Java Island Tour Visitation

Menguji Nyali di Pantai Timang

2010-10-15T11:31:00.008+07:00

Ingin wisata ekstrem? Sepertinya anda butuh meluangkan waktu untuk mengunjungi Pantai Timang. Keekstreman pantai ini tidak hanya kita temukan di lokasi, namun jalan menuju lokasi juga ekstrem.

Pantai ini terletang di dukuh Danggolo, desa Purwodadi, kecamatan Tepus, Gunungkidul. Tidak ada petunjuk jalan khusus untuk menuju pantai Timang ini. Begitu pula informasi yang bisa kita dapatkan. Jika kita bertanya kepada orang-orang pun mungkin setelah radius 5 km baru orang mengetahuinya. Namun sebagai petunjuk, kita bisa menggunakan petunjuk arah ke pantai Siung, karena jalur ke pantai Timang ini dekat dengan pantai Siung. Jarak pantai Siung dan Timang sekitar 10km jalan darat.

Jika dari arah jogja, sebelum pertigaan kearah pantai Siung kita akan menemukan SMP Muhamadiyah Tepus disebelah kiri jalan kemudian lapangan bola Dakbong, disebelah kanan. Dari sana ada petunjuk kecil kekanan, menuju Pantai Timang. Jalan dari sini adalah bangket semen sampai lebih kurang 1 km. setelah itu kita akan melalui jalan yang diperkeras dengan tatanan batu karang. Yang menarik dari jalur ini adalah bahwa ada papan peringatan yang dituliskan besar “4 wheel drive track”. Memang terbukti kemudian bahwa jalur ini diperuntukkan bagi kendaraan offroad. Kecepatan kendaraan disini mungkin maksimal hanya 15 km/jam. Jika anda menggunakan motor, tangan anda kemungkinan akan kesemutan dan pegal getarannya. Jalur offroad ini harus ditempuh sepanjang 3 km untuk sampai ke Pantai Timang.

Ada 2 point of interestdi pantai Timang ini. Pantai pasir putih disebuah teluk kecil dan bukit karang disebelah baratnya. Masuk akal jika Pantai ini sepi sekali, karena jalur untuk menuju kesana memang ekstrem. Namun disinilah keindahan itu bisa kita temui. Keekstreman kedua yang kita temui adalah di bukit pantai Timang ini. Kala kita mendaki, maka akan kita lihat sebuah pulau kecil diseberang. Penduduk menyebutnya batu Panjang, atau pulau Panjang. Yang menarik dari pulau ini adalah bagaimana cara menuju kesana. Penduduk sekitar ternyata telah membuat jembatan penyeberangan yang cukup membuat geleng-geleng kepala.

Bagaimana tidak…, jemabatan penyeberangan sepanjang lebih kurang 100 m dengan ketinggian 50m (tertinggi) dari permukaan laut tersebut hanya terbuat dari tali plastik, bukan kernmantle dengan semacam sangkar kursi yang terbuat dari kayu sebagai tempat bagi orang yang akan menyeberang.

Jembatan tersebut memang pada awalnya dibuat bagi nelayan yang akan mencari lobster yang banyak ditemui di pulau Panjang tersebut dengan perangkap khusus (ngrendet). Ombak yang besar dan karang tajam kadang menghalangi para nelayang yang akan menuju pulau Panjang, maka munculah ide untuk membuat jembatan tersebut.

Pak Tukijan beserta 5 orang temannya pada awalnya harus berenang menerjang ganasnya ombak diantara tajamnya batu karang laut selatan untuk membangun jembatan ini. Dahulu mereka hanya memasang 2 tali sepanjang 200m berdiameter 4cm dengan biaya sekitar Rp 900.000,-.

Sekarang ada 5 lajur tali untuk menggantung sangkar kursi tersebut dan sebuah tali untuk menarik dan menggerakkan sangkar kursi tersebut. Tali-tali tersebut menahan beban sankar dengan semacam roda terbuat dari kayu yang terpasang di sangkar kursi. Sebagai landasan untuk meluncurkan sangkar kursi tersebut, dipasang patok tiang dari batang pohon yang diikatkan di hamparan batu karang di bukit pantai Timang tersebut.

Jangan sekali-kali mencoba menaiki sangkar kursi pemacu adrenalin tersebut tanpa bantuan penduduk sekitar, karena sangat berbahaya. Tidak ada jaket pelampung, safety gear, tali cadangan, maupun TIM SAR yang disiapkan di pantai ini.

Jika anda beruntung dan dapat menyeberang, kemungkinan akan basah terkena hempasan uap air dari deburan ombak yang berada dibawahnya ketika sudah mencapai tengah lintasan.

Setelah ada jembatan tersebut, pak Tukijan bisa mendapatkan hasil tambahan dengan menjadi operator jembatan pemacu adrenalin tersebut bagi yang menginginkan untuk menyeberang. Biasanya yang menggunakan jasanya adalah para offroader dan pemancing yang ingin menikmati sensasi menaiki jembatan adrenalin tersebut. Tidak ada biaya pasti namun kita harus menghargai tenaga yang dikeluarkan untuk menarik sangkar kursi tersebut karena memang sangat berat, jauh lebih berat dari tarik tambang apalagi menimba air disumur.

Ingin menikmati berpacunya adrenalin diatas deburan ombak dan tajamnya batu karang…? mari kita luangkan waktu ke pantai yang bisa dicapai sekitar 3 jam dari kota Jogja, dan tidak ditemukan didaerah lain ini.

The exoticism of Oya River from Mangunan Orchard

2010-05-05T19:44:00.014+07:00

The Shade of the tombs of the Javanese kings at Imogiri refreshing body from the hot sun at the time. We did a quick stop to buy Pecel, the food that suitable for vegetarians, because it's made out of vegetables for our lunch. This Pecel was a typical food at the tomb complex. It is interesting either how the way they eat, because just lay down beside of river/road under the shades of trees, cross legged, we called it lesehan. They eat and enjoy the breezy of wind from the jungle of the hill. We don’t eat like them because we’ve the plan to get lunch at the top of hill of Mangunan Orchard.

We’re move back to Imogiri but before get there, we turn left uphill to the direction of Dlingo/Mangunan. Stunning scenery started from here. Up and up, your view was increasingly widespread. On the left side you can see the Javanese Kings tombs complex and faraway Jogja scenery was seen vague. The field rice and the hills look so great. The air temperature begins to cool. The green trees and cool air make us refresh again, moreover if we use motorbike not car, the wind will blows over our skin, so fresh….

Through this route at least 5 km, uphill and sometimes downhill, on the quite winding road, we would arrived at a small intersection and we must take the right route. From here we should take this small village’s road will and pass one small intersection again. Unfortunately there are no board directions to this Orchard, but we can ask the villager that we met here. The Mangunan Orchard just about 2 km from the main road.

We’ll get trouble if we plan tour here by bus, because the road was narrow, but it’s OK if we just user micro bus. The parking lot was wide enough; it is after the postal ticket. Here, has been built the facility building as mosque, pavilion, toilet, and the office. This Orchard was built at Mangunan, Dlingo, Bantul, Yogyakarta, just beside the Oya river basin. We can see the Oya River from the top of valley, so beautiful. We can reach here from Yogyakarta as far as 35 km and 15 km from Bantul city.

Mangunan Orchard was built on a 23 hectare area, with elevation 150-200 from sea level. This Orchard was begun to be built since 2003 by Bantul Regency government. Cultivated plans here were mangoes, durians, rambutans, orange, guava, sapodilla, mangosteen, and duku. There is in a small amount also grown matoa, longan, cempedak and star fruits. Besides, here are still cultivated tree crops like teak, king grass, pines and magium. There is cow breeding either here, and the feces were used to fertilize the plans, than the cows were feed by the grass that grew here. What a wonderful concept.

We can hire this place for camping activity, because there is camping ground either. At least two locations were prepared for this activity. For one day activity like Outbound, this place was ready too. The contour of the land is very suitable for this activity. But I don’t know if this place ready for the equipments or not. You can ask the administrator of this Orchard before plan to go outbound here.

The most beautiful scenery of Mangunan Orchard was lie on the south hill. You can achieve this hill by walking or use the vehicle, but… the vehicle must on good condition, especially the machine, tires and brakes. And you couldn’t use big vehicle to climb here, because the access road just narrow. If you wish here, and I suggest you should here, from the parking lot you should ride away continue on the gravel down hill. Then turn right to the pool valley. From here we should stepped on the gas strongly but calm uphill on winding gravel road.

What wonderful scenery…! difficulties encountered seemed to pay off. There is a pavilion and toilets built here either. From this point, you would have more view than from the first hill. Java south sea also visible from here, precisely Parangtritis coastal.

With walk downstairs to east we will be taken to the magnificent scenery, where in front of us just a wide scenery without obstacle. There faraway, looked south limestone hills of Gunungkidul. Down…, a beautiful Oya river with brown water is meandering at least 50 meters below. We might need a fish eye lenses to get photo of this wide scenery or we can’t describe the beautiful of this 270 degrees scenery. Here, we feel like on the top of skyscraper. You can get beautiful picture whether sunset and sunrise from here.

Unfortunately, when we came there, it is not the fruit season, so we can’t pick the fresh fruit directly from the trees. Even though we have pay the entry ticket, but if we wish to pick the fruit we must contact the administrator to get permit because the ticket fees weren’t included to be able to enjoy the fruit in this orchard. We ought to pay more to pick the fruits.

This place is a recommended choice if we search for comfortable place to relax with friends or family. We can plan a picnic here, and lunch under the trees while see the beautiful scenery below and fresh air blows over our body. There’s enough space either to make a games here. Here, we can refresh our mind by enjoy the wonderful atmosphere, fresh air, green trees, wide view and the blue sky over. Very different with the city condition where there’re traffic jam, sound and air pollutions. Now, the trees still small, imagine some next few years, they will grow bigger and make this Orchard more cool.

And now… let’s try to get there with friends or family…. Make your soul free from the city pollutions and office activity…

Small tour hill to hill

2009-10-13T15:40:00.009+07:00

There is line of hills at the south of Jogja. The hills lie on Bantul through Gunungkidul. The routes on GPS very attract me to ride over and enjoy the turns, ascents and descents.

The adventure started from Pleret, Bantul. From here we ride south east toward the Patuk hill. Now was dry season. The most trees here is teak. They falls their leaves on dry season. The atmosphere was dry with brown color almost every where, except the blue sky.

There is some 180 degrees turn combine with ascend asphalt here. What a dangerous turn, because at some turn, you can’t see the traffic situation in front, and the turn was limited with the deep valley in front.

After ride a while, we found cross road with banyan tree at the center. Turn left will bring you to Pathuk, turn right to Dlingo forest, and I choose the straight road. The road brings us to Dodogan’s bridge. Dodogan’s bridge is a new bridge, no more than 10 years. Here’s the scene is very beautiful. Your position before across the bridge is high, so you can see wide area around the bridge. The bridge looks magnificent across the Oya river that look like giant snake among the hills.

While near the river, the clear water flow upon will interest you to walk down and play on the stones and water. You can bring your vehicle down to the river, but the track to it is bad, only good driver and strong engine can save pass this track.

After satisfy playing in the water, we decide to continue our adventure. Next place was Playen, then Gading, and Bunder forest. On Sambipitu, we choose residential street through Nglanggeran hill. Some while we take picture there, than continue the ride. At the tip of Nglanggeran Hill, we turned right to get by the north of Nglanggeran Hill. We still don’t now the end of the road, just try the new routes. Finally, we get in Central Java province, and enter the Wedi city. From here, we just take the way home, because we have known this routes, and the adventures was end because we just ride on the good road till home. Here it’s some of the pictures I can take over this adventure.

The Exotic Beach for Extraordinary Person

2009-06-10T10:46:00.018+07:00

Pacitan was known as the place for 1001 caves. Here lies the Famous Gong cave, the most beautiful cave in south East Asia. This cave still growth. People know about these caves more than the beaches. Maybe Teleng Ria was the only beautiful beach people ever know, you can see from Google Earth about this beach, beautiful scenery from the satellite.

