Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

Banda Aceh is suffered an immense loss of life during the tsunami of December 26, 2004. Over 100,000 residents lost their live in a matter or minutes as the huge tidal wave swept ashore. Many heart-wrenching and poignant reminders of that day still remain. They range from a huge generator ship that now become a monument that was lifted several kilometers inland from its seaside berth to crush a rom of family houses and their inhabitants and a smaller ship which landed atop another house and ironically served as a means for the survival and resque of 57 people, to a myriad of battered landscapes, shattered buildings, and mass gravesites. Visitors are awestruck at the devastion, but inspired by the recovery process. They marvel at the stories of the survivors, and they revel at their determination to rebuild their lives.

Tourist Office

Jl. Tengku Cik Kuta Karang No. 3, Banda Aceh. Phone. (0651) 23692, 26206, 21108 Fax. 3723
http://www.aceh.net

Getting there

Only forty-five minutes from Medan and two and half hours from Jakarta, with Singapore and Kuala Lumpur via Medan even closer than Jakarta

Tourism Events

Aceh Cultural week is held on Aug 2008 in Banda Aceh and perform dances such as Tari Seudati (Seudati Dance).

Places of Interest

Weh Island

Alas River

Weh Island often referred to by the name of its capital, Sabang, is the western most island of the Indonesian archipelago. It is situated at the mouth of the Malacca Strait a sea passage for many yachts and cruise ships only 18 miles away, one hour by ferry, from Ulee-Lheue harbor in Banda Aceh. Diving in Pulau Weh is a well-established recreational activity with dive masters and dive instructors ready to offer a variety of dives to sites like the fabled Sea Garden in Pulau Rubiah.

Alas River

Mt. Leuser

Alas River flows into the Indian Ocean; this river has exceptional rapids that attract whitewater rafting enthusiasts for all over the world.

Gunung Leuser

Hiking to the peak of Gunung Leuser (3,404 meters) take about 10-14 days. The small village of Angasan is a suitable starting point. Angasan is located several hours walk west of Blang Kejeren. Most hikers spend the night in Angasan and start their trek in the morning. The first five days go

Baiturrahman Mosque

through virgin rain forest where rare primates can often be seen.

Baiturrahman Mosque

Baiturrahman Mosque is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture and ornamentation is the main feature of Banda Aceh. It has five onion-shaped domes, two towering minarattes, expansive white walls, and pillars with beautiful designs.

Lampung & Krakatau Volcanic Island

Ancient Chinese travel chronicles refer to a place in the most southerly part of Sumatra called “Lampung” or “place of southerly winds”. The province is gene-rally flat with the highest mountains of Gunung Pesagi, Tanggamas, Seminiung, Sekincau and Raya all being dormant volcanoes. Bandar Lampung, the Provincial capital, was formerly two separate towns, Tanjungkarang and the port of Teluk Betung, which after the infamous eruption of Krakatau were both completely covered in volcanic ash. In the course of development, however this town have merged together to become one single city.

Tourist Office:
Jl. Ahmad Dahlan No. 79, Gunung Mas,
Bandar Lampung 35211
Phone. (0721) 263401, 361430
Fax. (0721) 266184

Getting there:
Domestic airlines have daily flight from Jakarta. Rajabasa bus terminal is one of the busiest in Sumatra, with a constant flow of departures. The trip from Jakarta takes eight hours which include crossing Sunda strait between Merak in Java and Bakaheuni Lampung by ferry. Three trains a day run from Palembang.

Tourism Events
Krakatau Festival. This annual event is held at the end of August 25-30 2008 the festival commemorate Krakatau’s eruption in the late 19th century. The volcano is located in the Sunda Strait, South of Lampung, in the southern tip of Sumatra.

Places of Interest=]

Bandar Lampung has a Museum and a Monument of Krakatau Eruption.

Krakatau Island

Krakatau is an inhabited island and located on the southern part of the Bay of Lampung. Krakatau is reachable in three hours by boat from Canti, a fishing village near Kalianda, South Lampung. Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatau) is still growing, first emerging from the sea in early 1928, 45 years after the legendary eruption in 1883.

