Kamasan Village is a center of Balinese traditional painting and sculpture which is located in Klungkung District, Klungkung. From Kuta, this village is approximately 43 km to the east. This village could be reached by any vehicles or public transportation, because all of the road heading to Kamasan is in good condition. From Kuta, you can go through Denpasar, and then Ida Bagus Mantra Bypass. After that follow the route heading Klungkung. At Batu Klotok, turn left and you will arrive at Gelgel Village. From here, you are only a few meters away from Kamasan Village.

Kamasan is famous for its community of Balinese traditional painting artists. The originality, authenticity, and long time development resulting a separate style of Balinese paintings which is called Kamasan Style. Although the materials that are used to paint have undergone evolution, the theme of the painting is still the same, about wayang (Balinese puppet) characters. Actually, this village’s artists do not only good in painting, but also the other arts like gold and silver sculpting and the latest popular art, bullet sculpting.

The wayang characters who are usually used for the theme of the paintings are the characters from Ramayana and Mahabharata epics, or Arjuna Wiwaha and Suthasoma stories. As a result, the paintings and sculptures from Kamasan are rich of original traditional value and historical value which its integrity are still maintained until now. According to international collectors, Kamasan painting style is still pure, mild, and sophisticated but with less unnecessary detail and also very bold in the aspect of the message of the story. Those wayang-centered paintings and sculptures are actually the attracting power of the artists and tourists to come to this village.

This village is also completed with an exhibition hall and art shop, located about 50 meters on the west of Sangging region. A rehearsal painting studio was also built by Nyoman Mandra in his own house. The tourists who visit Kamasan are often come to the artists house and workshops to see directly the process of creating paintings or sculptures. The access for every place in this village is also in good condition, so vehicles can easily pass it. There is also another alternative for the tourist who want to travel around the village by riding Balinese traditional gig, Dokar.

Kamasan Village had been known as an old village where all the blacksmiths and craftsmen live. This village started to be recognized and operated in 1380-1651 under the power of King Ida Dalem, the ruler of Gelgel Kindom. He ordered the blacksmiths and craftsmen to make sculptures on gold or silvers in the form of bowls, dishes, and palace ornaments to be used as decoration in Suweca Linggaarsa Pura Gelgel Palace. Besides the art of sculpting, the art of painting was also developed in the form of wayang painting. The paintings were painted on fabrics and then used as flags, banners, and other decorations which decorated the palaces and temples of Gelgel. This village underwent its golden era under the reign of King Dalem Waturenggong in 1460-1550. Banjars (residences), like Sangging and Pande Mas were used as guild, due to construction of houses and workshops for the artists where they can live, work, and serve the King until death.

The other history records told that the traditional wayang painting style/technique was developed in Kamasan and other regions of Bali since the era of Majapahit Kingdom. Between 14th century until 18th century, Bali Island was under the reign of Dalem Kings, the descendants of Sri Kresna Kepakisan from Majapahit.

While Kepakisan Dynasty controlled Bali, this island reached its golden era. Some history records also told that in that era, Bali were a big and strong kingdom, with its power covering East Java, Lombok, until Sumbawa. The most famous king at that time was Sri Waturenggong, the grandson of Sri Kresna Kepakisan. Under the reign of King Dalem Waturenggong, it was said that the arts and culture developments were also underwent a golden era because the king himself was very fond of arts. Kamasan was built as a one of the kingdom centers which specially administered art, culture, education, and religion sector.

Now, the development of the products from Kamasan’s craftsmen has been varied, not only just gold and silver sculptures, but also in other form like copper, brass, and bullet. The paintings and sculptures of Kamasan have been very popular and ordered by both local or foreign tourists. With the increase in tourism sector, now art shops and hotels in Klungkung, Gianyar, and Denpasar have been regular customers for Kamasan wayang art products.

If you have passion or interest in art, you must visit Kamasan Village. This village does not only offer products to be bought, but also additional knowledge of Balinese arts.

What you can see around Kamasan Village

1. Kertha Gosa (Courts Of Justice), is a tourism object which is famous for its ceiling painting. This place also use the wayang painting style just like Kamasan. However, the paintings of the Kerta Gosa have undergone numerous changes. It had to be restored after the devastating earthquake in 1917 and then repainted during the 1930’s by Pan Sekan, a master artist from nearby village of Kamasan.

2. Puputan Klungkung Monument, A big nation is the nation who respect their heroes. That sentence is the inspiration for the Klungkung Government to build Puputan Klungkung Monument in order to recalls and appreciates services of the heroes who fell on the battlefield sacrificing his body and soul and everything they have to take this nation’s freedom and pride from the colonials.

Dodola island specifically located in the western part of Morotai Island, North Maluku Province-Indonesia. The beautiful beach directly facing the huge Pacific Ocean, make this island called as the pearl in the lips of Pacific. Shiny white sand spread out around this small island as precious as a pearl.

