Bandung, The Parijs van Java

Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's fourth largest city. Located 768 m (2,520 ft) above sea level, Bandung has relatively year-around cooler temperature than most other Indonesian cities. The city lies on a river basin and surrounded by volcanic mountains. This topography provides the city with a good natural defense system, which was the primary reason of Dutch East Indies government's plan to move the colony capital from Batavia to Bandung.

The Dutch colonials first opened tea plantations around the mountains in the eighteenth century, followed by a road construction connecting the plantation area to the capital (180 km or 112 miles to the northwest). The European inhabitants of the city demanded the establishment of a municipality (gemeente), which was granted in 1906 and Bandung gradually developed itself into a resort city for the plantation owners. Luxurious hotels, restaurants, cafes and European boutiques were opened of which the city was dubbed as Parijs van Java.

After Indonesian independence, the city experienced a rapid development and urbanization that has transformed Bandung from idyllic town into a dense 15,000 people/km² metropolitan area, a living space for over 2 million people. Natural resources have been exploited excessively, particularly in the conversions of protected upland area into highland villa and real estates. Although the city has encountered many problems, ranging from waste disposal, floods to chaotic traffic system, Bandung however still has its charm to attract people flocking into the city, either as weekend travellers or living in.

Culture

Bandung is the capital of West Java, a province of which most of its residents are mainly Sundanese people. Sundanese language is spoken as the first language and is commonly used as informal language for communication in streets and markets, while Indonesian - Indonesia's national language and a lingua franca among its many ethnic units - is used as a second language and the language of government, businesses, and instruction at schools.
A popular traditional musical instrument is angklung, made of parallel bamboo tubes tuned to specific frequencies with a hammer and is shaken to produce certain notes. Music is performed by a choir of angklung players, each of whom are responsible for sounding certain notes. Its melody is only slightly different from that of Central Java's gamelan ensembles.

Tourism

Bandung has served for popular weekend-break destination for people living in Jakarta for many reasons. The cooler climate of highland plantation area, the varieties of food, the cheaper fashion shops located in factory outlets and distros, golf courses, and the friendliness of local people have become the main attraction of the city.

In the 1990s, local designers opened denim clothing stores along Cihampelas Street which gave Bandung another nickname, the "Tourist Shopping City" (Kota Wisata Belanja). It was a success as the-then residential street had been fully transformed into a "jeans street". The city attracts people from other big cities to buy local fashion wears, as they are cheaper than branded items.

The city gained more shoppers to come when textile factories in the outskirt of Bandung opened a fashion store that sells their products directly from the factory. The products are tagged as sisa export (rejected or over-produced export quality items) and these shops are called factory outlets. The trend was followed by another factory outlets.

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Tugu Monas, National Monument of Indonesia

Monumen Nasional or the popular abbreviated with the Monas or Tugu Monas is one of the monuments which established to honor people's resistance and struggle against the Dutch colony of Indonesia.

The monument is located in central Jakarta close to the Presidential Palace, it is at the Lapangan monas (Monas square). The monument, with its unique style and is 137 m in high, was made of marbles with phallus form symbolizing the fertilizing. The architect for this monument was Soedarsono and F. Silaban and the consultant was Ir. Rooseno.

At the top of the National Monument there are cup-shaped to support the flame torch bronze weighing 14.5 tons, and coated by 35kg of gold. The flame or torch is a symbol of the struggle of the people of Indonesia who want to achieve independence.

As one of tourist destination in Jakarta, Monas has become more fascinating with the 80-hectare park and its various plants. This park has become the lungs of Jakarta. The entrance fee is quite cheap, that is Rp2,500 per person. Monas is opened every day from 09.00-16.00 WIB.

There are some horse-riding-guys would chauffeur you with the chariot that the local people called as Bendi or Dokar. You have to bargain the price.

Want to view Jakarta from the top? Visitors can take an elevator up to a platform, the fee is Rp. 15,000 per person. From the highest point of the monument, you can see Jakarta and surroundings such as Medan Merdeka Park, Istiqlal Mosque, and the city. Inside the base of the monument is an exhibition on the country's Declaration of Independence and several dioramas showing the history of Indonesia. However, don’t be surprise, if the wind was pretty strong from up there.

