edition february 2015

Vol. X February 2015

Let’s Support BBTF 2015

Bali is preparing to hold Bali & Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF). The event is going to be held on 11 – 12 June 2015 at Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC) and Beachwalk Kuta along with the 37th Bali Art Festival. BBTF is the biggest tourism expo held in Bali to promote and sell tour packages as well as to boost the spread of tourists from Bali to Eastern Indonesia including Lombok, Flores and Komodo Island.

BBTF tries to connect and facilitate international tourism practitioners and industries and to intro-duce Indonesian culture, and Balinese in particular, to international community. Companies, tour opera-

tors, hotel & resort, cruise operators, convention planner and venue operators are going to gather in this event to promote their brands.

Besides that, the event, which consists of B2B and B2C sessions will have many programs. Its B2B travel & tourism program is even considered to be the most comprehensive program in South East Asia. Bali & Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) is organized by Association of The Indonesian Tours And Travel Agencies (ASITA) Bali and fully supported by Tourism Ministry and tourism stakeholders in Bali.

BBTF 2014 was followed by 450 sellers and attended by 350 buyers from vari-ous countries with the total business transaction reached IDR 6 trillion. BBTF 2015 will be different for it focuses more on three market segments, namely leisure, MICE and special-interest tourism. This year, BBTF will be more efficient, produc-tive and is designed as simple as possible.

As many as 18 tour operators from Australia is targeted to join the event. BBTF 2015 chairperson Ketut Ardana said that although the relationship between the two countries is heating up, it does not affect tourist visit from Australia.

The number of tour operators from Australia is even increasing compared to the previous year, which were as many as nine operators.

Ardana explained that the 18 potential tour operators become buyers who are ready to catch the business opportunity offered in BBTF. They are capable of bring-ing more tourists, especially from Australia and New Zealand, to Indonesia and Bali in particular.

Besides Australia, a number of tour operators from all over the world are also targeted to participate in the second BBTF. They are from America, Europe, Middle East, South Africa, India, South East Asia, South Korea, North and South Asia, Japan, China and Hong Kong.

Ardana added that BBTF does not merely promote Bali, but all tourist destina-tions throughout Indonesia. ***

Igo Kleden

DIREKTUR Igo Kleden [email protected]

EDITOR

Tri Wibowo

[email protected]

MARKETING MANAGER

Dewi Antini

[email protected]

PHOTOCONTRIBUTOR Sonny Tumbelaka

Bobo Tandiono

REPORTER Erwin Gumilar (Jakarta) Komang Wahyuni, Wiss Kedang, Dona Trihapsari FINANCE & Yuni ArianiACCOUNTING

TRANSLATOR Indira Sari Paputungan

GRAPHIC DESIGN Yudick Ariant

DISTRIBUTOR Donny Sakura

CONTRIBUTOR Christovao Vinhas Cok Dewi Modestus Suharman Hubertus Samsi

www.paradiso.co.id

www.paradiso.co.id PT. Travindo Jaya

Jl. Batas Dukuh Sari Gg Curik no. 11 Denpasar - Bali - Indonesia 80222

Phone : 0361 - 8959507 Fax: +62 361 8474102Hp. 081338306900 w up : 081238711251

email : [email protected]

Bank Account : 097001023164531Bank BRI Cab. Sesetan - Denpasar

Editor’s Note

Thanks To :

DISTRIBUTIONDOMESTIC: BALI - Kuta, Ngurah Rai Airport, Nusa Dua, Sanur, Denpasar and Ubud Area. JAKARTA - Tri Wibowo Hp. 081236044326. SURABAYA - Jl.Jend.Basuki Rahmat 129-137, Surabaya 60271. YoGYAKARTA - Jl.Rumah Makan Gudeg 60 Citro, Laksda Adisucipto Km 9, Yogyakarta 55281, LoMBoK - Jl. Adi Sucipto No. 43, Ampenan - Lombok 83234 KUPANG - Jl. Walikota Kupang 13 SUMBA BARAT - Jl. Sudirman No. 5 Waikabubak - Sumba Barat. SUMBA TIMUR - Jl. Eltari No. 41 Matawai - Sumba Timur, LABUAN BAJo - Martin Meotoda, Ph. 081338151744

OvERSEAS: MALAYSIA - maxiINFo, 32-3-1, Jalan Medan Putra 4 Medan Putra Business Centre. off Jalan Damansara, 52200 Kuala Lumpur. AUSTRALIA - 262 Wardel rd, Dulwich Hill-Sydney – NSW – 2203. Australia. THAILAND - 94/23 Wichitsongkram Rd. Kathu, Phuket 83120, WASHINGToN DC - 19233 - Wheat-field Terrace - Gaitthersburg, MD 20879. CANADA - 152, rue Notre-Dame est, 8 etage, Montreal, Qc, Canada H2Y 3p6. NETHERLAND - Vrijburglaan 72051 LA overveen +31 235253619. ITALY - Viale Regina Margherita 270 - 00198, Rome, FRANCE - Europasia Commercial Agency, 15, rue Vallete 75005, Paris. GER-MANY - Hattersheimerstr, 19, Frankfurt 60326. CZECH REPUBLIC - Na Zamecke 6/409 140 000 Prague Czech Republic, CUBA - Hotel Sevilla, Trocadero y Zuleta y Prado, 55, La Habana, Ph./Fax. +53 07 8669767. SLoVENIA - Kompas D.D, Prazakova 4, 1514, Ljubyana, Slovenia. CZECH REPUBLIC - Mr. Miroslav Rada-kovic, Na Zamecke 6/409 140 000 Prague Czech Republic, Ph. +420 261219316 - 19, Fax. +261 219320. CUBA - Viaggi del mappamondo - Cuba, c/o Hotel Sevilla, Trocadero y Zuleta y Prado, 55, La Habana, Ph./Fax. +53 07 8669767. SLoVENIA - Miss. Polona Pirnat, c/o Kompas D.D, Prazakova 4, 1514, Ljubyana, Slovenia.

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Conten8 | Focus

BBTF 2015, Promoting Indonesian Tourism through Bali

10| Focus

Wonderful Indonesia Presents in ITB Berlin

11 | News

Angkasa Pura I Ready to Invest Rp3 Trillion to Develop Bali’s Air-port

12 | News

Bali Ready to Have Marine Conservation Tourism Area

13 | News

Garuda Ready to Support Marine Tourism Development

19 Togean

Togean a Litle Paradise

21 | Event & Destination

Bintan Expo Center Investment and Tourist Information of Bintan Island in the Riau Archipelago

24 | Event & Destinaition

Trekking to Mt. Rinjani’s Mystifying Danau Segara Anak

48 | Bali

ASTON INN TUBAN UNVEILSBRAND NEW FACILITIES

22 | Event & Destination

Kedisan Village at the foot of Mt. Batur


Suluban Beach Bali’s Surfers Paradise at Ulu-watu


Ancient Lake Posodeep, mysterious Lake in Central Sulawesi

46 | Bali

Different Holiday Sensation at Pondok Sebatu Villa, Ubud

8 | Paradiso February, 2015

Focus

BBTF 2015, Promoting Indonesian Tourism through Bali

Tourism Minister Arief yahya hit the gong marking the launch of BBTF 2015 at Soesilo Soedarman Hall

of Sapta Pesona Building in Jakarta on Thursday (26/02/2015).

In an attempt to spread tourists that concentrated in Bali, Ministry of Tourism

is going to hold “Bali Beyond Travel Fair “ (BBTF) 2015. The biggest tourism expo in Indonesia that brings forward the theme “See Wonderful Indonesia Archi-pelago through Bali’s Natural Beauty” is going to be held in Nusa Dua Conven-tion Center, Bali on 11 - 12 June 2015.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that BBTF will be the place for international buyers to purchase tour packages avail-able in Bali and other tourist destina-tions across Indonesia (Bali Beyond).

“The implementation of BBTF 2015 is very special for it will be attended by President Joko Widodo in a Gala Dinner with delegates or buyers and sellers,” said Arief Yahya during the launch of BBTF 2015 at Sapta Pesona Building, Jakarta on Thursday (26/02/2015).

Arief said that Bali as the window of Indonesian tourism plays effective role in attracting foreign tourist to continue their trip to eastern Indonesia consider-ing that 40% of the total foreign visit to Indonesia is through Bali.

“Through this event, we hope that foreign tourist visit to Indonesia this year and the incoming years is increasing,” Arief said.

