The bridge that spread above Musi River is becomes the main characteristic of Palembang city. It was built on 1962 - 1965. Ampera Bridge has 78m high of tower. However, the special feature of this bridge that it can be opened and closed, the mechanism is no longer working, whereas is fact, it is the only bridge in Indonesia with the open-and-closed mechanism. Now it is only history. The bridge has to be lifted up of the middle shares each time there every king sized ship, with height above nine meters, will pass by quickly. Both for going to downstream and also which going to the upstream.
Started in 1970, the Legendaries Bridge does not make a move to fluctuate again. The moving bridge build, besides to connected Ulu and Ilir that separated by Musi River, also to anticipate if there is big ship, which sail in the river. Each time, when the bridge body make a move to go up or go down always interesting to look up, and caught up to king sized ships pass under the bridge, make amazing moment for the citizen who have see it from the river boundary, or from other ship. The construction build started in April 1962, after getting approval of President of Soekarno. An expense of its development is taken away from fund of Japan.
In initially, bridge as long as 1.177 meters widely this 22 meters, named 'Bung Karno's Bridge'. A historian of Djohan Hanafiah, the name mentioned as appreciation to The President of Republic Indonesia. Bung Karno had fight seriously for desire of Palembang citizen, to have a bridge above Musi River. 1965 is an opening usage of bridge ceremony, at the same time, Bung Karno name as a name of the bridge. However, after turbulence of politics happened in 1966, when there was a movement of anti-Soekarno very strong, name of that bridge even also turned into Ampera Bridge. At this time, the name of Ampera Bridge had not changed yet. There are some citizens in Palembang wish its name return to Bung Karno's Bridge. According to Djohan, the commutation request of name of Ampera Bridge become Bung Karno as a streamlining effort of middle story.
The parts of Ampera Bridge, when it has been woke up, as long as 71,90 meters, widely 22 meters. Part of bridge heavy entirety 944 that ton can be lifted with speed about 10 meters per minute. Two jacking tower of the bridge upstanding as high as 63 meters. Apart between these two tower is 75 meters. This two Tower provided with two pendulum of about 500-ton weight. Then the bridge lifted up, wide ship of the size 60 meters and highly maximum 44,50 meters, can pass to ford of Musi River. And when middle shares of this bridge did not lifted, maximum high of ships, which can pass under the bridge only 9 meters of water level of river.
Since 1970, the bridge shall no longer fluctuate again. Time used to lift this bridge that is about 30 minute, assumed to bother traffic current between defecting Ulu and Ilir, two Town of Palembang area dissociated by Musi River. The river is only connecting by Ampera Bridge. But Arsyad anticipate, the reason of Ampera Bridge do not fluctuate again because of there is no big ship which can sail in Musi River. The river become worse superficiality that cannot navigate by king sized ship.
Ampera Bridge has been renovated in 1981, by finishing fund about Rp 850 million. Renovating conducted after emerging care of threat damage of the bridge can make it fall down. Today, expanding discourse about the important thing to development of Musi III Bridge and Musi IV Bridge as another way to connective Ulu and Ilir, at the same time the development meant to develop Ulu area.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/south-sumatra/ampera_bridge.html
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Friday, April 30, 2010
Pantar Strait, Alor Archipelago
Indonesia has many famous diving sites. For professional divers, Pantar Strait Marine Park is one of the most beautiful in the country and comparable only with that of the Caribbean Sea near Central America. This Marine Park has its own unique characteristics and beauty.
This strait is located between Alor and Pantar islands in the Alor Archipelago, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). This narrow strait has a number of small and beautiful islands such as Kepa, Pura, Ternate, Buaya and Tereweng islands. The waters have a strong current and its sound is as loud as a waterfall. At unpredictable times, a cold current comes, killing small and medium size fish near the beach.
There are at least 26 diving sites around Kepa, Pura, Ternate, and Tanjung Matap islands, and Papa Jahe beach (Alor)- including the famous Shark Close. At this site, divers can play with groups of friendly sharks. In the waters around Papa Jahe, you can also go diving at night.
Getting There
Everyday there is a flight from Kupang to Alor by Transnusa (Transnusa Alor: 0386-21039) and four times a week by Merpati (Merpati Alor: 0386-21041). From Kupang, the official flight schedule is in the morning from 06.00-07.00. When the weather is bad, the flight is usually postponed to the afternoon or even canceled.
Twice a week, there is a motorboat from and to Kupang and once a week from and to Atapupu on Timor Island. In addition, twice a month, the Pelni ship (Pelni Alor: 0386-21195) comes from Kupang, Ende, Lombok, Makasar and Bali and arrives at Kalabahi Port in Alor.
Getting Around
You may take a rented car or motor taxi available at Mali airport in Alor to Kalabahi. From here, you can take a motorboat or speed boat to the Pantar Strait or nearby islands. For land transportation in Alor, you can take a bemo (city transportation only within Kalabahi), motor taxi, rented car, or modified jeep (locally known as a panser). To rent a car, please contact Mr. Kris Dami (0386-21030).
To Do
For divers, Pantar Strait is paradise on Earth. Experienced diving service agencies such as Dive Alor (www.divealor.com) and Alor Dive (www.alordive.com) are available. In addition to diving, snorkeling is also fun. You can walk around and enjoy the quiet and clean beaches on Kepa Island and Alor Kecil while waiting for groups of dolphins to pass through, or enjoy the underwater current to hear the sound of waterfall.
To Stay
La Petite Kepa Homestay on Kepa Island belongs to a French national and is a favorite place for foreign tourists. Bungalows are available here. In Kalabahi City, comfortable hotels are available such as Hotel Pelangi Indah, Hotel Adi Dharma, and Hotel Nusa Kenari Indah.
To Eat
Hotels and inns usually have their own restaurants. At Kepa Homestay, the room rate includes three meals, usually fresh fish. In Kalabahi, there are a number of restaurants such as Rumah Makan Kediri and a restaurant belonging to Hotel Pelangi Indah. At night, many food stalls sell grilled fish, Soto soup and chicken satay near the port.
To Buy
You may complete your personal collection with the famous Alor woven fabrics. You can buy the best quality fabrics at Alor Kecil village, some 12 kilometers from Kalabahi, or from officials of the Alor Museum on Dipenegoro Street, or at the Kalabahi market.
Tips
The Alor Archipelago, including areas near the Pantar Strait, is an endemic area for the malaria mosquito. Make sure you bring along your anti-mosquito, anti-insect, or anti-malaria medicines.
In Kalabahi at night, many drunken teenagers sit by the street sides and sometimes create problems so please be careful when walking at night.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/90/pantar-strait-alor-archipelago
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
This strait is located between Alor and Pantar islands in the Alor Archipelago, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). This narrow strait has a number of small and beautiful islands such as Kepa, Pura, Ternate, Buaya and Tereweng islands. The waters have a strong current and its sound is as loud as a waterfall. At unpredictable times, a cold current comes, killing small and medium size fish near the beach.
There are at least 26 diving sites around Kepa, Pura, Ternate, and Tanjung Matap islands, and Papa Jahe beach (Alor)- including the famous Shark Close. At this site, divers can play with groups of friendly sharks. In the waters around Papa Jahe, you can also go diving at night.
Getting There
Everyday there is a flight from Kupang to Alor by Transnusa (Transnusa Alor: 0386-21039) and four times a week by Merpati (Merpati Alor: 0386-21041). From Kupang, the official flight schedule is in the morning from 06.00-07.00. When the weather is bad, the flight is usually postponed to the afternoon or even canceled.
Twice a week, there is a motorboat from and to Kupang and once a week from and to Atapupu on Timor Island. In addition, twice a month, the Pelni ship (Pelni Alor: 0386-21195) comes from Kupang, Ende, Lombok, Makasar and Bali and arrives at Kalabahi Port in Alor.
Getting Around
You may take a rented car or motor taxi available at Mali airport in Alor to Kalabahi. From here, you can take a motorboat or speed boat to the Pantar Strait or nearby islands. For land transportation in Alor, you can take a bemo (city transportation only within Kalabahi), motor taxi, rented car, or modified jeep (locally known as a panser). To rent a car, please contact Mr. Kris Dami (0386-21030).
To Do
For divers, Pantar Strait is paradise on Earth. Experienced diving service agencies such as Dive Alor (www.divealor.com) and Alor Dive (www.alordive.com) are available. In addition to diving, snorkeling is also fun. You can walk around and enjoy the quiet and clean beaches on Kepa Island and Alor Kecil while waiting for groups of dolphins to pass through, or enjoy the underwater current to hear the sound of waterfall.
To Stay
La Petite Kepa Homestay on Kepa Island belongs to a French national and is a favorite place for foreign tourists. Bungalows are available here. In Kalabahi City, comfortable hotels are available such as Hotel Pelangi Indah, Hotel Adi Dharma, and Hotel Nusa Kenari Indah.
To Eat
Hotels and inns usually have their own restaurants. At Kepa Homestay, the room rate includes three meals, usually fresh fish. In Kalabahi, there are a number of restaurants such as Rumah Makan Kediri and a restaurant belonging to Hotel Pelangi Indah. At night, many food stalls sell grilled fish, Soto soup and chicken satay near the port.
To Buy
You may complete your personal collection with the famous Alor woven fabrics. You can buy the best quality fabrics at Alor Kecil village, some 12 kilometers from Kalabahi, or from officials of the Alor Museum on Dipenegoro Street, or at the Kalabahi market.
Tips
The Alor Archipelago, including areas near the Pantar Strait, is an endemic area for the malaria mosquito. Make sure you bring along your anti-mosquito, anti-insect, or anti-malaria medicines.
In Kalabahi at night, many drunken teenagers sit by the street sides and sometimes create problems so please be careful when walking at night.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/90/pantar-strait-alor-archipelago
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Otanaha Castle
Otanaha Castle. In the past, the Kings of Gorontalo used Otanaha castle as a place of protection and defense. The unique of the castle applies in the material that was used to build the castle, which was the mixed of sand, plaster and the white part of Maleo egg. The panorama of Danau Limboto also can be seen clearly from the castle of Otanaha, because the castle itself stands in the top of the highland. Precisely, the castle is located in Dembe I, Kota Barat. The distance of the castle is approximately 8 km from the center of Gorontalo city. Beside Otanaha castle, there are two more castles that also located in the same area, Otahiya and Ulupahu castles. The visitor must pass 345 steps of stairs to reach the three of the castles because of its position that located in the top of the highland. There is also alternative way to be able to reach the top of the mountain.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/340/-otanaha-castle
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/340/-otanaha-castle
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Eat, Pray, Love and Escape in Ubud
What can you tell about the journey of this passionate woman? In search of revelation and clarity, Elizabeth Gilbert treaded on an adventurous trip of a lifetime, only to come to appreciate that what truly matters is self-acceptance.
Spending her time across many countries, she believed the best retreat from life is enjoying life itself. Mistaking insights as worldly experiences, she found herself craving for fulfillment. Not even Italy or India could give her the peace that she longed for.
And she found it in Bali, an island of gods and goddesses. It drew Elizabeth Gilbert’s attention for its richness of nature, culture, cuisine. And love.
Join us for a journey of eat, pray, love and escape in Ubud, Bali.
Getting There
You could smell canang (a Balinese offering; combination of leaves, flowers and incense) right after you step off the airplane or near almost every door you meet. You could see genuine smiles all over the Balinese faces who greet you with respect. These new experiences may fill you with questions. But never confuse. Escapade comes natural in Bali.
If you don't have a map in hand or even a clue, you can always understand phrases like "Taxi, Sir?" or "Hotel, Ma'am?" Just tell them you're heading to Ubud and you'll be on your way.
Getting Around
The escapade in Ubud can easily start right at the time you unpack your bag in a nice quiet hotel of your choise just as Liz Gilbert did, as she relaxed her body and mind in front of the beautiful scenery. She knew she had little to worry about because she could always converse with the locals. They'd be more than happy to explain what and where to go. Such is the friendliness of Ubud.
To Do
See
Most people would recommend sightseeing at Jalan Raya Ubud. The Ubud Palace is a nice stop. But
you shouldn't miss gazing at the rice fields at Tegalalang. Smell the air and feel the breeze on your skin. Embrace the butterflies in your stomach.
Go see a Kecak Dance exhibition, a marvelous gallery at Bianco’s or at Biasa Gallery. If you come at the right time, the yearly festival is as fascinating as it is. Find out what ceremony does the locals do along your days in Ubud. Witness how they live daily by embracing their spiritual side, just like Ketut Liyer (the healer which encouraged Liz to love again).
Do
Meditation is good for your mind and soul. But don't get the wrong impression, meditation comes in many forms. Ask around and decide what suits you best.
To Stay
Staying a few days, weeks, or even more than what you originally planned, will always be a wonderful moment to treasure. Exclusive hotels are optional. Even Liz enjoyed the blunt look of tropical tree tops, swimming pools and a fresh tropical fruits at a reasonably priced hotel down at Monkey Forest Road. "It’s good to be back," she said once along the journey.
To Eat
Dash a lick of a strong spicy Balinese ‘Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka’ (Balinese suckling pig set menu) down at Jalan Sweta Ubud, across the Ubud Palace. It's a five-minute walk to the leftside of Pasar Ubud. But if you miss home and want to munch a wider choice of culinary options, cruise along Jalan Raya Ubud (Ubud main road). During the filming of Eat, Pray, Love, Julia Roberts was invited by the local ruler to dine in an enjoyable restaurant in Ubud. That'll be be The Lotus in Jalan Raya Ubud.
Carry on, let's maybe sip down a few evening margarita at Nuri’s, plus a giant juicy ribs with sambal kecap (mixture of chili and soya sauce ), or a Japanese elegant at Ryoshi Ubud. You don't have to come at the same place twice since there are countless restaurants and delicacies to explore.
To Buy
You might want to visit Pasar Ubud as well, hunt for some antiques. Spoil yourself with choices of antiques, decorations or traditional fabrics--all bargainable. Dare yourself to do so.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/419/eat-pray-love-and-escape-in-ubud
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Spending her time across many countries, she believed the best retreat from life is enjoying life itself. Mistaking insights as worldly experiences, she found herself craving for fulfillment. Not even Italy or India could give her the peace that she longed for.
And she found it in Bali, an island of gods and goddesses. It drew Elizabeth Gilbert’s attention for its richness of nature, culture, cuisine. And love.
Join us for a journey of eat, pray, love and escape in Ubud, Bali.
