ethnic tourism

I caught my first glimpse of Japan from the window of the Garuda Airbus 330-300 as it began its descent to land at Fukuoka airport on the southern island of Kyushu. It was perfect. A break in the clouds revealed a craggy black peak with a trail of vapours sweeping away from the summit like a scarf flying in the wind. It looked like a scene from an ancient sroll painting, and for an instant I felt that inexpressible fleeting thrill that only travellers know when they see a new place for the first time.

As the plane circled to make its final approach, I looked down to see the area around Fukuoka city open up to full view. A highly industrialised urban landscape of apartment blocks, factories and gas stations revealed itself. In one instant this changing scene had captured the diabolical paradox that is modern Japan. It is an ancient land of aesthetic traditions and fantastic landscapes, but at the same time it is an industrial hothouse that moves forward at the same relentless pace as the armies of robots working in countless factories around the country - producing everything from cars, to state-of-the-art electronics to “Pokemon” dolls.

After landing we were ushered through Fukuoka’s one-year-old futuristic airport, with characteristic Japanese efficiency to a waiting bus, and taken on a city-tour. The first stop on the tour was the Kushida shrine. One of several temples around Fukuoka, this one is the most significant and dates back to the 8th century. Although now a buzzing tourist attraction, especially popular with the older generation, the temple is a spectacular reminder of the Japan of legend. Graceful bridges arch over moss-green ponds teeming with Koi goldfish and turtles. Ancient stone tablets bearing Japanese characters are concealed in the folds of picturesque gardens, complete with waterfalls and dappled sunlight filtering through the leafy trees. Before entering the temple area visitors wash their hands at a wellspring using a long-handled bamboo ladle. At the main shrine a man in priestly silk robes with an absurdly large hat knelt at an altar reciting some kind of mantra. Many stalls around the temple sold souvenirs, the most popular of which seemed to be small silk envelopes tied at one end with an elaborate knot. At the Kushida shrine you can reflect on Japan’s glorious past; a fascinating history of Shoguns, Samurais, art and culture, that makes this country one of the world’s most rewarding travel experiences.

The city of Fukuoka is actually divided down the centre by the Naka river. Historically the area to the west of the river was known as Fukuoka and the area to the east was, and still is, called Hakata. Unable to decide whether the city should be called Fukuoka or Hakata, the authorities voted on the matter and Fukuoka won by a very narrow margin of one vote. Back in downtown Fukuoka, office blocks and department stores tower overhead as legions of salary-men and shoppers charge through the streets going about their business. Girls seem to alternate between Britney Spears-like schoolgirl attire with short skirts and knee high socks, or radically coloured tight outfits with impossibly high shoes. These displays no doubt add fuel to the fire that is Fukuoka nightlife. The city has no scarcity of bars, clubs and restaurants and boasts a bar district called Nakasu with some pretty “racey” shops and clubs. Explore if you dare.

As Japan’s eighth most populous city. Fukuoka boasts the seventh greatest number of department stores with 311, and the 4th largest annual consumer spending. Hakata is famous for its ceramic Hakata dolls and tourist attractions include a marine world, the ruins of Fukuoka castle and Canal City, a futuristic mall that houses the Fukuoka City Theatre. There are three major festivals held in Fukuoka annually; Hakata Dontaku is held in early May and residents dress up in their finest traditional costumes and parade through the streets. Preparations for the Hakata Gion Yamakasa were just in progress when we visited and enormous towering floats were dotted around the city in various places. Around 10m high, the floats are decorated with all sorts of colourful life-sized figures of samurais and cartoon characters etc. On a specified day they are then borne by scores of men in a frantic running race that is said to be an amazing spectacle. In September, Asian Week is a month long celebration where residents and visitors alike can sample a taste of Asia’s colourful cultures. At the time of writing, the city was also getting ready for the FINA World Swimming Championships (the second largest swimming event after the Olympics) to be held from July 16 to 29.

Fukuoka is a convenient gateway city. From the international ferry terminal, Korea is only a few hours away, as well as several other Japanese cities. Two hundred and fifty international flights service the city every week, connecting Fukuoka to the rest of Asia and the world. Domestic flights can take you to Tokyo, Osaka and other major cities. The airport can be reached in about 11 minutes from the city centre by subway. For short trips around the city, you can walk, take a bus, or alternatively taxis are plentiful but very expensive by Indonesian standards - the flagfall is V590, around Rp60,000 before you even start moving. A Big Mac packet with Coke and Fries costs ¥550.

As one of Indonesia’s most important trading partners, this new route will help to facilitate the smooth commerce and good relations between Indonesia and Japan. It will also serve as a convenient means for tourists in southern areas of Japan to go directly to Bali. At the airport I met a group of tourists from Nagasaki, which is only around an hour’s drive away. For traveller’s considering a trip to Japan though this is also a great option. Fukuoka gives you a
taste of the real Japan, at a manageable pace. That esoteric melange of old and new that makes Japan so fascinating to observe is very much present here, and while the city bustles it is not as fast-paced as Tokyo is said to be. People on the streets will still smile and try to help if they can, although it is rare to find anyone with even a basic understanding of English. But there is a definite sense of happiness and hospitality in this southern city, and after you’ve had a taste of Japan you’ll no doubt want some more …Tokyo is only five hours away by Bullet Train.

FUKUOKA FACTS

• Fukuoka has 18,340 hotel rooms or 144 rooms per 10,000 population - the highest rate in the country.
• One hundred and ninety nine international conventions were held in Fukuoka in 1999, the third highest after Tokyo and Osaka.
• Fukuoka airport recorded 140,000 arrivals and departures in 2000, and 20 million passengers.
• The Fukuoka - Haneda (Tokyo) route is used by- 6.9 million people annually, making it the second busiest route in the world, after Taipei - Kaohsian.
• Annual commercial trade in Fukuoka city is valued at Y17.3 billion, the second largest volume after Nagoya of regional cities in Japan.
• There are 78,195 students in Fukuoka city, or 611 students per population of 10,000. This makes the second largest student population after Kyoto.
• With 26.7% of the population aged between 15 and 29, Fukuoka has the second greatest youth population in Japan after Sendai.
• The population of Fukuoka is 1,279.671. 19,800 new homes are built every year. Fukuoka is home to a professional baseball team (the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks)
• and a professional soccer team (Avispa Fukuoka) and is one of several locations in Japan to host a prestigious Sumo tournament. Nagoya is the only other city- to be home to three such major sports organizations. (Source Fukuoka Now)

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Sampling regional dishes of Minahasa in North Sulawesi one will most certainly be offered the most renowned dish of all the bubur manado, a traditional porridge of rice and vegetables served with sambal dabu-dabu and roa, the smoked fish of the region. Should chili “hotness” appeal to you, chicken rica-rica will be served. A more exotic approach to the food is tumis bunga pepaya from the flowers of the male papaya tree (yes there are male and female papaya trees!) with kangkung (water convolvulus).

At first, North Sulawesi food may seem too hot and spicy for more suave palates but many foreigners to the region say that it is a very addictive fare because the cooks are very skilled in mixing the right spices into a certain pungent hotness.

Some years ago, I came into contact with Mrs. Sumampow from Amurang, a small out-of-the-way place where many of the local inhabitants could claim distant Portuguese ancestry. Special recipes to be served on festive days were given to me. When testing and tasting I must say that her sambal named gammi lambace (gaummee lumbace),hot, aromatic and appetite enhancing, is a “runner”. The mixture of plump shallots, red and green cabai rawit, red tomatoes, trassi, salt and a pinch of sugar are stir fried until aromatic then ground. Wow! The sambal is extremely hot with 50 grams of hot chili paddy. For the people of Amurang however, hotness simply whets the appetite.

