Panorama Khatulistiwa

Indonesia is very rich in the diversity of birds in the region. One of the most beautiful birds, the birds of paradise, is Cendrawasih (Paradisaea raggiana). Nowadays, this kind of beautiful bird is about facing its extinction. Why why why? People keep hunting them. Why again? Ough, this is a money talk. Unfortunately, the birds have been listed as endangered and trapping. The export are illegal, but still, all species of this bird are still being traded illegally on the black market. “Burung Cendrawasih”, is the Indonesian name of this bird. We can easily recognize them, of course! They are very different with another species. Well, they have such rare and beautiful plumage. Burung Cendrawasih size is about 13 inches in length (33 cm). They fly slowly, but they have a graceful appearance.

If you had watched The Beach movie starring Leonardo Di Caprio, you will find the same impression when visiting Raja Ampat. The lost paradise deserved to be named for this place because in fact Indonesians personally often didnt know about this place. The beautiful coast, white sand and underwater scenery that were beautiful became the attraction of Raja Ampat. The Raja Ampat, or “Four Kings,” archipelago encompasses more than 9.8 million acres of land and sea off the northwestern tip of Indonesia’s West Papua Province. Located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of the world’s coral reef biodiversity, the seas around Raja Ampat possibly hold the richest variety of species in the world. The area’s massive coral colonies show that its reefs are resistant to threats like coral bleaching and disease - threats that now jeopardize the survival of corals around the world. In addition, Raja Ampat’s strong ocean currents sweep coral larvae across the Indian and Pacific Oceans to replenish ot

Lake singkarak is the one of four lake in west sumatra. that not include lake kerinci that half is at west sumatra region and the other half is in jambi region. Lake Singkarak is in the side ways to Solok and the way to "Lintas Sumatra". That connect all province in Sumatra. So from Aceh to Lampung is connected by this road. And the lake have a beautiful water that you can swim here. and you can paragliding from the hill that sorrounding this lake. If you go here you'd better be carreful. So you dont miscomunicate with the locals. The transportation to and from here is available from 7.00 am to 6.00 pm. from Bukittinggi its take about 1.30 hours to go there. What can you do in Singkarak Lake? you can swim, diving, and fishing to the midle of the lake. There are a lot fish you can fish there. The fish is very delicious to eat after you fry it. It is called goreng bilih(small fried fish). In Singkarak lake you can also sail to go around the lake. It is about Rp 10000 p

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah is a famous recreational park in east Jakarta, Indonesia. Taman Mini Indonesia Indah literally means Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park. Jakarta due to its strategic location, varied culture and rich tradition attracts the domestic and foreign tourists and Taman Mini Indonesia Indah is the summation of the vivid Indonesian culture and reflects the various intricate aspects of the day to day life in Indonesia. Each and every Indonesian province has got its own distinct culture, tradition, attire and dialects. Features of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah The unique complex of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah is spread out on a vast area of 120 hectares of land.  Life-sized duplicates of traditional architecture from each province of Indonesia, a miniature version of the Indonesian archipelago, a string of museums and a number of properly maintained parks and gardens comprise of some of the prominent features in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. A beautiful artificial

Orangutans are large apes that live in southeast Asia (on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra). These apes mostly live in trees (they are arboreal) and swing from branch to branch using their arms. The word orangutan means "man of the forest" in the Malay language. As its habitats are being usurped by man, the orangutan's population is decreasing and it is in grave danger of extinction. Anatomy Orangutans have a large, bulky body, a thick neck, very long, strong arms, short, bowed legs, and no tail. Orangutans are about 2/3 the size of the gorilla . Hair: They are mostly covered with long reddish-brown hair. The Head: The orangutan has a large head with a prominent mouth area. Adult males have large cheek flaps (which get larger as the ape ages). Senses: Orangutans have senses very similar to ours, including hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. Hands and Feet: Orangutan hands are very much like ours; they have four long fingers plus an