Krakatau Island is currently among three destination in Indonesia that has been qualified in the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign held by the New 7 Wonders Foundation (two other candidates is Lake Toba and and Komodo National Park). You could support Krakatau Island to become the New 7 Wonders of Nature by voting through the following the URL:

http://www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/liveranking/

Pugung Archaeological

Pugung Archaeological Site in Pugung Raharjo village, 40 kms northeast of Bandar Lampung is a site of megalith and prehistoric relics, as well those of the classical Hindu-Buddhist period.

Merak Belantung Beach

Merak Belantung Beach is 40 km south of Bandar Lampung, on the way to the seaport of Bakauheni, the beach is ideal for swimming and wind surfing. Cottages are available.

Lawang Sewu

Indonesia - Jakarta - Lombok - Semarang - Yogyakarta - Bali Semarang is very important place in Java and the place is noted for all the attractive tourist spots here. Lawang Sewu is a very important place in Semarang and for many years tourists have been returning to Semarang only to have a glimpse of this amazing place here. The Lawang Sewu is immensely popular for the famous Thousand Doors which is the ticket to fame for the place. The place is distinguished simply for the numerous doors and windows found here and the building was christened as the Gedung Lawang Sewu and tourists love coming here simply because of the distinctive Dutch Symbolism and the immensely long corridors leading to the offices on the other side.

Description of the Lawang Sewu:

Lawang Sewu is famous for the doors and windows. The place is famous for the Thousand Doors and windows and the fascinating stained glass windows representing the Dutch Symbolism of the places like The Hague and Rotterdam and also the Royal family. The building has numerous long winding corridors which open out to the offices on one side of the office and the other end of the building on the other hand. It is a famous landmark in the region of Semarang and a pride for Java. The place was actually built as the main colonial office for the Dutch and was then taken over by the Japanese government. This place was important because it was the main military hub for the Indonesians and was used for giving shelter to the soldiers and army men here. The place was often considered to be haunted place as many truly and sincerely believed that the place was inhabited by spirits and ghosts and thus many people used to feel scared to visit the place fearing the obvious. However later the place was converted in to a heritage site and many came to visit the place during their holidays or vacations while coming to visit the Semarang. There are other places also which deserve mention but Lawang Sewu stands out among the rest.

Lawang Sewu is thus a very important place in Semarang and all are welcome to come and visit the fascinating place.

History of Semarang

Indonesia - Jakarta - Lombok - Semarang - Yogyakarta - Bali Semarang is the capital city of Java, Indonesia and the place is fascinating in terms of history and the interesting locales here. However the place is famous for the interesting history associated with the place. Semarang has quite an eventful past and the place has its history dates back to the ninth century and was known as Bergota. In the 15th century an Islamic Boarding school was established by an Arab and the school was called Kyai Pandan Arang and on 2nd May 1547 Sultan Hadiwijaya of Pajang declared Kyai Pandan Arang as the first bupati of Semarang and thus formally and officially Semarang came into existence on that day.

Sunan Amangkurat II decided to hand over the power to the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a repayment of a debt. However the Semarang state came into existence in 1682 and was established by the Dutch Colonial power. On October 5th 1705 after many years of occupation Semarang was finally declared as the VOC city when Susuhunan Pakubuwono I had also decided to give the rights to the VOC in return of the Mataram’s debt. Semarang later became a very important colonial trading center with the numerous tobacco plantations in the region and roads and railroads.

In the beginning of the 1920s Semarang had become the nerve center of all leftist and nationalist movements. Semarang was also called the Red City simply because it was found in the Communist Party of Indonesia while the Japanese also had at one point of time occupied the city during the Pacific War of World War II and during that particular time the city of Semarang was ruled by the military government Shiko and there were also two governors and one of them was a local gentleman and the other one was Japanese and in 1945 Semarang was declared the capital city of Java after the Indonesians acquired independence.

Thus one can deduce that Semarang has had a very interesting past and people from all over the world flock here to see this place and also look at the amazing monuments and other attractions here which have gone on to become hugely popular with the tourists.

