Palembang to host 2010 Kraton Festival

The Palembang Darussalam sultanate had been chosen to host the 7th Kraton Nusantara Festival in 2010, beating Buton kingdom in Southeast Sulawesi, and Siak kingdom in Riau.

The decision was jointly made by 43 kings and sultans who participated in the 6th Kraton Nusantara Festival in Malino, Gowa regency, Andi Rimba Alam Pangerang, chairman of the organizing committee said here Tuesday.

by the decision, Palembang became the first city in Sumatera to host the biennial festival, as the previous ones were held in Java, Kalimantan and Sulawesi.

Meanwhile, Sultan Iskandar Mahmud Badaruddin of the Palembang sultanate welcomed the decision.

"We are ready to hold the event in associationwi with the local administration. We hope to hold a better festival than the previous on in Gowa which was also a success," he said.

The first Kraton Nusantara festival was held in Yogyakarta (1995), the second in Cirebon, West Java (1997), the third in Tenggarong, East Kalimantan (2002), the fourth in Yogyakarta (2004) and the fifth in Solo, Central Java (2006), and the sixth in Manilo, Gowa, in 2008.

Tiny, long-lost primate rediscovered in Indonesia

On a misty mountaintop on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, scientists for the first time in more than eight decades have observed a living pygmy tarsier, one of the planet's smallest and rarest primates.

Over a two-month period, the scientists used nets to trap three furry, mouse-sized pygmy tarsiers -- two males and one female -- on Mt. Rore Katimbo in Lore Lindu National Park in central Sulawesi, the researchers said on Tuesday.

They spotted a fourth one that got away.

The tarsiers, which some scientists believed were extinct, may not have been overly thrilled to be found. One of them chomped Sharon Gursky-Doyen, a Texas A&M University professor of anthropology who took part in the expedition.

"I'm the only person in the world to ever be bitten by a pygmy tarsier," Gursky-Doyen said in a telephone interview.

"My assistant was trying to hold him still while I was attaching a radio collar around its neck. It's very hard to hold them because they can turn their heads around 180 degrees. As I'm trying to close the radio collar, he turned his head and nipped my finger. And I yanked it and I was bleeding."

As their name indicates, pygmy tarsiers are small -- weighing about 2 ounces (50 grammes). They have large eyes and large ears, and they have been described as looking a bit like one of the creatures in the 1984 Hollywood movie "Gremlins."

They are nocturnal insectivores and are unusual among primates in that they have claws rather than finger nails.

They had not been seen alive by scientists since 1921.

Govt declares 10 regions top tourist destinations

The Indonesian government has declared ten regions in the country top tourist destionations in a move to boost the national tourism industry.

"The policy to declare ten regions top tourist destinations will hopefully encourage each of the regions to improve their performance in developing their respective tourism potentials," Wibowo, a deputy drector general at the Culture and Tourism Ministry, said here at the weekend.

The ten regions are North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, West Sumatra, North Sumatra, Riau Islands, South Sumatra, East Kalimantan and West Irian Jaya, he said.

"Every year we make an evaluation of the regions to be declared top tourist destinations by taking into account various aspects, namely natural potentials, infrastructure facility and the local people`s way of thinking," he said.

He said Indonesia had 33 tourist destination areas stretching from the country`s western-most province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam to the country`s eastern-most province of Papua.

"Of the total, only 16 tourist destinations are able to attract 90 percent of local and foreign tourists, including the ten top tourist destinations," he said.

The 16 tourist destinations are Bandung, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Batam, Bali, Toba, Karakatau, Tana Toraja, Lombok, Semarang, Java, West Sumatra, Manado, Sangalaki, Komodo and Kupang, he said.

"The figure suggests that there is still a gap among tourist destinations. That`s why there need to be directives and policies to develop the tourist destinations in a concrete way," he said.

Lake Toba, Komodo, Krakatau Isles Nominated For New 7 wonders Of Nature

The New7Wonders Foundation has nominated three locations in Indonesia, namely Komodo Isle National Park (East Nusa Tenggara), Lake Toba (North Sumatra), and Krakatau Isle (off sothern Sumatra) for world recognition as part of New7Wonders of Nature for the period 2008-2010, a tourism official said.

