Indonesia Trips
Diving in Indonesia
It has been a while since I have been below the briny and I truly miss it as diving in Indonesia is an experience of a lifetime and with over 17,000 islands to choose from, there are copious amounts of dive-sites each with its own special delights and clarity of water. Interestingly, there are about four thousand species of fishes in the waters of Indonesia and that amounts to about one fourth of the total species of fish found worldwide. In fact, the wealth of marine life is amazing. The coral reefs off the islands in the archipelago are, in the norm, pristine and both patch reefs and barrier reefs can be found. I can truly state that besides the extraordinary marine life, Indonesia has the best coral reefs in the world. I have dived at a lot of locations in the archipelago but without a doubt, two of the best are Raja Ampat and Bunaken. Of course everybody has their own special place where they have enjoyed the best dive experience of their lives. As I mentioned earlier, there are literally thousands of dive sites and still a lot are yet to be discovered.
Date: September 19th, 2008 |
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Jungle Ulua Fishing Adventures
I can recall many times when I lived in Cairns, Queensland, in Australia and going out in a boat owned by a friend of mine to do some big-game fishing. It was exciting, even exhilarating, but, when we finally hauled the large fish onto the boat, I almost felt like a criminal for invading the daily life of the poor creature. Naturally, all the fish that we caught were released back into the sea except the few we kept for a delightful repast. Sure, I enjoy fishing but I also enjoy the challenge of getting to a remote place to imbibe in this pastime. There are two guys, Michael Owen and Cyrus Boyum who have been successfully fishing the Islands of Indonesia for many years. Their choice of fish is one of the greatest sports fish, the Giant Trevally or as it is known in Indonesia, Ulua. Over time these two guys developed not only a unique friendship, but also a great company where guests could combine the passion of high adventure with fishing and developed the only fishing jungle safari offered worldwide - Jungle Ulua Fishing Adventures.
Date: July 27th, 2008 |
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The Island of Sulawesi
An island with the central areas being rugged mountains, Sulawesi has a distinctive shape with four large peninsulas. It is an island famous for its culture and traditions, its panoramic beauty and has some of the most beautiful beaches in the archipelago as well as some of the best diving spots in the world. Travellers who have been to Sulawesi rave about the culture of Tana Toraja with the hanging graves in the sides of mountains and, ceremonies for the dead that are unique on this planet. But, Sulawesi is more than just that. It has some spectacular historical places to visit and cities that will leave you in awe and make you wonder why you didn’t visit the place earlier on your travels to the archipelago of Indonesia. Sulawesi has six provinces and each being as wondrous as the next. The provinces are Gorontalo, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, and North Sulawesi.
Date: June 27th, 2008 |
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From Bali to Flores the Adventurous Way
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” - Jawaharial Nehru
On my upcoming sojourn in the archipelago I will be travelling to the eastern islands starting from Bali and then island-hopping eastwards to the far eastern island of Flores. Quite a while back I did this trip and was immensely impressed with the individual island’s culture and its peoples. Of course I can expect some changes to have occurred, like the losmens I stayed in last time might not be there, the warungs where I enjoyed the tastes of the local delicacies could have closed down or the friends that I made, moved on to better things. Most of the eastern islands are relatively poor compared to those of the larger islands and that of the mass tourism island of Bali. Subsequently, any though of western comforts are soon dismissed and should be before you venture out on a journey like this. It’s not a journey your regular tourist to Indonesia does.
Date: June 11th, 2008 |
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Kelimutu Lakes: Flores, East Nusa Tenggara
Located some 60 kilometers to the east of Ende, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, there are three lakes of three different colours that are collectively known as the Kelimutu Lakes. To get to the lakes, tourists must travel about two hours overland from Ende to the parking area of Kelimutu National Park and from there walk for about 30 minutes through casuarina trees to reach the crater. Scientists continue to puzzle over the colors of the lakes, which are situated about 1,690 meters above sea level, because they change over time. Before 2006, the lakes were red, blue and white. Now, the red lake is black-brown, the blue lake is light green and the white lake is black. The black-brown lake and the light green lake are located side-by-side, separated only by a wall of earth that is 100-200 centimeters thick.