Here I want share about the beach I just visited. People named it Klayar Beach. Maybe it’s named from a rock that’s look likes a sail. Sail in Javanese language mean Layar. The curious about this beach take me and my groups to this beach.

Jogja to Pacitan takes 4 to 5 hours to ride at normal speed. The route we take was entering Pacitan from Baturetno, Wonogiri. Pass over Punung, we choose the mountain road to Teleng Ria Beach. Before the famous sea scenery from the mountain road, there lies an intersection shows the Srau and Klayar Beach to the right. The roads were getting narrow, but still have good asphalt over it. Here the torture began. Te roads were turns off road trails so it makes us didn’t believe that this road was right. Sometimes we ask local person to ensure that the road we choose was the right route.

We’re more afraid because the gas was getting lower, but the mountain road pushes us with full throttle on our bikes. After the decrease winding off road, we face the small village over the river and we ask the local person again, we think it’s almost there, but we’re definitely wrong. The winding climbing road pushes me up again with full throttle at first gear to climb the hill. Even the scenery from the top of the hill was very beautiful, but our adrenaline was flows so fast, what an extraordinary off road. Finally we face the good road in front of us, another intersection. Here we get the gas again.

From the store owner, we know that our route was hell route, even local person would avoid that route if didn’t perforce. We should the opposite route from we came to go to Klayar Beach. This opposite was the route to Gong Cave, for about 30 km but with good condition, even still trails road among the hills and villages.

From this intersection, we still run about 2 km to get the beach with bad off road trail for about 500 meters. But, the torture was paid when we face this Beach........
What a wonderful, exotic beach I’ve ever seen. The Classic Beach with white sands, coconut trees at the edge, the green riverbank of lagoon verge with white sands and Pandanus bushes. Before you walk to the sands, there’s a small square with green grass over it. The rock over the beach was not the sharp rock so it’s save for you to walk upon. Then we walk through the small cove to the east.

Another surprise waits for us.....
There is very different characteristic of waves closed by a small white sand pile. Here, the huge waves continuously wipe the coast as it never tired. A very high wave formed by a lane of rock for about 100 meters upright the sea. What remarkable was the waves will lost when it spread over the white sands as it’s loosed its power.

After see the exalted scenery, I climb the cliff that look like sail at the east of this pile. Here I picked some picture, but I heard a horrible sound behind me, a sound like a jet. The area around this pile rock was a flat as a stage. What a wondrous moment.... a very rare characteristic of beach.... I saw a water splash out so strong from this stage to the sky, its look like a water fountain but very strong.

When I dare to get closed, I saw a small hole in this stage. It’s just 50cm long and 10 cm wide. I just realize that under this stage were a cave and when the waves came in to this cave, sea water pushed in very strong and splash out at the top of this cave that is this stage. The sound was horrible. Its sounds like a jet engine or a very vas train passed by. Here, your adrenaline would pumped again to hear between the sound of sea waves, the sound of the fountain, and sometime with big waves that jump on the stage and flow over it. It’s an exotic dangerous beach.

I think I can’t describe these sceneries of the beach as if you get there yourself. This Beach was really beautiful beach that can’t describe by thousands of word or hundred pictures. So, when we can share about this heaven after you see it with your own eyes? Prepare your spare time and vehicle to get there. I suggest you should choose the powerful vehicle, whether motorcycles or cars. It’s good if you choose a trail bike or 4x4 Car to get this Exotic beach. Welcome to the paradise.......!!! (ristsaint)

Feels Like Cast Away on Mysteriuous Island

2009-03-10T07:10:00.010+07:00

Live in cloistered island is the first impression while get arrived at these two beaches. The atmosphere so quiet, just seabird fly over the sky and the sound of wind and waves break on the rocks. The blue water cherish on the white sands beach. The white sands outspread so flat, and wet by the white ripples splash on it.

People here give names Watulawang and Pohtunggal Beach for these two beaches. These beaches actually only separated by collapse rock that hits continuously by the Hindi Ocean waves.

Here’s only found three shelters. The shelters built from wood and dried rice straw as roof. The two shelter up in the rock hill that separate these two beaches for the transit shelters, and the one else is a unique shelter, located at a side of Pohtunggal beach, a really shelter to avoid the cold, rain and wind from the ocean. This unique shelter built near the beach lines on the sands as it floor. The fisherman slept on the arranged bamboo inside the shelter that built so close from the water lines, and white sand as its floor. The roof functionally as the wall either.

We’ll fell warm inside this shelter, because wind will blows under ourr bamboo bed. We can make bonfire either inside this shelter. It is really like live in a cloister island. A simple shelters as in the movies defined the man who lives lonely after the sea accident and drifted ashore to a virgin island.

Pohtunggal outspread for about 150 meters and bordered with another beach by a small cape. Here’s We’ll find only Ourr footsteps displays on the sand same condition with the Watulawang beach. The differences between this beaches is are the wide of Watulawang just about 30 meters and in the right side of it, on the rocks wall, We’ll find a small cave. An exotic cave that will increase Our adrenalin I think, because sometimes the waves will flow over the cave.

Maybe this cave was the reason this beach named Watulawang. Watulawang in Javanese language consist of two words: Watu and Lawang. Watu mean rock or stone, and Lawang mean the door. So, Watulawang mean the door built from the stone or rock, in other condition it can mean the cave. The Cave height only 2 meters and getting lower inside. The wide of this cave only 10 meters with the deep of it is 15 meters. In front of the cave there are rocks stands as the barrier for this cave. But, sometimes the big waves splash over it and the water flows over the cave, so we must be careful if get inside the cave.

In the mid day, Pohtunggal very hot with the sunshine because there’s no rocks wall or trees over it, only the small shelter and trees far from water lines, But the narrow beach of Watulawang with high rock wall circle it, gives the benefit of Watulawang because We can easy get the shadows from sunshine.

The road to get here just a small rural road with rocks arranged as its floor. We can reach these beaches from Sundak beach and ride to east follow the asphalt road until the road turn left keep away from beach. Here, on the turn, we have to pick straight on road to with paving block as floor to the fishery field. After this fishery, named Tenggule beach, we will ride on rocky road for about 200 meters and will get to the parking area after hill circling. The tourist maybe didn’t know the existence of these beaches because there is good road to it. And there’s promotion either about these beaches. I don’t know why the local government didn’t built or promote this beautiful beaches, but it is a chance for privates if want to operate these beach, as a tourist business place or just a private beach. So... come on get here and enjoy the mysterious quiet and beautiful beaches, and then please judge how beautiful of these beaches of your mind.

See more Photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/ristsaint/PohtunggalWatulawang#

Let's Climb on Nglanggeran

2009-01-13T07:28:00.027+07:00

New year holiday was the right time to enjoy the fresh air around Jogja. I decide to visit the ancient volcano again. We're six person on 3 motorcycle start our recreation at 1 PM. Thinking of the traffic jam at Jogjga city that happened from the beginning of long holiday from christmas, we choose the rural road and just get in Solo road at east of Prambanan temple. Our route was Sleman - Kaliurang Road - Purwomartani - Prambanan - Klaten area - The Pilgrimage of Sriningsih - Uphill - Nglanggeran.

Before Prambanan was the beauty of rice field area in our view. and after Sriningsih, the view from the hill was our menu to see. There is one check point that shows beautiful scenery. It this the drawbridge at the border of gunung kidul regency and sleman regency. The bridge just narrow, its about 1 meter, only 2 wheeler can pass this bridge, and it's should one by one.

If you walk here, this bridge would wobbly, wow... what a enjoyable moment, why? because the bridge was near 1 hundred meters from the river below. The rivers was the rock at the bottom, and water flows over it only in the rainy season.
from here you can the beautiful composition of the volcanic rocks over nglanggeran mountain. it's like the puppets arranged at the screen before its played. That why Nglanggeran mountain called with Puppet mountain too.
we've enough to enjoy this situation here, that move to Nglanggeran mountain but we must bring enough water first before climbing. We must turn south (right if we came from ngoro-ngoro highland) about 1 km to get the tracking gate. If You get near the three beauty house and much cord wood in front of, you should turn left and run at the precast road until the end of the road at Mr. Paeran's house. Park your vehicles here, and ready for long uphill tracking.
There is three check point to get to the Mount nglanggeran, but i don't know which the second and third, i just find one shelter to mark first shelter area it's on the volcanic rock. from here you can see the towers from private televisions at Ngoro-oro, and the Jogja city. I just imagine that the second check point was the opened yard, and from here, you can see the giant Merapi mountain at north and the Jogja area, and some Klaten area.
We're ussually must climb to the rock because the track passed on it. Maybe you would think that we're in kaliurang, not gunung kidul, because some times the track was very thick with trees and the weather was cold enough that freshyn up our body. Here, we found a beautiful flower. I just know that is is Tanjung Flower, the Flower that had same name with my village, Karangtanjung. The Tanjung's tree was near the Supitan cave and they're show its flowers and fruits, it's so beautiful flower with purple color on pink crown adn green and thick leaf as background, here's i get the photo for you. While you get the Supitan cave, you can see the drawbridge from the highs. From here, you just realize how long and high the bridge.
up more for 5 minute you will get the top of the Gedhe mountain, a wide yard and volcanic rock as it floor. It is the top of West Nglanggeran, from here, you can closely see the East Nglanggeran with fantastic rock compositions, the sea at south west, Klaten area at north East. and the winds blows so fast on your body. If you wish, you can built tents here and wait for the sunrise from the back of East Nglanggeran mountain. The sunset was so beautiful too from this West Nglanggeran, because there's no higher area from here at West side.
Thanks God, i have get here to know the beautiful lands here, and here the photographs of The Ancient Volcano you can enjoy, because picture tell more than a story.

Feel the Experience on the Top of Ancient Volcano

2008-12-11T07:44:00.007+07:00

Jogjakarta was known as the place for most decade volcanoes, Merapi, at Sleman regency. There is only few person know that there is another volcano, it was placed at Yogyakarta either, it is more old then Merapi volcano. The Ancient Volcano was located at Gunungkidul regency. They named it Nglanggeran mount. The mount located at Nglanggeran, Patuk, Gunungkidul, it’s about 22 km from Wonosari or 25 km from Jogjakarta city.

You can reach this side by two routes, first from Jogja – Piyungan – Patuk - Ngoro-oro – Nglanggeran, second route from east whether from Klaten/Ngawen or Wonosari – Sambipitu (putat) – Bobung – Nganggeran. Each route have twisted good road with the mountain panoramic as a bonus. If you choose first route, when you get Patuk crossroad, from Yogyakarta, you ought to turn left and ride for 7 km more to get Nglanggeran.

The age of this mount was about 6 million years, long time before Merapi volcano started its activity. This Mount has height 200m-700m from sea level. The name Nglanggeran itself comes from the tales of local citizen. They told it came from Javanese word “Planggaran” that mean infraction. The people did infraction or another bad attitude on this area, always caught or known by community. Another term of Javanese word connected either to this name; the word is “Langgeng” that mean eternal.

Beside the name Nglanggeran, this mount sometimes called mount Wayang. Wayang mean puppet. This is because there’s some peak that similar with the figure on the Javanese Puppet or component to shows the shadows puppet. The people around this mount belief that Nglanggeran was protected by figure of Kyai Ongko Wijoyo and the Punokawan (Semar, Gareng, Petruk and Bagong). Punokawan was the groups of servant that guide the knights of Pandawa (from Mahabarata story) to the superiority of life.

Nglanggeran was composed of many peak and point and they have their own myth according to the local people. The point of interest of Nglanggeran was: mount Kelir, the Comberan spring, mount Gedhe, mount Bongos, mount Blencong, mount Buchu, lake Wungu, and Lake Mardhido. Here found the strange medicine plants either name Termas.

