BUNAKEN NATIONAL MARINE PARK - AN UNDERWATER PARADISE

Today we are to visit one of the most famous natural tourism spots in Indonesia, even in the world. Bunaken National Marine Park is established in 1991, making it the world’s first marine park, and until today still North Sulawesi’s featured tourist site. It lies in a coral triangle with approximately 390 species of corals, including a gigantic vertical-shaped coral, thousands of species of fish and other kinds of animals like cuscus and deer – things people say you “haven’t been in Bunaken yet” if you haven’t seen and enjoyed, besides of course its famous snorkeling and diving activities.

Geographically, Bunaken is included in the “Golden Triangle” area, interconnecting Indonesian, Papuan and Filipino seas. Bunaken Island is shaped like crescent, about 3 sq miles, one of five islands which cover the 343.88 sq mile Marine Park; the others are Mantehage, Naen, Siladen and Manado Tua, an inactive volcano which consists the highest spot in the park, all of which located at the northern part of Sulawesi (Celebes) Island in Indonesia.

Only 3% of the Marine Park is terrestrial, 5138 feet at its deepest spot. About 40 diving spots are available here with approximately 3000 species of fish accompanying the divers. This park is renowned for its highly diverse marine biota, which allegedly was caused by encounters of oceanic currents in the past. It is said that 7 of 8 species of the world’s giant clams are found here, as well as 70% of Indo-Western Pacific’s species of fish. Various marine mammals, molluscs, seaweeds and sea grass, as well as varieties of birds and reptiles also enrich the park.

On land, there are 22 villages. Local inhabitants in the park area are mostly fishermen or farmers, while the rest are workers in tourism sector. Accommodations are easy to find, from small cottages to 5-star hotels are all there.

Special submarines are available for those who prefer enjoying underwater sightseeing of Bunaken without having to go diving or snorkeling. By IDR   325,000 (USD 25) for each person, these subs accommodate up to 15 passengers for half an hour fun under the sea-surface.

Snorkeling enthusiasts can hire a full package of snorkeling equipment by IDR 150,000 (about USD 11,5); IDR 350,000 (USD 27) if underwater pictures-taking is included. Not cheap, of course. But it will soon be proven worth the experience waiting for you down there.

You can reach Bunaken by a catamaran ship from Marina harbor in Manado, about an hour trip in calm weather, and about half an hour by speed boats. Early morning departure is highly recommended to avoid high tides. Arriving at Bunaken Island, whether or not you can use the quay to walk on ashore depends on the tidal movements at the time.

Like any other marine tourism, accidents at sea occur sometimes. In August 2010, some lawmakers traveling-on-duty were having fun in Bunaken. Departing at about 8 a.m. from Marina Beach in Manado, despite the rain and pretty wavy sea, they made it to Bunaken. On their way back to Manado after having fun, the bad luck happened. Their boat’s engine suddenly went off amid big waves, followed by a huge wave hitting the boat and shattered it into pieces, leaving two people dead while the others survived by swimming ashore. Nonetheless, this is just one accident, and rarely happens, since special precautionary measures have been taken before and after the accident.

Efforts were made by local government to keep the marine park conserved despite gradual damaging and vandalism toward its famous corals, and to officially make the park a conservation spot for corals. Bunaken has been proposed to UNESCO in 2005 to be listed a World Heritage site. This park is lately flooded by mostly Chinese tourists, about 200 tourists a day.

One of the latest policies made by the local government is to stop issuing permits to build new hotels around Bunaken, and instead, encouraging local citizens to build guest houses by giving them low-interest loans. Another effort to further promote Bunaken is organizing the Bunaken Charm Festivals 2016 in July including activities like road shows to the park, fishing contest, decorated boats contest, and traditional music contest. Along with this, the Sam Ratulangi international airport would be open for 24 hours to anticipate more tourists visit. It is even planned to make Bunaken an educational tourism spot.

That’s but a glance of Bunaken National Marine Park in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. To further know this magnificent tourist spot, you should come visit here yourself. Surely, it will be an unforgettable life-time experience.

