporting sectors like hotel is required and it is also one of the sectors promoted to business practitioners in Taiwan,” Franky said.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya explained that investors see the prospect of tourism industry in the future. “We have proven the serious commitment of the government in tourism sector. Tourism sector has even been set as one of the priority sectors in addition to infrastructure, food, energy and maritime. The top-10 priority destinations driven by the government is also expected to investors’ trust to Indonesia,” Arief Yahya said.

Chairperson of Work Group of Top 12 Accelerated Destination, Hiramsyah Sambuturedhy Thaib added that Bali and Lombok have great potentials. Mandalika Lombok is one of the top 10 accelerated travel destinations. “ITDC Mandalika man-aged by Special Economic Zone Tourism Mandalike has shown progress as well. The total of 66 ha (from the total conser-vative target this year of 90 ha including infrastructure) will be under a LUDA (Land Utilization & Development Agreement) contract,” said Hiramsyah.

From the 66 ha, 16 ha is designed for Clubmed Hotel, 5 ha for Pullman Hotel, 7 ha for Marriott (Bauer, USA), 9 ha for

Intercontinental (JSB Group), 4 ha for Royal Tulip (Mr. Lee, Korea) and 28 ha for Time-share Villa Resort (Mandiri Maju Bersama Group). The revenue target from land leas-ing in the first year is predicted to reach Rp 22 billion in 2016. “Pullman Hotel, which is under the same group as Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure and Ibis has entered the signing of Hotel Management Agreement (HMA) in August 2016 and the physical construction starts in October 2016,” explained Hiram. This for sure will boost other industries to enter Indonesia and strengthen the tourism amenity.

Hiram also explained that Clubmed Hotel has already had the plan for Hotel Consul-tancy Service Agreement (HCSA) in June 2016. It is scheduled after the fulfillment of administrative requirement. “The tender status of Masterplan and DED (Aecom) consultant is still in progress and will be decided in June 2016,” he said.

The consultant will perform a compre-hensive planning, which consists of Master plan review, basic design, and DED for Quick Wins. Consultant review and land clearing process are also done simulta-neously. ”ITDC is finishing the Lombok Airport office, which is located in Rumah Mutiara Indonesia (RMI) owned by the Provincial government of NTB,” he sid. (*)

Bali-Lombok are more attractive to Tourism Investors


News

Ironman is usually identical to Tony Stark, a superhero created by Marvel and can only be seen on film. However, in real

life, Iron Man is made into an endurance race. In 2016, the Ironman Triathlon is held in Riau Islands, Indonesia as the host for qualifying phase in Asia Pacific region.

Ironman was originally a sport competi-tion for ‘super men.’ It is considered to be ‘crazy’ because it takes extraordinary endurance to join in. The race consists of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a marathon 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run, raced in that order and without a break. Although it is considered to be one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world, many people are interested to participate. Asia, Africa, America, Europe and Australia con-tinents always send their representatives to the event.

In Bintan, the qualifying phase is called Ironman 70.3. It will be held in Bintan Island of Riau Islands on August 28, 2016. Ironman 70.3 athletes will start the race by a 1.2 mile (1.9 km) swim, a 56 mile (90 km) run and a 21 km marathon.

Bintan is chosen to host the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon together with the organizer MetaSport. This has strengthened the position of Bintan as a world sport tourism destination. There are many international sport events held in Bintan this year. It is expected to boost tourism industry under the program Great Batam/Bintan.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya who was represented by Deputy Assistant of International Marketing Development for Europe, Middle East, Africa and America, Nia Niscaya, welcomes positively the sport tourism event. The event, which will be followed by around 1,000 participants from

various countries, has significant impact to the number of foreign tourist arrival to Indonesia. The target of foreign tourist visit this year is 12 million foreign tourists and 2.5 million of them will enter Indonesia via great Batam/Bintan.

“The implementation of Ironman 70.3 gives direct impact to the increase of foreign tourist visit and foreign exchange revenue. A minimum of 1,000 foreign tour-ists will enter Bintan and spend their dollars there. This kind of event has high media value. International athletes participated in Ironman 70.3 in Bintan will be covered by international media,” said Nia during the press conference in FX Mall, Jakarta on Thursday (7/4).

The press conference was also attended by Bintan Regent Apri Sujadi, CEO MetaS-port Nathalie Marquet and Head of Bintan Tourism Office Zaiman Prawira.

Bintan offers many tourism potentials. The natural potentials include white sandy beach, underwater garden and tropical forest. Tropical holiday facilities are also available such as golf course, spa and water sport. All of them are supported by world-class infrastructure. Bintan also has strategic location. It can be reached within 45 minutes from Singapore by ferry.

“The growth of foreign tourist visit via great Batam/Bintan shows upturn trend. It increased by 10.5% in February 2016 and is equal to the growth of great Bali,” said Nia.

Nia has data that back her statement up. Data from Tourism Ministry shows that foreign tourist arrival to Indonesia in Febru-ary 2016 reached 888.3 thousand people or increased by around 5.26% compared to the same period last year. Most of them entered Indonesia via great Bali, as

many as 367 thousand people or grew by 10.19%. Foreign tourists who entered from great Batam/Bintan reached 120,351 or grew by 10.53%.

MetaSport as the event organizer has a network in more than 100 countries. “Everything has been prepared well,” said Nathalie Marquet, CEO MetaSport which last week successfully held Tour de Bintan with more than 800 foreign cyclists.

The center of the event will be set in Plaza Lagoi. It is the center of tourism development in Bintan, which is located exactly in Lagoi Bay of Bintan Resorts. It has large area with modern design. The venue is suitable for an exhibition that will be held on August 27, 2016. The location will also become the gathering venue of the participating athletes for registration process, taking goodie bags and technical meeting for the race.

Participants can shop in Plaza Lagoi. During the expo, the organizing committee will sell various triathlon merchandises and products with Ironman logo. The gathering venue is also a place where athletes can get to know pro athletes in the “Meet the Pros” session. Participants will attend a dinner or carbo loading in the Ironman Village.

Nathalie is confident that the event will has great impact. It is considering that this year Ironman 70.3 will be followed by participants who are going to join Ironman 2016 in Kona, Hawaii. The World Ironman Championship will be held in mid October 2016, exactly 6 weeks after the imple-mentation of Ironman 70.3 in Bintan. The atmosphere of Bintan, which is similar to Hawaii, becomes Nathalie’s consideration to hold the qualifying session of the World Ironman Championship in Indonesia. “Our target is 1,000 participants to join the event this year. We hope 15% of the ath-letes from Indonesia is able to participate,” said Nathalie.

There are 30 tickets to World Iron-man Championship that can be obtained through Ironman 70.3 Bintan. Participants who are able to complete the challenges will receive Ironman 70.3 medal, polo shirt, towel, certificate and merchandises from sponsors. For registration and more detailed information regarding Ironman 70.3, Nathalie said that it can be obtained online. “Please visit http://www.ironman-bintan.com/,” she added.

Nathalie explained that in addition to Ironman 70.3 Bintan, MetaSport will also hold Bintan Triathlon on 28-29 May 2016. With shorter distance and friendlier atmo-sphere, Bintan Triathlon can be used by athletes of Ironman 70.3 as a practice. (*)

Bintan to Host Iron Man Triathlon 70.3


News

Culinary becomes more tempting when it is visualized in a picture. It happened in the Indonesian

Culinary Festival which was held on 14 – 16 April 2016 in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.

Ministry of Tourism held a photo com-petition in Instagram with the title ‘Pesona Kuliner Nusantara’ (the charm of traditional culinary). “First, people are indeed more interested in video or moving pictures and voice. Second, people like photos or pictures. Third, people read text or descrip-tion through writing,” said Tourism Minister Arief Yahya.

Therefore, Arief Yahya reminds his team in relation to promotion to prepare TVC or short movie first. After that they should provide high-resolution photos and finally the text. However, it would be great if it is the combination of the three aspects. Each social media also has different characteris-tics. Twitter is known for having short sen-tences with a maximum of 140 characters. Instagram and Pinterest put photos and pictures forward. Youtube is the source of videos and Facebook is the combination of video, photos and text,” said Minister Arief Yahya.

