Most of you must have been familiar with plastic toys called Lego. Yes, this toy is quite fenomenal because it still becomes favorite toys for children even thought it has existed from 1940s. This building set has been developing into a well known product in the world, even has adapted various movies, games, or competitions. Its popularity has been increased with the existence of some Logo themed parks/amusement park. There are total six Lego Theme Park or usually called Legoland in the world and one of them is built in Malaysia.

Legoland Malaysia is located in Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia and was just opened for public in September 2012. This theme park is the first Legoland built outside America and Europe Continent. Stood up on approximately 30 hectare land and decorated using around 50 million pieces of Lego, this theme park has been the new favorite holiday destination in Malaysia. Although in a form of kid’s toys world, this place is also visited by a lot of adults/families because of its various entertainments, rides, and wonderful surroundings. Legoland Malaysia consists of seven areas, with 40 rides, attractions, and entertainments. Even from the gate, some interesting Lego statues have been exhibited which could make the visitors amazed. Here are those seven areas of Legoland Malaysia:

The Beginning

As indicated by its name this area is the beginning or gate into this theme park. Here, you can see a lot of bright colors to welcome all the visitors. There is also a Big Shop which offers various kinds of Lego products to be used as souvenirs/gifts.

Lego Miniland

A very interesting area where you can see some famous buildings in Asia made all from Lego, for example Angkor Wat from Kamboja, Merlion Statue from Singapore, Taj Mahal from India, Petronas Twin Tower from Malaysia, and even Tanah Lot from Bali. To construct all buildings in this area, it was needed more than 30 million pieces of Lego and 3 year time.

Lego Imagination

In this area, there is Observation Tower where the visitors could observe the full view of Legoland from the top of the tower. Besides that, there is also studio for watching 4D movies and various kind of creative activities for children.

Lego Technic

There are some challenging rides available in Lego Technic such as Aquazone Wave Race, Technic Twister, and Project X. besides that, there are also some workshops provide creative activities for children and teenagers.

Lego Kingdoms

Very suitable for you and your family who love adventure in a fairy tale world. The decorations and rides can make the visitors feel like living in the era of medieval, completed with every myths and legends such as the fearsome dragon. You and your family will be taken to venture around on a Lego chariot.

Land of Adventure

This area is also very suitable for adventure activities. Here, you can meet the Egyptian Pharaoh in the Revenge of Pharaoh and also various giant dinosaurs. There are some exhilarating and interesting rides here to be tried.

Lego City

The most interesting area because it provides complete rides and activities for kids and even entire family members. Here, the kids could try to drive their own car in Driving School, become a ship captain in the Boating School, become a pilot in Lego City Airport, or become a firefighter in the Rescue Academy. Not just merely playing, but here kids also educated to be able to do these jobs well. Besides that, there are also some fun activities for family such as Lego City Stage, The Shipyard, and Legoland Express.

Playing in this vast theme park of course needs a full day. Because of joy and happiness in playing here, it will not realize that the lunch time has come. You do not need to be worry because you and your family could have your lunch on site. In Legoland, restaurants are even designed using kids style with some Lego statues decorated the interior of the restaurants. Of course, kids will be very happy to have their lunch in that kind of situation. The available menus are also varied from the typical food of Asian: rice and also other Asian cuisines. There are also non-Asian dishes like pizza, burger, hotdog, and so forth. After having lunch and break, you can continue your exploration with your family by going around trying some interesting rides.

Legoland is opened 6 days in a week and closed every Wednesday. This theme is operating from 10.00 until 18.00 or 20.00. Usually, Legoland will be opened longer on weekends or holidays. The ticket price for children 3-10 years or elderly 60 and above is 110 RM (around USD 35), meanwhile the ticket for adults is 140 RM (around USD 45). However, if you order the ticket from their site (online) and it is done 7 days before, you will get cheaper prices: 88 RM for children and elderly and 112 RM for adults. Legoland is indeed the best place for family excursion. This theme park offers fun recreation as well as beneficial education for your children.

