Diving Kakaban Island

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Kakaban island is part of the Derawan Islands, East Kalimantan, Indonesia The island has an area of 774.2 hectares (1,913 acres) and is quite steep with limestone cliffs covered with dense jungle right down to the water's edge and few beaches. The wall drops to 180 metres (590 ft) and currents can be strong with upwelling, downcurrent and reversing directions. The most distinctive feature is the huge brackish water lake in the middle of the island, in the local dialect Kakaban means "hug" as the island hugs the lake from the surrounding seawater.

In the middle of this island is a mangrove-fringed lake, slightly above sea level, where thousands of non-stinging jellyfish live making it interesting for diving. The jellyfish consist of four different species which have lost their natural defense system because of the lack of major predators in the lake. Similar lakes exist in thePhilippines ( Siargao ) Palau, with Jellyfish Lake being the best known.

The lake has warm brackish water and the bottom is covered with marine green algae. There are other animals living here, some sea cucumbers, gobies, sea anemones, tunicates, crustaceans, nudibranchs, orange purple clams and yellow clams on the branches, and snakes.

The lake is at most 17 metres (56 ft) deep with poor visibility and is 10 minutes walk from the beach. Kakaban was probably uplifted during the Holocene and sea water was trapped turning the area and formed a landlocked marine lake. The water is now a mixture of salt water and sweet water from the rain.

Stingless Jellyfish

In general, people feared to jellyfish because they have stings and fatal, but there are jellyfish that do not have stings. Ornate Cassiopeia is their name. Generally known by the name Stingless jellyfish. This change is due to the natural evolution of life on the habitat of these jellyfish. Living in close environment make the jellyfish do not have threat from vertebrate. Therefore this type of jellyfish do not need stings to protect themselves.

Not only that, these jellyfish will also issue a colorful light when it was getting dark. This jellyfish swim upside down with tentacles facing upwards. This is because a closed environment, so that food in the water becomes limited. Therefore, the jellyfish do simbioses mutualism with algae. Algae need sunlight to produce food. In the world, there are only two places which is the origin habitat of this type of jellyfish. Kakaban Island in Indonesia and Palau, Micronesia.

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How to get there 

- Flight Jakarta-Tarakan; Tarakan-Jakart: 2-way, Rp. 1.3Million/person

- Airport tax Jakarta: Rp. 40K

- Airport Tax Juwata Tarakan: Rp. 30K

- Juwata Airport to Pelabuhan SDF: Rp. 50K

- Speed Boat Tarakan - Tanjung Selor: : Rp. 85K

- Public Transport Tanjung Selor – Berau: Rp. 70K

- Public Transport Berau – Pelabuhan Tanjung Batu: Rp. 60K

- Speed Boat Tanjung Batu – Derawan: 250K(available for 5 person)

- Motel/Hotel at Derawan: Rp.75-450K

Borobudur

Borobudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument consists of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.[1] A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside a perforated stupa.

Built in the 9th century during the reign of the Sailendra Dynasty, the temple’s design in Gupta architecture reflects India's influence on the region, yet there are enough indigenous scenes and elements incorporated to make Borobudur uniquely Indonesian.[2][3] The monument is both a shrine to theLord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path around the monument and ascends to the top through three levels symbolic of Buddhist cosmology: Kāmadhātu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). The monument guides pilgrims through an extensive system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the walls and the balustrades.

GETTING THERE
Thai Airways has a Delhi–Bangkok-Jakarta option for around 237,000 return economy
There is a direct flight to Yogjakarta from Singapore and all major cities in Indonesia. Borobudur is a 45-minute drive from the airport and is best seen in the morning. Taxis and guides can be hired for the day at the airport.

WHEN TO GO
The dry season, from May to September, is the best time to visit.

Stay
You need not stay in Yogjakarta. An easy day trip can be made from Jakarta or Bali. If you are flying to
Bali from Jakarta stop over at Yogjakarta for the day and take an onward evening flight to Bali. However, if
you want a night halt—all kinds of hotels are available—from the international Sheraton, Hyatt, Ibis
and Novotel chains to budget hotels with familiar names such as Manohara, Arjun, Saraswati.