Getting There
You could smell canang (a Balinese offering; combination of leaves, flowers and incense) right after you step off the airplane or near almost every door you meet. You could see genuine smiles all over the Balinese faces who greet you with respect. These new experiences may fill you with questions. But never confuse. Escapade comes natural in Bali.
If you don't have a map in hand or even a clue, you can always understand phrases like "Taxi, Sir?" or "Hotel, Ma'am?" Just tell them you're heading to Ubud and you'll be on your way.
Getting Around
The escapade in Ubud can easily start right at the time you unpack your bag in a nice quiet hotel of your choise just as Liz Gilbert did, as she relaxed her body and mind in front of the beautiful scenery. She knew she had little to worry about because she could always converse with the locals. They'd be more than happy to explain what and where to go. Such is the friendliness of Ubud.
To Do
See
Most people would recommend sightseeing at Jalan Raya Ubud. The Ubud Palace is a nice stop. But
you shouldn't miss gazing at the rice fields at Tegalalang. Smell the air and feel the breeze on your skin. Embrace the butterflies in your stomach.
Go see a Kecak Dance exhibition, a marvelous gallery at Bianco’s or at Biasa Gallery. If you come at the right time, the yearly festival is as fascinating as it is. Find out what ceremony does the locals do along your days in Ubud. Witness how they live daily by embracing their spiritual side, just like Ketut Liyer (the healer which encouraged Liz to love again).
Do
Meditation is good for your mind and soul. But don't get the wrong impression, meditation comes in many forms. Ask around and decide what suits you best.
To Stay
Staying a few days, weeks, or even more than what you originally planned, will always be a wonderful moment to treasure. Exclusive hotels are optional. Even Liz enjoyed the blunt look of tropical tree tops, swimming pools and a fresh tropical fruits at a reasonably priced hotel down at Monkey Forest Road. "It’s good to be back," she said once along the journey.
To Eat
Dash a lick of a strong spicy Balinese ‘Warung Babi Guling Ibu Oka’ (Balinese suckling pig set menu) down at Jalan Sweta Ubud, across the Ubud Palace. It's a five-minute walk to the leftside of Pasar Ubud. But if you miss home and want to munch a wider choice of culinary options, cruise along Jalan Raya Ubud (Ubud main road). During the filming of Eat, Pray, Love, Julia Roberts was invited by the local ruler to dine in an enjoyable restaurant in Ubud. That'll be be The Lotus in Jalan Raya Ubud.
Carry on, let's maybe sip down a few evening margarita at Nuri’s, plus a giant juicy ribs with sambal kecap (mixture of chili and soya sauce ), or a Japanese elegant at Ryoshi Ubud. You don't have to come at the same place twice since there are countless restaurants and delicacies to explore.
To Buy
You might want to visit Pasar Ubud as well, hunt for some antiques. Spoil yourself with choices of antiques, decorations or traditional fabrics--all bargainable. Dare yourself to do so.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/419/eat-pray-love-and-escape-in-ubud
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Museum of The Asian-African Conference
The Asian-African Conference which was held on 18th to 24th April 1955 in Bandung gained a big success both in formulating common concerns and in preparing operational guidance for cooperation among Asian African Nation as well as in creating world order and world peace. The conference has had a result Dasasila Bandung, which became the guideline for the colonized countries in fighting for their independence. It also became the fundamental principles in promoting world peace and international cooperation. The success of the conference was not only for the time being but also for the time after so that the soul and spirit of the Asian-African Conference becomes one of the most important factor that deciding world history.
All is a huge prestige that gained by the Asian African Nations. The spirit of Bandung had succeeded in widening the work volume among Asian African Nations. As a consequence, their influence and their role in international cooperation are increased and more respected.
In order to maintain those mentions above, it is important if the Asian-African Conference with its event is maintained eternally in a museum where the conference was held, Gedung Merdeka, Bandung, a city that is considered as a capital city and a source of inspiration for the Asian-African Nations.
As a Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Dr. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, S.H., LL.M., often met and got involved in some discussions with some of the Asian African Leaders. They frequently asked him about Gedung Merdeka and City of Bandung, which was the venue of the Asian-African Conference. The discussions were always ended with their wishes to be able to visit Bandung and Gedung Merdeka.
Inspired by desires to eternalize the Asian-African Conference, the idea of establishing a Museum of the Asian-African Conference in Gedung Merdeka was born by Prof. Dr. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, S.H., LL.M.. The idea was delivered in the meeting of the Committee for the Commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference (1980), which was attended by Directorate General of Culture, Prof. Dr. Haryati Soebadio as a representative for the Department of Culture and Education. Fortunately, the idea was fully supported including President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soeharto
The idea of establishing the Museum of the Asian-African Conference had been materialized by Joop Ave, the Executive Chairman of the Committee of the 25th Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference and Director General of Protocol and Consular in the Department of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with Department of Information, Department of Education and Culture, the Provincial Government of West Java, and Padjadjaran University. The technical planning and its execution was carried out by PT Decenta, Bandung.
The Museum of the Asian-African Conference was inaugurated by President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soeharto on 24th April 1980 as the culmination of the 25th Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference.
FACILITIES
PERMANENT EXHIBITION ROOM
Museum of the Asian-African Conference has a permanent exhibition room, which exhibits collections of three-dimension objects and documentary photos of Tugu Meeting, Colombo Conference, and Asian-African Conference 1955.
The exhibition room also provides:
- the historical events that become the historical background of the Asian- African Conference;
- the effect of the Asian-African Conference to the world;
- Gedung Merdeka from time to time;
- Profile of the participant countries of the Asian-African Conference that are performed in the multimedia.
In order to welcome the Delegates of the Tenth Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1992 in which Indonesia had been chosen as the host of the conference and became the Leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, the diorama describing the Opening Session of the Asian-African Conference was made.
Renovation of the Permanent Exhibition Room “The History of the Asian African Conference 1955”
In the framework of the Asian-African Summit 2005 and the 50th Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference on 22 - 24 April 2005, initiated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. N. Hassan Wirajuda, the display of the exhibition room at the Museum of the Asian-African Conference was renovated. The renovation was materialized through the cooperation among Department of Foreign Affairs, Secretariat of State, and Provincial Government of West Java. The planning and the execution were carried out by Vico Design and Wika Realty.
The Groundwork of Making the Permanent Exhibition Room “History of the Struggle of the Asia Africa” and Hall of the National Identity of the Asian African Countries (2008)
Department of Foreign Affairs RI has a plan to develop the Museum of the Asian African Conference as a symbol of cooperation between two regions and develop it as a study center, the archive center, and documentation center. One of its efforts is by making some permanent exhibition rooms that perform some pictures and three dimension objects concerning the New Asian African Strategic Partnership / NAASP also some materials that describe the culture of both regions.
The establishment of the museum is planned to be real in April 2008l 2008, on the 3rd Anniversary of the Asian African Summit.
LIBRARY
The library provides many books on history, social, politic, and culture of the Asian African Countries and others; documents of the Asian-African Conference and its preliminary conferences; magazines and newspapers donated from other institutions or gained by purchase.
Along with the extension of the permanent exhibition rooms on April 2008, the library will also be developed as an Asian African Library Center which its process will be started in 2007. it is hoped that the library will be the main source of information about those two regions that provide some facilities such as wifi zone, bookshop café, digitall library and audio visual library.
AUDIO VISUAL
As well as the library, the audio visual was built in 1985. the presence of this museum is also inspired by Abdullah Kamil.
The room is applied to perform documentary films on world condition until 1950s, Asian-African Conference and its preliminary conferences, and films about the social, politic, and culture condition of the Asian-African Countries.
Tips
Open for public:
Monday-Friday 08.00-15.00 WIB
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/379/museum-of-the-asian-african-conference
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
All is a huge prestige that gained by the Asian African Nations. The spirit of Bandung had succeeded in widening the work volume among Asian African Nations. As a consequence, their influence and their role in international cooperation are increased and more respected.
In order to maintain those mentions above, it is important if the Asian-African Conference with its event is maintained eternally in a museum where the conference was held, Gedung Merdeka, Bandung, a city that is considered as a capital city and a source of inspiration for the Asian-African Nations.
As a Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Dr. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, S.H., LL.M., often met and got involved in some discussions with some of the Asian African Leaders. They frequently asked him about Gedung Merdeka and City of Bandung, which was the venue of the Asian-African Conference. The discussions were always ended with their wishes to be able to visit Bandung and Gedung Merdeka.
Inspired by desires to eternalize the Asian-African Conference, the idea of establishing a Museum of the Asian-African Conference in Gedung Merdeka was born by Prof. Dr. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, S.H., LL.M.. The idea was delivered in the meeting of the Committee for the Commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference (1980), which was attended by Directorate General of Culture, Prof. Dr. Haryati Soebadio as a representative for the Department of Culture and Education. Fortunately, the idea was fully supported including President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soeharto
The idea of establishing the Museum of the Asian-African Conference had been materialized by Joop Ave, the Executive Chairman of the Committee of the 25th Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference and Director General of Protocol and Consular in the Department of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with Department of Information, Department of Education and Culture, the Provincial Government of West Java, and Padjadjaran University. The technical planning and its execution was carried out by PT Decenta, Bandung.
The Museum of the Asian-African Conference was inaugurated by President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soeharto on 24th April 1980 as the culmination of the 25th Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference.
FACILITIES
PERMANENT EXHIBITION ROOM
Museum of the Asian-African Conference has a permanent exhibition room, which exhibits collections of three-dimension objects and documentary photos of Tugu Meeting, Colombo Conference, and Asian-African Conference 1955.
The exhibition room also provides:
- the historical events that become the historical background of the Asian- African Conference;
- the effect of the Asian-African Conference to the world;
- Gedung Merdeka from time to time;
- Profile of the participant countries of the Asian-African Conference that are performed in the multimedia.
In order to welcome the Delegates of the Tenth Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1992 in which Indonesia had been chosen as the host of the conference and became the Leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, the diorama describing the Opening Session of the Asian-African Conference was made.
Renovation of the Permanent Exhibition Room “The History of the Asian African Conference 1955”
In the framework of the Asian-African Summit 2005 and the 50th Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference on 22 - 24 April 2005, initiated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. N. Hassan Wirajuda, the display of the exhibition room at the Museum of the Asian-African Conference was renovated. The renovation was materialized through the cooperation among Department of Foreign Affairs, Secretariat of State, and Provincial Government of West Java. The planning and the execution were carried out by Vico Design and Wika Realty.
The Groundwork of Making the Permanent Exhibition Room “History of the Struggle of the Asia Africa” and Hall of the National Identity of the Asian African Countries (2008)
Department of Foreign Affairs RI has a plan to develop the Museum of the Asian African Conference as a symbol of cooperation between two regions and develop it as a study center, the archive center, and documentation center. One of its efforts is by making some permanent exhibition rooms that perform some pictures and three dimension objects concerning the New Asian African Strategic Partnership / NAASP also some materials that describe the culture of both regions.
The establishment of the museum is planned to be real in April 2008l 2008, on the 3rd Anniversary of the Asian African Summit.
LIBRARY
The library provides many books on history, social, politic, and culture of the Asian African Countries and others; documents of the Asian-African Conference and its preliminary conferences; magazines and newspapers donated from other institutions or gained by purchase.
Along with the extension of the permanent exhibition rooms on April 2008, the library will also be developed as an Asian African Library Center which its process will be started in 2007. it is hoped that the library will be the main source of information about those two regions that provide some facilities such as wifi zone, bookshop café, digitall library and audio visual library.
AUDIO VISUAL
As well as the library, the audio visual was built in 1985. the presence of this museum is also inspired by Abdullah Kamil.
The room is applied to perform documentary films on world condition until 1950s, Asian-African Conference and its preliminary conferences, and films about the social, politic, and culture condition of the Asian-African Countries.
Tips
Open for public:
Monday-Friday 08.00-15.00 WIB
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/379/museum-of-the-asian-african-conference
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Um Island
Um Island is located right in front of Maleumkarta village and it can be seen from Mailang beach in Makbon district, Sorong, West Papua. This island is famous as a habitat for bats and seagulls. Bats in this island look for food at daytime but seagulls at nighttime.
It is always interesting to see thousands of bats and seagulls looking for food. In addition, you can also see sunset and beautiful panorama of white beach around the island.
Getting There
To reach Sorong, you can take a plane or ship. There are several flights you can take from Jakarta e.g., Merpati Air, Express Air, and Lion Air. For sea transportation, ships transiting in Port Sorong are Dorolonda, Labobar, Gunung Dempo, Sinabung, and Tatamailau.
Getting Around
It will not take a long time to travel around Um Island. You can walk along the beach for about 15 minutes or by a longboat.
To Do
In this island, we can see the activities of seagulls and bats. The most interesting thing is when you see thousands of seagulls and bats flying in turn to find food.
In addition, you should not miss the beauty of white beach in this island.
To Stay
This island is not occupied so there is no place to stay. If you wish to visit this island, you can stay in hotels in Sorong.
To Eat
No food stalls in this island. It is best for you to prepare your food from Sorong before visiting this island.
To Buy
This island has no shop selling souvenirs.
Tips
When you rent a longboat, please choose one with balancing wings so as to reduce the possibility of losing its balance when hit by waves.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/76/um-island
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
It is always interesting to see thousands of bats and seagulls looking for food. In addition, you can also see sunset and beautiful panorama of white beach around the island.
Getting There
To reach Sorong, you can take a plane or ship. There are several flights you can take from Jakarta e.g., Merpati Air, Express Air, and Lion Air. For sea transportation, ships transiting in Port Sorong are Dorolonda, Labobar, Gunung Dempo, Sinabung, and Tatamailau.
Getting Around
It will not take a long time to travel around Um Island. You can walk along the beach for about 15 minutes or by a longboat.
To Do
In this island, we can see the activities of seagulls and bats. The most interesting thing is when you see thousands of seagulls and bats flying in turn to find food.
In addition, you should not miss the beauty of white beach in this island.
To Stay
This island is not occupied so there is no place to stay. If you wish to visit this island, you can stay in hotels in Sorong.
To Eat
No food stalls in this island. It is best for you to prepare your food from Sorong before visiting this island.
To Buy
This island has no shop selling souvenirs.
Tips
When you rent a longboat, please choose one with balancing wings so as to reduce the possibility of losing its balance when hit by waves.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/76/um-island
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Canyonlands National Park
Utah
Established September 12, 1964
337,598 acres
From the rim you glimpse only segments of the Green River and the Colorado River, which flow together at the heart of Canyonlands. But everywhere you see the water's work: canyon mazes, unbroken scarps, sandstone pillars.
