Mostly, farmers in Indonesia are traditional farmers. They do not use machinery to plant and harvest, the only modern machine used is tractor to plow the field, but sometimes they hoe the field manually. Only few farmers own tractor because the price is expensive. The tractors are used to plow their own field and to be rented to the other farmers.

It is hard to live as a farmer. Why? Because many farmers do not have their own field, they are just tenant farmers that have to share equally the harvest with the field owners. Any cost (to buy fertilizers and insecticide, plowing) borne by the tenant farmers. In addition, they should work at the field everyday.

The time of harvesting and after are the most interesting to be observed. When harvesting, we may see farmers are working together to harvest the crop. A few days after harvest time, they plow the field using tractors. This is the time for many herons to ‘visit’ the farmers. Herons are looking for food, worm, that are coming out of the soil. Everyone may enjoy this tourism attraction in Indonesia for free. Taking pictures of the birds and the farmer may refresh everyone and as a gateway from daily routines.

Batik is a special painting on clothes. therefore, in Jogja or Yogyakarta, artists paint batik motif on a horse statue. It is beautiful and very detailed, unfortunately, I captured it with a VGA camera phone so that it has not a good picture quality. For everyone who has spare digital camera may donate it to us, we’ll be much appreciate.

Batik has many motives like parang, kawung, sidomukti, etc. Each of them has its own meaning and usage.

Like in any other country, people should work for living. Here is an example of what the Indonesian do for living. Selling ‘Bubur Ayam’ or chicken porridge is one way for living. This was taken in Jogjakarta using my VGA camera phone.

Bubur ayam is great for breakfast. It is made from rice as the main substance. There also chicken, fried soybean, sauce, chips, and sambal (condiment) to make it more tasty.

The person here starts selling from 5.30 am, while other people are still asleep. At 10.00 am usually it is all sold out. The price for a bowl of bubr ayam is vary, depends on the quantity, usually starting from IDR 4,000 to 5,000.

Starting 1st June, 2010, Europe is open for Garuda Indonesia Airways flight. The first flight flew at 20.40 pm using Airbus A330-220 PK-GPK take the route to Amsterdam via Dubai.

Since 2004, Europe has closed Garuda’s flight to the continent due to internal problem of Garuda. Starting the date above, the flight to Amsterdam will be once a day consists of 36 excecutive seats and 186 seats for economic class.

Other Garuda destination cities in Europe for the year of 2010 are Frankfurt, London, Paris, and Rome. The flight will be using Airbus A330-220, but for the next year it will be using bigger plane Boeing B777-300.

Banda Sea is a unique sea in Indonesia, because it is the place where three straight meet. In addition, the under water fishes in the Banda Marine park are amazing and very rich, a worthy place for diving in Indonesia. So, just be ready on July to august 2010 to witness Sail Banda 2010 as the most interesting tourism event in Indonesia.

My tourism course to Gili Trawangan Lombok – Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) was starting from Bali by bus. The bus will stop at Mandalika bus station at Mataram, the capital of NTB Province. From Mandalika, I ride smaller bus to Pelabuah (Port) Bangsal at Pemenang Village that cost IDR 15,000 per person. Bangsal Port is the gate to Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air.

For information, just in case you make a tourism course to Gili Trawangan, there are buses from Selaparang Airport to Bangsal Port that cost only IDR 10,000. The course is about 40 minutes. Hotels in Mataram also provide car for rent that cost between IDR 400,000 to 600,000 per day. Or, using boats from Nusa Lembongan, Bali, which cost IDR 450,000 – 550,000 which take two hours.

We can choose the coastal route or forest route. If you chose the forest route, you’ll see the green of Pusuk forest, the habitat of gray monkeys that we can see them on the roadside waiting for the riders and passengers to throw food (bread, bananas, etc.) for them. Tourists may stop here to feed the monkeys, and taste the sweet tuak (coconut wine) and durian. During the durian fruit season, a durian is priced between IDR 15,000 – IDR 30,000 depends on it size. But you have to remember that this fruit may increase your blood preasure and glucose in blood. While a bottle of sweet tuak sold between IDR 2,500 to IDR 5,000.

If you choose the coastal route, you will see dunes of Senggigi, and beautiful panorama of blue sea under the blue sky. In good weather, we’ll see Mount Agung in Bali far away across the sea. We’ll feel tranquility when passing this route. Bt, we are free to stop anywhere in a beach that is full of coconut trees, step on the white sand of the beach, or in some places we may see the process of making briquttes of brown sugar, which is usually consumed by athletes. One box of brown sugar sold at IDR 25,000.

At the Bangsal Port

There were boats that will take me to Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. I’d prefer to visit Gili Trawangan at this moment. Ticket was relatively cheap, IDR 10,000 per person to Trawangan, IDR 9000 to Meno, and IDR 8,000 to Gili Air. A maximum passangers for a boat is 25 person. According to the ticketing person, to sail from Bangsal to Trawangan take about 45 minutes, to Meno 30 minutes, and to Gili Air 20 minutes.