Public responded the photo contest seri-ously and enthusiastically. “Participants are enthusiastic and the photos sent are great and in high-quality. It has reached more than 3,000 photos,” said Deputy Assistant Personal Tourism Market Development of Tourism Ministry, Raseno Aryo who was in charge of the event.

Raseno explained that the procedure to join the contest was easy. Participants only need to follow account @festivalkuliner-nusantara in Instagram. “They can upload as many culinary photos as they want and introduce favorite food and drink from across Indonesia,” he said.

Moreover, Raseno said that each photo uploaded should put a hashtag #peson-akulinernusantara2016 and is mentioned to @festivalkulinernusantara in Instagram. “The due date for uploading photos was on March 31st, 2016,” he said. Both domestic and foreign tourists will for sure enjoy the event in Jakarta. Tourism Ministry held food and drink party in the capital city of Indonesia.

“Various culinary from all over Indonesia will be served,” said Raseno. He explained that as many as 80 booths would serve visi-tors with wide range of Indonesian culinary.

“We coordinate with all head of tourism offices throughout Indonesia. They should come and bring with them special culinary from their respective areas,” he said. Every region will bring 3 to 5 main cuisine from their areas.

“In addition to provinces in Indonesia, we also invite culinary industry practitio-ners and culinary experts. This would make the event even more qualified,” he said. Promotion had been done in advanced in order to support the event.

It was predicted that the event would served hundreds and even thousands of food and beverages. Indonesia is rich in many aspects and one of them is the culinary. Tourism industry can never be separated from culinary. No matter how great or beautiful a tourism destination is, without culinary creation, it is incomplete. Ministry of Tourism gives serious attention to culinary sector as an integrated part of tourism industry.

“Culinary tourism is closely related to life style. Adding more value to culinary such as the shape, presentation, color and im-age will increase the prestige of the food. It is increasing the commercial value of the cuisine. Therefore, style matters!” said

3186 Instagram Photos to Capture the Indonesian Culinary Festival


News

Minister Arief Yahya. National culinary is the pride of Indone-

sia. Each region has special culinary, which is unique, interesting and rich in flavors. Indonesia is already known as a country rich in culinary potentials.

Indonesia is not only rich in natural resources, but also tribes that creates wide range of culinary triggering the appetite of either domestic or foreign tourists. In west-ern Indonesia, Aceh, offers many delicious cuisine such as Ayam Tangkep (Tangkep Chicken) and Aceh Noodle that should not be missed. In Medan, there are Saksang,

Pelleng, Arsik and Naniura. Don’t forget to buy Bika Ambon and Bolu Meranti for your family and friends at home. Nasi Lemak and Belacan are also quite famous. If you are in South Sumatera, Pempek and Tekwan are two menus from Palembang that should not be missed.

Kalimantan offers various delicious culinary such as Lempok Durian from Pontianak, Soto Banjar from Banjarmasin, Chai Kue from Pontianak, Spicy porridge from West Kalimantan, and Pisang Gapit that can easily be found in Balikpapan and Samarinda. Mie Sagu, Gaguduh and

Tempoyak are tasteful as well. In eastern Indonesia, Sulawesi’s culinary

potentials have successfully amazed many tourists with its Coto Makassar, Konro Soup, Es Pisang Ijo or Pallu Butung. South Sulwesi offers sea food menu such as Cakalang fish and Tinutuan. Papeda is traditional food from Maluku and Lombok Island has Taliwang Chicken and Colo-colo condiment. There ismore Indonesian culi-nary which are delicious and will absolutely trigger your appetite. (*)


News

JAKARTA (Pesona Indonesia) – The atmosphere of Soesilo Soedarman Hall in Sapta Pesona Building,

Ministry of Tourism, West Merdeka St was totally different on Monday 28th March, 2016. It was so Banyuwangi! It was really East Java. The atmosphere during the launching of the International Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen (ITdBI) 11-14 May 2016 was special, well-arranged, serious, and has quality. This is how it looks when two figures of Marketeer of the Year 2013 and 2014 MarkPlus version worked together.

Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya (2013) and Banyuwangi Regent Abdul-lah Azwar Anas (2014) are increasing

the value of ITdBI in the fifth year of its implementation. Both are promoting tourism sector in the eastern tip Java Island through sport tourism, which is integrated with nature’s beauty, culture, and the touch of the latest communication technology. They are working on the branding of Banyu-wangi, as a small area in the eastern tip of Java Island, to become an ideal example of regency with a touch of tourism.

The presence of the two great figures on the stage for 20 minutes has drawn continuous applause from around 200 audiences. Both of them inspire and encourage each other

without any scenario. “I still remember that last year it was 555 kilometers and this year it becomes 567 kilometers. I know that this is brilliant trick of Regent Azwar Anas to repair damaged roads in Banyuwangi,” said Arief Yahya starting his speech.

As a gift for the commitment and brilliant trick, Arief Yahya announced that he will double the total prize money. “I’ve asked about the total prize of ITdBI. The answer is Rp 700 million or less than USD 100,000. Therefore, we double the prize to Rp 1.5 billion. The prize of sport event affects the quality of athletes competing in the event,” said Arief Yahya.

Promote Banyuwangi Tourism through Tour de Banyuwangi-Ijen 2016


East Manggarai - Flores Island

Minister continuously com-pliments Banyuwangi as small regency, which now becomes top tourist destination. We invite people to come and enjoy the nature’s beauty, culture and various events. “By setting tourism as leading sector, the income per capita of Banyuwangi increases from Rp 21 million in 2010 to Rp 38 million in 2015. It beats Malang city, which is the second city in East Java. This is incredible,” said Arief.

“It is possible since Banyuwangi and Solo have the best calendar of events in Indonesia. They con-sistently hold 53 events per year and all have been published in the beginning of the year. Therefore, those events are always success-fully implemented, including many international events,” said Arief.

Another achievement of Banyu-wangi, according to Arief, is that it has been visited by 2 million domestic tourists in 2015. Foreign tourist visit reached 40 thousand people and is predicted to reach 50 thousand people in 2016. This figure is quite amazing compared to South Sumatera Province, which has the total foreign tourist visit of around 30 thousand people. For a level of regency, Banyuwangi has made great achievement although many people have not known about Banyuwangi or its geographic posi-tion on the map.

Banyuwangi is also chosen as one of the best local government in the world in terms of tourism management by UN-WTO in 2015. “In 2016, Banyuwangi also received an award from UNESCO for three Sukamade National Parks, namely Alas Purwo, Meru Betiri and Ijen which has 5000 ha crater,” said Arief Yahya.

“Have you been to Ijen?” Minister Arief Yahya asked the audiences. They looked each other and most of them have not been to Ijen before. “Make sure you go to Ijen and watch the blue fire even it is for once in your life time. The giant fire ball above Ijen crater has blue

color. This view can only be found in Ijen Banyuwangi and Iceland. I’ve been there four times. Before, only French people knew about it and they enjoy the beauty by them-selves. Now, anyone can go there,” said Arief.

“It’s not far, only three kilometer. But it has 45-degree slope,” said Arief jokingly. Alas Purwo offers beautiful scenery of savannah and bulls that can be seen from close distance. Plengkung Beachis is one of the best surfing spots in the world. “Tourist attractions in Banyu-wangi have all been acknowledged by the international world. Thus, they should be promoted interna-tionally,” he said.

Banyuwangi, which is known as Blambangan in historical story, has fulfilled the 3A conditions, namely Attractions, Access and Amenity. The city has many interesting natural and cultural attractions and events, which are designed into 53 events. It also has an airport with the length of 2,500 meters and width of 30 meters. The airport runaway still need to be thickened and widened to 45 meters. The amenity in Banyu-wangi has supported tourism indus-try. “One more thing, Banyuwangi has 3A Plus CEO Commitment! Regent Azwar Anas has strong com-mitment in tourism sector! That’s the key success,” said Arief Yahya.

“International Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen 2016 is momentum for many things for us,” said Azwar Anas.