Batam Island Indonesia

Indonesia - Jakarta - Lombok - Semarang - Yogyakarta - Bali Batam Island, Indonesia, is located just 20 kilometers southeast of Singapore, and is one of the largest islands in Indonesia's Riau Archipelago. The island of Batam Island, Indonesia, is known to be a free trade zone as a part of the Sijori Growth Triangle. In the 1970s, Batam Island, Indonesia observed a major transformation into a major harbor and industrial zone. Today, it is a business, trade and finance.

However, Batam Island, Indonesia, is also an up-and-coming tourist destination, getting wide recognition from tourists all over the world. Some of the wonderful places of interest that can be visited by travelers to Batam Island, Indonesia, are –

Nagoya, also known as Lubuk Baja, is the original center of Batam Island, Indonesia, and the best place for local entertainment, with plenty of shops, food stalls, nightlife, discos, bars and pubs, music lounges, karaoke lounges, restaurants, many small hotels and its share of street girls.

Nongsa, a northern coastal area near Batam Island, Indonesia is an hour's drive from Sekupang. It is the main tourist attraction, where the resorts and golf courses are situated.

Duriangkang East Shore, is a very scenic and peaceful area near Batam Island, Indonesia. Here, one can enjoy birds, farms and the verdant greenery of the village fields.

Tj Uma and Batu Merah, two of the oldest villages in Batam Island, Indonesia, where one can get to see many aspects of traditional island life.

Duriankang Dam, the main water supply of Batam Island, Indonesia, has rural shores, which is an excellent place to enjoy some natural tranquility.

Another sight sometimes visited in Batam Island, Indonesia, is the controversial Dewi Kuong Imra monument, which houses a statue that is a tribute to the Buddhist goddess of prosperity.

The coastline along Kabil, in Batam Island, Indonesia, is strewn with seafood restaurants that can cater to even the choosiest gastronome. All Indonesian sea-food delicacies can be had at this coastline, which is always crowded with food-lovers.

Bridge-5 area and Galang islands, near Batam Island, Indonesia, is a valley where Vietnam refugees have settled. It is a very pleasant village to walk by, with pretty rural scenes

Lombok Weather

Indonesia - Jakarta - Lombok - Semarang - Yogyakarta - Bali The Indonesian island of Lombok belongs to the province of West Nusa Tenggara and a part and parcel of the Lesser Sunda Islands while it’s separated from Bali by the Lombok Strait. Lombok is a circular island with its administrative capital being Mataram which is also the largest city the island has. The eastern part of Lombok initially came to be settled and inhabited by the Dutch community in the year 1764 while the Hindu dynasty ruled the western portion of the island. The Stratovolcano Mount Rinjani soaring up to a height of 12,224 ft determines the topographical discipline of Lombok. The list of cities to visit while in Lombok is Bangsal, Kuta, Lembar, Mataram, and Senggigi while the Gili Islands and the Mount Rinjani are two other tourist sites in Lombok. Presently this island is inhabited mostly by the Sasak group and Balinese group while the Chinese, Arabs, Javanese and Sumbawanese consist of the remaining population in Lombok. It’s necessary on the part of the travelers to have a clear insight about the climatic and weather condition of Lombok before taking plunge into the mystifying island of Lombook.

The tropical weather in Lombok renders 12 hours of broad day light and the average temperature round the year remains consistent at 28 degree C to 34 degree C (that is 83 degree F to 93 degree F). The months of October to March experience wet season while the months of May to September display the dry season in Lombok. Lombok covering an area of 4,725 sq km, 1,824 sq miles supports a population of 3,000,000 and the official language spoken in Lombok is Indonesian. Technically speaking Lombok is under advanced compared to Bali and also boasts of better beaches, diverse landscapes and a gigantic volcano. Mostly travelers haunt this place attracted to the inebriated beauty of the island as they can conveniently enough indulge in activities like diving, snorkeling, hiking and surfing etc. Lombok as a tourist destination attracts more tourists in the rainy season between October to December, though raining continues for a mere time span of approximately an hour, while the aspect of tourism is at its best during May to August. Few other places to visit while in Lombok are, Kuta, Museum Negeri Nusa Tenggara Barat, Pura Lingsar, and Taman Narmada.