Tana Toraja is one of the regions in Indonesia which has gotten international attention and has become one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Sulawesi Island. Those facts are caused by not only the beauty of its nature, but also the richness of its culture. Tator (stands for Tana Toraja; a popular name given by the tourists) is located in South Sulawesi and possessed total population around 450,000 people. Toraja Tribe lives around mountain area with various cultures that they have. One of its culture which has been very famous for a long time is the unique funeral tradition called Rambu Solo.

The people of Toraja Tribe believe in “Aluk to dollo” or a custom in form of strict traditional beliefs, rules, and rituals which had been set by their ancestors. Although now the majority of Toraja people are Catholic or Protestant, the traditions and rituals of their ancestors are still done until now. In the procession of Rambu Solo, Toraja people believe if the funeral is not held then the spirit of the deceased will create disaster or misfortune to the people that he/she left. The deceased will be treated as a sick people so the body will be taken care and supposed alive. The body is even served with foods, beverages, cigarettes, or betel leaves (traditional snack for its people) Among the people of Toraja, funeral is the most important and expensive ceremony. The richer/more honorable you are, the more expensive your funeral cost will be. In Aluk religion, only the noble families could have a glorious funeral. The funeral of a noble is usually attended by thousands of people and could take place in a few days.

A place for the funeral procession which is called rante is usually set on a spacious field because it will be functioned as the place for the visitors, rice barn, and other ceremony equipments which are made by the family. The sound of flute, song, poem, cry, and mourn are the expressions of grief that the Toraja Tribe show in the funeral. However, all of these things are not doable in the funeral of children, poor people, and low class people.

This funeral ceremony sometimes could take weeks, months, or even years after the death, so that the family could collect enough money for completing all the procession in the ceremony. Toraja Tribe believes that death is not a sudden phenomenon, but a gradual process to reach Puya (the world of spirit or hereafter). In that waiting phase, the body is covered by some clothes and put under the Tongkonan (Traditional House of Toraja). The spirit of the deceased is believed still staying in the village until the ceremony is all done. After that, this spirit will start his/her journey to the Puya.

The procession of Rambu Solo which is become the most attractive part for both local and foreign tourists is the buffalo slaughter (Ma’tinggoro Tedong) which slaughter more than hundred buffalo for this ceremony. The more honorable a person, the more buffalo he/she slaughters. The slaughter is done by using Golok or traditional razor. The dead bodies including its head of the buffalo are arranged on the field waiting for its owner who is still in the “deep sleep.” Uniquely, the process of cutting down the neck of a buffalo is using golok in only one swing. This is the typical attraction of Tana Toraja people.

Toraja Tribe believes that the spirit of the deceased needs buffalo for doing trip to Puya, and will be faster if there are more buffalos. The slaughter of buffalos and also pigs are the main procession of funeral ceremony which is completed by music and dance of the youths who try to catch the gush of the blood using a long bamboo. Some of the meat will be given to the guests and then noted because it will be reputed as a debt to the deceased’s family. In the belief of Tana Toraja People there is a principle that said: the higher the place for a body, the faster his spirit will reach nirvana. Actually, there are three ways of funeral: the coffin is put inside a cave, in carved stone grave, or hanged on the cliff. Rich people are usually buried in a carved stone grave which is very expensive and need a month to be finished. In some region, a rocky cave is used as the place to save all the bodies of family. Usually, a wooden statue which is called “Tau Tau” is put in the cave facing outside. The coffins of babies or children are hanged on the cliff using ropes. The ropes usually wore out after a year and then broke, resulting the coffin falls onto the ground.

Ma’nene Ceremony

Besides Rambu Solo Ceremony, there is also another unique ceremony in Tana Toraja which is done by Baruppu people, in the inland of North Toraja. The ritual of Ma’nene is done once in 3 years and is usually done in August before harvest to repel pests and wish for prosperity at the same time. The uniqueness of this ceremony is the embalmed bodies of these people’s ancestors which have been saved inside the coffin for a long time will be taken out and then dressed like a normal human. After recited with prayers, this body will be taken from the coffin and started to be cleaned from head to toe using brush or clean cloth. After that, the body then dressed like a living human and sung by the family before lied down again inside the coffin.