This island has an unique characteristic. There is a long white sand beach which connects the two island of Dodola namely big Dodola and small Dodola. That beach actually can be seen depending on flux and reflux cycle of the ocean water. The length of the beach between the two islands is just 500 meters, so you can cross the two islands on foot. The perfect time to do that is around 10.00 a.m. till 7.00 p.m. If you want to walk from one island to the other island, you will only need 10 minutes walking.

The amazing view of the blue Pacific Ocean will lead you to the atmosphere of paradise. The sand is white, soft as flour, the water is clear as mirror, and the reflection of the blazing sun on the white sand looks shiny as a pearl. In addition, the air breezing will make you relax while enjoying the beauty of the shores. a small surge of waves also will create rhythm of silence in Dodola Island. What a perfect place to escape from your routine. It is also located far from residential areas, there are not many local people or local fisherman visiting this place makes Dodola island still virgin. As what it is said, a peaceful atmosphere will be waiting for your visit in Dodola Island.

Reaching Dodola Island is not difficult. The only way to reach there is by sea. It is because Dodola Island is a small island in the western part of Morotai island. For those who want to visit this place, you need to have a flight from jakarta to Ternate (North Maluku) then from Ternate there will be a commercial flight to Morotai Island everyday. After arriving at Morotai Island, simply rent a small boat to Dodola Island . There are various types of boats that can be rented. There are speed boat and some fishing boats are often rented for tourist who want to travel in small islands including Pulau Dodola. If you want to rent a speed boat, they will serve you in full day service and will deliver you to go the other some beautiful small islands around.

Talking about the price of renting the speed boat, you need to prepare at least Rp.1.500.000,- per boat for 10 people. So, you just need spent Rp. 150.000/person. It is a cheap price for enjoying the amazing view of Dodola Island. If you want to go there alone, it is recommended for you to rent a fishing boat for a lower price. It just like visitng your private Island!. If you are lucky, you are only charged to buy fuel oil (BBM) and the cost of the service. It will spend Rp 250,000 to Rp 500,000. And the price some time is not a fix price, you need to re- negotiate with the owner of the boat to get the ideal price While enjoying the beauty of the Dodola island, do not forget to taste the fresh young coconut water and fried banana that are available for visitors. The uniqueness of the fried bananas here is that they are served with a hot chili sauce caled “Dabu-dabu”. That makes fried bananas in Dodola Island have a unique and delicious taste.

If you want to stay longer, homestay is available near the beach. Many local tourists choose Dodola Island as a place to spend their weekend with their beloved family . Many foreign tourists who frequently visit Morotai, North Maluku for diving, will took long time to visit this unique island. When you visit Dodola Island, it is guaranteed that you will have a big willingness to come back again to this beautiful island. After coming to this island many people said that “Dodola is really the hidden pearl in the lips of Pacific Ocean”. So, What are you waiting for? Let’s take a look to the pearl in the small island in Pasific Ocean, Dodola.

Samosir is a name of an island located in the middle of Toba Lake, North Sumatera, the biggest Lake in Southeast Asia. Samosir may very popular among the foreign tourists, but this place has the potential to be a good tourist destination. In this island, you can visit lakeside, hot springs, and old village of Batak tribe. Moreover, the culinary of this area are so unique, and original that you may not find in the other places. If you are an explorer and want to venture various places, this island deserve a visit from you.

Transportation

Samosir can only be reached from Medan. From Medan, you need to rent a car and travel around 4 – 5 hours. A rent car could be easily found in Medan and for about Rp. 350.000 (including driver) you are ready to go. Another choice to go to Samosir is by Taxi. You can use Taxi Merpati Medan, Taxi Merpati Pangururan, or Taxi Samosir Indah Pangururan, starting from Rp 65.000.

In the island, you can rent bike or motorbike to go around. The price for renting motorbike starts from Rp. 40.000 and you can find it easily in Tuktuk region. It will be a fun if you can go around the Samosir Island through its lakeside road. Another way to do it is by a unique transportation called “bentor” or “becak motor.”

Access to Samosir

There are four accesses that you can choose to get into Samosir Island. Three accesses through the Lake Toba, and one access through the road. But, the most popular access is through Ajibata Port in Prapat to Tomok Port in Samosir. Using this access, you will need to get on a ferry. The trip crossing Lake Toba is very fun. Along the way, the scenery of quiet lake and green hills will surround you. The fresh air also gives a relaxing ambience while you are on the ship. The other water accesses are by Tigaras-Simanindo and Muara-Nainggolan. Same with Ajibata-Tomok the ferry for Tigaras-Simanindo is opened everyday. However, for Muara-Nainggolan, the ferry is only available at Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.