Gado-gado is one of Indonesia's most favourite dish everywhere in the world. It is actually vegetable salad dressed in specially prepared peanut sauce. In Indonesia, there are a few dish that resemble gado-gado (with the same kind, or a variation of peanut sauce), such as pecel, lotek, and ketoprak. Pecel and lotek is the closest to gado-gado, so people often mistake them as gado-gado. Preparation of gado-gado is mainly the preparation of the peanut sauce. There are many gado-gado recipes in the Internet, but most of them advice the use of peanut butter or freshly fried peanut grinded with a blender. But the original traditional Indonesian gado-gado uses cobek batu (Indonesian style stone pestle). This is one of the ingenous Indonesian food preparation technique. The pestle makes the peanuts not to become too soft and produce a certain kind of flavor which cannot be achieved by using blender or peanut butter. Using a pestle is not just crunching the peanuts but also mixes the

Kolintang music instrument originated from Minahasa, a place in North Sulawesi, an island in the east part of Indonesia. It is made from light but solid local wood such as TELUR, BANDARAN, WENANG, KAKINIK whose fibre construction appears in parallel lines. It can produce a long sound which can reach high pitch note as well as low pitch note when struck. The name Kolintang came from the sound: TONG (low pitch note), TING (high pitch note) and TANG (moderate pitch note). In the local language, the invitation "Let us do some TONG TING TANG" is: "Mangemo kumolintang". That settled the name of the instrument: KOLINTANG. In its early days, Kolintang originally consisted of only a series of wooden bars placed side by side in a row on the legs of the players who would sit on the floor with both of their legs stretched out in front of them. Later on, the function of the legs was replaced either by two poles of banana trunk or by a rope which hung them up to a wooden p

Renowned as the center for the arts, Ubud has been attracting and cultivating artistic talent since it became the seat of the aristocratic family in the late 19th century. Western artists and intellectuals who visited the area in the 1930s provided an enormous stimulus to local art, introduced new ideas and techniques, and began a process a of displaying and promoting Balinese culture worldwide. Ubud is charming not because of its beaches or bars, but for its art, music, architecture, and dance. Even having gone through tremendous development, Ubud is still pretty and relaxed, especially if you're staying in a secluded family compound or eating at one of the pleasant open-air restaurants. It is one of those destinations where people plan to stay a couple of days but extend it to a couple of weeks.

Lying 200 nautical miles east of Bali, Komodo National Park nestles between the large islands of Sumbawa and Flores, all of which are part of Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara on current maps). This unique biosphere was born in the great volcanic uplift that formed Sumatra, Java, Bali and the islands lying eastward to Papua New Guinea. In 1928 the Dutch colonial government of the then Dutch East Indies formalized the nature reserve status originally conferred on Komodo in 1915 by the Raja of Biwa in neighbouring Sumbawa. Indonesia decreed the area a national park in 1980, and in 1992 Komodo was declared a World Heritage Site. Despite these official designations and its obvious interest to the scientific community, Komodo is daily suffering irreparable damage by the hand of man. Almost before the world can properly appreciate the natural beauty of Komodo - home of the Komodo Dragon - its wonders are in danger of disappearing forever. It is disturbing that so little h

Gambang Kromong is the Chinese originated Indonesian music born in the suburbs of Jakarta. It is also one of Indonesia’s most vivid and off the wall musical styles. The music’s name comes from the instruments, the gambang (xylophone) and the kromong (gong) played together with various flutes, and rebab (violin). It has a decidely funky rythm but perhaps the most distinctive feature is the semirapped, hard vocal delivery of the men, while the women wail with their typical finesse. A wonderfully mixed-up music, gambang kromong combines Indonesian, Chinese, and sometimes Western instruments. These 1990 recordings focus on two repertoires: a body of old pieces, now rarely heard, that blend Chinese and Indonesian musical elements; and the most èpopular modern repertoire, which sounds like gamelan music crossed with small-group jazz of the 1920s and 1930s.

