Komodo Dragon

Real dragons spurt no fire, have no need to fly and cast no magic spells. And still, one look from them might render you speechless. These komodos, the real life dragons, are a sight indeed. Gigantic, the lizard-like creatures are about two or three meters in length. They can easily weigh about 165 kilograms. Despite of their sheer size and appearance, they are not active hunters. What makes them intimidating is the fact that they are a patient predator. In the wild, they stalk a victim, usually a weak or injured one. One bite and that's what it usually takes. After following the victim for a while, sometimes up to several days' time, the komodos will devour the dying prey.

The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is an endangered species which can only be found in the Komodo National Park (KNP) in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). Because of the unique and rare nature of this animal, KNP was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986.




The park includes three major islands, Komodo, Rinca and Padar, and numerous smaller islands together totaling 603 km2 of land. The total size of Komodo National Park is presently 1,817 km2. Proposed extensions of 25 km2 of land (Banta Island) and 479 km2 of marine waters would bring the total surface area up to 2,321 km2.At least 2500 Komodos live in this area. Large dragons are usually three meters long and weigh up to 90 kg. Their habitat has beautiful panoramic views of savannas, rain forests, white beaches, beautiful corals, and clean blue seas. In this area, you can also find horses, wild buffalo, deer, wild boar, snakes, monkeys, and various types of birds.

KNP has a rich and amazing underwater sea biotica. Divers claim that Komodo waters are one of the best diving sites in the world. It has fascinating underwater scenery. You can find 385 species of beautiful corals, mangrove forests, and seaweeds as a home for thousands of fish species, 70 types of sponges, 10 types of dolphins, 6 types of whales, green turtles and various types of sharks and stingrays.

Or you can do some diving activities in Komodo Island. Go this link if you want to see more information about it.

Anambas Archipelago, Riau

Anambas archipelago (Indonesian: Kepulauan Anambas) is a small archipelago of Indonesia, located in the South China Sea between the Malaysian mainland to the west and the island of Borneo to the east. Geographically part of the Tudjuh Archipelago], it is administratively a regency and part of the Riau Islands Province.

Get There (source)

By Air:

Anambas is served only by Riau Airlines which flies to Pulau Matak, "gateway" of the Anambas Islands . This airline operates thrice weekly Fokker-50 flights from Tanjung Pinang's Kijang Airfield on the Island of Bintan. Bintan is connected by hourly fast ferry from Singapore. If you leave from Singapore at 07.00AM by boat to Tanjung Pinang on Bintan, you are able to connect to the Riau Airlines flight which brings you on the ground in Matak Airfield at 12.00 Noon. The airport, owned by ConocoPhilips for offshore drilling and natural gas explorations, also serves as a domestic terminal .


By Boat:

Best is to travel to and around Anambas by yacht or live-aboard from Singapore, Batam or Bintan.
Twice a month the Pelni shipping lines has a ferry, the KM Bukit Raya that calls on Kota Tarempa (the Archipelago's capital "City") on Siantan Island. You can catch it from the Tanjung Priok harbour in Jakarta, Capital of Indonesia. Sailing times are prone to delays. This boat also delivers almost all the necessary goods to the Islands.

Some Places in Anambas Archipelago

Temurun Falls

Langok Island

Semut (Ants) Island

Temawan Island

Bawah Island

Idea & Beginning

*
with the background of the Jakarta Arts Institute
I went to so many foreign cultural centers in Jakarta, a city that dwell in almost all my life
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in the 1990s I began to offer foreign artists who I met in so many foreign cultural centers in Jakarta, to see the city of Jakarta
*
Tour with
Manuel Luetgenhorst (Germany)
(1985/87)
We then create a theatrical performance 'Pilihan Pendengar - Wunschkonzert' by Xavier Kroetz, in a house of a German in Kemang
*
in 1994 I started offering it to a French photographer, Herve Dangla,
in 1995 when Herve Dangla exhibition
"Belantara Jakarta" (Wilds of Jakarta) photography exhibition & book
I met Leonard Helmrich, a Dutch filmmaker
We get around the city and plans to make movies
*
in 1998 Tour with Tina Schott, Tim Hoppe & Friends (Germany)
*
in 2001 released "Eye of the Day", and 2005 'Shape of the Moon' and 2010 'Position among the Star'

Indonesia’s RENDANG and NASI GORENG Crowned World’s Most Delicious Foods

http://www.indonesia-recipe.com

The authentic taste of West Sumatra gained worldwide recognition, as Rendang - signature dish of Padang- was crowned World’s Most Delicious Food on “Your pick: World's 50 most delicious foods”, the  list issued by cnngo.com on September 7^th, 2011. Placed second after Rendang is Indonesia’s equally popular dish, - and one of the favorite dishes of Barrack Obama, President of the United States, namely Nasi Goreng or fried rice. While Satay, another staple Indonesian dish of charcoal grilled skewered meat cubes, also stood proud at No. 14.