Date: May 15th, 2008 |
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Adventure on the Mahakam River: Kalimantan
The archipelago of Indonesia is an adventurers delight and also for those travellers who want to get off the beaten tourist path and immerse themselves into different cultures as well as engaging in activities beyond the normal tourist norm. Each island offers something different to the traveller whether it be hiking, climbing, white-water rafting or just photography, the list goes on. The island of Kalimantan is, without a doubt, an adventure-seekers island. This doesn’t mean you have to be young and super-fit. On the contrary, I have met many middle aged and older people on the tracks and in warungs enjoying their trip. One adventure I would recommend is a journey by boat down the Mahakam River. With a length of around 980 km, it flows from the highlands down to its mouth in Makassar Strait. Here you will find the city of Samarinda and it lies along the river 48 km from the river mouth. Being an important river in the region of East Kalimantan it is where you will find big ships using the system to navigate upstream as far as the highlands. It is at this point that the rapids begin and longboats are used to navigate the waters.
Date: September 9th, 2008 |
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Doing the Tourist Thing: Yogyakarta, Central Java
During the time of the Soeharto regime tourism flourished in Indonesia and especially in places like Bali and Yogyakarta. Western tourists virtually flocked to Yogyakarta to experience the Javanese culture, visit the archaeological icons in or near the city and, this was mainly due to Yogyakarta’s reputation of being the cultural heart of Indonesia and the Yogyanese being the friendliest in the archipelago. These two factors still remain the same today and gradually western tourists are returning to Yogyakarta albeit slowly after a hiatus in tourism due to many internal factors in the country. In general, western tourists, and to a certain extent domestic tourists, stay in Yogyakarta for a period of three days. Of course in my opinion this is very little time to experience all that Yogyakarta has to offer, but, as long as the tourists see the main sights they seem to be satisfied with their visit.
Date: July 17th, 2008 |
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Places to Visit in Semarang: Central Java
I can still recall the very first time I visited Semarang, the northern coastal in Central Java. It was in the middle of the hot season, the winds blew even hotter and the dust was annoying to the eyes. But, I loved it. It was refreshing to visit and experience a city of such historical importance and culture. Semarang is a divided city – the cooler new part of the city called Bukit Sari where most of the flash hotels and residences are located, and, the old part of the city known as Kota Lama. It is here in the old part of the city that I would recommend anybody to stay when they are visiting the city and much more interesting and fascinating to explore. Kota Lama has a lot of old Dutch colonial buildings and you can still see the old building remains of what was once a walled city. Staying anywhere in the old city will give you the opportunity to be near just about everything you could want to see and that includes the maze of markets and side streets where very turn of a corner is a pleasant surprise. Try the losmens and budget hotels nearer to Pasar Johar. I would suggest getting around by foot to see most of the historical places, but if you are not into wearing your feet to the bone, then there are plenty of becaks or taxis available.
Date: June 23rd, 2008 |
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Togean National Park: Central Sulawesi
The Togean island chain is an ecological wonder located in Tojo Una-Una regency, Central Sulawesi, about a 10-hour journey from Palu. But local people have protested against the designation of the Togean National Park. The Forestry Ministry designated a 411,373-hectare area as a marine tourism park in February 2004 following a proposal from the local government. Backed by the Tojo Una-Una regent, the Forestry Ministry then added another 362,605 ha in October 2004 to create the Togean National Park. However, local people protested against this. The Toloka Foundation, a local non-governmental group, demanded the ministry revoke its decision on the grounds that it restricted local livelihoods, while in practice leaving the park open to other kinds of exploitation. Toloka argued this was contrary to the spirit of regional autonomy.
Date: May 30th, 2008 |
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Visit Musi 2008: South Sumatra
The tourism business in South Sumatra has been sluggish for years. The province hardly figures as a major tourist destination, although the region was named Indonesia’s seventh tourist destination a few years back. In fact, the province is rich in culture and historical sites. These include prehistoric relics and attractions of historical value linked to Indonesia’s independence struggle. Unfortunately, this potential has remained largely untapped, consequently it has little business value.
Date: May 7th, 2008 |
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