Mount Kelir named as it shape, the wall of the peak was similar with “Kelir” a screen to perform the shadows puppet. People belief that here the place of Kyai Ongko Wijoyo and the Punokawan lives. The Spring of Comberan lies on the high of mount Nglanggeran. This spring was never off of the water even though while summer. People belief the one who wash his/her face with this water from the lake, they will get ageless. Mount Gedhe as its name was the biggest and the top of Nglanggeran Mountain. From here you can enjoy the great panoramic of these are, include Jogjakarta and the green of Bunder forest at south, the green and streaky rice fields, and many television tower at west. It is the favorite place for photographer and the hiker to get rest and built tents. Mount Bongos and Blencong was one unity, the Blencong was known at Javanese culture as a light on the shadows puppet performance. From this blencong, the shadows of puppets were performing on the “Kelir” the giant screen for this permofance.

The myth told that Tlogo Wungu was hidden from usual person. Only the person who has the clean hearth and did the “lelaku” a ritual to clean the body and the heart can see this mystical lake. The people only told that this lake was located at the east of mount Nglanggeran. This lake was belief as the place for goddess to take a bath. They leave their flying horse at Mardhido Lake, here there is a footprint of the flying horse on the stone, people belief it is the foot print of one of them.

There’s myth here that Nglanggeran Mountain was circled by a giant dragon. The dragon was sacred and could heal all of the disease. The dragon was now belief as a strange plant that spiral like the snake that can produce a healing liquid. Only the special person can perform the ritual to get the water out of the plants. The plants named Termas.

Actually there are many other myths here, like if people perform the shadows puppet, the puppeteers have to face the mountain, and the north zone of this mountain was denied to perform the shadows puppet. But if you wish to get more myth there, let’s get yourself there and talk to native person.

The entrance of the area now was built a Joglo, a Javanese architecture. You can prepare for the climbs here. There is footpath and three shelters to get the top of the mountain, each shelter gives beautiful scenery. If you wish to climb this mountain, I suggest you use shoes not sandals. The wall of these peaks was very suitable for rock climbing. In fact, there is no one person can conquer the top of mount Blencong, it is the most challenge here for local or foreign rock climber. If you see the photos beside, maybe you will say:” it’s the heaven of Rock climber...” Now, prepare your holiday, take the reservation at Jogja, prepare for the stamina and get to Nglanggeran Mountain and Siung beach for the bonus for Rock Climber. Be there and be amaze of God’s creation...!

Umbul Sidomukti, the Pool in the Sky

2008-10-15T19:23:00.008+07:00

Bandungan was known as a hill resort as Kaliurang at Jogja, and Tawangmangu at Karanganyar. They have same history either for their built. They’re prepared for the Dutch Officer while the Dutch colonize Indonesia as a hill resort for the leisure place.

The interesting thing was there is one place built now near Bandungan as a water recreation north of Bandungan. The place named “Umbul Sidomukti”. Yes, it was umbul; umbul was the Javanese term for the natural spring that spouts off of the ground. Here, the spring’s flow out over the years, better dry or rainy season. People believe that the water from here can make ageless. The name of the spring was “Ngetihan” spring, but because of the location, it’s now named Umbul Sidomukti.

The spring was located at Sidomukti, Bandungan, Semarang, of Central Java. You can reach by Ambarawa - Bandungan - Jimbaran Market - Sidomukti or by Lemah Abang (Ambarawa-Semarang road) - Jimbaran Market – Sidomukti. This point was built on the slope of Mount Ungaran. The road till the Jimbaran Market was good, but the route to Sidomukti was so tight with bad asphalt. We suggest you ride the motorcycle to go here, because you will out of the stuck on the road because it can’t take in two cars side by side. May be it will take 2 km from Jimbaran to get in the Umbul Sidomukti area.

The ticket to enter the parking lot was just Rp 1.000, - but if you wish to enter the water area, you ought to buy The Rp 8.000 tickets. The unique of these pools were because it’s built at the tip of the high slope. From the edges of this pool, you can see the beautiful panoramic scenes, the pines woods, the river from this spring that twisting as a snake, and the city of Ungaran far away. From center of the pool, you just see the edges and the blue sky, so you will feel brings as in the sky itself, the pools of the sky.

The pools were built using traditional concept. The bottom and the wall were from the stack natural stones. The concept was minimize and for the made freshness feeling of the visitors. The shape of the pool was not stiff but made follow the land contour of the slope, there wasn’t corner in the poll, what a unique shape. The pools was built stairs same as the grandstand for the family join the fun. The entire site has open view to the valley.

Beside the main interest point, the pool, There are another fun facility here. They’re Flying fox, camping ground, Sky Bridge, rappelling, river trekking, and outbound arena. This additional facility was still in development progress. In the master plan of this area, Guest house, Agro tourism, forest tourism, and learning centre will be built over this area. What a great modern hill resort will be found here if the plan goes as the master.

It’s better for you to visit Bandungan Market too, because you will find fresh vegetables and fruits here with cheap price of course. Bandungan was famed with its special fruit either named Klengkeng. Almost years there is these fruit found here, of course with different price with the seasons of the fruit. Klengkeng’s season was on January, with the price about Rp. 3.000,- - 5.000,-/kg. So..., when you will visit these place? Quickly and find a fresh water, air and panorama here. Make fresh your soul and enjoy a little heaven here. (ristsaint +628122751676)

The Ancient Hot Spring of Candi Umbul

2008-09-10T19:05:00.006+07:00

If you ever imagine as a princess in a royal palace, I suggest you should try came here and swim on this hot spring pool. Peoples believe that this pool was the bath pool for the princess from ancient kingdom from Syailendra dynasty of Hindu Mataram at Central Java. This hot spring named Candi Umbul. This ancient pool built with the stone for its floor and wall. You will found the ancient carved stones around this pool. Including the story from the keeper of this place, there was many ancient carved stones found around this area at the villages over radian 2 km. They believes that it was the palace of a kingdom of Javanese even they don’t know if they palace was built or still in a project.

Candi Umbul located at Kartoharjo, Grabag, Magelang, of Central Java. It is at the North West side of Mount Merbabu, near the Telomoyo hill. You can reach this spring as a package with Telomoyo’s peak, Sekarlangit waterfall, Kopeng, and Ketep Pass. All of these places located at the high attitude from sea level, so you can feel the cool air on your body without using the air conditioning from your car. The simple route to reach candi umbul from Jogja was trough Magelang-Secang-Grabag. If you have entered Grabag Area, turn left before Grabag market, from here you just get for about 4km to reach Candi Umbul. You need 1 hour from Jogja to get here.

Candi Umbul was open daily from 6 AM to 5:30 PM. You just pay Rp. 3000,-/person to enter the pool. There are two pools there, each size round about 20x10 meters. Even though I don’t smell the sulphur from these hot springs, people believe that these pools was contains the sulphur and make the water from these pools good from skin health, specially for the people have disease whit their skin.

The local government looked haven’t response for these potential recreation site. The algae growing prosperous on the stones of these pools and made the water looked green. The bathroom and dressing room looked dirty and some of them where broken, there’s no light in these rooms. It will be better if the local government take serious maintenance and development of Candi Umbul, so the tourist will be enjoy to spent their time here enjoy the hot water in the cold area and the visitation will be increase. The second chance was give the management to the private company to develop this exotic place. I see the wide area that can be develop as the playground for the child whom love play in the water and the fresh area. The location of candi umbul was in the middle of the valley and rice field around, with the river flow near was the perfect site to be built for natural recreation area.

Let’s help the government to take action more to these place by visit to candi umbul, so they will think seriously to built better of this place if there is many tourist visit here and the money will flow though this hot springs of Candi Umbul.

The Ride to Bali #1

2008-07-23T08:27:00.005+07:00

It was 10.00 AM when we started our long trip. The four motorcycles with five persons on it where their tour from Jesuit’s home started at Paingan, Maguwoharjo, Depok, Sleman. The plan was everywhere we’ll passed at 8.00PM we ought to stop and check-in to get rest. We met the first problem when out of Solo. One of our bikes was leak of the gasoline filter. We stop and find a repair shop but this is another problem because the day was Sunday which most of repair shop closed their shop on this holiday. After all we found it at Sragen and the problem fixed.

The group was run at 70-80 km/h constantly. Now we realize that daylight touring was needs less power than night touring unless the sun shines on us hardly. We need more concentration at night because the visibility was so short at night moreover if there’re many holes at the road. Maybe less vehicles on the road at night but we have proved that it is need more energy at night.

Ngawi was our first stopped to get more energy in food. We stopped to have lunch there. From Ngawi we got Caruban, Nganjuk, Jombang and Mojokerto welcome us at 5.00 PM. In the evening we trapped on traffic jam at Sidoarjo, where many people took back to Surabaya after their week end. From the radio I heard that almost the route to Surabaya got stuck. After Porong near the place of mud volcano still active, the traffic got free.

The stomach sends a signal that we must stopped again. At Probolinggo we found a huge energy from goat satai (a small pieces of meat roasted on skewer) and a few times of rest. The first plan to check-in were rescheduled because every one of us told that there is enough energy to go through than to check-in.

At 10.00 PM we saw fantastic night scenery over the Java Power of Paiton. Thousands of light was flare over the big buildings and a gigantic chimney was spout of steam over the sky. This is the biggest power supply of electricity over Java Island, a steam power plan. We took rest here and enjoy the shine building scenery. Near this power plan, we filled up the gasoline and take supply at new gas station after paiton power plan. This gas station was so fully facility. There is inn there to besides the store, restaurant and lavatory actually. The next route was side beach road. I realize it when I saw a sail boat hazy. And many light of sail boat far away. But we can’t saw the scenery because it’s still night and no moon over the sky. Nowadays I know we’re passed Pasir Putih area, a place located between Besuki and Situbondo.

I don’t remember the time but the road getting quiet and we passed a woods area, a teak wood. That is Baluran National Park. And while out of this area I just read the welcome to Baluran sign. The Ketapang getting closer and at 4.00 AM on Monday we dropped at Ketapang harbor, a point to cross Bali strain. There wasn’t any queue at the harbor like we heard before, we just came to the tickets gate then direct onboard the ship. The sail take 45 minute then we got in Paradise Island by Gilimanuk Harbor. There was ID checks tightly there for the secure Bali from any terrorism there.

The Sun welcomes us at this Paradise from the east side of this island. The west national park gave us their clean air for us to breathe and the God’s atmosphere enfolds us smoothly. There’s different ambience with our daily at Java that we felt here, so calm, so peace. There was harmonic relationship between the people and the nature.

We have in Bali now but the destination still far. We should cross the south side of the island to go to Sanur, our final destination from this trip. The road at Bali was so smooth. There was differences maintenance for the road at Bali and Java. Here, if there was broken tack, the road would be relining with new one, but in Java the road would just closed with new line and that make the road would bumpy. Finally we enter Sanur area at about 11.00 AM and our friend got us a side point to guide us to her lovely home and family, the family of Mr. I Nyoman Wana Sumanatha, and great thanks to Him and his big family at Sanur to welcome us in the beginning of July 2008.

The Liquid Souvenir From Bali

2008-07-19T07:34:00.010+07:00

One of Bali souvenir was Balinese beverage named Brem. Every time there’s friend have trip to Bali, another friends usually order this thing as their gift from Bali, especially alcohol lovers. Almost balinese can produce this special beverage. This alcoholic drink is normally used as paraphernalia of Hindu rituals in Bali. Within later development, Brem is frequently served to guests on social functions and now as a special gift from Bali. Guests drinking it are not only the locals but also foreign tourists.

Actually, Brem was side product from tapai, a fermented white sticky rice which one of Balinese offerings on their daily rituals. As Known that Bali was called Gods Island, everything they do was should got bless from the Gods. One of paraphernalia, they use fermented rice as offerings. This fermentation produces liquid that contains alcohol inside. This liquid then called Brem and specially produces as beverage. Professionally, Brem was produced from fermented Black and white sticky rice.

One brand that very famous on this drink was “Dewi Sri”. This Brem produce by a professional company named Fa. Udiyana, that start their production since 1968. Fa. This company was started by two brother, I.B. Ketut Beratha and I.B. Oka Gotama in 1967 as a home industry. Then they cooperate with Ir. Ketut Buda, an expert in food technology graduated from Gadjah Mada University. Udiyana workshop was located at Jl. Danau Tondano 58, Sanur – Bali, it’s about 1 km from Sanur beach where located Inna Grand Beach Bali there, one of biggest hotels in Bali. Dewi Sri have been exporting to many county like Japan, Australia and some European countries. Eventhough you can buy directly from the factory, even just one bottle (I have tried just bought 2 bottles there).