Shop
Batik textiles, including sarongs and wall hangings; mind boggling array of spices; wayang
kulit puppets; and silver.

Bali Dance

The Pendet is one of the oldest Balinese dances used in ceremonies. There are gestures of worship and the use of flower petals in its sequence. Yet lately the Asosiasi Seni Tari Indonesia (the Indonesian Arts Institute) in Denpasar has recreated it into an abridged version that falls into the welcoming dance category of Balinese dance.

The Agung Rai Museum of Art, better known by its abbreviated name ARMA, is located in the village of Pengosekan in Ubud, and has a mission to preserve Balinese culture and introduce local arts to youth at an early age. They provide a special space at the Museum for children to learn to dance. The children are mostly elementary grade schoolchildren and are taught basic traditional dance by experienced dance teachers. 

Dance lessons are held every day, except during certain occasions such as when religious ceremonies are at their peak. One dance can be completely mastered after a year of practice. Dancing the Balinese forms are not as easy as they may seem. There are basic dance moves that must be understood and usually this is the most difficult part, yet it forms the strong base.  

There are at least three basics that must be mastered; gem, seledet, and egol. Ngagem is executing the asymmetric position of the body in a stationary posture. Agem can be divided into two parts: right and left. The right agem is when the upper body slants to the right and the hips to the left, while the hands are at shoulder level.

Seledet is the facial expression that focuses on the sharp dashing glances of the eyes, with directions in accordance to the agem posture. While executing or ngagem to the right, then the seledet glances would normally be to the upper right and lower right.

Learning to nyeledet does not only involve the eye movements but also the facial expressions. A dance surely comes to life when dynamic expressions are skillfully carried out. Sometimes a dancer may either seem fierce, sweet and timid, or dead serious, depending on the act being performed.

Egol or the ‘hip shake’ is executed while stepping on the spot or forward. It is the most difficult move and requires stamina. Because the body posture when executing this move is not standing upright but rather in what the Balinese refer to as ngeed or standing with a slight squat. Generally this is the position throughout the dance sequence. Besides that, the ngegol is not only about shaking the hips but also maintaining the harmony between the hip, hand gestures, and the head.

Ubud surely has become a focal point in the island’s art scene. Those curious about Bali’s arts and culture will find the answers in Ubud. For those who just want to know the basics, they can pay to visit the various local workshops. But for those who want to dive even deeper, they can pay a living Balinese maestro a visit.

Several other senior Balinese dancers that can be asked for guidance include the likes of the topeng mask and gambuh maestros from the village of Batuan, I Made Djimat; Kebyar Duduk maestro, Ida Bagus Oka Wirjana or better known by the name Gus Aji Blangsinga from the village of Blangsinga.

Learning Balinese dance can be done throughout the island. One hotel in the Nusa Dua area has also added a facility for its guests, especially children. The Laguna also provides its guest’s children with complimentary Balinese dance lessons as one of their kid’s club activities. The children can get busy learning the moves while their parents have their own agenda. They can don traditional Balinese attire during the lessons and learn under the guidance of Komang Suarti, The Laguna’s Human Resources Manager. So far, the children who participate express high enthusiasm in each of their moves. Balinese dance give you the chance to feel and experience part of the heritage, which suits both young and old. 

Ecotourism in Bali

Pelaga 

Pelaga is one of four villages that make up Jaringan Ekowisata Desa ('Village Ecotourism Network," or JED), a cooperative that aims to channel the benefit of tourism directly back to Balinese communities, while providing visitors with a substantive rural experience. Another is Sibetan , set in the foothills of mount Agung, the island's highest and most venerated volcano. Sibetan is perhaps best known for the cultivation of snake fruit, which some enterprising Germans recently taught locals to turn into a sort of tropical schnapps. Nusa Ceningan, a somnolent isle of fisherfolk and seaweed farmers, is also part of the network, as is Tenganan, a walled village dating back to the 11th century whose residents, known as the Bali Aga- literally, "original Balinese" - are renowned for their pre-Hindu customs and distinctive double-ikat weaving technique.

