Spa at Jimbaran Bay

Long conSidered one of the top retreats on an Island known for healing and wellness. Four Seasons offers unsurpassed service m a stellar Balinese-style setting. The 156 villas and residences offer luxury Indoors and outdoors with courtyard living areas, sexy garden showers and private plunge pools overlooking the ocean. The list of comphmentary on-site activities, from sailing lessons to learning traditional Balinese dance.

Traditionally embraced by Javanese royalty. the Lulur Ritual (120 minutes. $145) Incorporates turmeric. cinnamon and other spices In a skin-smoothing scrub fo llowed by a soak In an oversized flower- filled tub.

Don't miss Bali's cultural attractions, from sunset at the striking Uluwatu Temple, set on a westward-facing cliff-top peninsula, to the master craftsmen who specialize In woodcarving and Jewelry-making. Rooms from $680.

four sesaons resort Jimbaran : fourseasons.com

four sesaons resort Jimbaran : maxx-m.com

Jakarta

Jakarta certainly isn’t a primary tourist destination, there are a handful of good museums and dozens of swanky shopping malls. Though Jakarta’s infamous traffic jams still choke the city. So if you really want to get under the skin of Indonesia, a visit to this mammoth city (the Greater Jakarta conurbation exceeds 20 million people) is essential. In recent years Jakarta has suffered on several fronts. Severe floods cause massive damage to homes and infrastructure. The city faces many challenges. Millions live in desperate poverty, many in flood prone areas.

South of Monas is jalan Jaksa, the traditional backpacker centre, which is well placed for the historic north of the city and transport links, with busways and the main train station, Gambir. North of Monas is the old city of Kota, containing most of Jakarta’s meagre tourist attractions, while nearby is the schooner harbour of Sunda Kelapa. The modern harbour, Tanjung Priok, is several kilometres along the coast to the east, past the Taman Impian Jaya Ancol recreation park. Jakarta is surprisingly safe. Violent crime is very rare and tourists are very seldom targeted. It does, however, remain the most crime-prone city in Indonesia.

Jakarta, source : wikipedia.org

Sights

Museum Wayang
One of the best collections of  puppets in Java and its dusty cabinets are full of a multitude of characters. The collection includes puppets from not only Indonesia but also China, Vietnam, India, Cambodia and Europe, and masks used by dancers. There are free wayang performances here on Sunday.

Museum Sejarah Jakarta
This bell-towered building, built in 1627, served the administration of the city and was also used by the city law courts. You will find the odd exquisite piece, such the stunning black granite sculpture of Kali, a Hindu goddess associated with death and destruction.

Balai Seni Rupa
Houses contemporary paintings with works by prominent artists, including Affandi, Raden Saleh and Ida Bagus Made. Part of the building is also a ceramics museum, with Chinese ceramics and Majapahit terracottas.

Museum Bahari
Is a good place to learn about the city’s maritime history, and though the wonderful old buildings.

Museum Nasional
Built in 1862, There’s  a superb display of gold treasures from Candi Brahu in Central Java, including some glittering necklaces, armbands and a bowl depicting scenes from the Ramayana. Outside the museum is a bronze elephant that was presented by the King of Thailand in 1871

Museum Pancasila  Sakti
Is a bizarre homage to anticommunism. Inside you’ll find dioramas depicting Communist crimes, photos of the 1960s show trials, and even bullet hole–ridden military uniforms

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah
100-hectare park has full-scale traditional houses for each of Indonesia’s provinces. Free cultural performances are staged in selected regional houses. Sunday is the big day for cultural events, but shows are also held during the week

Taman Impian Jaya Ancol
This 300-hectare, landscaped recreation park, providing non-stop entertainment, has hotels, theatres and a variety of sporting and leisure facilities including bowling. It’s easily the city’s best entertainment for kids in the city.


Around Jakarta


Pulau Seribu is the perfect respite for those stuck in the capital too long. There are 130 islands in the group, Pulau Pramuka is the group’s district centre which is about 15km north of Jakarta. The most accessible islands have been developed into resorts with bungalows and water sports. The resorts have offices in Jakarta or at the Ancol Marina.