In 2015, the government is targeting 12 million foreign tourist arrival while the target of foreign tourist arrival to Bali in 2015 is set at 4 million tourists.


Focus

The target of foreign tourist arrival is increasing about 600,000 people compared to 2014’s foreign tourist ar-rival that reached 9.4 million tourists throughout the year.

Arief continued that it is expected that there will be significant increase next year so that the target of 20 million foreign tourist arrival set by President Joko Widodo can be reached by 2019.

On the same occasion, Chairman of BBTF 2015 I Ketut Ardana said that the implementation of the 2nd BBTF will be followed by 325 potential buy-ers from the US and Latin America regions, West and East Europe regions. Middle East countries, North Africa, South Asia, India, ASEAN countries, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia. Australia, New Zealand and Japan. There will be 50

platinum buyers to attend the event. “The sellers participated is expected

to reach as many as 370 participants from hotel and resort, tour operators, tourist attractions, the government, tourism destinations, online payment, hospitals, restaurants, transportation service and corporate,” Ardana said.

Moreover Ardana said that BBTF will focus more on three main tourism products in Indonesia related to lei-sure, MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Con-vention and Exhibition) and special interest tourism that includes wedding & anniversary, spa & wellness, sport & adventure, healing & medical tourism, event organizer (PEO), tour operators, religious tourism and syariah tourism.

BBTF 2014 was attended by 246 potential international buyers and followed by 278 sellers from various companies in tourism sector and

earned transaction value of IDR 6.2 trillion.

This year, the event will be attended by 325 buyers and 370 sellers from various companies in tourism sector and targeted to earn IDR 13.5 trillion or double the transaction value earned last year. ***


As many as 100 Indonesian delegates from tourism entrepreneurs and provincial tourism bureau promoted

Indonesian tourism potentials and met international buyers from all over the world in the event “Internationale Tourism Bourse (ITB)” in Berlin.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that tourism potentials of Indonesia packed in “Wonderful Indonesia” presented in ITB Berlin in Messe, Berlin, German on 4 – 8 March, 2015.

“Indonesian delegates that consists of tour operators, hotels and resorts will occu-py Indonesian Pavilion in Hall 26A Number 120,” said Arief in the press release on Tuesday (3/3/2015).

Indonesian Pavilion occupied 410m2 area and presented traditional Phinisi boat that shows the identity of Indonesia as the biggest archipelago in the world with more than 13,000 islands spread in 3 time zones and 1,128 ethnic groups that have various traditions and cultures absolutely captures the attention of tourists from all over the world.

Tourism Ministry Arief Yahya said that in the most prestigious and oldest tourism mart, Indonesia wants to convey that In-

donesia is a world-class tourist destination and truly Wonderful Indonesia.

“Although our nation is blessed with abundant natural resources, but the true wealth lies on the people, folklore and culture,” said Arief.

On that occasion, Indonesia offered various interesting tour packages such as holiday in Bali, enjoying the diversity of cultural heritage, including UNESCO’s world heritage Borobudur and Prambanan Temple in Central Java. Other attractions offered are diving sites in Raja Ampat, shopping tourism in Jakarta and Bandung, golf, traditional spa and beauty treatment and many more.

Tourism Minister explained that Indo-nesia has 35% natural potentials that can be developed into the products of marine tourism, ecology tourism and adventure tourism and 60% is cultural potentials, which are developed into heritage and religious tourism, culinary and shopping tourism, and city and rural tourism. The re-maining 5% is man-made potentials, which are developed into MICE tourism, sports tourism and integrated resorts. 100% of branding activity is carried out by the gov-ernment, 50% of advertising is perfomed

by the government and another 50% is by tourism practitioners, and 100% of selling is done by tourism practitioners.

“In selling activities, including participa-tion in ITB Berlin is 100% performed by tourism practitioners while the government only facilitates it,” he said.

Arief added that Indonesia’s participation in ITB Berlin aims to promote Wonder-ful Indonesia and is expected to sell tour packages that can bring foreign tourists to Indonesia. This year Indonesia is targeting to attract 10 million foreign tourists and increasing t0 20 million in 2019.

in 2014, Indonesian delegates in ITB Berlin sent 62 tourism companies with total business transaction of IDR 2.8 trillion. There is significant increase compared to the earning in the previous event in 2011, which was as much as IDR 1.7 trillion.

Last year, in the same event, Indonesia promoted around 100 tourist destina-tions such as Togean (Sulawesi), Ujung Kulon National Park, Wakatobi National Marine Park, Raja Ampat, Kayan River in Kalimantan, Nusa Dua Tourism Area, and Mandalika Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara) that becomes Special Tourism Economic Zone. (*/bowo)

Wonderful Indonesia Presents in ITB Berlin

News


News

PT Angkasa Pura I Ngurah Rai International Airport is investing IDR 3 trillion to develop the airport

in 2015 considering the increasing trend in flight traffic and number of passengers.

General Manager PT Angkasa Pura I of Ngurah Rai International Airport, Herry A.Y Sikado said that Ngurah Rai Airport is the main gate of Bali not only for do-mestic tourists, but also international one. Therefore, AP I opens widely the gate to enter Bali Island through improvement of terminal capacity.

“The investment value is purely funded by Angkasa Pura I through loan invest-ment. There are four elements that become the focus of airport develop-ment, namely the expansion of domestic and international terminal, expansion and arrangement of apron and construction

of access from and to the airport through the participation of Angkasa Pura I in the construction of Bali Tol together with Jasa-marga, Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and Pelindo,” he said.

The last one is the development of general aviation, special terminal for carter flight, which is also the first private jet terminal in Indonesia.

Co-Generak Manager PT Angkasa Pura I of Ngurah Rai International Airport, I Gusti Ngurah Ardita added that current international and domestic terminals are double the size of terminals prior to the expansion.

“Currently, the international terminal covers the area of 129,000 square meter and domestic terminal of 68,000 square meter. Thus, with the current terminal, it can accommodate more passengers. In

2014, we have served 17.3 million pas-sengers or increased by 11% compared to the same period in the previous year,” he said.

Ngurah Ardita said that previously the terminal could only accommodate 8.5 million passengers per year. It is far from the number that the current terminal can accommodate, which is 25 million passengers per year. The capacity that has increased almost by 200% will surely support tourism in Bali.

“Not only that, Ngurah Rai is also the first airport that operates hold baggage screening, a sophisticated system to handle baggage using computerized system. With the implementation of the technology, it is expected to make the handling of baggage faster and safer,” Ngurah said. (*/ant)

Angkasa Pura I Ready to Invest Rp3 Trillion to Develop Bali’s Airport


News

“The target of our marine tourism in 2019 is to attract 4 million foreign tourists, and this year for a beginning,

we’re targeting 1.3 million foreign tourists,” said Arief Yahya in the Tourism Journalist Forum Seminar with the theme of “Improving Islands’ Connectivity in Indonesia for Development of Marine Tourism” in Sapta Pesona Building, Jakarta, on (10/3/2015).

Tourism Ministry also targets marine tourism sector to contribute foreign exchange up to US$ 4 billion in 2019. For this year, government is targeting US$ 1 billion earnings from marine tourism sector.

“We’re going to develop strategic area of national tourism especially for marine tourism in as many points as possible in the next five years,” Arief said.

He added that in the first phase this year, Tourism Ministry is going to develop 8 strategic national tourism areas for marine tourism. Besides that, government will build 100 marinas, 10 cruise ports that can accommodate 800 calls and 45 diving destinations.

In the first year, as many as 25 diving destinations will be developed until the end of 2015 in addition to the construction of marina in a number of areas, which enable 750 ships to dock and 400 call for cruise ship ports.

Tourism Ministry has projected that marine tourism foreign tourist arrival will be increasing in the next five years. The 2014’s target was 1 million tourist arrivals and it increased to 1.3 million in 2015, 1.8 million in 2016, 2.3 million in 2017, 3 million in 2018 and might reach 4 million

people in 2019. “Most of foreign tourists are interested in beach, yacht, cruise and diving,” he said.

Tourism Minister admits that Indonesia has not optimally managed marine tourism as source of income while many countries have done it. He gave Queensland (Austra-lia) as example. Queensland with coastline as long as 2100 km can earn USD 3 billion from marine tourism in 2012 while Indone-sia with 95181 km coastline can only earn USD 1 billion from marine tourism sector.

