Sunrise at Mount Inerie - Indonesia Tourism Newsparadiso.co.id/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/paradiso-agustus.pdf · sapta pesona (the seven charms) and beautiful sunset view of Legian

Paradiso August, 2016

Sunrise at Mount Inerie

DIREKTUR Igo Kleden [email protected]

EDITOR

Tri Wibowo

[email protected]

MARKETING MANAGER

Dewi Antini

[email protected]

PHOTOCONTRIBUTOR Sonny Tumbelaka

TRANSLATOR

Indira Sari Paputungan

SALES & MistoMARKETING

REPORTER Komang Wahyuni, Wiss Kedang, Dona Trihapsari FINANCE & Yuni ArianiACCOUNTING

GRAPHIC DESIGN Yudick Ariant

DISTRIBUTOR Donny Sakura

CONTRIBUTOR Christovao Vinhas Cok Dewi Modestus Suharman

www.paradiso.co.id

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Bank Account : 097001023164531Bank BRI Cab. Sesetan - Denpasar

Thanks To :

DISTRIBUTIONDOMESTIC: BALI - Kuta, Ngurah Rai Airport, Nusa Dua, Sanur, Denpasar and Ubud Area. JAKARTA - Tri Wibowo Hp. 081236044326. SURABAYA - Jl.Jend.Basuki Rah-mat 129-137, Surabaya 60271. YoGYAKARTA - Jl.Rumah Makan Gudeg 60 Citro, Laksda Adisucipto Km 9, Yogyakarta 55281, LoMBoK - Jl. Adi Sucipto No. 43, Am-penan - Lombok 83234 KUPANG - Jl. Walikota Kupang 13, LABUAN BAJo - Martin Meotoda, Ph. 081338151744

OvERSEAS: MALAYSIA - maxiINFo, 32-3-1, Jalan Medan Putra 4 Medan Putra Busi-ness 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 - Wheatfield 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. GERMANY - Hattersheimerstr, 19, Frankfurt 60326. CZECH REPUBLIC - Na Zamecke 6/409 140 000 Prague Czech Republic, CUBA - Hotel Se-villa, Trocadero y Zuleta y Prado, 55, La Habana, Ph./Fax. +53 07 8669767. SLoVE-NIA - Kompas D.D, Prazakova 4, 1514, Ljubyana, Slovenia. CZECH REPUBLIC - Mr. Miroslav Radakovic, 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. SLo-VENIA - Miss. Polona Pirnat, c/o Kompas D.D, Prazakova 4, 1514, Ljubyana, Slovenia.

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Indonesian Tourist Gateway

It is good news for Indonesian people and the world that on 9 August 2016 Terminal 3 Ultimate was officially operated by Garuda Indonesia for domestic flight. PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) has confirmed the operation of new terminal with a length of 2.4 kilometers starts at 00.01 WIB (Western Indonesian Time). This is after Director General of Air Transporta-tion for the Ministry of Transportation issued letter Number AU.508/1/1/DRJU.DBU-2016 on 2 August 2016 on the operation of Terminal 3. Terminal 3 is

declared as Indonesian Tourist Gateway. This becomes something remarkable concerning tourism potentials we have. It is about time for Indonesia to have something which becomes the representation of our pretension to develop our great potentials.

Tourist Gateway is not ready instantly. On 26 July 2016, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya visited Terminal 3 Ultimate and observed various facilities at the terminal accompanied by Budi Karya Sumadi, who was still Director of PT Angkasa Pura at that time. He is the Minister of Transportation now. Arief Yahya said that he and Budi Karya Sumadi have agreed to call Terminal 3 as Indonesian Tourist Gateway.

In the initial phase, the airline that will use Terminal 3 is only Garuda Indonesia and for domestic flights only. International flight still uses Terminal 2 while waiting for the facilities in Terminal 3 to be ready.

With this movement, Garuda expects passengers to be able to enjoy the im-provement of facility and standard of service given through the new terminal, which has the capacity of 25 million passengers.

Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, a modern airport that rep-resents local wisdom of Indonesia is projected to make the airport as transit air-port to support economy and improve tourism sector in the country. Terminal 3 is also expected to take Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to compete with other world-class airports especially those in the ASEAN region.

The presence of Garuda Indonesia at Terminal 3 is believed to be able to in-crease competitiveness, branding of Garuda Indonesia and the capability of the national-flag carrier as global player in aviation industry. The operation of Terminal 3 is a joint strategic step between the government and BUMN (State-owned en-terprise) to increase the capacity and capability of Indonesian aviation. We hope with the new facilities and the status as Indonesian tourist gateway, Terminal 3 can become example for other airports in Indonesia to become gateway for tourists entering their areas and enjoying various tourism potentials there. ***

Igo Kleden www.paradiso.co.id

Destination News

6 | Paradiso August, 2016

JAKARTA (Paradiso) – Tourism Ministry for the first time participated in Singapore MICE Forum (SMF) and

Asia Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchange (AMITE) 2016, on 25-29 July 2016. MICE industries and tour operators or tour agents were taken to Singapore to join the events. The mission is to market Indonesian tourism to buyers and suppliers from Asia Pacific countries, Europe and North America who attended SMF and AMITE 2016.

“Almost all big tourism industries from countries which concern on tourism sector attended AMF and AMITE 2016. Therefore, Wonderful Indonesia was also present there. We want to send message that Indonesia is a world-class tourist des-tination. It is a truly Wonderful Indonesia destination,” said Rizki Handayani, Deputy Assistant for Asia Pacific Market Develop-ment for Ministry of Tourism on Tuesday (26/7).

Tour operator or tour agent as well as

hotels and resorts would carry out promo-tion intensely. They would also have busi-ness meeting with buyers who come from all around the world. Besides serving as promotional event for Wonderful Indone-sia, SMF and AMITE are expected to earn business transaction of tour packages to attract more foreign tourists to Indoensia.

MICE tourism has great potentials. Currently, MICE’s contribution to tourism sector revenue reaches 40 percent. This sector also experiences 20% growth every year. Indonesia is suitable to become the paradise of MICE considering that it offers high-quality service with lower budget compared to other countries. This point becomes interesting consideration for guests.

Indonesia also has exotic culture, natural panorama, various activities, world-class luxurious personal service, sightsee-ing, delicious culinary, shopping centers with affordable currency, hospitality and comfortable atmosphere. “The chance is

big, especially with Singapore as hub in South East Asia,” Rizki added.

Although the size of Singapore not even a quarter of Bali Island, but the mobility of people from all around the world to Singapore never stops. The small country is a connecting point of West-East, North-South and South East-Northwest. “There-fore, boosting promotion in Singapore will solve many problems,” said Rizki.

From January to April 2016, there are 20,000 foreign tourist arrivals to Jakarta and 360,000 to Bali. By using Singapore as hub in South East Asia and the high fre-quency of direct flight from Singapore to Jakarta and Bali, Rizki believes that there will more tourists coming to Indonesia.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya considers that the chance of Indonesia to get MICE market is huge. There are many cities which have already had MICE facilities such as Nusa Dua in Bali, Jakarta, Band-ung, Jogjakarta, Surabaya, Medan and many more. (*)

Tourism Ministry to Target MICE Market in SMF & AMITE 2016 Singapore


Destination News

JAKARTA (Paradiso) – To promote the beauty of Legian beach and preserve the art and culture of

Traditional Village of Legian, Tourism Ministry in cooperation with Traditional Village of Legian held Lively Legian Beach Festival (LLBF). The biggest international beach festival in Bali was held in Legian Beach of Bali on 26-29 August 2016.

LLBF 2016 presented 100 exhibition booths with various products such as culinary, handicrafts, textile and hotel. The festival was enlivened by the bar-tender performance on the beach with biggest number of participants to break the record of MURI.

Other activities held during the event included beach cleaning, International competition, band competition, art and cultural performance, fashion show and Kampung Wisata Bali (Bali Tourism Vil-lage) that presented Balinese culinary tourism.

Deputy for National Tourism Market Development, Esthy Reko Astuti said that the implementation of the event serves as tourism promotional media so that Legian beach can be favorite international tourist destination with all its uniqueness and attractions.

“The event also gives space for marketing and promoting the products of SME’s owned by local people of Legian. Therefore, it is able to improve the economy of the people of Legian Traditional Village,” said Esthy.

Esthy said that as the main entry (great Bali) of foreign tourists to Indo-nesia with a contribution that reaches 45-50 percent of total tourist visit, Bali should continuously improve the qual-ity of tourist destinations on the island.

“As world-class destination, Bali has global-standard 3A (Attraction, Accessibility, and Amenity). In terms of attractions, Bali has strong point sourced from the cultural, natural and

man-made potentials,” she said. One of the attempts to improve

the competitiveness of attraction is by holding more cultural festivals like LLBF.

Badung Regent, I Nyoman Giri Pras-ta explained that the implementation of LLBF is supported by many parties such as the government, private sec-tors and community. The event offered attractive art and cultural performance, sapta pesona (the seven charms) and beautiful sunset view of Legian beach. “We expect support and participation of all components to that LLBF can run well,” he said.

There was also the 5th Agriculture Cultural Festival, which was held in the area of Bangkung River Bridge in the village of Plaga, Petang district, Badung regency (as one of exotic natural tourist attraction in north Badung) from 29 July to 1 August 2016. (*/pasha)

Various Attractive Attractions in Lively Legian Beach Festival


Destination News

JAKARTA (Paradiso) – Tourism Ministry continues expanding its market to South East Asia through Famtrip

program, which was held on 29 July – 2 August 2016. This time, the target market is Malaysian Chinese people live in Sabah, Malaysia. The economic level of the targeted market is above average. According to Tourism Minister Arief Yahya, Familiarization Trip (Famtrip) is part of the Sales in the BAS strategy, Branding, Advertising and Sales. “Sales should be more active when the Branding and Advertising of Wonderful Indonesia has become stronger,” said Arief.

The destination chose for the Famtrip is Jogja-Solo with Borobudur Temple as the icon. Borobudur has stronger 3As. In terms of access it has two international air-ports Adi Sucipto and Adi Sumarmo. It also has strong cultural-based attractions either natural or man-made attractions. Jogja-Solo has fulfilled the aspect of amenity by having international standard hotel, conventions, restaurants and cafes.

“We’re targeting Sabah because the area

is the second largest area in Malaysia. In addition, tourism is a matter of proximity so that Sabah is not only close geographically, but also culturally with Indonesia. Famtrip is one of the attempts to attract more tour-ists from Malaysia to Indonesia,” said I Gde Pitana, Deputy of International Tourism Development and Marketing for Tourism Ministry on Wednesday (27/7).

There will be 20 Travel Agent-Travel Op-erator s (TATO) and six media from Sabah that will be invited to explore the beauty of nature, culture and culinary in Indonesia. They will be taken to Yogyakarta and Solo, two cities rich in Javanese culture.

What about the main destination? Borobudur Temple is one of the to 10 Jo-glosemar destinations set as the strongest attraction. Borobudur is listed in the world cultural heritage by UNESCO – UN agency that deals with education and culture.

In addition, they will also visit Prambanan Temple, Museum of Ulen Sentanu, Rama-yana Ballet, Mangkunegaran Palace, Kam-pung Lawean, Kampung Batik Kauman, Danar Hadi Museum, Yogyakarta Palace,

Merapi Lava Tour, Malioboro and business matching with 30TA/TO in Yogyakarta and Central Java as well as ASITA Yogyakarta and Central Java.

“Visit to those destinations will be written directly by six media from Malaysia. Busi-ness matching with 30 TA/TO and ASITA in Yogyakarta and Central Java will also be covered by media and published in Malay-sia,” said Pitana.

Do not worry about the reputation of media invited. It is guaranteed that all are trustable media such as Berita Harian and Data Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC), which are circulated in Malaysia and Singapore.

Utusan Borneo and Harian Metro have already had significant amount of local Malayan readers. See Hua Daily and Sin Chew Daily News are two influential media among Chinese community. New Sabah Times is read mostly by expatriates in Malaysia. “They become our eyes and ears to help promoting tourism in Yogyakarta and Solo in Malaysia and surroundings,” said Pitana. (*)

20 Travel Operators and 6 Medias from Sabah to Have Famtrip to Yogyakarta – Solo


Destination News

RAID (Rebreather Association International Divers) facilitates and train a number of divers from

Lembata Island in Bali so that they can become professional diving instructor and develop marine tourism once they come back to their hometown. This is one of the models of cooperation developed by Local Government of Lembata with RAID in order to produce more professional local divers. It was conveyed by Head of Tourism Bureau of Lembata Regency Longginus Lega in Lembata recently. “The model of cooperation is designed for long-term so that we can be the host in our hometown. Thus, we don’t have to bring diving instructors from another area in when we have tourists who are interested in diving. Something like that should not happen anymore,” said Longginus.

It is planned that in stage 1, RAID instructors will train five people from Lo-cal Government of Lembata Regency to become diving guide. They are Polykarpus Kuya, Lodovikus N Atawolo, Marselus Bao Irak, Rofinus Marianus Menteiro, and Hyronimus D. M Wukak. They are going to undertake diving course from the level of Open Water to Rescue from 18-28 July 2016. The training will be held in Tulamben, one of the best dive sites on Bali.

RAID is the world’s fastest growing diver training agency with full service

and satellite regional offices, dive stores and instructors waiting to provide diver services to you across the globe. RAID is also the first diver training agency to offer a complete range of online diver academic programs from beginner to instructor examiner levels in snorkeling, scuba and free diving.

Any Taylor, Business Development of Dive RIDE (S.E.A) LLP Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia who is also Professional Training & Coaching said that he is happy to be able to work together with the local government of Lembata in providing training to local divers. “Hopefully, the program can be con-tinued and we will always support regions that are interested in developing marine tourism,” said Andy. He thanked Travindo Jaya for facilitating the training so that it ran well. *Igo Kleden

RAID TO FACILITATE TRAINING FOR LEMBATA DIVERS IN BALI


Destination News

Who doesn’t want to try diving in nine exotic points in Lembata? Flat Boleng? Ice Factory?

Pertamina Pier? Skeleworld? Lewoleba Jetty? China Town? Meeting Table? Barrier Reef? Or Crack of Kumba? Underwater tourism in Lembata Island will not only amaze you, but also make you addicted to it and always want to come back again and again. For those who are interested in diving, Lembata is truly divers’ paradise. Local government of Lembata are about to have professional local diving instructor who later will show every visitor diving spot paradise in the island. It was said by Lembata Regent, Eliaser Yentji Sunur in Jakarta during when meeting Tourism Minister Arief Yahya recently.

“We have worked together with RAID (Rebreather Association International Div-ers). They will facilitate and train a number of local divers from Lembata to become professional diving instructor,” said Lembata Regent who was accompanied by Head of Lembata Tourism Bureau, Long-ginus Lega, Thursday (17/7).

Why would we bother to work together with RAID? It is because RAID is the world’s fastest growing diver training agen-cy with full service and satellite regional offices, dive stores and instructors waiting to provide diver services to you across the globe. “We want to promote Lembata’s underwater tourism to international level.