The paths of the merging rivers divide the park into three districts. The high mesa known as the Island in the Sky rises as a headland 2,000 feet above the confluence. South of the Island and east of the confluence is The Needles, where red- and white-banded pinnacles tower 400 feet over grassy parks and sheer-walled valleys. A confusion of clefts and spires across the river to the west marks The Maze, a remote region of pristine solitude. On every side the ground drops in great stairsteps. Flat benchlands end abruptly in rock walls on one side and sheer drops on the other. It is a right-angled country of standing rock, and only a few paved roads probe the edges of the park's 527 square miles.
Sandstone layers of varying hardness make up Canyonlands' visible rock. But the character of the land is largely shaped by underlying salt deposits, which, under tremendous pressure from the rock above, push upward, forming domes that fracture the surface.
Yearly rainfall averages eight inches but varies greatly from year to year. Trees that grow here have to be tough and resilient. In drought years, junipers survive by limiting growth to a few branches, letting the others die. Gnarled juniper and pinyon pine take root in the rimlands wherever soil collects, including slickrock cracks and potholes.
How to Get There
Island in the Sky District: From Moab (35 miles away), take US 191 north 12 miles to Utah 313 and proceed 23 miles southwest to the visitor center.
Needles District: From Moab (75 miles away), follow US 191 south to Utah 211 and then west for 34 miles to park entrance.
Maze District: From Green River, take I-70 west to Utah 24, then south to a well-marked dirt road leading 46 miles to Hans Flat Ranger Station.
Ground shuttles are available from Salt Lake City and Grand Junction, Colorado. Air shuttles fly between Canyonlands Airport and Salt Lake City. The airport at Grand Junction is about 115 miles from The Island in the Sky.
When to Go
Spring and fall are ideal for exploring by foot or vehicle. Summer is hot, but humidity low. Snow and cold can make it hard to get around in winter.
How to Visit
The park's isolation and preponderance of backcountry make visiting a spectacular experience, but there are few visitor facilities and paved roads. A four-wheel-drive vehicle will let you explore. If you have only one day, visit The Island in the Sky. On another day, go to The Needles for a chance to explore classic canyon country. With more time, focus on the hiking trails and four-wheel-drive routes to The Maze and other remote areas.
Quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/canyonlands-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Established September 12, 1964
337,598 acres
From the rim you glimpse only segments of the Green River and the Colorado River, which flow together at the heart of Canyonlands. But everywhere you see the water's work: canyon mazes, unbroken scarps, sandstone pillars.
The paths of the merging rivers divide the park into three districts. The high mesa known as the Island in the Sky rises as a headland 2,000 feet above the confluence. South of the Island and east of the confluence is The Needles, where red- and white-banded pinnacles tower 400 feet over grassy parks and sheer-walled valleys. A confusion of clefts and spires across the river to the west marks The Maze, a remote region of pristine solitude. On every side the ground drops in great stairsteps. Flat benchlands end abruptly in rock walls on one side and sheer drops on the other. It is a right-angled country of standing rock, and only a few paved roads probe the edges of the park's 527 square miles.
Sandstone layers of varying hardness make up Canyonlands' visible rock. But the character of the land is largely shaped by underlying salt deposits, which, under tremendous pressure from the rock above, push upward, forming domes that fracture the surface.
Yearly rainfall averages eight inches but varies greatly from year to year. Trees that grow here have to be tough and resilient. In drought years, junipers survive by limiting growth to a few branches, letting the others die. Gnarled juniper and pinyon pine take root in the rimlands wherever soil collects, including slickrock cracks and potholes.
How to Get There
Island in the Sky District: From Moab (35 miles away), take US 191 north 12 miles to Utah 313 and proceed 23 miles southwest to the visitor center.
Needles District: From Moab (75 miles away), follow US 191 south to Utah 211 and then west for 34 miles to park entrance.
Maze District: From Green River, take I-70 west to Utah 24, then south to a well-marked dirt road leading 46 miles to Hans Flat Ranger Station.
Ground shuttles are available from Salt Lake City and Grand Junction, Colorado. Air shuttles fly between Canyonlands Airport and Salt Lake City. The airport at Grand Junction is about 115 miles from The Island in the Sky.
When to Go
Spring and fall are ideal for exploring by foot or vehicle. Summer is hot, but humidity low. Snow and cold can make it hard to get around in winter.
How to Visit
The park's isolation and preponderance of backcountry make visiting a spectacular experience, but there are few visitor facilities and paved roads. A four-wheel-drive vehicle will let you explore. If you have only one day, visit The Island in the Sky. On another day, go to The Needles for a chance to explore classic canyon country. With more time, focus on the hiking trails and four-wheel-drive routes to The Maze and other remote areas.
Quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/canyonlands-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Colorado
Established September 13, 2004
107,000 acres
Visitors to the Great Sand Dunes experience an undeniable sense of wonder, just as happens in so many of our most spectacular national parks. In contrast to the sudden shock of walking to the rim of the Grand Canyon, though, or topping a rise to view Crater Lake, the emotions evoked by this otherworldly landscape arrive in slow motion.
The dunes appear in the distance as you approach, but at first seem dwarfed by their backdrop, the 13,000-foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Not until you're nearly at their border does their vast scale become apparent: dunes up to 750 feet tall, extending for mile after mile—an ocean of sand hills of breathtaking magnitude. That's just how the explorer Zebulon Pike described them in 1807: "Their appearance was exactly that of a sea in a storm (except as to color), not the least sign of vegetation existing thereon."
The dunes sprawl across part of southern Colorado's San Luis Valley, a broad, arid plain between the San Juan Mountains on the west and the Sangre de Cristos on the east. Streams and creeks flowing out of the San Juan Mountains over millennia carried gravel and sand into shallow lakes in the San Luis Valley. During drought periods, these lakes dried, releasing the sand particles to the action of the wind. Strong prevailing southwesterly winds carry the tiny grains toward the Sangre de Cristos, piling them up against the foothills. The resulting dunes are the tallest in North America, covering more than 30 square miles. Adults hike across them and marvel at their beauty; children run and slide down their steep faces, enjoying a playground of fairy-tale proportions.
Winds that often top 40 miles an hour continually reshape the crests of the tall dunes, and smaller dunes may "migrate" several feet in a week. The dunes show a remarkable permanence of form, though, which geologists attribute to opposing winds. Prevailing southwesterly winds blow the dune mass northeasterly toward the mountains, and occasional but powerful northeasterlies blow the dunes back toward the southwest. This 'back-and-forth' action of the wind piles the dunes vertically, and contributes to the stability of the dunefield.
The need to protect the water that protects the dunes has led to a number of changes at Great Sand Dunes. Through a cooperative effort among government agencies and private conservation groups, the purchase of private lands, identified as important to the protection of park resources, was completed on September 13, 2004. The new entity comprises the original national monument, lands west of the monument known as the Baca Ranch, and mountains east of the monument previously managed by the U.S. Forest Service. This latter realm was established as a preserve in 2000 to safeguard the small streams flowing into the area. Official designation is Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
All this means that visitors have access to a great diversity of habitats, beginning in the desert dunes, continuing up to the pinyon pines, cottonwoods, and aspens of the foothills, and arriving even higher at the spruce-fir forests and tundra of the summits of the Sangre de Cristos, with seven peaks over 13,000 feet. The region's geology and biology make it a fascinating place, unique among our national parks. It's well worth the drive across southern Colorado, even if all you do is gaze in awe at this extraordinary and lovely terrain.
How to Get There
From the east or north, take US 160 west from Walsenburg 59 miles to Colo. 150 and drive north 16 miles. From the south or west, take US 285 to Alamosa and drive 14 miles east to Colo. 150, continuing north to the monument and preserve. Airport: Colorado Springs.
When to Go
Year-round. Moderate temperatures make spring and fall best. The sand dunes can get very hot in summer, although they can be traversed comfortably early and late in the day; summer is also the park's most crowded season. Winter snow curtails trips into the high mountains, though the dunes can still be visited.
How to Visit
Stop at the visitor center for a quick lesson in the Great Sand Dunes environment, and to learn the schedule of ranger-led walks and programs (summer only). From there, proceed to the dunes parking lot. Then walk out into the dunes, going as far and climbing as high as time and energy permit; the High Dune is a popular, moderately strenuous destination.
Kids and adults alike enjoy splashing along Medano Creek, which meanders along the base of the dunes (when there is enough water from the spring snowmelt). The Montville Nature Trail and the Mosca Pass Trail offer additional options for exploration, from short walks to mountain hikes.
If you have a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle, and are very careful, you can drive the Medano Pass Primitive Road, which leads 11 miles up into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the national preserve, exploring different habitats along the way, from foothills to coniferous forest at the 9,982-foot pass. A park concessioner offers tours along this road; ask a ranger for details.
Quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/great-sand-dunes-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Established September 13, 2004
107,000 acres
Visitors to the Great Sand Dunes experience an undeniable sense of wonder, just as happens in so many of our most spectacular national parks. In contrast to the sudden shock of walking to the rim of the Grand Canyon, though, or topping a rise to view Crater Lake, the emotions evoked by this otherworldly landscape arrive in slow motion.
The dunes appear in the distance as you approach, but at first seem dwarfed by their backdrop, the 13,000-foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Not until you're nearly at their border does their vast scale become apparent: dunes up to 750 feet tall, extending for mile after mile—an ocean of sand hills of breathtaking magnitude. That's just how the explorer Zebulon Pike described them in 1807: "Their appearance was exactly that of a sea in a storm (except as to color), not the least sign of vegetation existing thereon."
The dunes sprawl across part of southern Colorado's San Luis Valley, a broad, arid plain between the San Juan Mountains on the west and the Sangre de Cristos on the east. Streams and creeks flowing out of the San Juan Mountains over millennia carried gravel and sand into shallow lakes in the San Luis Valley. During drought periods, these lakes dried, releasing the sand particles to the action of the wind. Strong prevailing southwesterly winds carry the tiny grains toward the Sangre de Cristos, piling them up against the foothills. The resulting dunes are the tallest in North America, covering more than 30 square miles. Adults hike across them and marvel at their beauty; children run and slide down their steep faces, enjoying a playground of fairy-tale proportions.
Winds that often top 40 miles an hour continually reshape the crests of the tall dunes, and smaller dunes may "migrate" several feet in a week. The dunes show a remarkable permanence of form, though, which geologists attribute to opposing winds. Prevailing southwesterly winds blow the dune mass northeasterly toward the mountains, and occasional but powerful northeasterlies blow the dunes back toward the southwest. This 'back-and-forth' action of the wind piles the dunes vertically, and contributes to the stability of the dunefield.
The need to protect the water that protects the dunes has led to a number of changes at Great Sand Dunes. Through a cooperative effort among government agencies and private conservation groups, the purchase of private lands, identified as important to the protection of park resources, was completed on September 13, 2004. The new entity comprises the original national monument, lands west of the monument known as the Baca Ranch, and mountains east of the monument previously managed by the U.S. Forest Service. This latter realm was established as a preserve in 2000 to safeguard the small streams flowing into the area. Official designation is Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
All this means that visitors have access to a great diversity of habitats, beginning in the desert dunes, continuing up to the pinyon pines, cottonwoods, and aspens of the foothills, and arriving even higher at the spruce-fir forests and tundra of the summits of the Sangre de Cristos, with seven peaks over 13,000 feet. The region's geology and biology make it a fascinating place, unique among our national parks. It's well worth the drive across southern Colorado, even if all you do is gaze in awe at this extraordinary and lovely terrain.
How to Get There
From the east or north, take US 160 west from Walsenburg 59 miles to Colo. 150 and drive north 16 miles. From the south or west, take US 285 to Alamosa and drive 14 miles east to Colo. 150, continuing north to the monument and preserve. Airport: Colorado Springs.
When to Go
Year-round. Moderate temperatures make spring and fall best. The sand dunes can get very hot in summer, although they can be traversed comfortably early and late in the day; summer is also the park's most crowded season. Winter snow curtails trips into the high mountains, though the dunes can still be visited.
How to Visit
Stop at the visitor center for a quick lesson in the Great Sand Dunes environment, and to learn the schedule of ranger-led walks and programs (summer only). From there, proceed to the dunes parking lot. Then walk out into the dunes, going as far and climbing as high as time and energy permit; the High Dune is a popular, moderately strenuous destination.
Kids and adults alike enjoy splashing along Medano Creek, which meanders along the base of the dunes (when there is enough water from the spring snowmelt). The Montville Nature Trail and the Mosca Pass Trail offer additional options for exploration, from short walks to mountain hikes.
If you have a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle, and are very careful, you can drive the Medano Pass Primitive Road, which leads 11 miles up into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the national preserve, exploring different habitats along the way, from foothills to coniferous forest at the 9,982-foot pass. A park concessioner offers tours along this road; ask a ranger for details.
Quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/great-sand-dunes-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Monday, April 26, 2010
Ampera Bridge
Ampera Bridge was constructed in April 1962, after getting approval of President Soekarno. At first, this 1,177 meters long and 22 meters wide bridge was called Bung Karno Bridge. It was officially opened on 30 September 1965 by Let. Gen. Ahmad Yani. However, following a political turmoil in 1966 i.e., when anti-Soekarno movement was stronger, the bridge was renamed to Ampera Bridge. Palembang citizens, however, prefer to call it "Musi Project".
Parts of this 944 tons bridge can lift up and down about 10 meters per minute. It has two lifting towers of 63 meters tall. Distance between these two towers is 75 meters. They have two pendulums, weighing about 500 tons each.
When the middle shares of the bridge is lifted, wide ship of 60 meters wide and a maximum of 44.50 meters tall can pass to ford of Musi River. And when the middle shares of this bridge is not lifted, maximum height of ships that can pass under the bridge is only nine meters above the water level. Unfortunately, at present, the bridge cannot be lifted for safety reasons.
Getting There
Ampera Bridge is located in Palembang. You can go to this city from Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II airport at Tanjung Api-Api Street. It is an international airport that it is accessible from Malaysia, Singapore, China, and Thailand. To go to Musi River, you can take a taxi or rented car from the airport. Distance between the airport and city center is about 6 km.
In the city center, there are nine public transportations and seven city buses from various destinations that can take you to Ampera. You only need to pay Rp1,500 to Rp5,000.
Getting Around
It is best to visit Ampera Bridge on foot so that you could feel the windblows from Musi River.