According to the official of Fa Udiyana, the process of the making is commenced by cleansing the white and black sticky rice. White sticky rice is soaked for 3 hours and the black one for 24 hours. Then, both ingredients are mixed with composition 75% of white sticky rice and the remaining 25% of black sticky rice. Afterwards, both are cooked and then cooled down.

The next process is fermentation by means of yeast and kept for 5 days. Then, separate the fermented rice from its liquid or brem. Its rice is pressed to take its liquid, while its dregs are taken advantage for cattle foodstuff. The brem liquid and pressed proceeds are then blended and added with yeast for the second fermentation for 15 days. It is then resumed with the aging process, quality control, clarifying, sterilization and ultimately the packaging (bottling).
Also added, brem contains protein (amino acid) that is advantageous to produce the new bodily tissue or replace the devastated cells. Similarly, it is also beneficial to maintain the bodily tissues having capability of forming enzyme and hormone, regulating the metabolic process in the body and providing energy. Moreover, it’s rich in calcium (Ca) functioning to strengthen the bones and flesh as well as manage the muscle construction and nerve transmission. Other compounds contained by brem is phosphorus functioning to fortify the bone, teeth, cells and prevent dermal dehydration; Natrium (Na) to maintain the function of nerves, muscles and regulate the balance of acid-base within the body and form the fat entwining of the body and glucose as important source of energy within the body.
Other than Brem, the Udiyana Company also produces Balinese Arak. It is popular today due to its tender aroma and distinctive flavour. Balinese Arak is more frequently used during entertaining guests and best favoured by foreign tourists.

The sweet and wrinkled taste of these alcoholic drinks was made nonalcoholic person wish to try this drink. I suggest you try the 5% alcohol first of Brem before you get the 15% (new product of Dewi Sri) and Arak Bali. It would warm up your body, but if too much will make your face turn red and hot. But, you must consider to bring this beverages souvenir from Bali to your colleague and family while you go to Bali. Have a nice trip and warm body...!!

(Taken from personal trip, www.bali-travelnews.com, arakbali.com)

Suroloyo, The Center Point of Java

2008-06-17T15:28:00.007+07:00

There is mountains range located from west to south of Jogjakarta. People named it Menoreh Mountains. Actually, it is located from central java province, especially at Magelang and Purworejo regency. The part of Menoreh Mountain that placed at jogja was located at Kulonprogro and Bantul regency.

It is interesting that the mountains still green with many trees. The inhabitants still natural with their culture, life in harmony with the nature. The mountain were so wide and that make there is still many area were reserved in their natural. There are no many access roads to get there.

Menoreh has thousands of peaks. People belief that there is one peak that it is the highest peak among all. The peak located at Kulonprogro regency, near the territory of Purworejo. People named it Suroloyo with its elevated 1.091 from sea level. The view of 4 mounts at Java, Merapi, Merbabu, Sumbing and Sindoro was the beautiful scenery you can see in the morning, above the mist.

You can reach this point by two route choices. First route was from Godean-Nanggulan-Kalibawang -Suroloyo, Second from Muntilan-Kalibawang- Suroloyo. You must hire a good driver to get there with the powerful vehicle because the road was dangerous. The road was narrow, there’s many turn, climb and descend. There’s canyon nearby. Even though, you will get bonuses, beautiful scenery along the road till the point. Better you fulfill the gas for your vehicle, because you have to ride hard for about 20 km from the main route. The peak still get 10 km from Sendangsono, one of the Catholic pilgrimages in Java. Sendangsono was known as The Grotto of Mother Mary, a place where the first Javanese baptized as catholic in Java.

Suroloyo was the end of this road. There is some hermitage at Suroloyo area; they’re named Suroloyo, Sariloyo and Kaendran. Suroloyo for Javanese has very important meaning. They belief that here, was the center point of java island, if you write a line from the west to east and from the north to south, you will find that the meeting point of this lines was here. Here too, the founding father of Mataram, The first King of Mataram, Sultan Agung Hanyokrokusumo got his divine inspiration to built Mataram at Jogjakarta right now.

Actually, from Here, your will get wide view of scenery. Just the mist will limit your view. From Suroloyo, you will see the glorious of Borobudur temple and the strong of Mount Merapi and Merbabu and the far Magelang city. From Sariloyo you will face the twin Sindoro and Sumbing at west side, and from Kaendran, the city of Wates through Glagah beach. I suggest you get here in the morning, because you will feel like in another world. There is just fog around you and you can’t see below. Just the summits of Merapi, Merbabu, Sumbing Sindoro far away with the mist bridge as the connection between. The Sunshines will pour your body and break through the fog beautifully, what a mysterious nuance. Here’s some picture there, enjoy your self.

If you wish to get more about this Suroloyo, please come here at Suro Month of Japanese Calendar. There is a traditional ceremony here that will interest many people to get there. It is the ceremony to sanctify the Kyai Manggolo Murti Spear and the heirloom of Songsong Kyai Manggolo Dewo. Many traditional performances will perform here.

The Exotic White Sand Beach

2008-05-21T12:05:00.009+07:00

Jogjakarta as the city of Culture doesn’t mean that it is just had the Heritage as tourist destinations. The location that located at south of Java make this Province has many beaches from east to west, from Sadeng harbor at Gunung Kidul Regency to Congot beach at Kulonprogo Regency.

There is a packet of Beaches tour at Gunung Kidul Regency. You may enter to all beaches on this packet by one ticket. The beaches from the west are Baron, Kukup, Drini, Sepanjang, Krakal and Sundak. The beaches take distance at least 7 km from Sundak to Baron. You can reach these beaches by personal vehicle or by public transportation (just stop at Baron beach).

There are two route choices to get there. First, the west route from Wonosari, and second route is east route from Tepus. From Jogja, you should choose the first route. Jogja-wonosari will give you the enjoy of riding, especially for two wheeler. There’s many ‘S’ turn, there’s many chicanes and hairpin road here. The road has many descending and ascending. You ought to careful when pass through the turn, because sometimes there’s sand, soil or oil spoil on the turn, but here, you can feel the wonderful feeling to ride on.

Actually, at this west route, there is shortcut to get to Baron. Before entered Wonosari, after Bunder forest you would get to airport named Gading, here, you would get to an intersection. Turn right on this intersection and choose route to Playen – Paliyan - trowono market – Tritis - Baron. You won’t entered Wonosari city, but get shorter route to Baron plus natural scenery along the road.

If you get there from Klaten, Wonogiri or Solo, I suggest you choose the east route through Tepus. From here, you would enter the Beaches from the most east beach, Krakal. There’s just little amount of tourist choose this route, most of them get there by Wonosari city.

The most famous of this packet was Baron, it’s a small bay with its orifice of underwater river. Baron was one of fish harbor on this area, so you can buy fresh fish here from the fisherman. I think why Baron was the most famous beach from these beaches, because Baron was the first beach from the ticket gate from Wonosari and the second reason because the government takes more attention to this beach from the other. Surprisingly, Baron is the only beach that doesn’t have white sands on it; the other beach is consisting of white sands and reef.

If you wish relax and intimate with the nature, you ought to get Sundak Beach at first and before 9.00 AM to get there. Why? Because you will fell as you are on your private beach, and more interesting, it is white sands beach and more, that before 9.00 AM the water, the wave still plays on these white sands because it’s reflux. Though reflux the wave doesn’t so high because they have to pass the reef area, the home of colorful fish, starfish, sea urchin and sea weeds. So, you can swim here on the giant pool and salty water and white sands below your body and wave’s pound at your body, what a wonderful experience.

After 9, usually the tourist start came to this Beach. The time 9 counts because it is two hour after 7, the time that usually tourist departs here from Jogjakarta. If two hour to get there, so what time we should depart from Jogja. Here, you can stay at little inn at Baron, or if you want close to nature, you can stay here, at Sundak, but with minimal facility. There’s no mattress even less spring bed here. There is just bamboo sofa with plaited mat from pandan leaf. You may build tents too here. Even you just get minimal facility to pass the night here, but you will get warm hospitality from the owner of the shelter. The one I used to meet was Mr. Wasimin.

After 9.00 AM the water will flux and it will serve new scenery. The reef looks like lifted up from the sea. The waves of Indian Ocean likes pleased us to walk on the reef and observe the life there. At some points at this “lifted” reef, there is still little pool with salty water and white sands left. We can use these pools as bath tub or even swim on it.

There is coral reef on the side of this beach, better left side or right side. Climb on it, and you can see the waves run on these green reefs and break and leaves the white line on the blue sea. On the end of the green reef, wide white sands with some pine trees and pandanus. The tress here was the most plus point of this beach. At the other beach, there is no tress near the sand area. Here, the trees grow up on the white sands near the water line, so you can take shelter under the trees while fell the fresh air from the sea and saw the surf splash on the coral reefs.

Have you seen “The Beach” film by Leonardo Dicaprio? Here’s the part of the beauty, lies on the Sundak beach of Gunung Kidul, Jogjakarta. Take one day tour there, or if you have enough time, stay a night there, slept by sound of splashing waves as lullaby and waked in the morning, sniff the fresh air from the sea then run on the white sands and jump into the salty water and feel the surf of the Indian Ocean on to your body. If you wish, after bathing, breakfast with roasted fish. Wow.... what a paradise lays here.

Delicious Taste at Ambal

2008-05-05T10:21:00.005+07:00

There is a place at South-south Route of Java Island that have a little magnetism, specially for whom have a good taste in culinary. The place called Ambal. Ambal is the suburb of Kebumen, the exact location was at south of Kutowinangun. You can reach this place by South-south Route which range from Imogiri, Bantul, Yogyakarta till Gombong area. This route was very straigh and the best part was the part lies on Purworejo regency, but if you have out of this regency, you will run on poor in quality of asphalt till Ambal. Other course was by main road of South road of Java. When you get in Kutowinangun, you ought to turn south to Ambal for at least 5 km.

Here, as long as you ride, for about 1 km from east to west, you would find many Sate stalls on your left or right side. They know as Sate Ambal, named as the area of this place. Sate is the name of one of Indonesian food. It was meat that skewed by bamboo stick and roasted on smolder charcoal.

This sate here had their own unique. First, the portion. In other places you may just got 5 skewer for one portion, here, may be 20 skewer you would get for 1 portion, besides one disk with plenty of “Kupat” a kind of processing rice. I suggest you may not order 1 portion for 1 person, except you’re ravenous, because 1 portion would make you satiation.

Second, the cayenne for pasta. Many kind of sate just use sauce with slice of chili, or peanuts sauce like on Madura sate. Here, many spices and the stock from the meat bath were mixed by fermented soybean (here called Tempe). A bowl of this special cayenne were served for one desk.

Third, the unique of these sate was the spices itself. Before roasted on charcoal roaster, for half day, the meat from local chicken was submerged on the ingredients from eleven kinds of spices. It makes the spices infiltrate on the meat. The meat will be so tasty. The sugar made from nira (sap obtained by tapping inflorescences of various palms used to make sugar, named “java sugar”) will make the meat taste sweet.

Fourth, the kind of meat. Here, the meat on skewer not just the flesh, but its innards, and the skin of the chicken either, just the feather and the bones did not used here. The burned fat of the chicken make the smell of this food very tempting.

There’s many Sate stall here, but there’s many stall named “Warung Sate Pak Kasman”. It makes the little question in my mind but too late to asked, because I realized that question after leaved the location. I just think that Pak Kasman was the first person who found the secret recipe for the sate here. And his generation uses His name as the branded of their stall that use his secret recipe, so it can guarantee that many consumers will eat at their stall.

At one of Pak Kasman’s stall the one that lies on most east, I get information that every day the stall ready for their service at 6 AM till 12 AM or till the last sate sold. They cut 25 chicken everyday and increased at holiday that many tourist spend their time to have meals there.

