Diana Krall, Ashanti, all that jazz coming to Jakarta this October

Java Jazz Productions, the organizer of the country’s biggest musical event, the Java Jazz International Festival, has more to offer to jazz enthusiasts than just a three-day festival every March.

Having gained international recognition as a world-class music concert organizer, it now aims to produce concerts featuring international artists throughout the year.

In the midst of this year’s Lebaran holiday mood, the company will present Diana Krall, dubbed “The First Lady of Jazz”, at the Ritz Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Place, on Oct. 5.

“The Jakarta audience is very lucky because this great jazz concert will be held at the end of the joint holiday when most offices and businesses are still closed,” the production’s program director, Paul Dankmeyer, said.

The Grammy-winning artist for the Best Jazz Performance (1999) and the Best Jazz Vocal Album (2002) is currently on her Asian tour to promote her latest album, The Very Best of Diana Krall (2007), which was released along with her DVD album.

Also in October, the company will hold the first soul music festival, called The Axis Jakarta International Soulnation Festival, at Istora Senayan Hall.

According to Java Jazz chairman Peter F Gontha, the festival aims to cater to the younger generation that lean toward music genres such as R&B, hip hop, rap and soul.

The two-day festival, from Oct. 17 to 18, will feature international artists such as Ashanti, Rahsaan Patterson, Blackilicious and Akon in addition to a number of emerging Indonesian soul artists including Yacko, Soulvibe, Saykoji, Sonic Squad, Ran, Neo and Faro and many others, the production’s program coordinator Eki Puradiredja said.

The American R&B songstress Ashanti rose to fame in 2002 when she released her Grammy Award-winning debut album, Ashanti, which features her hit single “Foolish”.

Here on Gili fan's islands

The Gili islands - Air, Meno and Trewangan - are an escape from an escape from an escape; they are three somnolent dots that drift just off Lombok, which in turn floats just east of Bali.

Lombok, a haven of calm compared to the hullabaloo of southern Bali, has relatively few tourists and no thumping party scene - although the dreaded karaoke virus is spreading. Its main tourism enclave, on the west coast around Senggigi beach, has a strip of international-standard resorts, plus a row of restaurants and bars. It is all low-key and tasteful but for some travellers even this is "too developed". They escape to an even farther shore, the Gili islands.

Just a short ferry ride from Bangsal harbour on north-west Lombok, the three Gili islands are an escapologist's dream. The first time I visited the Gilis 12 years ago, a simple room with bed and mozzie net cost $10 a night, including breakfast.

Bliss at a bargain price, even if the room was single, and the 25-watt light was so dim, I had to replace it with the 75-watt bulb I carried for just such occasions.

This time, we sample the decidedly more upmarket Vila Ombak on Gili Trewangan. At 10 times the price I paid in 1996, it also offers 10 times the facilities - pool, bar, honeymoon suites, air-conditioning and an absolute beachfront restaurant.

In the latter, needless to say, the menu has come a long way from those typical '90s offerings of gado gado, jaffles and mango smoothies.

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Most hotels in Bali fully booked for Idul Fitri holidays

Most hotels in Bali are fully booked for the holiday period in late September-early October, including during the Idul Fitri celebration on Oct. 1 and 2, a hotel executive said Wednesday.

IB Gede Sidharta Putra, who manages Griya Santrian Hotel in Sanur, said a number of locals had expressed disappointment as they could not get rooms at his hotel at short notice.

The number of tourists to Bali is expected to fall slightly in November, but bounce back in the second week of December and hold in January next year, he said.

Gusde, who is also head of the Sanur Development Foundation, said most of those staying in his Santrian hotels are returning guests from Europe.

“About 50 percent to 60 percent of our guests are from Europe, who mostly stay here for an average of two weeks. But at the moment we are being flooded by tourists from Australia,” he said.

Head of the Bali Tourism Office I Gede Nurjaya confirmed Gusde’s remarks, saying other hotels in Kuta, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua areas, the preferred destinations for both foreign and domestic tourists, have also experienced overbooking.

Producing a local wine for Bali tourists

Here on Bali's arid north coast, far from its terraced rice paddies and nowhere near its bustling beaches, Thomas Hadi Wibowo tends to a small vineyard - one of the closest in the world to the equator - growing grapes for Hatten Wines.