The most attracting access to Samosir is by land transportation. Samosir Island is actually connected to North Sumatera land by a bridge built in the Dutch’s colonial era. This landline will take you to Tele road which connect Samosir with Humbang Hasundutan regency. You will go on steep and winding road, but the roads are flat and good. It will need a careful driving, so use a driver to ease yourself and enjoy the trip because the landscape along this road is amazing. You can see a dazzling Lake Toba panorama from the high.

Lodge.

It will be very easy to find a lodge or resort in samosir island. Abundance of lodges and resorts are available in Tuktuk region. To find Tuktuk, need only half hour from Tomok Port through the main road. Tuktuk region is a cape facing directly to Toba Lake. Some resorts could also be found in the Pangurungan, the capital of Samosir. Meanwhile, motels are available in Ambarita, Simanindo district.

Culinary

You must try some Samosir authentic food like Mie Gomak and Ikan Arsik. Mie Gomak is Batak’s noodle with Andaliman sauces. This food looks like spaghetti, but different in texture and sauce. Andaliman sauce is a local special sauce with its unique taste. On the other hands, Ikan Arsik is a Batak fried fish. This food is usually served in the wedding or birth ceremony, but it is also good to be enjoyed as a lunch or dinner menu.

Public Facilities

Although this island is surrounded by hills and located inside the lake, surprisingly you will get full signals of mobile phone. Almost all phone operators function normally here, even in the remote area like in the middle of ricefield. Internet networks are also easy to access through wifi in the hotels. Some internet café are also available to ease your communication while you are in this island. For your payment activities, now some public places in Samosir are already equipped with ATM, like in Pangururan the capital city and Tuktuk the tourism center.

Tourism Objects

Samosir Regency consists of 9 districts. Each district has its own tourist attraction area. However, the focus of the tourism in all Samosir area is the same, around natural and cultural attractions.

For you who prefer cultural and history tour could visit King Sidabutar Graveyard, Parsidangan Rock, and Huta Bolon Museum. You can also study further about Batak tradition in every old village of Samosir. Moreover, you can watch Sigale-gale in Tomok.

For natural excursion, you can visist Marhosa Rock, Marlakkop Cave, Ambarita Beach, Aek Nakotang, Pasir Putih Beach, and Panguruan Hot Spring. Those are some parts tourism objects at samosir island. Actually there are still a lot of tourism potentials to be visit in this island, but some of those places need more development to be ready for welcoming the tourists.

People may think that Indonesia is not a good place for cultivating grapes / vine to produce a good wine. So far, people only know that the good wines come from non-tropical countries, like from Europe, America, or Australia. The fact is that, now Bali also has competed against those countries as a producer of good wines. Now, you can visit this Balinese vast vineyard as well as try the local wine product in Buleleng, Bali.

Buleleng regency in the northern part of Bali Island has a lot of tourist destination like temples and beautiful ricefields. Not just that, Buleleng also has been widely known for its reputation as the best local grapes supplier.

Unfortunately, some of the vineyards in Buleleng have been forced to shut down because of the narrowing lands. Extreme climate was also the a contributing factor to the death of the vines in this area. However, there is still one big vineyard that could survive until now with their well known product, Indico wine.

Indico wine is very famous in Bali. Bali, as known by people is also a famous tourist destination in Indonesia. Many people come to visit Bali for its nature, culture, and arts. However, Bali is not only about those three things mentioned earlier because the tourists could also visit some vineyards in Buleleng regency which are note less attracting and fascinating than the other tourist attractions.

Although Bali has some good vineyards, Indico wine is one of the best wine products originated from Bali. This wine is usually processed into beer, whisky, cognac, and the other kinds of alcoholic beverages. Surprisingly, this wine is not only famous in Bali and Indonesia, but also already spread all around world.

Indico winery is located in Puputan Bali street and has been visited by so many tourists in their holiday time in Bali. The vineyards are actually located on top of the hill of Singaraja with its quiet and peaceful atmosphere. Indico wine Bali brand has gained wide reputation all around the world for its fine white and red wine.

This vineyard and winery was built by Gde Sumarjaya Linggih in 1998 with its company name, PT Banyu Sakti. He was interested to try producing wine because of the abundance of grape harvest in his hometown, Singaraja. At that time, economical crisis was very severe resulting in soaring price of imported wine from the other countries.

Making his bold decision, Linggih then declared partnership with expert wine grower from England, Stephen Arthur Spinney. To strengthen his winery and improve the quality of his products, he bought some better machines. He also declared partnership with local farmers and improved the distribution networks.

Those hard efforts were successful. If at the beginning of his career he could only sell 2000 liter wine per year, now he can sell approximately 8000 liter wine in one year. The variety of the wines has also increased to 4 kinds of wine, like Red Wine, White Wine, White Blush, and Port.