The campaign of selection New7Wonders of Nature candidates is being done through a live-vote method on www.new7wonders.com, Antara news agency reported.

Nestled between the large Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra is the Krakatau Volcano National Park.

In the fourth century, a single marine volcano stood at this site, but in 416 AD, the caldera of the volcano collapsed.

Indonesia's Komodo National Park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller ones, for a total area of 1,817 square kilometers (603 square kilometers of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon.

INDONESIA: Govt takes foreign bloggers to Yogyakarta, Bali

The government has invited five foreign bloggers on a round trip to Yogyakarta and Bali, in a hope that they will write about their experiences and promote Indonesia.

The bloggers were from the United States, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Malaysia, Culture and Tourism Ministry promotions director Esthy Reko Astuty said Wednesday.

"We hope they write about lesser-known tourist spots in Yogyakarta and Bali," she said after a press conference on Pesta Blogger 2008.

Pesta Blogger is an annual event where bloggers from across Indonesia convene to exchange ideas and engage in public seminars.

This year, the event will be held on Saturday in the BPPT II building on Jl M.H. Thamrin, Central Jakarta. Honorary guests for the event will include Information and Communication Minister Mohammad Nuh and the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, Cameron R. Hume. The foreign bloggers are also expected to attend.

According to kompas.com the bloggers arrived in Denpasar, Bali on Oct. 17, and will meet with local bloggers in Bali and Yogyakarta before heading to Jakarta.

U.S. to use new media technology to help promote tourism in Bali

U.S. Ambassador Cameron Hume said Monday the U.S. government was ready to help promote Bali to American citizens, acknowledging the Indonesian government's seriousness in maintaining the island's security.

"I want to bring together tourism professionals from both countries so there will be a more serious and large-scale tourism campaign to bring more Americans to this island," Hume told reporters after a closed meeting with officials from the Bali Tourism Board (BTB) in Denpasar.

The U.S. government was among those which recommended against its citizens visiting Bali over security concerns following the Bali bombing attacks in 2002 and 2005.

The lifting of the travel restriction made earlier this year signified a major improvement in U.S. government foreign policy toward Bali.

Hume said apart from conducting regular information campaigns about Bali, they could promote the island through the latest media formats, including GPS (Global Positioning System) technology available on the Google Earth application on the Internet.

By August this year, Bali's tourism agency recorded that almost 47,000 Americans visited the island.

Prince Charles to visit Yogyakarta palace

British Prince Charles in his five-day tour of Indonesian on November 1 to 5 will visit the Yogyakarta palace and have a meeting with Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X.

"Prince Charles will be in Yogyakarta on November 4," a local staff of the British embassy, Grace Hutasoit, said here on Friday.

In addition to a meeting with Sri Sultan, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II will also have a close look at two locations in Yogyakarta. "I can't disclose the names of the two locations to be visited by Charles," she said.

Prince Charles is scheduled to arrive in Yogyakarta on Tuesday (Nov 4) at about 11:30 and will proceed to other places until 16:50.

Before coming to Indonesia, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited Japan and Brunei Darussalam.
Prince Charles is to meet Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Nov 2, British ambassador to Indonesia Martin Halfuil said.

The meeting with Yudhoyono would discuss issues on global warming and religious tolerance, said the ambassador.

Foreign tourist arrivals recorded at 4.57 million

The Central Bureau Statistics (BPS) said that the number of foreign tourists arrivals in the country in the January-September 2008 period had reached 4.57 million.

BPS Head Rusman Heriawan said here on Tuesday, the number of foreign tourists arriving in the January-September 2008 was 12.19 percent bigger than the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the same period a year earlier, which stood at 4.07 million people.

He said that the number of foreign tourists arriving through 11 main arrival gates in September 2008, reached 410.8 thousands or an increase by 7.27 percent compared with the same period in 2007 which stood at 382.9 thousand people.

The BPS head said that the occupancy rate of star-rated hotels in 14 main destination regions in August 2008 was recorded at 55.19 percent, or an increase by 0.62 points compared with that in July 2008.

In the meantime, the occupancy rate of star-rated hotels in Bali increased 1.81 average points to 69.94 percent from 68.13 percent in July 2008.