We have to think globally in order to climb into higher level,” said Regent Sunur.

Sunur said that he does not concern about natural resources considering that Lembata’s nature has already had abundant potentials and beauty. Lembata is one of the transitional areas of flora and fauna be-tween two continents, Asia and Australia. There are also many unique and rare sea biotas that can be found there.

What are you looking for? Skeleton shrimp? Micro creature lives in the black sand under the sea of Lembata. Different kinds of nudibranch? All can be found in nine main diving spots in Lembata. It excludes Batu Tara, a spectacular show of underwater volcano that erupts every 20 minutes. The view of the eruption will become unforgettable experience for visi-tors. Significant aspect that still needs to be improved in Lembata is the quality of human resources.

“We should become host in our hometown. We don’t have to bring diving instructors from another area in when we have tourists who are interested in diving. Something like that should not happen anymore,” said Sunur.

In this cooperation, RAID offer a complete range of online diver academic programs from beginner to instructor examiner levels in snorkeling, scuba and free diving. It is planned that in stage 1, RAID instructors will train five people from

Local Government of Lembata Regency to become diving guide. They are Polykarpus Kuya, Lodovikus N Atawolo, Marselus Bao Irak, Rofinus Marianus Menteiro, and Hyronimus D. M Wukak. They are going to undertake diving course from the level of Open Water to Rescue from 18-28 July 2016. The training will be held in Tulamben, one of the best dive sites on Bali.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that Lembata has been known since long time ago for its marine tourism. However, the 3A aspects of the island are not strong enough to support the legendary attrac-tion. “The aspects of Access and Amenity are not yet equal to the attraction. Thus, in order to develop marine tourism in Lembata, there are two aspects that should be taken into concern, namely Access and Amenity,“ said Arief Yahya in Jakarta.

Arief Yahya said further that what has been done by Regent Sunur to make Lembata into world class tourism desti-nation should be appreciated. He gave Banyuwangi Regent who has successfully transformed Banyuwangi into complete and lively tourist destination as an example. “If the CEO commitment is strong enough, nothing is impossible!? Said Arief Yahya. Igo Kleden (*)

TOURISM MINISTER ARIEF YAHYA: LEMBATA SHOULD STRENGTHEN 3A


Destination News

MANADO (Paradiso) – Mari Jo ke Manado! (Let’s go to Manado!). This expression

becomes more popular when Governor Olly Dondokambey strongly believes that only through tourism that North Sulawesi Province is able to compete. He openly sets this sector as the top priority in the development of the province.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya increases the confidence by having a working visit and inviting Pentahelix to Manado on 28-29 July 2016. Pentahelix is one of the pentagons of stakeholders who determine the success of tourism ecosystem. The five aspects are Academician (A), Busi-ness (B), Community (C), Government (G) and Media (M). The five aspects should be in agreement, have one voice, and work together to build conducive tourism atmo-sphere,” said Arief Yahya.

During the working visit, minister Arief Ya-hya is going to become keynote speaker in the 4th Congress of AFEBI in Sam Ratulangi University in Manado, have discussion with media from Manado Post Group in Graha Pena, close Pesona Bunaken Festival 2016 and open Culinary Festival 2016. He will also have deeper discussion with Governor Olly Dondokambey whom he considers hav-ing strong commitment in tourism develop-ment. “CEO commitment or seriousness of a leader is the main key success for certain program,” said Arief Yahya.

When governor and mayor or regent have committed, there is no way that can-not be passed through. There is no dead end. Conversely, no matter how great or perfect a concept is, without being sup-ported by the CEO, it will not come into realization. “I can see that Mr. Governor has big potential to seriously develop tourism sector in North Sulawesi,” said Arief Yahya.

North Sulawesi has great potentials which include world class tourist attrac-tions, particularly Bunaken with its marine tourism Sub Underwater Zone. Bunaken has been known worldwide for its under-water attractions, coral reefs and sea biota. We only need to improve the cleanliness, garbage management, toilet facility and restaurant & café, which should also have world-class quality. “Once again, if the

governor is willing to do it, it will be easier to overcome the problems,” said Minister Arief Yahya.

Regarding access, Arief Yahya has already had a big plan with the boss of Lion Group Rusdy Kirana to provide more flights from secondary cities in China. On July 2016, Lion has flown from six cities in China to Manado such as Macau, Shen-zhen, Chongqing, Wuhan, Shanghai and Changsha. Sriwijaya flies to Guangzhou and Citilink to Hong Kong. By July 26, there has been 26 flights for the route of China – Manado by three airlines, namely Lion Air (36 flights), Sriwijaya Air (6 flights) and Citilink (7 flights).

Sam Ratulangi Airport was also visited by Tourism Minister Arief Yahya. If the projec-tion is high, he will coordinate with Ministry of Transportation to fasten the extension of terminal and expansion of runaway. “We can calculate the projection of foreign tour-ist arrival and the number of people who are going to Manado. Therefore, we can find out the expansion size,” he said.

According to Vincensus Jemadu, Deputy Assistant of Asia Pacific Market Develop-ment, by 24th July 2016, 4,352 tourists from China have visited Manado and 3,223

tourists departed from Manado, which makes the total of 7,575 people. 1,751 people flew from Singapore and 1,406 re-turned to Singapore, which makes the total of 3,157 people. “The number is growing,” said Vincensus.

Currently, Chinese tourists still stay in Manado and its surrounding cities like Tomohon, Lake Tondano and a number of beach areas there. If the number of flight increases, it will increase the number of tourist arrival from China so that Beyond Manado destinations will alive. Intercon-nection from Manado can be connected to Morotai, Ternate, Sangihe, Ambon, Sorong, Gorontalo and many more. “Manado will become a hub for its surrounding islands in a short flight. Marine tourism there will grow rapidly,” said Arief.

China is a big country with the biggest pop-ulation in the world. It also has the biggest number of outbound tourists in the world as many as 120 million people traveled abroad in 2015. China does not have beach as most of the country consists of land and has sub-tropical climate which has four seasons in a year. “They like marine tourism and Manado and its surroundings have world-class marine tourism,” he said. (*)

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya:

Let’s Go to Manado!


Destination News

SINGAPORE (Paradiso) – Tourism Minister Arief Yahya sees Singapore not only as hub for international air

transportation and tourism entry gate, but also as a potential hub for MICE market –Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions. There are tens of thousands of foreign companies in Europe, America, Asia and Australia, which have representative offices there.

“We have decided to make Singapore as tourism hub. All international flights have flight to Singapore. In a year, there are 15.5 million foreign tourists visiting the country. In addition, 1.5 million expatriates live in Singapore. The distance of Singa-pore – Batam and Bintan is not more than one-hour trip by ferry. Trip to Singapore becomes easier with the implementation of visa-free access, which is continuously promoted in the country,” said Arief Yahya.

Moreover, there are also many big as-sociations, organizations and corporations that choose Singapore as their headquar-ters even though the manufacture and production are done in other countries. That is an entry gate for MICE market. “It is the right movement of Tourism Ministry to present in Singapore SMF and AMITE. MICE tourists in Singapore have high fre-quency and big number as well. Therefore, Singapore market should be developed in Indonesia,” said Indonesian Ambassador for Singapore Ngurah Swajaya in his office in Indonesian Embassy in Singapore on Wednesday (27/7).

According to Swajaya, the spending for

MICE is quite high. He thinks that combin-ing MICE with tourism will be perfect. There is usually a city tour session or culinary ses-sion before or after certain event is held. It would be interesting to visit tourist attrac-tions in the location where a MICE event is held. “This is something that can move the public economy because all economic activities are related to MICE and the tour can develop,” said Swajaya.

Tourism Ministry is currently attending two events in Singapore, namely Singapore MICE Forum (SMF) and Asia Meeting & Incentive Travel Exchange (AMITE) 2016 in Sands Expo & Convention Center, Singapore, on 27-29 July 2016. Moreover, Swajaya said that it is no longer a secret that the number of foreign tourists from Singapore to Indonesia has increased significantly over the past three months. “Singapore is paradise for MICE practitio-ners, we support what has been done by Tourism Ministry,” said Swajaya.

Moreover, Swajaya said that Indonesian Embassy in Singapore has coordinated with industries in Indonesia to strengthen MICE and combine it with prioritized tourist destinations in the country. “Tens of thou-sands of companies have their representa-tive offices in Singapore. There are more than 1,000 companies from Holland and more than 1,500 from Germany registered to have offices in Singapore. This is very potential,” he said.

Those companies have regular meeting, global meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, which all be managed by

their own companies to be held in Indone-sia. They will bring a big number of tourists as most of them are big companies.

Deputy Assistant for Development of South East Asia Market of Tourism Ministry Rizki Handayani said that MICE tourists from Singapore are potential market that can increase the number of foreign tourist visit to Indonesia. “The visit of MICE tour-ists is commonly paid by their companies; therefore they bring plenty of money to our country. They will spend their money in Indonesia and many of them also bring their families along. Family usually chooses a tour package in addition to the meeting,” said Rizki.

SMF & AMITE 2016 is business to business meeting as well as MICE forum, which is held annually by SACEOS. Tour-ism Ministry offers benefits to those who are going to have meeting in Indonesia. Tourism Ministry also becomes sponsor and has the opportunity to do promotion during the event with many benefits gained from Wonderful Indonesia. One of the benefits is getting Branding Exposure in all SMF & AMITE 2016 promotional material, Appointment Set for eight Indonesian sell-ers and Passes for eight delegations from Tourism Ministry in the forum.

Tourism Ministry also sponsors the Clos-ing Reception for 100 pax and famtrip to Jakarta and Bali for 40 buyers. The ministry also brought eight tourism industries to introduce tourist attractions and potentials in Indonesia. They are Indonesia National Convention Bureau – Jakarta, Montigo Resorts Nongsa – Batam, Bintan Lagoon – Bintan, The Laguna Bali & The St. Regis Bali Resort – Bali, Bhara Tours – West Java, BAM Tours – Bali, Pacific World – Bali, and Panorama Destination – Jakarta.

The promotion of Indonesia is directed to facilitate the strengthening of business to business aspect through provision of as-sistance in the exhibition booth, welcome dinner and various promotional activities. In addition, there is also a meeting between Indonesian sellers and quality buyers in order to attract more foreign tourists to Indonesia.

There were various activities held during the event such as Business Meeting, Tour-ism Information Service, Singapore MICE Forum, art performance and gala dinner for buyers and closing reception, as well as Business Appointment of Sellers and Buyers. (*)

Tourism Ministry to Make Singapore A Hub for MICE Market


Destination News

JAKARTA (Paradiso) – Wonderful Indonesia is actively promoted through reality show program The Amazing Race

(TARA) Season 5, which is broadcasted by AXN Channel starting October 2016. TARA Season 5 will be followed by eleven teams and one of them is from Indonesia. They will deal with challenges in some locations spread in 10 main destinations in Asia (5 of them are in Indonesia) starting from Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh, Manila, Taipei, Bandung, Banyuwangi, and finishing in Bali. They compete for a main prize of USD 100,000.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya gives his appreciation to the attempts to promote Wonderful Indonesia in TARA Season 5, which will be watched by 85 thousands TV viewers spread in 20 Asian countries. “This moment is a golden opportunity for Indonesia tourism to show the richness and uniqueness of Indonesia packaged in Wonderful Indonesia.,” said Arief Yahya when introducing TARA Season 5 in Fair-mont Hotel Jakarta on Thursday (28/6).

Arief Yahya said that Wonderful Indone-sia is promoted using media strategy with POSE (Paid Media, Owned Media, Social Media and Endorser) approach. In this pro-motional event paid media is used, namely AXN Channel with the program of TARA Season 5 which is broadcasted almost to all areas in Asia region, the main tourism market of Indonesia. “This year we’re tar-geting 12 million foreign tourists and 61% of it is expected to come from Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia and Japan as the main tourism market of Indonesia,” said Arief.

Senior Vice President and General Manager Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia Ang Hui Keng said that Indonesia is one of the most spectacular tourist destina-tions in the world for traveling, culture and adventure. “We’re happy that Indonesian Tourism Ministry becomes main sponsor of TARA Season 5, which will inspire viewers to plan their long-term holiday to Indonesia as one of the most spectacular tourist des-tinations in the world,” said Ang Hui Keng.

AXN will produce series of serials in sev-eral tourist destinations, namely: Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Banyuwangi and Bali as Wonderful Indonesia starring Indonesia actress Tara Basro who will become co-host

in several episodes of TARA accompany-ing Alan Wu as the host of TARA. Besides that, as part of the tourism campaign, for six months TARA will promote a number of favorite locations as main tourist destina-tions in Indonesia and will share various stories about Wonderful Indonesia.

TARA was firstly broadcasted in 2005 and in Season 4 in 2012, and as many as 11 teams have been chose to join TARA Season 5. They will travel to 10 main tourist destinations in Asia for 20 to 35 days start-ing from Jakarta and finishing in Bali. He first team arrived in the final location will get the main prize of USD 100,000 and a number of prizes provided in each stop if the team wins certain challenge.

AXN to Announce 11 TeamsAXN announced 11 fearless teams who

will compete in The Amazing Race Asia Season 5. Indonesia is represented by two full-of-spirit teams: a couple of eccentric friends Louise and Treasuri and guitarist and host of tourism program Rach and Vicky.

“We’re amazed by the response from candidates of The Amazing Race Asia,” said Ang Hui Keng, Senior Vice President and General Manager Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia during the official announcement in Jakarta today. “The audition videos this season are very creative, smart, funny and surprising. Thus, the audition process became very difficult. We’re impressed by the eleven teams; they represent AXN personalities, enthusiastic, have strong determination, unpredictable, and have high level of octane. This is not just a TV program; this is a full-of-adrena-line experience for every person involved, including our viewers.”

TARA Season 5 is scheduled to broad-cast in October. Asian-American actor Allan Wu, who is also the host for four seasons of TARA as well as the host of The Amazing Race China: Celebrity Edition will become the host.

“This season will become a race that provide great adrenaline and different from the previous seasons. Participants and au-diences will see more sensations, dramas, and changing of plots than the previous seasons,” Allan explained. “The teams will transform during the race, become either better or worse. But one thing for sure is that this experience will become the most

amazing experience in their life!”Not only that, Allan will also various

pit-stops and host the program with Indonesian actress Tara Basro, who won Citra Award as the best female actress in Indonesian Film Festival 2015 for her role in A Copy of My Mind. The presence of Tara in The Amazing Race Asia Season 5 marks the first appearance of co-host in this serial.

“I’m very excited to involve with Allan and the participants in The Amazing Race Asia Season 5. I always love this program and now I have the chance to watch and feel the actions of the participants closer. This is amazing experience to introduce the teams to a number of my favorite tourist destinations in Indonesia,” said Tara.