Originating from the Minangkabau region of Indonesia, in West Sumatra, Rendang was initially served solely at ceremonial occasions to honor guests. Nowadays, however, Rendang has become the icon of Padang Restaurants found all across the country and abroad.  The article perfectly illustrates Rendang as follows: “Beef is slowly simmered with coconut milk and a mixture of lemongrass, galangal, garlic, turmeric, ginger and chilies, then left to stew for a few hours to create this dish of tender, flavorful bovine goodness”.

The cnngo.com article was revised from an earlier release dated July 21^st entitled “World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods” which did not specify what criteria it used to compile the list. The article stimulated some impassioned debates, and ultimately CNNGO threw an open vote on Facebook Poll. After more than 35,000 votes entered, the site released a whole new list which placed Rendang on Top of the list, followed by Nasi Goreng as runner up, and Japanese Sushi on third.

 “It appears we got it all wrong. The world’s most delicious food is not Massaman curry, as we suggested, but a meaty, spicy, gingery dish from west Sumatra”,  admitted CNNGO on its newly revised list.

Leading the world’s taste, Rendang and Nasi Goreng outranked Japanese Sushi and Ramen, Thailand’s Pad Tai and Som Tam, Hong Kong’s Dim Sum, Chinese Pecking Duck, Italy’s Lasagna and Gelato, U.S Ice Cream, France’s Croissant, and other delicacies around the world.

The wonder of combining rice with egg, chicken and prawns also made the list: Nasi Goreng came in second.  This Indonesian delight received more than 10 times the vote of its Thai counterpart, propelling the former from non-runner up to runner-up. Further down, sitting pretty at number 14, Satay is a representation of Indonesian classic taste.

There is no better way to enjoy the indulging taste of Rendang than in its popular originating city of Padang. Not only enjoying its authentic taste, here, visitors can also experience the unique way of how Padang food is served. Waiters in Padang Restaurants can expertly carry on both arms more than ten plates filled with all kinds of delicacies, a signature skill and style specific to Padang Restaurants. These dishes will then be spread out on the table for diners to pick and choose. Guests will be charged only for those dishes they have taken by counting the empty plates on the table.

A Complete list of the 50 most delicious foods can be found at:

http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/eat/readers-choice-worlds-50-most-delicious-foods-012321?page=0,0

Source: thejakartaglobe.com, cnngo.com

Sempu Island

If you like quiet place, where is no one around, isolated from the outside world, Sempu Island in Indonesia is the right place for you.

The long journey to reach the lagoon in the heart of the island paid off after you see magnificent white sand and blue water. Population is zero, no electricity and no drinkable water, except one hidden oasis in the deep jungle.

Sempu Island is located in the south of East Java Province, the nearest big city is Malang in the north. It is an isolated island with a small sea-lagoon, where most people camp on the sand nearby.

How to Get There?
The most popular hub to reach this place is Malang City. There is a daily train to reach Malang from Jakarta with various accommodations; executive, business, or economy. You may find several drivers in Malang Central Station offering you a pick up to the nearest harbour. They will cost you no more than US$ 5, try to keep the price under that amount, as some drivers may give you higher price. In some cases, you will be transferred to other drivers in Turen Market, it may cost you more. Just make it sure with the driver.

The next transit is Sendang Biru, a fisherman village where you need to rent a boat for crossing the strait. It will cost you around US$ 10, it includes the return fare. Ask for arranging return time.

After you reach the island, you still need to walk for an hour through the muddy jungle. Follow the existing track or you might get lost, I did get lost, which doubled my journey’s time.