According to Linggih, in a month his company could seel 10.000 bottles of Indico. The distribution of the product is more on the hotels, which sell Indico in their bar. Indico has also been exported to Singapore and other countries, but still the main market of this product is Bali.

From the beginning, Linggih believe that Indico could get a proper place in the wine market, even though Balinese and Indonesian do not have the culture of drinking wine, like the westerns. That is why, he aimed for the foreign tourists as his customers. He said confidently that Indico does not need to pursue customers to their country because the customers come by themselves to Bali to seek for comfort, beauty, entertainments, and exotics. The tourists who come to Bali must be more attracted to try typical local beverages rather than usual beverages that they always drink in their country.

Nowadays, we can see Indico wines in every bar, restaurant hotel, or market in Bali, and of course some in other countries. The main office itself is located in Denpasar, but its vineyard could be found in Singaraja. The tourists who visit Bali are very welcomed to see the process of making Indico wine which now has become famous all around the world.

Have you ever swam directly from the natural hot water? If not, come and find it out in Bali! Swimming in a pool with the natural hot water; you can find it in Banjar, Lovina, Bali. It is just located 24 km west from Singaraja or you only need 2.5 hour driving from Ngurah Rai International Airport. This place is named Air Panas Banjar; ‘Banjar’ is the name of the village, “Air Panas” can be translated as “Hot Spring”, so it can be called as “Banjar Hot Spring”. The specific location of this place is in Desa (village) Banjar, Kecamatan (ditrict) Banjar, Kabupaten (regency) Buleleng.

The hot water originally came from flowing spring water of a volcano. Because of that, the hot water still contained sulfur which is good for skin and health. The skin fungus, acne, itch and rheumatic disease can be treated by the sulfur which is contained in hot spring. The temperature of the water is around 37° – 40° Celsius. So, you can directly swim into the hot water pool comfortably. Here, while relaxing your body into the pool, you can see the beautiful panorama of a natural tropical garden, listen to natural sound of flowing water and hear the voice of birds singing around there. A river near the pool will directly bring you back to nature.

What a very peaceful place for you to relax your mind, body and soul. As the main point, this place consists of three hot water pools which each pool has a different function. The first pool is located in the highest area and it has the hottest water temperature. This pool is purposed to be a place for those who want to get soaking in a hot water. The hot water is flowed from a head of dragon statues around the pool, so you will feel like taking a shower under the mouth of dragon. What an unique experience of showering! Actually, there are ten statue of dragons consisted in this pool in which the five statues are placed in the first pool and five others placed in the second pool.

In addition, the second pool is a perfect place for swimming and it also has the widest pool area. The depth of this pool is only one till two meters and the water temperature also lower than the first pool. So, it is a good place for children or adult to swim. The last pool is the smallest pool and it’s placed separately from two main pools. This pool consisted of three small waterfalls with three meters high. The waterfalls are supposed to be a natural massage of water for those who want to relax their body muscle. If you want to feel a different sensation of massage, try this one. You will get many advantages if you come to Banjar Hot Spring. Besides getting a healthy skin, you will find a perfect place to relax. After spending time in a hot water, you may feel hungry or thirsty. Don’t worry, this place is completed with a good facility of hotel and restaurant. The restaurant is directly located near swimming pool. It offered Balinese food, Indonesian and western food with a delicious taste. Enjoying a cup of Bali coffee here with the natural tropical view is also recommended for you to give a try. If you want to stay for a longer time, spending one or two nights in the romantic hotel near the natural hot spring water with the tropical garden view will be the unforgettable night for you to remember. The price for the food in the restaurant and room in the hotel will be very cheap. Besides that, the entrance fee for visiting Air Panas Banjar or Banjar Hot Spring is only spent Rp. 5.000 for adult and Rp. 3000 for children. What a very cheap price for enjoying natural hot water with a wonderful tropical garden panorama. For buying souvenir, you don’t need to go far away.

Many souvenir shops are available in this area. There are many sarongs, T-shirts, unique necklaces, bracelets, and many more offered by the local people. One tip for you if you want to buy some souvenirs here is that bargaining is allowed. Most of the souvenirs are not in the fix price, so you can bargain to get a lower price as well. This place is highly recommended for you to visit if you spend your holiday in Bali.

Trunyan is a name of a village in the area of Batur Mountain, Kintamani, Bangli. This village is very famous for its uniqueness. What is the difference and uniqueness that this village has? Let us see!

To reach Trunyan Village, you need to cover a distance for about 65 km from Denpasar and about 23 km from Bangli City. Along the way, you will pass Penelokan, a place where you can see Batur Mountain and its surrounding clearly. From here, you can also see the beauty of Batur Lake and feel the fresh air from the highland of Bali. The remains of the frozen lava around the mountain also become an attraction for the tourists. Besides that, there is also Toya Bungkah hot spring which could be found in the foot of the mountain, near the lake. This hot spring is a perfect place for relaxing your tired muscle after taking a long distance.

