Bukittinggi - Sumatera Barat

Bukittinggi is a city with the distance about 90 km from the capital city of West Sumatra, Padang. Located in Bukit Barisan Mountains which stretches along the island of Sumatra, and between the two volcanoes, Mount Singgalang and Mount Marapi. With a height of 909-941 meters above sea level, Bukittinggi has a fairly cool weather that ranged between 16.1°-24.9°C.  The city has an area of  25.24 km² with a topography of hills and valleys spread in urban areas. There is a famous valley in Bukittinggi, Ngarai Sianok (Sianok Canyon), with depths varying between 75-110 m and at the bottom of the canyon flows a river called Batang Sianok.

Previously, Bukittinggi was a market for people of Agam Tuo. In 1825, the Dutch built a fort on a hills in this area and became their stronghold against The Padri. This place was known as Fort de Kock and that's it, during Dutch colonial period, Bukittinggi known as Fort de Kock. And in this period, Bukittinggi, along with the city of Medan, got the nickname as Parijs van Soematra.

During the Japanese occupation, it was renamed as Bukittinggi Si Yaku Sho and became the headquarters of Japanese 25th Army Kempeitai, under the command of Major General Hirano Toyoji.

At the beginning of the independence of Indonesia (December 22, 1948 - July 13, 1949), Bukittinggi  was once the capital of Indonesia during the Pemerintahan Darurat Republik Indonesia (Emergency Government of Republic of Indonesia) led by Syafruddin Prawiranegara. Further, Bukittinggi was once the capital city of Province of Sumatera and then, Province of Central Sumatra.

Buktittinggi is famous because it has interesting attractions, especially the natural and historical attractions. Here are some interesting attractions and worth a visit while you are in city of Bukittinggi.

Jam Gadang (Big Clock)

Jam Gadang is the most famous attractions and also the icons of Bukittinggi. It is  a Clock Tower which is located in downtown of Bukittinggi. Jam Gadang is a tower which houses a turret clock and has one large size clock faces in each of the four sides.

Jam Gadang has a ground-plan area of  13m x 4m with a height of 26 meters and in each of the four sides, there is a large clock with diameter 80 cm.

Jam Gadang was a gift from the Dutch queen, Wilhelmina, to Rook Maker, the controleur of Fort de Kock. Built in 1926 with cornerstone placed by Rook Maker's first son who was 6 years old. The Architects was Rajo Mangkuto Yazid.

The clock was imported directly from Rotterdam, Netherlands to ports of Teluk Bayur (Gulf of Bayur). It was manufactured by Vortmann Relinghausen at 1892. There are only 2 units of this type of clock, one is Big Ben in London and the other is Jam Gadang.

The cost of construction is about 3,000 Gulden, a fantastic amount in that days. Aside from being Bukittinggi icon, the Jam Gadang is also the point 0 km of Bukittinggi.

A unique fact is number 4 on Jam Gadang does not use the usual Roman numeral IV but IIII.

Fort de Kock

Fort de Kock is the Dutch fort which stands on Bukit Jirek (Jirek Hill), in the city of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Founded by Captain Bouer in 1825 as a stronghold of the Dutch Army in the face of onslaught of Minangkabau people, led by Tuanku Imam Bonjol, during the Padri War in 1821-1837. Initially the fort was named Sterrenschans and later changed to Fort de Kock because it was built during the reign of Baron Hendrik Merkus de Kock as Der Troepen Commander and Deputy Governor-General of Nederlads-Inide. Running time, around the castle grew a town that is now known as Bukittinggi.

During Dutch colonization, Fort de Kock served as the center of Dutch colonial rule and defenses in Sumatra. Then, the government began to develop the occupation by mastering the other hills in the surrounding area, which later became Bukittinggi today. Dutch government developed the city by building government offices, government employee housing, markets, transportation facilities, schools, recreation and cemetery complex.

With its completeness, coolness and beauty, it is no wonder that Bukittinggi became one of the favorite resting place for government officials and military officers of the Dutch Colonial.

Currently, Fort de Kock just left a green-white-painted buildings as high as 20 m which is equipped with a small cannon at the four corners, as a reminder that once stood Fort de Kock in that place. In 2002, the government changed the area into Bukittinggi City Park and Tropical Bird Park, where there are lots of shade trees and the children can play there.

Location of Fort de Kock is also not far from the Bukittinggi Zoo and Museum Rumah Adat Baanjuang (Museum of Traditional House of Baanjuang), even still in the same tourist attractions area where, the fort is located on left of the entrance, while the zoo and museum are the right side. Both of them are connected by Limpapeh Bridge,crossing over the highway in the town of Bukittinggi. From the bridge you can enjoy views of the mountains and canyons that surround the area, such as Sianok Canyon, Mount Merapi, Mount Singgalang, Mount Sago and Mount Tandikek. This area is just 1 km from Jam Gadang, downtown Bukittinggi.