It is one of the biggest interna-tional events which involves all par-ties including the community, police department, government officers, head of sub-district, village chief and many more. It is the consolidation of Banyuwangi’s potentials ranging from culture, nature, infrastructure and the discipline of the staff.

Tour de France began with small streets in the village. Now, it has become international event across countries. ITdBI also started from one village to another. Later, it is ex-pected to be done across provinces and islands. “Bung Karno used sport

event to build diplomacy, self-esteem and nationalism. Indonesia hosted Ganefo and ASIAN Games and new venues were built,” said Azwar.

Now, Banyuwangi has become more confident with its status as tourism-based regency. “This month, there are BMX on 2-4 April, Wind Surf International by Australia and New Zealand, International Surfing and International Kite. ITdBI 2016 is followed by 27 countries and one of the participants Peter Pouly has won the competition for two consecutive years. His son’s name is Pouly Ijen,” said Azwar.

The level of Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen is 2.2 and equal to Tour de Singkarak, which has been existed longer. “The promotion of ITdBI is designed with the big theme of sport, culture and tourism. TdBI has received the level of ‘excellent’ from the Union Cycliste International (UCI). The level is equal to Tour de Singkarak and Tour de Indonesia,” said Azwar Anas.

With big prize and high level race, ITdBI is started to attract more par-ticipants from Asia’s top cyclists. In 2016, there are 20 teams from 29 countries participating in the event. Some of them are Pishgaman Giant Team, Skydive Dubai Al Ahli, and Tabriz Shadari Team which are on 1, 2 and 3 position in Asia. National team from San Marino and Ireland also participate.

There are two new destinations that are going to be passed by participants this year, Sidodadi Dam in Glenmore and Grand New Watu Dodol Beach in Kalipuro,” he said.

Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen also has “hell track” where participants can test their guts and endurance. In one of the stages, participants have to ride as far as 171.3 kilometers and the position is 1,875 above the sea surface. The location is exactly on the back of Mount Ijen, which has 45-degree slope. In addition to the extreme slope, this stage also has sharp turn. (*)

News


Minister of Tourism Arief Yahya considers the music of keroncong to be part of the creative industry

and can become tourist attraction. The music has close relationship with tourism as both are categorized as the fourth wave of cultural industry or creative industry after the completion of Alvin Toffler’s three waves, namely agriculture, manufacture and information technology.

“The music of Keroncong can be preserved through tourism activities and tourism can be promoted by Keroncong. Tourism activities are considered to be successful if there is crowd. In order to create a crowd, a musical performance is performed,” said Arief Yahya after Keron-cong Music Performance with the theme of “Keroncong Pesona Indonesia, a Tribute to Waljinah” in Graha Bakti Budaya (GBB) Taman Ismail Marzuki Jakarta on Friday evening (1/4/2016).

One of the success indicators of tourism sector in welcoming the Total Solar Eclipse on March 9, 2016 is the number of people crowded the location. “Of the 12 locations prepared to see the total solar eclipse, Palu was the most crowded place because there was Slank concert there,” said Arief Yahya.

The concert of music band like Slank, said Arief, often collaborate with local bands so that it can attract more people to come, especially young people.

As part of the attempt to promote and preserve Keroncong music among the young people, the music is often

performed in a collaboration concert of bands or singers popular among the young people.

Appreciation

Keroncong musical performance entitled “Keroncong Pesona Indonesia, A Tribute to Waljinah” is also filled with the apprecia-tion of President Joko Widodo to legendary Keroncong singer Waljinah. “Ibu Waljinah, thank you for your dedication in preserving Indonesian culture,” said President Jokowi.

Wearing green batik shirt, Jokowi went to the stage and expressed his gratitude towards the 71 years old legendary keroncong singer. President Jokowi gave a bouquet and white envelope taken from his pocket. The singer of ‘Walang Kekek’ stood next to President. Wearing a red dress on her wheelchair, Waljinah seemed to try to hold her tears.

For Waljinah, this is the second award she received directly from the highest leader of Indonesia. Previously, former President Soekarno also gave an award named ‘Bintang Radio’ (Radio Star) in 1965.

Last year, on the same occasion, Waljinah did not attend the event. Only her video was played. This year she has the op-portunity to directly attend the event in two consecutive days, on April 1 and 2, 2016.

The musical performance was also enlivened by other artists like Soimah, Endah Laras, Sruti Respati, Rita Tila, Sujiwo Tedjo, Butet Kertaradjasa, Miing Bagito,

Cak Lontong, Akbar, Kelompok Sahita and Trio Gam.

The 2.5 hours concert depicts the story of a sinden’s life (Javanese singer), which cannot be separated from competition, conflict and various characters performed by sinden in dealing with the current devel-opment. In the end of the show, Waldjinah appeared to complete the complicated life of the sinden who is in the middle of the difficulty to get the next generation of sinden.

Directed by Sudjiwo Tedjo, “Keroncong Pesona Indonesia, A Tribute to Waldjinah” is rich in moral message about leadership in Indonesia with all of its dynamics. The show was also attended by President Joko Widodo and a number of ministers from the Working Cabinet such as Tourism Minis-ter Arief Yahya, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Minister of Education and Culture Anies Baswedan and Head of Presidential Staff Teten Masduki.

Waldjinah, as a singer who specialized in Keroncong repertory called langgam jawa, began her career by winning the first place of Indonesia Radio Star in 1965. In 1970s, Waldjinah had gained great success with her albums such as Walang Kekek, Jangkrik Genggong and Rujak Ulek.

In the end of the performance, Waldjinah was asked to sing Walang Kekek. She had strong voice that made other singers So-imah, Endah Laras, Sruti Respati, Rita Tila and Sujiwo Tedjo sang it sadly. (*)

Keroncong to Become Tourist Attraction



The people of Manggarai have amazing traditional weaving technique. Using this technique, they can create

traditional sarong called Songke as well as a scarf. This work of art has been inherited from one generation to another. Songke is worn by both Manggarai men and women in their daily life either for formal or informal occasions.

Songke is rich in values and symbols. Black is used as the base color to symbol-ize the greatness of Manggarai people and submission that all in the end will go back to God Almighty. Flowery motif has some meanings. Wela Kaweng (flower of Kaweng tree) motif symbolizes interdependency or mutual relation between human and his surrounding nature. Spider motif (Rang-gong) symbolizes honesty, tenacity and hard work which are the characteristics of Manggarai people. Manggarai people are known as diligent and downright worker. Spider is also the symbol of the spirit of unity and harmony of Manggarai people.

The motif of boundary lines (su’i) means the end of everything or everything has

its limit. Animal motif (Ntala) is related to hopes and dreams which are often whispered in prayer (tudak) by Manggarai people “porong langka shaeng ntala” (al-ways grow high up to the star). The prayer is intended to wish for people to stay healthy and grow into someone who has high position and strong influence in the society just like the starts in the sky.

Rhombus motif symbolizes prosperity and prudence of the life of Manggarai peo-ple. The motif of Runus flower (welarunus) is the symbol of humility and sincerity. It illustrates that Manggarai people are like a little flower which provides beauty in life.

The motif of Jok has the shape of a cone on the upper end and lower end of the Songke. It resembles the traditional house of Manggarai, which symbolizes the unity and harmony of Manggarai people with God, nature and other human beings.

Nowadays, Songke is not only worn as sarong or scarf. It has been developed into modern art work, which is dynamic and attractive to suit the need of mode. A num-ber of high-value products such as dress,

suit, bag, tie and wallet are also made from Songke. Songke can easily be found in any souvenir shops and house of mode.

The Art of Weaving Hopes and Joy of Manggarai People

WEAVING SONGKE



Caci is a game of dexterity among Manggarai men. In this game, the players alternately whip and fend

off the opponent’s lashes. Caci game is combined with the art of dance and music. The dance looks so heroic and beautiful because it is a combination of the beauty of the gestures, and the uniqueness of the clothing worn, and agility in whipping or fending off the lashing of the opponents.