RAMBU SOLO, THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE FUNERAL CEREMONY

Searching for an exceptionally unique culture you have never seen before? Then you should take time to visit Tana Toraja, located in South Sulawesi province in Indonesia, a piece of land inhabited by one of the Austronesian ethnic groups dominating the rest of the region. The name Toraja allegedly came from Riaja, “inhabitants of the mountains”, Riajang, “inhabitants of the West”, or Toraya, “great people”, according to different sources. The word Tana means “region” or “land”, thus the name Tana Toraja, “land of the Torajans”.

According to local old myths devolved from generation to generation, the first ancestor of the Torajans descended right from heaven using a ladder, which also functioned as communication media with Puang Matua, the “only God”. Despite the majority of Torajans today are either Catholic or Protestant adherents, they still cling to old traditions and rituals inherited from their ancestors, which are closely linked to cultivating and harvesting seasons.

The cultural uniqueness of the Torajans lies, for instance, in their tongkonan traditional house, and rambu tuka ritual carried out after renovation of the tongkonan house.  The tongkonan house is considered the “ancestral” house of the extended family to which it belongs, and the central point of Torajans’ social living. Thus any ritual in connection with the tongkonan is tremendously important, which the whole family is obliged to participate in, symbolizing their lasting relationship with the ancestors. But this is not all, yet.

The uniqueness is even more conspicuous in the Torajans’ funeral ceremony, called rambu solo. The Torajans believe that without this funeral ceremony, the spirit of the deceased person will bring bad luck to the living.  The rambu solo ceremony is extremely complicated and costly, taking months (sometimes, even years) to prepare. No surprise, since one single such ceremony can take up to 4-5 billion rupiahs (around $300,000 - $380,000)!

The deceased’s body is wrapped in cloth and kept in the tongkonan house, awaiting for the ceremony to be fully prepared. During this awaiting period, - now this is the fact you can hardly find elsewhere - the family typically treat the deceased as simply ill, still served with food, drinks, cigarettes, areca nuts, and other offerings, even talked and jested with as if with the living. The rambu solo serves as the “perfecting” ceremony, after which the deceased can be considered fully dead, “perfectly” dead. A bit creepy, you think? Well, apparently the Torajans don’t think so.

The name rambu solo itself literally means “the smoke (moving) down”, referring to offering rites (associated with ‘smoke’) to the deceased taking place after 12 p.m., when the sun begin to move ‘down’. Sometimes it is also called rampe matampu’, “rituals in the west”, due to the sun being in the west after 12 p.m., also referring to the fact that the rituals are carried out at the western side of the tongkonan house.

The rambu solo ceremony is intended to honor and to accompany the spirit of the deceased to his or her place of eternity with the ancestors. The Torajans believe that the higher the deceased’s corpse is placed the faster his or her spirit reach the heavens – which explains why Torajan graves are typically located in high, rocky hills’ caves. The rituals are categorized according to the deceased’s social status; the richer and the more highly respected he or she was, the bigger and the more costly the funeral ceremony is. Well, this one is common anywhere, right?

For deceased persons from aristocratic families, great numbers of buffaloes (usually 24 to 150) are slaughtered as offerings, whereas only about 8-10 buffaloes for middle class families, including the famously very expensive “blond” buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), worth up to $3,500 each, for some even more than $40,000 each. This is one of the requirements such ceremony takes, in accordance with Torajans’ belief that buffaloes function as a ‘ride’ of the deceased’s spirit to arrive the puya, or “hereafter”. The more the buffaloes’ offerings, the faster the arrival.

The offering buffaloes are first paraded around the village, and then matched against one another at sundown, before being slaughtered. The peculiar of this buffaloes’ offering is the way of beheading each buffalo by one single machete chop-down. Can you imagine the extreme sharpness the machete takes and the necessary strength of the executioner to perform such act?