To ensure easy access for the visitors to go to Trunyan, a boat dock is now built on the lake in Kedisan Village. To cross to Trunyan, you can rent the boat for Rp 250.000 each which could contain up to seven persons. Once you get on the boat you can enjoy the sensation of cruising the Batur Lake, going around the Lake, and at the same time heading to Trunyan Village. In one hour, you will arrive at this unique village.

After setting foot in Trunyan Village, you can see directly that this village is surrounded by green hills and of course Batur Lake. Reputedly, there is a Taru Menyan tree which radiating fragrance around the village.
According to the local story, this fragrance even once attracted King Gede Pancering Jagat to visit this place from far away. In this place, he met Ida Ratu Ayu Dalem Pingit around the tall pines. It is said that in that place, they married each other watched by the residents of the tall pines forest which at that time was still hunting for food. The Taru Menyan tree apparently was the one that turned into a goddess which is none other than Ida Ratu Ayu Dalem Piningit; the wife of King Gede Pancering Jagat.

Before doing the wedding ceremony, the King asked the citizens to build a village named “Taru Menyan” which slowly changed and now become “Trunyan.”

Trunyan has a lot of uniqueness, but the most attracting one is its unique funeral ceremony. Not like the typical Balinese Hindu which do “Ngaben” or cremation ceremony for the deceased, in Trunyan the corpse of the local residents are not incinerated, but only put on the graveyard without buried. This tradition is related to the Taru Menyan trees which grow around the village. It is believed that the fragrance of the trees have been absorbing and neutralizing the odor from the decayed corpse.

Trunyan has three kind of graveyards which according to the local tradition, could be classified from age, the completeness of the body, and the process of the death. The main graveyard is the holiest and the best one. The corpses that are put here are the corpse which have complete body parts and normal way of death (not by suicide or accident). The second graveyard is for the babies, teenager, and unmarried people. However, the rule is still the same with the main graveyard. The third graveyard is called “Setra Bantas” which is prepared for handicapped people and people whose death process was not normal, like suicide or accident.

From those three, the most interesting one is the main graveyard. This graveyard is only 400 m in the north of the village. The corpse are left on the ground covered only from the feet to the chest and around the corpse, bamboo fences are used for separating it from the others. There are seven pits for the corpse, and if all of them are occupied, the older corpses are taken and replaced by the new one. The older corpses will be just put beside the pit. So, do not get surprised if you can see so many human bones are scattered around this graveyard. Exactly, those bones are the main uniqueness and also attracting power of this place.

Another uniqueness of Trunyan are the archaeological remains. Trunyan inscription in the 891 year of Saka said that there is a Temple called Pancering Jagat, like the name of the name of the king that built this village. In this temple, there is a holy building with seven roofs and inside it, there is a 4 m tall megalithic stone sculpture which is very sacred for the local people. Besides that sculpture, there is also Barong Brutuk Dance which is believed as the manifestation of King Pancering Jagat.

This is it! a monumental and fascinating masterpiece of Bali Island. Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park or usually know as GWK is an excursion park and art monument in the southern part of Bali. This place is located in Ungasan-Jimbaran Hill, Nusa Dua, Badung, approximately 40 km in south Denpasar.

Garuda Wisnu Kencana stands on a limestone highland and from there, amazing panorama of the southern coastal area of Bali with beautiful natural background could be seen clearly. This statue is located in the height of 146 m from the ground or 236 m above sea level. In this cultural park area, it was designed to build a landmark of Bali in the figure of Lord Wisnu giant statue riding a Garuda in about 12 m height. The statue was designed by a famous Balinese sculptor, I Nyoman Nuarta. This monument is going to be developed as cultural park and become an icon for Bali and Indonesian tourism. Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue is a modern manifestation of Balinese ancient culture and tradition.
Lord Wisnu in Hinduism, is a God of universe maintainer and guardian riding a Garuda (mythological eagle). This masterpiece was inspired by Adi Parwa Story in the episode when Garuda showed his devotion and sacrifice to save his mother from slavery. Then, Garuda devoted himself to Lord Wisnu becoming Wisnu’s mount and granted full protection from the God. This story was also carved in the Kidal Temple reliefs, which is located in Malang, East Java.

Lord Wisnu is represented as a source of wisdom and guardian. He is also represented riding a Garuda bird who is the symbol of power and prosperity. Garuda Wisnu Kencana is a symbol of culture-based natural balance. In the concept of Tri Murthi, Wisnu’s duty is to maintain the universe and Garuda is Wisnu’s mount as the symbol of selfless devotion. Garuda is pictured in a form of a human with eagle’s head, wings, and tail. He has white face, red wings, and giant golden body which could hinder the sun light. In Japan, Garuda is also a mythological bird in form of half human, half bird. The Japanese call it Karura and in Thailand it is called Pha Krut. In fact, Indonesia and Thailand are both using Garuda as the national symbol.