Amurang’s chicken dish nanre pule mentega is interesting because its name is proof of French and Portuguese roots in the local cooking. Nanre pule (poulay) mantega (munteiga) is chicken braised in butter or margarine, also called mentega here. Pule reminds of the French word poulet and mantega of the Portuguese manteiga. Spiced up with shallots, garlic, greater galangal, coriander, sweet basil, pepper and salt and given a thick coconut milk liquid the chicken dish was also proof of some Middle Eastern culinary overtones in North Sulawesi cooking.

This mix of culinary overtones - western and Middle Eastern - is not uncommon in North Sulawesi. Since the 16th century, active connections with western spice traders already existed. Vast areas of mineral-rich volcanic soil were the optimum prerequisites for cloves, nutmeg, coffee and coconut plantations. The spice trade was the basis of North Sulawesi’s relatively high standards of living. Besides the trading activities, North Sulawesi had an active connection with western culture, and after the Portuguese traders and Spanish missionaries, the Dutch followed in the 19th century fortifying their strongholds in eastern Indonesia. Due to the links with Dutch culture, dishes like sop brenebon (bruine bonen soep, Dutch red bean soup) became a standardized traditional Manadonese soup - ironically now enjoyed in the tropical sunshine!

Nasu likku, rice mixed with sweet corn kernels and a screwpine leaf and steamed until tender, is one of the staples served with nanre pule mantega and the rather rich overall flavour is tempered by the sweet and sour side dish of Middle Eastern origin named acar(achar). But the link to the western part of the world is still notable in the ingredients of the achar, made from carrots and cabbage with shallots and red chilies, made pungent with a dash of ground white pepper, soured through the local palm vinegar and sweetened with white sugar.

Seas and lakes in North Sulawesi made fish and crustaceans popular fare. “Most liked are fish heads”, an acquaintance said whilst consuming contentedly a whole large red snapper fish head made into a succulent broth spiced with shallots, ever present red chilies and sour fruit (belimbing wulub or bilimbing sayur), slices of tomatoes and young ginger. Herbal fragrance like sweet basil and lime leaves, makes kepala ikan kuah manado worth a taste!

Which are North Sulawesi’s typical spices and herbs in its traditional cooking? “First of all”, a Manadonese cooking authority says, “are chilies. The ratio of chilies and main ingredients like meat, chicken or fish will be mostly l:l! So, a paniki (puneekee), a distinctive spicing from North Sulawesi is distinctively hot! By the way, the original paniki is made from fruit bats!” she stated matter of factly. Herbal flavour notes are kemangi (sweet basil), lime leaves, turmeric leaves and lemon grass. Kemiri or candlenuts and ginger are used throughout North Sulawesi, souring agents are vinegar or sour fruit, coconut milk is mostly of a thick consistency.

When in North Sulawesi, what if you suddenly crave a satisfying snack? Try panada available anywhere. Panada is the “cousin” of the Portuguese empada or the Spanish empanada or the Latin American empanadita. The difference is the stuffing made from a special fish called cakalang fufu (chacalang foufou), a species of tuna which is mostly smoked and called pampis when the thick flesh is made into a spiced stir fry. Pampis is also used to fill a glutinous rice snack named lemper or as a side dish of yellow turmeric rice North Sulawesi style.

Speaking of rice, (one of North Sulawesi’s staples) there is a local folk legend of how rice came to be known by mankind. Long, long ago, a man named Tumileng (”toumeeleng”) lived in the area that is now known as North Sulawesi. One day he decided to sell his fowl to Kayangan (heaven). There he saw grains drying in the sun and he took some. But the heavenly guards saw Tumileng taking the grains and forbade him to take them back to earth. Tumileng then tried to devise a way to take some of the grains without being seen by the guards. So he took his fowl with him again and let them run over the rice so that some of the grains would stick to their feet. The guards nevertheless saw him and accused him again of stealing the grains of their most important food. But after searching, they did not find what they were looking for and sent Tumileng back to earth with his fowl. Tumileng then called his friends, grains were planted and harvested and made into a nourishing staple, and until this day rice is still considered a food from heaven.

Last but not least, what sweets can you sample when enjoying a steaming cup of Sulawesi’s famous coffee? Bobengka is derived from Portuguese cooking but made from glutinous rice flour; the cute bin_yolos made from sweet potatoes is a far cry from the Spanish bunuelos, made from potatoes; and Apang bakar from rice flour, reminiscent of the apum of Indian baking, are all delicious treats.

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Art today is generally considered as being created by a specific group of people. This is in contrast to ancient art forms, which were shaped by ordinary people and connected with man’s main preoccupations. Yet, there are similarities with contemporary art works. Just as the events on all levels of life are stirring at this moment, so too are developments in the world of art.

Never before in our history have artists experimented so freely with medium, content and style, and never before have the images wrought by artists so rapidly been brought before the general public.

In the flurry of activity, however, it mostly slips our memory how the first forms of art came into being. Perhaps the first sketch was just an accident when some Stone Age human idly ran a twig through soft clay and was astounded to find an impression of this gesture in the ground, and this stirring find pushed him/her to further explorations.

Man’s main preoccupation in the Stone Age being survival, including hunting and protection from evil spirits, it is not surprising that what is now considered as the earliest art forms, are centered around related images. Some have suggested that by capturing these animals in art, Stone Age hunters believed they would successfully snare their prey in real life. Whatever it may be, we may take it that art in its most austere form started before the dawn of history.

Famous cave paintings from the Stone Age have been recorded in Spain and northern France. The so called Hall of Bulls in a cave at Lascaux is famous for the realistic images of horses, bulls and reindeer done with a variety of techniques, and is estimated to be over 15,000 years old. The artists captured the images of the beasts by firstly outlining the contours of their bodies, then adding details and later filling in the shapes with shades of ocher and red. They also succeeded in working with contrasts between light and shadow.

In the Middle Stone Age when people began to establish fishing settlements along riverbanks and lived in rock shelters, Mesolithic artists began to concentrate on the human figure, a dramatic change from the animal forms presented by the Palaeolithic artists. It is said that the simple but expressive contours of The Ritual Dance, a rock engraving in the cave of Addaura, Monte Pellegrino (Palermo) calls to mind the languid nudes of twentieth-century artists such as Henri Matisse.

The Leang-Leang Caves

Closer to home, some of the oldest art has been found in the southern part of Sulawesi, once known as the Celebes. The island that lies within the region, Wallacea, a region of deep water and islands separating the continental shelves of Australia and Asia, is specific in that no land bridge ever connected it to the Asian continent during the last ice age, unlike Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Pleistocene vertebrate fossils resemble similar fossils found in the Philippines. The stone implements found in the region are also similar to those unearthed in Central Java and provide a picture of life 400,000 - 500,000 years ago. Later the so-called Toalas (To-Ala: forest people) arrived, with some trace of Philippine Vegritos, from about 10,000 BC. The Holocene, or the present interglacial period, began 10,000 years ago. The cave people lived by hunting and gathering. Deposits dating between 10,000 and 7,000 years BC have produced thick chunky stone flakes and cores of chert, characteristic of both Indonesia and Australia at that time.

Against this background, the caves in South Sulawesi stand out as the place where the remains of Neolithic man have been found. The caves known as the Leang-Leang caves, named after the village in which they are located, are just a few of the 55 caves in the spectacular limestone mountains of South Sulawesi amid shallow lakes, waterfalls, and exotic flora and fauna. Artefacts and shell-fish found in these abris souz roche denote the place as having been used
for both sacred and profane purposes. Gua Petta and Gua Pettakere are the most accessible among the many caves dating back to about 5000 - 4000 BC.