In the future, Arief emphasized the importance of optimizing marine tourism sector in order to boost the performance of tourism sector in Indonesia, including to achieve the target of 20 million foreign tourist arrival as well as to equalize the distribution of foreign tourist throughout the country. (*/ant)

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya is targeting Indonesia to attract 4 million foreign marine tourism tourists by 2019

Bali Ready to Have Marine Conservation Tourism Area

Serangan Village, about 4 kilometers from the center of Denpasar city (Bali), is suitable to be developed into

conservation and education-based marine tourism. Ketut Sudiarta, teaching staff of Faculty of Fishery and Marine Warmadewa Universitysaid that currently, the area has already had spiritual tourism object,

Sakenan Temple. “The potential of Serangan Village to

become marine tourism destination should be properly managed in order to provide additional value to people’s welfare. The development of marine tourism concept in the village is expected to further higlight the potential of culture, especially the art

of dance and social life of the community, which have the characteristics of coastal community,” he said.

He further said that other marine tourism activities that can be done in Serangan Village include fishing and water sports. The diversity of sea fauna will provide certain attraction to fishing enthusiasts.

“Serangan Village offers beautiful beach and nature that potential to be developed into the center of water sports. The basis for development of Serangan Village still highlights the beauty of its nature and culture so that tourists can find something new in Serangan,” he said.

Development of tourism village is one of the strategies of national tourism develop-ment. The central government has already issued policy related to development of tourism village.

“For marketing, we can cooperate with tour operators in Serangan Island by pro-viding a warranty that

“Meanwhile, for marketing we can work together with tour operators in Serangan Island to give a guarantee to tourists while staying in the village have the satisfaction of services and facilities,” he said. (* / Ant)

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News

PT Garuda Indonesia Ltd declared themselves ready to support the development of marine tourism

in Indonesia through the increase of connectivity across islands especially in eastern Indonesia.

“We’re ready to support marine tourism development and we’ve done a number of things especially to increase connectivity in eastern Indonesia,” said Director of PT Garuda Indonesia, Handayani in the semi-nar of Tourism Journalist Forum with the theme of Improving Connectivity of Islands in Indonesia for Marine Tourism Develop-ment at Sapta Pesona Building, Jakarta on Tuesday (10/3/2015).

She said that PT Garuda Indonesia has committed to provide more connections in eastern areas of Indonesia as a form of support towards government’s program, namely extending network beyond Bali.

For example, Handayani said, Garuda Indonesia has increased flight frequency from Makassar to Jakarta, Surabaya and Denpasar.

“We also use small planes to open more routes to connect secondary cities to hub cities by using ATR and CRJ aircrafts,” she said.

Garuda Indonesia also continues devel-oping direct non-stop route to Jakarta.

Handayani added that Garuda Indone-

sia is currently developing flight facilities, especially in eastern Indonesia, namely in Makassar as a hub, in the field of basic training for crew, maintenance and cargo.

“We continue coordinating with Citilink to develop areas in eastern Indonesia, which are perfect for marine tourism,” she said.

Garuda in early February 2015 has officially served new route of Kuala Namu – Sabang using the latest ATR 72-600 with the capacity of 70 passengers (all economy class).

The opening of the new route to and from Sabang connects the city to other areas in Indonesia, including Merauke.

Garuda has been serving flight to 60 domestic destinations from Sabang to Me-rauke. Previously, to increase connectivity in Kalimantan, in November 2014, Garuda Indonesia has connected Balikpapan – Palangkaraya – Pontianak and Putussibau using ATR 72-600. In December 2014, Ga-ruda has connected Ambon with Ternate, Saumlaki and Langgur in Maluku Islands. The airline also links Bali with cities in East and West Nusa Tenggara such as Lombok, Bima, Ende and Labuan Bajo.

In line with the attempt of Garuda Indo-nesia to continue improving and strength-ening its flight network in domestic market especially to areas that become new center of economy growth and tourist destinations in remote areas in Indonesia, since the end of 2013 Garuda Indonesia introduced sub-brand “Explore” and “Explore Jet.”

Handayani:

Garuda Ready to Support Marine Tourism Development

The capital city of Jakarta will welcome Asia’s golf tourism industry when the region’s top golf tourism

convention heads to the city on 27th to 30th April for the 4th Asia Golf Tourism Convention (AGTC) 2015 to be held at the Jakarta International Convention Center. Recognized as a dynamic city with fantastic golf courses that offer some of the best hospitality in Asia, Jakarta is considered as the perfect venue for the golf tourism industry’s premier event in the Asia-Pacific

region.The Golf Convention will bring together

golf resorts and destinations from across the Asia Pacific region and golf tour opera-tors from all over the world. More than 4000 meetings will take place between golf tour operators and golf resorts, golf clubs, hotels, inbound operators and tourist boards over two days. The AGTC attracts over 500 delegates from 32 countries including some 150 golf tour operators, all selling Asia Pacific golf destinations, from

all leading markets.At the start of the first business day,

suppliers will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to all buyers during two hours of speed-dating with buyers. This is followed by 9.5 hours of meetings over two days where golf resorts, golf clubs, hotels and other suppliers can have up to 38 appointments of 15 minutes sessions with buyers/golf tour operators from over 30 countries.

The 4th Asia Golf Tourism Convention (AGTC) 2015-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


News

Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board asks the government to map islands throughout Indonesia to support marine tourism development in the country. “Besides mapping strategic marine tourism points

in the national tourism strategic areas, we also ask the government to map the most ready islands to be marketed in the marine tourism packages,” said head of BPPI Wiryanti Sukamdani in the Tourism Journalist Forum Seminar with the theme of Improving Connectivity of Islands in Indonesia for Marine Tourism Development in Sapta Pesona Building, Jakarta on Tuesday (10/3/2015).

According to Yanti, with 17,504 islands in Indonesia, a clear mapping is required to identify islands that are ready to support marine tourism development. The map-ping is important for conservation purpose and strength-ening service to tourists.

“There are many beautiful islands that have been known by tourists, but haven’t been managed optimally,” Yanti said.

She gave Gili Trawangan in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) as an example. The island has potentials to be developed into bigger tourist destination. Unfortunately, people who manage the tourism sector in the area are still lack of awareness towards the aspects of security, health and cleanliness.

“We often travels and being sick when we get home. This can be an indication that many tourism islands in our country are polluted,” she said.

BPPI consider that Indonesia has great marine poten-tials especially in eastern Indonesia, but unfortunately they have not managed optimally.

“We encourage marine tourism development and one of them is by boosting promotion of marine tourism in countries that become our target market,” she said.

Some programs conducted include sales mission in Amsterdam, Paris, Sydney and Kunming (China). Be-sides that, BPPI also work on niche market in Chongqing (China), Tokyo and Mumbai. (*/ant)

BPPI Asks Government

to Map Marine Tourism Islands


News

16 | Paradiso November, 2014

News

18 | Paradiso September, 2014

Photo by Bobo Tandiono

19 | Paradiso November, 2014


ToGEAN Islands, consist of 66 islands and being a sub regency of Tojo Unauna regency at

Central Sulawesi province. There are more than 50 small villages spreading among those islands, beside the so - known as the origin of Togean people who live in Togean and Batudaka Island the rest of the communities are Bajo people or known in the world as Sea Gypsy.

Togean islands located at Tomini Bay almost in the center of 2000m’ deep surrounding water, Togean is-lands it self has an average of 60 - 100 depth of remarkable base of corals and many species of marine biotas. This geographical condition has also gener-ated Togean being part of the Coral Tri-angle Conservation zone in Indonesia.

There are two access to visit To-gean islands at the moment, one you can first go to Palu by flight then take a land trip to Ampana which is the capital cioty of Tojo Unauna regency. A direct flight to Ampana will be initiated this year of 2014 as the airport is being con-structed.. From Ampana you can easily find local boat transfer to the islands. The other passage is from Gorontalo where you can take a ferry boat direct to Wakai. Wakai is the biggest vuillage in the area and where the most sup-plies are delivered to, there are guest houses and resorts in Wakai if you wish to make Wakai as your base station to visit the other surrounding islands.

There are 6 resorts in Togean is-lands mostly manage and own by lo-cals with profesional services. Although power supply has not been fully sup-ported to the area the nature has given

more than just an enchanting small is-land landscape but the fresh air gener-ated by the surrounding trees manage to ease you along by day and by night - its really back to nature stage of life.

Beyond and in Wakai you will be pampered by nature, a waterfall is close by the village and at the near by islands you can find a cave, non-posionous Jelly Fish in Mariona Salt Water Lake, Manggrove conservation and of course beatuiful seascape all over the place.