Source:

Ter Ini Dan Ter Itu

Sepatu Termahal

Cieeee… gua beli sepatu ice skating lho!!! Gaya banget gak sih? Dan sepatu ini pun menyandang gelar sebagai sepatu gua yang termahal so far. Harganya $75 sebelum pajak. Ampun ya… padahal ini sepatu yang paling basic lho. Gak kebayang kalo yang model nya keren-keren berapa duit ya.

Yang lucu ya, sepatu ini dengan model dan merk yang sama, kalo buat cewek tuh warnanya putih dan harganya $100! Gak tau kenapa kok kalo yang punya cewek lebih mahal $25 daripada yang cowok. Padahal gua liat sih modelnya dan bahannya sama persis.

Jadi… kenapa kok gua sampe beli sepatu ice skating? Apakah karena gua udah jago ice skating?

Tentu tidak!!! Duh gua ini kan orang paling dodol dalam dunia per-olah-raga-an ya. Jadi gua belajar ice skating juga prinsipnya alon-alon asal kelakon. Orang lain udah belajar sampe mana… gua ya masih begitu-begitu aja. Huahaha. But everyone learn at their own pace kan ya? Gua sih berusaha gak membanding-bandingkan diri gua ama orang lain deh. Yang penting gua ada progress. Iya lho… progress nya adalah gua sekarang udah gak perlu pegangan dong kalo ice skating! Jadi udah gak perlu merayap di pinggiran sambil pegangan di tembok pembatas arena. Hahaha. Yah walaupun jalannya tetep ala robot kura-kura (kaku banget dan pelan banget maksudnya!). Bener-bener kayak kakek-kakek dah. Hehehe. Tapi gua tetep bangga kok, at least gua ada kemajuan walaupun dikit ya…

Nah alasan kenapa gua beli sepatu ice skating karena kalo nyewa tuh mahal! Udah mahal, bau pula! Hahaha. Jadi sekali nyewa tuh harganya $3. Sementara guakanles nya bakalan 10 kali pertemuan. Dan gua dikasih 10 kali boleh dateng ke tempat ice skating nya for free untuk latihan. Jadi kalo gua rajin (harus rajin ya!), gua bakalan main ice skating 20 kali sampe November ntar, yang mana kalo dikali $3 berarti gua bakal bayar $60 untuk nyewa sepatu. Lha kalo beli barunya aja $75, ya mendingan gua beli baru dong ya daripada nyewa…

Jadi begitulah ceritanya… akhirnya antara rela gak rela, gua beli juga nih sepatu yang mahal harganya… Moga-moga memotivasi gua untuk rajin berlatih ya!

September Terpanas

Wuii bulan September taun ini kok panas ya!! Padahal biasanya kalo masuk September tuh udah adem-adem gitu. Gua ngeh nya tuh karena tiap taun, pas hari pertama Andrew sekolah (yang mana selalu setelah Labor Day, alias awal September), gua selalu motretin si Andrew pas dia mau pergi sekolah.

Nah kalo diliat dari poto 2 taun yang lalu ama taun lalu, si Andrew selalu udah berjaket dan bercelana panjang. Tapi untuk hari pertama sekolah kali ini… Andrew berkaos tangan pendek dan bercelana pendek! Emang ampun kok taun ini… Moga-moga segera mendingin nih bentar lagi… Udah bosen gua ama Summer!

<baru ngeh kok tiap taun pas hari pertama sekolah, baju Andrew selalu warna ijo ya? >

Btw, ngomongin hari pertama sekolah… si Andrew dong… nangis! Huahaha. Kaco nih anak. Padahal kan dia udah kelas 1 dan ini udah tahun ketiga kan dia ke sekolah yang sama (sejak pre K), kok ya masih aja nangis sih, bingung gua. Tapi ya untungnya cuma hari pertama doang, pas siang pulangnya pun udah ceria.

Dan kemaren ini pas gua nganterin dia lagi, gua sempet rada worry karena ngeliat anak-anak lain kok gede-gede banget badannya ya. Asli lho ada yang gedeee banget! Nah trus anak-anak itu kank udu masuk kelas sendiri, naruh tas lunch dimana, tas snack dimana, naruh folder homework dimana, trus nyimpen backpack di lemari. Belum lagi Andrew harus ngeluarin kacamatanya juga kan. Gua takut aja si Andrew bakal kedempet-dempet ama anak-anak lain secara tempat naruh-naruh tas nya itu kan rada sempit.

