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.

Weh Island : The Most Western of Indonesia

Weh Island, on the northwestern of Sumatra Island It is a small volcanic island in Andaman Sea which was formed by separating from Sumatra after the last time volcano eruption in the Pleistocene era. Around Weh Island, there are several small islands, such as Rubiah Island, Seulako Island and Klah Island.

Weh Island is the most western island of Indonesia. That’s why, in its largest city, Sabang, there is the Sabang-Merauke Monument which has twins in Merauke, Papua. Both monuments build as a symbol of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia from west at Sabang (Aceh ) to east at  Merauke (Papua). In the north of the island, there is also the monument of 0 Km of Indonesia.

Island of Weh has a beautiful nature. The west side of Weh Island, there is a Forest Reserve and Marine Reserve. On the island of Weh, there are also many attractions, like Pantai Kasih (Love Beach), Pantai Sumur Tiga (ThreeWells Beach), Pantai Tapak Gajah (Tread Elephant Coast), Pantai Ujung Kareung (Reef Tip Beach) and Beach of Gapang. As a volcanic island, Pulau Weh also has hot springs, small volcano, and hot mud pools.

On the island of Weh, there are also waterfalls and Lake Aneuk Lot that not far from the town of Sabang. But the famous of island of Weh is its sea and beaches that are very excellent for snorkeling and diving.

Waters of  Weh Island has wealth of very fascinating marine and is one of the best dive sites in Indonesia. There are at least 19 point dive in the waters of Weh Island. The most famous is Rubiah Marine Park, located east of the Rubiah Island. 

Rubiah Marine Park located on the west of Sabang, about 23.5 km by road or about 7 km by sea, adjacent to the village of Iboih. Government of Indonesia set the waters around Rubiah Island (about 2.600 acres) as nature reserves. In this most famous dive site of Weh Island, you will find calm and clear seawaters. Moreover, a variety of tropical fish and colorful coral reefs, are also ready to welcome you to enjoy the beauty of Rubiah Marine Park. Gigantic clams, angel fish, school of parrot fish, lion fish, sea fans, and much more, are also waiting for you in this dive site of Weh Island. Also find the honeycomb morays, octopus and stingrays.

The wrecks of "Sophie Rickmers" is also an interesting dive site in Weh Island. Sophie Rickmers was a steam cargo ship made ​​in Germany in 1920, that the Dutch seized it on May 10, 1940 in the waters of Weh island. But then on that very day, the crews of  Sophie Rickmer sunk their own ship. Currently the boat 134 m long, covered by corals and bocome the home to giant groupers, giant morays and giant travellies.

In the south of Weh island, there is a dive site, Batee Meuduro. The distance is quite far away and isolated from other dive sites in Weh Island. But many divers said that Batee Meuduro is a top diving spot in Pulau Weh. Its shallow beach is covered by large table coral that becomes the home to lobsters, reef fishes and the baby sharks. At this top dive sites in Weh Island, you can encountered a lot of tunas, mackerels, barracudas, napoleon wrasse, manta rays and various of sharks.

Rubiah Marine Park, Sophie Rickmers ‘ wreck and Batee Meuduro are just 3 beautiful dive sites in Weh Island . There are still many more beautiful diving sites in Weh Island like Batee Dua Gapang, Batee Meuroron, Rubiah Utara (North Rubiah), Pantee Ideu, Batee Gla, Pantee Aneuk, Seuke or 'The Canyon', Pantee Peunateung, Sumur Tiga (Three Wells), Anoi Hitam and many more other dive sites.

How to reach Weh island ? You can use the ferry from the Malahayati harbour in Banda Aceh headed to Port Balohan in Weh Island (about 2 hours). From Balohan,  minibuses and taxis are available to take you to Sabang, the capital of Weh island.

In Weh Island, there is not any classified hotels, but Inns (locals called "losmen"). Although only inns,  they are always ready to serve you with good service and hopitality. The facilities are quite simple and adequate; the rooms have baths and some have fans and air conditioning. The losmens are also ready to serve you a  good meal. Want to try different culinary ? you can go to the numerous food stalls in the town of Sabang.

Have a nice vacation in island of Weh .. :>)

Bali – Indonesia

Bali is a tropical island on Indonesian archipelago. Lies between Java to the west and Lombok island in the east. It is often referred to as paradise island and correctly so.

With sandy beaches and pounding surf, tropical jungles and exotic wildlife, green hills and yellow paddy terraces, active volcanoes and mystical mist, religious life and solemn ceremony, daily life and culture, Bali has been the favorite destination for locals and international tourists for ages.

Bali is fulfilled with magnificent beaches, breathtaking sceneries, marvellous trinkets and interesting culture. It is an ideal destination for those who want to escape from daily activities, enjoy a honeymoon, or even, have a great time with family and friends.