To Do
Ampera bridge is one of Palembang’s icons. Therefore, you should take pictures with Ampera as your background while enjoying watching the bridge from Musi River.
To Stay
It is easy to find hotels in Palembang. You can find star or ordinary hotels along Kapten A Rivai, Sudirman, R Sukamto, Veteran, and POM IX streets.
To Eat
You won’t find any difficulty to find local foods here. Not far from Palembang Grand Mosque, you can enjoy Palembang traditional foods like empek-empek panggang and kerupuk (crackers) for Rp1.500 to Rp22.200 per piece, depending where you eat. In addition, there is a food stall selling es belimbing (star fruit ice). It is the only food stall that sells es belimbing. Its name is Ujuk.
On Musi River, there are floating restaurants where you could dine while seeing Ampera Bridge.
To Buy
To buy souvenirs, you only need to walk some 50 meters from Ampera Bridge where you can find a market selling various types of local foods and souvenirs such as fruits and Songket (woven fabrics). This market is called Pasar 16 Ilir. About three kilometers from there, you could find a Songket center and 50 meters from there, you could find a lekeur (carving) center.
Tips
If you like to see Ampera Bridge closely, please don’t use a motor vehicle because if you stop in the middle of the bridge, the police officer will give you a ticket.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/227/ampera-bridge
Supported from : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Parts of this 944 tons bridge can lift up and down about 10 meters per minute. It has two lifting towers of 63 meters tall. Distance between these two towers is 75 meters. They have two pendulums, weighing about 500 tons each.
When the middle shares of the bridge is lifted, wide ship of 60 meters wide and a maximum of 44.50 meters tall can pass to ford of Musi River. And when the middle shares of this bridge is not lifted, maximum height of ships that can pass under the bridge is only nine meters above the water level. Unfortunately, at present, the bridge cannot be lifted for safety reasons.
Getting There
Ampera Bridge is located in Palembang. You can go to this city from Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II airport at Tanjung Api-Api Street. It is an international airport that it is accessible from Malaysia, Singapore, China, and Thailand. To go to Musi River, you can take a taxi or rented car from the airport. Distance between the airport and city center is about 6 km.
In the city center, there are nine public transportations and seven city buses from various destinations that can take you to Ampera. You only need to pay Rp1,500 to Rp5,000.
Getting Around
It is best to visit Ampera Bridge on foot so that you could feel the windblows from Musi River.
To Do
Ampera bridge is one of Palembang’s icons. Therefore, you should take pictures with Ampera as your background while enjoying watching the bridge from Musi River.
To Stay
It is easy to find hotels in Palembang. You can find star or ordinary hotels along Kapten A Rivai, Sudirman, R Sukamto, Veteran, and POM IX streets.
To Eat
You won’t find any difficulty to find local foods here. Not far from Palembang Grand Mosque, you can enjoy Palembang traditional foods like empek-empek panggang and kerupuk (crackers) for Rp1.500 to Rp22.200 per piece, depending where you eat. In addition, there is a food stall selling es belimbing (star fruit ice). It is the only food stall that sells es belimbing. Its name is Ujuk.
On Musi River, there are floating restaurants where you could dine while seeing Ampera Bridge.
To Buy
To buy souvenirs, you only need to walk some 50 meters from Ampera Bridge where you can find a market selling various types of local foods and souvenirs such as fruits and Songket (woven fabrics). This market is called Pasar 16 Ilir. About three kilometers from there, you could find a Songket center and 50 meters from there, you could find a lekeur (carving) center.
Tips
If you like to see Ampera Bridge closely, please don’t use a motor vehicle because if you stop in the middle of the bridge, the police officer will give you a ticket.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/227/ampera-bridge
Supported from : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Surfing at Cimaja Beach, Palabuhanratu-West Java
The Palabuhanratu area, a favorite weekend surfing destination for expatriates and a growing number of Indonesian surfers based in Jakarta, is the most crowded of West Java's surfing grounds due to sheer ease of accessibility. Most of the surf pounded beaches in the Palabuhanratu resort area-also called Samudra Beach are just that: pure beachpound, featuring vicious riptides and big walls of water with nowhere to go. Most surfers skip this non-directional stuff and head a few kilometers due west to the sleepy fishing and rice-growing village known as Cimaja, or Cimaja Beach.
The Cimaja break, a right that rises off a rocky reef, is reached by walking about 300 meters from the main road through beachfront sawah (rice paddies). This spot is consistently surf able because it has a solid and angular rock bottom perfectly attuned to south and southwest swells rising out of the Indian Ocean. Its rights peel off in front of a cobble-stone and boulder strewn beach that clatters like a series of giant castanets every time a wave set rolls in.
Here down below are some information for surfing at Cimaja.
Spot information for surfing at Cimaja (globalsurfer.com):
Type of break: pointbreak
Type of wave: occasionally barreling wave
Direction: right hand
Bottom: rock
Average lenght of ride: 100-200 meter lenght
Suitable for: intermediate level
Detailed information:
Crowd level: normal crowd
Best tide: mid
Ideal board size: 6'2-6'4 Thruster
Ideal wind direction: east
Wavesize & wetsuit:
Spring - Summer - Autumn - Winter
Good: 4' - 6' - Overhead: 6'- 8' - Ok : 2'- 4' - Ok : 2'- 4'
Boardshorts - Boardshorts - Boardshorts - Boardshorts
Getting There
Cimaja village and its surrounds are easily reached from Jakarta in about two and a half hours by car, just taking the highway south to Bogor, then towards Sukabumi and Palabuhanratu . Once in Cimaja fishing village, it's a hike through the rice paddies, and a cautious hop across the cobblestone beach.
Getting Around
Heading west for a few hundred yards, across the river, you can check out the lefts at Karang Papak, which can be working when Cimaja is a mess. Generally the temptation doesn't pay off however
To Do
* Taking a rest with sunset and enjoy the breath-taking views of the bay.
* Learn how to surf.
* Visit Nyai Roro Kiduls room at Samudra Beach Hotel, Room 308.
* Wanna go for a beauty outing? About 9 km. West of Palabuhanratu theres a hotsprings and volcanic area called Cipanas (Hot River).
To Stay
After turning left at the intersection onto Jl Siliwangi to go into town, there are some inexpensive losmen on the right-hand side, such as Laut Kidul and Karang Naya. Most hotels in Palabuhanratu charge more on the weekends and holidays.
To Eat
Restaurants are abundant down here and the seafood is very decent. Any hawkers in Palabuhanratu , as nearby the beach, don't forget try fish balls
To Buy
In any shop of a star-qualified hotel you may find some of your preference like sea-related products, such as items made of seashells, corals, t-shirts, etc. There are also street vendors selling this souvenir too along the sea shores.
Tips
For swimmers, beware of strong currents all along this stretch of coastline.
Always be wary of tide conditions and how they affect the lineup. There's a large and exposed rock that is both conveniently and precariously located in front of the take-off point.
Like much of Java's rugged south coast this is prime sea urchin and rock-dance country at low tides. Beach rocks here are also very smoothing, slippery and (unfortunately) sometimes covered by sharp, skin-tearing barnacles. Proceed out and back in with caution to avoid being chopped up in the shore pound.
There is no rail or air service to Palabuhanratu, so if you are budget conscious and cant afford private car services your safari will have to opt for travel on buses or minibuses that regularly commute from Jakarta to Palabuhanratu via either Bogor or Sukabumi.
If youre a beginner, theres a surfing lessons at Cimaja. They would be happy to teach you with experienced surfers in the water to keep you out of harm's way. Ask the staff at your lodging for more details.
There are some surf shops & board repairing facilities in the Cimaja area, but these are limited. You will get leg ropes & wax, but not "fin keys" or "ding repair kits", sunscreens are all imported, so most shops can not now afford to carry them, so bring sufficient for you holiday.
Dont forget to bring a small first aid kit.
The on shore wind normally starts about 11 am. & drops of most afternoons 4 p.m. So both morning & afternoon surfing sessions are possible.
The dry season is the main surfing season & is approximately from April through to October while the wet season is from November through to March, while the surf is less reliable, there are still waves to be had.
The colour of "green" is said to be the very colour of the Javanese Spirit-queen. To the traditional and local custom this colour is forbidden to wear.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/389/surfing-at-cimaja-beach-palabuhanratu-west-java
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
The Cimaja break, a right that rises off a rocky reef, is reached by walking about 300 meters from the main road through beachfront sawah (rice paddies). This spot is consistently surf able because it has a solid and angular rock bottom perfectly attuned to south and southwest swells rising out of the Indian Ocean. Its rights peel off in front of a cobble-stone and boulder strewn beach that clatters like a series of giant castanets every time a wave set rolls in.
Here down below are some information for surfing at Cimaja.
Spot information for surfing at Cimaja (globalsurfer.com):
Type of break: pointbreak
Type of wave: occasionally barreling wave
Direction: right hand
Bottom: rock
Average lenght of ride: 100-200 meter lenght
Suitable for: intermediate level
Detailed information:
Crowd level: normal crowd
Best tide: mid
Ideal board size: 6'2-6'4 Thruster
Ideal wind direction: east
Wavesize & wetsuit:
Spring - Summer - Autumn - Winter
Good: 4' - 6' - Overhead: 6'- 8' - Ok : 2'- 4' - Ok : 2'- 4'
Boardshorts - Boardshorts - Boardshorts - Boardshorts
Getting There
Cimaja village and its surrounds are easily reached from Jakarta in about two and a half hours by car, just taking the highway south to Bogor, then towards Sukabumi and Palabuhanratu . Once in Cimaja fishing village, it's a hike through the rice paddies, and a cautious hop across the cobblestone beach.
Getting Around
Heading west for a few hundred yards, across the river, you can check out the lefts at Karang Papak, which can be working when Cimaja is a mess. Generally the temptation doesn't pay off however
To Do
* Taking a rest with sunset and enjoy the breath-taking views of the bay.
* Learn how to surf.
* Visit Nyai Roro Kiduls room at Samudra Beach Hotel, Room 308.
* Wanna go for a beauty outing? About 9 km. West of Palabuhanratu theres a hotsprings and volcanic area called Cipanas (Hot River).
To Stay
After turning left at the intersection onto Jl Siliwangi to go into town, there are some inexpensive losmen on the right-hand side, such as Laut Kidul and Karang Naya. Most hotels in Palabuhanratu charge more on the weekends and holidays.
To Eat
Restaurants are abundant down here and the seafood is very decent. Any hawkers in Palabuhanratu , as nearby the beach, don't forget try fish balls
To Buy
In any shop of a star-qualified hotel you may find some of your preference like sea-related products, such as items made of seashells, corals, t-shirts, etc. There are also street vendors selling this souvenir too along the sea shores.
Tips
For swimmers, beware of strong currents all along this stretch of coastline.
Always be wary of tide conditions and how they affect the lineup. There's a large and exposed rock that is both conveniently and precariously located in front of the take-off point.
Like much of Java's rugged south coast this is prime sea urchin and rock-dance country at low tides. Beach rocks here are also very smoothing, slippery and (unfortunately) sometimes covered by sharp, skin-tearing barnacles. Proceed out and back in with caution to avoid being chopped up in the shore pound.
There is no rail or air service to Palabuhanratu, so if you are budget conscious and cant afford private car services your safari will have to opt for travel on buses or minibuses that regularly commute from Jakarta to Palabuhanratu via either Bogor or Sukabumi.
If youre a beginner, theres a surfing lessons at Cimaja. They would be happy to teach you with experienced surfers in the water to keep you out of harm's way. Ask the staff at your lodging for more details.
There are some surf shops & board repairing facilities in the Cimaja area, but these are limited. You will get leg ropes & wax, but not "fin keys" or "ding repair kits", sunscreens are all imported, so most shops can not now afford to carry them, so bring sufficient for you holiday.
Dont forget to bring a small first aid kit.
The on shore wind normally starts about 11 am. & drops of most afternoons 4 p.m. So both morning & afternoon surfing sessions are possible.
The dry season is the main surfing season & is approximately from April through to October while the wet season is from November through to March, while the surf is less reliable, there are still waves to be had.
The colour of "green" is said to be the very colour of the Javanese Spirit-queen. To the traditional and local custom this colour is forbidden to wear.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/389/surfing-at-cimaja-beach-palabuhanratu-west-java
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Shop Till You Drop in Malioboro
Malioboro is perhaps the most famous street in Jogjakarta. Packed with shops selling curios and street vendors offering souvenirs with affordable prices, one is bound to find something of interest in this street.
If you like merchandises made of batik, Jogja is the right place to shop. From house dresses to posh, formal batik shirt for men, this street has them all. Batik can also be made into bags, table cloths, bed sheets, pillow covers, curtains, and a lot more.
There's also the Bering Harjo market where you can get similar products with cheaper prices. Malioboro's also located at the heart of Jogjakarta city. So places like Kraton or Taman Sari are within walking distance.
Getting There
Malioboro is within walking distance from Stasiun Tugu (Tugu Railway Station). You can go to this place on foot or ride a becak (pedicab). For driving (or walking) guide, click "View Map" on the upper part of this article.
Getting Around
On foot, of course. Stalls and stores line up the streets. You won't need a vehicle if the next stall to browse is just next to you, unless you bring a Segway. There are so many wares to pick from, you may have to return the next day.
To Stay
If you plan to spend a night in Malioboro, you can stay at hotels and inns with various kind of prices located on this street. Services ranging from bed and breakfast to star hotels. Two of the most luxurious hotels are located in Malioboro. For a list of hotels in Jogjakarta, just click the "Find Hotel" button. Or see our Travel Directory (DI Yogyakarta --> Kota Yogyakarta).
To Eat
At night, merchants open up tents which serve various kinds of food. You need to sit down cross-legged in the tents, which the locals refer to as "lesehan". Enjoy your meal while observing Malioboro's nightlife. It's an experience you shall not forget.
If you're interested in a culinary adventure across Jogjakarta, you can refer to our Jogjakarta's Dining Guide. Try some local food, like:
* Gudeg, a curry of jackfruit, chicken and egg served with rice, and is the most famous local dish.
* Nasi Langgi (Langgi Rice), warm rice served with various side dishes.
* Kipo, bite size snacks made of green colored tapioca dough filled with sweetened grated coconut. This dish can be found in Kotagede.
* Jadah Tempe, a sandwich of rice cake and sweet bencake. Can be found in Kaliurang.