Caci’s players are equipped with vocal skill for singing for they have to sing spon-taneously after fending off the lashes of other players and then deliver Paci. Paci is an expression containing a pseudonym or alias of the oppononent that contains the phrase about him, his whereabouts, char-acteristics and a figure that he dreams of. The purpose of Paci is to motivate or grow the spirit of the players and to persuade the opponent.

The costumes worn by the players of Caci are very attractive and symbol-ize uniqueness and cultural character possessed by the Manggarai people like: “Panggal” (a head scarf) with the shape of buffalo horn and one of the symbols which is placed on the roof of Manggarai tradi-tional house , symbolizing “Rang” (author-ity, charisma and strength) of Manggarai people. “Ndeki” (shape of ponytail) made of rattan twisted with horsetail is placed on the waist, symbolizing masculinity and strength, charm and allure of Manggarai men.

Meanwhile the sarong of Songke tied at knee length. It symbolizes modesty and subservience of Manggarai people. White trousers symbolize innocence, generosity and sincerity. Tubi Rapa which is worn as beads tied together under the chin and it symbolizes the greatness and majesty of Manggarai men. Nggorong (clattering) is

hung at the back waist and symbolizes the charm and allure. Leros shawl is wrapped around the waist and let it hang loose on the front side of the sarong to symbolize honor.

The equipment for Caci consists of Larik (whip) which is made from buffalo skin with plaited rattan on the tip, Nggiling (shield) which is made from buffalo skin to fend off the opponent’s attack and Agang (arch) which is made from rattan or bamboo and used to fend of opponent’s attack.

Symbol and Meaning of Caci

Caci consists of two syllables, namely Ca (one) and Ci (test or trial). Thus, Caci means a test or a trial. The test here is meant to test the characteristics and sportsmanship among the Manggarai men. No matter how painful the wound caused by the whip in Caci game, there should not be any resentment among the players. Blood and sweat poured during the game are believed to provide fertility and bring abundant harvest. Long time ago, when there was a dispute between villages and reconciliation could not be reached, and then Caci was done to resolve the dispute.

Through this game, the dispute was resolved.

Caci is done by two groups from two dif-ferent villages. It can also be done by Anak Rona (family of the bride) and Anak Wina (family of the groom). The guest group is called Meka Ladang and the host is called Mori Beo. During the game, other par-ticipants, both guests and host are doing Danding (standing in a circle and singing Manggarai song). The singing is accom-panied by Sae dance performed by a man and a woman in the center of the circle. A group of women sit in group and play gong and drum to enliven the game.

The target of the whipping in Caci game is upper body from stomach to the head. Hitting the part under the stomach is considered to be a violation. When the whip hits the face, it is called Beke. The player who gets Beke is lost and should be out of the arena and return to his house or village. Caci is performed during Penti (celebration after harvest), Pesso Beo (vil-lage celebration), welcoming new married couple, welcoming important guests and other celebrations such as birthday and Independence Day.

Are you interested in watching Caci game? Let’s go to East Manggarai! . ***

THE GAME OF

CACISportsmanship and Heroism of Manggarai Men



“Cepi Watu Beach has white sand and layers of stones. The stones, at

certain time, cannot be seen because they are covered by white sand. The

uniqueness of the beach has attracted many visitors to reveal the mystery. “

Situated in the southern tip of Borong city, the capital of East Manggarai Regency Cepi Watu Beach offers stunning natural panorama. It is not known yet when and how the name was given, but it probably means a beach with many stones. Is it true? The fact is that in the western part of Cepi Watu Beach as long as around one kilometer, there are layer of big stones.

However, in the eastern part as long as 3 kilometers, there is a stretch of white sand along the beach. At certain time, the stones cannot be seen for it is covered by white sand. There is a cycle of white sand and stones, which is affected by the changing of season. This is the uniqueness that attracts many people to visit Cepi Watu Beach.

The natural beauty of Cepi Watu Beach has always successfully attracted people to visit and no wonder that every visit always leaves deep impression. Not only the na-ture’s charms, but also the activities of the fishermen can become interesting thing to see and enjoy. The sun sets behind Mules Island adding more beauty to the beach. Not far from Cepi Watu Beach, water flows from two rivers, Wae Reca and Wae Bobo.

There are several activities that we can do on Cepi Watu Beach. In addition to swimming, we can also walk along the beach up to the estuary of the two rivers. If you are too lazy to walk, then sitting under the trees that grow along the beach can be chosen as an alternative. Cepi Watu Beach provides different nuance for different visitors.

Cepi Watu Beach has gained popularity among the local people for quite a long time. However, it has just got serious

attention since East Manggarai gains its autonomy. Efforts to develop the area are carried out continuously. Now, there are parking area, a stage for art and cultural performance, operational office, public toilet, children playground and restau-rant. There are also cafes, karaoke and recreational places, which are open in the evening.

It is not difficult to reach Cepi Watu Beach. It is only 10 minutes away by mo-torbike or car. Food and drink sellers can easily be found around the beach. It would be perfect to enjoy the beauty of the beach while drinking fresh young coconut juice cold drink or fruit juice. Seeking for delicious lunch? Fresh fish can be bought at Borong market. Don’t think twice. Just pack your luggage and explore the beauty and uniqueness of Cepi Watu Beach.

ENJOYING THE EXOTICISM

OF CEPI WATU BEACH



“Beauty and serenity offered by Laing Lewe Beach provides freedom to every visitor to enjoy

full-of-expression holiday without being interrupted by the activities of other visitors.”

East Manggarai Regency is a new prima donna in tourism industry in Indonesia. Its unspoiled natural beauty is the biggest attraction for the visitors. Blue sky, white sandy beach and crystal clear water that every tourist dreamt of can all be found here. Laing Lewe Beach is truly a dream beach with its quiet surrounding; sparkling white sand and crystal clear water.

Although it has stunning natural pan-

orama, Laing Lewe Beach is far from the hustle and bustle of mass tourism like other popular beaches. Therefore, spending holiday on the beach seems to be having a private beach. You are free to express yourself and explore the beach.

Its location, which is far from residential area, has become an advantage. It makes Laing Lewe Beach free from trash problem and the crowd of people’s daily activities. The main road is quite far from the beach, around 3 kilometers away and bounded by forest area. Thus, visitors should go through a quite steep path to reach the beach. The easiest way to reach the beach is through sea route by motorboat. Dampek is a fishing village as well as the closest village to Laing Lewe Beach, which is located in the west of the beach.

Going by a motorboat can be very interesting because in addition to the interaction with the fishermen who know a lot about the underwater beauty and vari-ous ecosystems there, visitors also get a chance to directly see the natural pan-orama along the trip such as Cape Kurbaja which has wide range of decorative fish and coral reef. There is also an old village located in Ninge Bay, which has already sunk due to tsunami disaster. During Sail Indonesia, Ninge Bay is often visited by

participants of the event for diving and snorkeling.

It takes around 30 minutes to reach Laing Lewe Beach from Dampek village. Along the way there, we can see solid cliff which protects the beach from strong current especially during west monsoon season.

Laing Lewe Beach is located in the northern part of East Manggarai Regency, in Lamba Leda district. It is about 85 kilometer from Boron, the capital of East Manggarai Regency. It takes 3 hours to reach Dampek village and another 30 minutes to reach the beach by motorboat from Dampek village. It costs around Rp 300,000 for a return trip from Dampek.

If holiday without disturbance from other tourists is your preference, then Laing Lewe Beach is a perfect choice for you.

AING EWEL

BEACH

For those who have explored Flores via land route from Labuan Bajo to Ende and vice versa must have passed the

area of Poco Ranak and Mandosawo forest, which is quite dense. The area is part of the conservation forest in the Nature Park of Ruteng. The park covers two forest areas of 32,248 hectares in Manggarai and East Manggarai Regency. Behind the trees and fog that surrounds the area almost every day, especially in the evening, we can see an exotic lake that one should not miss. It is Lake Rana Mese. In Manggarai language Rana means lake and mese means big or wide. The lake covers an area of around 5 hectares and is surrounded by forest area and steep cliff with a width around 5 to 100 meters from the sea surface that makes it looks like a huge crater. It is possible that thousands or millions of years ago, there was volcano eruption, which created the crater lake. It is also considering that Mount Ranaka or Nampar Nos, which is located in this forest area, was erupted in 1987 and is still active until now. Although the cliff around the lake is quite steep, it is still passable as part of the tracking route to enjoy the beauty of the lake.