Pelaga is the most visited of the four JED villages, all of which derive their main income from agriculture. In Pelaga, that means export-quality Arabica coffee, which villagers sell to a wholesaler in Java. As we amble through the maze of trails that crisscross the village's plantations, Pelaga was where it was first cultivated on Bali. The network gives you access to the inner workings of places by the people who actually live there and who have a stake in protecting it. "Every year in Bali, 200 hectares of farmland are lost to tourism and real estate development."

Visit Pelaga, situated far from the crowds of Kuta and Seminyak some 1,100 meters above sea level, and your first impression will doubtless be the sheer beauty of the surroundings. Central Bali is like one vast garden of orchards, plantations, and rice fields, spread across an undulating landscape punctuated by volcanic peaks. You'll be greeted in Pe1aga's bale subak, a large thatch-roofed pavilion that acts as the administrative center of the village's subak association, which coordinates the irrigation of the paddies. (Pelaga's Subak comprises 170 families, and like all such associations, it involves a complex cycle of rituals reflecting the tripartite Balinese principal of Tri Hita Karana - roughly, " there paths to prosperity" - which advocates balance between people, nature, and god.) You'll be served local coffee laced with cinnamon from an earthenware pot steaming over a wood oven, before setting off on a tour of the coffee plantation or, if you'd rather, a longer three-hour trek that lakes in a waterfall and some fine views. The lunch is a buffet-style interpretation of the classic Balinese rijsttafel, a sampling of dishes - minced pork satay, peanut-sauce salad - that rely on organic ingredient grown or raised in the near vicinity.

Nusa Ceningan

Nusa Ceningan, the lesser known neighbor of touristy Nusa Lembongan , just off Bali's cast coast. Here, concerted action by the community kept out a development consortium that was seeking to purchase the entire island and fill it with star rated hotels. "We're now trying to draw up a strategy for managing the island based on our own sustainable principles," says my guide I Gede Lama as we eat a lunch of freshly caught tuna, purchased from some fishermen we stumbled upon during our morning tour of the 300-hedare island. Fishing, unsurprisingly, is a staple industry here, hut seaweed farming is the mainstay of Ceningan’s economy. At low tide, villagers drag their skiffs into the shallows and fill them with the Euchema Cotonii and spinosum grasses, harvested here for export as ingredients in the cosmetics and food industries.

After making the 45-minute crossing from Bali by speedboat, visitors to Nusa Ceningan usually spend the night at a lodge in the island's hilly interior. Activities include canoe trips out to the seaweed farms, snorkeling, and a moped tour of the island that takes in the rugged beauty of its western reaches, which receive a constant battering from the high swell of the Lombok Strait.

The packaging of culture is inevitable with mass tourism, and in Bali, visitors typically encounter it through carefully choreographed performances. You won't find anything staged at any of the JED villages. But that doesn’t mean you won't witness a temple ceremony or even a more intimate rite of passage in someone's home. It really iust depends on what’s happening that day.

"Next week, the pandanus-leaf wars are taking place in 'Tenganan," Gede Astana tells me as I bid him farewell back on the Bali mainland. "You should come.'· I've heard of this ancient gladiatorial ritual, unique to Tenganan, where young men do good-natured battle with thorny Pandanus leaves and woven shields, often drawing blood. "You can eyen join in if you like," Astana adds with a laugh. I tell him I'll go - but only to watch. I prefer my cultural immersion to be as painless as possible. 

BARONG LANDUNG, STORY OF ACCULTURATION

The first one looks like a dark daunting male with long hair and fangs. Meanwhile, the second figure appears like a pale-faced female with squinty eyes. Both walk side-by-side, towering nearly twice the height of an average person, hence their title Barong Landung-landung, Balinese for ‘tall’. Apparently these dolls are being manipulated by a strong man inside, while peeping through the bamboo webbing at its base.