A Moment at Kuningan

2008-04-29T07:13:00.006+07:00

The heavy Rain down while a group of motorcycles rider start their tour from Paingan, Maguwoharjo, Depok, Sleman, Yogyakarta. Their destination was The Grotto of Mother Mary of Graceful, Cigugur, Kuningan, West Java. It doesn’t make them cancelled their plan, because the rain was friends of them. Seven motor cycles with 12 people was the member of this group. They choose the south route of java till Buntu crossroad, and then turn right to Purwokerto, Bumiayu, Ciawi gebang then Kuningan.

Actually, this route was very bad. There were many holes throughout the route from purwokerto, especially at Prupuk. Many times our tires smashed by these big holes. The bad road and the rain, make our trip get 12 hours to get to Kuningan. At 5 AM we get down the Cigugur area. Fortunately there’s one family that we know there and gave us a place for transit before we get to the Grotto. Fresh water makes us fresh and a cup of coffee make us stronger, but the hospitality of this family make us alive again. Almost of the group can take their slept there comfortable. Sadly I have no idea to ask about this family, even the name of them.

After the rest, some of us take a walk to nearby. We take picture of traditional pledge, and the church there. The mid day, even she hasn’t home, Mother of the family had prepared the lunch for us. She hope that we have to get staying there at least one night more, and it will be honorary and happiness as the friends of his brother at Sanata Dharma University came and stay at Her house. What a pity that some of us had to get home immediately and that problem cancelled our plan to stayed more there.

Next destination was The Grotto of Graceful Mary. From the church we must take the ascend road. The strip to the Grotto was only a footpath. It has crossed the cemetery, so it wills very chilling when you must get there alone at the midnight. The turn at the end of the cemetery, you must get left, because if you straight on this footpath, you just back to the asphalt road again. From here, the footpath gets steeper. Your passenger must walk on their foot to get save to pass this footpath or the abyss ready to catch you both. The end of this footpath was an area describe the garden of Getsemani, the place where Jesus captured by the soldier before He get Killed by Them. From here you just can get the Grotto by foot. You must climb a small hill to get the Grotto. Nature scenery will accompany your view till the Grotto.

The calm and quiet of this place will make you peace and help on your meditation. The houses were far away from this place. The winds blows cool bring the mist and make every where looks white and the visibility closer. You would feel the different atmosphere here.

Finally, we must start back home and we decide the different route from we arrived. We choose the south route to Ciamis, through Darma reservoir, then Banjar, Wanaraja, Wangon, Rawalo, Buntu, and the rest was the same route as departure. Monday evening we start our tour, and Tuesday morning we get home at beloved city of Jogjakarta.

Telomoyo, The Throne of Gods

2008-03-31T11:11:00.007+07:00

If you have gone to Kopeng Resort, you should saw this mountain. This mountain lies in front of this resort. In the story of Puppet, Telomoyo was known as the Throne of Gods. It’s the reason why this mountain named Telomoyo, because if you came here, you would be brings to the situation as in heaven. While the mist passed this peak, you will felt that you’re in the land of upper of clouds now. As far your vision, just the clouds, there nothing visible underneath, just clouds. Cold, fresh, silent is the main situation here, there’s no loud voice can filled your ears, the sound will disappeared as soon as it produced. Maybe this is the reason why you’ll find young couples beside the only road to the top of this mountain, the beauty, the silent, like there’s no other in this heaven, just both of them.

This mountain located at Grabag, Magelang, Central Java. It’s about 30 km from Magelang on the way to Salatiga. This mountain was member of mountains line from Merapi, Merbabu, Telomoyo and Ungaran. If you don’t like get to top on foot, don’t worry, it has the road to the top of 1894 m, from sea level. You can reach this place by Salataiga or Magelang. From Salatiga, you must get direction to Kopeng/Magelang. From Magelang, to north east go in direction of Kopeng mount resort, after Ngablak Market, you must turn left straight through the hill. For about 5 km after, you would get in the Dalangan village; this is the gate of this Gods throne, Telomoyo. Get the ticket with Rp 2000,- to Rp 3000,- and you would be opened the gate by local youth who keep this gate.

While we’ve there, there’s some groups of scouts walk down this mountain and the other groups of child go up the mountain. This mountain is good for the person which’s hobby is hiking, the air so clear, you can smell the fresh pine tree, the wind blow slow with cool air, sometimes with mist, and the view was so beautiful because there’s no obstacle through the valley and the other mountain, like Ngandong. Down, the houses on the village like the toys you can rearrange, the rice field arranged so beautiful. But, the road must get attention because there’s many holes there, and if you careless not just the holes would beat you, because the ravine of road side would be ready to throw you to the valley.

On the top of this mountain, there are many antennas of communication. They’re belongs to Indonesian National Army, who’s the first operator place their equipments there, before the road to the top built, and PT Telkom for their microwave antenna. Here’s there’s no cliff of other material can reflect your voice, just the free air around. While you try to scream, you voice would disappeared immediately. Your ears felt pushed by the air. That’s why this place good for meditation, because there no loud sound can disturb you here. While the mist going across this peak, you just saw the white fog down, there’s no landscape you can see below, just white. It feels like you’re in the other world of this earth. Maybe this is the reason why local person called this mountain by Telomoyo the Throne of Gods.

In the other side of this mountain, there a waterfall called Sekar Langit, you must careful with this waterfall, because twice time it kill the tourist. Don’t play below, because the flow can increase immediately in the rainy season. But, this waterfall is good, fresh water flow down from this mountain. There one hot spring too in the Umbul Temple with its 35degress warm water. On the side of the road to the top of this mountain, its’ about 1 km from the peak, there’s a launching ramp for Hang Glider. You can fly with this non engine plane and landed at Rawa Pening, Ambarawa.

So, if you want to felt what the atmosphere of God’s throne is, visit this Mountain, and you will get bonus because from here, there other beautiful places either like Kopeng Resort, Ketep Pass, Kedung Kayang, the Agro Tourism of Strawberry near Ketep. I suggest you use the motorbike, because you will felt the fresh cold air cherish your skin and the clean air will fill your lungs.

KEDIRI THE SECOND CHANCE

2008-01-25T07:20:00.000+07:00

Part II

The sun run fast and had flied upon our head. We’d prayed, we had taken a bath, we had enjoyed the beautiful garden around the grotto, but one thing we hadn’t did and it need to be done soon. Our stomach must be filled up with warm food. We decide to have our brunch at city of Kediri. We got difficulty search the food stall because the day was sacrifice day, a Muslim’s celebration day on giving their wealth to either. On this day, they sacrifice the cow or goat to be killed and share the meat to the poor.

Finally we find a food stall and there’re many people there. Most of them were Moslem that has had their ritual prayer on the Sacrifice Day. After brunch, we plan which route we will choose for the way home. Then, after talk and some suggestion from local person, we decide the south route. The route would take Pacitan as the check point. The route was Kediri – Tulungagung – Trenggalek – Ponorogo – Slahung – Tegalombo – Pacitan – Punung – Giribelah – Pracimantoro – Baran – Wonosari – Piyungan – Kalasan – Jogja.

From Kediri we straight on the south to Tulungagung, then at the city, at the cross road with farmer statue on the right side, we turn right to take the way to Trenggalek. Trenggalek – Tugu –Sawo – Sambit – Balong (south of Ponorogo, because we don’t enter the city of Ponorogo) – Slahung. The heaven start from this small town.

From here, the road start gave us enjoy of riding with its turns. Some farmers work in their rice field, they prepare the land became a rice field. Someone else plant the rice bud in the muddy field. The funs get more and more because we began up into the hill. Far away, we saw the beautiful waterfall among the green trees. Flow and jump from the black stones. I think that’s the only waterfall we would see, but the heaven getting beautiful. The road lies on the slope of one hill and in the left side were other hills. Between us and the others hill was the ravine of river. It’s a beautiful landscape I wasn’t ever imagine before, may be just in the painting of an artist.

The bonuses came and came again. From the slope of other hill, some waterfall reflects the sun shines to us. It is white lines go down along the slopes. Wow...., the scenery far away jump into our right side. The little waterfall came down from the top of the hill at our right side. It came down and flow below our road. May be you have seen the waterfall at west Sumatra, that lies just near the main road. It is like it, but in the high altitude. We met two or three at the right side of us along the way from Slahung and Pacitan, and more number at our left side. What a pity, I didn’t take the picture of it, but this is one of the reasons that I would back to this heaven again, to take picture of it.

At one point, we saw a unique rock stones. I took some picture of its. I think the heaven end here, because we found a usual panoramic. The road became tighten and we must careful when face the other vehicle from opposite. I am wrong, because then, we found another paradise. The side hill road at our right and the swift river at left side and the quiet road make us carried away from this world. The stone on the river looks green like jade. The brown water flowed over it (maybe because had been rained). Nowadays I know that the river was Grindulu.

Rain down immediately and we stop our bike to use our raincoat. From here, we separate with Father Greg because He must get Jogja before night. Then the group just remains 2 bikes. We start again our ride to Pacitan city; there we filled our tank full. The stomach need to fill either. Pacitan known with its beach named Teleng Ria. This beach just takes 10 minute from the city, so we decided to get there for lunch. As the servant served the baked fish, Tete and Dion slept away, in other hand Bimo and I got to white sands beach. Here some Photograph.

By 14:00 we start ride home again. We choose the route south-south. It took the road to Wonogiri, but if you got Punung, you must turn left by the hills road till Giribelah, Wonogiri. This road like personal road because you would meet another vehicle rarely. The wide road just stopped till the border of East and Middle Java. By enter the Middle Java roads you just got the narrow road, typically road at Gunung Kidul, Jogjakarta. But the most important with this route was you cut more kilometers by this way. Then from Pracimantoro, after Giribelah, you ought to choose straight on by the crossroad, because if you choose the right turn, you would be brought to Solo. This straight road would bring you directly to Wonosari, GunungKidul.

Finally we enter the city of Wonosari. I ask my friend to get Tiwul, a special food here. It would be bringing home for our family. Unfortunately the food stall closed. Then without any stopped we run fast to Jogja city. There’s no special happens until we get home at 17:30. Then, the other touring would plan again. So wait for next story.

KEDIRI THE SECOND CHANCE

2008-01-14T13:11:00.000+07:00

Part I

December 20, 2007 was the moslem’s day called Idul Adha. The calendar show red mark, its mean the day was holiday, and mean for us is one heaven, heaven for biker. After make a plan among the team, we decide that we would go to Kediri. The Grotto of Mother Mary at Puh Sarang would be our destination. It is the second time this team went there. We use the same route to get there, but would user other route while went home. This time, our team just consist 6 person, 4 men and 2 woman. We use 3 bikes.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007 was the day we start this tour. We join in Paingan at 16:30 GMT +7. There’s little problem, because of rain I and my friend late for join. At 17:30, after a mass, we start this tour. North ring road was our first in to the long road to Kediri. We run at 70 – 80 km/hour. First rest was at Sragen. The time was 19:00 and we decide to fill up our tank at Sragen. There we made our first rest either. Stomach has made their melodious orchestra, they ask for refill either. After fill up the tanks we found a tent stall beside the main road.

Wow..., warm fried rice make our desire higher. All the way we’re accompanied by our friend rain. Yes, Father Greg tell us that rain was our friend, because everywhere we go, it’s always present to force us use the raincoat. And it’s still accompany us till Puh Sarang. Body had got warm, eyes had opened again, the engine had cold again and the rain not so hard like before, than the road had ready for us to run on it.

Ngawi had fill up our imagine as the first city of east java we would in. Mantingan teak forest was the border of east and middle java. The dark road, because there’s no road light there force our concentration and open our eyes wider. Actually you would enjoy the road if your light bright enough, but the light of my motorcycle and most of motorcycle below 115cc forced us to run most at 60 km/hour or we could enter in a small hole in the road. Sometimes our tire crash on the hole because we can’t anticipate it for the less of surveillance. The dark route confiscate our energy because use more concentration.

