Sangalaki Island, East Kalimantan

For those of you who like diving, the beauty and diversity of flora and fauna around Sangalaki Island will attract you to come again and again.  This island is located in the Derawan Archipelago, Berau, East Kalimantan. It is one of the best locations for diving and snorkeling in the world, along with Raja Ampat in Papua province.

Blowing winds, clean seawater, soft sands, warm sun, beautiful waves, coconut trees, and beautiful afternoons complete the excitement of your diving.

Sangalaki‘s underwater scenery facinates everyone who sees it. Manta Alfredi (Pari Hantu), which only exists in Derawan, Barracudas, Stingrays, giant squids, and starfish are only part of the underwater paradise of Sangalaki.

Since Manta Alfredi is a very rare animal, many tourists come to Sangalaki to see this very unique animal. This tropical animal looks like a stingray, but both its whiskers work as wings.
Popular diving points in this area include Channel Entrance, Coral Gardens, Town, Sandy Ridge, Manta Run, Sherwood Forest, Manta Parade, Manta Avenue, Ridge, Lighthouse, and The Rockies among others. Sangalaki is also known as an island where turtles lay eggs. You could see this unique process during breeding season close-up

Unlike other diving locations, the management of Sangalaki Island strictly maintains the natural conservation of this island. It is situated between East Kalimantan and Sulawesi.  As an example, at night when you don't need any urgent electricity, the management will shut down the electricity on this island. Thus, this island is very quiet and is a favorite place for those of you who like to stay away from busy and noisy cities.

To reach Sangalaki Island, you may take an airplane from Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta to Sepinggan airport (BPN) in Balikpapan. Among airlines flying to Balikpapan are Garuda Indonesia, Airasia, and Lion Air.

From Sepinggan, you may take a Deraya airplane to the capital city of Berau district, Tanjung Redeb. Deraya serves commuter and chartered flights. During this journey, you may see the life of the local community in the Kalimantan hinterlands which are not influenced by modernization.

Upon your arrival in Tanjung Redeb, you have another journey by speed boat along the Segah River to Sangalaki. Seeing the local community living by the river side and happy children playing will bring a smile to you after a long journey. In total, it takes about 8 to 9 hours from Jakarta to Sangalaki.  In addition to visiting Sangalaki, you could also visit equally interesting neighbouring islands such as Maratua, Derawan, and Kakaban islands.

The Thousand Islands, Jakarta

As your plane slowly descends for its approach to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta international airport, you can see a large number of large and small islands dotting the sea in the Bay of Jakarta. These are known as the Thousand Islands, or Kepulauan Seribu. In fact they are a cluster of 76 coral islands with more appearing and disappearing with the tide.

Located 45 km north from the city, this part of Jakarta offers a huge change in pace and experience from the hustle and bustle of the city, but is near enough for residents and visitors to enjoy the exhilarating marine environment within just one day excursion.

Here are diving, snorkeling and fishing opportunities, or just good for lazing in the sun with nothing to disturb one’s mind except the chirping of birds amidst the gentle lapping of the waves.

The idyllic Thousand Islands are in fact a marine nature conservation area. Here are a wealth of sea biota species which form part of its coral reef ecosystem, there are 144 species of fish, 2 species of giant clam, sea worms of various colours and 17 species of coastal birds.

The Park is a hatching site for hawksbill turtles and green turtles. The hawksbill turtle is an endangered species, rarely found in other waters. They are primarily bred on the island of Pramuka. Most of the islands are ringed by coconut palms and mangrove forests, where iguanas, golden ring snakes and pythons can be found.

The islands of  Pramuka, Semak Daun, Kelapa, and Panggang are interesting for turtle breeding, animals observations and marine tours, while for wreck diving the best places are at Pramuka, Opak and Karang Congkak. With Laga, Kotok, Gosong, and Koja Karang islands best for diving and snorkeling.

Bandung Culinary Guide

Many people visit Bandung, the capital of West Java province, to pamper their taste buds. You'll be amazed with what Bandung has to offer. From various food sold on street vendors to haute cuisine, every visitor will be able to find something to their liking here, in Bandung.