"The dry soil is good for the grapes; it gives them the right sweetness," said Wibowo, 36, a former apple grower from Java, as he wandered beneath the shade of the vineyard's trellises, waving a bamboo stick to frighten birds away.

Defying the popular notion that producing quality wine in the tropics is near impossible and probably not worth the headache, especially given the added complications of global warming, Hatten has managed to establish a small but successful wine trade here, even garnering some international recognition.

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Is Indonesia Serious About Cruise Tourism?

The chairman of Indonesian Seafaring Foundation (Yayasan Cinta Bahari Indonesia -YCBI), Richard T. Lesmana, recently accused the government of sabotaging the 2008 "Sail Indonesia" event that invited foreign yachts to join an armada sailing through Eastern Indonesia.

Sail Indonesia is an annual yachting event that most recently saw 150 yachts from 15 countries set sail from Darwin, Australia to Batam, an Indonesian island near Singapore.

In a drive to promote sea tourism representatives of the Indonesian Department of Culture and Tourism have invested heavily in promoting internationally the lucrative yachts and cruise ship sectors, while large sums are being spent on new cruise infrastructure facilities in Bali and elsewhere.

These steps to encourage cruising are in stark contrast to the recent moves by the Custom's Department to impose bonds and guarantees that make Indonesia one of the world's least attractive cruise destinations.

The efficacy of the new taxation rules in devastating cruise tourism is hard to deny and can be gauged by the fact that of the 121 participating yachts "welcomed" by customs at the West Timor port of Kupang, apparently only 22 decided to continue their Indonesian journey to the subsequent North Bali port-of-call.

West Java projects number of tourists at 5 million

The West Java Culture and Tourism Office has projected the number of tourists coming to West Java during the Idul Fitri this year at five million.

"Their number in last year`s Idul Fitri reached 4 million people," Head of the West Java Culture and Tourism Office Budhiyana said here Monday.

"The tourists will be visiting various tourism objects in West Java," he added.

Several most popular tourism objects in West Java during the Idul Fitri holidays include the Bogor Botanical Garden, Pelabuhan Ratu beach, Pangandaran beach, Bandung and hot spring resorts.

Garuda reopens Brisbane-Denpasar flight route

ational flag carrier Garuda Indonesia plans on December 13, 2008 to reopen its Denpasar-Brisbane flight route which was closed in early 2007.

At the initial stage, Garuda would serve the reopened route three times a week using Airbus 330s with a seat capacity of 300 passengers, a Garuda official in Australia said on Monday in response to ANTARA`s question.

Garuda would fly to Brisbane on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, he said.

Garuda`s plan was hailed by the Indonesian community in Brisbane. Iman Partoredjo, for instance, said "If Garuda flies (to Brisbane) again, we will welcome it. In the past, it was also welcomed."

The Indonesian government has targeted around 380,000 Australian tourists to visit Indonesia, especially Bali, during 2008, an increase from 314,432 last year

Bird paradise at Pulau Rambut

Not all of us know about the bird sanctuary in North Jakarta. Well, it is not exactly in Jakarta, but off the mainland on Pulau Rambut, an island to the north. You can get there in less than half an hour by fishing boat from Tanjung Pasir, Tangerang.

However, because it is a wildlife reserve, the island is not open to the general public. Its use is restricted to conservation, scientific research, education, and guided tourism.

Visitors who want to visit this island should request a permit from the Jakarta Office of the Natural Resources Conservation Center.

Mangrove and wetland forests cover two-thirds of the total area. Its abundant vegetation and location make this island an ideal habitat for sea birds.

Forty-nine bird species have been identified as inhabitants of Pulau Rambut whose total bird population numbers about 40,000. Most are cormorants, egrets, and herons. Some species are classified as rare or endangered and are protected by law.

The best time to visit is from March to September. Beside enjoying the nice weather, during this period visitors can watch birds feeding their chicks with freshly caught fish. At present only one observatory tower is available, which can accommodate about 10 to 15 observers.