Various ornaments and decorations made of silver and gold, especially on the deceased’s coffin, are other requirements. In addition, “provisions” like clothing, jewelry and a sum of money are put into the coffin, not only for the deceased, but also as “consignment” for family members who were dead long ago. Finally, all villagers altogether will escort the deceased to his or her resting place, usually consisting of caves carved in rocky hills.

Habitually, the funeral ceremony has its peak events around July or August. This traditional ceremony usually attracts foreign tourists and native Torajans living in other regions alike to come attending it. No special invitation is made to attendees of this ceremony, as any native Torajans anywhere are welcomed to fully experience and internalize traditional values of their ancestors through the rituals. But, since this traditional funeral ceremony has been also a tourist attraction, surely you are also welcomed to attend if you happen to be visiting South Sulawesi in Indonesia. This without any doubt will be one of your once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

How To Pick The Right Hotel

Are you planning to go on vacation? Finding the right hotel is an important part in your vacation plan, and sometimes takes great effort and much time. It’s no surprise, because there is a possibility you come to the hotel just to find out the real luxury and facility in it is just worse than what you saw on its website.

Suitability of which hotels to be booked depends on many factors, such as taste and affordability. Cheapness means something must be sacrificed. Some expensive hotels’ facilities include swimming pools, but they’re not for you unless you’re a swimming enthusiast.

Here are some advises on finding the right hotel:

·       Make sure your chosen type of hotel is suitable with the number of persons in your party. If you travel solely with your spouse or with a child under ten, one standard hotel room should suffice. As for a group of four or five, a lodge or a cheap apartment seems more appropriate.

·       Adjust the hotel’s facility with the nature of your group. Traveling with little kids, it will be a good idea to book a hotel with children’s playground or a swimming pool. If your spouse is a passionate shopper, and in case you want to please her a bit, consider a hotel close to a shopping center.

·       If you travel on your own, whether on business or purely on vacation, make sure the hotel has the right facilities for your purpose to have the trip. People traveling on business would like to have facilities like fax machines, telephones, free internet connections, computers, etc.

·       If possible, try to find out in advance what facilities the hotel has, and whether they fit perfectly with what you want. Little things like availability of laundry service seem unimportant, but it will soon be proven otherwise when your hotel doesn’t have one.

·       Take notes of every detail of your hotel reservation: name, address, contact number, and every contact detail both of the hotel and the travel agent which handles your reservation. Make sure you have backup for the notes. If possible, confirm your reservation one day before checking in.

·       Don’t forget to keep the duration of your stay well-managed, to avoid unintended overstay which can potentially harm you financially. Apply smart management to your vacation spending. What about saving more on hotels so you can spend more on culinary or shopping activities?

·       Breakfast is each day’s first important thing. Having a good breakfast is essential to begin a good day, so make sure your hotel provides it, included in your room service. If you can afford it, of course.

·       Closeness to local culinary and souvenirs’ sites is also important to consider. Just in case your hotel is not adjacent to any of these, you can order the items you’re interested in to be delivered to the hotel.

·       Adjust the hotel’s location with your vacation planning. Whether you plan a beach holiday or enjoying local waterparks, make sure your hotel’s location is supportive enough. Whenever possible, after determining which tourist spots you plan to visit, choose a hotel located right in the middle of them, or at least the closest one.

·       Make sure the transportation to and from the hotel is easily available, and the hotel itself is not too close to dangerous areas such as the underworld or night life spots. In case you’re not familiar with the area, using travel agents service will be helpful.

·       If you’re planning a vacation in a high season, you’d better rethink it well. Is having a bit fun worth the incredibly long queue or the jostling crowd? Room prices are typically cheaper in low seasons, so are plane tickets.

·       Online ordering of hotel rooms is always a good choice. Internet provides the fastest way of getting and comparing available prices to get the best one, significantly saving your precious time and money. Yet in Bali, Indonesia, it’s a little different story. Here you can get cheaper price for hotel rooms with local assistance, such as a guide introduced by your colleague, or relatives living there. Typically you get cheaper price through Bali’s local travel agents than through the internet.