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Jakarta, Indonesia

Jakarta, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. It also has a greater population than any other city in Southeast Asia. It was formerly known as Sunda Kelapa (397-1527), Jayakarta (1527-1619), Batavia (1619-1942), and Djakarta (1942-1972). Located on the northwest coast of Java, it has an area of 661.52 square kilometres (255.41 sq mi) and a population of 8,489,910[1]. Jakarta is the country's economic, culture and political center. Jakarta currently is the twelfth largest city in the world. Its metropolitan area, Jabodetabek, contains more than 23 million people, and is part of an even larger Jakarta-Bandung megalopolis

Jakarta is served by the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Tanjung Priok harbour. Since 2004, Jakarta, while under the governance of Sutiyoso, has built a new bus system known as "TransJakarta" or "Busway", and is now planning to expand the number of routes. The city had hoped to establish its newest transportation system, the Jakarta Monorail, in 2007, but the project was abandoned by the developer, PT Jakarta Monorail, in March 2008. Jakarta is the location of the Jakarta Stock Exchange, the Bank of Indonesia, and the National Monument, or Tugu Monas.

As the economic and political capital of Indonesia, Jakarta attracts many foreign as well as domestic immigrants. As a result, Jakarta has a decidedly cosmopolitan flavor and a diverse culture. Many of the immigrants are from the other parts of the island of Java, bringing along a mixture of dialects of the Javanese and Sundanese languages, as well as their traditional foods and customs.

Jakarta is sometimes called "The Big Durian" by foreigners resident in the city. The durian is a tropical fruit with a distinctive odor and acquired taste. A bustling urban metropolis, Jakarta is known for its overcrowding, traffic congestion, and income disparity.

The Betawi (Orang Betawi, or "people of Batavia") is a term used to describe the descendants of the people living around Batavia and recognized as a tribe from around the 18th-19th century. The Betawi people are mostly descended from various Southeast Asian ethnic groups brought or attracted to Batavia to meet labor needs, and include people from various parts of Indonesia.[22] The language and culture of these immigrants are distinct from those of the Sundanese or Javanese. The language is more based on East Malay dialect and enriched by loan words from Javanese, Chinese, and Arab. Nowadays, the Jakarta-dialects used by people in Jakarta is loosely based on Betawi Language.

Jakarta has several performance centers, such as the Senayan center. Traditional music is often found at high-class hotels, including wayang and gamelan performances. As the nation's largest city and capital, Jakarta has lured much national and regional talent who hope to find a greater audience and more opportunities for success.

Ironically, the Betawi arts are rarely found in Jakarta due to their infamous low-profile and most of them had moved to the border of Jakarta, ridden by the wave of immigrant. It is easier to find Java or Minang based wedding ceremonial instead of Betawi wedding in Jakarta. It is easier to find Javanese Gamelan instead of Gambang Kromong (mixture between Betawi and Chinese music) or Tanjidor (mixture between Betawi and Portuguese music) or Marawis (mixture between Betawi and Yaman music). However, some festivals such as Jalan Jaksa Festival or Kemang Festival tried to preserve the Betawi art by inviting the artist to do some performances.

The concentration of wealth and political influence in the city means that it has much more noticeable foreign influence on its landscape and culture, an effect illustrated by the presence in the city of many major international fast-food chains, for example.

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Balikpapan, The Seaport City

Balikpapan is a seaport city on the eastern coast of Borneo island in the East Kalimantan province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber, mining and petroleum export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau - ferry harbour, and the Sepinggan International Airport are the main transportation access to and from the city. It is one of Indonesia's hidden jewels.It is beautifully quaint , a traditional fishing village slowly but steadily catching up with this everchanging modern world. Hints of modern life style can be seen as new hotels and shopping malls have started popping out like mushrooms in the rainforest.

The topography of the municipality of Balikpapan is generally hilly (85%), with only small areas of flatland (15%), particularly along the coast and surrounding the hilly areas. The hills are less than 100 meters higher than the adjacent valleys. The altitude of Balikpapan ranges from 0 to 80 meters above sea level.
Most of the soil in Balikpapan contains yellow-reddish podsolic soil and alluvial and quartz sand, making it extremely prone to erosion.