Togean islands is really amusing, friendly people and sunshine 12 hours a day to rest you upon many white sandy beaches you can find, if you sail your own boat this is a place that you can enjoy for months.

If you are a diver or even a profe-sional master diver, Togean’s under water beauties is not only beautiful but also challenging. From .50 m’ depth all the way to 100 m’ down, a vertical drop or just a lonesome sloope. too many things to be described about Diving in Togean.

And the other challenge is not just that, you will be challenged to find a new places, unique or endemic spa-cies. Master Divers and Personal Pair-ing are available in every Dive Center,

you may ask for anything regarding To-gean’s underwater beauty and they will serve you professionally.

Please be informed that Togean is located in a huge bay of Tomini within a 2000 m’ deep sea and not a circumnavi-gation zone, boat trafficing in the area only few boats compare to the area itself. only a small community of people live there because its mostly a conservation zone.

This part of Coral Triangle Zone is really a pareadise Above and Under the water, clarity of 25m’ down and an 180 degree landscape without any concrete buildings but green mountainous area, what else that anyone can expect? And you can enjoy the sunrise in the morning while in the same day you will also respect the suncet.(Raymon Les-mana*)

Pho

to b

y R

aym

ond

Lesm

ana

Togean


Bintan Expo CenterInvestment and Tourist Information of Bintan Island in the Riau Archipelago

The island of Bintan in the Riau Archipelago harbors a surprisingly large number of

tourist attractions : from sparkling beaches, pristine islands, to superb all-inclusive resorts like the Nirwana Garden Resort, Bintan Lagoon Resort, Bintan Agro Resort, and the Sahid Raya Bintan that offer complete sports facililties, spa, and a variety of cuisines in many upscale restaurants. On Bintan one can take a boat and follow the river upstream to experience the thrill of a mangrove forest twinkling with fireflies. There are also fantastic golf courses, meeting facilities and many more.

To showcase the large variety of tourism and investment potentials on the island of Bintan, the District Government of Bintan in the Province of the Riau Archipelago, has built the Bintan Expo Center in mid 2014, located at Jalan Ahmad Yani, in the city of Tanjung Pinang. Strategicallysited near crowded and well frequented areas, the center was initially meant for limited public viewing, but on account of its popularity, the local government

decided to open Bintan Expo Center to the public as a Tourism and Invest-ment Information Center.

Upon entering Bintan Expo Center you will be welcomed by an attractive gallery featuring the many attractions of the District. In the central area you will see displayed pictures of the luxuriious resorts here, golf courses, as well as in-formation on development plans of the region. Additionally, there are portrayed other potentials such as in agriculturual crops and livestock farming. There is also a maquette of Bintan measuring 5x5 meters, as well as replicas of the District’s mascot, which is the dugong. You will also see a statue of a 1.25 meter high dugong weighing around 50 kg, with as background a large picture of different underwater life, resembling a sea world fantasy.

Here you will pass a tunnel that gives visitors the impression like being under the sea , where the half domed roof shows a blue sky with white clouds giv-ing the feeling as if one has the clear blue sky above and azure sea below. While on both sides are panels provid-ing information on the District’s many

tourist destinations and attractions and the various economic potentials and investment opportunities.

Bintan Expo Center was indeed planned to attract and provide infor-mation to investors and international domestic visitors as well as the general public. The architect of the building was an official of the Bintan Public Works. Regent of Bintan District, Ansar Ahmad, was inspired to build the Bintan Expo Center when he was on a visit to China, where investors and international visitors were welcomed to the district in an exhibition hall.

Next to the exhibition hall are of-fices, meeting rooms, a small theater for 42 persons, a cantine and a prayer room. The theater is often used by school children on study tour, where they can see the many potentials of the district of Bintan through short films. While the Expo’s parking lot is also often used for small exhibitions such as an exhibition on semi-precious stones, and others.

Bintan Expo Center is open daily from 08.00 hrs to 16.00 hours.(Indo-nesia.Travel)

Event & Destination

Kedisan Village at the foot of Mt. Batur

Kedisan is a small rural village nestled at the foot of the Mount Batur on the island of Bali, at the

edge of Lake Batur, the largest lake in on the island. The village sits amidst the panoramic setting of the crescent shaped lake and the majestic volcano filling the skyline above. It is one of 15 villages in the Kintamani Region, about 2 hours north from Denpasar, capital city of Bali.

Located between Lake Batur’s shore and the magnificent Mount Batur, Kedisan’s soil is well irrigated by the

river and incredibly fertile due to the volcanic ash. That, combined with the cool mountainous climate makes it the perfect crop-raising terrain. It’s no wonder, therefore, that this region is inhabited largely by those that make a living by farming. Kedisan’s color-ful patchwork of agricultural produce includes onions, cabbages, peppers, tomatoes and much more. Some residents of Kedisan also work as fish-erman, as Lake Batur is home to quite the abundance of fish.

The Kintamani region has been

well known since the 9th century, as is proven by various royal edicts engraved on copper plates found throughout Kedisan and the other villages around Lake Batur, such as Trunyan, Songan and Buahan.

Bask in the site’s natural beauty and enjoy the fresh mountain air. Take a trek around the village or a swim in the cool lake.

One of the main attractions of Kedisan Village is Terapung Restaurant: a restaurant that floats on the surface of Lake Batur. This floating restaurant is the only restaurant around Lake Batur, and offers the seating choice of float-ing gazebo, or a floating lounge. Savor the delicious menu of freshly caught fish, fried or grilled with a delectable blend of Balinese spices to a backdrop of the clear blue lake and Mount Batur towering above. A crisp and spicy fla-vor, coupled with the beautiful scenery and cool mountain breeze creates a serene and romantic ambience that will not easily be forgotten.

Given its location at the foot of Mount Batur, this village is a great stopping place before setting off up the mountain. Kedisan is approximately 6 kilometers away from Toya Bungkah,

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another village commonly used as a climbing point of Mount Batur. Toya Bungkah is also known for its natural hot springs, believed to relax the muscles and nurture healthy skin.

A small pier is built in Kedisan Village on the banks of Lake Batur. Many small boats dock at this pier, ready to take you on a tour around the lake, or across the lake to the other surrounding villages. From this dock, you can also cross over to Trun-yan – a village famous for its unique burial traditions. Unlike most parts of Bali, the people of Trunyan do not cremate their dead, but instead em-balm them in the oil of the Taru tree and store them in large stone basins.

To observe the culture of Kedisan village itself, schedule your visit during the months of August or Sep-tember, when the annual procession known as Ngusabha Tegen is held. This ceremony is a form of thanksgiv-ing to the goddess of fertility, and

has been faithfully held every year for many generations. During the ceremony, thousands of villages will bring offerings to the Dalam Prajapati Temple. These offerings are usually in the form of vegetables, fruits, fish and meat. Fish and other foods that are offered may not be fried, but must be steamed or baked. Tradition states that these offerings should be returned with the gifts of salvation and prosperity. An interesting fact about this ceremony is that every member of the village should bring a coin to the temple. When the coins are counted, the result is the updated census of the village’s population.

Aside from being an agricul-tural village, Kedisan produces many wooden handicrafts that can be purchased as souvenirs. These crafts include a variety of shapes such as cats, elephants and even miniature Buddha statues. While in Kedisan, you can also observe the entire

process from the wood selection, to the carving process, to painting, and finally, the final product. In addition to wooden artifacts, mosaics and other glass crafts can also be found.

Located on the exotic and interna-tionally famous island of Bali, getting to Kedisan village is a fairly easy task. Bali is an extremely well connected airport with international flights avail-able from numerous cities across the globe, including Amsterdam, Bangkok, Brisbane, Darwin, Dili, Doha, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Manila, Melbourne, Moscow, Osaka, Perth, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo and others. Domestic flights are available from all major cities of Indonesia.

