There are numerous cities and towns you can visit in the province of Kalimantan and one of my favourites is Banjarmasin. The largest city in Kalimantan, the place is a fascinating labyrinth of canals and waterways offering the visitor some amazing experiences. Many of the waterways are used for travel, using relatively small rowboats and canoes although the latter one doesn’t see that often these days. Banjarmasin is a hectic city of trade, not only for the locals, but for businesses also. An important deepwater port, Pelabuhan Trisakti Banjarmasin, is the trade centre of exports and where passenger ships and ferries to and from Java also carry their operation here. But it’s not only these waterways that hold fascination for the visitor it is also an historical city with outstanding architecture. There are actually12 types of the traditional Banjarese house which have unfortunately, lost their popularity in the modern days.
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Jambi is one of those places in Sumatra where you can see a floating population precariously perched over the Batanghari River.
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It has dominated the news this week. An Islamic militant on death row over the 2002 nightclub bombings on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali pledged ” retribution” Wednesday if his execution goes ahead. Only time will tell but, if this retribution goes ahead then it would b the downfall of foreign tourism into Indonesia. I did find this article interesting though. Idul Fitri and Christmas bear a substantial similarity to each other: their human side. It is true — from a theological perspective — that both celebrations have to do with a man’s business with his God. However, the texts used are totally different. I was a tad worried about another article as I am a fervent devourer of Mars Bars. Mars Inc has said it has “significant reason to question” results by Indonesian Government scientists that claimed to show some of the US company’s best known chocolate brands were contaminated with melamine. Perhaps I had better stick with chocolate biscuits!
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Today marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan and the beginning of the two-day celebration of Idul Fitri. I would like to take this opportunity to express to all my Muslim friends across the archipelago…
SELEMAT HARI RAYA IDUL FITRI
MOHON, MAAF, LAHIR DAN BATIN
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Indonesia is a vast archipelago with over 17,000 islands and rich not only in cultural treasures but also a country steeped in history. It is a country extending 5,120 kilometres from east to west and 1,760 kilometres from north to south and, it is the largest archipelago in the world straddling the Equator between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Amazingly, it has roughly 108,000 kilometres of beaches. The Indonesian climate is simple as it has no spring, summer, fall, or winter but only two seasons: rainy and dry. While there is significant regional variation, in most of the country the dry season is April to October, while the wet season is November to March. Put all that together with the varied plethora of bird and animal life then you have a fantastic place to visit, all year round.
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The ethnic mix of the populous in Indonesia evokes many forms of architecture but my passion is for the older structures built during the period of Dutch occupation throughout the islands.
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Surrounding this cloth are legends steeped in history and mysterious. Batik is art in the purest sense of the word.
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I was reading an interesting article today and if you are a connoisseur of Indonesian culture and especially music then the upcoming Bambu Nusantara 2 World Music Festival is one attraction that you really can’t miss. It is n international bamboo music festival and as you know there are various types of bamboo instruments played in the islands across the archipelago, each region or island having its own. For instance, on the island of Bali it is the Angklung and very popular with tourists buying them as souvenirs. Angklung also has a special place in a gamelan orchestra. My favourite is the saluang or flute from West Sumatra. Of course there are those bamboo instruments that are a percussion type such as the calung from West Java. Other types are the kulintang from North Sulawesi. The list goes on. Bandung is the perfect setting for this festival as it is the cultural centre of West Java and steeped in the arts.
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I thought we’d start the week with a bit of culture. Following the recent discovery of the Majapahit town square, archaeologists from various universities have been challenged to locate the palace of the ancient kingdom, believed to be the biggest across the archipelago. I Made Kusumajaya, head of the conservation center (BP3) in Trowulan, Mojokerto, said his office had given out the challenge to the team of archaeologists excavating the site and told them to continue their work there. Trowulan is proving to be an Archaeologists utopia. Continuing with the theme, the Arab-Indonesian community in Empang subdistrict, Bogor, has lived side by side with their uphill Sundanese neighbours for over a century. They even share food, especially during the fasting month of Ramadan. Whilst still on the subject, Idul Fitri is still a week away, but people are already queuing up at bus terminal ticket windows to pay their fares homes. It is going to be one mad rush as usual.
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Solo, or Surakarta as it is formerly known, is located about 60 kilometres to the east of Yogyakarta in Central Java and is one of the principal batik centres in Java. Bordered by the longest river in Java, Begawan Solo, Solo has much to offer the traveller although oddly enough, it is less visited that its sister counterpart of Yogyakarta. The city is home to many traditional and heritage sites as well as many cultural and historic places. There are interesting museums, palaces and centres of art and culture. There are numerous shops that offer a variety of products and specialty items as well as excellent restaurants and cafes. It is a fun city to explore by becak or on foot and if you don’t have a clue where you are going then there are no shortage of local guides willing to tag along for a fee of course to enlighten you with the delights of the city.
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