Images of human hands, suggesting movement to ward off evil or danger from approaching or entering the cave, are seen on many of the cave walls. As well, the babir-usa, hunted until well into the 20th century, is also depicted on the walls of the caves.

The handprints were made by blowing red haematite pigment over a hand placed flat on a surface. Red was symbolic of life and blood, and was used for magical purposes. Most of the time, the prints were of whole hands, sometimes complete with the upper limbs of the human body. When hands lacking a finger or two are shown, they indicate the death of family members, and at the same time warn the evil spirits to back off.

The babirusa (”pig-deer” or “hog-deer” with long legs and tusks which curve upwards) is another theme that covers the walls. Also colored in a brownish red, the deer is depicted with an arrow in its heart. Offshoots of this habit still live on in what is usually considered black magic.

It is a pity that some of the images have decayed, not because of the passage of time, but rather, according to Pak Lanti the Park’s Manager, because of the cigarette smoke of visitors.

The Leang Pettae cave is an abris sons roche, more specifically a lime-stone hole, within which are located two larger holes and one smaller hole. Prints of five hands, all left hands, are arranged horizontally, with the palms measuring 12 cm diagonally, and a finger outline of 9 cm. An image of a leaping babirusa measures 30 cm.

The second cave in the Park, Leang Pettakere, takes quite some energy and strength to reach, but there are places to rest every now and then. A winding path eventually leads to a distance of 20 meters from the foot of the mountain where a steep iron staircase of about 13 meters climbs up the mountain edge and on to the entrance of the cave. To see the handprints one has to carefully `jump’ and then climb a stalagmite.

Leang-Leang Prehistoric Park

The caves are situated in the Taman Prasejarah Leang-Leang (Leang Leang Prehistoric Park) located in the village of Kalabirang, Bantimurung district, Maros regency. Except for the prehistoric paintings, the Park is also significant for other branches of the sciences, such as palaeo-anthropology, geo-morphology, and zoology.

The Park’s entry is marked by a huge sculpture, which could be a representation of a Stone Age human. Wandering through the Park, where huge trees with impressive barks and stones - almost like abstract sculptures - tell the tale of the ages, is like being in the Garden of Eden. Climbing up the 13-meter stairs to the caves and roaming throughout the darkness with a flashlight evokes a sense of adventure, as well as being thrown back in time. Magnificent panoramic views, forests and clear cool mountain streams are equalled by the interesting finds of ceramics and tools which formed the world of cave people in the Stone Age.

The cultural periods of the Stone Age are usually divided into the Upper Palaeolithic (late years of the Stone Age), the Mesolithic (middle Stone Age) and the Neolithic (New Stone Age) and roughly span the years 14,000 to 2000 B.C.

Apparently the humans living in the caves eventually got out, building their dwellings high up in the trees. From here they developed further and built houses which still exist, such as the traditional houses built on poles.

Time and physical fitness permitting, one can also climb the limestone mountains. On top of the mountains are people who earn a living by chicken breeding. “They sometimes come down to watch TV here, and bring bananas, eggs or chickens,” reveals Pak Lanti, who also lives in the Park. The Park was declared a Nature Reserve in 1977.

Excavations

Excavation of the caves started in 1902-1903 with the arrival of the brothers Sarasin from Switzerland who searched for evidence of links between the South-Sulawesi Toala tribe and the Wedda of Srilanka. In 1933, two Dutch anthropologists, Van Stein Callenfels and A.A. Cence, continued the first initiative. H.R. Van Heekeren followed them in 1937 and found utensils of stone, bone and shellfish, as well as fragments of jawbones and an oval-shaped axe. In 1950, he found other stone utensils, among others a tool to bore and serrated axe points, known as Maros Points. Other excavations followed involving joint teams from the National Institute of Prehistoric Remains, the University of Canberra and the University of London, resulting in finds of more tools and ceramics.

It was Mrs. Dr. C.H.M. Palm who, in 1950, for the first time found seven red-colored hand stencils on the walls of Leang Petta. Following this find, van Heekeren found the image of the leaping babirusa, while C.H. Franssens found 29 hand stencils in four groupings in Leang Jari, in which some hands lacked one or two fingers.

Further findings followed. In 1977, Drs. Abd. Muttalib M, Abd. Difai Husain GA and Badila Tonra and Harmanto of the Office for Historical and Prehistorical Conservation of the Province of South Sulawesi discovered 23 hand stencils in Leang Sakapao and Pattennungnge caves, consisting of 11 right hands 7 left hands, and 5 with arms and bodies. Another survey in 1978 brought new findings of 17 right hands, 21 left hands and 5 with arms. They also found 2 leg stencils and 9 images of babirusa, some among which reportedly measured approximately 150 cm. In the Sapirie cave, abstract paintings of dancing human beings decorate the walls.

Although these caves are under the protection of the Nature Reserve, they are not included in the Park, possibly because of the relative distance. Hopefully they will not be negatively affected by activities that seek to use limestone for marble production.

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Life is unfair! The Tuscans have it all history, art, architecture, landscape, food, wine, and the list goes on.

