NEXT TRIP to GARUT

It's been a hetic month for me, a lot of stress and i do really need a vacation to refreshing. And my destination is Garut.

Garut is a City in the West Java province of Indonesia the capital of Garut Regency. Garut is an Old Dutch hill station and a characteristic Sundanese town in the highlands, surrounded by mountains, volcanoes, and crystal clear lakes. Garut's Hindu temples and hot springs are often the destination for hikers attracted by spectacular views from the mountaintops. The choices of where to plan the next trek in the area are as varied as the sights along the way. Some like to hike across to Mount Telaga Bodas with its pale-green Crater Lake bubbling with pure sulfur. This cool place can be reached from Bandung in approximately one hour. Due to the scenic beauty of this there are many places of interest for nature lovers. The northern part of the region is reserved for the development of the city of Garut while the southern region is rich with a beautiful coastline, nature preserves and beautiful scenery. Since the time of the Dutch occupation, this region has been developed as a resting place. 

The inhabitants of Garut are mostly Moslems and more than half of the people live on farming. The specific food from this place, which is very famous, is "dodol Garut", a sweet food made from sticky rice flour and sugar with various flavorings. This food is offered in different wrappings and can be store for a long time. In the past, Garut was also famous for its high quality oranges.

first place that i really want to visit is Santolo Beach. Located in the district. Cikelet, south of Garut city center, distance traveled within 3.5 hour drive or about 88 km. 

Panati are well known in the city of Bandung and is a tourist destination. Santolo Coast region is a gathering of traditional fishermen who will be developed into a beautiful tourist destination. It is also an area for fishing activities as a dock (port) fishing vessel or boat that is in Pameungpeuk.

the next is Curug Orok (Orok Waterfalls) is approximately 29 kilometers to the southwest side of Garut city is natural tourist resort found, namely Curug Orok, to be exact at Cikandang village, Cikajang sub district. This resort constitutes a beautiful waterfall because the path to the site divides tea plantation.

The natural panorama around Curug Orok (Orok Waterfall) and mountain atmosphere adorned with green tea plantation spread is an attraction to be offered in this resort. No wonder many teenagers come here to enjoy. Other activity that can be done in this location is to take a bath under the clean waterfall.

Its atmosphere is very nice for the tourists to look for peace and stay away from the tiring city. To reach this resort we can use our private vehicles or public transportation in the direction of Garut Bungbulang.

another place is Sayang Heulang Beach are natural tourist attraction located in the village of Mancagahar, Pameungpeuk sub-district, located directly adjacent to the santolo beach and only separated by a small river that causes a curugan (a waterfall) a unique natural phenomenon, where the sea water down to the river of fresh water. You can enjoy a stretch of reef that juts into the sea where there are shallow reefs.

Sayang Heulang Beach has waters bluish-green and the average wave height 2-3 meters, the sun shines around the blazing beach, and wind power is big enough. General configuration of this form of land pntai plains with steep slope in the area around the beach and good soil stability . Long beach is more than 2 km and width of the beach is less than 50 meters with a stretch of coastal material of fine white sand clean. Abrasion on the beach level is high can be said that viewed from the formation of a tiered coast between the coastal areas with area facilities. Environmental quality and cleanliness of the beach is good, this can be seen from the coast that is still clean.

 

for this time i just want to visit these 3 places, i will post another place after i got back from Garut. :)

The Amazing Raja Ampat Island, West Papua.

Raja Ampat is Located off the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea, in Indonesia's West Papua province, Raja Ampat, or the Four Kings, is an archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands, cays and shoals surrounding the four main islands of Misool, Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo, and the smaller island of Kofiau. Raja Ampat is new regency which separated from Sorong regency at 2004. It encompasses more than 40,000 km² of land and sea, which also contains Cenderawasih Bay, the largest marine national park in Indonesia. It is a part of the newly named West Papua (province) of Indonesia which was formerly Irian Jaya. The islands are the most northern pieces of land in the Australian continent.
According to Conservation International, marine surveys suggest that the marine life diversity in the Raja Ampat area is the highest recorded on Earth. Diversity is considerably greater than any other area sampled in the Coral Triangle composed of Indonesia, Philippines and Papua New Guinea. The Coral Triangle is the heart of the world's coral reef biodiversity, making Raja Ampat quite possibly the richest coral reef ecosystems in the world.