To Buy
* Batik, batik and have we mentioned batik? There are so many batik merchandises now, especially since batik has been formally declared as an Indonesian heritage by the UNESCO (on October 2nd, 2009). There are batik cloths, clothings (even batik ties!), paintings, tablecloths, and so on. Just browse around.
* Silver jeweleries and silver-plated items can be found in Malioboro. Although you might want to ask around for direction to Kotagede, where the silvery workshop center is located.
* Items made of wood, metals, plastic. They are made into jewelries, bags, keychains, and a lot more.
* Why not try local cookies? Bakpia is filling, tasty, and sweet
Tips
* Malioboro tends to be packed with locals and tourists, so please take care of your belongings
* For more exclusive items, visit stores such as Mirota in Malioboro
* If you buy machine-printed batik, make sure you wash them separately first, using lerak (available on this street) or mild detergent.
* This is the perfect place to use your bargaining skills
* Bring a backpack to store the items that you've bought. It's more environmental friendly than carrying things in plastic bags. And let's face it, if you come here for shopping, you won't be leaving Malioboro before you've bought enough to fill up an entire backpack anyway.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/268/shop-till-you-drop-in-malioboro
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
If you like merchandises made of batik, Jogja is the right place to shop. From house dresses to posh, formal batik shirt for men, this street has them all. Batik can also be made into bags, table cloths, bed sheets, pillow covers, curtains, and a lot more.
There's also the Bering Harjo market where you can get similar products with cheaper prices. Malioboro's also located at the heart of Jogjakarta city. So places like Kraton or Taman Sari are within walking distance.
Getting There
Malioboro is within walking distance from Stasiun Tugu (Tugu Railway Station). You can go to this place on foot or ride a becak (pedicab). For driving (or walking) guide, click "View Map" on the upper part of this article.
Getting Around
On foot, of course. Stalls and stores line up the streets. You won't need a vehicle if the next stall to browse is just next to you, unless you bring a Segway. There are so many wares to pick from, you may have to return the next day.
To Stay
If you plan to spend a night in Malioboro, you can stay at hotels and inns with various kind of prices located on this street. Services ranging from bed and breakfast to star hotels. Two of the most luxurious hotels are located in Malioboro. For a list of hotels in Jogjakarta, just click the "Find Hotel" button. Or see our Travel Directory (DI Yogyakarta --> Kota Yogyakarta).
To Eat
At night, merchants open up tents which serve various kinds of food. You need to sit down cross-legged in the tents, which the locals refer to as "lesehan". Enjoy your meal while observing Malioboro's nightlife. It's an experience you shall not forget.
If you're interested in a culinary adventure across Jogjakarta, you can refer to our Jogjakarta's Dining Guide. Try some local food, like:
* Gudeg, a curry of jackfruit, chicken and egg served with rice, and is the most famous local dish.
* Nasi Langgi (Langgi Rice), warm rice served with various side dishes.
* Kipo, bite size snacks made of green colored tapioca dough filled with sweetened grated coconut. This dish can be found in Kotagede.
* Jadah Tempe, a sandwich of rice cake and sweet bencake. Can be found in Kaliurang.
To Buy
* Batik, batik and have we mentioned batik? There are so many batik merchandises now, especially since batik has been formally declared as an Indonesian heritage by the UNESCO (on October 2nd, 2009). There are batik cloths, clothings (even batik ties!), paintings, tablecloths, and so on. Just browse around.
* Silver jeweleries and silver-plated items can be found in Malioboro. Although you might want to ask around for direction to Kotagede, where the silvery workshop center is located.
* Items made of wood, metals, plastic. They are made into jewelries, bags, keychains, and a lot more.
* Why not try local cookies? Bakpia is filling, tasty, and sweet
Tips
* Malioboro tends to be packed with locals and tourists, so please take care of your belongings
* For more exclusive items, visit stores such as Mirota in Malioboro
* If you buy machine-printed batik, make sure you wash them separately first, using lerak (available on this street) or mild detergent.
* This is the perfect place to use your bargaining skills
* Bring a backpack to store the items that you've bought. It's more environmental friendly than carrying things in plastic bags. And let's face it, if you come here for shopping, you won't be leaving Malioboro before you've bought enough to fill up an entire backpack anyway.
Quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/268/shop-till-you-drop-in-malioboro
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Gates of the Arctic National Park
Alaska
Established December 2, 1980
8,500,000 acres
"The view from the top gave us an excellent idea of the jagged country toward which we were heading. The main Brooks Range divide was entirely covered with snow. Close at hand, only about ten miles to the north, was a precipitous pair of mountains, one on each side of the North Fork. I bestowed the name Gates of the Arctic on them."
It was the early 1930s, and Robert Marshall had found his wilderness home, a remote, uncluttered source of inspiration that would make him one of America’s greatest conservationists. Gates of the Arctic was the ultimate North American wilderness. Congress created the park to keep it that way.
Climb practically any ridge in the heart of the park and you’ll see a dozen glacial cirques side by side; serrated mountains that scythe the sky; and storms that snap out of dark, brooding clouds. Six National Wild and Scenic Rivers—Alatna, John, Kobuk, Noatak, North Fork Koyukuk, and Tinayguk—tumble out of high alpine valleys into forested lowlands. The park lies entirely above the Arctic Circle, straddling the Brooks Range, one of the world's northernmost mountain chains.
Along with Kobuk Valley National Park and Noatak National Preserve, Gates of the Arctic protects much of the habitat of the western arctic caribou. Grizzlies, wolves, wolverines, and foxes also roam over the severe land in search of food. Ptarmigan nibble on willow, and gyrfalcons dive for ptarmigan.
Shafts of cinnabar sunlight pour through the mountains at 2 a.m. in June, setting the wild land ablaze. In this mammoth mountain kingdom—the northernmost reach of the Rockies—the summer sun does not set for 30 straight days.
"No sight or sound or smell or feeling even remotely hinted of men or their creations," wrote Marshall. "It seemed as if time had dropped away a million years and we were back in a primordial world."
How to Get There
Bush pilots say that where the road ends, the real Alaska begins. And so it is in Gates of the Arctic. You can fly or walk in; most people fly. From Fairbanks (about 250 miles away), scheduled flights serve Anaktuvuk Pass, an Eskimo village within the park borders; Bettles/ Evansville; and Ambler, to the west. From Bettles/Evansville, Ambler, Fairbanks, or Coldfoot, you can air taxi into the park. Allow time for bad weather and delayed flights. From Anaktuvuk Pass, you can hike into the park along the John River.
Or, you can drive up from Fairbanks on the unpaved Dalton Highway (a pipeline haul road that's also open to the public) and hike to the park from Wiseman or other points. But it's a long, hard walk into the interior.
When to Go
Summer. It is short, but days are very long and for a while temperatures may be relatively mild. Weather is highly unpredictable. Expect snow or rain in any month. August can be very wet, with freezing temperatures by mid-month. Mosquitoes and gnats are bad in late June and July. Fall colors peak in mid-August at high elevations, late August to early September at low elevations.
How to Visit
Allow enough time to savor the subtle beauty of this vast wilderness. A combination river-hiking trip offers the best of both. Air taxis are equipped to land on lakes and gravel bars for drop-offs and pickups.
Plan carefully and bring everything you need; there are no visitor facilities in the park. This spare, harsh land is so fragile that a hiker's step can kill lichens that take 150 years to reach full growth. Certain areas were badly damaged by the increase in visitors after Gates of the Arctic became a park.
Write or call Bettles Ranger Station before planning a trip. There are no trails in the park, but you can ask for suggestions about areas to visit, along with names of air taxis, guides, and outfitters who operate in the park.
Quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/gates-arctic-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Established December 2, 1980
8,500,000 acres
"The view from the top gave us an excellent idea of the jagged country toward which we were heading. The main Brooks Range divide was entirely covered with snow. Close at hand, only about ten miles to the north, was a precipitous pair of mountains, one on each side of the North Fork. I bestowed the name Gates of the Arctic on them."
It was the early 1930s, and Robert Marshall had found his wilderness home, a remote, uncluttered source of inspiration that would make him one of America’s greatest conservationists. Gates of the Arctic was the ultimate North American wilderness. Congress created the park to keep it that way.
Climb practically any ridge in the heart of the park and you’ll see a dozen glacial cirques side by side; serrated mountains that scythe the sky; and storms that snap out of dark, brooding clouds. Six National Wild and Scenic Rivers—Alatna, John, Kobuk, Noatak, North Fork Koyukuk, and Tinayguk—tumble out of high alpine valleys into forested lowlands. The park lies entirely above the Arctic Circle, straddling the Brooks Range, one of the world's northernmost mountain chains.
Along with Kobuk Valley National Park and Noatak National Preserve, Gates of the Arctic protects much of the habitat of the western arctic caribou. Grizzlies, wolves, wolverines, and foxes also roam over the severe land in search of food. Ptarmigan nibble on willow, and gyrfalcons dive for ptarmigan.
Shafts of cinnabar sunlight pour through the mountains at 2 a.m. in June, setting the wild land ablaze. In this mammoth mountain kingdom—the northernmost reach of the Rockies—the summer sun does not set for 30 straight days.
"No sight or sound or smell or feeling even remotely hinted of men or their creations," wrote Marshall. "It seemed as if time had dropped away a million years and we were back in a primordial world."
How to Get There
Bush pilots say that where the road ends, the real Alaska begins. And so it is in Gates of the Arctic. You can fly or walk in; most people fly. From Fairbanks (about 250 miles away), scheduled flights serve Anaktuvuk Pass, an Eskimo village within the park borders; Bettles/ Evansville; and Ambler, to the west. From Bettles/Evansville, Ambler, Fairbanks, or Coldfoot, you can air taxi into the park. Allow time for bad weather and delayed flights. From Anaktuvuk Pass, you can hike into the park along the John River.
Or, you can drive up from Fairbanks on the unpaved Dalton Highway (a pipeline haul road that's also open to the public) and hike to the park from Wiseman or other points. But it's a long, hard walk into the interior.
When to Go
Summer. It is short, but days are very long and for a while temperatures may be relatively mild. Weather is highly unpredictable. Expect snow or rain in any month. August can be very wet, with freezing temperatures by mid-month. Mosquitoes and gnats are bad in late June and July. Fall colors peak in mid-August at high elevations, late August to early September at low elevations.
How to Visit
Allow enough time to savor the subtle beauty of this vast wilderness. A combination river-hiking trip offers the best of both. Air taxis are equipped to land on lakes and gravel bars for drop-offs and pickups.
Plan carefully and bring everything you need; there are no visitor facilities in the park. This spare, harsh land is so fragile that a hiker's step can kill lichens that take 150 years to reach full growth. Certain areas were badly damaged by the increase in visitors after Gates of the Arctic became a park.
Write or call Bettles Ranger Station before planning a trip. There are no trails in the park, but you can ask for suggestions about areas to visit, along with names of air taxis, guides, and outfitters who operate in the park.
Quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/gates-arctic-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Friday, April 23, 2010
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
Hawai'i
Established August 1, 1916
333,000 acres
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, on the "Big Island" of Hawai'i, offers the visitor a look at two of the world's most active volcanoes: Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
More than 4,000 feet high and still growing, Kīlauea abuts the southeastern slope of the older and much larger Mauna Loa, or "long mountain." Mauna Loa towers some 13,679 feet above the sea: Measured from its base 18,000 feet below sea level, it exceeds Mount Everest in height. Mauna Loa's gently sloping bulk—some 19,000 cubic miles in volume—makes it the planet's most massive single mountain.
The park stretches from sea level to Mauna Loa's summit. Beyond the end of the road lies Mauna Loa's wilderness area, where backpackers encounter freezing nights and rough lava trails amid volcanic wonders: barren lava twisted into nightmarish shapes, cinder cones, gaping pits. Kīlauea, however, provides easy access to a greater variety of scenery and cultural sites.
On the slopes of Kīlauea, whose name means "spreading, much spewing," lush green rain forest borders stark, recent lava flows. This natural laboratory of ecological change displays all stages of forest regeneration—from early regrowth of lichens and ferns to dense forest. The rain forest on the windward side of Kīlauea's summit gives way to the stark, windswept Ka'ī Desert on the hot, dry southwestern slope. At the shore, waves create lines of jagged cliffs; periodic eruptions send fresh lava flows to meet the sea amid colossal clouds of steam.
Geological dynamism forms the park's primary natural theme, followed closely by evolutionary biology. Thousands of unique species have evolved on the isolated Hawaiian islands. Cultural sites abound as well, reminders of the Polynesian pioneers who steered their great double-hulled canoes to Hawai'i beginning some 1,500 years ago.
The United Nations has named the park both an international biosphere reserve and a World Heritage site. Many of the park's intriguing native plants and animals, however, are in peril, defenseless against alien species including weedy invasive plants and feral pigs.
How to Get There
Fly to the island of Hawai'i, also called the Big Island. Airlines serve the Kona airport from the mainland and from other Hawaiian islands; only inter-island flights land in Hilo. From Kona, head south around the island on Hawaii 11 past Kealakekua Bay, where Captain Cook met his death, and Ka Lae, or South Point, southernmost land in the 50 states. You'll reach the Kīlauea summit after a 95-mile drive on a good road.
From Hilo, Hawaii 11 rises 4,000 feet in 30 miles on your way past small towns, macadamia orchards, and rain forest, to reach the park at Kīlauea's summit.
When to Go
Year-round. The weather is often driest in September and October. The climate ranges from warm and breezy on the coast, to cool and frequently wet at the summit of Kīlauea, to nightly freezing with occasional snowstorms above about 10,000 feet on Mauna Loa. To avoid most tour bus crowds, plan to visit the major sights before 11 a.m. or after 3 p.m.
How to Visit
An intensive one-day visit can encompass highlights of the Kīlauea summit via Crater Rim Drive and the coastal region via Chain of Craters Road. Regular tours by bus and small van operate daily from many Hilo and Kona hotels. Those with a botanical or ornithological bent will enjoy exploring Mauna Loa Road (accessible from Hawaii 11), which takes you through upland forest to the Mauna Loa trailhead at 6,662 feet: At Kipukapuaulu, be sure to take the one-mile loop trail winding through 100-acre Kipuka (an island of vegetation surrounded by a more recent lava flow) containing one of the richest concentrations of native plants and birdlife in Hawai'i.