Get Gnarly! Head To Bali From $199* One Way

PACIFIC BLUE TO LAUNCH FLIGHTS FROM AUSTRALIA TO INDONESIA
DIRECT SERVICES FROM ADELAIDE, BRISBANE AND PERTH TO DENPASAR IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS

Friday 19 September 2008: Pacific Blue Airlines is expanding its international route network to include Asia for the very first time, with the announcement the airline will launch 11 direct flights a week between Australia and Indonesia from 1 December this year and just in time for the peak Christmas holiday period.

Subject to regulatory approval, Pacific Blue will fly direct from three Australian ports to Denpasar, the gateway to exotic Bali.

For the first time in its history, Pacific Blue will begin flights to a brand new country from three Australian ports at the same time. To celebrate its new Bali flights, the airline has launched a “Gnarly Bali” sale fare. Flights are on sale now until 26 September 2008 for travel from 1 December – 14 December 2008 and 1 February - 31 March 2009.

ADELAIDE-DENPASAR 2 DIRECT FLIGHTS/WEEK SALE FARES FROM $299* One way
BRISBANE-DENPASAR 5 DIRECT FLIGHTS/WEEK SALE FARES FROM $299* One way
PERTH-DENPASAR 4 DIRECT FLIGHTS/WEEK SALE FARES FROM $199* One way

The airline will also offer convenient connections from Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne to Bali. (For full schedule and fare information, please visit www.virginblue.com.au)

Bali tourism bizmen reject pornography bill

Balinese tourism businessmen affiliated to the Association of Indonesian Travel Agencies (ASITA) reject efforts in the central parliament to revive the Pornography Bill because the proposed legislation spells the demise of Bali`s tourism industry, a spokesman said.

"We, who work in the tourism industry, will be very disappointed if the anti-tourism bill is passed into law," A Purwa, chairman of ASITA`s Bali chapter, said here Wednesday.

Earlier, members of Bali`s Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD) had also expressed opposition to the bill.

Purwa said the Pornography Bill which some parties in the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta were reportedly trying to reintroduce contained articles harming the tourism industry.

For example, he said, one of the articles forbade women to wear bikinis when at the beach to swim or sunbathe whereas this was exactly what female tourists normally like to do when they were in Bali.

A fact was that the possibility of engaging in beach activity was one of the main things drawing tourists to Bali and other parts of Indonesia, "So, if the Pornography Bill is adopted, then Indonesian tourism is finished," Purwa said.

The bill would also ban dances like the `lengang lenggok` (in which swaying movements dominate) whereas these dances were part of a local culture`s attraction for tourists, he said.

Therefore, Purwa said, ASITA would collect and mobilize all the strength it had to fight the bill. .

St. Regis Bali Resort Opens

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. today announces the opening of The St. Regis Bali Resort, located in Nusa Dua, an elite beach enclave on the Southern tip of Bali.

Offering an unrivaled dimension of luxury, bespoke service and refined elegance at one of the best addresses in the world, The St. Regis Bali Resort features 79 luxurious, oversized suites, 42 private villas and two exclusive Residences, as well as world-class restaurants and bars, a signature Remede Spa, an intimate wedding chapel, ballroom and state-of-the-art meeting space. Owned by PT Pacific Resorts Buana Indonesia, a subsidiary of PT Rajawali Corpora, The St. Regis Bali Resort occupies a breathtaking beachfront location with spectacular views of the Indian Ocean and neighboring Bali Golf & Country Club.

Anti-porn bill may threaten tourism, say officials

An anti-pornography bill which is before the Indonesian Parliament may hurt tourism on the island of Bali, some officials have claimed.

The bill, currently in draft form in the House of Representatives, defines pornography as acts that incite sexual desire.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country and militant Islamic groups have taken a strong stance against pornography and prostitution in the country since the fall of former President Suharto in 1998.

The controversial legislation defines pornography as sexual materials in the form of drawings, sketches, illustrations, photographs, text, sound, moving pictures, animation, cartoons, poetry, conversations or any other form of communicative messages.

But some say the legislation could go as far as jailing people for kissing in public.

Experts see the bill as contentious, because traditional dress in Bali and the sparse clothing and swimwear worn by tourists, could be viewed as pornographic under the legislation.

"The island's tourism will clearly suffer should the house pass the bill," said Ngurah Wijaya, head of the Bali Tourism Board.

Last Friday, an Indonesian Islamic party, the Prosperous Justice Party said the anti-pornography bill could be a "Ramadan present" for Muslims.