The Sianok Canyon was a valey, located in the center area of bukittinggi city, west sumatra province, Indonesia. This valey was length and circle around from south of Koto Gadang canyon till Sianok enam Suku canyon, and ended into Palupuh. The view from Sianok canyon was so beautiful and exotic, it is become a tourism destination in west sumatra. On this canyon we can also canoing at sianok river./ r.j

Bunaken is part of the Bunaken National Marine Park, which has some of the highest levels of marine biodiversity in the world. Scuba diving attracts many visitors to the island. Bunaken is located at the north of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It belongs administratively to the municipality of Manado. The Bunaken National Marine Park was formally established in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia's growing system of marine parks. The park covers a total surface area of 890.65 km², 97% of which is overlain by sparkling clear, warm tropical water. The remaining 3% of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. Although each of these islands has a special character, it is the aquatic ecosystem that attracts most naturalists.Bunaken is a part of the Bunaken National Marine Park and it boasts one of the most diverse marine biodiversity in the world. Many tourists come to this beach area to scuba dive or snorkel t

Javanese Wayang Kulit shadow play takes place in the royal courts and villages of central Java. The purpose of Wayang is to educate and entertain. The performance, which continues all night, may begin as late as midnight and continue until sunrise.  There are two major court styles, from the palaces of Jogjakarta and Surakarta. The latter is cerebral and sedate in approach while the former is more vigorous. Other differences are subtle. The Stage The screen is a very wide sheet of linen up to eighteen feet across and about four or five feet tall. Only the center of the screen is actually used for action. The sides are filled by long rows of extra characters. The top and bottom of the screen are bordered with bands of red or black. The screen is stretched and hooked into an ornate wooden frame. The Wayang is usually presented in some type of pendopo, a solid raised platform with a tall roof and open walls. The bottom of the screen is staked into three long sections o

This National Park is one of the most beautiful places of interest in East Java. The beauties of mountain covered, give a special and characteristic green plants, arousing great interest. Tenggerese traditional farming also makes this famous place being more interesting and attractive. In addition, cool and breezy wind always blows freshly giving ever visitor special deep impression a unforgettable memories. The accessibility has no problem and very reachable (via Malang, Pasuruan, Probolinggo or Lumajang). Surely, different access give different characteristics scenery landscape. The elevation reaches about 2.392 meter sea level above and the temperature varies from 3 up to 20 degrees centigrade. Facilities: Star Hotels, home-stays, restaurants, and many others that visitors needed can be found. The people who live in this area are supposed to be descended from Majapahit Kingdom about six hundred years ago. The belonged to Tenggerese Hinduism with old traditional. That tradition sti

The Pinisi Boat is synonymous with the Bugis people, a major ethnic group from South Sulawesi. For generations, the Bugis were renowned in the region for their sea-faring exploits. Their voyages played an important role in influencing the course of history in the Malay Archipelago. The spirit of enterprise even led the ancestors of today’s Bugis to places as far as Australia and Madagascar. Credit must somehow go to the hardy and reliable Phinisi. The construction of the Phinisi still lives on among Buginese boat making families, who ply their trade along the white sandy beaches of Kampong Tana Beru, 135 km south of Makassar. Building a Phinisi boat involves dozens of people led by the head boat maker, and is done in several phases. First is to search for strong and water-resistant wood taken from a particular tree. The search is conducted only on certain dates like the fifth or seventh day as the number five means “having luck” and seven means “luck is on the way”. Before choppi

The Kecak dance is one of the most famous of Balinese dances. It is unusual because it has no musical accompaniment like many other Indonesian dances do, the rhythm of the dance is produced by the chanting 'monkey' chorus. Instead, a troupe of over 150 bare-chested men serve as the chorus, making a wondrous cacophony of synchronized "chak-achak-achak" clicking sounds while swaying their bodies and waving their hands .From that chanting noise of "Cak-cak-cak", then it gave the dance its name Kecak. What makes the Kecak such a fascinating dance to watch are the fifty or so men in the checkered pants. They are both the choir and the props, providing the music for the story in a series of constant vocal chants that change with the mood of the actors. They don't sit still, either, they wave their arms to simulate fire, and reposition themselves around the stage to represent wind and fire, prison cells, and unseen hand of protection from the gods. The dance

Situated among the magnificent islands of Lesser Sunda (Nusa Tenggara), Flores offers almost anything you want see: Unique cultures at traditional megalithic villages, Mt. Kelimutu volcano with its unique three colors lake, wildlife and marine life. The Portuguese who reached this island in the 15th Century gave the name Flores. ‘Flores’ means flowers, not by the Flowers grow on the land, but beneath the sea, coral, fishes and other marine lifes. The most beautiful coral reefs occur on the northern coast and western of the Island. Flores is 1.5 hours from Bali by Air. The most magnificent site is the three colored lakes of Kelimutu volcano. Each lake is a different color: blue, green and black. Other attractions include spectacular hand-woven textiles of Maumere, Ende-Lio, Ngada, the traditional megalithic village of Bena and other traditional villages in Ngada regency (Central Flores), and “Komodo dragons”. This Island is home to hundreds of different ethnic groups who speak sc