Garuda Wisnu Kencana Statue is expected to be able to keep the balance between “sekala” or real world and “niskala” or unreal world so the harmony of universe could be maintained. Garuda Wisnu Kencana Statue is a symbol of nature and world saving. This cultural park is also meant to educate people to sustain the cultural inheritance as long as possible.

Garuda Wisnu Kencana is a the biggest mega-project in Bali. The plan is building a statue with 146 m height and Garuda’s wings expanse reaching 66 m with 4000 ton approximate weight. From the area total size of 200 ha, at the moment only 100 ha used and the building progress still in the 15 %. Right now, only hands and half body of Wisnu and also head of Garuda are ready.

Made from the mixture of copper, brass and steel at some parts, this statue is going to give the visitors a visibility until 20 km, which means that this statue will be observable from Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua, even Tanah Lot. When it is finished, 4000 ton gold mosaic would be posted as the decoration.

However, this statue building progress does not fulfill the target. GWK was built in 1997 and planned to be finished in 2005. Nevertheless, the project was once stopped because of the insufficient funds. It is estimated that around 600 billion rupiahs will be needed to make it done. If this project is finished, it would be the largest and the highest statue in the world, leaving the famous Liberty in the second place with its 46 m height and 204 ton weight.

As a matter of fact, Garuda Wisnu Kencana is also a name of Balinese dance. This traditional dance is danced by 3 male dancers as the Garudas and 2 female dancers as Lord Wishnu and Goddess Laksmi. It was firstly shown in 1997 art exhibition in Bandung and Pesta Kesenian Bali XX (Bali Art Festival) in 1998. The dance was created by I Nyoman Cerita as the choreographer and I Gde Arya Sugiartha as the composer. This dance tells the story of Wisnu’s journey to find Tirta Amerta or immortal holy water which is assisted by Garuda and Goddess Laksmi.

Lombok is a name of an island Sunda Kecil or Nusa Tenggara archipelago which is divided by Lombok Strait (separates Lombok from Bali) and Alas Strait (separates Lombok from Sumbawa). Uniquely, “Lombok” also means “chili” in Bahasa Indonesia. This island’s shape is round with a “tail” in the southwest side nearly reach 70 km. The size of this island is 5.435 km2, with its capital Mataram City.

Although not as famous as its neighbor island, Bali, Lombok now has shown that this island deserves attention from the world of tourism. Below are some favorite tourist destinations in Lombok.

1. Senggigi Beach

Senggigi Beach is the most popular beach in Lombok. It is located in the west coast of Lombok. Although Senggigi Beach is not as great as Kuta Beach in Bali, when we come to this beach, we can feel similar atmosphere that might found in Kuta. However, different from Kuta, this beach is still quiet and natural. The underwater view is so fantastic. This is really a perfect place to do snorkeling, because the coral reefs are mounted so it breaks away the wave resulting calm water surface. Some comfortable and classy hotels are also available around the beach with varied prices and facilities.

2. Gili

“Gili” means “island.” There are 3 famous Gili in Lombok, they are Gili Air, Gili Meno, and Gili Trawangan. Actually, the Gili of Lombok are not only those 3, there are other small gili/islands around Lombok. However, these 3 islands are the most famous so far. Almost everyday, these gili are filled with tourist, both local and international. These gili are always busy welcoming their visitors.

There is a unique slogan amongs the visitors of 3 gili, “3NP” or “No Polution, No Police, and No Policy.” In gili, motor vehicles are not allowed to keep the freshness of air around the islands. The only vehicles available there are non-pollution vehicles, such as bicycle and cidomo (horse-drawn carriage).

The length of travel to access these islands is about 15 minutes from Senggigi Beach. After that, boat is used to cross over to the Gili and you can read more about gili island here.

3. Pantai Kuta

This is not the famous Kuta Beach in the shore of Bali Island. Shared a name with a famous beach, this beach is also located in the same region called Kuta. Same with the another Kuta, this beach also offers a beautiful beach panorama with its scorching sun and white sands. Once in a year, the lucky visitors could see the procession of Sasak called Bau Nyale. In this ceremony, the fishermen race to get Nyale worm in the sea.

According to the legends, there was once a princess named Princess Mandalika. Because of her enormous beauty, so many princes and men fell in love with her and marry her. In the end, Mandalika could not make her decision so she committed suicide jumping to the ocean. She promised that once in a year she would come back. So, it is believed that her long hair transform to the Nyale worms. Kuta Beach is going to be a new icon of Lombok’s tourism sector. The massive development of the beach surrounding area is also going to assist this beach’s development as a tourist attraction.