But, no worries, Tuscany generously shares its largesse with all who head towards this treasure trove set within the olive groves, rolling hills and vineyards of central Italy.
For a taste of Tuscany, start with Renaissance Florence, home to Michelangelo, Wachiavelli, Dante, to drop but just a few illustrious names. Florence, to do full justice to this city, requires at least two to three weeks to explore what it offers. Needless to say, architectural jewels abound such as the Cathedral of Florence with its Dome, Bell Tower and Baptistry and the Palazzo Vecchio (Vecchio Palace). On the Piazza della Signoria (Square of the Lady) adjacent to the Palazzo Vecchio stand Michelangelo’s David, the Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna, and Cellini’s Perseus. Interestingly, the name of Giambologna’s sculpture of two men and one woman is just a name attributed to a study of a piece of flawed marble. In other words, to sell it you had to label it - a concept already acknowledged in those times. The interior of the Palazzo Pitti (Pitti Palace) with its beautiful tapestries, inlaid wooden floor and furniture plus various outstanding collections is breathtakingly splendid.
Don’t be fazed by the serpentine queue outside the Uffizi, formerly an office building of Duke Cosimo I (1517 - 74). Just enjoy a gelati while you wait outside before admiring its world-famous collection of paintings acquired over centuries by the Medici family, the rulers of Tuscany during its heyday.
Once inside don’t miss Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” and other masterpieces of the Uffizi including paintings by Titian and Leonardo da Vinci, the celebrated inventor, painter and anatomist.
The Gothic Church of Santa Croce (Holy Cross) houses the tombs of two famous Florentines, Michelangelo and Galileo. The latter was recently vindicated by the Catholic Church for his claim that the world is round and the earth rotates around the sun. Now we know that the vendetta was not so much the work of the Catholic Church, but of jealous academics from Florence who believed in Ptolemy’s claims of the world being flat and the earth being the centre of the planetary system.
Before you suffer an attack of “Stendhalismo” (a medical condition brought on by being overwhelmed by the city’s cultural riches), head for one of the many roadside cafes. Husbands and boyfriends must take note of the ones on the Piazza della Signoria or Piazza della Republica which are conveniently situated near a concentration of clothes and shoe shops. For amusement, drop by the shop of Salvatore Ferragamo, to watch scores of intent Asian shoppers besieging the shop to the delight of the store attendants. More colourful and enjoyable to our minds would be shopping at the street market of San Lorenzo, Mercato Nuovo, or popping into the produce market Mercato Centrale, for mind-boggling displays of fruit and vegetables. Have fun exploring little shops for truly unique Tuscan souvenirs of confectionery, honeys, wonderful arrays of olive oils, wine vinegars and special artichoke hearts with peppers and olives.
After sating the shopping appetite, it’s time to discover hearty Tuscan cuisine such as salame di cinghiale (salami from wild boar), bruschetta (small pieces) of toasted bread with liver paste or a spread of anchovies, olives and tomatoes), pappardalle alla lepre (broad noodles in hare sauce) and trippa alla Florentina (tripe with a parmesan-topped tomato sauce). Castagne ubriache or chestnuts in red wine sauce, often served with baked custard may round off a meal.
Take the opportunity to explore the once mighty towns of Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa, which retain an older and more medieval flavour having been long overshadowed by the cultural capital of Florence.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa must be one of the few architectural projects in which the folly of the architect has been hailed as a “Wonder of the World”. Construction started in 1173 and it. began to tilt even before the third storey was completed. The Tower is the Bell Tower of the Pisa Cathedral, which includes the Dome and Baptistry. One of the Dome’s doors bearing a relief of the Virgin Mary with her child, is often touched by women who believe that by doing so, they would be able to have children. Such beliefs bear witness that religion and religious buildings are not just “fossilized relics”, but are still part of the way of life in Italy, together with possibly older beliefs incorporated into Catholicism.
Be prepared to walk in Siena, the heart of Central Tuscany, for it is built on seven hills, as Rome. The town is divided into seventeen neighbourhood associations or “contrade”, each distinguished by animal symbols. Whilst passing through medieval alleys, weekend visitors might meet one of the seventeen “contrades” parading round in their medieval outfits practicing their flag throwing and musical skills. Such pageantry culminates in the famous Sienese Palio horse race held twice yearly on 2nd July and 16 August, around the Piazza del Campo, the most famous square of Siena surrounded by beautiful Renaissance city palaces. In this race the contrades compete with each other and the winner of this short race ridden bare back (around 11/z minutes) gets the “palio” or banner. It is surmised that this race has its origin in Roman military training.
Other weekend surprises could include drooling over an alternative parade of sexy, stunning, sleek, scarlet Ferraris congregating at the Palazzo Pubblico (the Public Palace or Town Hall), or reviewing a stately procession of elegant vintage cars in their Sunday best, glistening with a fair amount of chrome and polish.
In less than military discipline on any given day hundreds of tourists walk through the old walled town of San Gimignano, known as the “City of Beautiful Towers”, a jewel of a medieval city from the 13th and 14th centuries with its steep, mostly windowless towers, still partially inhabited by the locals. Some of its 14 existing towers can still be scaled.

After taking in the view of cypresses, olive trees and vineyards, descend to the Piazza for a leisurely glass of chianti and begin to indulge in a taste of “dolce vita“.

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It’s allmost summer ‘down under’ and what better time to explore the beautiful scenery and gracious hospitality of Australia’s blossoming high country

It’s smack bang in the middle of the summer holidays, and I can’t believe it, there’s not a soul in sight. Obviously it’s very peaceful, but it’s also very beautiful.
All I can hear, as I watch the hot summer sun sinking, is the call of the spectacular scarlet and grey gang-gang cockatoo, the buzz of the odd blow-fly and mountain cattle lowing as they settle for the night.
Perched on the rickety old fence surrounding Craigs Hut, overlooking mountain ranges covered in trees, it is hard to imagine anyone else actually lives on this planet. The scene is so stunning, it’s no R°onder Craigs Hut was built as a film set for The Man from Snowy River.
Contrary to many people’s expectations, summer rather than spring, is the time to enjoy the wildflowers which flourish in the high country.
Walking up the Little Buller spur, even the snow gums are flowering. Daisies dominate, but native geraniums and native violets are also in full bloom, as are the brilliant blue fax lilies and the eye-catching yellow Shaggy bush pea.
Summer is also the best time to see the rare and endangered Mountain Pygmy Possum which hibernates during the winter after fattening up on bogong moths.
Students from the Alpine Institute studying the Mountain Pygmy Possum are more than happy to take visitors on field trips. It would be nigh on impossible to find a Mountain Pygmy Possum on your own. It is so tiny, it fits snugly in the palm of your hand and so enthralling, you can’t help but contemplate sneaking off with it in your pocket. John Pincombe is also enthusiastic to share his passion. John has spent most of his life flyfishing and is keen to teach anybody. I soon learn casting is a real knack and am not in the least bit surprised when John tells me you need a whole day for an introductory course. I only spend a couple of hours, and even though he says it is much easier to teach women than men, all I hook is the willows weeping over the pretty Delatite River. But as John says, just enjoying the bush is one of the reasons he loves flyfishing.
In fact, I saw more trout when we hired a canoe at Jamieson and spent a delightful afternoon on the Goulburn River. In the midst of virgin bush, with a variety of wattles, stately old gums and green, green willows growing on the banks of the crystal clear mountain stream, the only sounds are the odd cockatoo calling and the sound of approaching rapids.
During the summer, the river is so shallow it barely reaches your knees, running the rapids is a cinch. What’s more, the water is clear enough to enjoy studying the pebbles lining the river bed, and therefore when you get hot, you can of course drink it.
Canoeing along the Goulburn, we watch king parrots, crimson rosellas, blue wrens, lyrebirds, several yellow tailed black cockatoos, bright blue dragon flies and even a black wallaby. And to top it all off, the hot still air is filled with the aroma of eucalyptus.
The ten kilometre drive along the road following the Goulburn River from Jamieson to Kevington is just as pretty with countless spots for romantic picnics alongside the river.
These days there’s only a pub at Kevington, a former mining town. But the Kevington pub is a beauty. Dating back to 1862, the Kevington has one of the very best beer gardens for it is built on the banks of the Goulburn.
If you prefer wine, make a beeline for the Delatite Winery Set at the foot of Mt. Buller the view is as good as the first class whites. Anyone looking for more of a challenge in the great outdoors, can of course go rock climbing, abseiling or even sky diving. Not into heights, I choose to ride a horse, after all, this is cattle country and the mountain horsemen have been mustering cattle on horseback ever since whiteman settled this rugged region.

There’s a number of children on our ride, so we take it easy. The slow pace is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the stunning vistas: miles and miles of rolling mountains covered in eucalyptus contrasting with the brilliant summer sky in the background. In the foreground, we ride past fabulous twisted grey and white snow gums and alpine fields of flowering daisies.
As I haven’t ridden a horse for a while, I expect to stiffen up after our ride. So we retire straight to the nearby excellent recreation centre at the Mt. Buller Chalet Hotel. A first class sauna, a steam and then a swim, certainly holds me in good stead.
The Mt. Buller Chalet Hotel is highly recommended. Most of the rooms have wonderful mountaio views and during summer daylight saving time, you dine, with a drop-dead vista of the sun setting behind the mountain range. It’s such a sight, even the incredibly friendly staff get a buzz from this scene, night after night.
If you just want to sit quietly, you can’t go past the Mount Buffalo Chalet near Bright. Built in 1910, the Chalet is ideal for doing nothing. My days slip by as I read books in the English groomed gardens watching the brilliant rosellas feeding in the nearby gum trees. At the foothills of the mountain on the shores of Lake Eildon is another delightful place to stay, Turner’s Howqua Country Retreat. It too makes an ideal base for enjoying the mountains in the summer time.

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Vacation is the time you should fill the day with a relaxing and fun. Even for relaxing, pleasure purpose, you should prepare carefully and thoroughly this vacation trip. Otherwise, you would find many of the problems that makes you tense in your holiday. Here are some tips and tricks that you do not know when it is important to prepare and serve holiday.