From the airport, (or anywhere,) simply hire a cab, and you’re good to go! Kedisan village is approximately 60 kilometers north from Denpasar, the capital city of Bali. (Indonesia.Travel)

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Trekking to Mt. Rinjani’s Mystifying Danau Segara Anak

Danau Segara Anak is a volcanic lake formed in the caldera of Mount Rinjani on over 2,000

meters above sea level. The lake spans across an area of 11 square kilometers, and reaches depths up to 230 meters. Danau Segara Anak is located on the west side of Mount Rinjani in the village of Lawang Sembalun in Lombok, East Indonesia. The mystifyingly blue colour of the lake gives Segara Anak its name:

Small Ocean.The trek from the Senaru Village, and through the crater to Danau Segara Anak takes two days and a night. It be-gins with a hike through a lush, tropical rainforest, and up the mountain to the rim of the crater. The trek to the Senaru rim is a challenging climb up steep ter-rain and high cliffs, but the exhaustion is well rewarded by the breathtaking panoramic view of the sun setting over

Mount Rinjani, Bali and the Gili Isles on the horizon, and the dazzling blue waters of Segara Anak glistening hun-dreds of meters below. The top of the crater is a popular camp site for both foreign and domestic tourists on this journey to spend the night. It is advis-able to set a morning alarm so as not to miss the magnificence of dawn from atop Rinjani.From the crater’s rim, it is a sharp descent of about 600 meters

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to Danau Segara Anak.Part of Segara Anak flows down a

steep ravine forming one large waterfall and several smaller ones. There are also four natural hot springs in the lake which are said to hold magical healing powers, and many make the climb solely for medicinal purposes.

Despite its high altitudes, taking a dip in the lake is not as cold as one might imagine. 2,010 meters above sea level, the surface water of the lake is unusually warm for such heights, at about 20-22 degrees Celsius—well above the mountain’s “room tempera-ture,” which is about 14-15 degrees Celsius.

Between 2008 and 2009, research-ers of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation as well as Univer-siteLibre de Bruxells conducted a geochemical and thermodynamic study on Segara Anak. The tests showed several leaks in the volcanic system of Gunung Baru; the cone in the center of the lake. These leaks from the magma chamber seep a large supply of hot water into Segara Anak, indicating a direct relationship between volcanic activity and the lake’s high tempera-ture. The geochemical composition of the hot water showed a number of elements such as chloride, sodium, potassium, and sulphate. Although rich in elements, rainwater that enters the lake assists in thinning its chemical content. Segara Anak also maintains excellent circulation, and is therefore

not harmful to life. Lake water circulation takes place

when the density of the water is higher at the surface than at the base. Rainwater has a higher density than the hydrothermal water, and there-fore moves downward, while waters from the hydrothermal vent move up. This is an on-going process providing well-mixed water and bringing the acid level of the lake to neutral—suitable for breeding fish.

In 1969, volcanologists from the Directorate of Geology, (London,) ex-amined the lake and recommended the cultivation of fish. At that time, there were no fish in Segara Anak. In 1985,

the Nusa Tenggara Barat provincial government finally began breeding fish in the lake. The fish bred rapidly and the lake is now home to millions of tilapia and carp, making Segara Anak not only a popular spot for fishing, but some locals of the area even make a living from this.

In the 1980’s, the areas surround-ing Segara Anak pulsated with wildlife. Grouse, hornbill, and barking deer thrived around the lake. Several spe-cies of monkey could be found in the forests, including the rare black ebony leaf monkey, and the black crested macaque, indigenous to Indonesia. But human intervention has changed the ecology of the lake. With more and more people climbing up the mountain and into the lake, more and more spe-cies have begun to disappear. Initially, people only caught fish, but then grouse, which soon led to deer hunting as well. Now few grouse remain, and the deer are no longer found along the route. It is estimated that only a hundred or so remain.

In 1998, Danau Segara Anak was im-mortalized in paper money on the ten thousand rupiah bill.

Like other crater lakes around the world, Danau Segara Anak was born of a violent past, celebrates a brilliant present, and has the potential to lead to a catastrophic future. Yet we remain fascinated by its origin, splendour and unique existence. (Indonesia.Travel)


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World-class thrilling waves meet jaw-dropping scenery at the secluded surfers’

paradise of Suluban Beach. Located not too far from the picturesque Uluwatu Temple, this beach is the actual site of the famous Uluwatu surf break. This beach extends right up and joins the Uluwatu Beach. Together they are the Mecca for wave chasing junkees who come to Bali.

Located at the Pecatu Village, in the South Kuta sub-district, Badung Re-gency, Suluban is among renowned surfing beaches along the Bukit Peninsula at the southern end of Bali that include the Uluwatu Beach, Bingin Beach, Padang-padang Beach, Dreamland Beach, Impossible Beach and Balangan Beach.

The beach is blessed with a breath-taking view on the Indian Ocean

which offers a serene atmosphere and spectacular sunsets in the late afternoons, creating that most

romantic aura. Approaching the area, visitors will be greeted by afascinat-ing scenery of white rock cliffs that

Ende

Suluban Beach Bali’s Surfers Paradise at Uluwatu

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stretch as far as the eyes can see. Descending some 50 meters down to the shore, a vast white sandy beach kissed by turquoise blue waters await, while the pounding waves play the true resounding sounds of nature: the perfect setting for a thrilling surfing adventure.

The character of waves at Suluban Beach is similar to those at Uluwatu Beach that come in with that great, powerful, long swell and consistent barrels that have always fascinated surfers who came to this point. Here waves can reach to between 3 and 12 feet with the average wave size being 3 to 5 feet, perfect for advanced and professional surfers. The best season for surfing at Suluban Beach is during the dry session (April to August) when the wind blows from east to west cre-ating the perfect waves for surfing.

The word Suluban comes from the Balinese language “mesulub” which translated means: to bow down. It is suggested that the name was adopted

since visitors must first crouch or bow down when they pass the crevice be-tween boulders that resembles a cave, before reaching the beach below the rocky cliff. The Beach is also known by many people as the Blue Point Beach since it is closely associated with the Blue Point Bay Villa located on the top of the cliff which shade Suluban Beach.

Be it for a surfing holiday or a romantic getaway, the waves together with the spectacular scenery at Su-luban Beach are indeed a true gem that make Bali sparkle.

Located at the Bukit Peninsula, Su-luban Beach is connected to Kuta and Denpasar through Jimbaran by the busy Jalan Bypass Nusa Dua and this is the only route in. Approximately 34 Kilometers from Denpasar, the beach is about 30 minutes’ drive from the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport or about 45 minutes from the tourist resorts of Kuta-Legian.

From Denpasar or Kuta, Take the

main road (Jalan Bypass Nusa Dua) south to the junction with Jalan Uluwatu II (the famous McDonald’s junction), turn west towards Jimbaran Bay, continue about 2 km and at the four road junction make a sharp left up the hill (signposted for Uluwatu). Follow the road southward until you reach the outer post of Uluwatu Temple where you will find a signpost to Suluban Beach to the right. Follow that road until you reach the Beach.

A taxi from Kuta to Suluban or Uluwatu will take approximately 30 to 40 minutes over winding roads and will cost about Rp 120,000 one-way. If you are just visiting for the day, consider asking the driver to wait for your home trip as it can be difficult to find transport back. Figure on paying the taxi driver Rp 20,000/hour to wait. Joining a tour can be a cheaper way of getting to the area as this destination is very widely offered by tour opera-tors all over the island. (Indonesia.Travel)

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28 | Paradiso December, 2014

Sumba


Sumba


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Wearing black sarong on the bottom, white shirt and head wrapped in red cloth,

thousand of Ngada people gathered in the front yard of the custom house of Langa village, Bajawa district, Ngada regency, East Nusa Tenggara on Friday (16/1/2015). They came to fulfill their ancestors’ wish to reestablish the harmonious relation of having one ancestor, which is symbolized in the traditional ceremony of Reba with uwi as the unifier.

Forty five custom houses built on al-most one hectare area the front yard of the custom house that is located in sub-village of Bhorani. Almost all houses use manufactured materials such as zinc, nail, wood and many more.

Seven houses measuring 1m x 2 m with oval-shaped roof are built in the middle of the village using local

materials. The house poles are made from high-quality local wood. The poles are casted with certain strength so that animals (buffaloes) tied on the pole during the animal sacrifice will not shake the house.

Willem Beo Lung (82), traditional figure of Ngada, said that Reba is held in at least seven points in Ngada, starting from December 27 to February 28. The opening of Reba took place in the old village of Bena, which is located about 16.7 kilometers south of Bajawa, on December 27. The ceremony is then continued in other villages, includ-ing the village of Langa on January 15 to 17, and ended on February 27 in Beiposo Village, Ngada. Reba Langa is the biggest Reba ceremony presenting about 10,000 villagers of Langa various provinces and regencies.

The entire descendants of Langa,

where Reba held, shall attend at the event. If they remain outside Ngada, they shall hold Reba ceremony by slaughtering chicken, to coincide with the slaughter of chickens in the big fam-ily custom house, Sao Meze, including cooking and eating sacrificial animals.