PULAU BIDADARI

This is the closest resort island and is popular with Jakarta residents for day trips. It is one of the least interesting resorts, but you can use it to visit other islands.

to be continued

Travel To Indonesia

The world’s fourth most populace country – 240 million and counting is a sultry kaleidoscope that runs along the equator for 5000km. It may well be the last great adventure on Earth. From the western tip of Sumatra to the eastern edge of Papua is a nation that defies homogenisation. A land of so many cultures, peoples, animals, customs, plants, features, artworks and foods that it is like 100 countries melded into one. There may be those 300 spoken languages but virtually everybody can speak one language: Bahasa Indonesia, a tongue that helps unify this sprawling, chaotic collection of peoples with a past that’s had more drama than a picnic on Krakatau in say, 1883. Destructive colonialism, revolution, mass slaughter, ethnic warfare, dictatorship and more have been part of daily life in Indonesia in just the past 100 years. That’s one of the reasons why the national elections of 2009 are so remarkable: they were unremarkable.

Picture from : nomadicnotes.com

When to go
Indonesia is big, cheap, rough and effortless. It’s everything to everyone, a choose-your-own-adventure travel destination. With little more than a passport, sunscreen and a day’s notice, urban-fatigue victims arrive dazed at Denpasar to recover in comfortable Balinese resorts. With a bit of planning and preparation, explorers can put packs to their backs and lose themselves for two months – needing just time, energy and a keen sense of adventure as companions. In most parts of Indonesia, the wet season falls between October and April (low season), and the dry season between May and September (high season). Rain tends to come in sudden tropical downpours, but it can also rain nonstop for days. Though travel in the wet season is not usually a major problem in most parts of Indonesia, mud-clogged back roads can be a deterrent (or landslides on Java). The December to February rains can make travel more difficult in Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan and Papua. The rains shift in Sumatra, peaking from October to January in the north, and from January to February in the south. In contrast, parts of the Moluccas literally shine in January.
It’s also good to be aware of holidays elsewhere if visiting Bali. School holidays and Christmas bring hordes of fun-seekers from Australia, for example, booking up rooms by the thousands. Europeans travel in July and August to a swath of islands, but usually not in numbers to make for anything more than enjoyable sunset drinking companions.

Cost & Money
Accommodation is usually the greatest expense of Indonesian travel, followed by special activities like tours, treks, dives and the like. But three square warung (simple eatery) meals can cost you as little as US$3 (about 10,000Rp or less per meal), but even if you dine in decent local restaurants, you still won’t spend much more than US$10 per day (around 30,000 Rp per meal) on food. Simply put, the more you live like a local, the less you will spend. If you confine yourself to Sumatra, Java and Nusa Tenggara, a shoestring traveller can spend as little as US$20 per day. A midrange budget starts at about US$50 per day, which will get you an air-conditioned hotel room, an occasional tour and car hire. Midrange accommodation is more expensive in Balinese resorts, so budget for at least US$70 per day there. Top-end travellers will end up spending anything above US$100 a day, although there are few places on earth where that amount can get such good value.
Accommodation prices in Maluku and Papua can be twice as high as in tourist towns, and transport costs on Kalimantan are relatively high.Transport expenses also increase once you get into the outer provinces. In Bali, Sumatra, Java and Nusa Tenggara there’s very little need to take to the air, but in Papua you often have no choice but to fly. Flying is more expensive than other forms of transport, though still cheap in dollar terms as new budget airlines are offering stiff competition.

Internet Resources

The following sites are all good for giving you a feel for current events in Indonesia; some go further and explore the ever-evolving culture of the country.

Antara (www.antara.co.id/en) This is the site for the official Indonesian news agency; it has a

searchable database.

Inside Indonesia (www.insideindonesia.org) Excellent website with news and thoughtful

features.

Indonesia Traveling (www.indonesiatraveling.com) Fantastic site with detailed information

about Indonesia’s parks, nature reserves and the critters you might encounter. Also has links to

charter sailing boats and much more.

Jakarta Globe (www.thejakartaglobe.com) The top-notch new national English-language

newspaper.

Jakarta Post (www.thejakartapost.com) Indonesia’s original English-language daily; good

cultural coverage.