Indonesia is indeed rich with unique culture and customs so even a funeral could be very interesting for the tourists such as Ngaben in Bali or this Rambu Solo. If you are fond of culture excursion like this, it would be very interesting to visit South Sulawesi and directly observe the procession of Rambu Solo in Tana Toraja.

No one doubting the beauty and exoticism of a country in Southeast Asia called Thailand. Together with Bali (Indonesia), Malaysia, and Singapore, this country has become world’s holiday destination in this region. If in Malaysia and Singapore the main attraction is their modern and advanced environments combined with a little bit of local culture, this country offers the aspects that very similar to Bali, nature and culture. Indeed, this country offers a rich variation of holiday experiences for its visitors such as natural destinations, cultural excursions, or culinary explorations. Here are presented to you, some of the favorite and famous tourist destination in the country of white elephant, Thailand.

Pattaya

Pattaya is a famous area located along the Gulf of Thailand about 150 km from Bangkok. This place is the most popular Sea resort site in Southeast Asia. Pattaya is very famous for its entertainment and sex industry. However, now this area has been rearrange by the government to be able to provide more family-friendly attractions and activities. There are so many affordable hotels, markets, and shopping centres. Many affordable restaurants can also be found here in Pattaya.

Phuket

Phuket is the biggest island in Thailand which is located separately from most of the Thailand’s region. This is the most popular tourist destination in the country with amazing beach and its white sparkling sand. Phuket is also known as “the Pearl of the South”. Here, there are various marine excursions available such as diving, snorkeling, water sports, and so on. Besides that, you can find variety of restaurants that offer typical unique and tasty food of Thailand.

Chiang Mai

While Phuket is reputed as “the Pearl of the South,” Chiang Mai is the “Rose of the North.” Chiang Mai is a great place for shopping. There are a lot of shops, malls, or market in this region. The most interesting of course is the daily night market which has many good products. Here, you can buy a lot of things with just one dollar. Goods such as clothing, luggage, souvenirs, shoes and many more can be found here with affordable prices.

Krabi

Krabi is a popular beach destination at the Andaman Sea in Southern Thailand. This region has awesome beaches and offshore islands. This location was used as the main setting in famous Hollywood movie “The Beach” starring Leonardo Di Caprio. Like what you see in the movie this beach has the perfect beauty. Now Krabi has become a favorite place for every tourists visiting Thailand.

Ko Samui

Ko Samui is an island with incredible beaches in the Gulf of Thailand, some 700 km south of Bangkok. Ko Samui provides a large number of beach resorts/hotels where you can enjoy the stunning beauty of white sand beaches along the coastline. Most of the resorts here are affordable which could be the best option for your summer holiday.

Chiang Rai

This town is said as the main commercial centre serving the Golden Triangle border region of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. The most popular attraction here is the White Temple, which is the only artificial Temple in Thailand completed with botanical garden. Many tourists come here to see the magnificent architecture and spectacular statues of Buddha built on this Buddhist temple.

Hua Hin

There is only one beach in this area, but it does not mean that this place is boring. In this only beach you can enjoy beautiful panorama and various kinds of watersport. Besides that, Golf is extremely popular in Hua Hin and the place has several high quality courses up to international standards. There are also some interesting festivals held occasionally like Thailand’s International Kite Festival during March, April and May.

Ko Chang

Ko Chang is Thailand’s second largest island and the biggest in Eastern Thailand. This island is reputed as “the last untouched paradises of Southeast Asia,” because a lot of places that have not been discovered by modern exploration and have not been built with infrastructure. There is also The Mu Ko Chang National Park, a National Marine Park which is very suitable for underwater excursion. Ko Chang indeed has everything nature has to offer. This is the perfect getaway for families who wish to have a quiet and peaceful holiday.