Lubang Jepang (Japanese Tunnel/Cave)

Lubang Jepang is one of the historical attractions in the city of Bukittinggi. This tunnel is actually a bunker. Built in 1942 for the defense of  Japanese army in World War II and the Greater East Asia War (Dai Senso Tora), by the order of 25th Japanese Army Commander, General Watanabe, who was also the Commander of Japanese Army Military Government in Sumatra, which was based in Bukittinggi. 

This tunnel has about 1400 m long, 2 m wide and 2 m high, and was made at a depth of 40-50 m, below hard rocky ground. It was built as a storage of war supplies and equipment for Japanese soldiers. In the tunnel, there is some space, which used for bedroom, surveillance, protection, treatment rooms, kitchens, prisons and storage of armories and ammunition. The tunnel was also equipped with a number of traps.

The tunnel was built by slavery (romusha), which was imported from other regions, such as Java, Sulawesi and Kalimantan. It meant to maintain the confidentiality of this project. And slaves from Bukittinggi and Sumatera were sent to other areas, such as Bandung, Biak, Morotai even to Myanmar, to build the Japanese army defense facilities .

Because built in wartime, the project was forced to finish in a very short time, so that the bunker could be quickly used. The slaves were forced to work beyond the limit, without enough consumption and rest. Many of them were killed.

 In 1984, Japanese Tunnel were made as ​​history attraction and become part of the Panorama Park. There are several entrances to this tunnel, as it is located in the Ngarai Sianok, Panorama Park, beside the Palace of Bung Hatta and Bukittinggi Zoo.

Fort de Kock were one of the two Dutch fort in West Sumatra. Another fort, Fort Van der Capellen, located in Batusanggkar. Both of the forts were developed becuase these two area were the most difficult to conquer, during Padri War

Museum Rumah Adat Baanjuang (Museum Traditional House Baanjuang)

Museum Rumah Adat Baanjuang is located at Jalan Cindur Mato, Bukittinggi. Founded by a Dutch Countrolleur, Mr. Mondelar, on July 1, 1935.

Previously, the museum was named Museum Bundo Kanduang and then in 2005 renamed the Museum Rumah Adat Baanjuang. This Museum shaped a traditional Minangkabau house, Rumah Gadang (Big House), with roof forms of Gajah Maharam and pavilion in the left and right, in accordance with the harmony of  Koto Piliang. A pair of statues wearing Minang traditional clothes, decorate the entrance of the museum. Almost the entire museum building still uses traditional materials, such as palm fiber roofs, bamboo and wooden walls with beautiful carvings and wood floors. Although simple, this museum looks very graceful and elegant.

The house is also equipped with a large sieve Rangkiang Rice (Granary) and Rumah Tabuah (Drum House).

Construction of the museum with an area of  2,798 m², aims to collect and preserve historical and cultural objects of Minang Tribes.

The collection of TMuseum Rumah Adat Baanjuang is included in the category of ethnographic, such as household appliances and traditional transportation, traditional fabrics of Minangkabau, a wide variety of headgear, Numismatic such as currency that ever used in Minang, stuffed animals, and so on. Interestingly, this museum also keeps a collection of animal offset with a rare physical condition, such as a buffalo with two heads and eight legs, goats with two faces and others else.

There is also a miniature collection of the longhouse, mosque, eating house, which is now rarely found in Minang Land.

Ngarai Sianok (Sianok Canyon)

Sianok canyon is a steep valley which became one of the icons of tourism in Bukittinggi. This valley extends up to 15 kilometers, with a width of up to 200 meters and a depth of up to 100 meters. In the bottom of the valley flowed a river, Batang Sianok (Clear River), with a view of Mount Merapi and Mount Singgalang in the distance. In the Dutch colonial era, the valley was known as karbouwengat or kerbau sanget (lot of buffalo), because lot of wild buffalo were living freely at the bottom of this canyon.

Sianok canyon is a borderline of the city of  Bukittinggi. It is located in the district IV Koto, Agam regency, West Sumatra. This valley windings and extends from the southern of Ngarai Koto Gadang to Ngarai Sianok Anam Suku and end up in the district Palupuh. Ngarai Sianok is part of Semangko Fault, which is a shear fracture on the island of Sumatra that extends from north to south of Sumatera, starting from Aceh to Semangka Bay, Lampung. This fault forming steep cliffs and deep valleys, resulting from the earth's crust down movement (sinklinal).

Batang Sianok, the river that flows in the bottom of the valley, now can be forded by using canoes and kayaks which are provided by a water sports organization. The rute starts from Nagari Lambah to Sitingkai Nagari Palupuh which can be reached in approximately 3.5 hours. On the riversides still can be found many

lush plants and trees. Also can be found animals such as long-tailed monkeys, gibbons, hoop, deer, wild boar, leopard, and tapirs.

If you enjoyed the view of Ngarai Sianok from Panorama Park, then you will find a very beautiful view of the valley. From Panorama Park, you can enjoy the view of sunrise and sunset in Ngarai Sianok. The stunning scenery to be immortalized by the photographer and painter of nature.