BUY HOTEL VOUCHER

Buy a voucher through the travel agent is one of the steps in preparing your holidays to avoid the confusion of searching for your place to stay at the destination area, because there’s no guarante when you’ve arrived, still there’s a room for you. The following important information on how to buy it. Contact your travel agent, via e-mail, phone or Messaging. State clearly the voucher hotel you want. If there are hotels that interest you, mention them. If not, submit the type of class or location of the hotel you are iterested. State the details of: - long of stay, - the number of participants (adults / children), - the number of rooms required, including extra bed if necessary. If you already know the name of the hotel, the travel agent will ask the hotel if the period to the date you want is still available or not. If still, the travel agent will block room and give a confirmation to you. In most tourism area, at the time of high level visits, these hotels will be put on high season surcharge, the additional cost to rent a room, out of rental rates on ordinary days. In addition, the hotel will usually ask for advance some are even requesting payment in advance. Here an online tool to compare and book the hotel you want at the destination area, all around the world. You can see how to operate it through the pictures we provided.

Click this link to go to our Online Travel Tool

Travel Tool

It‘s like a scene from one of the Indiana Jones movies. Trekking through the dense jungle, the guide ahead wielding his machete left an right, hacks a narrow path trough the undergrowth. Ascending the last few metres up a steep rise we arrive at a small clearing. There, in the dappled sunlight filtering through the forest canopy, stands a carved megalithic statue - a human figure,perhaps thousands of years old, its impenetrable gaze staring out across the valley and across the centuries.  It’s not a movie though, we’re in the Besoa Valley of Central Sulawesi inside the Lore Lindu National Park. And this kind of adventure travel is typical of the myriad of exciting destinations just waiting to be discovered in Indonesia - the world’s largest archipelago.

Central Sulawesi isn’t a province that you hear a lot about. I have to admit that I didn’t even know where Palu wasbefore consulting a map. With major developed tourism areas in the south (Tana Toraja) and in the north (Manado and Bunaken) Central Sulawesi is quite often overlooked by travel writers and tourism operators. Situated on the west coast at the end of a picturesque horseshoe bay, the capital city of Palu is the main gatewayto the treasures of Central Sulawesi. It’s a fairly busy little place with just about everything that you couldneed. A handful of decent hotels, restaurants and banks, plus a museum and a helpful tourist information centre (Jl. Dewi Sartika). For the traveller however the real interest lies to the south east in the magnificent Lore LinduNational Park.

Travelling here isn’t easy. It’s not your typical airconditioned-bus-to-dinner-followed-by-a-cultural-show kind of deal. It’s more like long-bumpy-rides-in-a-4WD Landcruiser=on-roads-that-aren’t-always-there. There aren’t anyhotels either. In fact in some cases there isn’t any kind of formal accommodation at all. But if you’ve got a good pair of walking boots and a sense of adventure you’ll discover some stunning scenery, a unique mix of fading cultures and prehistoric relics that can compare to the megaliths of Easter island or the Valley of Jars in Laos.

For visitors, the Besoa and Bada Valleys are the most common destinations. To get to Bada take a minibus down the western border of the park until you get to Gimpu, where the paved road ends. From there it’s a two-day hike along a good trail, mostly through the forest with some spectacular panoramic views and suspension bridges crossing the Lariang river. Bada Valley has several sites with megaliths, the largest being `Palindo’ a menhir standing ataround four metres.

To get to the Besoa Valley take a minibus from Palu to the village of Wuasa. There’s a losmen there if you need tospend the night. From Wuasa, 4WD vehicles do the bonejolting three-hour drive over the mountains and into the valley. The road turns into a mudslide when it rains, which it does a lot. When you finally arrive in Besoa though,it’s like finding a hidden valley lost in time. Nestled into a perfect bowl of mountains the valley contains fourtraditional villages; Doda, Beriri, Lempe and Hangirah. There’s a kind of guesthouse in Doda, or you can findaccommodation with local families in the other villages. Ask for the KD (pronounced “Kah-Day” meaning kepala desa,or village chief), he should be able to help you find a place to stay and also arrange a guide for your excursions into the surrounding areas.

In the Besoa Valley there are several sites where you can find megaliths. One place near Hangirah has a collection of about 20 huge urns, each carved from a single piece of stone. Despite studies by anthropologists, the exact age and purpose of the megaliths is still clouded in mystery. Some say they were vessels for the deceased, others say they were used in sacrificial ceremonies. It’s still uncertain, but one thing is for sure they are magnificent and their unknown origins add to their mysterious and awe-inspiring appeal. Scattered around the grassy plain they almost look like discarded cups from the table of some enormous giant.

Near Doda is another small group of urns and figures in a field of long grass. There’s a traditional hut here where we are told people can stay overnight. It’s a beautifully peaceful spot with the spectacular backdrop of the cloud-capped mountains and only metres away from the centuries-old megalithic relics. Our guide mentioned thathuman remains had been found inside one of the urns here lending support to the theory that they were a kind of tomb. One of them still has its lid firmly sealed in place and we’re told that it has never been opened despite several attempts by the locals.For me the most exciting find was near the village of Lempe. After eating a hearty lunch of duck’s eggs and fresh corn on the cob, we headed off through the swampy rice-fields past thatch-roofed huts, tethered pigs and waterbuffalo. Eventually hitting the side of the valley the path turned vertical. Half walking, half climbing, we struggled our way over moss-covered rocks and fallen logs, our guide hacking a path through the jungle,until we came to a small clearing. There, in line were two humanoid megaliths, one about 10 metres further up the slope from the other. Both were facing north across the valley. It almost felt as though we were discovering them for the first time, and our guide told us that they had actually only been found around two years ago. In any other country, these thousand-year-old relics would be a developedtourist attraction complete with visitor’s centre and souvenir shop selling mini-megalith key chains. Here we literally had to hack our way through the forest to find them.But then that’s the allure of Indonesia. It’s mysterious, wild and adventurous …eat your heart out Dr Jones.

Encroachment

Lore Lindu was declared a National Park in 1982 as it was deemed to be representative of the intermediate to upper montane forest of Central Sulawesi. On paper, National Park status gives the area full protection from tampering, destruction or the introduction of new species. In reality however, I can say that I saw signs of encroachment in every place that I visited, and in some cases blatant commercial-scale exploitation and destruction of the forest. The most common practices are slashing and burning of forest to make room to plant crops such as coffee, cacao, corn, and vanilla. Also the wholesale extraction of timber and rattan tofeed the furniture industry in Java is widespread. These illegal actions are steadily eating away at the park’sborders and causing the areas of primary forest to shrink drastically. Having seen first-hand the chainsawing of trees and truckloads of rattan being taken from the park it is safe to say that encroachment practices are rampant.

Also rampant are corruption, ignorance and poverty, all of which contribute to the Park’s demise.Mr Agung Wibowo of Yayasan Alam Nusantara (YPAN) a non-governmental organization working in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) explained that the problem is a complex one. “We have seen an increase in the numbers of people living along the park’s borders. Some of them are refugees from Poso. They need to eat, so they go to work cutting timber and rattan or planting new crops.. Police and authorities are scared to act, fearing violence. In some cases the police and army are even involved. We need to educate people about the importance of the park, which is a habitat for endemic species such as the hornbill, babirusa and maleo. But we also need to provide some kind of viable economic alternatives for the people who rely on the forest. In this area we are developing initiatives for butterfly breeding, wild honey processing, and ecotourism. We also need to raise general awareness and put pressure on governments and authorities to take action.”