Sundanese (the people living in West Java are called Sundanese) has tempting refreshments. Sundanese food tends to be bland yet tasty unless you add sambal dadak (chili and other ingredients grinded together) to your food. If you're looking for more spicy taste, just add this sambal dadak with nasi timbel (steamed rice formed into a roll inside a banana leaf) and other specialties. This mouthwatering treat is too good to be missed! Usually sour vegetables soup (sayur asam) is accompanied by nasi timbel.

Sundanese people eat vegetables a lot. Sometimes they even eat raw vegetables (called lalap or lalapan) like cucumbers, tomatoes, coriander leaves, eggplants, cabbages, lettuces, and so on. Lalapan is usually accompanied by sambal dadak.

Probably one of the most well known dish, timbel, consists of nasi timbel, lalapan, sambal dadak, a piece of chicken (fried or roasted Sundanese style), fried beancurd, fried tempeh, a slice of jambal (salted fish). If you want to, you can add gepuk (slices of beef, mixed in traditional herbs, then fried), pepes (main ingredients such as fish, chicken, mushroom, etc. mixed with crushed and blended herbs, folded into a banana leaf, then steamed until they're ready to eat), sauteed greens, and others. Nasi timbel is a favorite among locals and visitors. Batagor baso tahu goreng (literally means, fried meatballs & beancurd) is one of the most well-sought specialty. Made from blended fish and beancurd, with a special peanut sauce, batagor's popularity remains constant.

People with sweet tooth might fancy pisang molen, an Indonesian traditional pastry filled with banana and cheese. For a variation, try brownies kukus (steamed brownies). Es cendol, made of blended/grinded rice, palm sugar, and coconut milk, is delightful on a hot day. While for a colder day, you might want a taste of bandrek or bajigur.

Bandung also offers various milk products most notably, yoghurt. Basically there are two kinds of yoghurt in Bandung the thin one, and the thick one (French style).

Hot snacks ala Bandung are widely sold throughout the city. Among them are gehu-toge tahu- (beancurd with beansprouts and vegetables filling), pisang goreng (fried banana), cireng-aci goreng- (fried tapioca), and many more. You might be interested in trying other snacks such as, nangka goreng (fried jackfruit), peuyeum goreng (fermented cassava, fried), nanas goreng (fried pineapple), and so on. Ketan bakar (roasted sticky rice) and jagung bakar/rebus (roasted/boiled corns) are also recommended.

Nasi goreng (fried rice), although not originally from Bandung, is always the locals' favorite. The ingredients vary, according to people's preference. Sometimes the rice is mixed with seafood (usually shrimps, pieces of cuttlefish, pieces of crab's flesh), chicken and vegetables, mutton and vegetables, salted fish, and so on.

Cakue, a dish made of flour dough then fried, is also worth a try.

Bandung also has other kinds of restaurants, like Padangese (food from West Sumatra, very spicy in taste), Javanese (sweeter in taste), Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Western, Indian, and so on.

Triton, West Papua

Bay of Triton is located in Kaimana district, West Papua. This area is known for its underwater beauty and cultural heritages. In this Bay, there are 959 types of coral fish and 471 types of coral where 16 of them are new species. The beauty of soft corals is a natural underwater attraction in the Bay of Triton. Here, you can easily find Bryde's whales looking for food near Lobo village. Ancient drawings from pre-history era on mountain sides showing palms and animals in Maimai is a cultural beauty which is as attractive as underwater world in this Bay.

Japanese Bunker, West Sumatra

The Japanese bunker in the town of Bukittinggi was built by Indonesians under forced labor for the Japanese soldiers who occupied Indonesia from 1942 to 1945. This 1,470 meter long underground bunker is 40 meters below Ngarai Sianok (Sianok canyon). There are 21 tunnels in the bunker which were used to store ammunition, as residences, meeting rooms, the Romusha (forced labourer) dining room, kitchen, prison, hearing room, torture room, espionage room, ambush room, and the escape gate. Exploring this complex burrow of tunnels and caves is a real adventure. 