Indonesia Tourism Report Q3 2008

Indonesia has seen a strong start to 2008 tourist arrival figures. The number of tourists visiting the archipelago during the first quarter increased by 15.68% year on year (y-o-y), to 1,405,456. This increase is very much in line with BMI’s own expectations of a 15% annual rise, so we see no reason to modify our forecasts this quarter. Bali continues to be the engine driving the wider Indonesian tourism industry, with the island welcoming some 197,700 tourists in February alone, an increase of almost 30%.

Visit Indonesia 2008 Campaign Launched

In late December 2007, the government officially launched Visit Indonesia 2008. The aims of this US$15mn domestic and international marketing campaign are to attract some 7mn foreign tourists to Indonesia and generate some US$6.4bn in foreign tourism receipts. There will also be over 100 international events and cultural festivals held around the archipelago to raise Indonesia’s international profile. The campaign marks the first time since 1991 that the government has held an international Visit Indonesia marketing campaign. The last campaign was not particularly successful, but this was carried out during a time of global economic slowdown. This year’s launch also got off to an inauspicious start when it was revealed that the tourism ministry’s English slogan ‘Celebrating 100 years of nation’s awakening’ was incorrect and had to be changed to ‘100 years of national awakening’. This gaffe forced Garuda Indonesia to repaint 10 planes that had already been tagged with the slogan. Although we welcome the launch of this tourism marketing campaign as a way of bringing tourists back to the country, BMI does not believe that the 7mn target can be reached, as this would represent a massive 27% increase y-o-y. We believe that our long-held target of 6.35mn visitors for 2008 can be reached, provided of course the security situation does not deteriorate. This would still represent strong annual growth of over 15%.


Indonesia Losing Tourism Competitiveness

The World Economic Forum recently released its second annual World Tourism Competitiveness Index. Indonesia has fallen 20 places from last year, to now be ranked at 80 out of 130 countries surveyed. The 2008 report placed particular emphasis on the issue of ‘balancing economic development and environmental stability’. The WEF’s analysis tallies very much with BMI’s own views on the country. In the WEF’s analysis, Indonesia scores highly in areas such as price competitiveness and national prioritisation of travel and tourism. However, weaknesses included underdeveloped tourism infrastructure and other issues related to tourist safety and security.

US Ambassador Cameron Hume visits Bunaken national sea park

US ambassador to Indonesia, Cameron Hume visited Bunaken National Sea Park on the sidelines of his five-day visit from September 12 to 17 in North Sulawesi provinve, a spokesman said.

During the visit Hume observed the preparation of World Ocean Conference (WOC) and Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) implementation, said North Sulawesi provincial public relations officer Feybe Rondonuwu here Sunday.

The WOC and CTI summit which will be carried out from May 11-15 2009 were expected to be attended by representatives of six countries namely Salomon Island, Filipina, Papua Nugini, Timor Leste, Malaysia and Indonesia as the host, and two supporting countries, the United States and Australia.

According to him, the US government would extend US$22 million in assistance for the CTI implementation.

The Bunaken National Sea Park as the world asset and heritage should be preserved due to its biological diversity and has become the world promotion media, Feybe Rondonuwu quoted Hume as saying.

The US envoy also expressed his readiness to help promote the North Sulawesi scenic natural resources especially its maritime potentials, Rondonuwu added.

Crime gang hitting tourism busted

The Bali Police crime and detective unit has managed to disable a criminal gang targeting foreign tourists, Crime and Detective Director Sr. Comr. Wilmar Marpaung said.

"The group specializes in foreign tourists at resort areas and has so far carried out their modus operandi 11 times," Wilmar said.

The police have arrested two of the three members of the gang and are hunting the other one, Wilmar said. The two were identified as Wayan Kontal, 15 and Ketut Merdana, 21.

"The other one is still on the run, identified only by his initial N and believed to be the mastermind," he said.

Wilmar said that the group had operated over the last two years and made away with millions of rupiah in stolen goods.

Wilmar explained that, using their operating techniques, the three used to work together in tourist spots along Kuta, like Jalan Legian, Jalan Poppies, Jalan Padma, Jalan Benesari and Jalan Lebaksari.