·       Reading any testimony of the hotel’s former guests, if available, will be very helpful, since such testimonies are usually more impartial and neutral, describing a real-life experience, whether pleasant or not, about the hotel and its service. Asking for recommendations from friends or relatives about the area or the country you’re planning to visit, and which hotels they have stayed in during their visit there, will be a good idea as well.

·       You can even consider a non-hotel option like family-run inns or boarding houses, especially if you’re interested in getting acquainted with local people’s daily living. Some countries even provide public service to book local houses with unique local culinary served by the host.

·       One more interesting option – because it’s much cheaper – is joining a (free) travel and hotel business affiliate program. After having a vacation, while showing your trip pictures to your relatives you can promote to them saying you were using your own travel agent. It’s quite possible they will use it too.

Hopefully this short article can help you in planning a pleasant vacation with your loved ones. Happy holiday!

East Indonesia Overview

Indonesia, formerly named the Netherlands-Indie and well-known in the past as "Gordel van Smaragd" in Dutch language (literally meaning "the Emerald Belt") due to its natural beauty and cultural richness, is the home of no less than 1,340 ethnic groups, encompassing an area of approximately 5,193,250 km², with only 1,919,440 km² of which is land. Its strategic location between two major oceans (Indian Ocean and the Pacific) and two continents (Asia and Australia) and, subsequently, along ancient trading routes between Far East, South Asia and the Middle East, has a significant influence on its ethnic and cultural diversity, besides centuries of complex interactions with the physical environment of each region of the archipelago.

This diversity is mostly evident in the Eastern part of Indonesia, namely in islands of Sulawesi, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, Papua and many other minor islands. Multiplicity of customs, religions, traditions and even languages is obvious as you browse through from village to village, region to region, island to island. Papua, for example, has more than 300 languages. Different practices and rituals are observable even in adjacent villages. Indeed, you will experience a strong impression of incredibly rich cultural varieties as you are exploring the remote but truly unforgettable East Indonesia.

Sulawesi

Rambu Solo funeral procession, Tana Toraja

As one of Indonesia's major islands, Sulawesi has many types of cultural features. In Tana Toraja, for example, occasionally you can encounter a distinctive traditional ceremony of funeral called Rambu Solo, which is more similar to a big feast and typically takes place for several days. This kind of ritual ceremony is considerably expensive and exclusively held for rich and influential people only. The traditional graves for the deceased, exotically carved into rocky hills, are among the most visited tourist spots in Tana Toraja.

Bunaken Marine Park

For eco-tourism and especially marine tourism devotees, the Bunaken Marine Park, declared one of the World Heritage sites by UNESCO in 2005 and only 35-minutes sea-trip from Manado harbor, is a perfect choice. The beauty of its rich varieties of colorful fish and coral reefs well-preserved from vandalism, can be enjoyed either by diving and snorkeling, or by specially designed subs. The best time to visit is around May-August when you can have  the clearest visibility in the water and most ideal temperature for diving.

Further to the southeast, you find the Wakatobi National Park, which is considered the biggest national maritime park in Indonesia, encompassing an area of about 1.39 million hectares of land and sea. It is the natural habitat of no less than 112 species of coral reefs, 93 species of fish, and some species of petrels and turtles. Besides enjoying its natural beauty, you can also explore diverse kind of cultural uniqueness by local inhabitants in and around the park.

Bali

One can hardly have any doubt that this "Island of the Gods", the nickname Bali Island used to be known by, is one of the most popular among domestic and foreign travelers in Indonesia, especially for its cultural heritage. Its nature, its people, even the atmosphere hanging over the island is hard to forget. There is even a popular saying that simply suggests you not to die before visiting Bali.

Its traditional performing arts, especially the dances, are widely well-known and ever fascinating. Your first footstep on this island is already welcomed with the Pendet dance, the greeting dance which is originally performed as ritual dance for temple purification. It is performed by 4-5 young female dancers.