Lake Rana Mese is one of the life sup-ports for thousands of people who live around the lake. The water flows from the lake is the source of drinking water and irrigation for thousands of hectares of rice field in the surrounding areas. It is also the habitat for various ecosystems such as eel, shrimp and crab, which can be found in Lake Rana Mese and along the river of Wae Laku.

Territorial Competition among the Fairies People who live around Lake Rana

Mese also called it Molas Poco, which means a forest girl. It refers to the beauty and charms of the lake. Molas Poco is also a euphemism of a beautiful fairy that is believed to reside in the lake. Based on the legend, once upon a time, the fairies of Lake Rana Mese befriended with humans. They even had asked humans to help them in a war against other fairies that inhabited another lake called Lake Rana Hembok, which is located in the east of Lake Rana Mese. They had a war to expand their ter-ritory as that time Lake Rana Hembok was bigger than Lake Rana Mese. The weapons used by the fairies of Lake Rana Hembok in the war were shrimp and eel which served

as knife and spear. Thus, it was easier for the humans to defeat the fairies as those animals were delicious side dishes for them. After being defeated in the war, Lake Rana Hambok became a small lake and Lake Rana Mese became a big lake like now. Regardless the legend, Lake Rana Mese is indeed very beautiful just like a fairy that hides behind the trees and mist.

Lake Rana Mese and the surrounding forest are must visit tourist destination. Being the main tourist attraction in East Manggarai Regency, the lake offers stun-ning natural panorama that should not be missed. Visitors can just sitting on the edge of the lake while enjoying the panorama or fishing. Located in the forest area, the weather around the lake is quite cold and can reach 15°C especially in the evening and at night.

The flora and fauna in the forest area are also interesting to see. They are for sure will amaze visitors with their uniqueness such as rare forest orchids and a number of mi-gratory birds. You can walk around the lake through the trail or sail on a small boat to enjoy the beauty of the lake from different sides of the lake.

LAKE RANA MESE“The Charm of Beautiful Fairy behind a Dense Forest”





The history of Lengko Ajang Church cannot be separated from the spread of Catholic in Manggarai Raya.

The first Catholic missionaries entered Manggarai in 1911 through the sea route. They were Jesuit pastors from Batavia who crossed the sea using wooden boat in order to find new missionary areas. They finally arrived in a coastal area in the north of Manggarai named Reok. In the same year, the Jesuit pastors baptized the first three people who followed Catholic teaching in Reok. Soon after that, the spread of Catholic religion was carried out from the coastal area to the isolated area of

Manggarai Raya, including Lengko Ajang. The Church of Lengko Ajang is the

oldest Catholic Church in East Manggarai Regency and one of the oldest churches in the Ruteng Diocese. This church is a relic of the Dutch missionary who spread Catholic religion across Flores. Lengko Ajang Church was built in 1926 by the late Frater Wilhelmus Jansen, SVD. Ever since, the church has become a parish and center of religious activities for Catholics in Lengko Ajang area and its surroundings. Lengko Ajang Church has Patron Saint Therese as the guardian.

The church was built in traditional gothic

style and it is a beautiful blend between European architecture and traditional house of Manggarai called Mbaru Gendang or Mbaru Niang. In general, the church has round shape and pointed roof that resembles churches in Europe as well as the shape of Mbaru Gendang. Stanchion construction of the main dome resembles a spider web, which is commonly found in traditional house of Manggarai. The spider web philosophy or also the model of the traditional division of agricultural land called Lodok Lingko is a symbol of unity, justice and tenacity of Manggarai people.

Originally, the church had thatched roof just like traditional houses in Manggarai. However, as time goes by, the thatched roof was rotten and caused leaking here and there. It was quite difficult to repair it. Therefore, the thatched roof is replaced with zinc until now.

The Church of Lengko Ajang has five domes and on each dome there is a cross. The length of the building is 30meters and the width is 16 meters while the height is 18 meters.

If you have time to visit Lengko Ajang Church, the building which has pointed roof can be seen from the hill. Entering the church, we can feel the atmosphere of peacefulness and serenity. In addition to visiting the church, we can also see the activities of the local people who still main-tain their farm traditionally. The activity of the local women weaving traditional fabric called Punca Teti with its special Lengko Ajang’s motif and colors is something that should not be missed.

LENGKO AJANG CHURCHWhen European

Architecture Blends with the

Local Wisdom of Manggarai


It was 7am when I and my two friends from East Manggarai Tourism Management Organization (TMO)

rushed to Mbolata Beach from Borong, the capital of East Manggarai Regency. It takes about one hour by motorbike to reach the beach, which is located 45 kilometers from Borong. The road to the beach is in good condition and it is also the main route of trans-Flores. Mbolate Beach is located in Wae Lengga, between Bawaja and Borong. It is around 500 meters from Wae Lengga junction to Port Wae Wole.

Although the road to the beach is still telford road, it can accommodate two and four-wheel vehicles. The beach is an ideal place for tourists who want to enjoy na-ture’s beauty and tranquility for it is far from people’s settlement. On weekdays, Mbo-lata Beach is quiet from tourists’ activity. It is usually crowded during weekends and holiday by visitors from Borong, Bajawa and Ruteng. Just like other tourist desti-nations in Flores, which offer the touch of local people’s hospitality and nature’s beauty, Mbolata Beach also offers beautiful nature’s panorama and warmness of local people. In the east, we can see Mount Inerie stands magnificently like a pyramid.

Watching the traditional making of Arak

Along the way to Mbolata Beach, there are vast rice fields as well as rows of coco-nut trees and palm trees. Visiting Mbolata Beach provides visitors with opportunity to

see the daily activities of the local people such as climbing palm trees for tapping sap. It is going to be an interesting activity to see for they climb the tree fast and without any supporting equipment. More amazingly is that they move from one tree to another without going down first. They just pull some twigs from the next tree and in just a few second, they have moved to the next tree.

Sap collected from the trees is taken to the hut for distillation process. The process still uses traditional equipment such as stoneware pottery, bamboo as the distill-ing pipe and dried twigs as the fuel. The distilled sap is then sold as traditional arak (liquor) called Sopi. Although the level of alcohol is still not known yet, but when we tasted it, it felt warm and has strong smell of palm fruit and alcohol. Sopi is packaged in a 700ml mineral water bottle and sold for Rp 20,000 per bottle. The production of Sopi is able to provide additional source of income for the local people.

The Charms of Mbolata and Mausui

Mbolata Beach has become a favorite among local tourists considering its beauti-ful panorama, white sandy beach, rows of palm and coconut trees along the beach as well as its cleanliness. Not only good for swimming, the beach also offers perfect spot for sunset watching.

Only three kilometers to the west of Mbolata Beach, we can enjoy horse riding on a vast savannah located near Mausui Beach. If you’re not confident with horse-riding, you can explore the savannah on a bicycle or car. There, you can see cows, buffaloes and horses grassing in the middle of the savannah. Mausui Beach also of-fers pretty panorama with white sand and cluster of rocks.

Getting tired after exploring Mbolata and Mausui Beach? It is time for having a rest and Mbolata Cottage is a perfect choice for that. There are five cottages available and a restaurant located on the beachside. It is perfect venue for having dinner. Menu served is made from fresh local products and your dinner is even warmer with a glass of Sopi mixed with fresh fruits. It would be a great experience to stay in a cottage built with environmentally friendly materials such as local timber and thatch. The ambi-ence brings every guest to the past time.

MBOLATA BEACH

“The best place to indulge with nature’s serenity”



One of the beautiful beaches in East Nusa Tenggara is Ratenggaro Beach. This

beach is a combination of natural tourism and culture because near the beach there is a traditional vil-lage site named Kampung Rateng-garo with unique and historic old stone tomb right on the beach. Ratenggaro Beach has big wave with long roll, and it is suitable to those who love surfing. Unfortunately, there is no facility for this activity. This is become a big duty for local government. The enchantment of the beach is not only from its beach, but visitors who come to Retanggaro can see ruin of tomb from mega-lithic era, or about 4,500 years ago.