The eleven teams chosen are from seven countries in Asia and represent dif-ferent personalities, backgrounds, talents and relationship status. Their professions are varied from famous DJ in Singapore to contestant of Beauty Queen in Philippine. They promise audiences to bring entertain-ing and tense adventure to audiences. The teams for Season 5 are:

Rach and Vicky: Host of Tourism Program, IndonesiaLouisa and Treasuri: Childhood Friends, IndonesiaYvonne and Chloe: Friends, MalaysiaAlex and Will: Brothers, MalaysiaBrandon and Alphaeus: Schoolmates, MalaysiaEric and Rona: Husband and Wife, The PhilippinesParul and Maggie: Beauty Queens, the PhilippinesJK and Mike: Radio DJ, SingaporeRei and Kenji: Brothers, SingaporeTom and Anita: Couples, ThailandLisa and Nicole: Life partner, Vietnam

The production of The Amazing Race Asia Season 5 will be started next week. Production House, the winner of interna-tional award, Profiles Television founded by two world-class producers Bertram Van Munster and Elise Doganieri will produce this series.

The Amazing Race Asia Season 5 is supported by Wonderful Indonesia and in cooperation with Garuda Indonesia.

The Amazing Race Asia Season 5 to promote Wonderful Indonesia


Destination News

JAKARTA (Paradiso) – On 9August 2016, Terminal 3 Ultimate will officially use by Garuda Indonesia for domestic flight. PT

Angkasa Pura II (Persero) has confirmed the operation of new terminal with a length of 2.4 kilometers starts at 00.01 WIB (Western Indonesian Time). This is after Director General of Air Transportation for the Ministry of Transportation issued letter Number AU.508/1/1/DRJU.DBU-2016 on 2 August 2016 on the operation of Terminal 3.

It is stated on the letter that after going through the process of administrative and technical verification as well as evaluation on simulation of service and system operation, Terminal 3 is declared ready to operate. Head of Corporate Secretary & Legal PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) Agus Haryadi said on his press release, “We thank for the trust of the Ministry of Transportation to operate Terminal 3 Ultimate.”

On 26 July 2016, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya visited Terminal 3 Ultimate and observed various facilities at the terminal accompanied by Budi Karya Sumadi, who was still Director of PT Angkasa Pura at that time. A day after the visit, Budi Karya is appointed by President Joko Widodo as Indonesian Minister of Transportation period 2016-2019. The theme of Terminal 3 Ultimate is tourism. The sooner it starts operating, the faster it is promoted as hub of tourism airport. We have agreed to call Terminal 3 as Indonesian Tourist Gateway,” said Arief Yahya.

In line with this, AP II immediately set August 9, 2016 as the date for the com-mencement of operation for the expansion of Terminal 3. "In the initial phase, the airline that will use Terminal 3 is only Garuda Indonesia and for domestic flights only. International flight still uses Terminal 2 while waiting for the facilities in Terminal 3 to be ready, "said Agus.

Therefore, AP II will continue coordinat-ing with stakeholder especially Garuda In-donesia and Airnav Indonesia that will make sure the operation of Terminal 3 runs well. “We’re optimistic that once Terminal 3 starts operating, it will be able to support service and comfort of passengers in Soekarno-Hatta International Airport,” explained Agus Haryadi.

VP Corporate Communication Garuda Indonesia Benny S. Butarbutar said that the movement is carried out in stages. It is begun with domestic route, but in the future

the terminal will serve all Garuda flights either domestic or international.

“With this movement, Garuda expects passengers to be able to enjoy the improve-ment of facility and standard of service given through the new terminal, which has the capacity of 25 million passengers,” said Benny. In order to prepare the movement, Garuda Indonesia has done a number of trials of operation, which involved the whole passenger service unit at the airport. It is to ensure that the entire aspects of flight safety and security as well as passenger service run in accordance to the available standard of procedure.

“The smooth preparation process for the movement is inseparable from the support and cooperation from the Ministry of Trans-portation and PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero). Garuda Indonesia, the Ministry of Transpor-tation, AP II base the operation of Terminal 3 to factors relating to security, safety and passenger comfort as well as a mandatory thing, "Benny added.

Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta Internation-al Airport, a modern airport that represents local wisdom of Indonesia is projected to make the airport as transit airport to support economy and improve tourism sector in the country. Terminal 3 is also expected to take Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to compete with other world-class airports especially those in the ASEAN region.

The presence of Garuda Indonesia at Terminal 3 is believed to be able to increase competitiveness, branding of Garuda Indo-nesia and the capability of the national-flag carrier as global player in aviation indus-try. The operation of Terminal 3 is a joint strategic step between the government and BUMN (State-owned enterprise) to increase the capacity and capability of Indonesian aviation.

In relation to the movement of operation of Garuda Indonesia’s domestic route, AP

II and Garuda Indonesia encourage pas-sengers to go to the airport earlier and pay attention to the signs at the airport so that they can depart on time.

Angkasa Pura II is state-owned enterprise in the field of airport service in West Indone-sia. Angkasa Pura II has been trusted by the government of the Republic of Indonesia to manage Cengkareng Airport, which is now Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Halim Perdanakusuma Airport since 13 August 1984.

Currently, Angkasa Pura II manages 13 airports, namely Soekarno-Hatta (Jakarta), Halim Perdanakusuma (Jakarta), Kualanamu (Medan), Supadio (Pontianak), Minangkabau (Padang), Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II (Palembang), Sultan Syarif Kasim II (Pe-kanbaru), Husein Sastranegara (Bandung), Sultan Iskandarmuda (Banda Aceh), Raja Haji Fisabilillah (Tanjungpinang), Sultan Thaha (Jambi), Depati Amir (Pangkal Pinang) and Silangit (Tapanuli Utara).

Five-star national airline, Garuda Indonesia is currently serving flight to 80 destinations throughout the world and vari-ous exotic locations in Indonesia. With the number of flight reaches 600 flights per day and the number of fleet reaches more than 190 planes, Garuda Indonesia provides the best service through the concept ‘Garuda Indonesia Experience’ which prioritizes hos-pitality and richness of Indonesian culture.

In line with the program ‘Excellent Service’ held on July 2016, Garuda Indonesia received the award as ‘World’s Best Cabin Crew 2016’ from Skytrax, an international air transport rating organization. This is the third times Garuda received the award since 2014.

Since March 2014, Garuda Indonesia is part of Sky Team, a global alliance consisting 20 top airline partners that offers global net-work with more than 16,320 flights per day to 1,052 destinations in 177 countries. (*)

Indonesia Tourist Gateway, Terminal 3 Ultimate to Operate on 9 August 2016

Being grateful for the blessing of God for the location which is situated in the Coral Triangle – The Nursery

of the Seas, CAPA RESORT The Heavenly Maumere in Flores Island – East Nusa Tenggara – Indonesia, has completed its final underwater exploration (after doing it for two years with a support from experts and underwater photographer) on July 2016.

The departing point is from CAPA RESORT – The Heavenly Maumere that is located in Maumere Bay with the longest distance only one hour maximum by speed boat. All aspects have been taken into consideration so that guests who want to dive will not feel bored during their trip from CAPA RESORT to the diving spot.

The underwater exploration used the service of professional divers at a level of Dive Master and instructors from three in-ternational associations of diving instructors, namely PADI, NAUI and SSI. What they have found after almost a month exploring the underwater nature of Maumere Bay is amazing. It has everything it takes to become favorite marine tourism destination like ship wreck, wide objects, wall coral, muck dive and macro objects. Underwater garden of Maumere bay also offers stunning view of giant corals and sea fans that can be found in almost every diving spot.


Destination News

Capa Resort Maumere


Destination News

JAKARTA (Paradiso) – During July 2016, there were 37 flights, which took foreign tourists from a number of secondary cities

in China to Manado. “With an assumption of 200 passengers per flight, there has already been 7,400 foreign tourists entering Indonesia through Sam Ratulangi Airport,” said Arief Yahya in Jakarta.

If the status can be upgraded to regular flight, said Arief Yahya, there will be 7,400 times 12 months or 88,800 tourists from China per year. If each person spends USD 1,200, there will be around IDR 1.5 trillion circulating there. “It will directly improve the living standard and welfare of people in North Sulawesi and its surroundings. Tour-ism industry will develop fast,” said Arief.

Therefore, Arief Yahya conveyed during the launch of Pesona Sangihe festival 2016 in the hall of Sapta Pesona Building, Jalan Merdeka Barat, Jakarta, the hospitality needs to be maintained well. Cleanliness should be main priority, garbage management, clean toilet, and all public facilities should be improved in terms of quality. “Concerning hospitality of Manado people, I don’t doubt it! Basically they are very friendly,” he said.

He also expects North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey to socialize the aspects of cleanliness and garbage management to areas that have been set as tourist destina-tions. The base of tourism philosophy is ‘fun.” Thus, all aspects that might trigger unpleas-ant feeling should be put away. “I complain a lot on cleanliness, tidiness and toilet. Let’s maintain the cleanliness so that tourists will

share good stories after their visit to Manado and North Sulawesi,” Arief said.

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya believes in the capability of Governor Olly, the number one person in North Sulawesi who currently seriously manages tourism sector in the province. Former President Director of PT Telkom believes in CEO Commitment. “The first success factor is the CEO. Who first and then What!” Arief said in his 5th CEO Message.

He gave Banyuwangi Regent as example. Abdullah Azwar Anas, a CEO or regent in small area in the tip of Java Island. When the CEO is committed to manage tourism sector to the lowest level, the end result is a success. He teaches people to care for tourism. “And now? You can see that there are many great tourism icons created by Regent Anas,” said Arief.

“First Who, and then What! Choose the person first and then tell what you want. Value that is related to human capital is believed by Jim Collins in his book Good to Great, which mentions that there are big processes to create change in great organization.

The first process is ‘build up’ that con-sists of: Level 5 Leadership, First Who then What, and Confront the Brutal Facts.

The second process is ‘breakthrough’ that consists of: Hedgehog Concept, Culture of Discipline and Technology Ac-celerators.

“Particularly related to First Who then What, there are many leaders who chose

First What then Who approach. They are often trapped as they determine vision, mission and strategy and then choose the people after that. If we choose such approach, it means that we still implement Level 4 Leadership. In order to reach Level 5 Leadership, we have to choose First Who then What,” Arief explained.

That is the answer why Tourism Minister Arief Yahya always makes CEO Committed as success factor of a company. Therefore, he asks everyone to carefully choose Head of Tourism Bureau who later technically manages tourism sector. “Once we choose the wrong person, it is going to be a long story and long recovery as well,” he said.

Development of Manado will auto-matically develop its surrounding areas. “If Sangihe Islands Regency can use Manado as a hub for example. Synergize it well!” said Arief Yahya who also launched Sangihe Calendar of Events 2017.

Not only that, Sangihe Islands also have stunning underwater beauty with various diving spots such as Shipwreck (Tahuna Bay), Lost City (Maselihe Island), Mendaku Area, Bukide Island, Batu Wingkung, Para Island and other coral reef areas which stretch from Taoareng Islands to Nusa Tabukan Island.

In the Calendar of Events 2017, Local Government of Sangihe Islands has pre-pared traditional ceremony of Tudule (31 January 2017), election of Ungke Momo Sangihe (27-29 July 2017) and Pesona Sangihe Festival (5-10 September 2017).

37 China – Manado Flights in a Month


DILI (Paradiso) – Tourism Minister of Timor Lester Mr. Fransisco Kalbuadi Lay admires the movement

of branding Wonderful Indonesia internationally including the concept of Cross-border Festival that was held on 30 July 2016 in Dili Convention Center, Timor Leste. “I appreciate the marketing strategy of Indonesian Tourism Minister Arief Yahya,” said Mr. Fransisco Kalbuadi Lay as cited by Vincensus Jamadu, Deputy Assistant for Asia Pacific Marketing Development.

“We really want to meet Indonesian Tourism Arief Yahya to share marketing knowledge. We have known him since he was still the President Director of TP Telkom Indonesia that has expanded the network to Timor Leste as well. Telkom has become global on his hand. Now, tourism brand Wonderful Indonesia has become global and can be found anywhere,” said Mr. Fransisco who had worked as General Manager of Hyatt Bali.

In celebrating the World Toruism day which falls around September-October 2016, Tourism Minister of Timor Leste will invite Minister Arief Yahya to become keynote speaker together with Taleb Rifai Secretary General of UN-WTO to Dili. “We want to learn a lot from them,” he said.

Tourism Minister of Timor Lester is also planning to send young people from the country to study tourism in STP Bandung (Bandung Tourism College). The two minis-ters are designing tourism cooperation in a form of MoU. Tourism Ministry has a num-ber of Tourism Colleges in Bandung, Nusa Dua (Bali), Medan, Makassar, Palembang and Lombok.

During the Cross-border Festival in Dili on July 30th, Mr. Fransisco would sing one or two songs at the stage. “It is predicted that the number of audience will reach 15,000 people from various countries. It includes Australia and China,” said Viscensus.

Previously, Tourism Ministry also held similar festival in Atambua of East Nusa Tenggara, a province located near Timor Leste. Arief Yahya, when he served as President Director of PT Telkom Indonesia, he had visited Timor Leste three times and provided training to human resources there. Thus, he understands about Ti-morese people well.

“In order to reach the target of 20 mil-lion tourist visits, there are many strategies that can be done and one of them is devel-oping cross-border tourism. We are going to attract people from Timor Leste through

the activity of Cross-border Festival. They can enter Indonesia without visa,” said Deputy for International Marketing, Tourism Ministry, I Gde Pitana.

What about the access from Dili to Indonesia? One of the low-cost carriers (LCC) Citilink has served the route of Dili-Denpasar per 1 September 2015. Director of Commerce PT Citilink Indonesia, Hans Nugroho said that aviation industry sup-ports the government program in improv-ing the number of foreign tourist arrival to Indonesia and Bali in particular.

“There is daily flight service with the route of Denpasar-Dili return in coopera-tion with Air Timor. We have observed that the visit of tourists from Timor Leste to Bali is very high,” said Hans in Denpasar sometimes ago. He realizes that over the past two years, foreign tourist arrival to Bali continues to increase.

President Director Air Timor Abessy Bento explained that the enthusiasm of Dili market towards direct flight to Denpasar is quite high. He proposes the change of plane from Boeing 737-500 with the capacity of 96 passengers to Airbus A320-200 with the capacity of 180 passengers. “Therefore, we can carry more passen-gers,” said Bento. (*)

Timor Leste to Enliven Wonderful Indonesia in Dili

Destination News


Flores

What comes to your mind when we are talking about a lake? It could be crystal clear and calm water

with forest area and trees that surround it. You might also consider enjoying

time by fishing on the lake. You might imagine a place with cool air and rows of pine trees surrounding the lake.

It is a picture of a lake, isn’t it? Let’s forget about the common description of a lake that I wrote above. I am going to write about a unique lake, which might be out of your expectation. I am taking you out from

the common concept of a lake. The surface of the lake is fully covered by lotus so that the water area is almost invisible.