Tabiang Takuruang

In the right corner of Ngarai Sianok, and unfortunately can not be seen from Panorama Park, there is a beautiful natural phenomenon. Tabiang Takuruang, a small hill that stands alone in a lush valley Sianok Canyon with views of Mount Singgalang in the background. When a large earthquake in 2007, the peak of the hill collapsed and now leaves the cliff tops tight with a tree on it.

To find the beauty of Tabiang Takuruang, visitors will have down the road to Kampung Jambak about 4 km from Panorama Park. You can also use a car to reach Nagari Lambah. 

However, many traveller prefer to have a walk to the Tabiang Takuruang from Nagari Lambah which is only about 300 meters. And along the way, they enjoy the natural beauty and various culinary that can be found along the way.

If you are a painter or photographer, please do not forget to bring your "combat gear", to capture the beauty of Tabiang Takuruang.

Air Terjun Lembah Anai

If we hold a journey from Padang to Bukittinggi, then we will find a beautiful waterfall near the road, Air Terjun Lembah Anai (Anai Valley Waterfall). It is a part of Anai Valley Nature Reserve, one of the dense tropical rain forest with diverse species of flora and fauna, which are protected by the state.

The nature reserve which covers an area of ​​221 ​​hectares, is a part of Tanah Datar and Padang Pariaman District. It determined to be a nature reserve since the Dutch colonial administration in 1922 and still continues to this day.

Despite nearly a century, this nature reserve is not much known, but not so with the waterfall, which known as Anai Valley Waterfall and even it becomes one of the icons of West Sumatera tourism.

Actually, there are two other waterfalls and a small lake with blue water, which are in the forest. These attractions can be reached on foot in about 15 minutes from Air Terjun Lembah Anai.

From the side of the road, we could see Batang Anai (River Anai) in the bottom of the valley. Batang Anai has headwaters in the foot of Mount Singgalang, on the north side.

In the midst of lush trees and winding road, we will see the railway bridge over 50 meters, which stretches in height above Batang Anai. Railway was built by the Dutch colonial government and was completed in 1881, connecting Emma Haven (now Port Teluk Bayur) in Padang to Sawahlunto over 155.5 km. This rail pass Anai Valley, Padang Panjang, Lake Singkarak and ended in  Sawahlunto.

Railway line, which crosses the Anai Valley, about 33.8 km, used rack railway system. Rack railway system is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. This system required for crossing a sharp uphill area, such as Anai Valley.

For your information, the road along Batang Anai and rail lines built on the orders of Governor-General of the Dutch Johannes Graaf van den Bosch, who ruled in 1830-1834.

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Those are some tourist attractions in Bukittinggi. There are many more attractions around city of Bukittinggi, such as Lake Maninjau and Lake Singkarak, two beautiful lake that not far away from Bukittinggi. We will continue our journey in Bukittinggi later. See you..

Sangkuriang - A Legend of The Origin of Mountain Tangkuban Prahu

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom in West Java,  ruled by Prabu Sungging Perbangkara. The king liked hunting very much. One day, after hunting, Prabu Sungging urinated on taro leaves. When he left, a female boar, named Wayungyang, came and drank his widdle. The boar did not know that  it contained sperm so she got pregnant soon afterwards. Several months on, she gave birth to an adorable human baby girl. Wishing that the baby would be raised by her father, Wayungyang licked her baby to clean her and put her on a protruding stone in the bush.

The boar’s hope came true. That day, Prabu Sungging happened to pass by the place and heard the baby’s cry. The king carefully walked towards the bush and found a tiny baby girl. He took the poor baby back to town and named her Dayang Sumbi. He nurtured and raised the baby very affectionately.

Time went past. Dayang Sumbi grew up a charming girl. As if her beauty was not enough, she was adept in weaving and cooking. Many noblemen came with marriage offers, yet the princess chose to turn away from all of them. She was afraid that her accepting one of the proposals would cause wars among the men. Finally, with the king’s permission, Dayang Sumbi secluded himself in a hut on the fringe of a jungle, carrying his weaving tools. There, the princess spent her time weaving cloths.

One night, Dayang Sumbi was weaving on the porch when a thread roll accidentally slipped out of her hut and to the dark. It was late at night. She was too scared to take it. It was when she unconsciously uttered a vow, “Whoever takes back my thread, if it is a woman I will take her as sister, if it is a man I will marry him.”

Beyond her expectation, suddenly a black dog showed up with the thread. What was done could not be undone. She had to keep her word.

“Well, dog. Albeit you’re an animal, I’m willing to be your wife,” said Dayang Sumbi.

Miraculously, the dog turned into a handsome man. Dayang Sumbi was dumbfounded, speechless, to see that.

“Who… who are you?” asked Dayang Sumbi.

“I am an incarnation of god,” said the man.

The two of them fell in love with each other and were since then involved in a romantic relationship. However, they wanted to keep their love a secret, including to Prabu Sungging Perbangkara. They lived together in happiness. Dayang Sumbi called him Si Tumang. Most of the time, he would be in his dog form.