Ratenggaro beach is still natural and so clean beach. The coastline is signed by white sand and facing to crystal water. The sound of wave’s water can be heard from the next village. Every evening, there are local residents visiting the beach. When you come to this beach, or around Sumba Island, you are sug-

gested to wear closed shoes. This is needed to avoid you from tetanus. One of uniqueness of the beach is that Ratenggaro is located right to estuary of river with blue water.

Ratenggaro Beach exists at Ratenggaro village, Kodi Bangedo sub-district, Southwest Sumba regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. From Tam-bolaka City, it takes 48 km. The infrastructure toward the beach is smooth and it takes around 1.5 hour from Waikabubak City. If you want to take public transportation, there is bus and mini bus to Bondo Kodi. Then, you can continue your trip by motorcycle. If you want alternative way, you can take travel agent to come to Ratenggaro Beach. Along the road toward the beach, you will see hardwood trees for about 2 km long.

Arrived at Ratenggaro Beach, the first impression is about ethnic atmosphere. It is because you will pass many traditional villages. When you come there, you are not only

enjoy its beach, but you can enjoy the culture. Firstly, you can spend your time to amaze the beauty of panorama. Blue water and powerful wave become a perfect combination for those who love nature and surf-ing. But, you must be a professional swimmer because there is deep trough here. After you finish swim-ming or playing water activities, you can start explore traditional house of Ratenggaro. They still keep the original architecture. Sometime, you will hear from villagers that there is faith about their village. You are not allowed to cross the estuary of river to the next village, Wainyapu, singing, and whistle. You better obey to these unwritten law because the resident itself very straight to keep this rule. When you walk around the beach, you will see one of grave with 3 meters height. In Ratenggaro, you can see the tower of houses from two villages, are Wainyapu and Ratenggaro. It is not surprise if people name these villages as ‘Thousand Tower of Villages’. ***

Sumba Barat Daya

Ratenggaro Beach

Sumba Island


Sumba, formerly known as the Sandalwood Island, is known foe its horses and Sumba clothe.

Sandalwood was the only known cure for many diseases until penicillin was invented. The Sumbanese traded with the Chinese until the 16th century, after which the Arabs became the most important trading partner until the early 20th century. The island is famous for its arts and handicrafts, particularly the textile “ikat” weaving. Sumba make a little effort we can see an authentic, ancient culture.

The island has a small population and a dry tropical climate. In total Sumba have more hours of sunshine than any other place in Indonesia. The land resembles Southern Africa or Australia, with scattered small villages and herds of cattle and buffa-lo Sumba is off the beaten track. Transport system and roads are infrequently used. Most hotels in main towns are simple, only catering for the adventurous. Beaches are long and clean. Water is clear and abundant in fish, and there is great surf.

The island is roughly oval in shape. The greatest concentration of those who wor-ship sprits (ancestral and those of the land) is found in West Sumba where two-thirds of the population holds on their traditional belief. It is here where incredible rituals take place, the “pasola” where hundreds of horsemen fling spears at each other. The government allows the ritual to take place, but the spears must be blunt. Although some exist in East Sumba, it is in West Sumba that one can find a greater number of huge megalithic tombs and traditional thatched and peaked huts raise on stilts.

Many traditional activities, all with a part paying homage to the spirits, take place in the month of July through October. These include the building of “adapt” houses and burials when sometimes hundreds of pigs, water buffaloes, horses, and dogs are sacrificed. Other ceremonies include the “pajura” or traditional boxing, the festivals for lunar New Year in October and Novem-ber, and August 17, Independence Day, horse races and ritual dances. ***

Sumba IslandSumba Island


Lapopu Waterfall is a natural phenomenon formed by the fault movement in the river flow

so that the river flow forming steep cliffs. Lapopu Waterfall lie s on the Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park area stratified along the rock cliffs as high as 70 meters.

Many aspects can be enjoyed at the waterfall site such as falling wa-ter, pond formed underneath, swift flowing rivers and unspoiled forest shade. The Panorama all the way to Lapopu Waterfall location is also not less interesting, such as mountain expanse, the fields of local resident and sub-tropical forest shade with a number of endemic species.

Lapopu Waterfall is located in Wanokaka district of West Sumba regency with a distance of 25 km from the city center. Condition of the road to Lapopu Waterfall area

is an asphalt road with a fairly good condition. Road conditions in the location of a dirt road in fairly good condition. Public transportation are not up to the waterfall so that tourists should choose rental car services.

In Lapopu Waterfall not yet

available food stalls on the loca-tion so that tourists are advised to bring their own food. In Lapopu Waterfall tourist attraction also no accommodation facilities so that visitors should stay in downtown Waikabubak which is available many choices of hotel facilities.***

Lapopu Waterfall

Sumba Island


East Sumba is one of regency in East Nusa Tenggara Province. This region is geographically

located in a natural condition of the hills and coastal areas sloping and undulating. No wonder that region has many natural tourist potential especially beautiful beaches. There is another hidden natural beaches and famous among foreign tourists as a surfing paradise named Tarimbang beach.

Tarimbang beach is a white sandy beach which is located in the south-ern part of Waingapu city precisely located in Tarimbang village, Tabund-ung district, East Sumba regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, which is about 104 km from Waingapu city. To reach this beach the visitors can use private car or public transporta-

tion which can be reached for about 2.5 to 3 hours drive. About 5 kilo-meters from Tarimbang beach the visitors will be treated to a unique view some cows and wild horses are in the savanna. Do not be surprised if occasionally seen passing wild boar. If you want to enjoy the atmo-sphere you can try to walk.

Tarimbang beach shaped like a half circle with high cliffs on the right and left presents a fairly extensive beach with bluish crystal clear sea water. This beach to be a

favorite spot for foreign tourists for sunbathing, swimming and surfing. Waves on Tarimbang beach over nine levels rolls. Uniquely around the beach there are also small fresh-water lagoon, when waves crashing seawater mixes with fresh water in the lagoon. In Tarimbang beach the visitors can relax while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the beach or on top of a cliff and looking sunset. The best time to enjoy the perfect beauty of Tarimbang beach is during the day until late afternoon.

Tarimbang Beach

Tarimbang Beach

Sumba Island


Ndana IslandNdana Island is including five

outer islands in East Nusa Tenggara Province or one of

the 92 outer islands of Indonesia. Four other outer islands in East Nusa Tenggara is Batek Island in Kupang Regency, Menggudu and Salura Island in East Sumba and Dana Sabu Island, in Sabu Raijua. The island area of 14.19 square kilometers, or about 1,400 hectares is located in the regency of Rote Ndao, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Ndana Island has dazzling exotic panorama. Besides the beauty of this island, Ndana Island also has myth about the island telling that women who have period are not allowed to visit the red lake located in the middle of the island. The prohibition has descended from generation to gen-eration. Even today, there are some people who still believe in this myth. They really don’t visit the lake when they have period. It seems that the lo-cal people really obey the prohibition.

Regardless the strange story about th island, the island provides many things to offer to visitors.

Ndana Island is located in Rote Ndao regency, Southwest Kupang. Precisely, the island lies right in the entrance of Boa Beach. You can go by motorboat or speedboat to the island. Along the way, you can see beautiful white sand with powerful waves. This is an incredible view. For those who believe in mystery, the island is surely a perfect place to visit. Apart from the strange story as previously mentioned, the island has another strange story. In Rote Ndao Regency, you can find two stones. The stones are said to have been a man and a woman. Their names are Hun and Suelay Stones. They are said to have been walking on their own before they stay in Rote Ndao.

There are various interesting activi-ties that we can do in Ndana Island, including explore traditional village trip that is lies around the island. You can learn many things about the villages,

including the local people, their way of life, their traditional culture and their typical food and souvenirs. The activity will give you challenging adventure. Besides that, you can visit many beau-tiful tourist destinations throughout the island. There are beaches you can visit. Visiting the beaches is a must because you can see the spectacular panorama of the beach. You will see beautiful nature around the beach along with crystal clear waters and steep hills sur-rounding the beach. There are also sa-vannah stretching along the coastline. Walking around the beach will make you relaxed and refresh your mind.