Lombok weather on the whole is drier compared to Bali even during the rainy season and for the rest of the year the island is located around 200 miles to the south of the equator and offers a hot and humid environment to its residents and tourists in unison. Here day starts at around 6.30 in the morning and sun sets on this island at around 6.30 in the evening and being so humid in nature it’s hard to mention the time of the year unless one considers the present climatic condition. The temperature in the months of May and October remain as high as 80 degree to 90 degree during the day time and the weather is marginally pleasant in the evening though internally the temperature can be quite high. One exception is Mt Rinjani which offers a comparatively chilly temperature being at a higher altitude during the normal seasons. Lombok situated near the equator maintains parity in its weather conditions be it in dry season or in rainy season, as this mostly refers to the condition of the wind and not to the condition of the rain. The winter months are signified due to the breezes which pick up pace compared to the summer months when the environment is comparatively dull and drab. On the whole Lombok can be said to be a peaceful and serene tourist location with a fixed level of weather condition.

History of Lombok

Indonesia - Jakarta - Lombok - Semarang - Yogyakarta - Bali Lombok is regarded as one of the most spectacular of all of Indonesia’s islands. Though visions of idyllic Bali, modern fast paced Jakarta are conjured up in the minds of the people whenever, the name of Indonesia crops up, Indonesia is much more than the relatively well cities and islands as a whole, Indonesia is also about tempting virgin beaches, innocent and naïve villagers, simple life styles and truly exotic cuisine. It is also about Lombok. Relatively unravaged by time and marauding travelers from all over the world, Lombok is slowly but surely revealing herself to the world. The island of Lombok is to the east of her most famous neighbor, Bali. The straight which divides these two islands is very deep with innumerable whirlpools and dancing dolphins. The history of Lombok gives a fascinating insight into how the island evolved over the centuries to become what it is today. Though it is quite a task to delve deep into the ancient history of Lombok because of a paucity of chronicled articles, what is known is that in the ancient times, Lombok had native rulers who ruled over this province and Selaparang (a small kingdom) had some control over the eastern side of the island.

It was in the seventh century that the veil over this island started lifting with outside influences. Lombok came under the influence of Balinese and Makassarese of Sulawesi. The Balinese arrived from Karangasem crossing the Lombok Strait in the early part of the seventeenth century and around the same time, the Makassarese invaded the eastern part of the island. 1677 was a landmark year in the history of Lombok, it was in this year that the two intruders managed to subdue the other one. Balinese won as they had the help of the native Sasak aristocracy. Henceforth, it became a Balinese obsession to secure and maintain their control over this island. However with the passage of time, it was found that the Balinese control over Lombok had run into hard times and the beginning of the nineteenth century saw Pagesangan, Pagutan, Mataram and Cakranegara competing for the island.

1894 changed the course of Lombok’s destiny. From this year Lombok began her journey as one of the colonies of the Dutch. Balinese army had attacked the Dutch camp in Mayura Palace, Cakranegara. Though the Dutch escaped, they could not escape casualties to artillery and man. Now they were determined to pay back the Balinese and this resulted in their taking total control of Lombok.

Lombok now started to realize what colonialism meant. There was abject poverty and they were on the verge of starvation on more than one occasion. The Dutch wanted control as well as personal profit. Heavy taxation was another area of concern for the Lombok population along with exportation of food materials. The last straw on the camel’s back was famine which tormented Lombok for nearly half a century.

So continued Lombok’s tryst with destiny. But suddenly in 1945, Lombok had a new sun rising . Soekarno arrogated that Indonesia was independent and Lombok was also a part of this new order of things. But in 1965, after a difficult two decades, mass killings of Communist sympathizers and ethnic Chinese created a scar for ages to come on Lombok. It was President Suharto who can be credited with much of the growth and stability of this island, but here it has to be mentioned that in comparison to Bali and Java’s glitz and glamour, Lombok comes a poor second. Now this island is slowly gaining its place under the sun as a distinguished alternative to Bali in the tourism world.