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Jewel of The East, Lombok Island

Stepping off the gleaming Mabua Express after two hours of powering across the Lombok Strait you could be forgiven for thinking you had not only made good time but also travelled through it. The busy and often chaotic streets of southern Bali are replaced by empty stretches of road where the only visible traffic consists of colourful horse drawn carts which trot carefree along the asphalt. No honking of horns, screeching of tires or terrorizing trucks, just the jingle jangle of bells as the trusty steeds negotiate their way through families of chickens and the occasional sleeping dog. The countryside looks a little different too the verdant fertile greens of Bali seem to exist here only in small pockets while the rest of the island is covered with the dry wild landscape found in the northern regions of Australia. I am obviously not the first to recognize this someone equally intrigued by this dramatic difference was British explorer and naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who travelled in these parts in the late 19th century. Wallace was amazed that two islands, separated by only 35 kilometres of water, could be so different climatically and have such different animal life. He concluded that there was a boundary in the deep Lombok Strait which separated the tropical climates of the west from the drier climate of Australasia to the east. This invisible division became known as the Wallace line and any visitor to Bali’s little eastern sister will immediately see that she is indeed different in just about every way.

We are heading towards Senggigi, the centre of tourism in Lombok situated on the sparkling western coast, about a 45 minute drive from the port. If `centre of tourism’ conjures up images of clogged streets, noisy overcrowded bars and general mayhem, think again. Senggigi is a charming beach town built on a winding coastal road which reveals perfect empty sandy bays at every turn. Traffic is non existant, the beaches are practically deserted and the people are friendly and genuinely pleased to see you. Add to this a wide choice of accommodation with everything from cheap guest-houses to five star resorts like the Sheraton and you have all the ingredients for a perfect relaxing holiday in the sun.

Lombok’s reputation has been built on her unspoilt white sand beaches and laid-back pace but there is much more to see and experience if you want to be a little more active. The southern part of the island around Kuta is blessed with magnificient beaches, great surfing and pockets of luxury like the amazing Novotel resort.

The northern part of the island is dominated by the towering Mount Rinjani, Indonesia’s third highest peak, and one of the most stunning ascents in Asia. Getting to the top and back takes three of four days, depending on your fitness, and must be undertaken with a guide, but the view from the summit makes it all worthwhile. Following reports of bandits operating in the area, the police have beefed up their presence with positive results but climbers should always be careful with their personal belongings and avoid taking anything too valuable. If the thought of three days trekking seems a little daunting, there are numerous `soft treks’ which can be organized from hotels or tour desks. The waterfalls at Sendang Gile on the north coast are an easy option; the first cascade is just a 15 minute descent from the road. A slightly more strenuous stroll takes you through thick forest and across the river to a second falls

where you can cool down in the pure mountain spring water in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The drive to Sendang Gile from Senggigi along the coastal road is a visual adventure in itself. Virtually the only car on the road, we passed through small villages, busy street-side markets and rolling dry barren hills. Cutting inland we were suddenly surrounded by the greens of rice paddies and tobacco fields for an instant before returning to the parched red earth at the next turn. At Bayan we cut inland again and immediately were enveloped in green, Rinjani’s flowing rivers and streams providing the perfect irrigation for the rice harvest. The village of Senaru has a `traditional’ area visitors can walk around which consists of the tall-roofed thatched lumbung huts also
found in Sade in the southern part of the island. Nearby is the oldest mosque to be found in Lombok which dates back to 1634 and overlooks a beautiful valley. Built entirely of wood and still housing some ancient artifacts, this is worth a quick look and the enthusiastic guide is very helpful.

As we returned to Senggigi in the evening we were treated to a dramatic sunset over the Gili Islands which lie just off Lombok’s north west coast. These three pearls in the ocean, Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air, offer some of the best diving in Indonesia. The emerald sea which surrounds these small paradise islands boasts one of the most diverse collection of marine species in the world and this has lead to a thriving dive industry complemented by very competitive prices.

Determined to experience this marine life up close, the following day we booked a day’s diving from Dream Diver’s (0370 693 738) office in Senggigi. Met at our hotel in the early hours of the morning, we set off to Bangsal where we boarded one of the Dream Diver’s fleet of traditional boats and made our way over a surging ocean to Gili Trawangan, the largest of the three islands and the diving centre. Dream Divers, a five star Padi Dive Centre, offer a selection of different courses including the popular Open Water Diver Course and the new two-day Scuba Diver Course. Started by a German couple, Astrid and Gerd, the company takes safety very seriously and we definitely felt in safe hands as we descended into the underwater realm of turtles, trevally, white tip reef sharks and giant barracudas. The marine life here is truly spectacular and I recommend all divers, snorkellers and general fish enthusiasts to jump in and take a look.

Diving aside, the Gili islands are a perfect place to relax and unwind. There are no roads, no traffic and no pollution with the popular cidomo (horse drawn cart) the only transport.

The adventurous can hike around the islands on foot and Gili Trawangan has a small hill, which rewards the climber with great panoramic views of the three parallel shore lines.

There is accommodation available on the islands but we were glad to head back to the mainland to our room at the newly opened Pool Villas Club (tel 0370 693 210) at the Senggigi Beach Hotel. These beautiful two storey villas have been available to the public for just over six months and offer visitors the most stylish and luxurious accommodation in town. Situated around a large freeform swimming pool to which each villa has private access, the villas are extremely spacious, beautifully designed and are kitted out with all the `mod cons’ (satellite TV, stereo, VCD, Jacuzzi, espresso machine etc) to make your stay a pleasurable one. The surrounding gardens are alive with flowers in full bloom, the service is impeccable and we immediately felt special, very well looked after and in the end very sorry to leave.

A trip to Lombok is highly recommended to anyone who has come to Indonesia to get away from it all but still wants a wide range of activities to choose from. With white water rafting, trekking, golf, diving and surfing for the active, pottery, carving and textiles for the shoppers and endless miles of white sands for the sun worshippers, this island has more than enough to keep its guests happy.

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The nineteenth-century Viennese traveller Ida Pfeiffer went backpacking through Indonesia before the term backpacking was invented. Gabriele Habinger tells the story of a remarkable woman who was the first white person to travel in the interior of Borneo.

“At one place, indeed, things looked more serious. More than 80 armed men stood in the pathway and barred our passage, and before we were aware of it their spear-men had formed a circle round me and shut me in. they were all tall robust men, full six feet high; their features showed the most violent agitation and their huge mouths and projecting teeth had really more resamblance to the jaws of a wild beast than to any thing human, they yelled and made a dreadful noise about me, and had i not been in some measure familiar with such scenes, i should have felt sure that my last hour was at hand. i was really uneasy, however, the scene was too frightfull, but i never lost my presence of mind.”

So wrote the Viennese traveller Ida Pfeiffer in describing one of her most adventurous experiences, an attempt to reach Lake Toba, in Sumatra, by traversing the land of the fiercely-independent Batak people.

” At first i sat down on a stone that lay near, endeavouring to look as composed and confident as i could, but some rajahs then came up to me with very threatening looks and gestures and gave me clearly to understand that if i did not turn back they would kill and eat me. their words, indeed, i did not comprehend, but their action left no manner of doubt, for they pointed with their knives to my throat and gnashed their teeth at my arm, moving their jaws as if they already had them full of my flesh.”

Even in such a perilous situation, this extraordinarily intrepid, if nondescript, former Viennese housewife was able to maintain her composure-a cool-headedness that was to ensure her survival. For just such an occasion she had memorised a sentence, delivered half in Malay and half in Batak.
She promptly slapped the shoulder of the wildest of the men who surrounded her and said with a smiling faith:

” Why, you don’t mean to say you would kill and eat a woman- especially such an old one as i am! I must be very hard and tough!”