For facility and accommodation in this Ndana Island, there are still few hotels in this island. You can only find small lodges. However, this shouldn’t stop you from visiting this island. Instead, you can challenge yourself to survive in this island. You can decide to stay in one of the local people’s house, otherwise you can set a tent around Ndana Island. ***

Rote Island


Rote IslandRote Island is the

southernmost island of Indonesia. It is located in

the west coast of Kupang. This exotic island can be reached only in four hours. From Kupang by inter-island ferry to dive and tour this untouched beautifully rugged land. Spectacular walls and caverns mirror the hills, valleys, and escarpments underwater. The marine life is so varied and profuse that is hard to believe from Fire-fish to Mantas. The architecture of Rote is unique, as is their exquisite ikat weaving. See the people is their traditional lifestyle, which has remained unchanged for centuries.

Rote has many historical relies including fine antique Chinese porcelains, as well as ancient arts and traditions. Many prominent Indonesia nationalist leaders were born here. A popular music instru-ment Sasando, which is made of palm leaves. According to legend, this island got its name acciden-tally when a lost Portuguese sailor arrived and asked a farmer where he was. The surprised farmer, who could not speaking Portuguese, introduced himself, “Rote”. Rote just off the southern tip of Timor Island consists of rolling hills, ter-raced plantations, and acacia palm, savanna and some forests. The

rotinese depend, like the Savunese, on lontar palm for basic survival, but also as the supplement their income with fishing and jewelry making.

Before Indonesia’s Indepen-dence, Rote, boasted the highest density of kingdom in the East Indies. Even today the island, the Rotenese and their kingdoms are divided, following ancient tradi-tion, into two domains, one known as Sunrise and one as Sunset. A “male” Lord, a “female” Lord and several advisers, representing the clans within that domain, rules the domain. Each clan that possesses ceremonial rights performs it’s own rituals during the annual HUS celebration, a traditional New Year festival. At the HUS, Rotenese men

wearing their unique hats make offerings to the clan ancestors and the women dance accompanied by sasando, The Rotenese guitar.

Rote is particularly well know for its surfing, each year surfers flock to Namberala to ride the near perfect tubes formed by the shallow reefs and off-shore winds. Accom-modation in Namberala includes a traditional beachfront bungalow resort and several home stays. The beach itself is one of the best ex-amples of a palm fringed pure white sandy beach to be found anywhere. Diving in the area is also excep-tional due to the large numbers of Manta and Dugong seen there. A boat trip to nearby Dana or Ndao Islands is also recommended.***

Rote Island


Diving Liveaboard

SV MONA LISA Cruises run a continues diving program, 7days 6 nights nonstop, it is possible to book and Fly to Labuan Bajo any day of the week for as many number of div-ing days you would like.

The Mona Lisa is a 33 meters traditional wooden schooner, named in Indonesian “Pinisi”. Its seven black sails silhouette, well-known in the Archipelago comfortably lodge 11 guests in its six teakwood air-conditioned cabins. The Mona Lisa is equipped with the latest modern marine equipments and security features.

The Cabins and Fasilities:

Mona Lisa is designed in order to offer a comfortable lodging. Equipped with 4 double cabins with the possibility to adjust double beds or with 2 simple beds and 1 Triple bed cabins, which can welcome 11 adults. All cabins have a shower (hot / cold water), sink, restroom and air-conditioning.

On the deck, a living room and a small library. The library is equipped with a TV-DVD player to view im-mediately your videos or pictures, as well as a stereo. A collection of books on fauna, flora and history of

the visited areas. Our chef serves international meals, with a focus on the daily fishing. The bar on board offers beers, alcohols and wines. Soft drinks, coffee, teas and mineral water are available 24h/ 24h. On board: laundry, towels, snorkeling equipment and zodiac services. The Mona Lisa has 12 full brand new Beuchat diving gear set. The teak deck were arranged in such way that the passengers can release themselves in the shade of a marchioness on the principal deck or the sun-deck (long teak chairs and hammock are available). From our experience we know that our guests often discover the joy to sleep in the open thanks to the open deck (sleeping bags and mattresses are available). The passengers are taken along to ground in our 25cv outboard motor zodiacs. On board the voltage is 220 volts. A standard socket-outlet European is installed

in each cabin. However we have a selection of adapters. Others plugs are in the living room.

SV MONA LISA ITINERARY

Here an example of “Mona Lisa” a route journey 7 Days / 6 Night live-aboard trip, This is only an overview of the programs we offer, this route may be subject to change depending on weather conditions.

Day 1: LABUAN BAJO – GILI LAWA ISLAND

• Pick up from airport - Transfer to SV Mona Lisa, and then check out dive

• Darat Passage South: start your adventure on this pretty coral reef, swim with turtles, and

Diving liveaboard in komodo

national park with SV Mona

Lisa


Diving Liveaboard

watch coral trout, anchovies, small tuna and trevallies feed in the bay. Along the bottom of the slope fish life increases, and you’ll see garden eels sway and white tip reef sharks sleep on the sandy bottom.

• Night dive inside Gili Lawa Darat bay.

Day 2: NORTH KOMODO | Crystal Rock - Castle Rock - Karang Makassar Moring

• Darat Passage North, Gili Lawa Darat Island: the reef slope is very rich marine life. Towards the channel, you can see turtles, a school of giant sweet lips, sharks and batfish.

• Crystal Rock: exhilarating and very colorful dive with excel-lent soft coral coverage. Expect clouds of altheas and scorpion fish, frog fish and moray eels.

• Castle Rock: admire curious batfish, schooling barracuda, trivially and mackerels. Numer-ous sea fans and host pygmy seas horses.

• Night dive @ Karang Makassar mooring.

Day 3: CENTRAL KOMODO | KO-MODO – BATU BOLONG - TATAWA ISLAND - BATU TIGA - PINK BEACH

• Batu Bolong: this reef is covered with colorful corals, inverte-brate life and brilliant reef fish. Observe napoleon wrasse, dogtooth tuna, and rainbow runners…..

• Tatawa Kecil: rocks, caves, and beautiful coral gardens grace the reef on the western side of the island. The nightlights of this

dive are definitely the dugongs and manta rays. • Snorkeling for mantas

• Batu Tiga: an excellent an excellent “big fish” dive. Large boulders in deeper water to the west offer excellent habitat for grouper, mantas, giants trivially, and other pelagic fish.

• Sailing to Pantai Merah / Pink beach - Night dive @ Pantai Merah.

Day 4: CENTRAL KOMODO | Pantai Merah - Loh Namu - Padar island

• Pantai Merah / Pink Beach: you will encounter a great variety of fish here, and a good selection of critters such as leaf scorpion fish, blue ribbon eel’s rocodile fish, and nudibranchs.

• Optional hike to see the Komodo Dragons - This magnificent rep-tile is one of the few remaining links to the days when dinosaurs roamed the planet…..

• Pinnacle dive ( bay): critters• Loh Namu: near the south-

ern corner of this reef, large boulders spread out over the drop-of. Are you ready for large schools of coral trout, Mala-bar groupers, huge Napoleon wrasse, and even a giant T gig as clam

• Sailing to Padar, night dive @ Padar island

Day 5: CENTRAL KOMODO | Padar Rock - Pillarsteen - Three Sisters

• Pillaarsteen: amazing reefs cape. Large schools of fusiliers swim along the reef slope, which is covered with a magnificent vari-ety of south corals. Be prepared

for a shark and turtles!• Three Sisters / Tiga Dara: a

pristine reef with excellent coral coverage and rich fish life.

• The Padar Rock ( critter dive ) and Night dive @ Padar Rock

Day 6: SOUTH KOMODO | Payung islan - Indihiang

• Payung Island: if you’re looking for a different experience, you’ve found it! This unique underwater landscape with its huge rocks, canyons and crevices to explore, will give you the illusion of a wreck dive. Fish and invertebrate life is diverse and abundant: big schools of surgeons and yellow snappers, rocky reefs covered with soft coral, gorgonians and feather stars.