Quoted : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/hawaii-volcanoes-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Established August 1, 1916
333,000 acres
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, on the "Big Island" of Hawai'i, offers the visitor a look at two of the world's most active volcanoes: Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
More than 4,000 feet high and still growing, Kīlauea abuts the southeastern slope of the older and much larger Mauna Loa, or "long mountain." Mauna Loa towers some 13,679 feet above the sea: Measured from its base 18,000 feet below sea level, it exceeds Mount Everest in height. Mauna Loa's gently sloping bulk—some 19,000 cubic miles in volume—makes it the planet's most massive single mountain.
The park stretches from sea level to Mauna Loa's summit. Beyond the end of the road lies Mauna Loa's wilderness area, where backpackers encounter freezing nights and rough lava trails amid volcanic wonders: barren lava twisted into nightmarish shapes, cinder cones, gaping pits. Kīlauea, however, provides easy access to a greater variety of scenery and cultural sites.
On the slopes of Kīlauea, whose name means "spreading, much spewing," lush green rain forest borders stark, recent lava flows. This natural laboratory of ecological change displays all stages of forest regeneration—from early regrowth of lichens and ferns to dense forest. The rain forest on the windward side of Kīlauea's summit gives way to the stark, windswept Ka'ī Desert on the hot, dry southwestern slope. At the shore, waves create lines of jagged cliffs; periodic eruptions send fresh lava flows to meet the sea amid colossal clouds of steam.
Geological dynamism forms the park's primary natural theme, followed closely by evolutionary biology. Thousands of unique species have evolved on the isolated Hawaiian islands. Cultural sites abound as well, reminders of the Polynesian pioneers who steered their great double-hulled canoes to Hawai'i beginning some 1,500 years ago.
The United Nations has named the park both an international biosphere reserve and a World Heritage site. Many of the park's intriguing native plants and animals, however, are in peril, defenseless against alien species including weedy invasive plants and feral pigs.
How to Get There
Fly to the island of Hawai'i, also called the Big Island. Airlines serve the Kona airport from the mainland and from other Hawaiian islands; only inter-island flights land in Hilo. From Kona, head south around the island on Hawaii 11 past Kealakekua Bay, where Captain Cook met his death, and Ka Lae, or South Point, southernmost land in the 50 states. You'll reach the Kīlauea summit after a 95-mile drive on a good road.
From Hilo, Hawaii 11 rises 4,000 feet in 30 miles on your way past small towns, macadamia orchards, and rain forest, to reach the park at Kīlauea's summit.
When to Go
Year-round. The weather is often driest in September and October. The climate ranges from warm and breezy on the coast, to cool and frequently wet at the summit of Kīlauea, to nightly freezing with occasional snowstorms above about 10,000 feet on Mauna Loa. To avoid most tour bus crowds, plan to visit the major sights before 11 a.m. or after 3 p.m.
How to Visit
An intensive one-day visit can encompass highlights of the Kīlauea summit via Crater Rim Drive and the coastal region via Chain of Craters Road. Regular tours by bus and small van operate daily from many Hilo and Kona hotels. Those with a botanical or ornithological bent will enjoy exploring Mauna Loa Road (accessible from Hawaii 11), which takes you through upland forest to the Mauna Loa trailhead at 6,662 feet: At Kipukapuaulu, be sure to take the one-mile loop trail winding through 100-acre Kipuka (an island of vegetation surrounded by a more recent lava flow) containing one of the richest concentrations of native plants and birdlife in Hawai'i.
Quoted : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/hawaii-volcanoes-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Katmai National Park
Alaska
Established December 2, 1980
4,725,188 acres
Volcanoes and bears—powerful, unpredictable, and awe inspiring—embody the wild heart of Katmai. Within the borders of the national park and preserve are 15 volcanoes, some of them still steaming, and North America's largest population of protected brown bears—about 2,000 of them.
You can hike, kayak, and canoe here. You can fish waist-deep in rivers as clear as glass. And you can watch the best fish catcher of all, the great Alaskan brown bear, sometimes diving completely under the water for its prey, sometimes catching fish in midair. At the end of the day you can relax in a rustic yet sumptuous lodge on the shore of a sapphire lake and recount the day's enchantments.
In 1912 a volcano here erupted with a force ten times that of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Suddenly news of Katmai, a place hardly anyone had heard of, was on front pages around the world. Ash filled the air, global temperatures cooled, acid rain burned clothing off lines in Vancouver, British Columbia, and on Kodiak Island, just across Shelikof Strait from Katmai, day became night.
Leading a 1916 expedition sponsored by the National Geographic Society, botanist Robert Griggs ascended Katmai Pass from Shelikof Strait. "The whole valley as far as the eye could reach was full of hundreds, no thousands—literally, tens of thousands—of smokes curling up from its fissured floor," he wrote. The smokes were fumaroles steaming 500 to 1,000 feet into the air. Griggs, who named the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, spearheaded the campaign to include Katmai in the National Park System.
Today, the smokes are gone from the valley. But steam vents still appear elsewhere in the park.
How to Get There
From Anchorage, scheduled jets fly the 290 miles to King Salmon, park headquarters; from there, June to mid-September, daily floatplanes fly the last 33 miles to Brooks Camp, site of a summer visitor center and the center of activity. Air charters can be arranged into other areas. You can drive the nine miles from King Salmon to Lake Camp, at the western end of the park on the Naknek River, then go by boat to Brooks Camp, the Bay of Islands, and other areas of Naknek Lake.
When to Go
June to early September. Only then, with transportation from between Brooks Camp and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, are the lodges, cabins, and Brooks Camp Campground open. Bear watching, an increasingly popular pastime, is best in July when the sockeye salmon spawn (bear watching suffers a brief lull in June and again in August). Fishing and hiking are good throughout summer, but come prepared for rain. Heavy snowpack may remain in the upper elevations into July. Summer daytime temperatures range from the mid-50s to mid-60s; the average low is 44°F.
How to Visit
If your time is short, get to Brooks Camp. People, fish, bears, boats, and planes concentrate here. Compared to the rest of the park, it's crowded. But the lodge and campground are comfortable (reservations required) and the bear viewing unforgettable. You'll find good hiking and fishing.
If at all possible, take the bus or van tour 23 miles out from Brooks Camp to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Return the same day or hike into the valley and camp. You can extend your stay by boating or flying to the many other lakes, streams, rivers, and lodges in the park. Pick your area, make a safe plan, and go.
Quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/katmai-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Established December 2, 1980
4,725,188 acres
Volcanoes and bears—powerful, unpredictable, and awe inspiring—embody the wild heart of Katmai. Within the borders of the national park and preserve are 15 volcanoes, some of them still steaming, and North America's largest population of protected brown bears—about 2,000 of them.
You can hike, kayak, and canoe here. You can fish waist-deep in rivers as clear as glass. And you can watch the best fish catcher of all, the great Alaskan brown bear, sometimes diving completely under the water for its prey, sometimes catching fish in midair. At the end of the day you can relax in a rustic yet sumptuous lodge on the shore of a sapphire lake and recount the day's enchantments.
In 1912 a volcano here erupted with a force ten times that of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Suddenly news of Katmai, a place hardly anyone had heard of, was on front pages around the world. Ash filled the air, global temperatures cooled, acid rain burned clothing off lines in Vancouver, British Columbia, and on Kodiak Island, just across Shelikof Strait from Katmai, day became night.
Leading a 1916 expedition sponsored by the National Geographic Society, botanist Robert Griggs ascended Katmai Pass from Shelikof Strait. "The whole valley as far as the eye could reach was full of hundreds, no thousands—literally, tens of thousands—of smokes curling up from its fissured floor," he wrote. The smokes were fumaroles steaming 500 to 1,000 feet into the air. Griggs, who named the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, spearheaded the campaign to include Katmai in the National Park System.
Today, the smokes are gone from the valley. But steam vents still appear elsewhere in the park.
How to Get There
From Anchorage, scheduled jets fly the 290 miles to King Salmon, park headquarters; from there, June to mid-September, daily floatplanes fly the last 33 miles to Brooks Camp, site of a summer visitor center and the center of activity. Air charters can be arranged into other areas. You can drive the nine miles from King Salmon to Lake Camp, at the western end of the park on the Naknek River, then go by boat to Brooks Camp, the Bay of Islands, and other areas of Naknek Lake.
When to Go
June to early September. Only then, with transportation from between Brooks Camp and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, are the lodges, cabins, and Brooks Camp Campground open. Bear watching, an increasingly popular pastime, is best in July when the sockeye salmon spawn (bear watching suffers a brief lull in June and again in August). Fishing and hiking are good throughout summer, but come prepared for rain. Heavy snowpack may remain in the upper elevations into July. Summer daytime temperatures range from the mid-50s to mid-60s; the average low is 44°F.
How to Visit
If your time is short, get to Brooks Camp. People, fish, bears, boats, and planes concentrate here. Compared to the rest of the park, it's crowded. But the lodge and campground are comfortable (reservations required) and the bear viewing unforgettable. You'll find good hiking and fishing.
If at all possible, take the bus or van tour 23 miles out from Brooks Camp to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Return the same day or hike into the valley and camp. You can extend your stay by boating or flying to the many other lakes, streams, rivers, and lodges in the park. Pick your area, make a safe plan, and go.
Quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/katmai-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
North Carolina and Tennessee
Established June 15, 1934
521,490 acres
The fact invariably stated about Great Smoky is this: It is the nation's busiest park, drawing more than nine million visitors a year, twice the number of any other national park. Most of the millions see the park from a mountain-skimming scenic highway that, on a typical weekend day during the summer, draws 60,000 people, bumper-to-bumper.
Luckily, there is plenty of park, thinly laced by 384 miles of mountain roads. You can pull off the road, park the car, and stroll one of Great Smoky's many Quiet Walkways, quarter-mile paths into what the signs call a “little bit of the world as it once was.” Eight hundred miles of hiking trails, from a half-mile to 70 miles long, also give you that world. Relatively few visitors walk the trails; most prefer to stay in their cars.
The park, which covers 800 square miles of mountainous terrain, preserves the world's best examples of deciduous forest and a matchless variety of plants and animals. Because it contains so many types of eastern forest vegetation—much of it old growth—the park has been designated an international biosphere reserve.
The Smoky Mountains are among the oldest on Earth. Ice Age glaciers stopped their southward journey just short of these mountains, which became a junction of southern and northern flora. Rhododendron and mountain laurel thrust from the weathered rocks. Amid the woodland and craggy peaks bloom more than 1,600 species of flowering plants, some found only here. Shrubs take over in places, creating tree-free zones called heath balds, laurel slicks (because of the shiny leaves), or just plain hells (because they are so hard to get through).
The tangle of brush and trees forms a close-packed array of air breathing leaves. The water and hydrocarbons exuded by the leaves produce the filmy “smoke” that gives the mountains their name. Air pollution in recent years has added microscopic sulfate particles to the haze, cutting visibility back about 60 percent since the 1950s. The pollution has also affected the park's red spruce stand—the southern Appalachians' largest. And insects are destroying the Fraser fir, the spruce's high-altitude companion.
The park also preserves the humble churches, cabins, farmhouses, and barns of the mountain people who began settling here in the late 1700s. Most people left when the park was founded, but some chose to stay and live out their lives here.
How to Get There
From Knoxville, Tenn. (about 25 miles away), take I-40 to Tenn. 66, then US 441 to Gatlinburg entrance. From Asheville, N.C. (about 40 miles away), take I-40 west to US 19, then US 441, to park's southern entrance near Cherokee, N.C. For a scenic, low-speed approach, take the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway that connects Virginia's Shenandoah National Park with Great Smoky. Airports: Knoxville and Asheville.
When to Go
Year-round. In summer and in fall (when spectacular foliage draws huge crowds), time your visit to midweek, and arrive early. Visitor centers open year-round.
How to Visit
On a one-day visit, take the Newfound Gap Road to Clingmans Dome and get the best overview of the park by seeing it from the highest point. The best second-day activity is the Cades Cove loop road, a chance to drive or cycle through pioneer history. For a longer stay, focus on the self-guided nature trails and drives, which get you away from the crowds and show you the flora and fauna.
quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/great-smoky-mountains-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Established June 15, 1934
521,490 acres
The fact invariably stated about Great Smoky is this: It is the nation's busiest park, drawing more than nine million visitors a year, twice the number of any other national park. Most of the millions see the park from a mountain-skimming scenic highway that, on a typical weekend day during the summer, draws 60,000 people, bumper-to-bumper.
Luckily, there is plenty of park, thinly laced by 384 miles of mountain roads. You can pull off the road, park the car, and stroll one of Great Smoky's many Quiet Walkways, quarter-mile paths into what the signs call a “little bit of the world as it once was.” Eight hundred miles of hiking trails, from a half-mile to 70 miles long, also give you that world. Relatively few visitors walk the trails; most prefer to stay in their cars.
The park, which covers 800 square miles of mountainous terrain, preserves the world's best examples of deciduous forest and a matchless variety of plants and animals. Because it contains so many types of eastern forest vegetation—much of it old growth—the park has been designated an international biosphere reserve.
The Smoky Mountains are among the oldest on Earth. Ice Age glaciers stopped their southward journey just short of these mountains, which became a junction of southern and northern flora. Rhododendron and mountain laurel thrust from the weathered rocks. Amid the woodland and craggy peaks bloom more than 1,600 species of flowering plants, some found only here. Shrubs take over in places, creating tree-free zones called heath balds, laurel slicks (because of the shiny leaves), or just plain hells (because they are so hard to get through).
The tangle of brush and trees forms a close-packed array of air breathing leaves. The water and hydrocarbons exuded by the leaves produce the filmy “smoke” that gives the mountains their name. Air pollution in recent years has added microscopic sulfate particles to the haze, cutting visibility back about 60 percent since the 1950s. The pollution has also affected the park's red spruce stand—the southern Appalachians' largest. And insects are destroying the Fraser fir, the spruce's high-altitude companion.
The park also preserves the humble churches, cabins, farmhouses, and barns of the mountain people who began settling here in the late 1700s. Most people left when the park was founded, but some chose to stay and live out their lives here.
How to Get There
From Knoxville, Tenn. (about 25 miles away), take I-40 to Tenn. 66, then US 441 to Gatlinburg entrance. From Asheville, N.C. (about 40 miles away), take I-40 west to US 19, then US 441, to park's southern entrance near Cherokee, N.C. For a scenic, low-speed approach, take the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway that connects Virginia's Shenandoah National Park with Great Smoky. Airports: Knoxville and Asheville.
When to Go
Year-round. In summer and in fall (when spectacular foliage draws huge crowds), time your visit to midweek, and arrive early. Visitor centers open year-round.