At last we enter Ngawi. Next destination on our mind was Nganjuk. My friend told me that if you go somewhere, you shouldn’t imagine your last destination, but step by step. I ask why? He replied that if we imagine like it, we must down before we get it the final destination, because you need more time and energy to get there. He got this suggestion from a travel driver who used to ride from Jogja to Bali. Plays your imagination like this, your mind would be refreshed every time you start from a city to next city and more energy would be saved more than you just imagine the final destination.

Before enter Nganjuk, there’s little miscommunication among the rider. I think because we have tired and sleepy. My bike and Father Greg’s bike with the passengers stop in a turn but Bimo’s bike didn’t know it. He rides faster in order to catch us that in his mind in front of him. But we still wait for Him in his back. A phone call send a question about our location, and at last He wait for us in a big restaurant, just wait not eat.

At the right side lies on trucks terminal, it’s the sign for us to turn right and not enter the Nganjuk city, but take the short cut route to Kediri. At last we enter the last city, Kediri. At the first traffic light we turn right to the destination of bus terminal of Kediri. At the bus terminal, we turn right again and this is the main way to get to the grotto. The grotto from the bus terminal maybe just 5 km. finally we get the area of Mother Mary’s Grotto of Puh Sarang at 23:00, 6 hours from we start at Jogja. This second tour to Kediri take less time than before.

You can hire some inn either if you don’t want slept outside like we used to. There some inn there, whether by local person or by The Grotto of Puh Sarang administrator. Here, we use the hall to take a rest. We decided take our pray in the morning, while the body had his new energy after the rest. Everyone in the team didn’t need more time to get slept, just sound of snore fill that hall that night. Morning comes, we moved to the yard in front of Mary statue at the grotto. Some of the team members had their bath the other just wash their face with the fresh water.

Something interesting found in this place was the wide yard for prayers, the very big statue of Mother Mary (maybe 5 m tall). The story of Christ when did His sacrifice was described by realism diorama. They’re statues that depict each cessation. Sit on the prayers yard would make you fell relax. Wind blows below the trees there, especially in the morning. The other thing was found at the gate to enter the Puh Sarang area. You would found the unique architectures. It comes from the stack of andesitic stones. You can say it likes the ancient temple, but the roofs like the Chinese architects. The roofs comes of thousand roof tiles plaited together by steel straps.

Wonogiri - Pacitan: The Final

2007-12-10T08:03:00.000+07:00

Morning has come; the cold air of Wonogiri waked me up. We must prepare for the mass at Danan church. First thing was take a bath. Here’s there’re little problem. There’s many bath room, but there’s no water inside, just an empty pail. There’s a well near the grotto, and we decide to take the water from that well use the pails. One of us must take the water from the well to the pail, and three of us must get the pails to the bath room. We think it’s good for us to got sports in the morning.

After take a bath, we got to church. We found the unique architect of this church. Danan church use Javanese traditional architect called ‘Joglo’. It’s doesn’t have wall around it, just in the back of altar. So, you can feel the fresh air flatter on your body. The mass started at 07:30 AM, just one times in Sunday morning.

At 09:00 AM we started out tour to Pacitan region from this church. At the T-intersection of Giriwoyo city we turned right (the left side go to the Baturretno city). From here, we have ride on the main road to Pacitan from Wonogiri. The mountain road makes us enjoy this trip. There’s many enjoyable turn of this mountain road. Enter Donorojo; we face the new road from before. Actually this road was normalized from the road before, its means the road before just narrow and has many sharp U turn. The new road was very wide, maybe 10-15 meters; it can use by 4 buses at one parallel line. And about the new turn, you can ride on this turn by 80-90 km/hours easily. And the bonus was you can enjoy this road as your private road, because there’s just a bit of vehicle use this road. At this point, we decide to have our breakfast. We found a grilled goat. At that time (about 9:30 AM) the stall haven’t ready yet for its meal. We must wait for about half to third quarter hours, very long time to wait the meal. For fun, we make our photograph in the center line of the road. He..he... the road was very quiet. Maybe vehicle cross this road just 1-4 per minute.

The power had recharged, we started our trip again. The next city was Punung. Here’s the location of two famous caves of Pacitan, the Tabuhan and Gong cave. The name Tabuhan came from the use of this cave. You can hit the stalactite and make sound like Javanese traditional music, gamelan. The named of Gong cave was came from the sound of one stalactite either that make sound like one kind of Gamelan, named Gong, while hit. We just visit Gong cave because we just has limited time.

Gong cave was known as the most beautiful cave in East Asia. The cave was vertical. Some years ago there’s no air blower inside the cave, so the air very hot, especially when there’s many visitor in the cave. Now, there’s many blower placed inside the cave, so it could help the visitor from the hot air in the cave. The cave still alive, I mean that the stalactite and stalagmite still increased. Sometimes a tear of fresh water would drip on your body. The lighting in the cave not only use the clear light, but some colored light placed on some corner. The problem I found just the traffic arrangement inside the cave. The route inside the cave was very narrow. The wide was just 1 meter. With this condition, you can’t enjoy the beautiful on this cave, because you must always walk, so the route doesn’t clog. Except you visited not in the holiday, maybe you could enjoy the beauty of this cave. The thing you must prepare to enter Gong cave was flashlight, but if you forget, you could rent from local person who rent it for you. If you want to know the story of the cave while trace the cave, you can hire a guide either to accompany you inside the cave. You could buy a booklet too that tell the story of this cave near the entrance. The track from parking land to the entrance of the cave would make your breath run faster because it’s about 500 meters up hill. Don’t worry for drink, because in the right and left of track there’re many food and souvenir’s stall. Pacitan’s famous souvenir was Akik, the ring from the stone. There’s other kind of handicraft too, used stone as the main component of it.

From Gong cave we ride to the main route again and strive to the final destination of this tour, Teleng Ria beach. From Punung-Pringkuku, the road was usual. After Pringkuku you would found many bonuses, from forest, ravine, coarse grass field, and the coast panorama from the hill pass. The enjoy of bike tour was the turn of the hill road, here’s you’ll found it again. At one point, at the small forest we take picture again. Then we stopped at a point of hill pass. You could see very beautiful panorama. There, you could see Pacitan city down with the Teleng Ria beach among you and the city. Teleng Ria was a bay with two hill at the tip of it, because of it the wave very small and has small danger to swim over it. Here, at the one side, would be built with a pier for the fisherman. The process would finish soon. At the last turn before the beach, we decide to stopped again and enjoy the view of the beach and its pier from up above the beach, from one side cliff.

We count the time to get home, and decide return home 02:00 PM from Pacitan, in order 05:00 has got home. The tour now was for turning home. We choose the route of south. At the city of Punung, we turned left across the route to Tabuhan cave. The road was built wider than before. The wide road just finished at the gate of Central Java. Enter the Central Java, the first city we met was the crossroad of Giribelah. Here we search a stall to had rest and warm drink. From here, we use the road same as we came night before till Pracimantoro. We fulfill our tank with premium. After the gas station, we choose the straight on the crossroad of Pracimantoro to the Gunung Kidul region. Night before we use the turn right route. Enter the Wonosari city, the central of Gunung Kidul region, we search of stall which sold the unique food of Gunung Kidul, like Thiwul and Gatot. There’s a small stall named ‘Yu Tum’ that usually became our target to get our food souvenir. It’s located on Pramuka road. Beside Hot Thiwul, you could get more unique food either here, like fried grasshopper.

From Wonosari to Jogja, we found the busy traffic, very different with the traffic before from Pacitan. Finally, at 05:15 AM we had finished our 1 night and day tour to Pacitan, and got home with save. We had run over 400 km at this tour with 2 times of fulfill of gas (the tank capacity about 3-4 litre). It’s a good tour because there’s no rain over our tour. Then, wait for our next tour, maybe to Kediri at this December..., stay tune on this web brother, and wait for next story..... see yaw.....!!!

Wonogiri-Pacitan Part II

2007-12-04T07:43:00.000+07:00

Part II

We have reached our first destination. The place so quite because of this month wasn’t the month for devotion of Mother Mary. The Grotto was set up on the cleft of the hill. You would hard to find signal for your cell phone because just on your back there weren’t slop of the hill. In the morning, you will see Wonogiri in the background of Gajah Mungkur reservoir with its mist over it. If you can climb of the right side of the hill (it’s just for about 200m from the grotto) you would have a beautiful fascination of Wonogiri. At the left side of the Grotto, you would find a camping ground on the other side of the hill, just track for about 100 meters from the Grotto.

We felt hungry after long trip from jogja on our bike, but there weren’t food stall around the grotto. Finally we’re down the hill again on search of food stall and information about the mass at Danan church next day. Finally we found roasted chicken stall. The time just point of 02:00 GMT (19:00 WIB), but the lives there would be already closed by night rest. At the stall we’re the last groups who have the dinner there. The road was quite enough, there just some people passed by. It’s still crowded at the city at that same time, but there we just hear the sound of silence, cricket sometimes.

The chicken roasted was made from kampong chicken, not broiler. The taste I think different, it’s more fibrous. Maybe you can imagine the taste from its picture. I will give the picture one for you, and just imagine the taste of it. The one we like is the price just Rp 8.000, - per pieces. We don’t pay more than Rup. 50.000, - for all we’re ordered for 4 person, include the warm drinks. The roasted was tasty and delicious, especially for 4 boys that had has their touring for 4 hours by bike.

After finished our dinner, we get to the Grotto again and prepared the place to get rest. There we found some peoples had their prayed in front of the statue of mother Mary in the Grotto. We think we would have our pray at the midnight after had rest from long trip, and the atmosphere really quiet. You would get the deep concentration at midnight, because there’re no one else walking around the Grotto, and you wouldn’t hear their conversation or laughing anymore, because maybe they’re slept too.

Finally morning has come, we got information night before that there would mass at Danan Church at 7 AM (14:00 GMT). We must prepare for it, but there’re little problem. Want to know more....., I will tell you at next part.... C U.

Wonogiri-Pacitan, part I

2007-11-30T14:38:00.000+07:00

Last Saturday, November 17, 2007, the writer and 3 friends make a tour to wonogiri-pacitan by motorcycle. We start from sleman, jogjakarta by 4:15 pm. To avoid the traffic jam by PSS supporter (that day was the football game between PSS Sleman and PSIM jogja at Maguwoharjo Stadium), we choose the village road.

It’s fresh while you ride through the village south of merapi mountain in the afternoon. You won’t sniff much pollutant there, and the wind from the rice fields will caress your face and skin, the green of tress for your eyes, and smile of people there would be a bonus for your trip.

After long village road and many enjoyable turns, we decide to get on Solo road again and join at Prambanan point. We must join the busy road again, but it doesn’t take much time because we turn right after Sari Husada Milk factory and Get in village road again by Srowot railway station, Klaten.

But, before that, at east of Prambanan temple, we must find a repair shop, because my friend’s bike has broken its speedometer’s cable. So he want fix it before we continue our trip to Wonogiri-Pacitan. After second shop, we find mechanic to fix its problem. An old mmechanic helped to repair its problems. He’s the owner of its shop.

From this point we get to the east by rice fields beside its road to Wedi, a small town south of Klaten city. In Wedi market, we turn right then after Jami Mosque of Wedi, we turn left to Cawas. Before Cawas we cross the handicrafts village named Pager Jurang. Here, the handicraft center of terracotta, red earthenware vessels. This village known far away out of country, then a Japanese person built a laboratory of its unique technique of making the handicraft.

Not far from this village, there are two pilgrimages, one is catholic and the others are Muslim’s pilgrimage. The catholic pilgrimage is the devotion of Mother Mary, Grotto of Mother Mary. The Moslem pilgrimage is the grave of sunan Pandanaran, one of holy men who first brought Islam to Java. The two places just near, it’s not more than 1 km and before Cawas.

The next destination was karangmojo, manyaran, nguntoronadi, wuryantoro, eromoko, pracimantoro, giribelah, giritontro than girowoyo. The last place was Grotto of Mother Mary of Virgin. That’s the first destination of our tour, and would be a shelter for slept before second destination, Pacitan with its thousands of caves, and a beautiful beach teleng ria.