The lake is known as Lake of Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera). The plant has its roots firmly in the mud and sends out long stems to which their leaves are attached. The leaves are sometimes, and flowers always, rose above the water surface. Lotus Lake is known as Lake Rana Tonjong among local people. It is located in Pota district of Sambi Rampas regency. The lake is situated on lowland which is surrounded by hills

and rice fields. It covers an area of 3.52 ha. Lotus grows throughout the year and blos-soms from April until May. People believe that Rana Tonjong is one of the biggest Lotus Lakes in the world.

Historical Background

There is not any certain information regard-ing the origin or how lotus can grow in Rana Tonjong. Based on information from local people, the current area where lotus grows used to be a paddy field. At one time there

LAKE OF LOTUS IN RANA TONJONG


Flores

was a flood that inundated the rice fields. After the flood receded in another area, the paddy fields were continuously flooded. On that area, lotus grows and covers the entire lowland until now.

Lotus atau Nelumbo nucifera is a species of herbaceous which has been known for its beauty and benefit since long time ago. In ancient Egyptian era, Lotus or Seroja could be seen growing together with lotus from species Nymphae caerulea in the edge of Nile River. During the leadership of Pharaoh, Egyptians praised Lotus highly so that its flower, fruit and leaves were used as motif of temple archi-tecture. Lotus was taken from Egypt to Persia, India and China by Assyrian merchants until it finally arrived in Indonesia. (Anonim, 2015c).

Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera) is a perennial water plant, which can live for a couple of years (usually more than two years) or also called annual plant (Campbell et al., 2003). In India, it is called Padma and people in Malaysia call it Seroja or Lotus (Tan, 2001). In Indonesia, this plant is known as Teratai. Although they look similar, Teratai and Lotus are two different plants.

This plant was first distributed from Asian continent and then spread to all tropical and sub-tropical regions. (Solihah dan Magandi, 2014).

The Benefits of Lotus

Lotus is considered as sacred plant in China, Tibet and India. Therefore, it is also popular as sacred lotus. Sacred lotus becomes the symbol of country in India. It is closely related to Hindus mythology, philosophy, art, architecture, poetry and culture since long time ago. The plant was worshipped as symbol of divinity for more than 5,000 years (Anonymous, 2015). Sacred Lotus symbolizes the sun because it blossoms in the afternoon and closes at night. The buds of flower are related to the Goddess of Mother as the symbol of fertility, beauty and prosperity (Neal, 1965; Staples and Herbst, 2005).

The beauty of Lotus makes it used as decoration in the gardens. It is considered to have high economical value. Not only having rich cultural value and serving as decorative plants, the flower is also used as food material and medication. The seeds inside the hump can be eaten directly (raw) or cooked first.

According to Hembing (1998) and Kusumaningrum et al. (2013), tradition-ally Lotus has been used as medicine for various diseases because it contains useful substances for the body such as protein,

fat, carbohydrate, carotene, essence, phosphor, iron, calcium, and many more. It also contains active compounds such as polyphenol, vitamin C and also serves as anti-bacterial. Investigation has revealed that Lotus can absorb heavy metal so that it can be used for water purification in the most natural way.

Tourist Attractions

The beauty and uniqueness of Lake Rana Tonjong has attracted many tourists to visit. Although not many of them know the religious value of the flower and its benefits for health and commercial need, many people are amazed by the beauty and uniqueness of it.

Lake Rana Tonjong is located in Pota district of Sambi Rampas regency, in the north part of East Manggarai Regency. The road access to Pota is quite good now as it has become national road. The best way to reach Pota from Labuan Bajo or from Borong is via Ruteng to Reo in the north coast. It is about 75 kilometers from Ruteng and can be reached in around 3 hours.


Lembata Island

The motorbike we rode on stopped on roadside after 10 kilometers entering Ruteng Natural Tourism Park from

west. It was a quiet morning and we could clearly hear the sound of Belibis (Anas Querquedula) in the forest. After finding right position, we saw group of Belibis playing around the lake. The position is around 150 meters to the north from the roadside of Bealaing-Colol. Lake area is located in Wejang Mawe village, East Poco Ranaka district, East Manggarai regency, Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara.

It is Lake Ranapoja, which is situated in the area of Ruteng Natural Tourism Park, around 50 kilometers to the South of Borong, West Manggarai or 25 kilometers to the east of Ruteng, Manggarai Regency. Situated 1500 meters above the sea level, the air in this area is very fresh. There are

several lakes inside this forest area. How-ever, the one which can be seen from the road is only Lake Rana Poja. Another lake, Rana Rawuk is located far to the north of Rana Poja and hidden behind dense forest so that not many people know about it.

Lake Rana Poja is not too big with the diameter of around 200 meters. It used to be a quite large lake, but some of the lake area was covered by landslide from Rana Poja Hill in 1981.

Actually, there is nothing special about Rana Poja area. As far as eyes can see, there is barren forest area caused by forest clearance. We can clearly see what remains from forest fire that happened in the last few years during the dry season, although the government seemed to have tried to green the forest again by planting thou-sands of trees and building security post.

“Lake Rana Poja might become dry and shallow in dry season. The surrounding areas also look barren due to bush fire and forest clearance. The area is also susceptible to landslide. However, its beauty is still visible because here we can find another beauty, a symbol of eternity and true love, edelweiss (Javanese edelweiss). It is white flowers commonly found on mountainous area.

It is a symbol of eternity, nobleness, spirit of fighting, and true love.”

THE BEAUTY OF EDELWEISS ON RANA POJA HILL


Destination NewsWhen we just stepped our feet on the

edge of the lake, one of my friends Jackob screamed excitedly, “Wow…edelweiss also grows here. Here it is!” Jackobus Nggauk, Head of Promotional Department for East Manggarai Cultural and Tourism Bureau pointed at the plant with flowers. Just like its Latin name Anaphalis Javanica or Java-nese Edelweiss, it seems that this plant can only be found in Java. “I also think so in the beginning. However, it is not only found in Java. Edelweiss is also endemic plant in the mountainous area of Ruteng Natural Tour-ism Park,” he said.

In Java or Flores, serious threat that can destroy Edelweiss is forest fire or illegal for-est clearance. However, particularly in Java, there is another threat, namely the taking of edelweiss parts for aesthetic reason and specific ritual needs as well as for commod-ity in the market.

In Ruteng Natural Tourism Park in partic-ular and other mountainous areas in Flores, Edelweiss is under the threat of extinction due to forest fire and forest clearance in which the land is used for plantation. In this area, Edelweiss is quite safe from being taken illegally related to ritual and com-mercial purposes. Local people also have not understood about the noble value of Edelweiss.

Edelweiss is actually a familiar plant for people in Manggarai Raya that consists of

three regencies, namely: Manggarai, West Manggarai and East Manggarai and Flores people in general. They have seen it, but might not know the name or they might call it with the local name. Based on our observation, edelweiss grows sporadically in various places. They grow among bushes and trees. The plant looks deserted. The surrounding environment which is barren and infertile hampers the growth of the plant.

The condition of Ranapoja now is getting worse. Water catchment area becomes narrower; it has a length of about 100 meters and width of approximately 15 meters. Its depth was increasingly shallow, probably only around 2 to 3 meters. Most of the water area is covered by mud. Doz-ens to tens of years ago the area of the lake was still very wide, approximately 1 hectare. Ranapoja shrinks or silts up drastically fol-lowing the destruction of forest areas in the vicinity, including upstream. Encroachment and fires occur almost every year so that the surrounding area became barren.

A symbol of nobleness Citing from various references, Edel-

weiss is endemic plant of montane zone in a number of highlands in Indonesia. This plant generally has a height of 1 meter

although some might reach 8 meters. Nationally, Edelweiss is categorized as rare plant.

Edelweiss can be grown by stem prun-ing. In its habitat, Edelweiss is easy to grow and known as pioneer of re-vegetation. That is, being pioneer plants that grow and produce nutrients as a medium to grow other crops. Edelweiss is also able to act as barriers to prevent erosion in barren region. In addition, edelweiss also carries various noble symbols such as a symbol of extraordinary fighting spirit, eternity, authenticity, and love.

Edelweiss has been proven to be able to survive growing on barren land. It symbol-izes extraordinary fighting spirit. It is also a symbol of eternity as the color of the flower does not change since the early blooms to wither after being picked or separated from the stalk.

Some people consider Edelweiss as a symbol of true love. The last symbol is related to habitat of Edelweiss which only grows on mountainous area, even more than 2,000 meters above sea surface. If a declaration of love to a girl is marked by giving Edelweiss, we will imagine the effort of the man who took it from the mountain.

Edelweiss which usually blossoms from April to August is loved by various kinds of insects such as butterflies and bees.

Lamandau Regency

Lamandau regency of Central Kalimantan has quite big tourism, art and cultural

potentials. These potentials can be seen in people’s daily life in every district and village in Lamandau. The traditional art and culture are inherited from generation to generation, and are reflected in the traditional ceremonies such as bagondang and the ceremony of welcoming guests. The traditional ceremonies are continued and maintained through years by the local people.

In addition to the traditional art and culture, Lamandau Regency also offers natural tourist attractions like river tourism. It can be found in Bulik Timur, Belantikan Raya and Delang district. River tourism is promising tourist attraction that should be developed.

Lamandau River is located in the upper course and has interesting river rapids. The river area also has tropical forest. This is very support-ive and can become attraction for river tourism.

Let’s Visit Lamandau


Here are a number of tourism po-tentials in Lamandau Regency that you should know.

Babukung(held on 28-30 October 2016)

Babukung is part of the ritual in the funeral ceremony of Hindu Kaharin-gan people, Dayak Tomun tribe who live in Lamandau, Central Kalimantan. The term Babukung derives from the word Bukung which means the name for a person who dances wearing a mask or LUHA.

The ceremony is held when a Dayak Tomun who holds Hindu Kaharingan belief passed away. The body will be lied down for 3 days or more. When the body is lied down, people will come to give moral and material support and they also wear mask (LUHA) so that they will not be recognized by others. Bukung, the person who dances wearing a mask/LUHA, will decorate himself attrac-tively and the mask worn has different shapes. LUHA usually has the shapes of human face, dog, dragon, monkey, Tingang bird and many more.

Lamandau Regency has held the first Babukung Festival in 2015 with

around 1000 Bukung participating. This festival is going to be annual event which presents Bukung from 8 districts in Lamandau Regency.

Bebantan Laman

Bebantan Laman is a village ritual ceremony and the cleaning of heirloom which is carried out by Dayak Tomun tribe who hold Hindu Kaharingan belief. The ritual is held every year on the 7th of July.

Bamboo Rafting

Bamboo rafting is a race using bamboo rafts along the river with rapid current in Delang regency. The race is held to enliven the ritual of Bebantan Laman.

Art and Cultural Week(Around August)

In the Art and Cultural Week, there are many competitions held to celebrate the anniversary of Laman-dau Regency. This event aims to perpetuate art and cultural traditions of Lamandau Regency.


East Manggarai

People of Manggarai have noble tradition and cultural wisdom on the importance of maintaining

harmonious life with the nature. In many stories and legend from Manggarai, it was told that plant is the source of food and life was born from human womb and earth is the Mother Nature. Similar form of relationship is also formed with the forest as the source of wood for building houses.

The culture of Manggarai considers forest as “Anak Rona” (party who provides girls) for Manggarai people. Therefore, if we want to take wood from forest, especially if it will be used for the main pillar of the gen-dang house called Siri Bongkok, we have to perform a ritual in order to get blessing from Anak Rona (i.e. forest). Another ritual is held when bringing the wood to the village. It is called rook molas poco (parade the forest girl). This ritual is like taking the bride to the groom’s house where wood as the main pillar in gendang house is considered as the forest girl (molas poco) who should be respected.

High appreciation towards the impor-tance of maintaining harmony between life and the nature is inherited and imple-mented by people of Mano in Mandosawu sub-district, Poco Ranaka district of East Manggarai regency. The existence of Pong Dode forest in the middle of the village

is the proof of harmonious relationship between the villagers and the nature. Since long time ago, local people continuously protect the forest so that it stays verdant and beautiful. They do that because they are fully aware that forest is one of the sources of life, which continuously flows water and fresh air for their life.

The forest of Pong Dode is situated among people’s settlement and directly bordered with four villages namely tradi-tional village of Mano, Nancang, Benteng Dima and Wejang Raci. Although the population has grown and the settlement becomes more crowded considering that Mano is the capital of Poco Ranaka district, but the forest area is well preserved. The population of Mano is around 3,500 people and spread in nine villages or five hamlets in Mandosawu sub-district. Mando has long become clove producer in East Manggarai regency.

The source from three springs

In local Manggarai language Pong means spring or a forest which has spring. The forest of Pong Dode also has springs. One of the special things that encourage Mano people to continue preserving Pong Dode

forest is the existence of three springs, which flow from the forest area throughout the year. These springs are the source of life for the people of Mano. The water from Pong Dode forest is used for drinking, cooking and irrigating their fields. “Although there is long drought, the level of water dis-charge never goes down. Therefore, people rely so much on the springs for drinking and rice field irrigation,” said head of Man-dosawu sub-district Severinus Kordi.

Pong Dode forest covers an area of around 2 hectares. Around the forest, there are villages and clove plantation be-long to the local villagers. The entire forest area is surrounded by road. To secure the forest area, Cultural and Tourism Bureau of East Manggarai Regency has fenced the surrounding area in order to protect it from illegal logging and animal tethering. Inside the forest, there are many kinds of trees and people recognize them with local names such as Ndingar (cinnamon), Uwa, Ara, Lokon, Natu, Cue, Boto, Mera, Wuhar and Mango. There are also a number of wild orchids grow on trees. Pong Dode for-est is habitat for tens of monkeys and birds like parrot, kalong and Peregam.

With all the uniqueness and rich natural resources, Pong Dode forest is like a per-fect and beautiful city park. The challenge is to preserve the area due to the growing number of forest clearance for settlement and farming. Strong local cultural wisdom and understanding are required to continu-ously live harmoniously with the nature and preserve it for the future.

PONG DODE FORESTA Local Wisdom, A Heritage in Environmental Preservation


East Manggarai

Flores Island is the paradise of adventurous tourism as most of tourist attractions can be found here,

mountain climbing, forest trekking, river kayaking, horse riding, natural bungee jumping, enjoying the beauty of beaches and exploring underwater garden.

East Manggarai, one of the regencies in the west of Flores also offers various tourist attractions that can be explored and enjoyed by tourists. One of tourist destina-tions that should not be missed in East Manggarai is Cunca Rede Waterfall.

The sound of rippling water can be heard from distance. It breaks the quietness of the morning as we walked from the village of Nenas in Sano Lokom to Cunce Rede. Cunca Rede is quite close from the village of Nenas or Ntaur. We walked along the path in the area of Ruteng Natural Tourism Park. The areas of Cunca Rede and the forest of Mount Mandosawu, Poco Ranaka and Lake Rana Mese are included in the Ruteng Natural Tourism Park managed by Balai Besar Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam – BBKSDA (Center for Conservation of Natural Resources) of East Nusa Tenggara Province. The farther we walked into the forest, the louder the sound of rippling wa-ter is. After walking for around 15 minutes, we finally arrived in Cunca Rede waterfall.