The BPS recorded that the length of stay of the foreign tourists in Indonesian star-rated hotels in 14 main tourist destination regions was recorded at an average of 2.06 days in August 2008.

This showed a decline by 0.10 day compared with the length of stay of foreign tourists in Indonesia in July 2008, he said.

Museum exhibits rare West Java batik

Batik took to the catwalk Tuesday in a flashy display of modern fashion during the opening of the West Java Batik Exhibition at the Textile Museum in Central Jakarta.

"I thought batik only came from Central Java. I never heard of West Java batik before," said a visitor to the exhibition, which is being held until Nov. 23.

West Java Batik, based on a tradition dating back to 1430, is not as well known as batik from Solo, Yogyakarta and Pekalongan.

"Only a few people know that West Java has its own traditional batik, which comprises the history and philosophy of the region in its beautiful motifs," said Dyah Damayanti, the head of the museum.

The exhibition, titled "West Java Tradition", displays about 100 various kinds of batik from several areas in West Java, such as Tasikmalaya, Ciamis, Garut, Cirebon, Bandung and Indramayu.

Among the most recognizable of the West Java batik motifs are buketan galang gasi, parang kembang, lunglungan, urang ayu and mega mendung.

West Java batik is different from Central Java batik because of its use of vibrant colors like green, red, orange and blue.

Antique batik fabrics are on display at the exhibition, including a rare 300-year-old banner from Cirebon that features Arabic calligraphy.

Textile Museum
Jl. KS Tubun No. 4
Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta
Opening hours:
Tuesday - Thursday, Saturday - Sunday
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Friday
9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Monday and public holidays: closed

Sangeh, Bali's popular monkey forest

The keepers of the forest have their hands full, feeding and caring for roughly 600 macaques who make their home in Sangeh monkey forest, located about 20 kilometers north of Denpasar, Bali's capital.

Tourist arrivals coincide with feeding time, which is around noon or early evening and has become a major attraction for visitors from home and abroad.

Close contact with these human-friendly animals is an experience to be cherished while staying in Bali. The macaques, in turn, have become accustomed to these visits and do not hesitate to sit on tourists' shoulders, munching peanuts, a banana or whatever else is given to them.

Accompanied by guides, visitors enjoy walking in the 10 hectares of monkey forest, canopied by a thick foliage of pule trees (Diterocorpus sinervis).

The trip offers an opportunity to see how the macaque colony has enjoyed an undisturbed life in their natural habitat since the 17th century.

While in other areas this species has been hunted and harassed to near extinction, it's quite comforting to know that at Sangeh they are at ease in their own environment.

Legend has it that the Sangeh monkeys were once guardians of a princess. Their legendary status is still upheld by the residents, allowing the macaques to live an undisturbed life in their protected natural habitat. The forest is also home to several temples, the oldest one being Pura Bukit Sari, dating back to the 17th century.

An impressive statue of Kumbakarna at the entrance gate reminds visitors of the role monkeys play in the Ramayana Hindu epic.

Govt proposes Mount Rinjani in Lombok as first geopark

The government has proposed to UNESCO that Mount Rinjani, Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, be one of the world's geoparks under its auspices, subsequently becoming the first geological park in Indonesia.

"The proposal is being discussed at the Forestry Ministry and Culture and Tourism Ministry and will then be handed over to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)," Mount Rinjani National Park Center head Arief Toengkagie told The Jakarta Post recently.

There are 53 geoparks around the world located in 17 countries. One of them is in Southeast Asia -- Langkawi Island in Malaysia. Rinjani would become the first designated geopark in Indonesia.

Arief said Mount Rinjani, at 3,726 meters above sea level, should become a geopark given its natural beauty and unique geology -- such as the Segara Anak Lake, situated 2,000 meters above sea level and its crater, hot springs, waterfall and the formation of a new mount within a caldera named Baru Jadi.

"Domestic and foreign visitors have so far shown a keen interest in visiting the area, especially for mountain climbing. The status as a geopark will be very beneficial in enhancing its overseas promotion campaigns," he said.

Besides its potential as a geopark, the flora, fauna and local culture of communities living around the area also adds to its allure.