This year, Reba ceremony is attended by a number of Langa people including members of the House of Representa-tives, Catholic priests and nuns and students from Langa who study in various universities and schools all over Indonesia.

Langa village that is located 2.5 kilo-meters from Bajawa has seven hamlets called Nuwa and nine sub-hamlets called Bho, which means sprout. Reba is held to establish harmonious relation among Langa people wherever they live under the same custom and tradition inherited from their ancestors.

The Unity Message of Ngada People Reba

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Reflection

Ngada regent, Marianus Sae said that Reba is the annual reflection among Ngada people related to their life. This reflection involves all Ngada people, which is symbolized through the taking of meal in the dinner in the main house or Sao Meze. They gather as parents, brothers and sisters, brother and sister in-law, sons and daughters, and grandchil-dren.

Reflection of the life-cycle consists of three Reba’s phases, namely kobe dheke (the begin-ning of night) when all villagers gather with intention and prom-ises called Gua Reba. Relatives from various places come and bring money, sacrificial animals, rice and traditional drink as offer-ings to the ancestors.

The goods brought into Sao Meze is expression of gratitude for the sustenance, protection and longetivity that have been obtained and were given sin-cerely. Chicken and pigs brought are slaughtered in accordance to the traditional custom by chief of Sao Meze.

After the animals slaughtered, their heart, liver and intestine are observed facing the part of the house called maga raga, where ancient objects kept such as dagger, dowry, ancient money, old bowl and many more. At that time, all boys should stay in Sao Meze. If there are certain parts of the animal that damaged or do not exist, it means there is a mistake in choosing the sacrificial animals. They have to admit the mistake in front of the mata raga.

Kobe dhoi is sure that ap-proaching the end of Reba, before departing, all big family members should gather in the evening to attend Reba feast.

In past time, the feast means the original dinner called uwi (a kind of sweet potato tubers com-monly grow in the wood). The sweet potatoes are taken to the middle of the house yard to be eaten together while dancing and

singing surround the village. The rest of the sweet potatoes are stored in the house prepared for Sui Uwi, dinner in each family.

Uwi is understood as God’s blessing into the life of Ngada people. It has various expres-sions such as uwi meze go lewa laba or sweet potato as big as a gong and as tall as a drum, khoba rapuh lizu (entwine up to the sky) or ladhu wai poso (has a shape of great pole like a mountain). This sweet potato will not extinct although it is also eaten by boars. Another expression for uwi is kutu koe koe koe, ana koe. It means that the sweet potato will always be available for children and grandchildren.

“In its development, after Catholic Church entered in 1980’s, the understanding towards Reba as uwi feast was included in the enculturation of church so that Reba ceremony is always begun with a mass. Sweet potato is translated as symbol of God’s gift, god Zetha Nitu Zale or God Almighty implied in Jesus’ personality,” said Soli.

In 1900’s when paddy cultiva-tion started, Reba no longer presenting sweet potato. Instead, it presents various kinds of food, yet still maintains traditional menus, namely rice, meat of sacrificial animals, and traditional drink.

Marselinus Ngamo, Langa’s figure who is also lecturer at Unika Kupang said that the eve-ning banquet is held in conjunc-tion with khobe sui.

Soa Meze chief delivers moral messages such as not to mock other people with tongue and mouth, walk straight (being hon-est and fair) and go for a better life.

The next say, mass traditional dance called Oouwi Reba was held. This traditional dance is held after neighboring villages present at the courtyard of cus-tom village, where Reba is held. Bhorani people as the host must provide food and drink for the guests. ***


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Banyuwangi Festival 2015, which is a is series of 38 events in Banyuwangi area, East Java,

offers various charms starting from richness of art and culture, sport and tourism events and local wisdom wrapped in unique creative festival.

Bayuwangi regent Abdullah Azwar Anas said that there will be 38 event that are going to be held as part of festival series such as International Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen (6-9 May), Banyuwangi Batik Festival (10 October), Beach Jazz Festival (12 September), International Surfing Competition (25-27 September), Gandrung Sewu Festival (26 Septem-ber), and Banyuwangi Ethno Carnival (20 October).

“Banyuwangi Festival is not only held to promote tourism, but also to maximize local potentials and encour-age local community to together

develop their region,” said Azwar Anas in the launch of Banyuwangi Festival 2015 in Sapta Pesona Building, Jakarta on Saturday (28/02/2015).

Azwar said that Banyuwangi Festival 2015 has previously been opened by social activity, Clean Toilet Festival on January 30, and it was continued by Home Renovation Festival (18 February).

The local government also initiates a wide range of special events such as Banyuwangi batik in Indonesian Fashion Week (IFW) on 28 February 2015. Besides that, there will also be Banyuwangi Ethno Carnival (BEC), which is included in the national tour-ism calendar of Tourism Ministry.

BEC is a costume parade of Tanah Using (indigenous tribe of Banyuwan-gi) and it is inspired by local culture of Banyuwangi.

The Festival will also present

various latest tourism attractions such as Green and Recycle Fashion Week (14 March), Local Fruit Festival (28 March), Sego Tempong Culi-nary Festival (28 March), Traditional Children Games Festival (15 June), Banyuwangi Kite Festival (15 August), Percussion and Lare-lare Orchestra Festival (1 August), and Kite and Wind Surf Competition (23 August).

He said that the new events are expected to boost tourist visit and to make them stay longer in Banyu-wangi.

“This festival is to promote new destinations such as Tabuhan Island. There, we’re also going to hold Kite and Wind Surf Competition,” Azwar said.

Educational value is also included in Traditional Children Game festival, which is going to exhibit various traditional games including gobak

Events to Hold in Banyuwangi in 201538

39 | Paradiso September, 2014

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sodor, balap karung (sack race), gasing (top), and congklak (mancala).

On the same occasion, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya appreciates the implementation of Banyu-wangi Festival 2015 to develop tourism sector in the region.

“We’ll support four aspects for Banyuwangi, namely marketing, destination development, human resource improvement and study of the development of the region in order to support tourism sector,” he said.

For marketing, Tourism Ministry is going to allocate IDR 1.5 billion support fund for three events in the festival. Arief hopes that in the future Banyuwangi can be one of favorite destinations in which the package will be sold as a bundle with Bali. (bowo)



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Ancient Lake Posodeep, mysterious Lake in Central Sulawesi

For a refreshing getaway from the normal city-life routine, the quaint villages and fresh air of

the less explored Lake Poso may be just what you need to revitalize your mind, body and spirit. Its waters are deep blue and aquamarine and it is one of the clearest lakes in the world.

Lake Poso is an ancient lake located in the Poso District in Central Sulawesi, and is the third largest lake in Indonesia after Lake Toba and Lake Singkarak in Sumatra. The lake spans across an area of 32,000 hectares, and, with a depth of 515 meters at its deepest points, it is almost three times deeper than the Java Sea which has a mean depth of 151 meters only.

Lying just north of the Toraja high-lands in South Sulawesi, Lake Poso is bordered by the Pendolo town at the

south end of the lake and Tentena at the north, with several smaller villages scattered in between. The water of the lake pours in a river and out into the Tomini Bay by the town of Poso.

Silver and yellow eels criss-cross the lake together with two endemic species of fish. The center of the lake is crystal blue, outlined by a shade of green and bordered with soft white and golden sands. Rolling hills sur-round this enchanting lake, covered with stretches of bright, green rice fields, fragrant clove trees and tropi-cal forests. Here are found anoas and babirusa (wild boar), endemic to Sulawesi.

At Bancea near Pendolo is the Bancea Orchid Garden which holds a large collection of orchid spe-cies, among which is the rare Black Orchid.

There is also a strange phenom-enon about Lake Poso. When night falls, a vivid, bright light is often seen glimmering beneath waters. Some-times stationary, but sometimes moving rapidly from bank to bank across the lake. Some people at-tribute it to Indonesia’s counterpart of the mysterious “Nessie” in Scotland’s Loch Ness.

Since its first sighting, the tale has evolved from a light within the lake to a light that hovers above the lake and around the nearby hills and fields. This spectacle has been observed for many years, yet the source of the mysterious light has never been confirmed.

At 657 meters above sea-level, and air is clean and cool and makes for the perfect conditions for a leisurely stroll around this huge sea-like lake.


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Venture further from Poso’s banks and into the surrounding tropical forests which provide rare sightings of the endangered Dwarf Buffalo and Babi-rusa (pigdeer.) Several other species of wildlife only found on the island of Sulawesi also call these forests home.