“Wow, the waterfall is gorgeous,” said my

friend Anas from Swisscontact Wisata. “So far, this is a waterfall with the highest level of water discharge that I’ve ever seen in Flores. The level of water discharge in other waterfalls is low and the water is not as high as in here,” he said.

The waterfall is just beautiful. The water flows from a height of 40 meters, hits the stones underneath hard and creates rip-pling water. The waterfall flows from a river inside the forest area of Poco Ranaka. The level of water is high throughout the year. Its position which is situated on the foot of Mount Ranaka makes it looks like a beauti-ful picture on the foot of the mountain.

The surrounding nature of Cunca Rede is fresh and pristine. Around the waterfall, we can find green plants that look like a blanket spread on the surface of water. The water is crystal clear with a bathing pool which is always ready to refresh and get rid our fatigue.

When we went down to the waterfall, we were amazed by the swift waterfall that falls into the rocks and pond underneath, releasing the foam into the air, and forming a rainbow when exposed to the morning sun. It was totally beautiful natural scenery. The water was cold and, as it continues to seep into the pores of the body.

People live around Cunca Rede waterfall build friendly and harmonious relation-

ship with the nature. They really preserve the environment, especially the forest area near their village. They are fully aware that forest area in Poco Ranaka supports their life and water supply. They use the water from the river for drinking, irrigating rice fields, and electric power. One thing to know is that the potential for regional development and the waterfall area in the future is very promising for the tourism sector. It will be very useful as long as it is maintained and used properly and responsibly.

How to get there?

The trip to Cunca Rede has its own chal-lenges given that there is no signpost along the way to this place. For tourists coming from Labuan Bajo or Borong through the road of trans Flores, they can visit Cunca Rede passing through the junction in Paka of Sita village, Rana Mese district. The trip from Paka junction to Cunca Rede as far as 10 km, road condition is pretty good and paved up to Pustu Ntaur in the village of Sano Lokom. The road from Pustu Ntaur to Nenas village is still rocky and not paved as far as 1.5 km although pickups and motor-cycles can still go through it. Cunca Rede is only 600 meters away from Nenas village and can be reach on foot in 15 minutes.

CUNCA REDE WATERFALLBEAUTIFUL PICTURE ON THE FOOT OF MOUNT RANAKA

Advetorial

Farnborough, 12 Juli 2016 – Maskapai penerbangan nasional Garuda Indonesia untuk ketiga kalinya

kembali dinobatkan sebagai World’s Best Cabin Crew dari Skytrax, sebuah lembaga independen pemeringkat penerbangan yang berkedudukan di London. Penghargaan sebagai awak kabin terbaik dunia tersebut merupakan yang ketiga kalinya diterima oleh Garuda Indonesia sejak tahun 2014.

CEO Skytrax Edward Plaisted men-

ganugerahkan sendiri penghargaan internasional tersebut kepada Direktur Utama Garuda Indonesia M. Arif Wibowo, pada acara Skytrax World Airline Award yang bersamaan dengan ajang pameran kedirgantaraan Farnborough Air Show 2016 di Farnborough, Inggris, Selasa (12/7).

Turut menyaksikan pemberian penghar-gaan tersebut Wakil Duta Besar Indonesia untuk Inggris Anita Lidya Luhulima, Deputi Bidang Usaha Energi, Logistik, Kawasan

dan Pariwisata Kementerian BUMN Edwin Hidayat Abdullah, Direktur Utama GMF Juliandra dan sejumlah tokoh masyarakat Indonesia lainnya di London.

Direktur Utama Garuda Indonesia, M. Arif Wibowo mengatakan, perolehan kembali penghargaan sebagai World’s Best Cabin Crew ini merupakan kebanggaan yang sangat besar, dan dengan bangga Garuda Indonesia mempersembahkan prestasi ini kepada Bangsa dan Negara Indonesia.

Untuk Ketiga Kalinya, GARUDA INDONESIA kembali dinobatkan sebagai “WORLD’S BEST CABIN CREW”


(Kiri – Kanan) : Awak kabin Garuda Indonesia – VP Cabin Services Garuda Indonesia Sarah Iridina – Deputi Bidang Usaha Energi, Logistik, Kawasan dan Pariwisata Kementerian BUMN Edwin Hidayat Abdullah – Direktur Utama Garuda Indonesia M. Arif Wibowo – Wakil Duta Besar Indonesia untuk Inggris Anita Lidya Luhulima – Direktur Layanan Garuda Indonesia Nico-demus P. Lampe – Awak kabin Garuda Indonesia ketika menerima penerimaan penghargaan “World’s Best Cabin Crew 2016” dari Skytrax. Penghargaan ini diserahkan pada acara Skytrax World Airline Awards 2016 yang dilaksanakan di ajang pameran kedirgantaraan international Farnborough Airshow 2016.

“Penghargaan ini merupakan bukti nyata dari komitmen yang berkelanjutan dan kerja keras dari karyawan-karyawati Garuda Indonesia, khususnya para awak kabin yang telah mempresentasikan layanan ter-baik Garuda Indonesia Experience kepada seluruh penumpang kami. Penghargaan ini sekaligus juga menjadi tantangan bagi kami semua di Garuda Indonesia ke depan-nya untuk terus memberikan yang terbaik kepada seluruh pengguna jasa, mengingat bahwa mempertahankan predikat ini tern-tunya akan lebih sulit” tambah Arif.

Penetapan Garuda Indonesia sebagai “The World’s Best Cabin Crew 2016” tersebut didasarkan pada penilaian melalui “Customer Satisfaction Survey” yang dilak-sanakan oleh Skytrax secara global yang melibatkan lebih dari 18 juta penumpang. Survei dilaksanakan terhadap lebih dari 245 perusahaan penerbangan internasi-onal, dan diselenggarakan setiap tahunnya dengan mengukur 41 aspek utama terkait produk dan layanan yang diberikan oleh perusahaan penerbangan.

CEO Skytrax, Edward Plaisted, men-gatakan, penghargaan “World’s Best Cabin Crew” ini merupakan salah satu predikat yang paling bergengsi dalam dunia pener-bangan.

“Keberhasilan Garuda Indonesia dalam

mempertahankan predikat ini selama tiga tahun berturut- turut merupakan suatu hal yang luar biasa. Garuda Indonesia telah membuktikan wujud konsistensi dalam memberikan kesempurnaan dalam pelay-anan kepada seluruh penumpang” tambah Edward.

Sementara itu, Wakil Duta Besar Indo-nesia untuk Inggris Anita Lidya Luhulima pada kesempatan tersebut menyampaikan apresiasinya kepada Garuda Indonesia atas keberhasilan dalam mempertahankan gelar “World’s Best Cabin Crew”.

“Mempertahankan predikat terbaik bukanlah suatu hal yang mudah. Kami percaya bahwa semua orang di Garuda Indonesia telah bekerja keras khususnya dalam memberikan pelayanan terbaik kepada seluruh pengguna jasa. Prestasi ini tentu akan turut mengharumkan nama Indonesia di mata dunia” kata Anita.

Komitmen manajemen dan karyawan Garuda Indonesia untuk senantiasa mem-berikan hal yang terbaik tertuang melalui berbagai program strategis perusahaan. Kinerja Garuda Indonesia secara bertahap terus mendapat pengakuan internasional. Pada tahun 2016 ini, Skytrax kembali menobatkan Garuda Indonesia sebagai Maskapai Bintang Lima untuk yang kedua kalinya.

“Sesuai dengan strategi perusahaan Sky Beyond, Garuda Indonesia akan terus berfokus dalam aspek pelayanan. Dengan konsep layanan andalan berupa Garuda Indonesia Experience yang didukung dengan pelayanan berbasis hi-tech dan hi-touch, kami optimis Garuda Indonesia akan semakin maju dan berkembang ke depannya” tutup Arif.

Program strategis lainnya dalam men-dukung transformasi berkelanjutan adalah pengembangan armada pesawat. Sepan-jang tahun 2016 Garuda Indonesia Group akan menerima kedatangan total 17 armada baru yang terdiri dari empat Airbus A330-300, empat ATR72-600, dan delapan Air-bus A320 untuk Citilink. Dengan demikian, hingga akhir 2016 ini Garuda Indonesia Group akan mengoperasikan total 197 ar-mada yang terdiri dari 144 armada Garuda Indonesia dan 53 armada Citilink.

Sejak tahun 2014 lalu, Garuda Indonesia resmi menjadi bagian dari aliansi global SkyTeam, yakni aliansi maskapai global yang beranggotakan 20 anggota maskapai yang menawarkan jaringan global dengan lebih dari 16.320 penerbangan setiap harinya ke 1.057 destinasi di 177 negara.

PT GARUDA INDONESIA (PERSERO) Tbk. VP CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

Advetorial


Direktur Utama Garuda Indonesia M. Arif Wibowo (tengah) didampingi oleh Deputi Bidang Usaha Energi, Logistik, Kawasan dan Pariwisata Kementerian BUMN Edwin Hidayat Abdullah (tiga dari kiri), Wakil Duta Besar Indonesia untuk Inggris Anita Lidya Luhulima, serta awak kabin Garuda Indonesia pada kesempatan penerimaan penghargaan “World’s Best Cabin Crew 2016” dari Skytrax. Penghargaan ini merupakan yang ketiga kalinya berturut-turut diterima oleh Garuda Indonesia sejak tahun 2014.


Ende - Flores Island

Mt. Kelimutu National Park is the smallest among six national parks in the stretch between Bali and

the Nusatenggara islands. Its size obviously does not matter much when it offers one of the most spectacular wonders that nature has to offer. There are three lakes on the mountain sharing the same name, Kelimutu, meaning ‘the boiling lake’. Each has its own colors and a local name. But all are believed to be the resting place of departed souls.

Located some 66 km. from the town of Ende or 83 km. from Maumere, Lake Ke-limutu was discovered by a Dutch named Van Such Telen in 1915. It gained global fame after Y. Bouman wrote in his notes in 1929 about the bizarre color-changing lakes.

As travelers start ascending from Moni, a small rural town, a basecamp for back-packers, idyllic views appear which will re-main perfect in the mind. The westernmost lake is named Tiwu Ata Mbupu, meaning ‘the lake of old people’. The middle one is called Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai, or ‘the lake for young men and maiden’. The eastern-most is called Tiwu Ata Polo, or ‘the lake for evils spirits’. The three lakes are quite a display as their colors keep changing.

Unlike the Blue Lake in Mt. Gambier, South Australia, that changes color from blue to cold steel grey within a predictable

period, or Lake Yudamari in Mt. Nakadake, in Japan, that changes from blue-green to green, the Kelimutu lakes are unpredict-able as to when and what color they will change into. Sometimes, the colors are blue, green, and black, and some other times they turn to white, red, and blue. The last time a traveler saw them, one was dark brown, just like a pond of chocolate. Previ-ously, the east lake was red and the middle lake was blue.

Scientifically speaking, lakes change colors due to subaqueous fumaroles. Scientists believe that these are the result of minor phreatic eruptions in ancient time. The phenomenon here, however, are of particular interest to geologists since the three lakes present different colors but are yet located on the peak of the same volcano. The local ranger in the national park explained that this is due to chemical reactions of materials contained in the lake, triggered by volcanic gaseous activities. The local people in Moni, however, believe that somehow people around the mountain have done something evil and have died there.

Lake Kelimutu is part of the Kelimutu National Park, presenting a highly aesthetic value and surreal experience. The national park’s highest point is 5,679 feet at Mt. Kelibara (1,731 meters), and 5,544 feet high (1,690 meters) at Mt. Kelimutu. It is a national park that protects 19 endemic and endangered animals, among which, the Floresian punai (Treron floris), Wallacea owl (Otus silvicola), Floresian kancilan (Pachycephala nudigula), Floresian eagle (Spizeatus floris), and Timorese tesia (Tesia everetti).

Here are also endemic mice, deer, porcupines, and the legendary luwak or civet (Pharadoxurus hermaphroditus) that gained its fame for the expensive coffee it produces. Visit Mt. Kelimutu and the three-colored lakes as an essential part of your Flores adventure. ***

KELIMUTU, THREE COLOUR LAKES


Ngada - Flores Island

Mount InerieMount Inerie is one of tourist

attractions in Flores Island. The mountain is located in Bajawa

district, Ngada regency of Flores Island. From Bajawa city we can see the mountain as a pyramid with perfectly straight which is an eye-catching peak in the Florinese ‘mountain skyline’. With an altitude of 2,245 meters above sea level, Mount Inerie is also one of the highest volcanoes in Flores.

If you would like to climb to the top, you can start your trip at night or in the very early morning. You will be rewarded with a magical moment when the sun slowly rises up behind the hills. It is perfect sunrise moment for the visitors and hikers. From the top of Mount Inerie, you have a stun-ning view that sometimes even goes as far as Sumba Island in the south. Starting from an altitude of about 900 meters, the hike will take you about 2 hours. Be aware that climbing Mount Inerie demands a good

physical condition, and the expertise of a local guide who knows about the safe trails and weather conditions.

Besides mountain climbing, the area around Mount Inerie itself has much to offer. Exploring the slope of the mountain in surroundings of lush green trees is refreshing for both body and soul. As in many mountainous areas in Flores that are of high biodiversity, you can also observe the endemic birds and listen to their amus-ing songs here. If you wish to enrich your Inerie explorations with some cultural expe-riences, nearby traditional villages such as Gurusina or Bena offer you opportunities to experience the fascinating Ngada culture.

In 2000 years ago, Mount Inerie had a little eruptions, a red-colored lake emerged out of the mountain’s crater named Wawomudha. Thus, the new-born lake was called Wawomudha Crater Lake. This spectacular natural phenomenon is located an hour hike from Ngoranale Village. To get

to Mount Inerie there are most popular starting point for climbing Mount Inerie is Watumeze Village, just 15 kilometers from Bajawa (about 20–30 minutes). From Bajawa head to Terminal Watujaji; then take the right side of the road which leads to Langa Village, and then straight up to Bela Village. From here, continue driving in the direction of Watumeze Village. Instead of taking private transport, you can also take a bemo (public transportation) to Bela Village and continue the way to Watumeze by motorcycle. The interesting ones from the mountain peak you can see the entire panoramic view of Bajawa City, on the north-west, which is covered with slight mist above the city. On the south of the mount, the blue sea of Sawu lies in the slope of Mount Inerie.***


Manggarai - Flores Island

Wae Rebo is one of Indonesia’s precious destinations in the formn of an old Manggaraian

village. It situated in pleasant, isolated mountain scenery in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. The village offers visitors a unique opportunity to see the authentic Manggarai housing and to experience the everyday life of the local community. In Wae Rebo village, the visitors can see “Mbaru niang”, a traditional, circular cone-shaped houses with very unique architecture. Nowadays, it is still a place to hold meetings, rituals and Sunday-morning prayers together.