Singapore Airlines Vacations Offers Free Tour

Singapore Airlines Vacations is offering a complimentary tour and value-priced vacations to Singapore, Hong Kong, Bali and Phuket.

Vacation packages to Bali start at $1,499, while a package to Bangkok & Singapore begins at $1,589. A vacation to Bangkok & Phuket starts at $1,599. Vacations must be booked by Sept. 30.

Travel dates are as follows: Hong Kong, Jan. 18, 2009 through Feb. 28; Bangkok & Singapore and Bali vacations, now through Dec. 5 and Jan. 6, 2009 through March 31; and Bangkok & Phuket, now through Oct. 31. Gateways include San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston. Restrictions apply.

For more information email sales@sqvacations.com or call (888) 998-8168.

Bali, Batu artists display "nature culture"

Bali painter I Made Arya Palguna and fellow artist Fadjar Djunaedi from Batu, East Java hold an exhibition "Nature Culture" at the Gracia arts gallery here Sept 10-20, 2008.

Fadjar Djunaedi said here on Wednesday he displayed seven paintings along with nine works from Palguna.

"We try to respond to mother nature in our own specific style. I personally feature forest fires as main theme," he said.

One of the artist`s works was called "Tutup Mata Tutup Telinga" (Eyes and Ears Closed) to describe lack of care of the people for the matter.

Fajar, born on June 17, 1970 in Batu and an graduate of the State University of Malang majoring in Arts Education, portrayed a child sitting calmly on a swing in the middle of a forest fire.

Another painting "Kenikmatan Merokok Tidak Hanya pada Tembakau" (The Pleasures of Smoking not Only Concerns Tobacco) featured forest fire as a daily happening. People inhaled smoke from the forest fires like smokers do.

The painter portrayed a man standing in a cleared forest with dense green forests at the background but still threathened by many hot spots in a painting called "Menghitung Titik Api" (Counting Hot Spots).

Dutch cemetery rich with Jakarta history

Just inside the gates, visitors are greeted by romantic angels, Gothic turrets, sleeping children, marble crosses and heavy tombstones with baroque coats-of-arms, bringing to mind ancient cemeteries in Europe.

But don't expect to find lines of votive candles to remind us the dead still have living relatives who care.

This is an old Dutch cemetery located on Jl. Tanah Abang I in Central Jakarta.

The cemetery was officially opened Sept. 28, 1797, but people were first buried here as early as 1795.

On entering the cemetery, through a Parthenon-like portico (built in 1844), visitors get a rare glimpse of a bygone section of Jakarta's historic populace -- albeit in a neglected state.

Inside the portico is a bronze death knell with an atmosphere of mourning in times gone by.

Bodies of prominent figures were once buried here, including Maj. Gen. J.H.R. Kohler, the Dutch general who tried to conquer Aceh; archeologist W.F. Stutterheim, who wrote a famous book on the Hindu hero Rama; the founder of the famous STOVIA medical school, F.H. Roll; and J.L.A. Brandes, a famous archeologist who actively collected Hindu statues (a collection now in possession of the National Museum of Indonesia).

The headstones of several non-Dutch people can also be found here, such as Olivia Marrianne Raffles (the first wife of British Governor General Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles), activist Soe Hok Gie and the famous 1930s artist Miss Riboet.

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A New Traveling Guide in Indonesia; Voltras Travel’s Sales Office Launched

As a part of its business development, Voltras travel has officially launched its sales office, yesterday, September 1, 2008. The newly built travel services company is targeting wide range market, the sales office grips conventional market as a support to Voltras’ overall business.

Voltras travel Sales Office which is located at Tanjung Priok area, offers travel solutions, including flights and hotels, domestic and international. 'In near future, we are going to expand the contents, therefore we can give our customers wide range and customizable travel services,' Ahmad Ulya, the CEO of Voltras travel explained.

The company founded by four young people is currently stepping up its core business, a real-time online travel agent, voltras.com. 'We are currently in the final stage of business process,' CEO said.

Voltras.com will be the first real-time online travel agent in Indonesia. 'Being the first one requires a lot of resources to open those doors,' the ex-airliner said. Nevertheless, its conventional travel agent adopts IT based environment to maximize its services. 'We want to be a better Indonesia travel guide for tourists, by offering travel services at its best,' Ulya declared.