Just a tourism information, if you are reluctant to overcrowding, you may charter a boat there, certainly it has more expensive rates. Rate to Gili Trawangan is about IDR 185.000, IDR 165.000 to Gili Meno, and to Gili Air is about IDR 150,000. An alternative when you do not intent to spend the night at the Gilis, you may charter the boat for IDR 450,000 to stop at three Gilis for a while.

In Trawangan

In Trawangan I tried to find a lodge or hotel to stay. Here, I found out various hotel classes. For those with big pockets, there are available many star hotels rated for IDR 1.5 million overnight, middle class hotel for IDR 500,000 to Rp 600,000 per night. For backpackers may find cheapest which is standard jasmine class rated for IDR 100,000 to Rp 150,000 a night, plus free service for snacks and coffee and a glass of sweet tea in the morning. I stayed at the backpacker’s hotel as I intent to explore the tourism places in Trawangan and the hotel is only for sleeping at the late night.

In the morning after finishing my breakfast, it just great to do snorkeling. People in Trawangan provides everything (you just provide the money, of course), snorkeling equipment can be rented for IDR 50,000 a day. For diving, you simply provide USD 600,000 to pay the equipment and the instructor.

Satisfied to see under water scene, the next program is walking around this small island. It was great for biking. To rent a bike it costs IDR 50,000 per hour and Rp 75,000 per day. Except biking, we can ride traditional cart namely Cidomo (buggy vehicle with a car tire). This is polutant free vehicle, as any car or motorcycle is not allowed in Trawangan.

When hungry, there are restaurants that provide variety of seafood which cost only for thousands rupiah. However, there are food stalls that provide cheap mixed rice with side dishes, just spend Rp 10,000-Rp 15,000.

Well, it was great to visit Gili trawangan. When you want to travel to a beautiful place with innexpensive accomodation, Gili Trawangan may included in your agenda.

Since May 2, 2010, newly built four stars hotel Swiss-Belhotel was operated in Ambon. The Hotel is located at Benteng Kapaha Street, Ambon the provincial capital of Maluku. The official grand opening will take place on June 18, 2010.

Swiss-Belhotel Ambon has 11 floors with 111 rooms. Like any other four star hotels, this hotel provides meeting rooms, restaurant, and rooms available in every type. Manged by Swiss-Belhotel international network, its effort is to satisfy every guest.

Other Swiss-Belhotel Indonesia are located in Jakarta, Batam, Medan, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Banjarmasin, Samarinda, Tarakan, Manado, Palu, Manokwari, dan Jayapura.

For two months, since March 18, 2010, Kawah Putih (White Crater) was closed for visitor due to bad weather and renovation. Starting today, May 8, 2010, the tourism object is open again. There are something new in the location. It provides better tourists facilitate and a new attraction which is Legenda Kawah Putih Domba Lukutan (Kawah Putih Legend).

Kawah putih is located at Ciwidey, Bandung Regency. It is very easy to get here from Bandung. Kawah Putih is an ecotourism which is a crater with white water. This place is used for tourism and pre-wedding photography location. The white water and stones bring dramatic view in the photograph.

The Us President, Barrack Obama, is planned to visit Indonesia on the 4th week of March, 2010. According to Robert Gibbs, the spoke person of White House, via twitter says The president is scheduled to depart on 21 March 2010.Obama had spent 4 years of his childhood in the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta.

Gary Locke, US Secretary of Commerce, explained the US intends to increase trading between those two countries. Uncertainty of obligation and unresolved infestation conflict have made US manufacturers to stop doing business in Indonesia.

barack obama

Trading between the US and Indonesia valued US$ 18 last year. Us export valued US$ 5.1, while Indonesian export to US valued US$12.9. To increase the commerce it depends on Indonesian government to create policies reformation to ‘wake’ the commerce.

We hopes the visit will also improve more tourists from the US to visit Indonesia. The visit will prove that Indonesia is a safe country to visit. furthermore, US government will give good tourism information for its citizen.

Omed-omedan photo by fphoto-dailyphoto.blogspot.com

A day after Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu hold a kissing ceremony called Omed-omedan. The tradition held by the people of Banjar Kaja, in Denpasar. Participants for this unique tourism attraction are men and girls who have certain condition.

Omed-omedan is firstly intended as a media for the villagers to know and meet each other. In this tradition no one should have hate, they should respect and caring for others. The word Omed-omedan means to pull in bared hand. The traditional leader explained whether this ceremony is purely a cultural heritage so that people outside Bali shouldn’t create bad interpretation on this.

This tradition that is interesting attraction for tourism in Bali may only be followed by teruna and teruni (man and girl) which is still single and about 15 years old.

People in Banjar Kaja is not dare to stop the tradition. They afraid of the bad luck that will come to the villagers. It was once stopped, but then there are two pigs fight in the omed-omedan area. After checked, there were not villagers’ pigs bleeding or wounded. The other incident happened, there was a man possessed (trance) and he warned the people not to stop the ceremony. For them, that two events are the ’sign’.