Prior to the oil boom, Balikpapan was an isolated Bugis fishing village. The etymology of Balikpapan's name (lit. balik is behind and papan is a plank) came from a folk story where a local king threw his newborn daughter into the sea to protect her against his enemies. The baby was tied beneath some planks, which were discovered by a fisherman.

In 1897, the first drilling of oil began by a small refinery company. Construction of roads, wharves, warehouses, offices, barracks and bungalows started when a Dutch oil company arrived in the area. On January 24, 1942, Balikpapan became a war theatre between Japanese army and the Allied Forces in which the oil refinery and other facilities were heavily damaged. Several campaigns followed until the 1945 Battle of Balikpapan which concluded the Allied Forces' Borneo campaign after which they took control of the Borneo island.

Extensive wartime damage curtailed almost all oil production in the area until major repairs were performed by the Royal Dutch Shell company. Shell continued operating in the area until Indonesian state-owned Pertamina took it over in 1965. Having a lack of technology, skilled manpower and capital to explore the petroleum region, Pertamina sublet petroleum concession contracts to multinational companies in the 1970s.

Being the only oil refinery site in the region, Balikpapan emerged as a revitalized center of petroleum production. Pertamina opened its regional headquarter in the city, followed by branch offices established by international oil companies. Hundreds of labourers from other part of Indonesia, along with skilled expatriates who served as managers and engineers, flocked into the city.

Balikpapan's airport is the Sepinggan International Airport. This is the second busiest Indonesian airport after Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and permits large aircraft.
Airlines currently using the airport are Lion Air, Merpati Airlines, Batavia Air, Kartika Airlines, Sriwijaya Air (domestic routes), and Garuda Indonesia, Air Asia, and SilkAir (International routes).

The airport is one of the five principle sites in Indonesia where Muslims begin the pilgrimage to Mecca, the "Hajj". Between 1996 and 1997, the airport served over 4,500 East Kalimantan pilgrims, and from 1997 to 1998, it served pilgrims from East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, and North Sulawesi.
Other than the airport, Balikpapan also has a seaport called "Semayang" which has many destinations to Surabaya, Makassar, Jakarta, Pare-Pare, and Manado. in 1990s, transportation using ships was very popular. But after the booming of so many new airlines with very cheap price, people now prefer travelling using airplanes to the ships.

The ferry is also another alternative for travelling to other places within coastal areas in East Kalimantan, such as Penajam.
Tourists who wish to see the real side of Indonesia should definitely come here. Especially those who enjoy unbelievably fresh seafood caught off the ample shores of balikpapan.

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Cirebon, the Shrimp City

Cirebon is a city on the north coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is located in the province of West Java, approximately 297 km east of Jakarta. Cirebon also known as “Kota Udang (shrimp city).

Its name is often said to be derived from the Sundanese words of "Cai" (or river) and "Rebon" (or "shrimp"). (Indeed the main production of the city is fishery including shrimps.) The alternative Javanese derivation is from "Caruban", meaning "mixture"--a reference to Cirebon's complex mix of Javanese, Malay, Sundanese, Chinese and Arabic cultural elements. While Indonesians from outside Cirebon pronounce the name CHEE-ray-bone, locals say Cher-BONE.

Aside from fishery, its harbour, Tanjung Emas, on the Java Sea has been a major hub for timber from Borneo. A small landing site "Penggung" also serves the TNI-AU. The city lies on Jalur Pantura (Pantai Utara Jawa), a major road on the northern coast of Java that stretches from Anyer, passes through Jakarta, and ends at Surabaya.

Cirebon was part of the Sunda kingdom as stated in the travel records of Prince Bujangga Manik, a Sundanese Hindu monk who visited all the holy Hindu sites in the islands of Java and Bali at the beginning of the 16th century AD. In his lontar manuscripts, which have been saved in the Bodleian Library of Oxford University in England since the 16th century, the borders of the Sunda kingdom in the west are the Sunda Straits and in the east are the Pamali River (present day Brebes River) and the Serayu River in Central Java Province.

Cirebon itself is known as Grage in the Cirebon dialect of Javanese language, which came from the words "Negara Gede", meaning "Great Kingdom."