Wae Rebo can only be reached by way of a three-hour hike, or depends to your situation, from the lowlands. The hike is definitely worth the effort, where we reach the village we can find the dense rain forest along the narrow path to Wae Rebo, which is one of a stunning biological

diversity. This village is host some interest-ing vegetations, including orchids, palms, and different ferns, and also the impres-sive population of singing birds. The village has been supported to become the major culture tourism attraction in West Flores.

For increasing the beauty of the village, Indonesian government together with pri-vate organization and local community has renovated four of their “Mbaru Niang” or the ‘drum houses’. This house is a commu-nal building, it gathering eight families who are descended from a common ancestor under its huge roof. Its structure symbol-izes the unity of the clan, with the sacred drums considered the clan’s medium to communicate with the ancestors. The massive roof id made out of palm fiber, and it is supported by a central wooden pole. Furthermore, the ceremonial house, which has different in size from the other

buildings, is the place where the sacred heirloom drums and gongs are stored, and where different ceremonies and rituals are held.

After the authentic ‘Mbaru Niang’ or the traditional Manggaraian house, the thing to see in Wae Rebo is witnessing the daily life of the inhabitants. Most of the people work in their gardens from early morning until dawn, and get busy with harvesting coffee and processing the beans. Even though weaving is not a major activity in Wae Rebo, you may encounter some women weaving traditional songket cloth. The visitors are welcome to spend the night in the ‘Mbaru niang’, to socialize and dine with the Wae Rebo community. You will sleep on a ‘tikar’, a woven mat made out of pandanus leaf, and get a taste of how life used to be when the extended families still lived their lives under one roof.

Wae ReboThe Traditional Manggaraian Village, Flores


Manggarai - Flores Island

How to get thereThere are several options to reach Wae Rebo:

Car or motorbike from Ruteng:Start the 2.5 – 3 hour drive by heading

south towards Golo Lusang. After having passed Pong Nggeok village, you will cross Wae Mese bridge. Go ahead to Narang vil-lage, followed by Nanga Ramut village, and you will end up in Dintor. From this small fishing village you can see the beautiful Mules Island. The road to the north brings

you to Kombo – Wae Rebo’s twin village – and finally to Denge village, which is the starting point for the hike to Wae Rebo.

Truck (oto kayu) from Ruteng:From the Mena Bus Terminal, the truck

route will take you across the villages of Cancar, Pela, Todo, and Dintor before you finally reach Denge Village.

The oto kayu usually departs from the terminal in the afternoon. The trip takes about 3 – 3 1/2 hours. If you want to go back from Denge to Ruteng, you will have to wake up early as the bis kayu departs from Denge at 5.30am.

Boat:The boat trip is a good option if you start

the trip from Labuan Bajo. Head south to the coastal village of Nangalili. Once there, you have to rent a boat (about Rp 400,000) to take you to Dintor. As there is no regular boat schedule, it is highly rec-ommended to charter the boat in advance (contact Pak Irwan, +62 812366 89171). The boat trip takes about two hours and leads you across to Mules Island. After hav-ing arrived in Dintor, continue your trip to Denge by ojek (about Rp 10,000) for about 20 minutes.

HikingIn Denge, start the hike by taking the

path between a local homestay and village SDK (elementary school). The hike will lead you across three rest spots. The first one is at Wae Lomba River, which is less than an hour from Denge. After another hour of trekking, you will find the second one, Pocoroko. This is an important place for villagers (and visitors) who want to make phone calls and send text messages from their mobile phones, as there is no mobile signal in Wae Rebo. From Pocoroko you will reach the third post, Nampe Bakok, which takes about 40 minutes. From here, enjoy the beautiful hill scenery before you reach Wae Rebo. ***


East Manggarai

The morning sun was shining on a small and barren plain near the river, and making the surface

of the plain looks golden yellow. This condition is in contrast to the surrounding areas, which is green with trees and rice fields. The yellow color which is visible on the surface of the plain turned out to be sulfur remnants bursts from the point of hot water flowing across the surface of the plains. The deposition of sulfur is so prevalent everywhere and covers the entire plain, so that it looks like golden yellow crater. That’s the picture of the condition in the early morning in Rana

Masak, a natural hot spring in the north of Borong.

Rana Masak hot spring is located in a plain on the foot of Golo Ndele Hill. There are four points of fountain geysers. Each point has the size of a big cooking pot. The water bursts from the hot spring is like boiling water. It is probably the reason it is called Rana Masak, which means the lake of boiling water. One point to another is separated as far as 20 to 50 meters. The water temperature can reach 40°C and boil egg within 15 minutes. The hot spring covers an area of around one hectare.

Some visitors were bathing under the shower and pool built in the hot spring. They came from Borong and surround-ing villages to enjoy the hot water. They came with different purposes, some were for health therapy like those with skin problem and others were just having fun and relaxing. “Bath-ing here refresh our body and relax the muscles,” said Ardi Jehaman from Borong who often visits Rana Masak. Cultural and Tourism Bureau of East Manggarai Regency has built bathing pool and toilet facility in Rana Masak for accommodating the need of visitors and attracting more tourists.

The Legend of Rana Masak

There is a legend of Rana Masak, which is popular among people in the village of Purak and Balus, two villages located near Rana Masak hot spring. Purportedly, long time ago the place was a village. One day, most of the villagers went to the garden. Those left in the village were a paralyzed man and a blind man. They lived in different house but close to each other. In the afternoon, the blind was going to cook, but he did not have fire to light the furnace. He asked for a help from his

RANA MASAK HOT SPRING


East Manggarai

paralyzed neighbor to get him fire. His neighbor said that he had fire, but he could not bring it there. At home, he had a dog, he took a burn-ing wood from furnace, tied it to the dog’s tail and asked the dog to go. The dog with a burning wood on his tail did not go to the blind’s house; instead it ran in panic around the village. This incident made villagers who just went back from the garden laughed out loud.

At night, one of the elders of the village dreamed. In his dream, he was

approached by an old man with white hair and long beard. The old man asked him about the afternoon incident, about the blind and the paralyzed man who tied burning wood to dog’s tail. The old man was angry and asked the elder to choose one of the two options given: “ngoeng hang kar, ko ngoeng hang m’belek” (do you want to eat hard rice or rice porridge?). Since he was already old, the elder chose rice por-ridge (hang m’belek).

A moment later he was awake and heard the roar of wind and heavy rain. Landslide buried and ruined the village. The villagers were running around in panic, some were safe and others were buried under the landslides. Those who survived fled towards the east, but when he turned back to his village, he became a rock, and then there is Watu Ata (Stone Man) in the village of Golo Tolang.

Moments later, on the former village, came a blast of hot water, which is named after Rana Masak hot spring.

Access road to Rana Masak

Rana Masak hot spring is located in the village of Golo Ndele, around 10 kilometers to the north of Borong. This area can be reached from Borong via the village of Warat and then heads east to Purak village in Ngampang Mas. Paved access road can only be found up to Purak village. Vehicles can be parked in the village yard of Purak. After that, we need to walk for about 500 meters down the coffee plantation and passed Wae Moi river and after 10 minutes walking, we will arrive in Rana Masak hot spring.


East Manggarai

“Golo Lijun offers bright future. It offers beautiful panorama of savannah, river

and hills. It is located in the north of East Manggarai and close to Ngada Regency.

Golo Lijun is situated between two shaded bays, Nanga Lok in the west

and Labuan Kelambu in the east. In addi-tion to its stunning beach panorama,

Golo Lijun also offers environmentally-friendly cottage with sufficient facilities.Being in Golo Lijun takes us closer to

nature and befriend with it.”

Roland Therelle and Olivier Fargeix never imagine before that someday they are going to live in the village of

Golo Lijun. It is far from their dream that someday they will spend half of their life in a quiet and isolated village, leaving the hustle and bustle of city and modern life in their homeland France behind.

Life might change its direction unexpect-

edly and it happened when they visited Indonesian and traveled to Flores as back-packers on a motorbike in 2008. They fell in love at first sight when riding motorbike along north coastal area of Flores to Mau-mere up to Labuan Bajo. Golo Lijun was the place that they were heading to. They decided to stay, mingle with local people, build a cottage, teach farming to local people and become part of the develop-ment of life there.

Two adventurers from France have been living in Buntal, Golo Lijun village, Elar district of East Manggarai Regency for a long time. They live modestly with the local people. They learn how to live modestly in accordance to nature’s condition and local people. In the beginning, they did not receive positive response from the local people. However, as time goes by, the suspicion disappears. They welcome the presence of two foreign citizens enthusias-

tically. It is because they bring positive val-ues by teaching people about agriculture in accordance to weather and climate there, building harmonious life with the nature, giving example on how to maintain and protect environment and ecosystem and supporting the local development. They cultivate the farmland and provide accom-modation for tourists visiting the village.

Why 4 Pohon is environ-mentally-friendly?

Pondok 4 Pohon has a number of crite-ria, which make this place into ecotourism destination or environmentally-friendly. First, the place is very remote, located in unspoiled natural surroundings, and are well preserved. In any directions that you are headed to, you will find green fields, and the place is located on the bank of the

Les For Arbres, Ecotourism Cottage in Golo Lijun


East Manggarai

river. Secondly, Pondok 4 Phon is built of wood, with a dominance of local materials and only some are from the outside. Solar power is used for power and lighting as well as pumping water from the river and then piped to the cottage. In addition, 4 Pohon also uses UV carbon filters to clean the wa-ter. 4 Pohon also has a high vantage tower for a panoramic view of nature from above.

The name of the cottage is taken from French, Les for Arbres. The name is in-spired from four big turmeric trees located in the gate of the cottage. The branches of the trees are used as resting place. The yard and garden around the cottage look clean and well arranged. Grass is cut neatly and regularly watered so that it always looks green and fresh. There is organic fruit and vegetables garden behind the cottage, which makes it more obvious that the cot-tage is really environmentally friendly.

Clean water is not a problem here and

electrical facilities which use solar power system light up the place at night. Cultural symbols are put in every corner of the room. It is not merely to attract tourists’ attention, but also to show respect to local civilization. There is learning aspect here, namely how precious the cultural heritage owned by the local community.

The cost of staying in the cottage is IDR 250,000 – 300,000 per night during high season. There are not many guests staying in the cottage at the moment. It is because the access road to 4 Pohon still needs lots of improvement. Hot Mix road can be found 3 kilometers to the north of 4 Pohon. This is admitted by the owner of the cottage Rolland Thorelle. “This busi-ness actually does not earn much profit. Guests have difficulty to reach the cottage considering the terrible access road and the unavailability of telephone network,” said Rolland.

Excellent Potentials and A Bright Future

Along the coast from Pota to Buntal, we are presented with stunning beach panorama, Watu Pajung Beach, Bukit Cinta (the hill of love) in Nanga Lok Bay, and Buntal. Those beaches have sparkling white sand, unique corals and shaded sea. Along the way from Buntal to Golo Lijun, we will be spoiled with not only marine tourism, but also natural tourism.

Long time ago, Buntal was only a stretch of abandoned savannah and bushes, which was planned to become rice field because the land is fertile and there is sufficient water supply from the river. In its develop-ment, Buntal was made into destination for local transmigration. Since then, Buntal started to make improvement. Government supports the process by providing support-ing facilities such as housing, educational facilities, clean water, irrigation and road.

Since East Manggarai gained its autonomy, Buntal, Golo Lijun and their sur-rounding areas become one of the targets for agricultural development. Government expands agricultural field, open new field, build big irrigation and sufficient irrigation ditches. Soon, everything will start operat-ing and Buntal will become one of the rice contributors in East Manggarai. Therefore, this region promises a bright future.

East Manggarai

36 | Special August, 2016

The distance between Borong in the southern coast and Pota in the northern coast

of East Manggarai is quite far. Our body might be aching after a long trip from Borong passing through Lengko Ajang. However, tiredness and sleepiness will suddenly disappear once we arrive in Lake Rana Kulan. The lake is surrounded by verdant forest with fresh and cool air. This is our first impression when we visited Lake Rana Kulan which is located on the roadside to Pota, Sambi Rampas district.

Lake Rana Kulan which is

situated on the roadside becomes favorite pit stop for people passing the road from Lengko Ajang to Pota and vise versa. The lake has been long known for its beauty, crystal clear water and tranquil-ity as it is located far from people settlement.

Lake Rana Kulan is located in the village of Rana Kulan of Elar district. It covers an area of around 5km2 with a depth around 30 meters. In the west of Lake Rana Kulan, there are coffee plantation, cacao and other plantation which belong to the local villagers. Visitors

can clearly see ducks and egrets swimming and looking for food in the lake. The lake is located about 85 kilometers from Borong and 30 kilometers from Pota.

Jhon Aurey, a local villager that we met at the location said that the beauty of Lake Rana Kulan has been known worldwide. The lake has been visited by many domestic and international tourists. Accord-ing to Jhon , the biota that can be found in this lake include fresh-water fish, shrimp and eel. Most people visit the lake for fishing and enjoying the beautiful panorama.

LAKE RANA KULANFavorite Place for Relaxing and Unwinding

East Manggarai


The people of Manggarai have amazing traditional weaving technique. Using this technique, they can create

traditional sarong called Songke as well as a scarf. This work of art has been inherited from one generation to another. Songke is worn by both Manggarai men and women in their daily life either for formal or informal occasions.

Songke is rich in values and symbols. Black is used as the base color to symbol-ize the greatness of Manggarai people and submission that all in the end will go back to God Almighty. Flowery motif has some meanings. Wela Kaweng (flower of Kaweng tree) motif symbolizes interdependency or mutual relation between human and his surrounding nature. Spider motif (Rang-gong) symbolizes honesty, tenacity and hard work which are the characteristics of Manggarai people. Manggarai people are known as diligent and downright worker. Spider is also the symbol of the spirit of unity and harmony of Manggarai people.

The motif of boundary lines (su’i) means the end of everything or everything has

its limit. Animal motif (Ntala) is related to hopes and dreams which are often whispered in prayer (tudak) by Manggarai people “porong langka shaeng ntala” (al-ways grow high up to the star). The prayer is intended to wish for people to stay healthy and grow into someone who has high position and strong influence in the society just like the starts in the sky.

Rhombus motif symbolizes prosperity and prudence of the life of Manggarai peo-ple. The motif of Runus flower (welarunus) is the symbol of humility and sincerity. It illustrates that Manggarai people are like a little flower which provides beauty in life.

The motif of Jok has the shape of a cone on the upper end and lower end of the Songke. It resembles the traditional house of Manggarai, which symbolizes the unity and harmony of Manggarai people with God, nature and other human beings.

Nowadays, Songke is not only worn as sarong or scarf. It has been developed into modern art work, which is dynamic and attractive to suit the need of mode. A num-ber of high-value products such as dress,

suit, bag, tie and wallet are also made from Songke. Songke can easily be found in any souvenir shops and house of mode.