A year later, they had a son. They named him Sangkuriang. The boy grew up a smart, tireless boy. Everyday, he would go to the woods to hunt deer and catch fishes in the river accompanied by Si Tumang, the dog. He did not know yet that the dog was his father.

One day, Sangkuriang went hunting. He wanted to give mother a deer’s heart. It had been almost dark when he started to lose hope. He did not see any deer that day. Sangkuriang decided to give up and walk home. But then a deer ran past him. Quickly, he commanded Si Tumang to run after it.

“Tumang! After that deer!” he shouted.

The dog stayed put. He was unusually disobedient, making Sangkuriang even angrier.

“Bad dog! What happens to you? Don’t you hear me?” thundered Sangkuriang while pointing his arrow at Si Tumang.

Then, an accident happened. Sangkuriang lost grip of the arrow. It rushed towards the dog and hit him right in the head. Si Tumang died at once. Sangkuriang then took his heart for his mother.

In the hut, Dayang Sumbi cooked the heart and ate it. It was delicious indeed. But then she realized that Si Tumang was not around.

“Where’s Si Tumang? Wasn’t he with you today?” asked Dayang Sumbi anxiously.

“Sorry, mother. I killed him. The heart you ate is his,” answered the boy easily, showing no regret whatsoever.

It infuriated Dayang Sumbi. Sangkuriang had slain his father.

“What did you say? You killed him? You wretched, ungrateful son!” said Dayang Sumbi as she hit Sangkuriang in the forehead with her spoon. Sangkuriang was wounded and bleeding.

Sobbing in pain, Sangkuriang tried to defend himself. He did not feel guilty for he did everything for his mother. Dayang Sumbi did not share the same thought. Nevertheless, she insisted on keeping the truth about Si Tumang secret. That night, Sangkuriang was so sad. He left his house to stroll to any place his feet might take him.

Since then, Dayang Sumbi liked to spend time sitting on the porch doing nothing. She regretted what she did to Sangkuriang. Every night, she prayed to God the Almighty for the return of her son some time. God heard her. Dayang Sumbi was bestowed with an eternal beauty. Her face would not get wrinkles so that her son would recognize her when they met again.

Meanwhile in the jungle, Sangkurian staggered along while holding his wounded head. He fainted, falling on the ground. When he came to, there was an old man sitting beside him.

“Who are you? Where am I?” Sangkuriang was at a loss.

“Be calm, young man. I’m a hermit. My name is Ki Ageng. I found you unconscious and wounded in the woods. You’re in my cave,” said the old man.

The old man inquired into the identity of Sangkuriang. The young man, however, could not remember anything of his past. He even forgot his name. Ki Ageng then called him Jaka. He treated the young man and after that, passed on some of his powers and knowledge to him that he now could call and command spirits anytime he needed.

Having stayed with the old man for a long time, Jaka wanted to know his past. With Ki Ageng’s permission, he went off. Several days later, he found a hut on the fringe of a jungle. Feeling so thirsty, he came over the hut and asked for water. The inhabitant of the hut turned out to be a gorgeous woman. Jaka could not wink when he first saw her. He was speechless. The woman smiled and blushed in front of the handsome young man. Apparently she too found him attractive. She brought the guest a drink and had a chat with him. They soon fell in love with each other. By that time, Jaka did not know that the woman was Dayang Sumbi, his mother, who did not recognize her son herself.

Next morning when about to go hunting, Jaka asked his lover to tie and neat his headband. It was when Dayang Sumbi was taken aback to see a scar on his head. It was exactly where he hit his son years past.

“How did you get this scar, Jaka?” asked Dayang Sumbi.

Jaka could not remember that. He just told to Dayang Sumbi that a hermit found him unconscious and wounded in the jungle. It made her sure that her lover was his own son, Sangkuriang.

Dayang Sumbi grew anxious. She would never marry her own son—she could not. She tried to convince him that he was his son and thus break their relationship. Sangkuriang could not accept that. He was head over heels, blinded by passion.

Seeing his son’s insistence, Dayang Sumbi was now scared. She thought of every possible way to distant herself from him. An idea finally came across her mind. She would demand Sangkuriang to do something if they were to continue together.

“Do you really want to be with me? If so, I want you to do something,” said Dayang Sumbi.

“What are they? Just say it,” responded Sangkuriang.

“Make me a lake and a boat. They must be done before dawn tomorrow,” said Dayang Sumbi.

“I’ll do that. If that’s what you want,” said Sangkuriang confidently.

Driven with his love, Sangkuriang applied his power and called his unseen friends to do the task. They began to dig the ground and pile big stones to dam up Citarum River. They also collected trunks to make a boat. In the middle of the night, Dayang Sumbi silently peeped at Sangkuriang and his friends working, only to be surprised by how fast they were doing it.

Dayang Sumbi could no longer stay calm. She rushed to the village and woke the people up. She asked help from them to get a wide and long red cloth and spread out on the east of where Sangkuriang was working. The red cloth made it look like it was morning already. People also took out their roosters and let them crow. The spirits helping Sangkuriang thought the sun was rising already. They hurried to vanish to avoid getting burnt, leaving the work undone.