The area's massive coral colonies along with relatively high sea surface temperatures, also suggest that its reefs may be relatively resistant to threats like coral bleaching and coral disease, which now jeopardize the survival of other coral ecosystems around the world. The Raja Ampat islands are remote and relatively undisturbed by humans.

The high marine diversity in Raja Ampat is strongly influenced by its position between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as coral and fish larvae are more easily shared between the two oceans. Raja Ampat's coral diversity, resilience, and role as a source for larval dispersal make it a global priority for marine protection.

1,309 fish species, 537 coral species (a remarkable 96% of all scleractinia recorded from Indonesia are likely to occur in these islands), and 699 mollusk species, the variety of marine life is staggering. Some areas boast enormous schools of fish and regular sightings of sharks, such as wobbegongs.

Best Beaches in Indonesia

With over 17,000 islands, Indonesia has thousands of kilometres of coastline and, not surprisingly, a great selection of exciting beaches that will attract not only hard-core surfers but also travellers who are looking for a beach side experience where they can relax and immerse themselves in a different culture.
When planning your trip to Indonesia give yourself plenty of time to consider your options, take out the best travel insurance package you can afford, and make your bookings well in advance.

Whilst it is well-nigh impossible to narrow down the choice of beaches to a list of five that will suit everybody. let's take a look.

Thousand Islands. By taking a ferry from Ancol in North Jakarta you’ll find yourself in the pristine blue waters of these islands which offer a range of accommodation and resorts as well some of the most beautiful deserted beaches on earth. The islands closer to Jakarta are more popular, especially with day-trippers, so if you really want to get away from it all you’ll need to travel a bit further out to find yourself on powdery white sand with vast expanses of blue water fringed with coconut palms and no one to share it with you.

Banda Islands, Maluku. These islands were once exotically termed the spice Islands, shrouded in mystery and wonder, highly valued by pirates and international traders alike. Today, it has assumed the more sedate name of Banda and whilst spices still grow abundantly the islands are now favoured by holidaymakers seeking quiet rest in a noisy world.

Nusa Dua. Surfers the world over know that Indonesia has some of the world’s best surfing beaches and is home to some of the most amazing ocean waves in the southern hemisphere. Even following the terrorist attacks in Bali a few years ago, surfers continued to visit Indonesia in undiminished numbers, and this was amongst their favourite destinations.

 

The Mentawai Islands. This collection of about 70 islands is located off the western side of Sumatra are considered by surfers in the know to have the most consistent surf in the world. From June to September the conditions are nearly perfect for big waves and, as you can imagine is extremely popular.

Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Barat or NTB) province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is roughly circular, with a "tail" (Sekotong Peninsula) to the southwest, about 70 km across and a total area of about 4,725 km² (1,825 sq mi). The provincial capital and largest city on the island is Mataram. It is somewhat similar in size and density with neighboring Bali and shares some cultural heritage, but is administratively part of NTB along with sparsely populated Sumbawa. It is surrounded by a number of smaller islands locally called Gili.

 senggigi beach

 gili nanggu

gili trawangan

Tanjung Bira, South Sulawesi. Bira beach situated about 191 km south east of Makassar city, just need 4 hours drive to reach the beach, and the location on the left bottom of island sulawesi, Bira beach is a beautiful and pleasant area, the water is clear and very good for swimming, in the front of beach is an island liukang with white sand beach, adding to the beauty of surrounding natural panorama. At the back of Bira there are soars up the Puang Janggo mountain with a height of more than 400 meters, it can be reached by car for 15 minutes or hiking about 45 minutes, on the left part of cape bira is a pier for ferry to selayar and labuhan Bajo of flores island. bira beach hotel accommodation are in different category from a private beach to face to beach open wide till walking to the beach from a hundred meters.