The Art of Weaving Hopes and Joy of Manggarai People

WEAVING SONGKE


East Manggarai

Caci is a game of dexterity among Manggarai men. In this game, the players alternately whip and fend

off the opponent’s lashes. Caci game is combined with the art of dance and music. The dance looks so heroic and beautiful because it is a combination of the beauty of the gestures, and the uniqueness of the clothing worn, and agility in whipping or fending off the lashing of the opponents.

Caci’s players are equipped with vocal skill for singing for they have to sing spon-taneously after fending off the lashes of other players and then deliver Paci. Paci is an expression containing a pseudonym or alias of the oppononent that contains the phrase about him, his whereabouts, char-acteristics and a figure that he dreams of. The purpose of Paci is to motivate or grow the spirit of the players and to persuade the opponent.

The costumes worn by the players of Caci are very attractive and symbol-ize uniqueness and cultural character possessed by the Manggarai people like: “Panggal” (a head scarf) with the shape of buffalo horn and one of the symbols which is placed on the roof of Manggarai tradi-tional house , symbolizing “Rang” (author-ity, charisma and strength) of Manggarai people. “Ndeki” (shape of ponytail) made of rattan twisted with horsetail is placed on the waist, symbolizing masculinity and strength, charm and allure of Manggarai men.

Meanwhile the sarong of Songke tied at knee length. It symbolizes modesty and subservience of Manggarai people. White trousers symbolize innocence, generosity and sincerity. Tubi Rapa which is worn as beads tied together under the chin and it symbolizes the greatness and majesty of Manggarai men. Nggorong (clattering) is

hung at the back waist and symbolizes the charm and allure. Leros shawl is wrapped around the waist and let it hang loose on the front side of the sarong to symbolize honor.

The equipment for Caci consists of Larik (whip) which is made from buffalo skin with plaited rattan on the tip, Nggiling (shield) which is made from buffalo skin to fend off the opponent’s attack and Agang (arch) which is made from rattan or bamboo and used to fend of opponent’s attack.

Symbol and Meaning of Caci

Caci consists of two syllables, namely Ca (one) and Ci (test or trial). Thus, Caci means a test or a trial. The test here is meant to test the characteristics and sportsmanship among the Manggarai men. No matter how painful the wound caused by the whip in Caci game, there should not be any resentment among the players. Blood and sweat poured during the game are believed to provide fertility and bring abundant harvest. Long time ago, when there was a dispute between villages and reconciliation could not be reached, and then Caci was done to resolve the dispute.

Through this game, the dispute was resolved.

Caci is done by two groups from two dif-ferent villages. It can also be done by Anak Rona (family of the bride) and Anak Wina (family of the groom). The guest group is called Meka Ladang and the host is called Mori Beo. During the game, other par-ticipants, both guests and host are doing Danding (standing in a circle and singing Manggarai song). The singing is accom-panied by Sae dance performed by a man and a woman in the center of the circle. A group of women sit in group and play gong and drum to enliven the game.

The target of the whipping in Caci game is upper body from stomach to the head. Hitting the part under the stomach is considered to be a violation. When the whip hits the face, it is called Beke. The player who gets Beke is lost and should be out of the arena and return to his house or village. Caci is performed during Penti (celebration after harvest), Pesso Beo (vil-lage celebration), welcoming new married couple, welcoming important guests and other celebrations such as birthday and Independence Day.

Are you interested in watching Caci game? Let’s go to East Manggarai! . ***

THE GAME OF

CACI“Sportsmanship and Heroism of

Manggarai Men”


East Manggarai

“Cepi Watu Beach has white sand and layers of stones. The stones, at

certain time, cannot be seen because they are covered by white sand. The

uniqueness of the beach has attracted many visitors to reveal the mystery. “

Situated in the southern tip of Borong city, the capital of East Manggarai Regency Cepi Watu Beach offers

stunning natural panorama. It is not known yet when and how the name was given, but it probably means a beach with many stones. Is it true? The fact is that in the western part of Cepi Watu Beach as long as around one kilometer, there are layer of

big stones. However, in the eastern part as long as 3 kilometers, there is a stretch of white sand along the beach. At certain time, the stones cannot be seen for it is covered by white sand. There is a cycle of white sand and stones, which is affected by the changing of season. This is the uniqueness that attracts many people to visit Cepi Watu Beach.

The natural beauty of Cepi Watu Beach has always successfully attracted people to visit and no wonder that every visit always leaves deep impression. Not only the na-ture’s charms, but also the activities of the fishermen can become interesting thing to see and enjoy. The sun sets behind Mules Island adding more beauty to the beach. Not far from Cepi Watu Beach, water flows from two rivers, Wae Reca and Wae Bobo.

There are several activities that we can do on Cepi Watu Beach. In addition to swimming, we can also walk along the beach up to the estuary of the two rivers. If you are too lazy to walk, then sitting under the trees that grow along the beach can be chosen as an alternative. Cepi Watu Beach provides different nuance for different visitors.

Cepi Watu Beach has gained popularity among the local people for quite a long time. However, it has just got serious

attention since East Manggarai gains its autonomy. Efforts to develop the area are carried out continuously. Now, there are parking area, a stage for art and cultural performance, operational office, public toilet, children playground and restau-rant. There are also cafes, karaoke and recreational places, which are open in the evening.

It is not difficult to reach Cepi Watu Beach. It is only 10 minutes away by motorbike or car. Food and drink sellers can easily be found around the beach. It would be perfect to enjoy the beauty of the beach while drinking fresh young coconut juice cold drink or fruit juice. Seeking for delicious lunch? Fresh fish can be bought at Borong market. Don’t think twice. Just pack your luggage and explore the beauty and uniqueness of Cepi Watu Beach.

ENJOYING THE EXOTICISM

OF CEPI WATU BEACH


East Manggarai

“Beauty and serenity offered by Laing Lewe Beach provides freedom to every visitor to enjoy

full-of-expression holiday without being interrupted by the activities of other visitors.”

East Manggarai Regency is a new prima donna in tourism industry in Indonesia. Its unspoiled natural beauty is the biggest attraction for the visitors. Blue sky, white sandy beach and crystal clear water that every tourist dreamt of can all be found here. Laing Lewe Beach is truly a dream beach with its quiet surrounding; sparkling white sand and crystal clear water.

Although it has stunning natural pan-

orama, Laing Lewe Beach is far from the hustle and bustle of mass tourism like other popular beaches. Therefore, spending holiday on the beach seems to be having a private beach. You are free to express yourself and explore the beach.

Its location, which is far from residential area, has become an advantage. It makes Laing Lewe Beach free from trash problem and the crowd of people’s daily activities. The main road is quite far from the beach, around 3 kilometers away and bounded by forest area. Thus, visitors should go through a quite steep path to reach the beach. The easiest way to reach the beach is through sea route by motorboat. Dampek is a fishing village as well as the closest village to Laing Lewe Beach, which is located in the west of the beach.

Going by a motorboat can be very interesting because in addition to the interaction with the fishermen who know a lot about the underwater beauty and vari-ous ecosystems there, visitors also get a chance to directly see the natural pan-orama along the trip such as Cape Kurbaja which has wide range of decorative fish and coral reef. There is also an old village located in Ninge Bay, which has already sunk due to tsunami disaster. During Sail Indonesia, Ninge Bay is often visited by

participants of the event for diving and snorkeling.

It takes around 30 minutes to reach Laing Lewe Beach from Dampek village. Along the way there, we can see solid cliff which protects the beach from strong current especially during west monsoon season.

Laing Lewe Beach is located in the northern part of East Manggarai Regency, in Lamba Leda district. It is about 85 kilometer from Boron, the capital of East Manggarai Regency. It takes 3 hours to reach Dampek village and another 30 minutes to reach the beach by motorboat from Dampek village. It costs around Rp 300,000 for a return trip from Dampek.

If holiday without disturbance from other tourists is your preference, then Laing Lewe Beach is a perfect choice for you.

AING EWEL

BEACH

For those who have traveled to Flores through the road from Labuan Bajo to Ende or vice versa, you must have

passed the verdant forest area of Poco Ranaka and Mandosawu. They are part of the conservation forest of Ruteng Natural Tourism Park, which covers forest area in two regencies namely Manggarai and East Manggarai as wide as 32,248ha. Hidden behind the trees and mist that always sur-rounds the forest especially in the evening, a vast and exotic lake that will amaze every-one who sees it.

It is Lake Rana Mese which means big lake in local language. In Manggarai lan-guage, Rana means lake and Mese means big or vast. The lake covers an area of 5ha. It is surrounded by forest area and steep walls as deep as 5 to 100 meters from the sea surface so that it looks like huge crater of volcano. Probably, thousands or millions of years ago, there was volcano eruption which created the lake crater. It is considering that Mount Ranaka and Nampar Nos which are located in this forest area had erupted in 1987 and still active until now. Although the walls around the lake are quite steep, they can still be used as tracking route so that visitors can walk around and enjoy the beauty of the lake.

Lake Rana Mese is one of the life-sup-ports for thousands of people living around the lake. It is also the source of water for drinking and irrigation for thousands of hectares of rice field found in the surround-ing areas. Furthermore, it is also the habitat

for various ecosystems such as fish, eel, shrimp and crab.

Lake Rana Mese has lush tropical forest that surrounds the lake, which makes the surrounding air cool and fresh. Not only diversity of tropical flora, the lake also offers diversity of underwater biota like freshwater fish Karper (Cyprinus Carpio), Mujair (Oreo-chromis Mossambicus), eel and shrimp. Forest area around the lake becomes habitat for several species of big mammal such as monkey (Macaca Fascicularis), porcupine (Hystrix Javanica), boar (Suscrofa Vitatus ) and civet (Paradixurus Hermaproditus ) and a number of migrant birds like belibis (Anas Querquedula) and Pecuk (Phalacrocorax Malanoleucos) as well as endemic mammals like giant mouse (Papagomys Armandril-larei), Poco Ranaka Rat (Rattus Haenaldi), Flores Bat (Chypnoterus Nusa Tenggara) and Flores owl (Otus Alfredi).

TERRITORY WAR AMONG FAIRIES

People live around Lake Rana Mese have another name for it, Molas Poco, which means the forest girl. It refers to the beauty of the lake. It is also euphemism for beautiful fairies that are believed to reside in the lake. In accordance to legend, long time ago the fairies in Lake Rana Mese were friend with humans. They asked for help from humans to fight against other fairies that lived in Lake Rana Hembok, which is located in the east

of Lake Rana Mese. They fought to expand the territory. Lake Rana Hembok used to be wider than Lake Rana Mese.

The weapons used by fairies from Rana Hembok in the war were shrimp and eel which served as knife and spear. Therefore, it was very easy for humans to defeat the fairies since those animals were just deli-cious side dishes for humans. After being defeated, Lake Rana Hembok turned into small lake and Lake Rana Mese became wide lake just like now. The truth of this leg-end is still a mystery, but Lake Rana Mese is indeed beautiful just like beautiful fairies hid-ing behind green trees and thin mist, which is always hanging on the surface of water.

Lake Rana Mese and forest in its sur-rounding area is exciting tourist spot. It is one of main tourist destinations in East Manggarai, which offers stunning natural panorama that should not be missed. Sitting at the lake bank and fishing freshwater fish are activities commonly done by tourists visiting the lake.

Since it is situated in forest area, the air in Lake Rana Mese is quite cold, which can reach 15°C especially in the evening and at night. Many visitors are amazed by the diversity of flora and fauna found in forest area around the lake. To enjoy this beauti-ful scenery, all you need to do is walking around the lake. You will be presented with the beauty of rare forest orchid and migrant birds. If you are not into walking, sailing around the lake on small boat will be inter-esting activity to choose.

So, if you are interested to visit Flores, East Manggarai Regency in particular, don’t forget to drop by Lake Rana Mese and enjoy the beautiful natural panorama there.

LAKE RANA MESE“The Charm of Beautiful Fairy behind a Dense Forest”


East Manggarai


East Manggarai

The history of Lengko Ajang Church cannot be separated from the spread of the Catholic religion in Manggarain

Raya. Catholic missionaries first entered Manggarai in 1911 though sea route. He was Pastor Jesuit from Batavia who crossed the ocean on a wooden ship looking for new area for missionary mission. He arrived in a harbor town in the north of Manggarai named Reok. In the same year, Pasor Jesuit baptized three first Manggarai people who became Christian in Reok. Soon after that, the spread of Catholic religion was carried out from coastal area to hinterland of Manggarai Raya including Lengko Ajang.

Lengko Ajang Church is the oldest Catholic Church in East Manggarai Re-gency and also one of the oldest churches in the Diocese of Ruteng. The church was inherited from the Dutch missionaries who spread throughout most of Flores mainland. Lengko Ajang church was built in 1926 by the late Father Wilhelmus Jansen, SVD. Since then, the church became a parish and a center of religious activity for Catholics in Lengko Ajang and its sur-rounding areas. Lengko Ajang church has patron name of Santa Teresa.

Lengko Ajang Church has traditional gothic architecture, which is a combination of European architecture and traditional

house of Manggarai called Mbaru Gendang or Mbaru Niang. In general, the building has round shape and sharp roof. It is simi-lar to the building of churches in Europe. The construction of the roof poles in the main dome resembles spider web, which is commonly found in traditional house of Manggarai. The philosophy of spider web is implemented in the traditional distribution model of agricultural land in Manggarai (Lodok lingko), which is a symbol of unity, justice, and determination of Manggarai people.

Originally, the roof of the church was constructed from palm fibers such as in the traditional houses of Manggarai, but over time, the palm fibers used as the roof of the building decayed and caused leaks everywhere. It was qruite difficult to replace it so that palm fibers were replaced by zinc until now.

Lengko Ajang Church has five domes and on each dome, there is a cross stands strongly. The church has the length of 30 meters and width of 16 meters. The height is 18 meters.

When you have time to visit Lengko Ajang Church, from the hill you can see a building with pointy roof. Entering the church, we will be welcomed by peaceful and serene ambience. Besides visiting the church, we can see the activities of local people who still maintain their agriculture traditionally like plowing the field, nurturing the plantation and managing coffee. We can also see house wives weaving Songke cloth, which is called Punca Teti with traditional motifs and colors from Lengko Ajang.

LENGKO AJANG CHURCHWhen European

Architecture Blends with the

Local Wisdom of Manggarai


It was 7am when I and my two friends from East Manggarai Tourism Management Organization (TMO)

rushed to Mbolata Beach from Borong, the capital of East Manggarai Regency. It takes about one hour by motorbike to reach the beach, which is located 45 kilometers from Borong. The road to the beach is in good condition and it is also the main route of trans-Flores. Mbolate Beach is located in Wae Lengga, between Bawaja and Borong. It is around 500 meters from Wae Lengga junction to Port Wae Wole.

Although the road to the beach is still telford road, it can accommodate two and four-wheel vehicles. The beach is an ideal place for tourists who want to enjoy na-ture’s beauty and tranquility for it is far from people’s settlement. On weekdays, Mbo-lata Beach is quiet from tourists’ activity. It is usually crowded during weekends and holiday by visitors from Borong, Bajawa and Ruteng. Just like other tourist desti-nations in Flores, which offer the touch of local people’s hospitality and nature’s beauty, Mbolata Beach also offers beautiful nature’s panorama and warmness of local people. In the east, we can see Mount Inerie stands magnificently like a pyramid.