But Sangkuriang knew that it was not morning yet and that Dayang Sumbi was behind all this. He was infuriated. Using his power, he ruined the dam. In a very short time, water overflowed the place. He then kicked the boat away. It was flung up high, and fell upside down. Over the time, it turned into a mountain. People now called the mountain Tangkuban Perahu, the Reversed Boat.

In the disastrous happening, Dayang Sumbi ran off towards Mount Putri, where she turned into a jaksi flower. As for Sangkuriang, he lost track of his lover. He kept searching her up to a place called Ujung Berung. There, he vanished to the Unseen World.

source : ceritarakyatnusantara.com

Bandung - The Flower City

Bandung, the capital city of Provinceof West Java, Indonesia, locate in the basin of Parahyangan mountains, about 750m above sea level, so it has cool air and beautiful mountains views. It is only 180km from Jakarta where we need only 2-3 hours travel time through Cipularang highway. These situation then become the advantages for Bandung which make it as the favourite tourist destination.

However, the facts of Bandung as popular tourist destination is only not in the present. Bandung was already famous as favourite tourism city since Dutch colonial era. The cool air and beautiful views had attracted the rich people from Batavia (now, Jakarta) to have vacation in Bandung. "Flower City", “Garden of Allah” were some of nicknames of Bandung. Another and also the famous nickname is “Parisj van Java” because this city is never sleep. Well, Bandung mooi.. Beautiful Bandung..

As tourism city, surely Bandung will give its visitor many interesting experiences. These are some tourism points that you should not miss while visiting Bandung.

Shopping 
Bandung is famous as center for garment industry since 1980. That time, a clothing from Bandung would  have more value because of  its attractive design creativity and especially the affordable prices, even for students. There was Cihampelas Street which was famous as the center of creative clothes design. As its famous, then people said that you had not visited Bandung yet if you had not bought some clothes from Cihampelas Street.
Nowadays, Bandung tourism is still known for creative clothes design, but it is not focused at Cihampelas Street anymore. A lot of Factory Outlets (FOs) has been built and also sell various  types of clothing and still in affordable prices. The FOs locate at RE Martadinata Street ( aka. Riau Street), Djuanda Street (aka. Daga Street) and Setiabudhi Street. Some of them also provide restaurant.
Hey, want to try something different ? Perhaps you want to get a new experience in a traditional market in Bandung. Well, Pasar Baru (New Market) is the best place for you. Founded  about 1906 and had been renovated for several times until it gets its modern look. Here, you have to bargain to get a good price.
Another Bandung tourism for shopping is in Cibaduyut, south of the city. There are centers of leather craftsmen. You can find various models of shoes, sandals, wallets, handbags and belts made of leather, with a good quality. But unfortunately, now the industry is less developed.

Beautiful Nature
Surrounded by mountains makes Bandung has many natural attractions. In the north of Bandung at the foot of volcanoes Tangkuban Prahu, there is a small town, Lembang. It offers a cool and fresh atmosphere and of course, the beautiful scenery. There is a Catholic Sisters Convent, Carmelite Monastery. About 5 kms to east from lembang, there is Maribaya Waterfalls.
On Volcanoes Tangkuban Prahu,  we can find several craters and some of them can be visited. The largest named Kawah Ratu (Queen Crater).  There is Cikole camp which lies near pine forest.
Oops, have you heard the folklore about Mount Tangkuban Prahu ? Well, you can click this, if you like.. Sangkuriang - Legend of The Origin of Mount Tangkuban Prahu.
Following the way about 4.5 km to the north, there are another famous  Bandung tourism sites, Ciater.
Ciater is hot spring spot where  you can pamper yourself with a soak in warm water while enjoy the beautiful nature. On Saturday night Ciater is more crowded by the visitors than any other time.
In South Bandung, there is a lake, Situ Patenggang. The scenery of this lake is really beautiful and it has cold temperature. Near  Situ Patenggang, there are hot spring spot, Cimanggu, and crater, Kawah Putih (white Crater) which is famous for its beauty.
Another Bandung tourism site is family recreational park. There are many family recreational park, all of them equipped with a restaurant such as, Kampung Gajah in Cihideung, Paku Haji in Ngamprah, All About Strawberry in Cimahi and much more.

Culinary
Bandung is also famous for various kinds of food, presented by various vendors from simple food stalls until high class restaurant.  Well, this is another Bandung tourism attraction. The cooks compete in the expertise, skills and creativity to be able to present a delicious and unique cuisine. Sometimes they make the food in a different way so that the taste and looks to be different. Often, they even created a new type of cuisine.
Bandung is also well-known for its food stalls. Lined food stalls offers excellent cuisine and is ready to serve you. If you are fans of Chinese culinary, then you may go to Cibadak road. You can find various type of Chinese cuisine there. On Cisangkuy street, you will find diverse cuisine, ranging from traditional to western cuisine. And for seafood lovers, you may go to the food stalls on Cikapundung road.