Soto Sokaraja

2007-08-13T10:21:00.000+07:00

Here, a famous food from Sokaraja, Soto Sokaraja.
actually there's another typical food from this city besides this soto. It called Gethuk Goreng Sokaraja. Gethuk Goreng maked from boiled casava, then added with the sugar maked from the concentrate of coconut tree. from this phase, you have could ate this food, and called Gethuk. It's called Gethuk Goreng because from this phase, it must been fried. so you can Gethuk Goreng by "Fried Gethuk". But I'm sorry I don't have any picture of it.

Soto Sokaraja, there's many kind of Soto in Indonesia. usually, it's called from the place where it's belongs. There's soto padang, soto madura, soto kudus, soto kadipiro (jogja), and here, i have taste soto sokaraja, soto from city of Sokaraja, Banyumas, middle java. i don't know the special spice that makes it different, but one thing i know that i can eat two bowl of this Soto, because of it's taste. The fresh vegetablesh very taste on this soto. You can eat this soto by rice or "ketupat". ketupat is a kind of rice that have packed by "janur" ( young coconut's leaf) then boiled, so it can sustain for more time.

Up there, you can see your self what Soto Sokaraja is like.

Owabong

2007-07-30T12:49:00.001+07:00

last week end we had our touring again. we're 7 person, by 4 motorcycle. Me myself, Pater Greg. Heliarko, S.J., Bimo Winduro, Leo, Putu, Tete (mbak Kristi) and Dion(isius Yudi Sanjaya). Our Departure was on Saturday night at 20:00 WIB, from Paingan, Maguwoharjo, Depok Sleman, Yogyakarta.

We choose the route: North Ringroad-across Afandi road-across kaliurang road-across monjali road-across magelang road-turn right at demakijo than go on godean road - after Godean cross road straigh on untill Gedongan cross road, here we're turn left and staighn on till Wates road.
After Wates the capital of Kulonprogo regency, we deviate from main route to Purworejo, we travel by "Selatan-selatan" route. This route actually the monument of Dutch while they're colonize indonesia. This road was renewed It takes less kilometers and time than main route, but there many point of this road still broken, so we need to extra beware of these points.

When arrived at Ambal, a small city south of Kebumen, we take a rest an dinner. We ate special food from this area, "Sate Ambal". The special sate is famous among the culinair lover. One of our motorcycle had low fuel, so we decide back to the main route for search of gas station. we turn our route to kebumen, there we get the gas station. From the main route, we ride untill Buntu cross road, from here we turn right and take the road to Kebumen-Purwokerto. After Kebumen city on hill road at least 10 Km, we're arrived at Kaliori, a place of "Kaliori Lourdes" reside. We park our motorcycle at O.M.I. Monastery and sleep near the Mother Mary statue at Kaliori 'Lourdes' cave.

Morning has come, after take a bath, and feel fresh, we decide to continue our toruing. Here we must separate with Pater Greg because He will have his guest to meet at 5 PM, and get to back to jogja. The rest of this groups continue to Sokaraja city to have our breakfast. Here we get the unique meal of Sokaraja, it's "Soto Sokaraja".

The stomatch have full with this delicious food, and we take the route to Purbalingga, it's the middle route of java, and take the mountains road, near Dieng Plateau. We've hear about new interesting place called OWABONG, it's came from "Obyek Wisata Air BOjoNGsari", it's mean the excursion place which most of is rom water. Here there's olympic pool, the water boom, the canoes, cart circuit, paintball games, ATV track, an many more lovely games. We must pay Rp. 12.000,- to get in the holiday, it's about $ 1.3. My friend almost blackout while try the water boom facility, because of it's speed of descend.

After the midday, we decided to ride again to the highhest area at java, Dieng. We choose the route by banjarnegara-wonosobo-temanggung-magelang. i have told you about the beautiful place we would passed on the article before. you can read about this beauty area.

Dieng Plateau Touring, fell Fresh...!

2007-06-21T08:21:00.001+07:00

Dieng Tourism

In the field of tourism we see the growth of hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, the development of facilities for tourism and other object, the restoration of historical object that were in state of dilapidation Wonosobo. Dieng Plateau is one of the world well –

knows. has enough potency of tourism, many object of tourism can

be boasted of

Kledung pass

It is situated between mount Sindoro and Sumbing, about 17 km northeast of the city Wonosobo on the way to Magelang, and lays on 1.500 m above sea level.
This place is a transit area after a long drive on bends of mountain road, with the cool climate and beautiful landscape. There is a hotel and restaurant with a reasonable price and pleasant services.

Bedakah

It is northeast and about an hour from Wonosobo on the slope of mount Sindoro. Here you can find some interesting place like Bedakah lake, that located in the center of tea plantation, Angin cave and Lawa cave. Lawa cave named from its cave inhabitant, it’s from Javanese language, Lawa means bat, so you can call Lawa cave with Bat cave either, but you won’t find Batman here.

Kalianget

Kalianget in Javanese means hot water. The source of the mineral hot water is a spring with curative power located about 3 km north of Wonosobo city. The place is where we can take a bath in natural mountain hot water, as to remove all tired feelings and also can do and see some things like a swimming pools (cold and hot water), tennis court, foot ball stadium, fishing pond, play ground and some kind of animal.

Menjer lake

It’s the largest lake in this region. The depth of this lake is 45 meters and its breadth is 70 hectares. It lies 10 km north of town Wonosobo with the mountain. To get there you only take half drive from Wonosobo. Here, we also hold and annual event called “Water Festival”. The Festival takes place for there successive day and it begins on the second day Lebaran (Moslem celebration day). In the Festival there are show music, folk song or traditional dances, boating and rafting. The water of the lake is also harnessed to generate electricity, which produces 26 megawatt.

Selo, the middle point between mt. Merapi and mt. Merbabu

2007-04-24T15:22:00.001+07:00

One day, we, me and 5 of my friends got to enjoy my week end at Merapi-Merbabu tour. We just ride one small car, a Honda Civic Nouva. This small car so small and make us like in the can. Fortunately it has good Air Conditioning. The car belongs to my friend who drove this car and no one either in the car can drive cars.

We just take off from home at 13:00. The route we take from Magelang road, when you up to the turn to Borobudur temple, just straight on for about 1 km, and when arrived on Blabak city, you must turn right to get to Ketep-Selo-Boyolali resort. You will fell fresh when have get this country road, because as far you see, at our left or right, you just get rice farm and far away, you can see blue mountain as a painting of nature, so beautiful, especially if you’re urban person. Beside the road, the clearly water flow in the drain for the rice farm, so clean, maybe you need to stop to enjoy this fresh water to wash your foot or hand.

From Blabak, its about 10 km you will get the Ketep Pass, It’s a mountain resort that I have wrote before on this web. Still ride through for about 3km you would arrived at Kedungkayang waterfall, I have wrote either in Ketep Pass article. Continue the ride, for about 7 km next, we’ll drop to the mountain small city name Selo.

Selo is the start point to climb whether to Merapi’s peak or Merbabu’s peak. From this city, you’re just exactly in the center of the two mountains. You peep right you see Merapi, and you peep left you see Merbabu. There is tip of the asphalt road to the point nearest to Merapi, this point named New Selo. From New Selo you can see the top of Merbabu, and beautiful landscape beneath include Selo. You need powerfull vehicle to get this point. Our vehicle can get us up this point while we’re in. there just our driver in the car and this car still overheating. Don’t worry about communication, because you can get your cellular on at this area. Here built a building to take rest or just preserve from the rain which frequently down on this area.

The time was 16:30 and we decide to back home. But we decide to take rest a while at Ketep Pass and enjoy jagung baker, a baked young corn, in the afternoon, there just few people get to Kepet pass, because the mist usually down and disturb the visibility, but for some people it may increase the romantic nuance, he…he…he… but the most Important for us, we can get in the location without bought the ticket, it’s free…. In the afternoon/night. 19:00 after taste the corn, we decide got home because one of us get call to join the choir practice. The way home was dark, because the mist the visibility just about 10 meters. Way home we choose is by Muntilan city, different way from when we went up. While arrived at a place named Tlatar, we turn left, not straight on to Blabak. From Tlatar we past Talun, then Muntilan city, the point of junction to Magelang road. What a satisfied touring even though make us so tired.

"Candi Boko", the ancient palace, the fort on the hill

2007-04-13T16:22:00.000+07:00

King Boko Palace was a glorious building that was constructed during the reign of Rakai Panangkaran, descendant of Sailendra dynasty. The palace that initially was named Abhayagiri Vihara (that means a monastery on a peaceful hill) was built for seclusion purpose and to focus on spiritual life. From this palace, you will feel peace and will be able to see Yogyakarta city and Prambanan temple with Merapi Mountain as the background.

This palace is located 196 meters above the sea level. The area of the palace as wide as 250,000 m² is divided into four, namely center, west, southeast, and east parts. The center part consists of the main gateway, square, Combustion Temple, pond, square terrace and assembly hall. Meanwhile, the southeast part includes hall, platform, three temples, pond, and a complex for princess. The caves, Buddha effigy, and a pond are in east part while the west part consists of hills only.

If you enter from the palace gateway, you will directly be guided to the center part. Two high gates will welcome you. The first gate has three entrances while the second one has five. If you look it in detail, you will read 'Panabwara' writing on the first gate. Based on Wanua Tengah III inscription, the word was written by Rakai Panabwara (the descendant of Rakai Panangkaran) who took over the palace. The intention of carving his name on the gate was to legitimate his authority, to give 'power' to the gate in order to look more glorious and to give sign that the building was the main building.

About 45 meters away from the second gate, you will see a temple made of white stones so that it was named Candi Batu Putih or Temple of White Stones.

Close to the place, you will also find Combustion Temple. The temple is of square form (measuring 26 meter x 26 meter) with two terraces. The function of the temple is to burn dead body as the name suggests. Around 10 meters away from the Combustion Temple, there are sacred terrace and a pond.

A mysterious well will be seen if you walk southeastward of the Combustion Temple. As the legend tells, the well was named Amerta Mantana that means sacred water treated with charms. At present time, the water of Amerta well is still used. The legend tells that the water brings luck for anyone who uses it. Hindu people use it in Tawur Agung ceremony, one day before the Nyepi day. Using water in the ceremony is believed to support the achievement of the objective, namely to self purify and to return the earth and its content to its initial harmony. I suggests that you visit Prambanan temple one day before Nyepi day to see the ceremony process. The process usually perform ogoh-ogoh, a statue from craft that will burned as a symbol of evil.

Moving to the eastern part of the palace, you will see two caves, big pond measuring 20 meters x 50 meters and Buddha effigy that sits quietly. Those two caves were formed of sediment stones. The upper cave is called Gua Lanang (Male Cave) and the lower cave is called Gua Wadon (Female Cave). Right in front of Gua Lanang, there is a pond and three effigies. Based on the research, the effigy is known as Aksobya, one of Buddha Pantheons.

Even though it was built by a Buddhist, there are Hindu elements in it. This can be seen from the presence of Lingga and Yoni, Ganesha statue, and golden plate with the writing "Om Rudra ya namah swaha" on it as form of worship to Rudra as the other name of Shiva. The Hindu elements proved religious tolerance that is reflected in architectural works. In fact, Rakai Panangkaran who embraced Buddhism lived side by side with Hindu people.

Not many people know that this palace is witness of the initial triumph in Sumatera land. Balaputradewa once fled to this palace before leaving for Sumatra when he was struck by Rakai Pikatan. Balaputradewa rebelled because he felt to be second person in the reign of Old Mataram Kingdom because of Rakai Pikatan's marriage to Pramudhawardani (Balaputradewa's sister). After his defeat and escape to Sumatra, he became the king of Sriwijaya Kingdom.

As a heritage building, King Boko Palace is different from other inheritances. Most of other buildings are in the forms of temple or shrine, while this place - as the name implies - shows characteristics of a dwelling place. This can be known from the wooden poles and roofs, even though we can only see remains of stone building. Investigate the palace in more details and you will know more. One of them is the beautiful scenery when the sun is setting in the west. An American tourist says, "This is the most beautiful sunset on earth."