Bangkok

As known by everybody, Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand. This metro city offers modern environment, sightseeing, restaurant, and nightlife. However, here you can still see many temples with beautiful architecture around all regions. You can travel around by using various unique transportations like express boat, river taxi, or tuk-tuk (three wheeled car). You can also try “unusual” culinary experience along the street of Bangkok like tasting friend scorpions, water beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, bamboo larvae, or mealworms. Sounds disgusting? Maybe you need to try it fist before judging. Apart from that, you can still have some great ethnic cuisines in some fine restaurants around the town.

Central Tapanuli (Tapanuli Tengah) is not as famous as the other regions in Indonesia for its tourism sector. This regency is located in the North Sumatera Province. Actually, Central Tapanuli has the right potential to be a good tourism area. Thus, this province is still developing that potential and also still keeping up the promotion of their tourism objects. Here are some of the interesting places that could be visited in Central Tapanuli.

Mursala Island

Mursala Island is a tourism object located in Tapian Nauli District, Central Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatera. This island’s area is 8,000 hectare, which consists of beautiful hills.

In Mursala Island there are some rivers flow cleaving the island. The sea around Mursala Island is used as the conservation place of coral reef. Meanwhile, its island has the potential to be a place for relaxing resort and hunting spot. If this island is reached from Sibolga Town, it will need around 1 hour trip using speed boat, or 3 hours using a normal boat.

An interesting place that you may need to visit in this island is a unique waterfall on the edge of this island’s cliff. The water from this waterfall directly falls into the ocean. If you are interested in visiting this waterfall, you can rent a boat and observe the beauty of it directly on the sea.

Anugerah Hill

Anugerah Hill is located in terdapat di Bonan Dolok, Sitahuis, Central Tapanuli. Because of its topography, the visitors could enjoy beautiful panorama of this area from the highest place which is located on the height of 1,500 m above sea level. From there, you could see the panorama of the surrounding islands, sea, Pandan Town, and Sibolga Town.

It is informed that in this area, a great statue will be built which is called Anugerah Statue. The plan is creating a Prophet Noah statue standing tall in a hotel in form of a big ship. Now, this statue is still in the process of making in the workshop of a famous Balinese sculptor, Nyoman Nuarta. If this plan goes well, the height of this statue will be higher than Liberty Statue in USA. The hotel itself is designed to have 200 rooms, ballrooms, and completed with unique architecture designed by the team of Nyoman Nuarta.

Pandan Beach

Pandan Beach or also called Indah Pandan Beach is one of the favorite tourist destinations in Central Tapanuli. This tourism object is located in Pandan Village, Pandan District, which is the capital of Central Tapanuli.

This beach offers a great natural panorama. The location of this beach is in a form of a bay, so the wave is quite calm and suitable for swimming and playing around this beach. Some water sports are also available such as banana boat or inner tube which could be rent for relaxing on the water. In Pandan Beach there are also some inns, souvenir shops, and restaurants where you can taste various kinds of traditional food with cheap prices.

The location of Pandan Beach is adjacent to the main road of Pandan and Padang Sidempuan. It means that this beach is easy to be found. Besides that, because of its easy access this beach could be visited by private vehicles as well as big public transportation such as bus. This beach is very crowded in the weekend when the people are having holiday with their family.

Kalangan Beach

Kalangan beach is not too far from Pandan Beach; approximately 2 kilometers. The beauty of this beach is not inferior to the Pandan Beach, with green hills surround the blue ocean. Moreover, in the western part of this beach there are a lot of rocks emerge from the water. Those rocks have been becoming favorite spots for fishing by the local residents.

This beach is indeed a popular beach amongst the citizen of Sibolga Town. Various sport events have been hold in this beach such as swimming and motorcross competition. Besides that, many shows and entertainments are usually held in this beautiful beach.

Kahona Beach

This beach is very exotic, attractive and its charm is truly enormous. Many people say that Kahona Beach is as good as the famous beaches in Bali or even in foreign countries. Because of its beauty, this beach was used as the shooting location of a film entitled mursala which is intentionally created to expose some interesting places in Central Tapanuli. Its turquoise water which is surrounded by beautiful hills makes this beach’s beauty very attractive for the tourists.