Bandung at night
When the sun goes down, night life begins in Bandung. Bandung does not stop at night, even there are more activities to spend the night in Bandung. You can hunt for food in lined food stalls eatery or go to  the dance floor in a club. But it's not what I meant by night in Bandung.
I suggest you to go out with your partner or your family or your friends into the hills to the north of Bandung, such as to Dago or Ciumbuleuit or Setiabudhi or even further, Lembang.  Then, enjoy the night scenery of  Bandung in the distance with flickering lights.
Dago Thee Huis, a restaurant on the Dago that serves Asian and European cuisine, is my favorite place to enjoy the panorama of Bandung at night. Dago Thee Huis is an old Bandung tourism attaction. It was built when the Dutch colonial period.
And,  Kampung Daun, a cafe in Cihideung. In here, you will be in the middle of nature, between the cliffs and waterfalls. With proper lighting, the natural feel of the show so fascinating.
Well, both at Dago Thee Huis or Kampung Daun at night, you'll find a peaceful and romantic nuances. Hmm, I can not explain it more detail. You better come visit and experience it yourself. And later you will understand what I mean.

There are many more Bandung tourism attraction that you would find. Just visit us here, we welcome you.

Oops.. did you know that Bandung is actually in the bottom of the lake that had dried up ? Interested ? Well, I will tell you later.. bye.

Sikuai Island

Sikuai Island is an island located on the west side of the island of Sumatra. Administratively, the island is part of district Bungus Teluk Kabung, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia.

The island is located about half a nautical mile from Padang and can be reached by using sea transport such as ships. It takes time about 45 minutes via Muara Harbor estuary and about 35 minutes through Airud Bungus Dock.

Sikuai island has an area of ​​approximately 44.4 hectares. The island is year-round tropical island with white sand beaches and still have a natural tropical forests.

Approximately 2.4 ha of this area of ​​the island has been used as a resort area while the rest is still a forest and beach. Hotel resort on the island provide 54 pieces of cottages, a restaurant, meeting room for, and a swimming pool.

Visitors can enjoy the beauty of the beach around the island or explore the natural forest to climbing or marine tourism.

This Island is truly magnificent, natural beauty, the beach are surrounded by nearby Island, white sandy beach, coconut trees, just perfect getaway from all the hectic metropolitan life,staying here already includes meals and also afternoon snacks.

Also completed with many facilities and activities, starting from water activities to renting a bike to cycle around the ssland.

The island has white beach and clear water. We can play at the beach, snorkle, or sunbathe. If we want to snorkle, the reef is only 2 meters away from the beach. There is jogging track around the island where we can walk or cycle.

In Sikuai Island, There is also a sunset hill. From there, We can watch the sunset and also can see other small islands.

 

The Origin of Lake Toba - Folklore

Once upon a time, in a village in North Sumatra, there was a farmer who lived alone in fertile valley. He farmed for his purposes. Sometimes, he went fishing to the river, which was not far from his home. Every time he is fishing, the fish gets easyly, because in the clear river that is a lot of fish. And then, he would cook the fish to eat.

One afternoon, after farming in the fields, he went to the river for fishing. But, after a while, he did not get any fish. This incident never experienced before, because usually, the fish in the river that can easily be lured. Then he gets upset and decided to go home. But, when he would pull rod, the rod suddenly struck and pulled by the fish to the middle of the river. His heart was turned into joy, because he knew that the fish grabbed the pole is a big fish.

For while, he let his line drawn by the fish and then he jerked it immediately and he got a big fish. The fish quickly pulled to the ground and then he remove the hook from the fish's mouth. He kept the fish in the bag and went home with a cheerful heart.

He had imagined pleasures of grilled fish for dinner.

When I got home, he immediately took the fish to the kitchen. When he would bake the fish, it turns out he's running out of firewood. Then he came out to fetch firewood from storage.

But on arriving at the kitchen, he was surprised at all because the big fish was gone, and in place of fish that had been placed, there are a few pieces of gold. He was shocked and surprised because it was a strange incident and immediately left the kitchen and went into the room.

But in the room, he was more surprised. In his room, there was a woman facing the mirror and combing her hair, which is long and curly. And then she turned and looked at the farmer who was confused. And then the man became very fascinated, because she is extraordinary beautiful woman.

Because it was night, she asked that the lights turned on. And then, she accompanied him to the kitchen to cook dinner. During cooking, the woman told him that she was an incarnation of the big fish and a few gold pieces was the incarnation of its scales.

After some time, she was willing to accept the proposal of farmers, on the condition that he should swear that all his life he would never questioned his wife, who is an incarnation of the fish. After him swear so, they were married.

Then, they were blessed with a son. The boy was very spoiled by his mother, so he became a slacker son.

Every day, the boy was told by his mother to deliver lunch for his father who worked in the fields. However, often he does not want to help her so that his mother had to deliver the lunch to the fields herself.

One day, his mother told him to deliver lunch to the fields for his father. Like always, he refused, but, because of constantly being forced by her mother, then with anger, he went to deliver it. On the way, he ate some of the lunch, rice and dishes.

