Japan`s market demand for rattan furniture increases

Rattan furniture with natural color from Cirebon, West Java, continues to attract Japan` market demand, according to rattan craftsmen here.

Indonesian Wood and Rattan Furniture Association (WRFA) Chairman Sunoto said here on Wednesday that every country wanted different design and color, but for the purpose of exports to Japan, the demand for rattan furniture with natural color was very high.

Sunoto explained that the demand for rattan furniture with natural color from Japan`s market was very encouraging, and therefore he asked the rattan craftsmen here to continue to maintain the design and motive.

He said the demand for rattan furniture for export market was high enough, thus its intensive exhibition overseas was expected to increase its export by 3,000 containers to in various European and American countries until Africa in 2014. 

Meanwhile, a local rattan craftsman Aris Fadila also said the demand for rattan furniture with natural color in Japan`s market was encouraging.

"The orders of rattan furniture to be exported to Japan and Italy are increasing after the government issued a ban on exports of rattan furniture raw materials," Fadila said.

Besides, WRFA secretary g general Abdul Sobur said the demands for rattan furniture exports to the countries in Europe and Asia continued to increase. (Antara)

Bejing and Bandung to promote cooperation in tourism

The city administrations of Bandung and Beijing have agreed to expand cooperation between the two cities in tourism promotion . 

The agreement was marked with the signing of a memorandum of understanding here on Monday night. 

Dience Herlina Permana, the secretary of the Bandung city tourism and culture service , said more Chinese tourists have visited Indonesia from year to year.

The increase in the number of Chinese visitors to Indonesia has been in line with the rapid expansion of economic cooperation between the two countries, Dience.

However, the Chinese visitors are still far smaller in number compared with those from Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Australia, she said. 

The cooperation, therefore, is expected to result in an increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Indonesia including Bandung and vice versa, Dience said.

Nicolas Lumanau, chairman of the Bandung Promotion Agency said the two countries have long histories and the cultures of the two countries have strong influence on each other. 

Nicolas said most Chinese may not forget that Bandung was the city where the historic Asia Africa Conference was held in 1955 attended by then Prime Minister Zhou En Lai together with other leaders of the emerging Asia and African countries.

Until now the building that housed the conference is still well preserved, he said. 

Many reasons why tourism cooperation needs to be expanded between the two countries, he said citing the cultural varieties that influenced each other. 

Deputy chairman of Beijing Promotion Agency Yu Depin said Beijing has become the world`s tourist destination for 3,000 years although it was only 860 years as Chinese capital city.

Yu Depin predicted in the next five years there would be 400 million Chinese tourists visiting foreign countries opening the possibility for Indonesia including Bandung to take advantage of the opportunity.

Beijing and Bandung have different characteristics both with varying cultures, therefore, the two cities would have more to give and take from cooperation, he said. 

The five year cooperation agreement in tourism promotion and marketing could be extended depending on the two cities, he said. 

The two cities also agreed to jointly undertake tourism research and exchange of information  (Antara)

Jakarta Fashion & Food Festival: Top 5 dishes

The Jakarta Fashion & Food Festival (JFFF), held in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, could overwhelm even the most dedicated gastronomes.

The festival, held until May 26, offers a myriad of Indonesian dishes at the outdoor venue called Kampoeng Tempo Doeloe in Sentra Kelapa Gading.

Choices, choices. But perhaps our recommendations can make your task a bit easier:

Tahu Gunting Surabaya: A signature dish of Surabaya in East Java, tahu gunting (scissors-cut tofu) is unique not only for its flavor but also in its preparation. As its name suggests, the cook uses scissors instead of a knife to slice the dish’s ingredients, which includes tofu, boiled potatoes and lontong(rice cake).

This cutting process is usually quite impressive due to its fast pace.

This sweet-and-savory dish is topped off with boiled bean sprouts, spring onions, crackers and fried shallots.

Ask for spicy peanut sauce if you want a kick to it.

Price: Rp 15,000 (US$1.54)

Bihun Bebek Medan Suki:This popular dish from Medan, North Sumatra, is said to contain medicinal herbs.

Bihun bebek consists of clear, savory broth, delicate thin rice noodles and slices of duck meat.

Fresh lettuce, coriander leaves and spring onions are sprinkled atop the dish.

Price Rp 33,000

Mie Kangkung Oma Evie: Kangkung, often translated as water spinach, is quite prominent in many Asian dishes.

This time, it makes for a warm, comforting bowl of noodle soup. Mie Kangkung Oma Evie features blanched kangkungand egg noodle.  It is served with shredded chicken, prawns and squid.

It is a nice combination of sweet and spicy with its rather thick broth.

Price: Rp 25,000

Rujak Kolam Medan:There are many versions of rujak (fruit salad) in Indonesia. This one originates from Medan, North Sumatra.


There are at least two things that make Rujak Kolam Medan a must-try dish.

First, a portion of it contains various fruit such as mango,bengkuang (jicama), papaya, pineapple, rose apple, cucumber and guava as well as Balinese orange and red-orange sweet potato. Vitamins galore!

Second, its sauce is a mix of fried peanut, palm sugar, terasi Medan (fermented shrimp paste), tamarind, pisang batu (small stony plantains with seeds discarded) and chili, which gives it a sensationally sweet, sour, spicy and crunchy taste when combined with fresh fruit.

If you opt for spicy sauce, make sure you have something to drink because it is likely that you're going to need it badly.