It worked. The Batak surrounding Pfeiffer started to laugh and she was allowed to continue on her way, although she was forced to turn back with just one ridge of hills separating her from her destination.

Pfeiffer’s sense of irony had become well-honed by the age of 54, when she had commenced her journey to Lake Toba at a time when there was no safe or even scheduled transport, no guide books, and group travel was still largely a concept. Even today, many younger people would not dream of attempting journeys so rigorous or dangerous.

Still, Pfeiffer’s journeys through Indonesia were not all so troublesome and by the time she reached the archipelago, mid-way through last century, a certain measure of reknown had preceded her. Her adventures were followed closely in both Austrian and international newspapers and her impressions of her travels enjoyed great popularity. In the Dutch-controlled areas of Indonesia, this reputation benefited her. In the form of hospitality, free passage and the patronage of local Indonesian dignitaries.

Pfeiffer became the focus of a strong public fascination. How could this woman of plain looks and modest appearance have become such an adventurer?. She was born in 1797 and, as the daughter of a rich merchant, most of her early life was far from adventurous. During childhood she had tried to rebel against the role she was expected to play as a woman and her father, being a little eccentric, supported her. When she was a little girl, she wore only boy’s clothes and was as wild and bright as her five brothers. Her father also let her believe that she would be able to have a military career.
After her father’s death, however, Pfeiffer’s mother introduced her to the idea of a proper girl’s education and so Pfeiffer sought solace in travel literature which, at that time, was a popular form of distraction. Pfeiffer was eventually forced to marry a man 20 years her senior and when Anton Pfeiffer went bankrupt, she had to bring up her two sons in circumstances of great privation. However she, continued to dream of travelling and, when her sons were able to fend for themselves, she was able to put her plans into action.

In 1842, she set out on her first big adventure-to the Holy Land, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. When the impressions of that journey were published, they enjoyed a great popularity-one that has continued to the present day. Her travels started to become more daring. In 1845 Pfeiffer travelled to the far North, including Iceland, and, in 1846, she embarked on her first world trip, which lasted two-and-a-half years and took her to Brazil, Tahiti, China, India, Persia and Mesopotamia.

There were brief thoughts of retirement when that journey was over but in 1851 she set off on another world trip-a journey that was to take her across the length and breadth of the Indonesian archipelago.

On March 18, 1851, Pfeiffer left Vienna for London to meet the famous geographer August Peterman and discuss her travel plans with him. Her initial plan was to start from Cape Town and work her way into the unknown interior of the African continent, but financial constraints forced it to be abandoned. She decided, instead, to embark for Singapore, because “at Singapore you may find ships to all the regions of the earth”. She had been there already during her `first world trip and had made many friends. Now she spent pleasant days there wandering through the jungle and gathering insects to sell to European museums.

” Here merry little monkeys were springing form bough to bough, there brightly-plumed birds flew suddenly out, plants that seemed to have their roots in the trunks of the trees, twined their flowers and blossoms among the branches, or peeped out from the thick foliage, and then, again, the trees themselves excited my admiration by their size, their height, and their wonderfull forms, Never shall i forget the happy days i passed in that singapore jungle.”

Once again, it was financial constraints that forced her to abandon a plan to travel from Singapore to Australia. So she spent the next two-and-a-half years exploring the islands of the Malay Archipelago, as always travelling with little more luggage than she would be able to carry herself if necessary. Sometimes she ate only rice and drank only water and had to endure arduous tramps through a mosquito-infested jungle where there were no previous paths and only a local guide to assist her.

First she went to Sarawak, in western Borneo, which had been ruled with a strong hand since 1841 by James Brooke, the “White Rajah”. Accompanied by Brooke’s nephew, she visited the local Dayaks for the first time and was especially taken with their sword dance:

“…two parangs were laid crosswise upon the ground and two gayly-decorated young warriors presented themselves as dancers…
The dance was very gracefull and decorous, and gave employment to feet as well as hands and arms; the performers threw themselves into fine attitudes, and executed very skillfull movements. First they danced for a few minutes round the swords, appearing as if desirous of lifting them up, but, whenever they moved forward to take them, sprang back as if seized with sudden horror, untill they at length really seized them, and manoeuvered them in the most masterly manner, like well-practised fencers. It was certainly the finest dance i had ever seen performed by savages…”

In Borneo Pfeiffer succeeded in a remarkable way. She was the first white person to traverse the island’s interior, establishing a route that was to be used later by many other explorers. Her journey was also dangerous, with only Rajah Brooke’s flag saving her on one occasion from a group of Dayaks, many of whom were still practising head-hunters.

Finally, Pfeiffer reached Padang, the main base for the Dutch territories in Sumatra, via Jakarta, then called Batavia. Here she planned to visit the
Bataks-in spite of innumerable warnings about their hostility to outsiders-in order to reach Lake Toba, which was the focus for many expeditions in the nineteenth century. Europeans knew of its existence, but the Toba-Bataks resolutely refused to allow foreigners to reach it.

Pfeiffer was no exception, although she came closer to the lake than anyone had previously. Perhaps her cool-headedness, as evidenced in the passage above, had saved her, or maybe the fact that she was a woman.
But certainly her fearless and resolute attitude in times of crisis was a quality so evident that it was able to cross cultural boundaries and bring her respect from all quarters. Pfeiffer described her journey through Sumatra as the most interesting of all her travels up till then, in spite of all the dangers and difficulties.
She journeyed on through Indonesia for many years and at the end of her time there wrote: “As long as i live will the remembrance of this journey never be effaced from my mind…”

The quotations are from the English translation of Ida Pfeiffer’s book “A Lady’s Second Journey Round The World”, published in New York in 1856. The original was published in Vienna in 1856 as “Meine Zweite Weltreise” (a new edition of which was published in 1993 as
“Abenteuer Inselwelt. Die Reise 1851 durch Borneo, Sumatra, Java”). Gabriele Habinger is editor of “Edition Frauenfahrten”, the historical impressions of women travellers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, published by Viennese company Promedia

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Saung Angklung Udjo, Battle Between Traditional culture vs Factory Outlet

Bandung, the capital city as a cultural sundanese, indeed, have many treasury of traditional art and culture. One of them is the art of traditional instrumental Angklung. Flutter between modernity and elegance in the form of infecting a tour of clothing factory outlets, Saung Angklung Mang Udjo still survive. Even with government support, performance art of Angklung often performed in several parts of the world.

Wilujeng Sumping. The Blue bus is moving slowly through the streets of the city of Bandung. City of Paris van Java title, such as in the narrow end of each week. Roads and a wide zigzag that is crowded by most vehicles numbered police outside the city. In the left and right road, standing line restaurants Italy, anekarasa restaurants, pubs and cafes, kiosks, mobile phones, traders, five feet, to store clothing similar large malls called factory outlets. Gedung Sate Beyond the unique historic, the Museum of Geology place a replica of callus pithecantropus erectus - that runs Java human portrait - be buried and the Holy Road, which was famous as the home center industry shirt printing, blue bus and then turn left to enter. The road width is not more than two and a half ordinary sedan. In a Kavling numbered 118, turn the area into a vast terrain surrounded by bamboo plant. At the entrance is standing two teenage girls clothing conduit a la sundanese blue young, driven miniature Angklung neck to each visitor, while the brochure agenda visit the event.