When he arrived in the fields, he gave leftover lunch to his father. His father who is very hungry then became very upset when he saw the leftover lunch. And the more furious when  no guilt, his son said that he was eating it. The father was so lost patience and hit his son, saying: "Damn. Ungrateful. You're truly a child of a woman who comes from a fish! "

The child was crying and ran to his mother at home. He was told that he was beaten by his father. All the words of his father, he told well. Hearing that, the mother was so sad, especially since her husband has violated his oath. The mother told him to immediately go up the hill and climb the tallest tree on the hill. Without more asking, he did her mother's orders immediately. He ran towards the hill and climb the tree.

Then the mother was running towards the river which is not so far away from their homes. And when she arrived at the banks of the river, lightning and thunder boomed. A moment later she jumped into the river and turned back into a big fish. And suddenly very heavy rain dropped and the river was a great flood, submerge the entire area of ​​the fertile valley.

The father could not save his life and was drowned. And then, that's what is known as Lake Toba. And the hill to which the child escaped known as Samosir Island.

Lake Toba - The Most Beautiful Volcano Lake

Lake Toba is a volcanic lake with a length of 100 kilometers, 30 kilometers wide and reaches a depth of 505 m. The lake is located in the center in the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia, with the altitude of 1000 meters above sea level. With an area of ​​1707 km ², this lake is the largest lake in Indonesia and Southeast Asia and the largest volcanic lake in the world. In the middle of this lake there is a volcanic island called Samosir Island.

Lake Toba is formed by a large eruption around 73000-75000 years ago. This eruption was the largest explosive eruption of the earth within 25 million years.

This incident caused mass death and the extinction of some species also followed. The eruption also caused the ice age, although experts still debate it.

After the eruption, the caldera formed which is then filled with water and became what is now known as Lake Toba. Pressure upward by magma that has not come out cause the emergence of Samosir Island.

Lake Toba is an amazing natural wonders on the island of Sumatra. Hard to imagine to find another beautiful place to visit in North Sumatra. Cool refreshing atmosphere, expanse of clear water turning blue, green mountains and stunning scenery is a small fraction of the images offered by this giant lake.

The area around Lake Toba has landscapes of lush pine forests and there are also some very stunning waterfalls. Around Lake Toba, you will also find sulfur hot spring.

For people of Batak, Toba Lake is believed as the residence of Namborru (seven ancestral goddess of Batak Tribe). So, if they want to perform the events around the lake then they have to pray and ask for permission first from Namborru.

And about how Lake Toba performed, Batak tribal folklore tells that Lake Toba originated from the river turned into a lake. Want to know the story, please go here, The Origin of Lake Toba.

In the middle of the lake there is Samosir Island with an area of ​​approximately 640 km ², which is nearly proportional to the area of Singapore.

Samosir Island, a volcanic island in the middle of Lake Toba, is largest island within an island, and the fifth largest lake island in the world.

This island has become a tourist destination for a long time, but the preservation of its natural is still good because customs are still holded firmly.

There are two beautiful lakes in Samosir,  named Lake Sidihoni and Lake Aek Natonang.

On this island, you also can find misty mountains, crystal clear waterfalls to swim, and farming communities. Batak hospitality will lure you wherever you go because you can immediately find a new friend here.

Tourist center on the island of Samosir is in Tuk Tuk, a village where the ferry from Parapat anchored. In addition by the ferry boat, Samosir Island can also be reached by road via Pangururan, a place where Samosir Island and Sumatra Island is connected. 

Parapat is not a separate thing from Lake Toba. Located on a peninsula that protrudes into the lake, Parapat offers spectacular scenery of Lake Toba. Parapat inhabited by tribe of Batak Toba and Batak Simalungan, which are known as cheerful and sociable nature people.

For tourism, there is Lake Toba Festival which is performed annualy.

The festival raised local culture which is packaged professionally. One of the attraction is Carnival Sigale-gale. This event is very unique and colorful and will attract the attention of tourists, local and foreign.

Carnival Sigale gale will take the route as far as 4.5 kilometers. Starting from the football field in Ambarita to the open stage at Tuktuk in Samosir Island.

In this carnival, tourists are treated to a performance art Batak tribe, also equipped with Gorga (sculpture), Gondang (art music), Mask Batak, Tandok (woven art), and of course, Ulos (the art of weaving), which became an icon of the Batak fashion. Batak Culture Carnival is displayed with professionals and displays Batak culture as part of the national culture of Indonesia.

Another interesting event in Lake Toba Festival is Lake Toba's World Drum Festival. Based on data, there are only a few regions in the world which makes gondang (drum) as the melody in a traditional music performances. In Indonesia, there are also a few tribes, one of them is the tribe of Batak.

Besides cultural arts performances, also featured a variety of sporting competitions. Not just the local competition, but even that would be an international competition.