Pendet dance

Another famous Balinese performing art is the Kecak, a form of dance and music drama, alternatively known as Ramayana monkey chant, performed by at least 150 male dancers percussively chanting "cak" and moving their hands and arms, depicts a battle from the Ramayana. The best spot to watch this performing art is at Pura Uluwatu at sunset.

Kintamani Lake

The natural attractions of Bali are no less awesome. Kuta beach, among others, is the most visited one. If you are a sea-wave surfer, this beach will indeed be your paradise. In the Sangeh forest in Ubud you can enjoy the natural habitat of hundreds of apes, which are considered sacred by locals, that it is forbidden to disturb the apes or to harm them. Batur Kintamani lake lies at the 2nd highest mount in Bali, and is also Bali's biggest lake. It offers you beautiful scenery and fresh, cool air around the lake. Lovina beach, though less well-known, is an excellent choice for tourists as well, where you can watch dolphins in  their natural habitat swimming and jumping around. In Tanjung Benoa beach you can enjoy many kinds of water games like banana boat, parasailing, jetski, scuba diving etc., due to its very calm waters.

The unfinished part of GWK statue

Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park, founded in 1992, is a cultural park with the gigantic Garuda Wisnu statue as its main attraction. Planned to have heights of 126 meters and 64 meters of wing span, it is intended to be one of the tallest and largest of modern-day sculptures.Still being a developing project, the existing parts of the statue and the whole park itself are currently developing into a cultural park that covers cultural exhibitions, events and amusement attractions as well as becoming the information and communication forum for local, national, regional and even international cultures.

Nusa Tenggara

Further to the east from Bali, there are more tourist attractions varying from eco-tourism to historical tours to culinary tours especially in Lombok, Sumbawa and Timor Islands. The most famous icon of Nusa Tenggara (literally meaning: "Southeast Islands") tourism is the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), as shown in the picture below.

Komodo Dragon in the Komodo Island

It is the world's only living dinosaur which you can find in the Komodo National Park located in the Komodo Island in East Nusa Tenggara. It can grow to a maximum length of 3 metres (10 ft) in rare cases and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms (150 lb). Fossils very similar to V. komodoensis have been found in Australia dating to greater than 3.8 million years ago, and its body size remained stable on Flores Island, one of the handful of Indonesian islands where it is currently found, over the last 900,000 years.

Lombok

Despite the natural characteristics of Nusa Tenggara which are marked by large proportions of steppe particularly in East Nusa Tenggara, due  to the dry climate and low, unevenly distributed rainfall, you can expect so many, many unforgettable experiences upon your arrival here.

Lombok Island lies next to Bali, but with a much quieter environment, and surely is a paradise for those seeking tranquility of a tropical island. From its famous Mount Rinjani to its unspoiled, beautiful beaches, to its magnificent landscape, this island surely has plentiful outing delights to offer.

Moving next to Sumbawa Island, you have just as many sightseeing options as well. Historical buildings such as royal palaces and former Dutch colonial governmental buildings, tourist villages where the original, indigenous traditional culture is still on display, and natural charms such as beaches, mountain excursion sites and tiny, forested islands, are all available as you explore this fascinating island.

Kelimutu three-colored lakes

Further to the east, i.e. in East Nusa Tenggara province, you are offered no less spectacular tour. One major  example, the Komodo dragon, has been mentioned above. Another famous site is Kelimutu volcano in Flores Island, which crater has 3 lakes with 3 different colors which periodically change. You can enjoy this magical sightseeing in the day, and keep overnight to watch the sunrise the next morning.

You can also visit the Gunung Mutis Conservation
Area in Timor Island which contains typical homogeneous, highland vegetation forest, and its characteristic wildife. Besides, you can observe the indigenous way of life of local tribes and how they use the ancient technology of their ancestors to sustain life.

Maluku

Now let's move on to the most distinguishing region of East Indonesia. Formerly known as The Spice Island, this vast archipelago is full of historical, cultural and natural tourist sites awaiting for your visit. Administratively, this region consists of 2 provinces, Maluku and  Northern Maluku, with Ambon and Ternate as their capitals, respectively.