How to Visit
On a one-day visit, take the Newfound Gap Road to Clingmans Dome and get the best overview of the park by seeing it from the highest point. The best second-day activity is the Cades Cove loop road, a chance to drive or cycle through pioneer history. For a longer stay, focus on the self-guided nature trails and drives, which get you away from the crowds and show you the flora and fauna.
quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/great-smoky-mountains-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Bogor Botanical Garden
Just 60 km south, or a mere one hour by road from Jakarta lies the town of Bogor, once known as “Buitenzorg” meaning “free of care”, located at the foothills of Mt. Salak. It has a high, year-round rainfall and a much cooler climate compared to metropolitan Jakarta. Here are spread out the 87 hectares world famous Bogor Botanical Gardens (Kebon Raya Bogor), with the impressive out-of-town Bogor Presidential Palace fronting it and soaring Mt. Salak at its background.
Bogor Botanical Gardens boasts over 400 species of palm trees, 5,000 trees gathered from around the tropical world, and an orchid house containing 3,000 varieties. Records show that the Bogor Botanical Gardens harbours 3,504 plant species, 1,273 genus in 199 families.
The Gardens are said to have been initiated by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who, between 1811-1816, became Governor General of the East Indies during the interim reign of the British over the archipelago. With the help of botanists from London’s famed Kew Gardens, Raffles first laid out a small garden. However, the Gardens were officially established by the Dutch in 1817 under the directorship of CGC Reinwardt. A memorial to Raffles’ wife still stands in the Gardens.
The Bogor Gardens today function as an ex situ conservation site, a research center for taxonomy and plant utilization. In horticulture the Gardens study adaptation, planting and propagation of plants and develop the science of plant growing.
Getting There
From Jakarta, you can rent a car (complete with a chaffeur) to go to Bogor. As mentioned above, the journey to Bogor will be about one hour. Be advised that the traffic on weekends and long holidays will be more packed.
Getting Around
The Gardens are open daily to visitors. There are paved walkways for visitors to stroll at leisure to admire the variety of old, gnarled trees, walk under the canopy of their foliage and listen to the river rushing over large boulders. On Sundays and public holidays the Gardens are usually very crowded.
To Do
Aside from the gardens, there's also The Bogor Palace, which was built by Governor General van Imhoff and became the residence of Sir Stamford Raffles during his rule over the islands. Later, in December 1954, the Palace became the historic venue of the Bogor Conference attended by then Prime Ministers of Indonesia (Ali Sastroamidjojo), India (Jawaharlal Nehru), Ceylon (Sir John Kotelawala), Pakistan (Mohammed Ali) and Burma (U Nu), in preparation of and to agree on the convening of the First Asian African Conference. The Asian African Conference held in Bandung in April 1955 and attended by 29 countries became the collective platform of the Third World in the fight against imperialism and for national independence.
The Bogor Palace is laid out amidst manicured lawns where hundreds of spotted deer graze.
Near the entrance to the gardens is the Zoological Museum that has a collection of some 300,000 specimens of land and sea creatures from throughout Indonesia. It houses the skeleton of a blue whale, the last rhino found on the Bandung plateau, and the coelacanth “living fossil” fish found in North Sulawesi.
The Bogor gardens have several branches on Java, Sumatra and Bali, most important of which is the Cibodas Park located further up Mt. Gede at Cipanas. The gardens are beautifully landscaped, and are perfect for strolling. Here, researchers produced the quinine and coffee for which Java became world famous.
quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/421/bogor-botanical-gardens
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Bogor Botanical Gardens boasts over 400 species of palm trees, 5,000 trees gathered from around the tropical world, and an orchid house containing 3,000 varieties. Records show that the Bogor Botanical Gardens harbours 3,504 plant species, 1,273 genus in 199 families.
The Gardens are said to have been initiated by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who, between 1811-1816, became Governor General of the East Indies during the interim reign of the British over the archipelago. With the help of botanists from London’s famed Kew Gardens, Raffles first laid out a small garden. However, the Gardens were officially established by the Dutch in 1817 under the directorship of CGC Reinwardt. A memorial to Raffles’ wife still stands in the Gardens.
The Bogor Gardens today function as an ex situ conservation site, a research center for taxonomy and plant utilization. In horticulture the Gardens study adaptation, planting and propagation of plants and develop the science of plant growing.
Getting There
From Jakarta, you can rent a car (complete with a chaffeur) to go to Bogor. As mentioned above, the journey to Bogor will be about one hour. Be advised that the traffic on weekends and long holidays will be more packed.
Getting Around
The Gardens are open daily to visitors. There are paved walkways for visitors to stroll at leisure to admire the variety of old, gnarled trees, walk under the canopy of their foliage and listen to the river rushing over large boulders. On Sundays and public holidays the Gardens are usually very crowded.
To Do
Aside from the gardens, there's also The Bogor Palace, which was built by Governor General van Imhoff and became the residence of Sir Stamford Raffles during his rule over the islands. Later, in December 1954, the Palace became the historic venue of the Bogor Conference attended by then Prime Ministers of Indonesia (Ali Sastroamidjojo), India (Jawaharlal Nehru), Ceylon (Sir John Kotelawala), Pakistan (Mohammed Ali) and Burma (U Nu), in preparation of and to agree on the convening of the First Asian African Conference. The Asian African Conference held in Bandung in April 1955 and attended by 29 countries became the collective platform of the Third World in the fight against imperialism and for national independence.
The Bogor Palace is laid out amidst manicured lawns where hundreds of spotted deer graze.
Near the entrance to the gardens is the Zoological Museum that has a collection of some 300,000 specimens of land and sea creatures from throughout Indonesia. It houses the skeleton of a blue whale, the last rhino found on the Bandung plateau, and the coelacanth “living fossil” fish found in North Sulawesi.
The Bogor gardens have several branches on Java, Sumatra and Bali, most important of which is the Cibodas Park located further up Mt. Gede at Cipanas. The gardens are beautifully landscaped, and are perfect for strolling. Here, researchers produced the quinine and coffee for which Java became world famous.
quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/421/bogor-botanical-gardens
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Yosemite National Park
California
Established October 1, 1890
747,956 acres
In a high-country meadow two hikers crouch near the edge of a mirroring lake and watch a pika as it harvests blades of grass for a nest deep within a huge rock pile. When they resume walking, there is no other person in sight for as far as they can see. And on this sparkling summer's day, the view seems endless.
In the valley's crowded mall, families stroll by, eating ice cream, dodging bicycles. People pile in and out of buses. Shoppers hunt for souvenirs. Kids hang around a pizza place. Rock climbers, coils of rope slung over their shoulders, swap stories over beer on a patio. On a summer's day about 14,000 people are in Yosemite Village.
Both the solitude of the alpine ridge and the throngs of the valley are part of the experience when you visit Yosemite National Park. "No temple made with human hands can compare with Yosemite," wrote John Muir, whose crusading led to the creation of the park. To this temple come 3.3 million visitors annually. And about 90 percent of them go to the valley, a mile-wide, 7-mile-long canyon cut by a river, then widened and deepened by glacial action. Walled by massive domes and soaring pinnacles, it covers about one percent of the park. In summer, the concentration of autos brings traffic jams and air pollution.
Beyond the valley, some 800 miles of marked trails offer hikers easy jaunts or grueling tests of endurance in the High Sierra wilderness. Even the casual visitor can explore this solitude without getting outfitted for a backpack expedition.
This park, roughly the size of Rhode Island, is a United Nations World Heritage site. Here, in five of the seven continental life zones, live the mule deer and chipmunks of the valley and the marmots and pikas of the heights; the brush rabbit and chaparral of the near desert; the dogwood and warblers of mid-elevation forests; the red fir and Jeffrey pine of mile-high forests; the dwarf willow and matted flowers of Yosemite's majestic mountains.
How to Get There
From Merced (about 70 miles away): Follow Calif. 140 to the Arch Rock Entrance. Merced is one of the gateway communities for the Yosemite regional bus service (www.yarts.com or 877-989-2787). Also from the west: Take Calif. 120 to the Big Oak Flat Entrance.
From the south, via Fresno: Calif. 41 takes you to the South Entrance. From the northeast, via Lee Vining: Follow Calif. 120 to the Tioga Pass Entrance (closed mid-November to late May, depending on weather).
Trains stop at Merced; check with Amtrak about buses to Yosemite. Airports: Fresno and Merced.
When to Go
All-year park. Avoid holiday weekends. Expect filled campgrounds from June through August and some crowding in late spring and early fall. Be sure you have reserved accommodations before attempting an overnight visit. You will find skiing and other winter activities in the Badger Pass Ski Area from about Thanksgiving to mid-April.
How to Visit
When a visitor asked a Yosemite ranger what he would do if he had only a day to visit the park, the ranger answered, "I'd weep." If you must zip through this huge park in a day, begin with Yosemite Valley.
But even a dawn-to-dusk, one-day visit hardly allows enough time for more than a tour of the valley plus a look at one or two of the park's other major areas, such as the vistas from Glacier Point (road closed in winter beyond the ski area) and the sequoias of the Mariposa Grove.
As an alternative take the High Sierra Tioga Road (closed in winter) to explore the park's alpine country. Better still, stay long enough to get beyond the crowds and discover the sense of seclusion this great park can give you along one of its trails.
quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/yosemite-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Established October 1, 1890
747,956 acres
In a high-country meadow two hikers crouch near the edge of a mirroring lake and watch a pika as it harvests blades of grass for a nest deep within a huge rock pile. When they resume walking, there is no other person in sight for as far as they can see. And on this sparkling summer's day, the view seems endless.
In the valley's crowded mall, families stroll by, eating ice cream, dodging bicycles. People pile in and out of buses. Shoppers hunt for souvenirs. Kids hang around a pizza place. Rock climbers, coils of rope slung over their shoulders, swap stories over beer on a patio. On a summer's day about 14,000 people are in Yosemite Village.
Both the solitude of the alpine ridge and the throngs of the valley are part of the experience when you visit Yosemite National Park. "No temple made with human hands can compare with Yosemite," wrote John Muir, whose crusading led to the creation of the park. To this temple come 3.3 million visitors annually. And about 90 percent of them go to the valley, a mile-wide, 7-mile-long canyon cut by a river, then widened and deepened by glacial action. Walled by massive domes and soaring pinnacles, it covers about one percent of the park. In summer, the concentration of autos brings traffic jams and air pollution.
Beyond the valley, some 800 miles of marked trails offer hikers easy jaunts or grueling tests of endurance in the High Sierra wilderness. Even the casual visitor can explore this solitude without getting outfitted for a backpack expedition.
This park, roughly the size of Rhode Island, is a United Nations World Heritage site. Here, in five of the seven continental life zones, live the mule deer and chipmunks of the valley and the marmots and pikas of the heights; the brush rabbit and chaparral of the near desert; the dogwood and warblers of mid-elevation forests; the red fir and Jeffrey pine of mile-high forests; the dwarf willow and matted flowers of Yosemite's majestic mountains.
How to Get There
From Merced (about 70 miles away): Follow Calif. 140 to the Arch Rock Entrance. Merced is one of the gateway communities for the Yosemite regional bus service (www.yarts.com or 877-989-2787). Also from the west: Take Calif. 120 to the Big Oak Flat Entrance.
From the south, via Fresno: Calif. 41 takes you to the South Entrance. From the northeast, via Lee Vining: Follow Calif. 120 to the Tioga Pass Entrance (closed mid-November to late May, depending on weather).
Trains stop at Merced; check with Amtrak about buses to Yosemite. Airports: Fresno and Merced.
When to Go
All-year park. Avoid holiday weekends. Expect filled campgrounds from June through August and some crowding in late spring and early fall. Be sure you have reserved accommodations before attempting an overnight visit. You will find skiing and other winter activities in the Badger Pass Ski Area from about Thanksgiving to mid-April.
How to Visit
When a visitor asked a Yosemite ranger what he would do if he had only a day to visit the park, the ranger answered, "I'd weep." If you must zip through this huge park in a day, begin with Yosemite Valley.
But even a dawn-to-dusk, one-day visit hardly allows enough time for more than a tour of the valley plus a look at one or two of the park's other major areas, such as the vistas from Glacier Point (road closed in winter beyond the ski area) and the sequoias of the Mariposa Grove.
As an alternative take the High Sierra Tioga Road (closed in winter) to explore the park's alpine country. Better still, stay long enough to get beyond the crowds and discover the sense of seclusion this great park can give you along one of its trails.
quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/yosemite-national-park/
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Tangkuban Perahu Volcano Crater
Tangkuban perahu is an active volcano, it is located 25 - 30 kilometers north of Bandung direction of Lembang. Mt. Tangkuban Perahu is an appealing destination that is fond to visit. The name translates roughly to "overturning of (a) boat" or "overturned boat" in Sundanese, referring to the local legend of its creation. The huge crater is an astonishing view and we could explore the crater around two hours. The sulphur fumes still emit from the crater though it is not particularly active.
To Do
* Sight seeing
* Trekking
* Photographing
* Hiking to the edge of the crater to view the hot water springs up-close,
* Boiled some eggs cooked on its hot surface of the hot spring
*
To Stay
There are numerous hotels covering every budget case around Bandung city. But if you have the intensity to stay longer near Tangkuban Perahu, there are numerous hotels in Lembang (North Of Bandung) and experience the ambience of country side whilst breathing a clear air which is hard to persue in the city.
To Eat
Restaurants and warungs are scattered around Tangkuban Perahu. But if you want to experience a different vibe there are various eating places around Lembang.
Tips
* Not everyone could stand with the fumes of the sulphurs, handkerchief are suggested to cover your nose and mouth
* Do not hesitate to resist the sellers offered if you are not interested.
* It is suggested that you bring a jacket/sweater to avoid cold temperature
* Try to go early as possible because around noon the mist start to roll in through the trees.
quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/392/tangkuban-perahu-volcano-crater
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
To Do
* Sight seeing
* Trekking
* Photographing
* Hiking to the edge of the crater to view the hot water springs up-close,
* Boiled some eggs cooked on its hot surface of the hot spring
*
To Stay
There are numerous hotels covering every budget case around Bandung city. But if you have the intensity to stay longer near Tangkuban Perahu, there are numerous hotels in Lembang (North Of Bandung) and experience the ambience of country side whilst breathing a clear air which is hard to persue in the city.
To Eat
Restaurants and warungs are scattered around Tangkuban Perahu. But if you want to experience a different vibe there are various eating places around Lembang.