The goal is to promote Lake Toba, in addition to the tourist destinations of the world, as well as one of the water sports arena in Indonesian. Some sport contested such as, swimming, marathon, Solu Bolon, a traditional rowing race boat used in Lake Toba, and paragliding in accuracy landing category. Believe it or not, the area around Lake Toba, referred to as one of the best paragliding spots in the world.

Merauke - The Most Eastern of Indonesia

Merauke, a town on the most eastern of Indonesia, is the capital of the largest districts in Indonesia. The town which  is located on the island of Papua, is still beautiful and original. The culture is still depply held and strong sense of brotherhood still exists. Of course, the hospitality of the very pronounced.

The name of Merauke began when the arrival of the Dutch around 1902. They came by sailing on the river Maro and asked to people of Marind (indigenous people of Merauke) about name of the river that they were going through. The Marinds did not understand the language, but could understood what the Dutch asked. They answered "Maro Ka Ehe" which means "This is river Maro". From the word "Maro ka ehe", then become into Merauke name used today.

To get the town of Merauke, we can use air and sea transport. by using ship, it will be quite a long time, more than a week. Meanwhile, through the air, we can shorten the time to about 12-15 hours and during journey, we will transit in Makassar which takes a long time (up to 6 hours). In Mopah Airport in Merauke, we will see the Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as high as 12 meters. Here, many tourists are going to take pictures, to perpetuate their arrival at Merauke.

As the most eastern area of the Indonesian Archipelago, District Merauke is directly adjacent to the Republic of Papua New Guinea. Sota, about 80 km from the town of Merauke, is small city that directly adjacent to the neighboring countries. In Sota, there is a monument that shows the coordinates of the boundary between the two countries. This monument is located in a small park that is simple but neat, built by a police officer, Ipda Ma'ruf. In Sota, there is also Sabang-Merauke Monument, symbolizing the unitary state of Indonesia. This monument has a twin that is located on Weh Island, Aceh, which is 5200 km from Sota.

In the District Tanah Miring (about 25 km from Merauke), there is also the monument LB Moerdani. This monument was built to commemorate Operation Dragon, a military operation in which on June 4, 1962, at the District Tanah Miring, Military Special Forces under the command of Major LB Moerdani was dropped for the first time, in order to liberate West Irian from the Dutch.


In Merauke, there is Wasur National Park where can be found a variety of fauna and flora endemic of Papua, such as cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus), pademelons (Thylogale), cenderawasih/bird of paradise (Paradisaeidae) and New Guinea crocodile (Crocodylus novaeguineae). Moreover, it can be found also a wide variety of species of orchids. Approximately 70 percent of the National Park Wasur is savannah and the rest is swamp forest, monsoon forest, beach forest, swamp forest and extensive sago. Plant species that are found in these areas include Api-Api (Avicennia germinans), Ketapang (Terminalia catappa) and Cajuput (Melaleuca leucadendra).

The best time to visit Wasur National Park is in September, which is the transitional seasons from wet to dry. At that time, we can see spectacular scenery, which water birds come crowdly to feed into Lake Rawa Biru (Blue Marsh Lake). Around the lake will grow unique flowers. And in October-November, when the swamp will become drier, other animals began to come to Lake Rawa Biru to get water. And so, the Lake Rawa Biru becomes the "country" for the animals. The diversity of fauna in the National Park Wasur makes it known as the Serengeti of Papua

There are something unique in Wasur National Park, Musamus. Musamus is ants nests which  built by the ants in such a way, so it becomes a soil monument. There are many Musamus in Wasur National Park, with varying height and many are reaching 3-4 meters. Musamus which is "castles of ants" built by using ground, dry grass and the ant saliva as adhesive. Interestingly, Musamus was designed with a ventilated hallways to protect the ant colony from rain. And in summer, the halls become the airway to release heat from the "castle". Musamus can only be found in certain places in the world.

Nature of Merauke also awarded with beautiful beaches. One of the beaches that are popular is Lampu Satu Beach (One Lamp Beach), in Village Buti, about 3 km from Merauke. The name Lampu Satu obtained because there are a lighthouse on the beach. This beach has white sand and gentle stretching with a relatively long coastline and palm trees lined. From morning till evening, the sea water here, will recede as far as 2 kilometers. So, we will look that fishing boats stranded on the beach. And in the afternoon, the beach is crowded by local people, especially young people, who want to enjoy the romantic sunset in the evening.

There are also another beautiful beach in Merauke, Payum Beach. The atmosphere of Payum Beach is not much different than Lampu Satu Beach. Here, we can find a wide brown sand beach which is more natural and quiet. We can see the vast ocean that disappeared over the horizon. And at dusk, before sunset, the atmosphere will be more dramatic and romantic.

It is not complete if we do not taste the local cuisine. Venison is one of the typical culinary from Merauke and to get it is not so difficult, because the restaurants and butchers sell a lot of venison. Papeda which is a porridge made from sago is also a unique culinary from Merauke and it is not less delicious.

For souvenirs, besides Batik Papua, noken bag, deer jerky, bags, belts, shoes which is made from genuine leather could be a reference for souvenirs, a memento from Indonesia's easternmost city.