Take a dip in the cool, clear waters at the base of the recently discov-ered Saluopa Waterfall. In the forests around Tentena, at Poso’s northern end, neatly concealed in the jungle-clad scenery, the Poso Lake flows into a small river, which spills into mild rapids, and finally cascades in surge of water, streaming down a rocky bank into the natural, crystal pool below.

Rent a boat for a cruise around the Posolake, which locals claim is always perfectly clear, even deep in the throes of the monsoon season. Some experts consider Lake Poso’s water to be among the purest in the world. A variety of vessels are available for this watery adventure from the typical mo-torboat to a more traditional wooden canoe.

Go fishing in the lake, which holds fishes of such abundance including the Sogili Eel, one of the largest fresh-water eels in the world. Take a swim in the crisp, clean waters of the lake, where gusts of wind cause waves that break in a white foam on the shore-line, similar to those in the ocean. The

sloping banks of the lake are soft sand with no rocks or reefs hidden below the water, so there is no need to worry about cuts or scrapes while wading. Unlike the ocean though, the water is fresh, and therefore won’t affect your eyes should you choose to take a peek beneath the surface, where clusters of small fish sweep across the water.

In the fourth week of August, a large festival is held at Lake Poso. The Lake Poso Festival is a cultural event exhibiting a wide range of competi-tions and performing arts from the surrounding provinces and cities of Central Sulawesi, including traditional games, decorative boat races, rowboat races, dance performances and beach volleyball. Locals from other regions of Indonesia also participate in this event to display arts, handicrafts and traditional clothing from various tribes around the country. The main dishes served in the food stalls during the fes-tival is lake fish cuisine of the Pamona Tribe, and tasting this should definitely be on your list of things to do while in Poso.

Another place to visit is the Bancea Orchid Garden in a nearby devel-oping village, about 15 kilometers from Pendolo. Covering over 5,000 hectares, the garden is the largest orchid preserve in Indonesia, and displays a delightful collection of more

than 50 species of rare and exotic orchids, both cultivated wild. If you enjoy a good long walk, it is possible to reach the Orchid Garden by foot from Pendolo. Alternatively, you could rent a car to take you there.

Aside from inviting tourists, this lake has also attracted the interest of researchers and investors who are interested in developing fisheries. In addition to the plenteous fish, this area is also Indonesia’s largest deposit of the rare Black Orchid. (Indonesia.Travel)


NyepiBali’s New Year Day of Absolute Silence, and its preceding Rituals

This year, Nyepi, Bali’s New Year Day, which is a day of complete silence and meditation, falls on Saturday,

21st March 2015.So, visitors planning to spend their holi-

days in Bali around this date please note:

On 21 March the entire island of Bali will be in lockdown mode. So as to allow residents to follow the prescribed rituals for Nyepi, all vehicles and pedestriantraffic across Bali will be barred from the streets, except for emergencies. The airport will

be closed and no planes will land or take off for 24 hours. All shops are closed. No one will be allowed on the beach or on the streets. There will be local watchmen known as pecalang to ascertain that this rule is obeyed. At night, all lights will have

Bali

to be turned off. Hotels will close all cur-tains that no ray of light shines outside. All sound and music indoors should be held to its lowest volume.

Every culture and religion in the world has its own way of defining and celebrat-ing the coming of the new year. While the Chinese have the Imlek celebration, the Muslims celebrate the first of Muharram, and the world in general celebrates the first of January, the Hindus of Bali welcome the New Year based on the traditional Saka Calendar called : Nyepi.

The series of rituals in conjunction

with Nyepi, meanwhile, will take place from 18th to 22nd March 201d commenc-ing on 18th March with the Melasti (also called Melis or Mekiis) ceremony. The ritual is performed at the Pura (Balinese temple) near the sea (Pura Segara) which is meant to purify effigies, Pratima, andPralingga (sacred objects) belonging to the temples, and acquire sacred water from the sea.

On Java, meanwhile, a similar ceremony is performed at the Balekambang Beach on the southern coast of Malang, East Java, in the ritual known as Jalani Dhipuja, and at the beautiful Prambanan Temple in the province of Yogyakarta.

One day before Nyepi, on 20nd March 2015. the ritual of Tawur Kesanga and Caru will take place, which are sacrificial rituals. Offerings are made at villages, districts, regencies and provinces in the form of chicken, ducks, pigs, goats, even cows or bulls. Plants and crops may also be used as offering. Aside from reminding the Balinese on the importance of their livestock and crops, the ritual is also meant to appease Batara Kala through the Pecaruan offering.

At sunset at around 5 or 6 pm the ritual of Pengrupukan will take place. This is when the Balinese parade alond the streets of their village by holding fire torches and vigorously play the kulkul (traditional bamboo bells). The parade will also be followed

by a procession of Ogoh-ogoh, which are distinct Balinese giant paper puppets. The Ogoh-ogoh effigies depict the character of Bhuta or the evil spirit. After the proces-sion, the Ogoh-ogoh will all be torched in a joyous conflagration in the main ritual known as Ngrupuk. The torching of the ogoh-ogoh symbolizes the cleansing of all evil influences in life.

As the pinnacle of the entire series of rituals, Nyepi or the Day of complete silence will take place on 21st March 2015. For, contrary to other cultures that

celebrate New Year with vivacious festivi-ties, the peak of the Balinese New Year is a day of complete Silence. Hence the name Nyepi, meaning “to keep silent” in the local language, which falls on the day following the dark moon of the spring equinox.

Nyepi is a day that should be fully dedi-cated to connect oneself more closely with God (Hyang Widi Wasa) through prayers. At the same time it should be a day of self introspection to decide on values involving humanity, love, patience, kindness, and other virtues, that should be preserved throughout life.

As a day that is reserved for meditation and self-reflection, anything that may interfere with that specific purpose is, therefore, strictly prohibited. For Nyepi mandates a day of absolute quiet, based on the four precepts of Catur Brata, namely:

Amati Geni: Prohibiting the lighting of fires, the use of lighting or satisfying pleasurable human appetites.

Amati Karya: Prohibiting all forms of physical work other than those dedicated to spiritual cleansing and renewal.

Amati Lelungan: Prohibiting move-ment or travel; requiring people to stay within their homes.

Amati Lelangunan: Prohibiting all forms of entertainment, recreations or general merrymaking.

The day after Nyepi, which this year falls on 22nd March 2015, is called Ngem-bak Geni. This is when Balinese Hindus visit families, neighbours and relatives to exchange forgiveness – somewhat similar to the Muslim’s Ied Al Fitri custom in Indo-nesia. They will also conduct the Dharma Canthi by reciting Sloka, Kekidung, and other religious scriptures.

Although the series of rituals takes place virtually over the entire island, the best time to watch the festivities is on the eve of Nyepi when people parade the ogoh-ogoh along the streets. The large effigies will then be burnt on the beach.

The best place to watch the parade of ogoh-ogoh is therefore along Kuta Beach, Seminyak, Nusa Dua, and Sanur . Each village will most likely make at least one Ogoh-ogoh, which are quite spectacular. In the main towns of Sanur, Kuta, Denpasar, Ubud and others, contests are held vying for the best Ogoh-Ogoh. (Indonesia.Travel)


Bali


Bali

ASITA is not only good in bringing in tourists, but also becomes more care towards tourism environment.

Board of ASITA Bali has just established a number of social programs and one of them is “ASITA Care” as form of corporate social responsibility towards Balinese people and Bali Island as tourist destination.

Following up the result of Regional Work Meeting (Rakerda) of ASITA Bali on January 13, on Tuesday February 17 ASITA delivered 10 trash cans, which was directly presented by the Chairman of DPD ASITA Bali I Ketut Ardana SH accompanied by other ASITA’s officials Ena Partha, Tjok Pemayun, Wisnu Arimbawa, and Werdi, to the caretaker of Uluwatu Temple in the hall of Uluwatu Temple. Uluwatu is one of tour-ist destinations for both domestic and for-eign tourists. ASITA feels the importance of keeping the area clean as cleanliness is part of Sapta Pesona (the Seven Charms).

In the future, as part of sustainable social responsibility, DPD ASITA Bali helps waste management in tourism objects, not only sorting out organic and non-organic

waste, but ASITA intends to invite other institutions that understand the technol-ogy of waste management to join and turn waste into product with economic value. For example, organic waste can be processed into compost and non-organic waste can be recycled. With this, there is no more collecting waste and bringing it to landfill. All waste will be processed on the spot and create useful products as well as reduce emission. If possible, waste can be processed into energy instead of wasting energy for getting rid of it.