Gua tungguin aja di depan kelas, ngeliatin dari jendela. Eh ternyata si Andrew cepet lho. Anak lain masih pada riweh, dia udah duduk di mejanya. Gua pengen banget manggil-manggil, tapi dia gak ngeh kalo gua masih nunggu di jendela. Gua liat tampangnya senyum-senyum happy gitu ngeliat temen-temennya. Trus pas gurunya manggil suruh duduk ke karpet pun dia cepet langsung maju ke depan duduk di karpet. Duh… gua rasanya sampe terharuuu banget. Walaupun simple ya kesannya, tapi buat gua tuh rasanya gimanaaa gitu… Rasanya si Andrew udah mandiri banget, udah gede… Ya seneng sih… Tapi aduh rasanya gimana gitu dah… gua sampe gak bisa ngomong kayak gimana… Si Andrew yang badannya kecil mungil, yang masih suka manja-manja kalo di rumah, ternyata kalo di sekolah udah bisa mandiri… Very proud of him!

Percakapan Teraneh

Masih tentang Andrew nih. Seperti biasa kan kalo weekend, kita suka terlibat dalam perdebatan dengan topik “mau makan dimana nih?”. Hehehe. Suka alot lho berdebat mau makan dimana itu, ntar satu mau makan apa tapi yang lain gak mau… Apalagi sekarang si Andrew kan udah ikutan milih-milih. Jadi menyatukan 3 kepala dan 3 mulut itu ternyata susah banget! Gak kebayang ntar kalo si Emma udah gede ya… Bisa berantem kita cuma mau nentuin mau makan dimana aja. Hahaha.

Nah waktu itu Esther yang buka topik… “Mau makan dimana nih?”, yang terus dijawab ama Andrew dengan semangat “SimpangAsia!”.

Masalahnya siangnya tuh kita udah makan di Simpang Asia. Masa malemnya mau makan disono lagi sih. Jadi jelas ditolak ama Esther. Tapi Andrew keukeuh mau makan di Simpang Asia lagi.

Gua akhirnya urun rembug dan gua bilang kalo gua sih gak keberatan makan di Simpang Asia lagi, toh disana menu nyakanbanyak. Yang mana akhirnya si Esther ngalah, karena udah 2 lawan 1kan, jadi Esther bilang “Ok, kita ke Simpang Asia deh”.

Eh… denger Esther ngomong begitu, si Andrew dong protes “Hah?? Ke Simpang Asia lagi?? Gak mau ah…Kan tadi siang udah ke Simpang Asia??”.

Mampus gak lu?? Gua ama Esther sampe bengong. Ini anak amnesia apa gimana ya? Huahahaha.

Sampe sekarang gua tetep gak ngerti sebenernya waktu itu si Andrew mikirnya begimana ya…

Foto Terunyu

Ini bukan foto baru sih, udah beberapa waktu yang lalu. Tapi lucu nih pas si Emma lagi senyum-senyum. Jadi gua pamerin disini ya…

Trus ini ada foto-foto pas Andrew mau tidur. Jadi sekarang rutinitasnya, tiap sebelum tidur, Andrew minta kiss good night ama Emma. Jadi Emma kita taruh di ranjang Andrew buat di kiss ama Andrew. Lucu deh ngeliat ini anak berduaan. Biasanya selalu si Emma awalnya seneng-seneng aja di-kiss-kiss ama koko nya, sampe beberapa lama trus baru dia protes. Hehehe. Yang lucu waktu itu, si Andrew udah gulingan, gua kasih guling satu lagi ke Emma… eh ama Emma malah dimakan gulingnya. Hahaha.

Berita Terkini

Dan berita terkininya adalah… hari ini Emma umur 2 bulan! Yay!

Milestone nya apa ya… Si Emma tambah ndut! Huahahaha. Liat aja nih poto-potonya belakangan ini…

Waktu itu ada temen yang komen di FB bilang katanya kita kayak punya boneka yang bisa diganti-ganti bajunya. Bener banget itu… Beneran lho kita merasa kayak punya boneka! Hehehe. Lucu soalnya emang… Jadi seneng aja pakein Emma baju macem-macem… Mumpung juga sekarang si Emma lagi banyak bajunya. Hehehe.

Selamat ulang bulan ya Emma! Moga-moga Emma selalu sehat ya!!

Link to full article