LonelyPlanet.com (www.lonelyplanet.com) Share knowledge and experiences with other

travellers about islands that have been Lonely Planet favourites from the start.

10 of Indonesia best dishes

Items listed above are really for beginners, those who find them easily on daily basis may not too impressed with the list. Must ask reference to Indonesia's culinary expert for "intermediate" Indonesian foods than something most people already know. Those dishes which most of people like to eat everyday, mostly it's easily found on of Java. There are very many Indonesian dishes that taste is extraordinary. I just put a list of foods that I've tried so far. The following foods may be something you've never tasted. Most of these foods contained in the outskirts of the road and you wont find ata restaurant,  you do not need to go to a restaurant to taste these foods, the price is not too expensive, with 10,000 money you will be able to taste the food

1. Sambal
Chili-based sauce known as sambal is a staple at all Indonesian tables. Dishes are not complete unless they have a hearty dollop of the stuff, a combination of chilies, sharp fermented shrimp paste, tangy lime juice, sugar and salt all pounded up with mortar and pestle.

 

2.Bakso

President Barack Obama remembered it as one of his favorites during a visit to Jakarta last November. made from chicken, beef, pork or some amorphous combination of them all. Sold mostly from pushcarts called kaki lima, bakso comes garnished with fried shallots, boiled egg and wontons.

3. Nasi Goreng
Indonesia fried rice is often made with sweet, thick soy sauce called kecap (pronounced ketchup) and garnished with acar, pickled cucumber and carrots.

4. Nasi Padang

It is 100 percent Indonesian, dozen dishes -- goopy curries with floating fish heads or rubbery cow’s feet -- stacked up on your table. Dig in with your hands then wash the spice away with a sweet iced tea.

5. Pecel lele

Served with rice and red and green sambal, this is simple street fare that fills the belly, which may be why it’s a standout across Jakarta.

6. Satay

It’s chicken, goat, mutton or rabbit, the scrappy morsels get marinated in turmeric, barbecued and then bathed in a hearty dose of peanut sauce. "sate madura" served with rice cakes (ketupat) and diced cucumber and onion -– is distinguished by its boat-shaped street carts.

7. Soto

Soup flavored with chicken, goat or beef. In Jakarta, home of the indigenous Betawi, soto Betawi garners fame with its sweet, creamy, coconut-milk base. Top it with crispy shallots and fried garlic, and as much or little sambal as your taste buds can take.

8. Mie ayam
bakmie is boiled in stock and topped with succulent slices of gravy-braised chicken. The secret is in the sauce, the clue to a good mie ayam is the perfect al dente noodle.

9. Martabak

Think of a spongy, thick crepe made with 10 times the lard and you’ll be somewhat close to imaging martabak. The sweet version looks more like a pancake filled with gooey chocolate, peanuts or cheese, while the savory one is made from crispy pulled pastry like filo that is flattened in a wok as egg and minced meats are rapidly folded in.

10. Gorengan
Are the most prolific snacks in all of Indonesia. Street carts typically offer crispy golden nuggets of tempe, cassava and tofu, as well as fried bananas, sweet potatoes, vegetables fritters made from shredded carrot, cabbage and bean sprouts and fermented soybean cakes.

Surfing and Diving Ujung Kulon

Ujung Kulon National Park is located in the western part of Java Island, Indonesia. This national park area also includes areas of Krakatoa and several smaller surroundingislands such as Pulau Handeuleum and Peucang Island. This park has an area of ​​about1.206 km ² (443 km ² of which is the sea), which starts from the promontory of Ujung Kulonup with the Indian Ocean.
National Park became the first National Park was inaugurated in Indonesia, and alsoinaugurated as one of the World Heritage protected by UNESCO in 1992, because the area of protected forests cover a very broad. To date approximately 50 to 60 rhinos livingin this habitat.
At first Ujung Kulon is an agricultural area in a few days until finally destroyed andexhausted all its inhabitants when Mount Krakatoa erupted on August 27, 1883 whicheventually turn this area back to forest.
Permission to enter this National Park can be obtained at the Head Office of NationalParks in the City of Labuan or Tamanjaya. Lodging can be obtained on the island andPeucang Handeuleum.