Malioboro Street, the heaven of backpacker

2007-04-04T10:33:00.000+07:00

Malioboro street was part of Hamengkubuwono I's original design for his new capital of Mataram. It's lays on the north of Keraton for 2.3 km till "Tugu Jogja", a monument that marked as Jogja icon. This was the route taken by the royal cortege on important occasion. The traffic on it's road is one way from the north. here lays the governor office. actually Hamengkubuwono I design this road as path of His meditation, beginning at Sitihinggil (highland) and moving north to the Tugu Monument and though the Mt. Merapi.

heading north from alun-alun (Keraton's square), one passes though a large, open gateway with guard posts on either side that mark the outer limits of the Keraton area. The gate opens onto a major intersection surrounded by colonial buildings, including the central Post Office on the south east corner (it's built in 1910), Bank Negara Indonesia on the southwest corner (built in 1923 to house a Dutch bank and insurance company) and the former society club on the northwest corner (built in 1912 and partially bombed in 1946) which currently functions as a theater and exhibition hall (now named as Gedung Senisono) where open air Saturday night concerts, drama and poetry readings are held.

A monument on the northeast corner commemorates the guerrilla attack of revolutionary forces fighting the Dutch on March 1, 1949. Behind it stands the old Vredeberg Fort, built by Hamengkubuwono I for the Dutch between 1756-1787. It once housed 500 Dutch troops and included barracks, officers quarters, a hospital a warehouse, and a jail. In a new twist on the beating of swords into plowshares, Vredeberg has undergone renovation and is now a museum known as Benteng Budaya, literally "Fortress of Culture". The old barracks have been transformed into spacious air conditioned galleries with dioramas depicting key moments in the struggle for independence.

Opposite the fort-museum is the elegant State Guest House, surrounded by a magnificently manicured lawn planted with fruit trees and ornamented with Hindu-Javanese statues. Built in 1823 as the Dutch Resident's mansion ad rebuilt in 1869 after an earthquake, it served as the Presidential Palace when Jogja was capital of the Republic for several years during the revolution.

The Margo Mulyo Congregation Reformed Church, inaugurated in 1830 and located just north of the Guest House, is the oldest church in the city. The church known as Lodji cilik (small house). Now, the Church had renovated and named Kidul Lodji.

Volcanic "Ring of Fire"

2007-03-27T14:37:00.001+07:00

Volcanoes are the very essence of Java. They have molded the landscape and provided the basis for Java’s rich soils. Frequent outpourings of nutrient-rich lava and ash was washed by heavy rains down across the foothills and plains, providing a continuous renewal of the land. For centuries, farmers have diverted these rich waters into their fields, planting two or even three crops a year.

The volcanoes form an irregular line running the entire length of the island – one of the most active segments in the Circum-Pacific “Ring of Fire” that marks the boundary of drifting continental plates. Java lies at the southern extremity of one of these plates, which during the ice Ages formed huge sub-continent encompassing all of Java, Bali, Borneo, Sumatra, Malaya and the intervented area that now lies submerged beneath the shallow Java Sea. Java became an island at several stages in the past, most recently about 15.000 years ago when the seas rose with the last melting of the Pleistocene Ice.

The Java Sea to the north of the island is in fact extremely shallow – less than 200 meters, at its deepest point. The Java Trench to the south, on the other hand, drop precipitously to 7.000 meters. This trench marks as a zone of violent sub-duction where the Indo-Australian plate is sliding northward beneath the Sunda plate.

Two longitudinal folds along the line of impact between these two colliding continental plates form Java’s basic “foundation”, a northerly and a southerly line of hills, whit a trough running in between them . It is trough this trough that the island’s volcanoes are thrust dramatically upward. The volcanoes, which are andesitic or basaltic in composition, are more tightly packed in the west, where they create a tangled complex of upland plateaus and valleys. To the east, they are more widely spaced, creating a series of gradually sloping valleys that are perfectly suited to rice fields terracing.

While many peaks date back to the Tertiary are and have long since weathered and lost recognizable form, other are very young. Java and Bali together have 37 volcanoes officially listed, of which 23 have been active since 1600. There are 13 that have erupted in the last 25 years and another 6 are currently dormant. The most active volcano is Merapi volcano, lies in the north section of Yogyakarta district. The Merapi known with its Piroclastic flows, Javanese call it “Wedhus Gembel” that means the sheep, because it is look like the sheep.

The highest peak is Mt Semeru at 3.676 meters, which sends forth intermittent puffs of smoke. The most famous volcano is Krakatau in the Sunda Strait separating Java from Sumatra, whose cataclysmic eruption in 183 set up tidal waves that reportedly killed 36.000 people.

Mt. Merapi to the north of Yogyakarta erupts most frequently, but Mt. Kelud near Blitar is the most violent. Kelud’s 1996 eruption killed over 200 people, but with improved early warnings systems, an eruption in February 1990 resulted a death toll only 31.

The unpredictability of Java volcanoes is well illustrated by the eruption of Mt. Galunggung in west Java in 1982, which occurred after the volcano had lain dormant for centuries. The surrounding area was devastated – blanketed in grey ash that accumulated locally to over a meter in depth. Two jumbo jets en route from Singapore to Australia were nearly brought down by the dust clouds, while cars as fat away as Bogor had to use headlamps in broad daylight.

In this tectonically active zone there are frequent earthquakes, though usually not very severe. There are major quake in 1903, 1937 and 1943 the first was the largest recorded, measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale. The newest was in May 27, 2006, it’s about 5,9 Richter scale. The epicentrum was in the deep of Bantul, Yogyakarta. The victims of Its quake was about 4.000 people, from Bantul Yogyakarta and Klaten.

With their potential for devastation, volcanoes are a mixed blessing, yet as the dust settles after each eruption, land-hungry farmers move back into the area to redevelop the fertile soils. In some areas, the dangers are more subtle –a as, for example, the clouds of odorless poisonous gas that sometimes waft across the Dieng Plateau. Yet the Javanese often seek a livelihood in the very jaws of volcanic death, as in the quarries of fresh sulphur formed by hissing fumaroles in the crater of Mt. Ijen, Java’s easternmost peak.

Tropical Island of Superlatives

2007-03-26T12:26:00.000+07:00

The Island of Java is incredibly beautiful. From the air, it appears as a patchquilt of verdant rice fields interspersed by village settlement, palm grows and stands of rubber, teak and sugar cane.

The bright green vegetation contrasts vividly with rich, red-brown soils, and everywhere the landscapes are dominated by soaring, blue grey volcanoes whose inverted cones are balding on top, forested in the middle and blanketed by rice terraces below.

Water trickles over tidy bunds and fields are through a vast network of man-made channels, finally reaching broad silt-laden rivers that meander to the sea.

This is the most fertile, the ost productive and also the most densely populated island in the world. With over 115 million people living in an area the size of England or New York State, the average population density is an amazing 850 person per square kilometer. Although the are four cities with over a million inhabitants, and many more with over 100.000, the island is still predominantly rural. Java constitutes just 7 percents of Indonesia's total mass, yet supports over 60 percent of the nation's huge population.

Many areas in the mountains and along the isolated southern shore are in fact still rather sparsely populated. Several of the island's densely packed agricultural zones, on the other hand, support more than twice the island average. In the fertile crescent around Yogyakarta, in the central of java island, for example, rural densities soar to unbelievable 2000 per square kilometer with the majority still making a living from traditional wet-rice cultivation, practiced under the most labor-intensive conditions found anywhere on earth.

Not all java possesses such luxuriance, however. The low hills along the south coast, and several areas on the north coast, are formed over non-volcanic rocks which lack this inherent fertility. Limestone regions in Central and East java are specially barren, and the plains along the north coast may be deeply flooded during the wet season yet parched in the dry season.

Ketep Pass

2007-03-24T07:50:00.000+07:00

Do You like the mount resort?

There's a beautiful place reside at west side of Merapi Volcano slope. It's about 60 km travel from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where Adisucipto International airport lays on.
The coordinate of the pass is about 7.29 S and 110.24 E. We can ride there for about 1 hour, and we can fell the fresh air there, a beautiful landscape, the smile and warm of local person, and a traditional life style around the places.

You can get there by public transportation, or by rent a car or motorcycle, but if you wish to contact me, i will arrange the transportation. I suggest you rent a car or motorcycle, because we can get around Ketep Pass as we like, and stop every time and places as we like either, so we can enjoy the trip. Besides, if we use public transportation, we must changes route to get to Ketep pass, and many times are wasted.

Ketep is one hill's peak of some hill between Merapi mountain and Merbabu Mountain. We can view the landscape around by 360 degrees from it's peak. We can overview of 5 mount peak around it's pass, it is mount Merapi, Mount Merbabu, mount Slamet, mount Sumbing, and mount Sindoro. We better bring our telescope or binocular our self, but if we forget it, we can hire from local person with just Rp. 2000.-, it's about quarter of $ 1,-.

We can get study of volcanoes right there, because there's a volcano museum. It's tell about volcano around the world and specially Merapi volcano it self, the most decade volcano. Besides the museum, there is a theatre either. The film shows the activity of Merapi volcano, the eruption process, the community culture around it, and the post disaster handling of Merapi eruption.

If we like like culinary, we can take lunch there, because there's restaurant side there with traditional Indonesian and Chinese food. We can taste "Jagung bakar", a sweet corn barbecue. We will not enough just eat one "jagung bakar", because the taste, but if we have consume 2 or more, we will feel satisfied. The corn from this area have sweet taste more than from the other places, even the barbecue didn't applied with spice, it's still sweet. If we're not vegetarian, we can taste the rabbit barbecue either (in many mount resort in java, this food is usually served, as kaliurang, and tawangmangu). People say that this food can make your body warm, but in my mind just: "It's delicious..!".

The most disturbing situation of this place is the fog. Most every afternoon, this place will be covered by the fog. we can overview the landscape around because it's fog. The surveillance can get just 5-10 meters. The other thing was the road climb to get there. We must get the powerfully vehicle to get to the pass.

If you still have enough time and power, next destination still waiting. From Ketep Pass we can ride to more places around this pass like Borobudur, one of the world heritage, Kopeng, the mount resort either, Selo the starting place to hike to Merbabu or Merapi's peak, because it's located exactly between the two Mount's peak. But the closer place is Kedung kayang. This place is mount resort either. There a waterfall right there, and you can get interesting tracking to get the bottom of it's fountain. The waterfall named with it's place, Kedung kayang.

If we like go on camping, there is camping ground (2 location) beside the river of the waterfall. One can accommodate hundreds people, and the other near the waterfall just 15-35 people. We can enjoy the fresh water flow on the river, the slope of the river so beautiful.

For people doesn't fit with camping, we can hire a home stay that some of them located near the places. How much we must pay? We might be shocked, because we just pay less than $ 1,- one person, one night.

Ready to get there....?
Prepare all thing to enjoy this resort and vicinity.
You can send email to ristsaint@yahoo.com for more information or help on reservation/transportation to get there.

Night Touring

2007-03-20T16:12:00.000+07:00

Last Sunday we're make a motor touring to Kediri, East Java.
We choose the main route to Kediri, but when went home, we decide to go pass Mount Lawu highland, through Sarangan and Tawangmangu.

Time to go to Kediri by bike is about 7 hour (plus rest time).
It's a joyful experience when get bike for tour, specially night touring.
You'll find more challenge than by car. The opponents on night riding was sleepy and big vehicles (buses and truck). You need extra energy to fight for, more over with other vehicles.

If you don't prepare your physic, you'll get your bike run itself for some seconds, because off of our sense, you'll sleep away on your bike. I suggest you must stop for a while every 2 hour for take a rest, just refresh your body, specially your eyes.

Javanese Tourism

2007-03-08T13:06:00.000+07:00

People maybe just know Bali Island as their tourist destination. However, there are more around Indonesia, from Sabang to Papua. This blog is going to take you around Java, the most densely populated island in Indonesia, the island where the capital is on, the place where you can find several historic temples, where we can find some active volcanos, and many more.

Just scroll up and down as we take tour around Java, Jogja, and Central Java thru this blog.