Voltras travel will synergize its three developments, the conventional travel agent, the real-time online travel agent, and its 'passion for tourism' manifestation; travelers online community.

Two New Foreign Airlines to Serve Bali

Hong Kong Express and Virgin Blue Planning to Begin Bali Flights.

(9/8/2008) The Jakarta Post quotes Heru Legowo, the General Manager of the Bali Airport Authority (PT Angkasa Pura I), as announcing that two new airlines are planning to land in Bali before the end of the current year.

Legowo said: "The two airlines are Hong Kong Express based in Hong Kong and Virgin Blue in Australia."

Hong Kong Express is set to commence four flight each week between Hong Kong and Bali on September 11, 2008.

Virgin Blue will commence 11 weekly flights to Bali later this year from several Australian ports of call.

According to The Jakarta Post, the introduction of the two new international airlines will bring to 26 the number of international airlines flying to Bali.

Both the People's Republic of China (which includes its Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong) and Australia represent two of the fastest growing source markets for Bali Tourism.

© Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com. All images and graphics are copyright protected.

Indonesia to take part in Shanghai Tourism Festival

Indonesia will take part in the Shanghai Tourism Festival (STF) which will be held from September 13 to October 6, in Shanghai, China, in a bid to promote its national tourism, art and culture internationally.

"Indonesia`s participation in the event will be part of efforts to promote tourism potential, art and culture to the international community," Head of the Indonesian Embassy`s Social and Cultural Department Rosmalawati Chalid said here, Monday.

In the festival, Indonesia would be represented by North Sulawesi administration in cooperation with the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Indonesian embassy, and the Indonesia Shanghai Business Association (IBAS), she said.

Rosmalawati said, STF was one of the 23 large-scale tourism festivals which have been held regularly since 1990 in China, and attracted a big number of foreign tourists.

In 2007, some 8 million local and foreign tourists visited the festival to seek information on world tourism places.

In the festival`s opening ceremony, each participating country would present its local arts and culture. Last year, the Indonesian delegation won the "Best Lighting Award", she said.

Indonesia`s delegation this year would bring "The Wonders of Sulawesi" as its theme, by featuring dancers and musicians from North Sulawesi as well as Jember Fashion Carnival which would perform eco-friendly costumes, she said.

Indonesia`s 36-member delegation would comprise representatives of the tourism and culture ministry, dancers, singers, musicians, North Sulawesi`s and IBAS officials.

STF 2008 is to be sponsored by Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative Commission and is scheduled to be officially opened on late Saturday, September 13.

Indonesian Triple Bill art exhibition opens in Singapore

An exhibition of some of the most exciting Indonesian artworks has opened at the Singapore Management University (SMU).

It is dubbed the Indonesian Triple Bill and features three separate displays. This includes a significant loan of artworks worth some S$1 million.

The Indonesian Triple Bill aims to give an insight into the country's art movement. It mainly features influences from Yogyakarta, regarded as the country's epicentre of modern and contemporary art.

Most of the paintings are loaned from prominent Indonesian art collector Dr Oei Hong Djien, who is known internationally as an astute and passionate collector of Indonesian art.

His pieces will make up the show "Out of Magelang". Magelang is in Central Java - where Dr Oei was born. The pieces are worth some S$1 million.

The Indonesian Triple Bill will run till October 5, and is a parallel event of the Singapore Biennale 2008.

Sumatra has potentials to become world woven cloth tourist destination

Sumatra Island has great potentials to become world tourist destination and woven cloth research area due to its great number of traditional woven cloth production centers, a spokesman said.

Such impression was disclosed by 15 world woven cloth collectors originating from United States and Canada after visiting several traditional woven cloth centers in West Sumatra and North Sumatra recently, the "Sumatra and Beyond" travel bureau director Ridwan Tulus told Antara here on Saturday.

The 15 world woven cloth collectors were participating in a tourist visit package called "10 days from west to north textile tour Sumatra" which was conducted by the "Sumatra and Beyond" from August 27 to September 5, 2008, he said.

The collectors showed high interest to buy the traditional woven cloth and even expressed their wish to make the woven cloth display in textile museums in their countries, Ridwan said.

They expressed a feeling of amazement particularly on the Sumatra`s traditional woven cloth production mechanism, but yielding high quality products, he said, adding that the foreign collectors promised to return to Sumatra in a larger group.