• Indihiang: this is drift- - diving paradise: many big fish and good coral diversity can be seen along the steep walls. Top attrac-tions include potato cod, large Napoleon wrasse and schools of giant trevallies and snappers.

• Sailing to Karang Makassar / snorkeling

Day 7: LABUAN BAJO

• Returning customer transfer to Labuanbajo by speed boat.

• Transfer to airport

Please don’t hesitate to Contact us for availabilities, prices, and all your questions. we will be very happy to help you to find best suit of your liveaboard in indonesia.

Phone: +62361-282664 /8474102email: [email protected]


Diving Liveaboard

The SMY Mangguana is a traditional wooden Phinisi Schooner - sails non stop in Komodo national Park following a 7 day diving program, which you can join anytime and for as many days as you like. In the Komodo National Park with its wildlife and particularly the famous “dragons” in their natural habitat our guests will enjoy the dives or snorkeling in a crystalline water which shades one of the greatest biological underwater diversities in the world.

SMY Mangguana was completely refurbished in 2007 with a modern teak wooden interior and the lastest navi-gational and safety equipment. She is designed to confortably lodge 8 people in four en-suite teak-wood cabins. the trip combine leisure sailing and diving in away that makes Mangguana an ideal choice for both divers and non-divers.

Dives are organized up to 4 times a day and are for all tastes and levels. Most dive sites are available for fan-

tastic snorkeling and our guests also enjoy private excursions on white sand beaches, fishing and trekking escorted by park rangers to discover the wildlife on the islands.

The Cabins and Fasilities:

There are four spacious cabins (3 suites, and 1 standart double). Single travelers are catered for, provided that they are willing to share a twin cabin with another single guest. All cabins are air-conditioned and have an en-suite bathroom with a hot shower and a sink.

• Accommodations: 8 giests in 4 teak wooden cabins (AC & en-suite bathroom)

• Fasilities: TV, DVD, Overhead

projector, computer, shaded main deck, sundeck, Bar (Beer, wine and soft drink)

• Extras: Laundry, towels, snorkeling gear, sea kayak

SMY MANGGUA-NA ITINERARY

Here an example of “Mangguana” a route journey 7 Days / 6 Night live-aboard trip, This is only an overview of the programs we offer, this route may be subject to change depending on weather conditions.

Day 1: LABUAN BAJO – GILI LAWA ISLAND

• Pick up from airport - Transfer to SV Mona Lisa, and then check out dive

Diving liveaboard in komodo national park with SMY Mangguana


Diving Liveaboard

• Darat Passage South: start your adventure on this pretty coral reef, swim with turtles, and watch coral trout, anchovies, small tuna and trevallies feed in the bay. Along the bottom of the slope fish life increases, and you’ll see garden eels sway and white tip reef sharks sleep on the sandy bottom.

• Night dive inside Gili Lawa Darat bay.

Day 2: NORTH KOMODO | Crystal Rock - Castle Rock - Karang Makassar Moring

• Darat Passage North, Gili Lawa Darat Island: the reef slope is very rich marine life. Towards the channel, you can see turtles, a school of giant sweet lips, sharks and batfish.

• Crystal Rock: exhilarating and very colorful dive with excel-lent soft coral coverage. Expect clouds of altheas and scorpion fish, frog fish and moray eels.

• Castle Rock: admire curious bat-fish, schooling barracuda, trivially and mackerels. Numerous sea fans and host pygmy seas horses.

• Night dive @ Karang Makassar mooring.

Day 3: CENTRAL KOMODO | KO-MODO – BATU BOLONG - TATAWA ISLAND - BATU TIGA - PINK BEACH

• Batu Bolong: this reef is covered with colorful corals, invertebrate life and brilliant reef fish. Observe napoleon wrasse, dogtooth tuna, and rainbow runners…..

• Tatawa Kecil: rocks, caves, and beautiful coral gardens grace the reef on the western side of

the island. The nightlights of this dive are definitely the dugongs and manta rays. • Snorkeling for mantas

• Batu Tiga: an excellent an excel-lent “big fish” dive. Large boulders in deeper water to the west offer excellent habitat for grouper, mantas, giants trivially, and other pelagic fish.

• Sailing to Pantai Merah / Pink beach - Night dive @ Pantai Merah.

Day 4: CENTRAL KOMODO | Pantai Merah - Loh Namu - Padar island

• Pantai Merah / Pink Beach: you will encounter a great variety of fish here, and a good selection of critters such as leaf scorpion fish, blue ribbon eel’s rocodile fish, and nudibranchs.

• Optional hike to see the Komodo Dragons - This magnificent reptile is one of the few remaining links to the days when dinosaurs roamed the planet…..

• Pinnacle dive ( bay): critters• Loh Namu: near the southern

corner of this reef, large boulders spread out over the drop-of. Are you ready for large schools of coral trout, Malabar groupers, huge Napoleon wrasse, and even a giant T gig as clam

• Sailing to Padar, night dive @ Padar island

Day 5: CENTRAL KOMODO | Padar Rock - Pillarsteen - Three Sisters

• Pillaarsteen: amazing reefs cape. Large schools of fusiliers swim along the reef slope, which is covered with a magnificent variety of south corals. Be prepared for a

shark and turtles!• Three Sisters / Tiga Dara: a

pristine reef with excellent coral coverage and rich fish life.

• The Padar Rock ( critter dive ) and Night dive @ Padar Rock

Day 6: SOUTH KOMODO | Payung islan - Indihiang

• Payung Island: if you’re looking for a different experience, you’ve found it! This unique underwater landscape with its huge rocks, canyons and crevices to explore, will give you the illusion of a wreck dive. Fish and invertebrate life is diverse and abundant: big schools of surgeons and yellow snappers, rocky reefs covered with soft coral, gorgonians and feather stars.

• Indihiang: this is drift- - diving paradise: many big fish and good coral diversity can be seen along the steep walls. Top attractions include potato cod, large Napo-leon wrasse and schools of giant trevallies and snappers.

• Sailing to Karang Makassar / snorkeling

Day 7: LABUAN BAJO

• Returning customer transfer to Labuanbajo by speed boat.

• Transfer to airport

Please don’t hesitate to Contact us for availabilities, prices, and all your questions. we will be very happy to help you to find best suit of your liveaboard in indonesia komodo Liveaboard Diving

Phone: +62361-282664 /8474102email: [email protected]


Alor - Island

Alor is the least visited and are therefore the most unspoiled regions of East Nusa Tenggara

(NTT). Trek to the rim of Pantar volcano, visit dive the straits of Alor at a dive destination rated by all to be amongst the best in the world.

Alor Island regency is the least visited and therefore the most unspoiled region of Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT). Trek to the rim of a volcano on Pantar or dive the straits of Alor and Pantar in a dive destination rated by all to be amongst the best in the world. Ponder on the existence of the Moko drums, which are not found in large numbers anywhere else in Indonesia and can be traced back to the Dongson period in Vietnam around 350 BC and you start to realize that Alor is truly a land lost in time.

Alor diving is known as the best in the world With its smoldering Volcanoes reach-ing down into crystal clear waters fringed with pristine coral reefs, coconut fringed

pure white sandy beaches and traditional villages built half way up mountains, the scenery is as spectacular above as it is below the waterline. Alor Island is so mountainous that it is almost impossible to pass from one side to the other and many of the villages on the island itself can only transport themselves via small wooden ferries. The eight distinct dialects and more than 50 sub-dialects spoken today, testifies to the diversity on Alor.

Alor traditional culture has been influ-

enced over the ages by the Indian, Chinese and Javanese traders as well as by the Islamic and Christian religions. This can be seen in the silk thread woven into the original weavings and the mix of Mosques and Christian churches dotted throughout the Island. The traditional dances, Ikat weavings motifs and the varies architectural style greatly from area to area. With more than a dozen traditional villages within one hours drive from the capital Kalabahi - Alor is a cultural tourists heaven. ***

Alor

Edition May 2016

Documents

Transcript of Edition May 2016