You can see how these this place made an effective fortress. The tunnels are three meters in diameter and have walls so thick that sounds cannot be heard from the outside. The tunnels cover a vast area, nearly two hectares, and have six doors. One door is located in Panorama Park while others access Sianok village in the Ngarai Sianok ravine.

Manggar, East Kalimantan

Manggar Beach is a favorite beach for local community and tourists in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. This beach is clean and has many facilities for visitors’ convenience to rest in this 13,0

Kailasa Museum, Central Java

If you like religious objects, you should visit the Kailasa Dieng Museum. In this museum, you could trace the ancient Javanese Hindu civilization of the 7th and 8th centuries.

The Kailasa Museum is situated in Gedung Arca Compound and belongs to the Central Java Conservation Agency in Dieng, Batur sub-district, Banjarnegara district, Central Java.

Since it is situated within the Dieng area, you could also see a beautiful and cold environment because the Dieng highlands is not only famous for its ancient civilization but also its beautiful and natural scenery.
 
Dieng was a volcano, which erupted and destroyed its peak. This highland was made of dead cauldrons which filled with water to become a lake.  The lake dried and was used for Hindu religious activities.

Historically, Dieng was a ritual site for Hindu followers. Up to the present, 22 ancient Javanese epigraphs tell about Dieng as a center for religious activities. Here, you will be astonished by temples near the Museum.

Some say, the names of these temples were taken from the names of players in Mahabrata stories such as Arjuna, Bima, Setyaki, Gatot Kaca, Dwarawati, Sembadra, Kunti, and Srikandi. In addition to these temples, you could also find loose sculptures near the Dieng temple compound such as Arca Nandi ( a bull), a symbol of Siva and Mahaguru.

When entering the museum, you will see Dieng’s antique sculptures. After that, you could climb steps to an information room where you could get as much information as possible, such as the history of Dieng highland and its temples.

Several panels provide information about the life of local inhabitants in the highlands. Some panels also tell about their lifestyle and agriculture, and information about local Mosques and Mushallas, arts, and the Myth of Anak Bajang. Other panels provide more information about the Dieng highlands as a center for Hindu ritual activities and about its temples. Dieng is taken from the word "Di" which means mountain, and "Hyang" which means God. Thus, Dieng means a mountain where Gods live.

The Kailasa Museum is taken from a epigraph. It means a holy mountain. This Museum was officially inaugurated by the Minister of Tourism, Jero Wacik, in 2008. It was built to provide information about the Dieng highlands.

Traditional Village of Compang Ruteng, East Nusa Tenggara

A compang is a stone altar usually found in the yards of traditional homes of the Manggarai community.  The Compang is the center of traditional ceremonies, among which is  the penti, a ceremony to thank God for a bountiful harvest.  Water buffalos and cows are tied to this Compang to be subsequently sacrificed.

The Compang Ruteng is located in the center of the Ruteng Pu'u village in Golo Dukal sub-district, Manggarai, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).  The stone Compang and the yards surrounding it are on higher ground than the local homes. A Beringin tree (Ficus Benjamina), locally known as a Ruteng, once grew in the center of the Compang.  The tree is no longer there and is now replaced by a Dadap tree.  To its east, the Compang has two local traditional tall houses with sharp roofs.

Anambas Island

The Anambas Islands are located between Singapore and the Natuna islands in the South China Sea. Earlier the islands were better known as a base for off shore oil drilling and natural gas explorations,but today Anambas has gained popularity among divers on account of  its pristine corals and azure seas where whalesharks may suddenly appear. The islands are easiest accessible by live-aboards from Singapore and Malaysia.

Anambas is the latest district in the province of the Riau Archipelago.  Best-known sites are the underwater reefs of Tokong Berlayar, the Malang Biru island which has steep slopes, the Katoaka reef, and the Seven Skies wreck.

Click: www.diving-indonesia.net/ for a dive map of Anambas and more detailed information on these sites.