For example, the culture of the traditional village of Senaru, located at one of the trail entrances on Mount Rinjani, has been preserved for centuries. Tourists can also visit the Wetu Telu Muslim community complex and the Hindu Ngulam Pakelem ritual at Segara Anak Lake, held every six months.

Mountain climbing supervision is uniquely managed by the local community, called the Rinjani Trek Management Board (RTMB). It is made up of members from the local administration, tour operators and the local community. RTMB previously won the 2004 World Legacy Award, organized by Conservation International and National Geographic Traveler Magazine. Rinjani was also a finalist for the Tourism for Tomorrow Award in 2005 and 2008.

"The awards have been presented for our ability to conserve nature and to improve the local people's welfare," Arief said.

The national park comprises around 40,330 hectares and administratively encompasses West Lombok, Central Lombok and East Lombok regencies.

The overlooked attractions of Central Java's north coast

The gunpowder smell of fresh rain in the night air hit me as I climbed down from the train in Semarang. By the time I reached the station gates and had clambered into a waiting becak (pedicab), a thunderous -- and highly unseasonable downpour had begun.

I peered from beneath the becak's dripping hood as it rolled along the empty streets. This was an old city, and I caught glimpses of heavy Dutch rooflines, crumbling columns and arched windows. Shadowy figures sheltered beneath shuttered balconies, and other becaks rolled swiftly through the wet night, their drivers straining urgently at the peddles.

I stopped at the only place open on this dark street: a caf* in a high-ceilinged old building with slow-circling fans. The walls were decorated with photographs of Semarang in years past, and the caf* was known simply as "No. 29" (opposite Blenduk Church). I ordered a plate of juicy sate and a glass of iced tea, and sat peering out at the wet darkness. The rain continued to fall.

Semarang is not high on any must-see list for travelers. Overshadowed by its southern counterpart, the touristic behemoth of Yogyakarta, it's easy to forget that this coastal city of 1.5 million people is the capital of Central Java, and one of the oldest settlements in Indonesia.

Holiday makers flock to Tangerang`s Cankir island

A multitude of people flocked to Cangkir Island, a tourist spot in Tagnerang district, Banten Province, on the second Idul Fitri holiday on Thursday to enjoy the beauty of marine life in Java Sea waters.

"Almost every year we spend our holidays in Cankir Island to enjoy its beautiful beach," said Dodi (36), a visitor to Kreo village, Larangan sub district in Tangerang.

Dodi said he came to the island with his family to release his weariness by enjoying the natural beauty of Cangkir Island`s beach and the smaller islands around it.

Since there was no public transportation from Tangerang to the island, Dodi said, he had to spend around Rp250,000 on transportation to the Cankir Island resort.

Banten`s provincial administration had included Cangkir Island in its Visit Indonesia Year 2008 agenda but the physical conditions of the island had been neglected as its beach was now littered with garbage.

In addition, there was no adequate public infrastructure and facilities on the island so the visitors, mostly teenagers, complained about it.

Bird paradise at Pulau Rambut

Not all of us know about the bird sanctuary in North Jakarta. Well, it is not exactly in Jakarta, but off the mainland on Pulau Rambut, an island to the north. You can get there in less than half an hour by fishing boat from Tanjung Pasir, Tangerang.

However, because it is a wildlife reserve, the island is not open to the general public. Its use is restricted to conservation, scientific research, education, and guided tourism.

Visitors who want to visit this island should request a permit from the Jakarta Office of the Natural Resources Conservation Center.

Mangrove and wetland forests cover two-thirds of the total area. Its abundant vegetation and location make this island an ideal habitat for sea birds.

Forty-nine bird species have been identified as inhabitants of Pulau Rambut whose total bird population numbers about 40,000. Most are cormorants, egrets, and herons. Some species are classified as rare or endangered and are protected by law.

The best time to visit is from March to September. Beside enjoying the nice weather, during this period visitors can watch birds feeding their chicks with freshly caught fish. At present only one observatory tower is available, which can accommodate about 10 to 15 observers.

In addition to birds as its main attraction, visitors can also observed other wild animals, including fruit bats (Pteropus vampyrus), hanging upside down in the trees and monitor lizards -- called biawak -- moving sluggishly along the forest floor.