The traditional woven cloth production centers are available among others in Sawahan Padang, Canduang, Agam regency, Pandai Sikek and Tanah Datar regencies in West Sumatra. 

In addition, in North Sumatra including the Batak`s traditional Ulos

Discover More Dimensions to Your Stay in Jakarta with Apartotels

Apartotels.com has included three new luxury apartments to its list of luxury serviced apartments in Jakarta, Indonesia viz. Ascott Jakarta, Somerset Berlian and Somerset Grand Citra. These apartments offer complete luxury and comfort to the business, leisure and corporate client with their custom-made and personalized services. With the inclusion of these three new apartments, online users will enjoy more comfortable and luxurious stay in Jakarta. Apartotels.com regularly updates its inventory on serviced apartments with latest information for the convenience of the travelers.

Apartotels was established in 2004 and since then is operating over more than 600 serviced apartments which are situated in all the important locations of London, Paris and Europe. Apartotels offers business as well as leisure travelers the feeling of home away from home with space and flexibility.

Russian and Chinese couples on a honeymoon in Bangka

A number of tourists from China, Taiwan and Russia became interested to spend their honeymoon at the Parai Tenggiri Coastal Resort in Bangka known for its beauty, and international class hotels.

Director of the Bela Wisata travel bureau San San said in Pangkalpinang on Monday that the tourists from the three countries, who often enjoyed their honeymoon in other countries, came from Bali with the assistance of local travel agencies.

He said that some 120 young Russian married couples have already arrived in Bangka to spend their honeymoon there, besides 50 Chinese couples, and 24 couples from Taiwan.

He added that most of the young married couple stayed in Bangka to spend their honeymoon for three days and two nights, especially in the Parai Tenggiri coastal resort and exotic Sungailiat.

Marunda: Make our beach a tourist attraction, locals say

Residents of the coastal area of Marunda, North Jakarta, are urging the administration to develop Marunda Beach into a high-quality tourism destination to boost the local economy.

One resident, Ami, 30, said Marunda Beach had a lot of potential to become a popular recreational area.

"I've been dreaming of enjoying an Ancol-like recreational area in Marunda Beach. Yes, I want it to be developed into something like Ancol, which is cleaner and has more facilities," Ami told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Jakarta, which has 23.7 kilometers of northern coastal area, has only Carnival Beach in the Ancol complex as a recreational beach. Entrance to the beach costs Rp 12,000 a person. Those with vehicles have to pay Rp 12,000 more for a car or Rp 10,000 for a motorcycle.

According to the North Jakarta municipality, only 1.7 kilometers is still owned by the administration. The rest is owned by companies, including PT Ancol Pembangunan Jaya.

"It actually has a lot of potential. Here, people can enjoy the beach, swimming and fishing as much as they like because it's free.

"Marunda also had some historical attractions, such as the 348-year-old Al Alam mosque and Rumah Si Pitung or Pitung's House (a Betawi hero during the Dutch colonial era)," she said.

Krakatau Journal: An island paradise that can kill you

I've come to the epicenter of the disaster zone 125 years later. The original Krakatau had blown itself to pieces in 1883, leaving behind three crescent-shaped island remnants. But in the middle of the underwater caldera that has formed is a curious new sight: an island that appeared out of the sea before our very eyes.

Anak Krakatau--literally "Son of Krakatau" in Indonesian--is a reincarnation of the original Krakatau volcano. Since the son's fitful birth in 1930, this faraway piece of rock, sandwiched in the strait between Java and Sumatra, has earned a reputation among academics as an ideal laboratory for observing how life begins, endures, and sometimes perishes in an island ecosystem.

During its heyday in the 1980s and early 1990s, research conducted here on the 400 plant, 50 butterfly, 30 bird, 17 bat, and 9 reptile species, among other animals, came to define much of what we know about island biogeography and ecological dynamics.

Eruptions throughout November-the most violent in over a decade-recaptured the world's attention, with news of 3-kilometer-high ash fumes, showers of lava bombs, and blasts that rattled the windows of houses on the shores of western Java, some 40 kilometers away. Anak has remained active ever since, with eruptions this January, April, June, and July.

Full article by Jerry Guo