4. Surga Beach

“Surga” means “heaven.” This beach perfectly suits the meaning itself. Surga Beach is located in East Lombok in the region of Jerowaru. This beach is famous for its beautiful panorama and beautiful beach with clean white sands. For the surfers, this beach is the right choice for riding the wave. There are also another beautiful beach in the southern region like Heaven on Planet Beach, Kaliantan Beach, Cemara Beach, and Ekas bay which is called Gili Indah.

5. Cemara Beach

Cemara Beach is an attractive beach in East Lombok. Its location is between Surga Beach and Cape Ringgit. Just like the other beaches in Lombok, Cemara Beach has sparkling white sand. If you want to enjoy the panorama of the blue Indian Ocean with its beautiful corals directly, some boats are available to rent. About 10 minute crossing to the next islands, you can see the experience that you will never forget.

6. Segara Anak Lake

Lombok is famous for its quiet, peaceful, and natural beach. However, aside from the beaches, Lombok also has other favorite tourism objects which are also worthy to visit. One of those tourism objects is Segara Anak Lake. Segara Anak is a lake located in Rinjani Mountain caldera about 3775 meter above sea level (masl). The view of this lake is amazing with its natural ambience thus so many tourists come and do mountain climbing to see it directly.

Segara Anak Lake’s size is 1100 ha with 230 m depth and 2010 masl height. There are so many fish in this lake, so a lot of people come here not only for its beauty, but also for fishing the abundant fish. In the middle of the lake, there is a 2376 masl high mountain, called Barujari Mountain. “Barujari” is a Sasak (Lombok indigenous people) word means “just built,” which might referring to its latest eruption in 2004 or 7 years ago.

Kupang is a region located in the southeast part of Indonesia. Kupang may not as famous as its neighbor islands or regions like Sumbawa, Lombok, or Bali. However, the exoticism of a tropical island that this island offers deserves a visit for a new excursion experience in Indonesia. Here are the popular attractions that you may visit in Kupang.

Oenesu Waterfall

Oenesu Waterfall, is a famous tourism object that you can found here in Kupang, Nusa Tenggara Timur. This waterfall could be reached in 17 km from the city of Kupang. This tourist attraction has been known for a long time and has been a favorite place to spend holidays by the local or foreign tourists. The area of Oenesu Waterfall covers approximately 0.7 ha which consists of Heterogenic Forest and beautiful riverbanks.

The uniqueness of this waterfall is the multi tiers that could reach 4 tiers in one waterfall. In the gap of the waterfalls, there are some backwaters that allows you to swim and enjoy the green surrounding. The easy access to reach this waterfall adds another value for this attraction.

Lasiana Beach

Lasiana Beach is a popular beach for the local people to spend holidays. This beach is located in Cenral Kupang District, Kupang City. Lasiana Beach’s size is about 3.5 ha. The visitors like to visit this beach in the holidays or weekend. The distance from the city is only 12 km and this beach could be easily accessed from the city of Kupang through the main road. Besides that, some public facilities were just built for the tourists, like restrooms, restaurants, and hotels.

This beach has an amazing panorama with its white sands and beautiful wave. In the afternoon, you can also watch the sun set beautifully into the horizon line of this beach. The water is so calm and shallow which is perfect for swimming. On the beach, you can also see the line of coconut and palm trees which add the ambience of tropical holiday. Moreover, some fresh coconuts were sold by the local people to relieve your thirst. In the area of Lasiana Beach you can find some unique building called Lopo-lopo. These buildings are the typical buildings of Timor which use the stack of reeds as their roof. In the west side of the beach you can find an area of small hills which make the panorama even more beautiful.

Pantai Tablolong

Tablolong Beach have a distance of approximately 25 km from the city of Kupang. For most of the local residents, Tablolong Beach is a location for fishing area. In the exact position, Tablolong Beach is located in the tip of Timor Island. The position of Tablolong Beach which faces the Semau Island directly is beneficial for the fish in the deep waters to protect themselves from the danger of high wave or storm. Thus, the area of Tablolong Beach is rich of fish.

A board written “Pusat Olahraga Memancing Tablolong,” will welcome you the first time you reach the beach line. Indeed, the tourism event which is often held in this beach is fishing competition, even world class fishing competitions. This international tournament has been held to introduce some tourism object in Kupand, especially this Tablolong Beach to the world. Some fish that usually found in this area are marlin, bayonet fish , mackerel, wahoo, bigeye trevally, barracuda, and tuna.

Japan Cave in Baumata

In Baumata, there are some caves which were used as protection bunker by the Japanese Army in the World War II. You can explore this historical cave and give you a flash back of Japanese colonization in Indonesia, especially in Nusa Tenggara Timur. This historical cave is only 300 m from the Baumata pool. After exploring the Japan Cave, you can relax reduce you fatigue by swimming in the Baumata swimming pool.