As a coastal city, Cirebon's main industry is fishery. Its products include terasi (shrimp paste), shrimp crackers and salted fish. Cirebon is known for local foods, such as nasi lengko (rice mixed with bean sprouts, fried tofu and fermented soybean cake), nasi jamblang (rice of various side dishes), empal gentong ( a kind of curry ), tahu gejrot (fried tofu with red sugar topping), tahu tek-tek (fried tofu topped with peanut sauce and mixed with vegetables) and ayam panggang (barbecue chicken). Another native food is "Docang" (rice cake with sour vegetable soup).

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Pekanbaru

Pekanbaru is the capital and beautiful city of Riau, a province in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra. The city port located on the Siak River and now, it is a bustling trade centre with its proximity to Singapore and Malaysia. The city is divided into two by this magnificent river with the shops, hotels and banks located on the north side and on the south, most of the government buildings and offices. It is here you will also find the main bus terminal. Because Pekanbaru is a major gateway into Indonesia from Singapore, the city has become a favorite stop for travelers go further inland in Sumatra and of course the rest of Indonesia. Pekanbaru is one of the cleanest big cities in Indonesia and noted for its wide streets, which are in the city’s main centre. The city is connected by road to an oil refining and exporting port at Dumai and there are numerous facilities including an airport, three stadiums and a swimming pool.

A settlement has existed on the city site since the 17th century. In the late 19th century, the city developed to serve the coffee and coal industries, and the Dutch built roads to help ship goods to Singapore and Malacca (now Melaka).

After oil was discovered in the region in the 1930s, Pekanbaru's economy has depended heavily on oil revenues and made the city with the highest per capita income in Indonesia. Most of Indonesia's petroleum is produced in Riau, and much of Pekanbaru's economy is based on the petroleum industry. International oil companies, such as Chevron from US, as well as other Indonesian companies, have established their offices in the region. Cheveron has majorly helped develope this city. They have paved a lot of the roads, built lots of neighborhoods called "HOP" which stands for Housing Ownership Program. Chevron has also built two of the two bridges in Pekanbaru. In some cases, Chevron has done more than the Indonesian goverment! This location for oil has proven to be one of the best money providers in the world.

The city is connected by road to an oil refining and exporting port at Dumai. Many facilities, including an airport, three stadiums (building a fourth), swimming pool, one of the two bridges that cross the Siak River near the city, the roads in Rumbai area, and also the road to Dumai, were partially or fully financed by oil companies working in the area.

Pekanbaru is becoming known as a centre of Malay culture mainly because of its proximity to that country and the Malay cultural influence can be seen in its architecture, culture and festivals as well as food. The city also has some outstanding attractions and my favourite being the An-Nur Mosque. The city boasts numerous traditional markets like those of Pasar Bawah and Pasar Tengeh in the port area and here you will find Chinese goods, including ceramics and carpets. The other excellent market is that of Pasar Pusat and is a food-lovers destination. At this market you can also purchase household-goods.

In the city there are numerous types of accommodation to suit all budgets. Getting around is not a problem as the best way is by foot. However, there is the odd taxi and bemo but by far to see the city at its best then I would recommend walking. Besides, it’s good for your health.

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Singosari Temple

Malang has been known as main destination in East Java. So many tourist area within Malang, one of them is Singosari temple. The Singosari temple is one of the historic legacies in Malang, it’s also known as Kendedes temple. Singosari temple was founded in honor to King Kertanegara, the last king of Singosari dynasty who died in 1292 AD. It was erected in 1300 AD at the same time when the ritual Sradha took place. In the vicinity of the temple there are two gigantic statue called Dwarapala, believed to be the entrance guards to the palace.

As the other East Java's temple, Singosari temple is formed from red bricks and arranged in cone building, called temple. This temple also has beautiful relief that describe the great of Singosari Kingdom years ago.

The dynasty of Singosari was established in A.D. 1222, when the young ruler of Tumapel, Ken Angrok, defeated the last king of Kediri. Legend has it that Ken Angrok was born from the union of his mother and the god Brahma. Abandoned in a cemetery shortly after his birth, the infant was subsequently adopted by a thief, who taught the child all the tricks of his trade. Ken Angrok grew up to become a notorious gambler, running up debts to the point where both his mother and stepfather were forced into slavery. He then took to thievery himself and ended up in so much trouble that on several occasions Brahma had to intervene when he feared for the boy's life.

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