TRAVELING INDONESIA

The Ubud Monkey forest is a small nature preserve on the southern outskirts of Ubud. Along with its lush surroundings and a beautiful temple are hundreds of monkeys -- Balinese macaques, to be more specific. They're very tolerant of people, but are famous for stealing food and sunglasses from tourists, so you have to be careful around them.

When walking through this forest (could also be called park), you will see loads of monkeys. If you have anything to eat with you, take care, the monkey will try to steal it :)

Anyway a walk through the park is quite nice. The park is not too big, within one hour you will definitely get through.

At the end of Monkey Forest Road is the Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana, or Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. True to its name, the sanctuary is home to three troupes of long-tailed Balinese Macaques, totaling about 200 monkeys. These forest denizens are always open to handouts of food from visitors, although it is far safer to avoid feeding them, as they can become quite aggressive once they know you have food.

In addition to the monkeys, the forest is home to three temples, dating from around the 14th century. The largest is the Pura Dalem Agung, located on the highest point of the forest. A path through the trunk of a huge tree and across a small creek leads to the Holy Bathing Temple. The third temple, the Pura Prajapati, is a cremation temple and located next to one of the two graveyards in the monkey forest.

Ref: asiaforvisitors.com

One area of Bali that has long been popular with surfers is the Bukit (hill) peninsula at the southern end of the island. This limestone plateau has Uluwatu on the western end and Nusa Dua on the eastern, with not much in the middle.

Outside of Nusa Dua the biggest construction project is GWK (Mandala Garuda Wisnu Kencana), the cultural park carved out of the limestone rock. I have passed by before but never had a look around.

To get to GWK from Kuta I rode to the roundabout at Simpang Siur and headed for Nusa Dua. After 15 minutes I took the right turn to Uluwatu and followed Jl. Uluwatu up the hill, eventually coming to GWK on the left side. Don’t worry you won’t miss it, there is a huge driveway and massive sign.

GWK was conceived to be a cultural center and events park and is privately funded. The bombing has affected the pace of construction which was due to be finished in 2003.

Arriving at the small ticket booth in the parking lot I paid 15,000rp and received my ticket. This entitled me to stroll around and view the statue of Vishnu, the Hindu God who is the protector (part of the Hindu trinity Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the Destroyer), the statue of half man half bird Garuda and the other points of interest including the art museum, open air stage and amphitheater.

Walking up the hill I checked out the view and it was great. I could see Kuta Beach, the bottleneck of Jimbaran and over to Nusa Dua and Benoa. A little ways further I came to DeMiMiDi restaurant a pretty swish looking place with a great view. The food was international and main courses were running about 60,000-70,000rp

Continuing on I ascended some stairs and saw the head and shoulders of the Vishnu statue which is currently 23 meters high. A Balinese school party from Bangli was also there and the whole place was alive with people. I tried to put it off as best I could but eventualy I ended up doing the ‘ tourist photo’ with the school kids.

The plan for GWK was to have a 146 meter gold plated Wisnu riding his winging chariot Garuda and have the whole thing on top of an 11 storey entertainment complex.

The planners of GWK envisioned arriving airline passengers would view the landmark as a warm greeting to Bali. Unfortunately not everyone is over the moon about it. Religious Balinese sometimes complain that this massive statue will disrupt the natural balance in Bali as it tries to compete with the highest spot Gunung Agung. Also the purely commercial nature does not feel right to some people.

Walking round which took altogether 1 hour including stopping for a drink and viewing art I was impressed at the size of the place and the effort that had been put in to tend the gardens. There is a weird kind of atmosphere with this place, almost like its waiting to be a Disneyland of some kind but hasn’t got it together yet. Walking through the open air stage section I though “Wow, what an awesome place to have a concert.” Across the way I meandered down alleys created by cutting chunks of the limestone away. There’s no limit to what they could build at GWK with the newly exposed areas offering more space.

The art museum is located close to a small shop selling drinks. The museum features local contemporary works of art. I didn’t see anything too special in there and it seemed a bit bare. Entrance is free. There are couple of souvenir shops too.

For evening visitors a kecak dance is performed on Tuesdays and Thursdays admission $5.