Watching the traditional making of Arak

Along the way to Mbolata Beach, there are vast rice fields as well as rows of coco-nut trees and palm trees. Visiting Mbolata Beach provides visitors with opportunity to

see the daily activities of the local people such as climbing palm trees for tapping sap. It is going to be an interesting activity to see for they climb the tree fast and without any supporting equipment. More amazingly is that they move from one tree to another without going down first. They just pull some twigs from the next tree and in just a few second, they have moved to the next tree.

Sap collected from the trees is taken to the hut for distillation process. The process still uses traditional equipment such as stoneware pottery, bamboo as the distill-ing pipe and dried twigs as the fuel. The distilled sap is then sold as traditional arak (liquor) called Sopi. Although the level of alcohol is still not known yet, but when we tasted it, it felt warm and has strong smell of palm fruit and alcohol. Sopi is packaged in a 700ml mineral water bottle and sold for Rp 20,000 per bottle. The production of Sopi is able to provide additional source of income for the local people.

The Charms of Mbolata and Mausui

Mbolata Beach has become a favorite among local tourists considering its beauti-ful panorama, white sandy beach, rows of palm and coconut trees along the beach as well as its cleanliness. Not only good for swimming, the beach also offers perfect spot for sunset watching.

Only three kilometers to the west of Mbolata Beach, we can enjoy horse riding on a vast savannah located near Mausui Beach. If you’re not confident with horse-riding, you can explore the savannah on a bicycle or car. There, you can see cows, buffaloes and horses grassing in the middle of the savannah. Mausui Beach also of-fers pretty panorama with white sand and cluster of rocks.

Getting tired after exploring Mbolata and Mausui Beach? It is time for having a rest and Mbolata Cottage is a perfect choice for that. There are five cottages available and a restaurant located on the beachside. It is perfect venue for having dinner. Menu served is made from fresh local products and your dinner is even warmer with a glass of Sopi mixed with fresh fruits.

It would be a great experience to stay in a cottage built with environmentally friendly materials such as local timber and thatch. The ambience brings every guest to the past time.

MBOLATA BEACH

“The best place to indulge with nature’s serenity”

East Manggarai


Sumba Island

One of the beautiful beaches in East Nusa Tenggara is Ratenggaro Beach. This

beach is a combination of natural tourism and culture because near the beach there is a traditional vil-lage site named Kampung Rateng-garo with unique and historic old stone tomb right on the beach. Ratenggaro Beach has big wave with long roll, and it is suitable to those who love surfing. Unfortunately, there is no facility for this activity. This is become a big duty for local government. The enchantment of the beach is not only from its beach, but visitors who come to Retanggaro can see ruin of tomb from mega-lithic era, or about 4,500 years ago.

Ratenggaro beach is still natural and so clean beach. The coastline is signed by white sand and facing to crystal water. The sound of wave’s water can be heard from the next village. Every evening, there are local residents visiting the beach. When you come to this beach, or around Sumba Island, you are sug-

gested to wear closed shoes. This is needed to avoid you from tetanus. One of uniqueness of the beach is that Ratenggaro is located right to estuary of river with blue water.

Ratenggaro Beach exists at Ratenggaro village, Kodi Bangedo sub-district, Southwest Sumba regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. From Tam-bolaka City, it takes 48 km. The infrastructure toward the beach is smooth and it takes around 1.5 hour from Waikabubak City. If you want to take public transportation, there is bus and mini bus to Bondo Kodi. Then, you can continue your trip by motorcycle. If you want alternative way, you can take travel agent to come to Ratenggaro Beach. Along the road toward the beach, you will see hardwood trees for about 2 km long.

Arrived at Ratenggaro Beach, the first impression is about ethnic atmosphere. It is because you will pass many traditional villages. When you come there, you are not only

enjoy its beach, but you can enjoy the culture. Firstly, you can spend your time to amaze the beauty of panorama. Blue water and powerful wave become a perfect combination for those who love nature and surf-ing. But, you must be a professional swimmer because there is deep trough here. After you finish swim-ming or playing water activities, you can start explore traditional house of Ratenggaro. They still keep the original architecture. Sometime, you will hear from villagers that there is faith about their village. You are not allowed to cross the estuary of river to the next village, Wainyapu, singing, and whistle. You better obey to these unwritten law because the resident itself very straight to keep this rule. When you walk around the beach, you will see one of grave with 3 meters height. In Ratenggaro, you can see the tower of houses from two villages, are Wainyapu and Ratenggaro. It is not surprise if people name these villages as ‘Thousand Tower of Villages’. ***

Sumba Barat Daya

Ratenggaro Beach


Sumba Island

Sumba, formerly known as the Sandalwood Island, is known foe its horses and Sumba clothe.

Sandalwood was the only known cure for many diseases until penicillin was invented. The Sumbanese traded with the Chinese until the 16th century, after which the Arabs became the most important trading partner until the early 20th century. The island is famous for its arts and handicrafts, particularly the textile “ikat” weaving. Sumba make a little effort we can see an authentic, ancient culture.

The island has a small population and a dry tropical climate. In total Sumba have more hours of sunshine than any other place in Indonesia. The land resembles Southern Africa or Australia, with scattered small villages and herds of cattle and buffa-lo Sumba is off the beaten track. Transport system and roads are infrequently used. Most hotels in main towns are simple, only catering for the adventurous. Beaches are long and clean. Water is clear and abundant in fish, and there is great surf.

The island is roughly oval in shape. The greatest concentration of those who wor-ship sprits (ancestral and those of the land) is found in West Sumba where two-thirds of the population holds on their traditional belief. It is here where incredible rituals take place, the “pasola” where hundreds of horsemen fling spears at each other. The government allows the ritual to take place, but the spears must be blunt. Although some exist in East Sumba, it is in West Sumba that one can find a greater number of huge megalithic tombs and traditional thatched and peaked huts raise on stilts.

Many traditional activities, all with a part paying homage to the spirits, take place in the month of July through October. These include the building of “adapt” houses and burials when sometimes hundreds of pigs, water buffaloes, horses, and dogs are sacrificed. Other ceremonies include the “pajura” or traditional boxing, the festivals for lunar New Year in October and Novem-ber, and August 17, Independence Day, horse races and ritual dances. ***

Sumba Island


Sumba Island

Lapopu Waterfall is a natural phenomenon formed by the fault movement in the river flow

so that the river flow forming steep cliffs. Lapopu Waterfall lie s on the Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park area stratified along the rock cliffs as high as 70 meters.

Many aspects can be enjoyed at the waterfall site such as falling wa-ter, pond formed underneath, swift flowing rivers and unspoiled forest shade. The Panorama all the way to Lapopu Waterfall location is also not less interesting, such as mountain expanse, the fields of local resident and sub-tropical forest shade with a number of endemic species.

Lapopu Waterfall is located in Wanokaka district of West Sumba regency with a distance of 25 km from the city center. Condition of the road to Lapopu Waterfall area

is an asphalt road with a fairly good condition. Road conditions in the location of a dirt road in fairly good condition. Public transportation are not up to the waterfall so that tourists should choose rental car services.

In Lapopu Waterfall not yet

available food stalls on the loca-tion so that tourists are advised to bring their own food. In Lapopu Waterfall tourist attraction also no accommodation facilities so that visitors should stay in downtown Waikabubak which is available many choices of hotel facilities.***

Lapopu Waterfall


Sumba Island

East Sumba is one of regency in East Nusa Tenggara Province. This region is geographically

located in a natural condition of the hills and coastal areas sloping and undulating. No wonder that region has many natural tourist potential especially beautiful beaches. There is another hidden natural beaches and famous among foreign tourists as a surfing paradise named Tarimbang beach.

Tarimbang beach is a white sandy beach which is located in the south-ern part of Waingapu city precisely located in Tarimbang village, Tabund-ung district, East Sumba regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, which is about 104 km from Waingapu city. To reach this beach the visitors can use private car or public transporta-

tion which can be reached for about 2.5 to 3 hours drive. About 5 kilo-meters from Tarimbang beach the visitors will be treated to a unique view some cows and wild horses are in the savanna. Do not be surprised if occasionally seen passing wild boar. If you want to enjoy the atmo-sphere you can try to walk.

Tarimbang beach shaped like a half circle with high cliffs on the right and left presents a fairly extensive beach with bluish crystal clear sea water. This beach to be a

favorite spot for foreign tourists for sunbathing, swimming and surfing. Waves on Tarimbang beach over nine levels rolls. Uniquely around the beach there are also small fresh-water lagoon, when waves crashing seawater mixes with fresh water in the lagoon. In Tarimbang beach the visitors can relax while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the beach or on top of a cliff and looking sunset. The best time to enjoy the perfect beauty of Tarimbang beach is during the day until late afternoon.

Tarimbang Beach

Tarimbang Beach


Rote Island

Ndana IslandNdana Island is including five

outer islands in East Nusa Tenggara Province or one of

the 92 outer islands of Indonesia. Four other outer islands in East Nusa Tenggara is Batek Island in Kupang Regency, Menggudu and Salura Island in East Sumba and Dana Sabu Island, in Sabu Raijua. The island area of 14.19 square kilometers, or about 1,400 hectares is located in the regency of Rote Ndao, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Ndana Island has dazzling exotic panorama. Besides the beauty of this island, Ndana Island also has myth about the island telling that women who have period are not allowed to visit the red lake located in the middle of the island. The prohibition has descended from generation to gen-eration. Even today, there are some people who still believe in this myth. They really don’t visit the lake when they have period. It seems that the lo-cal people really obey the prohibition.

Regardless the strange story about th island, the island provides many things to offer to visitors.

Ndana Island is located in Rote Ndao regency, Southwest Kupang. Precisely, the island lies right in the entrance of Boa Beach. You can go by motorboat or speedboat to the island. Along the way, you can see beautiful white sand with powerful waves. This is an incredible view. For those who believe in mystery, the island is surely a perfect place to visit. Apart from the strange story as previously mentioned, the island has another strange story. In Rote Ndao Regency, you can find two stones. The stones are said to have been a man and a woman. Their names are Hun and Suelay Stones. They are said to have been walking on their own before they stay in Rote Ndao.

There are various interesting activi-ties that we can do in Ndana Island, including explore traditional village trip that is lies around the island. You can learn many things about the villages,

including the local people, their way of life, their traditional culture and their typical food and souvenirs. The activity will give you challenging adventure. Besides that, you can visit many beau-tiful tourist destinations throughout the island. There are beaches you can visit. Visiting the beaches is a must because you can see the spectacular panorama of the beach. You will see beautiful nature around the beach along with crystal clear waters and steep hills sur-rounding the beach. There are also sa-vannah stretching along the coastline. Walking around the beach will make you relaxed and refresh your mind.

For facility and accommodation in this Ndana Island, there are still few hotels in this island. You can only find small lodges. However, this shouldn’t stop you from visiting this island. Instead, you can challenge yourself to survive in this island. You can decide to stay in one of the local people’s house, otherwise you can set a tent around Ndana Island. ***


Rote Island

Rote IslandRote Island is the

southernmost island of Indonesia. It is located in

the west coast of Kupang. This exotic island can be reached only in four hours. From Kupang by inter-island ferry to dive and tour this untouched beautifully rugged land. Spectacular walls and caverns mirror the hills, valleys, and escarpments underwater. The marine life is so varied and profuse that is hard to believe from Fire-fish to Mantas. The architecture of Rote is unique, as is their exquisite ikat weaving. See the people is their traditional lifestyle, which has remained unchanged for centuries.

Rote has many historical relies including fine antique Chinese porcelains, as well as ancient arts and traditions. Many prominent Indonesia nationalist leaders were born here. A popular music instru-ment Sasando, which is made of palm leaves. According to legend, this island got its name acciden-tally when a lost Portuguese sailor arrived and asked a farmer where he was. The surprised farmer, who could not speaking Portuguese, introduced himself, “Rote”. Rote just off the southern tip of Timor Island consists of rolling hills, ter-raced plantations, and acacia palm, savanna and some forests. The

rotinese depend, like the Savunese, on lontar palm for basic survival, but also as the supplement their income with fishing and jewelry making.

Before Indonesia’s Indepen-dence, Rote, boasted the highest density of kingdom in the East Indies. Even today the island, the Rotenese and their kingdoms are divided, following ancient tradi-tion, into two domains, one known as Sunrise and one as Sunset. A “male” Lord, a “female” Lord and several advisers, representing the clans within that domain, rules the domain. Each clan that possesses ceremonial rights performs it’s own rituals during the annual HUS celebration, a traditional New Year festival. At the HUS, Rotenese men

wearing their unique hats make offerings to the clan ancestors and the women dance accompanied by sasando, The Rotenese guitar.

Rote is particularly well know for its surfing, each year surfers flock to Namberala to ride the near perfect tubes formed by the shallow reefs and off-shore winds. Accom-modation in Namberala includes a traditional beachfront bungalow resort and several home stays. The beach itself is one of the best ex-amples of a palm fringed pure white sandy beach to be found anywhere. Diving in the area is also excep-tional due to the large numbers of Manta and Dugong seen there. A boat trip to nearby Dana or Ndao Islands is also recommended.***


Alor - Island

Alor is the least visited and are therefore the most unspoiled regions of East Nusa Tenggara

(NTT). Trek to the rim of Pantar volcano, visit dive the straits of Alor at a dive destination rated by all to be amongst the best in the world.

Alor Island regency is the least visited and therefore the most unspoiled region of Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT). Trek to the rim of a volcano on Pantar or dive the straits of Alor and Pantar in a dive destination rated by all to be amongst the best in the world. Ponder on the existence of the Moko drums, which are not found in large numbers anywhere else in Indonesia and can be traced back to the Dongson period in Vietnam around 350 BC and you start to realize that Alor is truly a land lost in time.

Alor diving is known as the best in the world With its smoldering Volcanoes reach-ing down into crystal clear waters fringed with pristine coral reefs, coconut fringed

pure white sandy beaches and traditional villages built half way up mountains, the scenery is as spectacular above as it is below the waterline. Alor Island is so mountainous that it is almost impossible to pass from one side to the other and many of the villages on the island itself can only transport themselves via small wooden ferries. The eight distinct dialects and more than 50 sub-dialects spoken today, testifies to the diversity on Alor.

Alor traditional culture has been influ-

enced over the ages by the Indian, Chinese and Javanese traders as well as by the Islamic and Christian religions. This can be seen in the silk thread woven into the original weavings and the mix of Mosques and Christian churches dotted throughout the Island. The traditional dances, Ikat weavings motifs and the varies architectural style greatly from area to area. With more than a dozen traditional villages within one hours drive from the capital Kalabahi - Alor is a cultural tourists heaven. ***

Alor

Diving Liveaboard


Diving Liveaboard


Diving Liveaboard

Documents

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