The Borobodur Temple complex is one of the greatest monuments in the world. It is of uncertain age, but thought to have been built between the end of the seventh and beginning of the eighth century A.D. For about a century and a half it was the spiritual centre of Buddhism in Java, then it was lost until its rediscovery in the eighteenth century. The structure, composed of 55,000 square meters of lava-rock is erected on a hill in the form of a stepped-pyramid of six rectangular storeys, three circular terraces and a central stupa forming the summit. The whole structure is in the form of a lotus, the sacred flower of Buddha. For each direction there are ninety-two Dhyani Buddha statues and 1,460 relief scenes. The lowest level has 160 reliefs depicting cause and effect; the middle level contains various stories of the Buddha's life from the Jataka Tales; the highest level has no reliefs or decorations whatsoever but has a balcony, square in shape with round walls: a circle witho

Once a lonely little village on the road from Denpasar to Bukit Peninsula, Kuta is now the tourist Mecca of Bali, popular mainly among the young and adventurous. Kuta beach is one of the first favorite beaches discovered by tourist. Coconut trees line the sand beach as far as the eyes can see towards the north stopped by the runway of Denpasar's airport far in the west. The sunset in Kuta is most breathtaking. On the south, the beach is fenced by the airport's runway, which gives the visitors a breathtaking landing experience. Kuta Beach bustles with tourists' vendors and locals. It's the most popular beach in Bali and the island's number one party zone. The beach stretches as far north as the eyes can see. As short walk away north, the waves will invite to surfing. Rapid development and an influx of visitors haven't kept the surfers away and Kuta still remains one of Bali's best surfing beaches and a great place to enjoy a beach lifestyle. While the surf

Lake Toba or Danau Toba is a wonderful place in Indonesia and the largest volcanic lake in the world. When the people stand around Lake Toba, they will see it is not lake, but sea. Because it has large size 100 m x 30 Km. Lake Toba becomes one of three candidates (Komodo National Park, Krakatau-Volcanic Island, and Lake Toba) for new wonders of nature voted in www.new7wonders.com , for wonders nature category. According geographical position, Lake Toba located at 2.88° N 98.52° E to 2.35° N 99.1° E, in middle of the northern part of Sumatra with a surface elevation of about 900 m (3,000 feet). It is on three regency, they are Simalungun, Parapat and Ambarita, 176 Km from Medan. Special Treatment of Lake Toba The Beauty of Lake Toba can’t be imaged only using a picture or sentence. It will be real if you look at by your self. A landscape of Lake Toba with the hills surrounding lake, make a fresh atmosphere and refresh the mind. The visitors sense it with swimming around. In aftern

The Saman dance is from Aceh. It is the most popular dance in Aceh and the dance that has become well-known abroad with the name "Thousand hands". It has its origin from the Alas ethnic group and is normally performed as an opening dance to celebrate important occasions. Eight to twenty performers kneel in a row on the floor and make different kinds of torso movements accompanied by songs, clapping hands, slapping chests, slapping hands on the floor, etc. The songs are praises to Allah or prayers. The dance starts with slow movements and increases its tempo gradually to great speed and finally come to a sudden stop.

The scenery of Padang, capital of West Sumatra province, tens of years ago with its Gunung (mount) Padang relating to the legend "Malin Kundang", but now the condition had drastically changed with more places of tourist interests. Besides Gunung Padang, the Padang city administration had also built the Siti Nurbaya long bridge over the Muaro Padang river where many commercial ships cast anchor at the Muaro (estuary) small port. Near the Muaro Padang, visitors can easily enjoy the spicy and delicious Padang food, especially from afternoon until night. Many food stalls at Padang beach serve lots of well-known Padang food including "Talua Katuang" (boiled sea turtle eggs). According to Padang mayor Fauzi Bahar, in an effort to provide better access from the city centre to the Minangkabau International Airport (BIM), the city administration has started constructing a 25-km main road. Sikuai Island enchantment Only recently, several Indonesian artists includ