I think that in future this place will be a thriving business in years to come after the economy picks up, the location is too good for it no to be. I can see concerts and performances being a regular thing and the growing number of foreigners building houses in Jimbaran and on the Bukit will help support this.

GWK is open daily from 8am - 10pm.

Ref: www.baliblog.com

Lombok is dominated by Mount Rinjani, the Indonesia's second highest volcano (after Mt. Kerinci in Sumatra). Located in the province of Nusa Tenggara Barat (West Nusa Tenggara), it's dense primary rainforest still covers the steep slopes of the mountain complex.
Lombok is home to many natural attractions, including the world famous volcano, Gunung Rinjani, located on the north of the island. Visitors from all around the world come to Lombok every year to climb Gunung Rinjani, either to its awe-inspiring crater lake or to the demanding summit with panoramic views across the waters to Gunung Agung, Bali's famous sister volcano. “Gunung” is Bahasa Indonesia for mountain.

Historically and culturally, Gunung Rinjani has important significance to both Sasak and Balinese, Muslim and Hindu alike, and is considered a “Home of the Gods”. Pilgrimages are made to the mountain, offerings placed, and many people visit the volcano to pray and bathe in the pools and hot springs, which are said to have healing powers. Each year, around the full moon in October or November, a sacred pilgrimage called “Pekelem” takes place, when gold and other gifts are thrown into the lake near the summit as offerings to the Gods.

Rinjani soars 3726m above sea level and is the second highest volcano in Indonesia, attracting thousands of trekkers and climbers annually. The huge caldera near the top is around 4 kms wide and is almost filled by a beautiful crescent-shaped lake, Danau Segara Anak (Child of the Sea). The lake is around 230m deep and contains plentiful fish, as well as being home to birds and other wildlife. A smaller volcanic cone, Gunung Baru Jari, was formed a couple of hundred years ago and juts from the crater's interior at the edge of the lake. It's been estimated that the force needed to create the new cone and the lake would have been equal to around 300 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs. There are a number of caves, small waterfalls and hot springs located around the volcano, most importantly Aik Kalak on the northeast of the crater, where the volcanically heated waters are said to cure illnesses, particularly skin diseases.

The route to Segara Anak throught the southwest slope of Rinjani Mountaints has been used by local people since long time ago. Besides their traditional purposes, some people are eager to track this 8 hours route for fishing. The lake is endeed like a paradise for fshers. And now this traditional route has just been opened for tourists. It offers beauty, uniqueness and a lot of things of Rinjani that unrevealed yet.

Ref: www.dispariwisata.lomboktengahkab.go.id

Location waterfall is located in the area of Rinjani in the name Sendang mad (read gile), who heard the story, about people accidentally find waterfall in the middle of a mad hunt lions make in a disorderly and then fled the village into forest. Location in more tourism in the domestic tourists visit olew has a height of ± 31 meters. This waterfall appears from the top edge and fall to the river below. Basic waterfall relatively flat, so that more people are swimming under the waterfall.

waterfall Sendang lunatic is in the area north of Central Lombok regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province. Senaru in the village, Bayan subdistrict. This village has a distance of ± 60km from the capital city of Mataram. This location is still located in the area of Rinjani mountain to mountain, which is a high-to-3 in Indonesia.

Specialty is there in the waterfall is a waterfall located Sendang mad at a height of 600M above sea level, waterfalls give this relaks and the atmosphere peaceful. Touch of nature that are far from the city atmosphere, beautiful and captivating panoramic views, and the fresh water, you are able to fly to a world full of peace.
The waterfall is about 40m of height, and it have two graded. The water is pure, big flow and never dry. The source outlet of water come from well protected rain forest above, it’s the Gunung Rinjani National Park forest. This waterfall either is alternative attraction if the trekking to Mount Rinjani were closed. And it will have much visitors at weekend, holyday or special events. The waterfall is one location between the two other Senaru great waterfall, the Tiu Kelep and Betara Lenjang waterfall.

Ref: dennisarista.com

This Nature Reserve is located on open grassland and is home to a great variety of flora and fauna. There are black apes, Maleo birds, snakes, wild pigs, hornbill birds and deer. But special interest is given to the Tarsius Monkeys, which sneak out at dawn and dusk. About the size of a Childs fist, these tiny monkeys are the smallest in the world and a delight to see.