The Balinese refer to these processions as mendak betara or ‘picking up the deities’, transporting the dolls from one temple to another while in the midst of holding ceremonies. This time it was the deities of Jero Gede and Jero Luh who were being ‘picked up’.

Both these dolls remind me of the Ondel-ondel, a pair of large effigies owned by the Betawi people in Jakarta. However, due to the majority of the Betawis having embraced Islam, they do not have deities or Bhatara in their terminology any more. 

Yet there are similarities between the pair of Barong Landung and Ondel-ondel being paraded throughout the village during times of plague or when an outbreak occurs. Only recently has the Ondel-ondel taken on a more festive role. 

a pair of Barong Landung 

Both of these pairs of effigies are thought to be closely related. It is quite possible that the Ondel-ondel was Barong Landung that was brought to Jakarta by Balinese servants during the 17-18th centuries. During those times the slave trade by Balinese rulers was very active. The large mass of Balinese people taken to Jakarta resulted in almost half of the total Indonesian population in Batavia (the designation of Jakarta at that time) made up of Balinese. 

But the history of the Barong Landung did not start there, it went back even centuries prior. The Barong Landung is a result of the acculturation between Bali and China that occurred around the 12th century.

This tale has been passed down through generations. It is certainly inseparable from myths and interpretations along the course of time, but the central character was real and ruled Bali at that time.

And so it was that King Jaya Pangus, who also went by the noble title of Dalem Balingkang, married Kang Tjin We. This could possibly have been a political marriage; yet other sources also tell that Tjin We was a Chinese girl who lived in a Chinese temple in Kintamani at that time. 

This was King Jaya Pangus, who also went by the noble title of Dalem Balingkang, who married Kang Tjin We, a Chinese girl who lived in a Chinese temple at Kintamani at that time. This could possibly have been a political marriage.

The only big problem in their marriage was apparently due to the couple not being blessed with children. This was a big problem because a dynasty needed a progeny. The king decided to set off to meditate at Mount Batur, asking for divine guidance so that he  may be blessed with offspring. However, another version of the tale says that besides not having any children their kingdom was suffering from a plague. So the king’s trip to the mountains was also to ask for guidance in overcoming the outbreak.

In Batur the king met the lake goddess Dewi Danu, with whom he eventually had an affair with, and from this relationship a son was born. Three years passed and Kang Tjin We decided tosearch for her husband in Batur and she was shaken by the reality that met her there. Dewi Danu was no less distraught, as the king had told her that he was single.

The goddess was infuriated. In her rage she cursed Jaya Pangus and his empress, who later were transformed into a pair of effigies or dolls, the Barong Landung. Later these ‘barongs’ were placed at the temples and were only brought out to ‘attend’ ceremonies held at other temples and ngelawang or to ‘go on village parades’ at the time of certain outbreaks.

The cultural ties between Bali and China seem exceedingly broad in the Barong Landung story. The Dalem Balingkang title itself is said to have come from the words ‘Bali Kang’. However it remains unclear as to why the king is depicted as having a hideous face, yet from the name Jaya it would mean ‘victor’ and Pangus depicts handsomeness.

Since when has the acculturation between Bali and China taken place? No one can provide a precise answer. No one has a certain answer. There is no literature that can provide an exact date. But it is clear that this blend of cultures has taken place since a long time ago, so there are things that we do not realize that have been a result of the marriage between them both. Several village names in Bali were formed from Chinese words. The name of the village of Pingan in Kintamani for example, is actually from the word Ping An, which means ‘safe and sound’.

The processions have now arrived at the destination temple. Both of the Barong Landung stand tall at the temple gates. Several small children approach with a bit of edginess and curiosity. One day their parents will tell them the tale of the Barong Landung’s origin, as the oral tradition remains strong in Bali. (BALI & BEYOND)