The exoticism of Kahona Beach has made this beach as one of favorite holiday destinations in Central Tapanuli. However, its infamous name outside Central Tapanuli results a lack of visit from the tourists of other regions in Indonesia and also foreign countries. However, with the local government’s commitment it is expected that this beach could be revamped and developed so that its great potential could attract foreign tourists.

Kraton means a palace where the kings live. Kraton Jogya or completely called as Keraton Kasultanan Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat located in the center of Yogyakarta region. It was built in 1755 by prince Mangkubumi Sukowati who then given a new name as Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono I. He was the first king of Yogyakarta Kingdom which was reigned from 1755-1792. Before taking Kraton Yogyakarta, he was living at Ambar Ketawang Gamping, Sleman, five kilometers west from Kraton.

He then decided to build a kingdom that was located between two rivers and streams of Winongo Code. Banyan forest was chosen to be the perfect location of the palace regarding the land was between two rivers and it could protect the palace from flooding. This location is within an imaginary line of the southern sea of Java and Mount Merapi. This palace was taken through the long struggle between 1747-1755 which was ended by the treaty of Gianti.

The building of the Kraton is consisted of seven bangsal or a separate house used for saving many kraton’s commodity. Each of them is separated by regol or entrance gate. Each regol has different name such as Brojonolo, Sri Manganti, Danapratopo, Kemagangan, Gadungmlati, and Kemandungan. Specifically, Kraton is located between two part of the Yogyakarta city hall that are called as north Alun-alun and south Alun-alun. Entirely, the wide of the land of the Kraton is approximately one and half square kilometers. The main building also covered by double wall within 3.5 meters high and it looks like a huge square wall from the outside (1.000 x 1.000 meters). However, to enter the palace from the main gate, people should go through the entrance hall named plengkung. There are five gate standing entire the palace and each gate also given a different name. The names are chosen based on their place of wind direction. The gate from the northwest called as Plengkung Tarunasura or Plengkung Wijilan, Plengkung Jogosuro or Plengkung Ngasem in the southwest, Plengkung Joyoboyo or Plengkung Tamansari in the west. Plengkung Nirboyo or Plengkung Gading in the south and the last is Plengkung Tambakboyo or Plengkung Gondomanan located in the east.

Inside the palace, there is a fort used for saving the weapon which is located in the southern part of the kraton. To get into the fort, people should find a small road which used for the mobilization of soldier and weapon from the outside. The four corner of the fort were equipped with a small hole that used to scout the enemy.

Nowadays, Keraton Yogyakarta or well-known as Yogyakarta Palace is not only a place for the king and his family live but it is also dedicated as a center of Javanese culture in the Special Region of Yogykarta. The palace now is becoming a living museum of cultural development in Java and purposed to be the flame guard of its culture. There are many collections belong to the king such as replica of Kraton’s heirloom and various of traditional musicians called gamelan. Among the palace, many museums are created such as Yogyakarta Palace Railway Museum, Museum of Yogyakarta and Batik Museum. Many visitors from inside or outside country interested to know and see directly to the palace on how the kingdom can be preserved and how the Javanese culture developed and continued till this present year. The tourist also will be able to learn deeply about the Javanese culture and its history by visiting this palace as well. Besides the display of to a variety of cultural and architectural objects can be seen by the visitor, the performances of gamelan musicians, traditional Javanese song or called as macepat, shadow puppets or human puppet will be always performed at around 10:00 to 12:00 in the palace especially at the Bangsal Sri Manganti.

To visit the Kraton, the entrance fee will be available at IDR 5,000 and additional fee for using camera is at IDR 1,000. The palace opens every day but if there is a traditional ceremony occurred, the palace will be closed during the ceremony. The palace is opened for public from 08.30 pm to 02.00pm except Fridays only opened until 13.00. In short, by visiting Kraton Yogyakarta, you will be provided both valuable and memorable experience.