Starting price: Rp 22,000

Es Campur Sinar Garut: A swarm of people flock to this stand that sells this refreshing best-selling dessert, which is perfect on a hot day.

Es campur is basically shredded ice mixed with young coconut, avocado, cincau (grass jelly), sweet tape (fermented steamed cassava) and kolang-kaling (sugar palm fruit).

The dish is made even sweeter with bright red syrup and sweet condensed milk poured on top.

Price: Rp 14,000 
(Source: Jakarta Post)

A Bumper-to-Bumper Crop of Tourists

Government Survey of Tourists in Bali Show’s Widespread Dissatisfaction with Traffic Conditions
A survey carried out by Bali’s Provincial Tourism Authority in 2012 identified traffic congestion as a major complaint made by international holidaymakers coming to the Island.

As reported by Bali Daily (The Jakarta Post), survey respondents urged urgent action be taken to address widespread traffic problems in Bali.
According to the head of the Bali Tourism Authority (Kadisparda), Ida Bagus Subhisku, the survey sought feedback from 1,000 respondents on matters ranging from traffic, customs, accommodation, restaurants, transportation, taxis and cleanliness.

A worrying 57% of those responding provided negative reviews of traffic conditions. Survey participants were approached at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport during the departure process at the end of a holiday spent on Bali. Subhisku characterized the negative feedback on traffic as “understandable” – especially those traveling in South Bali where the airport is located.

The Tourism chief was quick to point out that traffic perceptions were no doubt influenced by the massive infrastructure projects underway that, when completed, will help alleviate much of the problem.

Bali is in the finishing phases of a major expansion of the airport, the construction of a underpass at the Simpang Siur intersection in Kuta and the Benoa-Ngurah Rai-Nusa Dua toll way. And, while the infrastructure improvements will do much to help ease Bali’s traffic congestion, they should not be seen as a panacea to the Island’s traffic woes. Serious traffic congestion will persist in the capital city of Denpasar and central Kuta, while horrific and frequent accidents along the Denpasar-Gilimanuk highway will also continue to occur.

Badung Regent AA Gde Agung blamed traffic problems on illegal parking and asked local businesses in Kuta not to park on sidewalks. Yet, street side parking persists despite the availability of off-street parking. Agung is promising to create no-parking areas in Kuta.

© Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com.

Keeping Promises Made to Bali

With Bali's New Benoa-Ngurah Rai-Nusa Dua Toll Way Nearing Completion, It's Time to Keep Promises to Restore Bottom Lands and Protect Mangrove Areas

The President of Indonesia is scheduled to come to Bali in mid-June to formally inaugurate two important new infrastructure projects. President Yudhoyono will preside over the opening of the new Simpang Siur Underpass Interchange in Kuta and the opening of a magnificent new toll way suspended over coastal waters connecting Sanur to the Southern tip of the Island.

Both projects are being completed in record time and are certain to help reduce traffic congestion in Bali and improve the daily experience of both Island visitors and residents. With the inauguration of the two projects there now exists a hope that bottlenecks at the Simpang Siur intersection will become a thing of the past and the one-hour or more drive from Sanur to Nusa Dua will be reduced to only 10-15 minutes.

Amidst these bright prospects of less traffic congestion, we’d like to pause briefly and remind PT Jasa Marga – the company building and supervising the new toll road, of a critical promise they made to the people of Bali.

The original environmental impact study undertaken before the toll way project commenced openly acknowledged the importance of protecting the large mangrove forest area that skirts the shore line under and surrounding the elevated road way. Accordingly, pledges were made to take extraordinary measure and use floating pontoons to install “minimally invasive” pylons that will raise the roadway above the mangrove, allowing the natural ebb and flow of tides, wild life and sea life to go on unimpeded.

Engineering miscalculations, however, underestimated the difficulty of keeping the promise to use floating pontoons, causing the project to resort to using landfill to construct access roads under the path of the roadway.

This change in construction method prompted Friends of the Earth-Bali (WALHI) to scream “foul” – claiming the road project’s failure to stick with the original construction plan was causing massive, possibly irrevocable, damage to an eco-system that plays a central role in the propagation of sea life and in protecting Bali from tidal surges.

When the temporary access roadways were built, WAHLI sent letters of protest to the project managers and Bali’s governor, asking the project be halted until protections could be put in place that would ensure the protection and  sustainability of the nearby mangrove forest.

PT Jasa Marga responded to the protests issuing public assurances that all the temporary roads used in the construction of the highway would be completely removed and the natural state of the mangrove restored.

We take this opportunity to remind PT Jasa Marga of the promises they made and the need to spare no expense in protecting mangrove and Bali’s environment.

At the same time, we also call on Bali’s Governor and the Republic’s President to steadfastly refuse to participate in any formal inauguration of the new project until they personally inspect the area and confirmed thatPT Jasa Marga has honored its pledge to the people of Bali and the Island's future generations by removing all the roads beneath the new toll way.

Does the deadline need to be so absolutely enforced? We think so.

Absolute promises made not to strangle the mangrove by building access roads were broken early in the building process. Therefore, now is the time for the project’s manager to demonstrate good faith and do all possible to set things right, even if that entails delaying the opening of the road.

Linking the operation of the highway to the removal of the access roads will also serve as an added incentive for the roadway’s investors to waste no time in keeping promises made to both the mangrove and the people of Bali.

The need to preserve this precious island's environment should never be assigned a less than fundamental priority.

© Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com.