 

Pink Beach is surrounded by the blue seawater with beautiful underwater life. It is blessed by the spectacular view of surrounding area which most of them consisted of small islands, hills and mountain. The beach is located in the small rocky island with amazing view of coral and colorful fish. Pink Beach is also called by Pantai Merah as the best point for snorkeling in Komodo National Park, east part of Indonesia Archipelagos. It is a beautiful island and the perfect place to visit and enjoy the snorkeling activity

Bosnik Beach is Located at East Biak , 11 km distance by car from Biak town. It used as beaching activities and good sea view at Owi group island just in the front of the beach.

which one do you think the best beach? :)

Old Town Journey

Last saturday i went to Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua Jakarta), also known as Old Jakarta, and Old Batavia (Oud Batavia), is a small area in Jakarta, Indonesia. This special region spans 1.3 square kilometres of both North Jakarta and West Jakarta (Kelurahan Pinangsia, Taman Sari and Kelurahan Roa Malaka, Tambora).

Me and my friends went to the Jakarta History Museum, The Jakarta History Museum (Indonesian: Museum Sejarah Jakarta), which is also known as Fatahillah Museum or Batavia Museum, is located in the Old Town of Jakarta, Indonesia. The building was built in 1710 as the Stadhuis (city hall) of Batavia. Jakarta History Museum, opened in 1974, displays objects from the prehistoric times of the city, the founding of Jayakarta in 1527, and through Dutch colonization from the 16^th century onwards until Indonesia’s Independence in 1945.

Jakarta History Museum is located in the building which was the former City Hall of Batavia, known in the past as Stadhuis. This building was the administrative headquarters of the Dutch East India Company,^[2] and later of the Dutch Colonial Government. The current building was constructed in 1707 by the city government, replacing the former city hall built in 1627. Governor General Abraham van Riebeeck inaugurated it in 1710.

The building contains 37 ornate rooms. There are also some cells located beneath the front portico which were used as dungeons. A Javanese freedom fighter Prince Diponegoro, who was treacherously arrested, was imprisoned here in 1830 before being banished to Manado, North Sulawesi. Another freedom fighter earlier imprisoned here around 1670 was Untung Suropati from East Java.

This building is located in front of a public square, which in the past was known as Stadhuisplein, the City Hall Square. The square is now known as Fatahillah Square (Indonesian: Taman Fatahillah). In the center of the square is a fountain which was used as a water supply during colonial era. Also located in the square is a Portuguese cannon (known as Si Jagur Cannon) with a hand ornament showing a fico gesture, which is believed by local people to be able to induce fertility on women. The square was also used as the place of executions. 

In 1970, the Fatahillah Square was declared a Cultural Heritage.This effort was the beginning of the development of the historical area of the City of Jakarta, carried out by the Government of DKI Jakarta. The Jakarta History Museum was inaugurated on March 30, 1974 as the center for collection, conservation and research for all kinds of objects of cultural heritage related to the history of the City of Jakarta. The building's generous scale with massive timber beams and floorbands.

You can pay for the ticket only 2000 IDR for adult, 1000 IDR for college student and 700 IDR for student. Operating Hours : Tues-Thurs and Sun 9am to 3pm, Fri 2:30-5pm, and Sat 9am-12:30pm

Another Museum that we visited is The Fine Art and Ceramic Museum (Indonesian: Museum Seni Rupa dan Keramik is a museum in Jakarta, Indonesia. The museum is dedicated especially to the display of traditional fine art and ceramics of Indonesia. 

The building of the Fine Art and Ceramic Museum was completed on January 12, 1870, and was used as the Court of Justice (Dutch: de Raad van Justitie). The building was known as Paleis van Justitie. During the Japanese occupation, the building was used by KNIL and later after the independence of Indonesia, was used as the Indonesian military dormitory and as the logistic warehouse. In 1967, the building was used as the West Jakarta Mayor Office. In 1974, the building was used as an office for the Jakarta Museum and History Department. The building was officially inaugurated as the Fine Art and Ceramic museum by president Soeharto on August 20, 1976.

The ticket fare for this museum is same with Jakarta History Museum. Inside the Museum you can see a lot of art things, like Painting, and Ceramic collection from China, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and Europe.