On 21 February 2015, taking place in Pinge tourism village, Marga district Tabanan regency, ASITA also delivered 6 trash cans, which was also presented directly by Chairperson of DPD ASITA Bali accompanied by other ASITA’s officials Ena Partha, Tjok Bagus Wira Pemayun, Dwi Nurdayati, Kadek Darmayasa, Dewi Astuti and 30 participating members. For long-term program, ASITA also intends to have a guided village, which is managed profes-sionally. Smiliar program also established in six tourism objects spread in several regencies.

Mangrove Forest

In addition to cleanliness program in tourism objects, ASITA Care still continues mangrove planting program in Sanur. It is recorded that until the beginning of 2015, ASITA has managed 4 hectares mangrove forest located in Pengembak Temple, Sa-nur. ASITA Bali is currently designing tour route for mangrove forest in cooperation with Denpasar Tourism Bureau, Manage-ment of Sanur Mangrove Forest and Yayasan Pembangunan Sanur. Mangrove Forest has become new tourist attraction for Denpasar people.

Besides the program of care for cleanli-ness and environment, ASITA Care also carried out home renovation program and supports the policy issued by Bali Provin-cial Government on poverty reduction.

“Home renovation program has been substantially performed by a number of tour operators members of ASITA and will be reviewed so that it is on target and in accordance with the concept of corporate social responsibility. ***

ASITA Bali be more CARE…


Bali

Bali Hotels Association (BHA) under the Community Relations with Mrs. Virginie Tutin Sandstrom

as the Director has followed several social activities with the main concerned being on visiting some orphanages and Blood Drive program. In 2014, she was supported by her team at HARRIS Resort Kuta Beach where she is the General Manager, the HARRIS Hotels in Bali, and also other BHA members. They have visited seven orphanages in three different areas, far away from the south of Bali, the orphanages are poor. This is part of the annual linen and sembako drive collected from BHA hotels members. The first visit was held on 29 August 2014 in Klungkung and Bangli area. With a total of 29 boxes donated to Semara Putra with 125 children, Widya Asih IV with 31 children and Dharma Widya Kumara orphanage with 107 children to look after. The second visit was held on 08 November 2014 to Negara area. With a total of 29 boxes donated to Maria Goretti with 56 kids, Giri Asih with 54 kids, Widya Asih II with 83 kids, and Sanatana Dharma with 26 kids.

The Blood Drive program was held successfully with seven times in 2014 in different areas. On 21 February 2014, the first Blood Drive held at Risata Bali Resort & Spa, on 20 March 2014 at Maya Ubud, on 11 April 2014 at 101 Legian Hotel, on 18 June 2014 at Mercure Bali Nusa Dua, on 21 July 2014 at Westin Resort Nusa Dua, on 28 October 2014 at Prama Sanur Beach, on 9 December 2014 at HARRIS Resort Kuta Beach as the host. With a total of 486 participants joining the program and 284 blood bags being collected in 2014.

“In 2015, we are committed to continue those two programs regularly and we are hoping that we will be able to visit more or-phanages and collect more blood bags for Red Cross”, said Virginie Tutin Sandstrom.

“For Blood Drive program, the first semester of 2015 have been confirmed that will be held on 27 February 2015 at Bali Garden Beach Resort, on 08 April 2015 at Grand Nikko, and 22 June 2015 at 101 Legian Hotel. The visiting orphanages program will be done two times this year; we are on progress of collecting the linen and sembako. We do hope the small contri-

butions from the BHA are able to help the less fortunates and build appropriate living condition for the children.” she added. ***

Bali Hotels Association Community Relations

Bali

If you are looking for different sensation of tourist activities in Kuta, Legian and Seminyak

then Pondok Sebatu Villa is a perfect choice. It offers different atmosphere of staying in Bali. The villa is located in the village far from the hustle and bustle of the city. Guests will be presented with the refreshing view of rice field and sound of water flowing on the river near the villa. Your satisfaction is guaranteed with the presence of villa’s staff that committed to give the best service to every guest.

Pondok Sebatu Villa has 1 unit 3-bedroom pool villa, 2 units 2-bedroom pool villa, 9 units 1-bedroom pool villa and 2 units

deluxe room. The facilities include restaurant with 30 seat-capacity, Spa, Yoga deck, Shuttle service and Free bicycle.

The special thing from Pondok Sebatu Villa is that it uses spring water as the supply water. Besides that, the villa also has strategic location. Ubud can be reached within 20 minutes from the villa, Tegalalang rice terrace in 10 minutes, Tampak Siring Palace in 15 minutes, Mount Kawi Temple with its natural spring in about 5 minutes, and Kintamani in 20 minutes. This is the best place to stay if different holiday sensation and new holiday spirit are what you are looking for. Enjoy your stay at Pondok Sebatu Villa. ***

Different Holiday Sensation at Pondok Sebatu Villa, Ubud

47 | Paradiso March, 2014

Bali


Bali

Aston Inn Tuban by Archipelago International unveiled several new upscale facilities for its

valued guests. The renovation includes 44 additional rooms, together with a number of luxurious amenities for both business and pleasure.

Opened in 2006, the new-and-improved Aston Inn Tuban now features 120 guest rooms and suites, a signature Hula’s Café & Bar, the Lomi Lomi Spa & Salon, a gym, as well as three meeting rooms and a 300-per-son capacity ballroom for the hotel’s corporate guests.

In addition to the new facilities, the

Aston Inn Tuban boasts an exciting yet relaxed hotel environment with inspiring interior designs and attentive, friendly staff. Located in the Tuban area of Kuta, the hotel is just minutes away from Bali’s International Airport and within easy reach of the main tourist attractions including Kuta Beach, Dis-covery Shopping Mall and the island’s vibrant wining and dining districts.

“With so many new hotels opening up in Bali, we are pleased to be keep-ing Aston Tuban Inn at the head of the pack with the launch of its new facili-ties. Few hotels in Bali are able to offer the same high-quality amenities along-

side an affordable price-tag, which we believe is what truly separates our Aston brand from other hotels on the island.” Said Winston Hanes, Corporate General Manager. ***

ASTON INN TUBAN UNVEILSBRAND NEW FACILITIES


Bali

To introduce its hotel, Quest Hotel Tuban Kuta held Weekend Chill Out with Media some times ago. Various

activities in Quest Hotel Kuta were introduced to a number of media attended the event. The activities include concocting drink, cooking bamboo rice, and making other special menus. The event was quite exciting and led directly by General Manager of Quest Hotel, I Gede Nyoman Sapta Adi. He said that Quest Hotel Kuta has 95 cool, clean, and comfy rooms & suites. The Quest Hotel Kuta imaginatively designed with a modern sophistication & contemporary chic. All rooms & suites are welcoming & practical offering an exceptional combination of style & function outfitted for a luxurious escape, but equipped to please the must discerning traveler.

Quest Hotel to Hold Media Gathering

Harper Kuta Bali Hotel is proud to announce achieving Award of Booking.com Excellence Guest Review Awards for 2014. This

award, which honors hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on Booking.com. Only the top-

performing businesses listed on Booking.com receive this prestigious award.

“ We are delighted to present Harper Kuta Bali Hotel with this Award in recogni-tion of dedication and care in meeting and exceeding guests expectations. By achieving an overall guest review score of 8.6 based on a minimum of 10 reviews as of 23:59 Central European Time on December 31st, 2014. Harper Kuta Bali Hotel has been demonstrated an outstand-ing commitment to the guests in delivering consistenly amazing stays.” says Darren Huston, Chief Executive Officer of Book-ing.com

This annual award recognises excellence guest comment in the global Booking.com marketplace, as judged by the experiences of customers. Based on overall guest re-views submitted annually, Harper Kuta Bali Hotel scored of 8.6 based on minimum of 10 review and identified by Booking.com customers as consistently delivering ex-traordinary services, an exceptional guest experience and notable value, a testament to the hotel’s on-going commitment to excellence.

“Being awarded of Excellence Guest Review Awards 2014 reflects our team’s continued commitment to be the most

innovative and sustainable hotel. Harper Kuta Bali Hotel strive to offer our guests a memorable experience, and this award is evidence that our hard work is translating into positive reviews on Booking.com”. says David Priambowo, General Manager of Harper Kuta Bali Hotel.***

HARPER KUTA BALI HOTEL AWARDED Booking.com EXCELLENCE GUEST REVIEW AWARDS 2014

edition february 2015

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