Beside sightseeing, Bali also provides a lot of fun and activities for tourists, such as snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming, hiking, and golf.

The most crowded resort in Bali is in the southern of the island. And the most famous tourist destination is Kuta. Kuta is a beach with eight kilometers golden sand and has lot of nice accommodation and best shopping and lively nightlife. The waves are good enough for surfing. Not far to the north, that's Seminyak Beach. Seminyak beach is quieter than Kuta, so it felt more peaceful.

Sanur Beach is also a well-known tourist destination. It is quiter than Kuta. The waves were pretty quiet, then Sanur beach can not be used to surf. But not far off Sanur Beach, there are some diving and snorkelling locations with friendly conditions, so they can be used by divers of all levels of expertise. The opposite of Kuta which is known as Sunset Beach, Sanur is known as the Sunrise Beach.

And in the northern of Bali, there is Lovina Beach which is not far from city of Singaraja. Lovina is a beautiful beach and full of peace. If you are lucky, you will see the dolphins swimming not far from the beach.

For the surf-lovers, there are plenty great sites for surfing in Bali, especially along Bali’s southwest coast and peninsula. Amed, Balangan, Canggu, Dreamland, Jimbaran, Keramas, Kuta, Legian, Padang-Padang, Seminyak, Tanah Lot and Uluwatu, are just some of the surf spots in Bali. There are other surf spots with each level of difficulty and uniqueness.

Bali also has beautiful underwater world. For the lovers of diving and snorkeling, the diving places like, Secret Bay, Menjangan Island, Tulamben, Amed, Padang Bai, Sanur, Nusa Dua and Manta Point in Nusa Penida, will provide exceptional diving sensation for them. Besides these places, there are many others diving spots in Bali.

For those who like climbing a mountain, then the mountain Batur is the most popular choice for climbers. In addition, there are Mount Agung that you have to be really fit if you want to climb it.

Bali’s major cultural destination is Ubud. Here, traditional dances are staged every night and lot of organic cafés and arts-and-crafts galleries along the streets are decorated with beautiful ethnic ornaments.

And for shopping lovers .. well, you can find a lot of shopping centers in Bali. Art market and art galleries are very easy to find. They provide a wide range of souvenirs and clothing. You can also find art galleries that sell a variety of gold and silver jewelry with high quality art. A tip for shopping, you should be able to bargain for a fair price.

Nusa Tenggara Islands – Indonesia

Nusa Tenggara Islands stretches to the east, from the island of Bali up to the north of Australia. Comprises more than 2000 islands and is divided into two provinces, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara.

There are some fairly large islands like Lombok and Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara and the island of Sumba, Flores and Timor in East Nusa Tenggara. The rest are small islands scattered among the major islands.

Maybe the strands of Nusa Tenggara Islands are the most diverse and very interesting to be explored from this country, Indonesia. Starting from the diversity of religions in which the island of Bali is dominated by the Hindu, then Islam in Lombok and Sumbawa and Flores with the majority of Catholics, and Timor, Alor and Solor with the Protestant as majority. And there are also tribes that still hold animistic rituals and traditions of their tribe. And all living side by side in peace and kinship.

So does with language, which almost every island has a native language. And usually it was still divided into several dialects. However, they have a unifying language is Indonesian.

In addition, Nusa Tenggara also displays natural variation which is quite interesting. From the slopes of a volcano that green and fertile rice fields on the island of Lombok to the dry and arid hills on the island of Sumba and Komodo.

Nusa Tenggara Islands have many attractive tourism spots. Say that you are a diving lover, then the waters of three “Gili” in the northwest of Lombok will present spectaculer diving spot for you. In addition, there are also very exotic  diving spots that scattered on the island of Alor, Komodo, Moyo and other else.

For the lovers of surfing, then do not worry because of the south coasts of the islands have good waves for surfing. Pantai Kuta and Senggigi beach in Lombok, Nihiwatu Beach in Sumba, Nemberalla Beach in Rote are just few of the beaches that will challenge the surfers to play with its waves.

And for the explorers, you can climb the third highest mountain in Indonesia, Mount Rinjani in Lombok Island. You can enjoy the beautiful and peaceful atmosphere at Segara Anak, a lake not far from the crater of Mount Rinjani. Or you can climb Mount Kelimutu on Flores Island. At the peak you will
find 3 different colored crater lake, also known as Lake Thr
ee Colors.

There are many other attraction of Nusa Tenggara as traditional whaling in Lamalera, a giant prehistoric lizards - the Komodo dragon and "Homo floresiensis" the dwarf and known as "The Hobbit" would be very interesting for those lovers of archeology and paleontology.

Nusa Tenggara islands will provide something new to you.