Right at the top of their stand, depending on a pelang from the polished wood titled “Wilujeng Sumping” which means welcome in the Sunda language, as a bookmark that visitors have arrived in Games Angklung Anyway Udjo. In addition to the right tunnel entrance, there is a large cage that is inhabited by bats or bat prefer dark colored life-size adult cat. Some visitors stop and observe amazed giant bat, which according to one staff Anyway Udjo is of the old area. Anyway Games Udjo is used is that many bamboo forests inhabited bat. Rather into, one by one visitor is presented a sundanese special drink ; bandrek based coconut milk, palm sugar and ginger. If in Makassar, the drink is called Sarabba. Bandrek hot this sizeable chest favor for the warm weather should be covered from the cold water conditioner bus.

In front of the terrace after a gulp bandrek hot, direct visitors greeted by various Pernod (merchandise) and crafts typically displayed on the terrace, which also functions as a kind of showroom; puppet show various sizes, Sarinande Angklung, shirt and picture Angklung PLAYERS, and other key hanger. Price on each display vary, but generally still affordable pocket visitors.

There are all here. Visitors are welcome to the performance of the Straits of similar shapes Amphitheater. In front of the stage there with all kinds of musical instruments sundanese; jejeran Angklung, arumba, calung, dogdog, gamelan sundanese, drums. Right in front of the stage, jejeran puppet show about a place along the approximately three meters. In front of the stage, there is a wide field floor half the field basket. Jejeran around cement benches from the gradual formation formed a semi-circle, where the visitors sit witnessing relaxed performances are presented.

Initial impression is not the music or dance performances, but the art of making Angklung. Anyway Dede, a man aged around 50 years, standing in front of a small table with the chip-chip bamboo and rattan unfold at random before. Bamboo is used as basic materials making Angklung must pass through a selection process that is quite strict. Only the bamboo age 4-6 years can be Angklung. Bamboos is’ be ‘only when the dry season only, from 9 am to 3 pm hours. However, should the process during the week to reduce their water content. Bamboo, which is formed in accordance with standard form, and then chained in one framework with a solid ties. Occasionally he shake the bamboo, to listen and inspect the sound. Feeling satisfied, then shaped again. Shaked again, shaped again. Until a few times-repeated reset, and until his face presenting  satisfied smile. One piece Angklung with certain tone is created. When asked how long he has been in the making of Angklung, he replied with a smile. Recently, a new 26 years old! Next, each of the visitors were given the opportunity to structure a Angklung. Of course not whittle with, or install the bamboo, but only binds the bamboo with strong rattan and can be played.

After the short course event to make Angklung, visitors entertained by the puppet show performances with Cepot figure showing it as celebrity. Marionette puppet show is quite entertaining, other than because the story played associated with the daylife, also the figures played with the very entertaining. Then, switch to a traditional orchestra music sundanese; blend of drums, and arumba Angklung play in a symphony of various songs. Proceed with Angklung interactive, which also include visitors who each have been provided with Angklung not certain. Other events also quite entertaining is the emergence of dozens of children aged between 2-6 years old play traditional dances, pencak silat, and some play Angklung. They have been trained as demonstrating that musical instruments. Laughing and ran, with the simple patterns of whimsy and farcical, so visitors enjoy the entertainment. According to information from the guide, the children have started learning to play Angklung and traditional dance sundanese since the age of two years up to teenagers. Some are considered advanced academic and then selected to perform in the various countries. To learn dancing and playing Angklung, they do not charge any single money from the children. All education costs, including equipment and trainers are provided free of charge. Cost management of the Games Angklung comes from the results of the business Angklung Games themselves, plus a subsidy from the local government of West Java.

Angklung and Udjo Ngalagena. Based on Balinese mythology, Angklung consists of two words, namely, that figure means that the tone, Lung, and that means damaged, incomplete, or missing, so that the series of two words that mean the tone of the damaged or incomplete. By definition, Angklung interpreted as a traditional musical instrument made of bamboo, which generate a certain tone from the shock. Furthermore, Angklung scattered in all regions of West Java, and then enrich the traditional ceremony in Banten, Baduy, Sukabumi, Cirebon, etc.. Angklung has a special function related issues and religious ceremonies. In the beginning, Angklung played to attract interest as the goddess Dewi Sri fertility to fall to earth when people begin rice planting season. Angklung also played for the additional release of the soldiers sundanese which will be advanced to the battlefield. Angklung function as a spirit blower makes Dutch East Indies government (the colonial period) had prohibits the use of Angklung.
Anyway, the exinstence of Saung Angklung Udjo itself, can not be separated from the founder, Udjo Ngalagena. Mang Udjo, so he was familiar call, was born in the year 1932 as a 6th child from the pair Wiranta and Imi. Mang Udjo has advanced angklung skill since the age of four years. Angklung at the time, usually played only for the activities just like a traditional wedding or circumcision ceremony, with pentatonik composition, just like any javanese music. Bounded with a strong arts Sudanese, encouraged him to seriously develop his skill. Then he directly learn from sundanese musical instruments masters at the time; learning Kecapi music from Koko, Sundanese gamelan from Rd. Machyar Angga Kusumahdinata, and Angklung do-re-mi, or Angklung diatonic composition to Soetigna Daeng, the inventor Angklung Modern Padaeng. Angklung diatonik also known as Modern Angklung and modern harmony with the composition of modern music, so this type of Angklung can play all types of traditional music, pop, dangdut, to classical music.
In 1955, participants in the Congress before the Bandung Asia Africa, Mang Udjo with Daeng Soetigna lead the presentation Angklung played by students of Kartini Elementary School Teacher of Bandung. Since then, the arts Angklung and start growing. In 1958, Mang Udjo begin to develop the business of Angklung in Bandung rally with local residents. In the early months 1967, he with his wife officially established Saung Angklung Udjo. This saung then used as a kind of workshop of making Angklung and learning Angklung music and other art sundanese.

Mang Udjo, with full dedication to preserve, develop and introduce the art and culture from the traditional sundanese throuh his saung, became one of the tourism site in West Java region. Under his guide, appear several generations of advanced artist who can play traditional music of Sunda, as well as classical sundanese dancing. Some of the performance event held in and outside the country. Mang Udjo, who understand English, Dutch, French, German, Japanese and Chinese during this life has received many awards from the government over the business preserving traditional Sundanese arts. Mang Udjo, that during his life always teaches simplicity and hard work to all the students, then passed away in January 2001 with thousands of students resulted that spread across the country. One of the inheritance is still often stockholders neatly in Saung Mang Udjo are wisdom words, advice, that he write and install themselves in several places in the walls of Saung. One of his writings on the wall ring Games, “Ceuceub ka hiji jalmi hartosna nyiksa ka diri sorangan, kukituna dunya jadi heurin. Naon rugelna jadi jalmi anu someah. Naon rugelna jadi jalmi anu leah” which means: keep hatred in the heart just like torture yourself, making your world not cozy. It is not wrong to become someone noble. It is not wrong to become the wise and respect each other.

Bandung is not only the Factory Outlet
Bandung, the breadth 168 square km, or approximately a whole city of Makassar, every weekend, such as contract and tighten. The atmosphere was calm with a refreshing air of clean clothes is a way to become a city teeming with dust and smoke exhaust meet air space. Cars from all over the city crowded the narrow roads, especially in front of the factory outlets that stand in the corner of the city. Some old buildings, including historic buildings servant is the post office building, has been used for factory outlets. This is the luxury of a century millennium Bandung try to doctrinize the visitors. The city which originally designed only as a relaxation city, suddenly suffered capitalism pollutant.

Saung Mang Udjo appears as wilderness between modernities infecting the city of Bandung. Sales tourism is the main reason the city is tourism expenditure clothes, but also culinary. Siliwangi valley, or Valley of the forest area is originally the city and a region of drain water, main city planned to build a large restaurant on it.

http://www.ethnicmusics.info/saung-angklung-udjo-battle-between-traditional-culture-vs-factory-outlet/