Tangkoko Batuangus is an open grassland nature reserve covering the slopes of Mt. Dua Saudara, the park is compossed of impressive green hills and valleys with wondrous scenic views of natural beauty. Black apes, maleo birds, snakes, wild pigs, hornbills and rusa deer live in the 3,196 hectare reserve. There are several cottages and small restaurants nearby. It is only reachable by four-wheel drive jeep from Girian village over a rough road.

Tangkoko Batuangus Reserve offers a suitable protective environment to help prevent these animals from becoming extinct. Tangkoko is located in the northern sector of Bitung, and comprises an area of 3,196 Ha, and takes about 1.5 -2.5 hours to reach from Bitung or Manado, respectively. Please note that the road to Tangkoko is somewhat difficult and visitors are recommended to visit with a local tour operators to ensure a safe journey and to take advantage of an experienced guide who can assist in spotting the wildlife. Losmen (simple guesthouses) are available for overnight stays.

Ref: www.indonesia-tourism.com

The thermal delights of the Ranopaso Hot Springs are a short distance from the resort and surrounded by rice fields. You can enjoy a hot water soak in one of the specially built bathrooms with the thermal water supplied from one of the hot springs in the area. This hot water pool gives beautiful impression for all visitors. There are a lot of bungalows to relax. Located in Koya village, about 3 km from Tondano, and can reached with local transportation.

Ref: www.indonesia-tourism.com

Linow lake is located near Tomohon and is a beautiful but strange lake, which can change color. Sometimes it is red, sometimes green and sometimes blue. A good location for relaxation and resting.
A small lake with high sulfur ingredients, the bubbles in the side of lake transmit hot water vapour. Lake color has change of light and depicts a view. The light shadow is blue, green, turquoise, etc. Jitney rising from Tomohon bus terminal towards intersection to lake, then walk (about 700 m) through in way towards the lake from Lahendong village. The colors in this highly sulphurous lake constantly change depending on the light and viewing perspective. Many species of large and small birds make their home around the lake and the grassed area to one side is a very pleasant spot to take a picnic lunch. Be carefull for bubbling mud holes at the edge of the lake, or you will end up with serious burns.

The Bunaken National Marine Park was formally established in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia's growing system of marine parks. The park covers a total surface area of 89,065 hectares, 97% of which is overlain by sparkling clear, warm tropical water. The remaining 3% of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. Although each of these islands has a special character, it is the aquatic ecosystem that attracts most naturalists.
The waters of Bunaken National Marine Park are extremely deep (1566 m in Manado Bay), clear (up to 35-40 m visibility), refreshing in temperature (27-29 C) and harbor some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. Pick any of group of interest - corals, fish, echinoderms or sponges - and the number of families, genera or species is bound to be astonishingly high. For example, 7 of the 8 species of giant clams that occur in the world, occur in Bunaken. The park has around 70 genera of corals; compare this to a mere 10 in Hawaii. Although the exact number of fish species is unknown, it may be slightly higher than in the Philippines, where 2,500 species, or nearly 70% of all fish species known to the Indo-western Pacific, are found.

The park was established because of the marine bio-diversity it supports, because it is a migratory route for protected animals and because it is of high economic value for fisheries and tourism. There are over 20,000 residents in the area who depend on the natural resources of the park. The fear was that if the area was uncontrolled then over-fishing, destructive fishing practices and unchecked pollution would ruin the marine habitat which would be to the detriment of everyone concerned.

In addition to its huge biodiversity Bunaken is also a place where rare and endangered animals can be found such as coelacanths, dugongs, whales, dolphins and turtles.

The park has a unique bathymetry, which is an attraction to tourists diving at Bunaken Island. The absence of a continental shelf in the northern part of North Sulawesi allows the coastal area to drop directly down the continental shelf

* There are at least 58 different genera and sub-genera of corals in the park.
* The number of different fish species is estimated at 2,000.
* The deepest water is around 1,360 metres between Manado Tua and Montehage.
* There are about 25 dive sites in Bunaken

Ref: www.dive-the-world.com