The next stop is Bank Indonesia Museum, Bank Indonesia Museum is located in the Jakarta old city, in front of the Beos Kota rail station, right next to the Bank Mandiri museum. This museum originally was a hospital Binnen Hospitaal, and then used as a bank that is De Javashe Bank (DJB) in the year 1828. Then, after the independence in 1953, this bank become to a central bank of Indonesia or Bank Indonesia. But not long, the year 1962, Bank Indonesia’s move to new building. Building is left empty, but the BI board of governors appreciate the historical value of building, then they take care Museum Bank Indonesia as a heritage. This museum was inaugurated on 15 December 2006 by Bank Indonesia governor, Burhanuddin Abdullah.

From the outside, this building looks strong, and well maintained. Parking lot is spacious. White color make this building more elegant. Entering the building, we can not feel atmosphere of old building. Automatic doors made of glass will welcome the guests who came. Then we can see a metal detector scanner and security guard. Very secure for a museum. The lobby looks so luxurious and comfort even in the hot & shinny day, because this building was air conditioned. So cool…

 

We will see a museum with modern design, so different with other museum in Indonesia. All were well build design. There are settings about the dock in old Batavia style, and also setting about a Dutch customer who go to the bank to deposit money. Here we can see the history of Bank Indonesia and also the function of Bank Indonesia. There is also a encyclopedia about banks that are given the title “Yang Seru Yang Lucu” (The Wacky Fun Stuff), it tell us about idiom in banking and where it come from, with funny style. 

After that we will see a safe-deposit box room, its door made of steel, similar to those in the Bank Mandiri Museum, but the room inside at Bank Indonesia Museum is smaller. Inside the room we can found numismatic collection with historical information to provide a means of exchange trade of Indonesia. All was displayed neatly, complete with magnifier so visitors can see the money collection in detail. We will find a guide inside the room ready to answer any question from visitors.

Very good museum, we highly recommend you to visit this museum. This place is very tidy, comfort, well maintained, with clean bathroom, and also free of charge. Very nice job..

Museum Bank Indonesia
Pintu Besar Utara No. 3 Jakarta Barat
Phone : (021) 2600158 Ext 8111, 8102, 8100
Operating hours :
* Tuesday – Thrusday : 8.30 am – 2.30 pm
* Friday : 8.30 am – 11 am
* Saturday – Sunday : 9 am – 4 pm
* Monday & holiday : Closed
Entrance fee : FREE OF CHARGE

The hills or Puncak

This time i went to Puncak, Puncak (English: Peak) is the popular name for the area surrounding the peak of Mt.Gede-Pangrango, located in the Bogor-Cianjur-Sukabumi regencies, in the province of West Java, Indonesia.

This area is a popular holiday area for the residents of Jakarta, the capital city, and its satellite cities. It has fresh air and mountain scenery. The area is about two hours drive from Jakarta.

we went to see waterfall at Curug Cilember, Curug Cilember is a tourist place located about 20 km from Bogor to Puncak. Precisely, Curug Cilember located in Cilember village, Cisarua District, Bogor Regency, West Java. Altitude about 800 meters above sea level, making this area cool and dominated by pine vegetation and yellow ground orchids.

Well, the uniqueness of Curug Cilember is seven-story waterfall that located in this area, waterfall started from 7, 6, 5, and so on. So, when you arrive at Curug Cilember, first you can enjoy waterfall no 7. And if you want to see waterfall no 2 so you have to walk uphill through decent track. This track is uphill and winding unspoiled trees, perfect for climber lovers. The cool and cold air, the sounds of forest animals, and the rustle of water will accompany you throughout the journey. Very nice!

However, for you who don’t like tracking, a butterfly garden can be an option. In this park you can see butterflies collection of Curug Cilember. Many and diverse patterns of butterflies, you also accompanied by guide and give you gain knowledge about the butterfly.

In addition, many facilities offer that so tempting. There is a camping ground, outbound area, even villa. You also don’t worry if don’t bring enough food, because in Curug area many merchants who offer distinctive foods, such as rabbit satay and roasted corn.