Buffalo races take place all over Indonesia and their forms vary from place to place. Whereas buffalo races in Bali are done on an oval track, with riders in carts, the buffalo races I witnessed in Sumbawa were quite different. In Sumbawa, the buffalo were more in their natural environment — a muddy field. You see, water buffaloes have little hair. They are practically naked their entire lives, with just a tiny bit of hair sticking out of tough elephant-like gray skin. This is why they are called buffalo — they’re in the buff! Luckily, water buffalo are rather proud of their baldness and have never taken to the barcode look that balding men resort to when they comb all their remaining hair over their bald spot. No, with bald buffalo it’s different. They’re comfortable with their nakedness. And it’s a good thing, because you can just imagine the size a buffalo toupee would have to be.
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The completion of a bridge connecting Surabaya and Madura Island had reached 87 percent and was expected to finish by December 2008. The construction of the bridge, popularly known as “Suramadu” — for Surabaya-Madura — had lapsed over the country’s five presidencies, from the late former president Soeharto to the current Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and had spent about Rp 4.5 trillion (about US$490.7 million). The government would charge fees for motorists passing through the bridge which would be used to cover maintenance and operational costs.
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In June of 2007, Bali hosted its first triathlon – an epic race combining 1.5 km of ocean swimming, 40 km of cycling and 10 kms of running - all undertaken either individually or in teams of three. Drawing over 200 athletes to an event that began and finished on Bali’s picturesque Jimbaran Bay, the inaugural event was a success by any standard, a fact further emphasized by Bali’s selection as “Best Triathlon Destination” by the prestigious Competitors Magazine (U.S.A.). In keeping with the organizer’s concept, the Bali race presented a distinctively Balinese event combining races along the Island’s picturesque southern peninsula passing traditional villages, where sarong-clad race marshals stood guard, and included a traditional blessing of the bikes and their riders by a Balinese priest.
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Mention the word ‘snake’, and generally 95% of people run for the hills!. This is probably the worst thing you could do as you will arouse the snake’s attention. As most bushwalkers will tell you, it’s better to stand still and let the reptile get on with his business and go past you. Of course there are those times when you unavoidably step on one and then shit hits the fan, so to speak. It happened to me in Australia one particular year, and although I was lucky not to be bitten, the partner of the snake underfoot was not impressed. The snake in mention was a King Brown, one of the deadliest snakes in the world, and promptly chased me down a dry gully. In Indonesia on my travels I have come across snakes numerous times and just applied common sense in our meetings. Chances are that you will never come across a snake unless you travel in the jungles or open grasslands. A majority of tourists will never see a snake as they never venture off the beaten track.
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Diving in the waters of Indonesia is surreal and as you slip into the depths, a whole new world encircles you, enthralls you and each dive is an experience never forgotten. The waters around the Maluku Islands is no exception and probably provides some of the best diving in the archipelago although some will dispute this. The Maluku islands are a string of islands stretching between Sulawesi and Papua in the eastern part of the Indonesian archipelago. Ambon is a tiny island in the middle of this group of island and consists of two peninsula’s connected together in their eastern tip. Most of the diving and snorkelling in Ambon is done along the southern coast. Ambon has a multitude of dive locations. A cluster of tiny islands in the western tip of Ambon called Nusa Tiga is spectacular and in the bigger island of Seram located in the north is another. Other dive locations can be found in Saparua, Molana and Nusa Laut islands to the east of Ambon, about an hour and a half speedboat ride from Latuhalat. A day trip option is the site at Molana island.
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It was cloudy in Bantar Caringin village, Saguling, Rajamandala, West Bandung regency, last Sunday and Citarum River was flowing with greater force due to an early morning downpour. A group of people gathered on the bank of the tributary — which is regularly used for rafting practice — where they discussed the best spot from which to take off. This time, however, they were not going to practice rafting; they would be using boards instead of rubber boats, in a sport known as riverboarding.
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Continuing the success of the previous show, DEEP Indonesia 2008 will be held at a bigger and more prestigious venue, the Jakarta Convention Center, from 28th to 30th March 2008. With 3,000sqm of prime exhibition space, DEEP Indonesia 2008 is the opportunity to promote Diving, Adventure Travel and Water Sports to Jakarta’s new lifestyle. Exhibiting in Jakarta, home to more than 9 million people, has proven the perfect platform for promoting your business to a passionate community of diving and marine lovers.
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When it comes to the media broadcast of cycle races, I tend to be glued to the television watching the races and, especially the Tour De France. There is just something that I find fascinating about the race as man and cycle battle the elements. I admire these guys and whenever I get on the road with my new mountain bike or on the track, then there is definitely no emulating them!. Another cycle race that I admire is the Tour de East Java. Indonesia is set to hold its fifth Tour de East Java, …
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When I write ‘climbing mountains’, I don’t mean the likes of Everest or Mount Kinabalu, but rather those volcanoes, distinct or otherwise, located across the archipelago. Over the decades I have scaled quite a few. There are several matters you should take into consideration when the desire to do a Sir Edmund Hillary on any climb. First and foremost make sure you let somebody know the day you go out to climb and this applies to any major trek you take on in Indonesia. The simple reason being that if anything did go wrong on your sojourn then it will give the relative authorities an idea where to look for you. This is only common sense. In my opinion it is always advisable to use a local guide as they know the best ways up and down the mountain.
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If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me “I don’t need a First Aid Kit, I’m on holiday. Besides, I’ve got some band-aids in my bag”. Whether it be your first or one-hundredth trip to Indonesia, it is really imperative to carry some kind of first Aid Kit, and, know how to use what is in them. Some people might scoff at this suggestion, but, having a first aid kit with me on all of my journeys has helped me out in many situations. You don’t have to go out and buy the most expensive one on the market. Indeed, you could make your own. Most outdoor stores sell the basic package and then you can fill it with what you think you will need. Red Cross sell an excellent array of first aid kits to suit most activities. Personally, I use the Red Cross Backpack First Aid Kit as I find it convenient to carry as well as being light, and, it stores quite nicely in my backpack.
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