View Larger Map

Before visiting this national park, confirm your plans first visit to the Center of Ujung Kulon National Park at Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan Nomor 51 Labuan, phone number(62253) 804 681 or 801 731. Not every time you can enter the forest Ujung Kulon because this area is the habitat ofendangered one-horned rhinoceros. Schedules and routes you have to confirm first visit to the National Park Authority in Labuan.

The ticket is Rp 2,500 per person for the citizens of Indonesia and Rp 20,000 per person for foreign nationals as well asinsurance costs Rp 3,000. Entrance fee for the amount of vessels varies between Rp50,000 and Rp 100,000 per boat motor according to engine power. Both of these chargesare part of state revenues.

It is not difficult to reach locations. Tourists can choose the land routeJakarta-'Serang-Labuan as far as 120 kilometers with a long take 4-5 hours. Can also routeJakarta-Cilegon-Labuan as far as 140 kilometers with a long take 5-6 hours. If you will use public transportation, it served two rure public transport ie buses and minibuses. To continue the trip to Ujung Kulon National Park area (TNUK) using fast ships with a capacity of about eight people, visitors can depart from the Carita. Rental rate of speed boat is Rp 3.5 million per day. Another option, boat motor speed is with a payload capacityof about 25 people who depart from the Well or Tamanjaya. Rental rates are cheaper, at Rp. 1.8 million per vessel per day.

Surfing

Visitors who enjoy surfing can satisfy the high waves in the Gulf island of Panaitan. Here's how a self-professed frequenter of the island described it: "Anybody that comes back more than once does so on a boat because it is the only way. You have gotta have a desire for heavy duty juice and poundings if this is your cup of tea. It is not the thin lipped perfection of the Mentawais and not the super user friendly zone of Bali with all the options to suit different levels."

Bombies, Photo : surfline.com

Bombies, Photo: Dustin Humphrey/A-Frame

One Palm Point, Photo: Dustin Humphrey/A-Frame

Inside Lefts,  Photo: Dustin Humphrey/A-Frame

Diving

Offers a wide rang of reef diving. Depths here range from 8 meters to 15 meters. Most dives are on fringing reefs as well as some shallower pinnacle dives. The reefs around the park are well preserved offering spectacular coral formations and rich diversity of tropical reef life. This area is ideal for the beginner or less experienced divers, with some more challenging drift dives for the more experienced.

At the South Western end of the Sunda Straits lies Ujung Kulon National Park. Ujung Kulon National Park protects one of the last extensive remaining areas of lowland rain forest in Java and is of special importance for the conservation of Java rhinoceros. In addition, the coastal coral reef environment ranks among the richest in Indonesia. The point to point ocean boundary encloses Ujung Kulon Peninsula and the offshore islands of Pulau Handeuleum and Pulau Peucang, whilst the island of Pulau Panaitan is separated by the 10km wide Panaitan Straits. The eastern boundary follows contours along the eastern foothills of the Gunung Honje massif.

Pulau Panaitan/Pulau Peucang Nature Reserve was established in 1937, Ujung Kulon Nature Reserve in 1958 and Gunung Honje Nature Reserve established in 1967. In 1980, the nature reserves of Ujung Kulon Peninsula, Panaitan Island, South Gunung Honje, North Gunung Honje and the Krakatau Islands were declared a Proposed National Park. On 1 February, 1992, the Proposed Ujung Kulon National Park complex was declared a World Heritage Site following inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 1991.


Forest
There is a difference between the forests on the island and Peninsular Peucang UjungKulon. "On the Island can be found Peucang primary forest, while on this peninsula issecondary forest," said Dodi Sumardi, TNUK Hall employees.

Primary forest is characterized by a relatively clean forest floor of a low bush becauseplants can not photosynthesize. Meanwhile, secondary forest, the forest floor filled withshrubs. Secondary forest in Peninsular Ujung Kulon is the result of natural successionpascameletusnya of Mount Krakatoa in 1883. Various types of trees that adorn the jungleUjung Kulon a lowland tropical rain forest is.

Handeuleum Island, visitors are likely to see deer and monkeys. This is because there aredozens of deer on the island. If lucky, can see deer coming out from behind the fence shrubtourist lodgings. The deer are often approached and poked his head to eat the food provided the tourists.