Baumata swimming pool is a public swimming pool which also become a favorite place to visit by the local residents. These Japan cave and Baumata swimming pool are the alternatives of tourism attraction in Kupang besides Oenesu Waterfall, Lasiana Beach, and Tablolong Beach.

Japan Cave and Baumata Swimming pool could be reached from kupang in the distance of 16 km and only 6 km from the El-Tari Airport.

Papua or so called Irian Jaya or Jayapura is the most eastern province tip of Indonesia. Papua can be divided into two province, they are West Papua and Papua Province with its capital Irian Jaya. Papua has so many unique attractions which are quite hard to find in the other places especially in Indonesia, like Raja Ampat, Jaya Wijaya Mountain, and Lorentz National Park. Raja Ampat is a fantastically beautiful diving spot, Jaya Wijaya is famous with its eternal snow, and Lorentz National Park is the house of wide range of unique flora and fauna species. Below are the reviews of some favorite attractions in Papua.

Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat is an archipelago located in Irian Jaya Barat or West Papua. Raja Ampat means “Four King”, named based on four big islands surrounding the area. This place is a paradise of underwater beauty. It can be said that Raja Ampat is The King of Coral Reefs. That name was not made haphazardly. In fact, Raja Ampat possesses 75% of world’s coral reef type. Besides that, Raja Ampat is also rich of unique underwater faunas, like various species of Katai seahorse, wobbegong (carpet sharks), and manta rays. Thus, for you who are fond of diving, this place must be written in your destination list. However, it is not that easy because if you want to dive here you have to book first, since the waiting list for diving here is amazingly long. Not just foreign visitors, the local visitors also race each other to visit this place and if you want read more about raja ampat here.

Sentani Lake

Sentani Lake is a beautiful lake in Papua which is located between Cyclops mountain range at 70 – 90 m above mean sea level. Sentani Lake is a volcanic lake. Its size is approximately 9.360 Ha with average depth of 24.5 m. The sources of its water are 14 big and small rivers with one outfall called Jaifuri Puay. In the western side, Doyo Lama and Boroway, the depth of this lake is very steep. Meanwhile, in the western and central side of this lake, Puay and Simporo, it is very shallow. Besides that, there is also swamp forest in Simporo and Yoka. Some journals mentioned that the bottom of this lake contains sandy mud substrate (humus). At the shallow waters, pandan and sago plants grow. There are 24 villages spread along the lakeside and small island in the middle of the lake.

Sentani Lake is the largest lake in Jaya Pura Province. This historical location offers an amazing scenery where you can see some storks and eagles try to swoop down fish in the lake; a scene that you only watch on TV. You can also use a boat to cruise over the lake.

Lorentz National Park

In the 1999, this national park was established as one of the world heritage sites in Indonesia aside from Komodo Island National Park and Ujung Kulon National Park. This national park stretches up from the summit of Jaya Wijaya Mountain until the coastal waters at Arafura sea.

Besides the diversity of floras, faunas of this national park are also highly diverse. Some species of mammals like long snout babirusa, short snout babirusa, wallabies, wildcats, 4 different species of cuscus, and tree kangaroos. Besides those mammals, there are also abundance of bird species in this national park. There are about 630 bird species (70% of Papua’s bird species) here, like Kasuari, Megapoda, Cockatoo, Pidgeons, Burund Udang, Burung Madu and the rarest bird of paradise or Cendrawasih which is also the icon of Papua.

Eternal Snow on the Summit of Jaya Wijaya.

The summit of Jaya Wijaya is one of the phenomenal Seven Summits which are the targets of extreme mountaineers around the world. The summit of Jaya Wijaya is located in Lorentz National Park. This mountain summit is covered by eternal snow which is one of three eternal snowfields in the world found in tropical area. Carstenz Pyramid (4884 amsl) is one of Jaya Wijaya’s snowy summits which is gotten the predicate as the highest summit in Southeast Asia and Pasific. Carstenz Pyramid is not only famous for its high, but also for its thick snow layers.

Papua’s Archaeology

Beside its natural potential for tourist attractions, some archaeological inheritances of Papua also have great potential to be used as tourism object which could benefit the local people. Archaeological heritage in the territory of Papua comes from prehistoric stages of Mesolithic era where hunting and gathering food were human’s main activities. Archaeological relics from this era include the Grotto Dudumunir Araguni Island, Fakfak District, West Papua. In that place, it was also found ancient artifacts in the form of rake tools and arrowheads.

Relics from the same era were also found in the form of paintings on cave walls and rocks like in Tutari Hill, Doyo Lama District, Jayapura, Papua. Archaeological relics are scattered in almost all areas of Papua could potentially be a useful asset for tourism and the local community. The diverse of archaeological heritages in Papua could become a tourist attraction that attracts more tourists to visit Papua.