 Pintu Kota Beach

Upon arriving in Ambon, which is located at a small island bearing the same name, lots of tourist attractions are already awaiting. The Natsepa Beach Recreation Park is perfect for coastal tourism lovers, and so are the Liang Beach, the Namalatu Beach and Santai Beach, all located in Ambon Island. Even in Pintu Kota Beach, there is a unique natural phenomenon of a gate-shaped big coral reef you can even climb and relax upon.

Bambu Gila Dance

Lenso dance

Beside natural attractions, cultural distinction of Maluku is no less intriguing. For example, the Bambu Gila Dance, especially originated in Central Maluku. Literally meaning "crazy bamboo", this dance is, in fact , mystical. Performed by 6-7 male "dancers" holding tightly to a piece of bamboo, a pawang, or "sorcerer", uses some magical force to move the bamboo to whatever direction he wishes without touching it, with the male dancers almost powerless to resist its moves.

Cakalele dance

Other well-known traditional dances of Maluku are the Lenso dance and the Cakalele dance. The former which is originally a social, youth dance is performed by women, currently as a guest-welcoming dance, whereas the latter which is originally a war dance is performed by both men and women, currently for celebrating special events and as welcome dance as well.

View from atop Duurstede fortress

Maluku also offers a handful of interesting historical sites. The Duurstede fortress at Saparua Island is one major example. It serves as a silent witness to the bravery and heroism of Thomas Matulessy a.k.a. Kapitan Pattimura (1783-1817) and his men when capturing the fortress from the Dutch colonial forces. Its excellent location on a hilltop right facing the seashore gives you a dazzling view from atop the fortress' well-preserved walls.

Ora beach

Moving north to Seram Island, Ora beach at the northern part of the island is a fabulous spot for those in pursuit of tranquility amid natural refreshment. Crystal-clear seawater, fresh air, and a unique accommodation in the form of six wooden cottages built above water level will give you a perfect getaway atmosphere.

Further to the north, cultural tourism lovers will be glad to visit the Ternate Royal Palace in Northern Maluku. It is where the unique royal crown of the Sultan is treasured. Why unique? Because it is made of, among others, 113 jewelries from all around the globe, and of human hair, which consistently grow just like ordinary hair.

Papua

The easternmost part of East Indonesia is Papua. This big island is shared by 2 countries, Indonesia at its western part, and Papua New Guinea at the eastern part. Administratively, the Indonesian part is divided in 2 provinces, Papua and West Papua, with Jayapura and Manokwari as the capitals, respectively.

Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat is probably the most favorited tourist spot in Papua so far. Consisting of 4 major islands and a number of surrounding minor islands, this place has considerably diverse marine biota; in fact, it is recorded that 75% the world's marine species are found here. An exquisite place for diving and underwater experiences, and also for inland tracking accompanied by local guides. Cendrawasih Bay National Park is another enchanting tourist attraction you should not miss. Covering an area of no less than 1,453,500 hectares, and being the natural habitat of about 196 species of molluscs and and 209 kinds of fish, it is considered the largest marine conservation area in Indonesia.

Sentani lake is another natural tourism favorite. About 9,360 hectares in size, it is indeed the largest lake in Papua, embellished with 21 small islands making it all the more delightful. The annual Sentani Lake Festival periodically held at this site brings you many opportunities to enjoy and explore various cultural exhibitions.
 

Asmat canoe

Cultural richness of Papua is undoubtedly mesmerizing. Manual manufacturing of traditional Asmat canoes is one of them. Made of sandalwood or ketapan wood and beautifully decorated with typical carvings which usually resemble the tribe's ancestors or deceased relatives, these traditional canoes are only manufactured every 5 years, and usually takes about 5 weeks to complete. A special ritual ceremony has to be observed before the canoes are put into use.

There are still so many, many other magnificent tourist destinations across East Indonesia, and I have just mentioned a few above. But one thing I can assure you of: an unforgettable traveling experience is always awaiting you here in this fascinating part of the earth! ^_^