Tips
* Not everyone could stand with the fumes of the sulphurs, handkerchief are suggested to cover your nose and mouth
* Do not hesitate to resist the sellers offered if you are not interested.
* It is suggested that you bring a jacket/sweater to avoid cold temperature
* Try to go early as possible because around noon the mist start to roll in through the trees.
quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/392/tangkuban-perahu-volcano-crater
Supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Monday, April 19, 2010
Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park
Colorado
Established October 21, 1999
30,385 acres
Sheer walls of dark gray stone rise more than 2,700 feet above the swift and turbulent Gunnison River to create one of the most dramatic canyons in the country. Deeper than it is wide in some places, this great slit in the Earth is so narrow that sunlight penetrates to the bottom only at midday. The park protects the deepest, most thrilling 14 miles of the gorge, about 75 miles upstream of the Gunnison's junction with the Colorado River.
Imagine chiseling two parallel walls of hard gneiss and schist running the length of Manhattan and standing higher than two Empire State Buildings stacked atop one another, with water as your only tool. At the inconceivable rate of one inch per century, it would take all of human history just to cut through five feet of rock. What you see from the rim is the product of two million years of patient work.
The metamorphic rocks exposed at the bottom of the canyon are nearly two billion years old, dating from the Precambrian or oldest era of the Earth. Here and there swirling pink veins of igneous pegmatite shoot through the walls, livening up the canyon's somber appearance.
Indians and white explorers generally avoided the formidable canyon up through the 19th century. In 1900, five men attempted to run the river in wooden boats to survey it as a possible source of irrigation for the Uncompahgre Valley. After a month, with their boats in splinters and their supplies gone, they gave up. But the next year two men ran it in ten days on rubber air mattresses. A water diversion tunnel was soon in the works; the four-year project, dedicated in 1909, resulted in a six-mile-long tunnel through rock, clay, and sand. The labor was so grueling and dangerous that the average period of employment was only two weeks. Today, three dams upstream have further tamed the Gunnison, but the canyon and its section of river remain wild.
Rim drives and hikes offer plenty of opportunities for peering into the magnificent canyon and marveling at its cliffs and towers of stone. Ravens, golden eagles, and peregrine falcons soar the great gulf of air out in front. On top grows a thick forest of Gambel oak and serviceberry, which provide cover for mule deer and black bears, while farther down the canyon Douglas firs thrive in the shade, and cottonwoods and box elders find footholds along the river.
How to Get There
The South Rim is located 15 miles northeast of Montrose, via US 50 and Colo. 347. The North Rim is 80 miles by car from the South Rim, via US 50W and Colo. 92. Turn south off Colo. 92 onto the 15-mile North Rim Road, the first half of which is paved. Airports: Montrose and Gunnison.
When to Go
Summer is the most popular time to visit. But be prepared to perspire if you hike at midday on exposed trails, and bring lots of water. Crisp days in late spring and early fall make for excellent walks. Winter affords opportunities for backcountry camping, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. With the rim at 8,000 feet above sea level, winter can set in as early as November and last until April. Snow closes vehicle access to the North Rim; the South Rim road stays open as far as the second overlook year-round.
How to Visit
You can spend most of the day driving the seven-mile (one-way) South Rim and exploring its five or so miles of trails. But reserve the afternoon, or a second day, for a walk down to the canyon floor. If you have more time, visit the North Rim and its five-mile unpaved drive.
quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/black-canyon-gunnison-national-park/
supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Established October 21, 1999
30,385 acres
Sheer walls of dark gray stone rise more than 2,700 feet above the swift and turbulent Gunnison River to create one of the most dramatic canyons in the country. Deeper than it is wide in some places, this great slit in the Earth is so narrow that sunlight penetrates to the bottom only at midday. The park protects the deepest, most thrilling 14 miles of the gorge, about 75 miles upstream of the Gunnison's junction with the Colorado River.
Imagine chiseling two parallel walls of hard gneiss and schist running the length of Manhattan and standing higher than two Empire State Buildings stacked atop one another, with water as your only tool. At the inconceivable rate of one inch per century, it would take all of human history just to cut through five feet of rock. What you see from the rim is the product of two million years of patient work.
The metamorphic rocks exposed at the bottom of the canyon are nearly two billion years old, dating from the Precambrian or oldest era of the Earth. Here and there swirling pink veins of igneous pegmatite shoot through the walls, livening up the canyon's somber appearance.
Indians and white explorers generally avoided the formidable canyon up through the 19th century. In 1900, five men attempted to run the river in wooden boats to survey it as a possible source of irrigation for the Uncompahgre Valley. After a month, with their boats in splinters and their supplies gone, they gave up. But the next year two men ran it in ten days on rubber air mattresses. A water diversion tunnel was soon in the works; the four-year project, dedicated in 1909, resulted in a six-mile-long tunnel through rock, clay, and sand. The labor was so grueling and dangerous that the average period of employment was only two weeks. Today, three dams upstream have further tamed the Gunnison, but the canyon and its section of river remain wild.
Rim drives and hikes offer plenty of opportunities for peering into the magnificent canyon and marveling at its cliffs and towers of stone. Ravens, golden eagles, and peregrine falcons soar the great gulf of air out in front. On top grows a thick forest of Gambel oak and serviceberry, which provide cover for mule deer and black bears, while farther down the canyon Douglas firs thrive in the shade, and cottonwoods and box elders find footholds along the river.
How to Get There
The South Rim is located 15 miles northeast of Montrose, via US 50 and Colo. 347. The North Rim is 80 miles by car from the South Rim, via US 50W and Colo. 92. Turn south off Colo. 92 onto the 15-mile North Rim Road, the first half of which is paved. Airports: Montrose and Gunnison.
When to Go
Summer is the most popular time to visit. But be prepared to perspire if you hike at midday on exposed trails, and bring lots of water. Crisp days in late spring and early fall make for excellent walks. Winter affords opportunities for backcountry camping, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. With the rim at 8,000 feet above sea level, winter can set in as early as November and last until April. Snow closes vehicle access to the North Rim; the South Rim road stays open as far as the second overlook year-round.
How to Visit
You can spend most of the day driving the seven-mile (one-way) South Rim and exploring its five or so miles of trails. But reserve the afternoon, or a second day, for a walk down to the canyon floor. If you have more time, visit the North Rim and its five-mile unpaved drive.
quoted from : http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/black-canyon-gunnison-national-park/
supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Pampang Cultural Park
Pampang Cultural Park is a cultural site to see when traveling to East Kalimantan. Dayak Kenyah tribe live in this area after their migration in 1967 from their original hometown of Apokayan in Malinau district, East Kalimantan. They left their village to stay near urban areas, so that they could obtain education and fulfill their basic needs. At present, not less than 800 members of Dayak Kenyah community live in Pampang village. Dayak Kenyah performing art is held every Sunday from 2 pm to 3 pm. No show is held other than Sunday. Entrance fee is Rp 5.000 per person
Getting There
East Kalimantan is a unique province. Although Samarinda is its capital city, yet the entrance gate to the province is at Balikpapan city. The main airport of this province is Sepinggan which is situated at Marsma Iswahyudi street in Balikpapan. From Balikpapan, you could take a plane with Balikpapan-Samarinda local route.
Pampang Cultural Park is situated in Pampang village, Sungai Siring, Samarinda Utara sub-district. It is only about 25 km from Samarinda, at Samarinda-Bontang trans road to be exact. It will take about 30 to 45 minutes to reach this location from Samarinda. If you take a public transportation, you could take those plying from Pasar Segiri-Sungai Siring, from Lempake bus station in Samarinda.
Getting Around
Main objective of tourists visiting Pampang park is to see performing arts shown by Dayak Kenyah children, teenagers and adults. Visitors can also take a village tour on food in Pampang village, mostly occupied by Dayak Kenyah community. Next to Rumah Lamin theater, there is a batik gallery selling various types of Kalimantan batik.
To Do
Pampang is an interesting cultural park to understand the life of Dayak Kenyah tribe. Visitors could see attractive dances performed by the tribe’s children, teenagers and adults. The show is performed in a Lamin or a customary home of Dayak tribe. Usually, 8 dances are performed in one show such as nyelamai sakai dance (welcome dance for guests), ajay (war dance), enggang terbang and berburu (hunting dances).
To Stay
Pampang village is relatively near Samarinda city center, therefore, it is also possible for you to stay in Samarinda. You will find many hotels of one to four stars in certain streets in Samarinda.
To Eat
This area does not provide any food stall. You could bring along snacks and drinks for watching the show.
To Buy
In addition to performing arts, another attractive event for tourists in Pampang Park is the sales of various types of local souvenirs by Dayak Kenyah community. They sell necklaces, bracelets, belts, skull-caps, hats, traditional clothings and their accessories, which are mostly made of beads and bamboos. One of its leading handicraft is oval-shaped bamboo bag. Price of this bag is about Rp 250.000-Rp 300.000.
Tips
Please note that the performing art is held in Pampang only on Sundays from 2pm to 3 pm local time. When you visit this village on other days (outside the show schedule), you will not find anything because Dayak Kenyah community performs their daily activities.
When buying souvenirs, it is best for you to come one hour before the show. Dayak Kenyah community usually opens their stores from 10 or 11 am because after the show, they usually pack their merchandises. After the show you could take pictures with local children or teenagers in traditional outfits.
quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/269/pampang-cultural-park
supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Getting There
East Kalimantan is a unique province. Although Samarinda is its capital city, yet the entrance gate to the province is at Balikpapan city. The main airport of this province is Sepinggan which is situated at Marsma Iswahyudi street in Balikpapan. From Balikpapan, you could take a plane with Balikpapan-Samarinda local route.
Pampang Cultural Park is situated in Pampang village, Sungai Siring, Samarinda Utara sub-district. It is only about 25 km from Samarinda, at Samarinda-Bontang trans road to be exact. It will take about 30 to 45 minutes to reach this location from Samarinda. If you take a public transportation, you could take those plying from Pasar Segiri-Sungai Siring, from Lempake bus station in Samarinda.
Getting Around
Main objective of tourists visiting Pampang park is to see performing arts shown by Dayak Kenyah children, teenagers and adults. Visitors can also take a village tour on food in Pampang village, mostly occupied by Dayak Kenyah community. Next to Rumah Lamin theater, there is a batik gallery selling various types of Kalimantan batik.
To Do
Pampang is an interesting cultural park to understand the life of Dayak Kenyah tribe. Visitors could see attractive dances performed by the tribe’s children, teenagers and adults. The show is performed in a Lamin or a customary home of Dayak tribe. Usually, 8 dances are performed in one show such as nyelamai sakai dance (welcome dance for guests), ajay (war dance), enggang terbang and berburu (hunting dances).
To Stay
Pampang village is relatively near Samarinda city center, therefore, it is also possible for you to stay in Samarinda. You will find many hotels of one to four stars in certain streets in Samarinda.
To Eat
This area does not provide any food stall. You could bring along snacks and drinks for watching the show.
To Buy
In addition to performing arts, another attractive event for tourists in Pampang Park is the sales of various types of local souvenirs by Dayak Kenyah community. They sell necklaces, bracelets, belts, skull-caps, hats, traditional clothings and their accessories, which are mostly made of beads and bamboos. One of its leading handicraft is oval-shaped bamboo bag. Price of this bag is about Rp 250.000-Rp 300.000.
Tips
Please note that the performing art is held in Pampang only on Sundays from 2pm to 3 pm local time. When you visit this village on other days (outside the show schedule), you will not find anything because Dayak Kenyah community performs their daily activities.
When buying souvenirs, it is best for you to come one hour before the show. Dayak Kenyah community usually opens their stores from 10 or 11 am because after the show, they usually pack their merchandises. After the show you could take pictures with local children or teenagers in traditional outfits.
quoted from : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/269/pampang-cultural-park
supported by : JavaTourism, Lintang Buana Tours
Tangkoko National Park
Tangkoko National Park is a flora and fauna conservation area in Mount Tangkoko, Bitung, North Sulawesi province. To visit this park, you will pass Batuputih Natural Park located between Batuputih Bawah subdistrict and Tangkoko National Park in Batuangus.
Batuputih Natural Park covering 615 hectares land is a savanna suitable for camping, outbound activities and relaxation by beach sides. Since it is frequently visited by tourists, this Park is the most famous one whereas it is only one of four conservation areas in Tangkoko.
In addition Batuputih Park, Tangkoko also has Tangkoko National Park-Batuangus with a total area of 3,196 hectares (covering Mount Tangkoko-Batuangus and its surrounding areas), Duasudara National Park with a total area of 4,299 hectares (covering Mount Duasudara and its surrounding areas), and Batuangus National Park with 635 hectares (located between Tangkoko National Park and Pinangunian village).
Batuputih Natural Park covering 615 hectares land is a savanna suitable for camping, outbound activities and relaxation by beach sides. Since it is frequently visited by tourists, this Park is the most famous one whereas it is only one of four conservation areas in Tangkoko.
In addition Batuputih Park, Tangkoko also has Tangkoko National Park-Batuangus with a total area of 3,196 hectares (covering Mount Tangkoko-Batuangus and its surrounding areas), Duasudara National Park with a total area of 4,299 hectares (covering Mount Duasudara and its surrounding areas), and Batuangus National Park with 635 hectares (located between Tangkoko National Park and Pinangunian village).
quoted from :www.indonesia.travel
create by : Lintang Buana crewSaturday, April 17, 2010
Goa Gajah
Set deep in the Petanu River valley, Goa Gajah—better known as “The Elephant Cave”— houses an ancient (circa 11th-century) Buddhist and Hindu temple that’s one of Bali’s most bewitching tourist attractions. The site is reached by walking down a long set of stone steps, past rectangular pools where worshippers once did ritual ablutions. Ornate stone carvings of lotus flowers and mystical creatures surround the entrance to the cave; most dramatic is the fierce-looking beast whose open mouth serves as the entryway. Inside are statues of Buddhist deities, including the elephant-headed god Ganesha and the goddess Hariti, as well as various fertility symbols.
Tip: Make this an early morning or late afternoon venture if you want to beat the crowds.
Source from http://www.travelandleisure.com/activities/goa-gajah
Supported by:
JavaTourism.com or Lintang Buana Tours for your holiday arrangement
Tip: Make this an early morning or late afternoon venture if you want to beat the crowds.
Source from http://www.travelandleisure.com/activities/goa-gajah
Supported by:
JavaTourism.com or Lintang Buana Tours for your holiday arrangement
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