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Wayang Kulit

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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 sectio...
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Komodo National Park

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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...
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Sikuai Island, West Sumatra

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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...
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