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July
Olele Marine Park, is located in Olele Village, Kabila Bone District, Bone Bolango Regency, Gorontalo. The distance from Gorontalo city center to this tourist spot is about 20 Km. It can be reached by car or motorcycle by passing winding roads on the edge of the hill. On the way you will comb the winding road, crossing residential areas with contrasting views. On the one hand you will be amazed by the steep cliffs adorned with green trees, and on the other you will admire the endless expanse of blue green sea.
Olele Beach is the gateway to Olele Marine Park with a very beautiful marine nature. World divers have proven that some of the marine biota found in the Olele Marine Park are not found in other waters in the world. The Olele Marine Park has a lot of beauty, including Goa Jin with ornamental fish, marine life, healthy, dense and beautiful coral reefs, giant sponges and also several types of fish that are rare and only found in the waters of Tomini Bay. The Olele Marine Park, which has become a tourist icon in Gorontalo Province, is located on the south coast. If you visit Gorontalo, it's not complete if you don't visit this location. Because of its fame, Olele beach is also known as the Prima donna of South Beach.
If you love diving, you can go to Jinn Cave, Traffic Circle, Honeycomb, and Muck Dive. The most frequently visited and a favorite dive spot for visitors is at Jinn Cave. You need to know, in this marine park there are endemic coral sponges that cannot be found in any waters. Its existence is sought after by divers from abroad. Its uniqueness is in the coral motif which resembles a painting by the famous artist from Spain, Salvador Dali. The next spot is Coral Pole (coral pillar), Beehive (beehive-shaped sponge), and Traffic Jam. The underwater beauty in the latter area is truly amazing, divers who see it will be stunned and stop to enjoy it longer, so it is likened to a "congestion" or traffic jam there.
For those who like underwater photography, there are lots of spots that can be captured by their beauty. Different and charming coral reefs and colorful small fish that go back and forth around the coral reefs, are underwater conditions that will be found which of course must be captured. Olele Marine Park does have different coral reefs, such as wall models and wasp nests. If you are not a diver, you don't need to worry, because the original wooden boats with glass floor made by local people are ready to take tourists on tours across the waters to enjoy the beauty of coral reefs, fish and other biota from the boat.
July
For noodle lovers, your culinary tour has not been perfect, before you try Cirebon City's mainstay noodle, namely ‘Mie Koclok’. Mie Koclok consists of yellow noodles mixed with bean sprouts, cabbage, chicken pieces and egg slices. Then, on the topping, it is doused with a sauce made of coconut milk and added with cornstarch.
The uniqueness of Mie Koclok is in its very thick and white sauce, because it is made from coconut milk. According to the story, the name Mie Koclok stands for “Mie Khasnya Cirebon which is better” because noodles with thick and white sauce are indeed the hallmark of Mie from Cirebon, West Java. Especially when it's enjoyed after raining,the savory gravy because of the spices and spice is guaranteed to make you easily addicted to its deliciousness.
For you who haven't had time to go to Cirebon City for a culinary tour, you can also make your own at home, because the ingredients are easy to get, such as, ready-to-use yellow noodles, sliced cabbage, bean sprouts, boiled chicken eggs, shredded chicken, chopped green onions. thinly sliced, sliced celery, lime, sweet soy sauce and fried onions. While the spices that are mashed are only shallots, garlic, ebi and cooking oil. The sauce is also not too complicated because it only consists of chicken stock, thick coconut milk, cornstarch, salt and pepper. To serve it, bring the water to a boil, put the noodles, cabbage, bean sprouts in a colander, and put them in boiling water until the vegetables are slightly wilted. Then place it in a bowl, flush with thick gravy, sprinkle with shredded chicken, egg slices, sliced scallions, sliced celery and fried onions. Add lime juice, sweet soy sauce and chili sauce. Mie Koclok is ready to be served.
July
Tourism village of Widosari is located in the northern Menoreh hills with an altitude of more or less 900 meters above sea level and a distance of 36 kilometers or it can be reached 1 hour 15 minutes from Yogyakarta City. According to the Head of the Yogyakarta Special Region Tourism Office, Singgih Rahardjo, Widosari is a tourism village in the Menoreh hills which has lots of unique cultures as well as beautiful landscapes. Singgih conveyed the rich cultural traditions which still exist in Widosari Village including Wayang Kulit, Jathilan Dance or Kuda Lumping, and various types of dances typical of the local community, such as Bangilun and Lengger Tapeng. Interestingly, in this village, tourists can also learn traditional dance directly with the artists.
When visiting the Widosari Tourism Village, tourists can also enjoy the coolness of a one hectare tea plantation located in Padukuhan Tritis.Then, to walk through the tea garden, they have been facilitated with a good path on the expanse of terraces arranged neatly with the same height in each row. Then, they can visit Rajendra Farm or Lamb Village. Lamb village is an integrated sheep farm that provides livestock education activities, sheep and goat-based culinary and provides complete facilities for nature lovers who want to camp, or even outbound. Not less interesting, tourists can also enjoy the sunrise at Proman Peak. Proman Peak is a tourism attraction that shows natural scenery at sunrise with a large range of mountains such as Sindoro, Sumbing, Merapi, and Merbabu mountains.
Traveling to the tourism village of Widosari, please don't forget to visit the Widosari Peak. It is the highest point of a hill namely Widosari Hill which is a cluster of Menoreh Hills. The hill offers wonderful natural scenery with a large rock icon on the hill and is a famous tourism attraction. The Widosari Peak site in Widosari Village has been designated as a geo-heritage of 20 geological sites in Yogyakarta by the central government since 2021.
July
Last July 1st, the Ja'i Dance Community in Watunggene Village, Kota Komba District, East Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara performed the Ja'i dance from the Ngada community. The dance was performed at the Waelengga Football Field. The dancers with typical traditional clothes of the Ngada people danced in front of the Komba City Head Office's house towards the Waelengga Football field. This dance was accompanied by the sound of drums and gongs.
Ja'i dance is performed as an expression of gratitude and joy from the community. This Ja'i dance is usually performed en masse by the Ngada tribal community. The more participants join the dance, the better it is. For the Ngada people, Ja'i dance also has a very important value of life, both in social and community life. This dance shows how the spirit of togetherness is always intertwined.
The musical instruments used to accompany the Ja'i dance are five gongs and three drums. The sound patterns and tempo, which are produced from these musical instruments, sound static and monotonous. Ja'i dance has been designated as one of Indonesia's intangible cultural heritage since 2021. Ja'i is the 30th intangible cultural heritage of East Nusa Tenggara which is designated at the national level.
July
The land of Sumba is indeed endowed with a natural charm that is so beautiful and different from other natural beauty in Indonesia. The natural topography is dominated by a series of mountains and limestone hills, making the nature in East Sumba unique and exotic, and of courseit is different from other districts in East Nusa Tenggara. One of them is Wairinding Hill. The hill, which has started being crowded with tourists since it has become one of the shooting locations for the film directed by Mira Lesmana in the film " Pendekar Tongkat Emas ", does have a very beautiful hilly landscape. If you visit the land of East Sumba, you will feel like you have found a piece of heaven that lies between the hills. Wairinding is located in the village of Pambota Jara, Pandawai District or about 30 minutes from the downtown of East Sumba. This hill looks amazing with its vast grassland vegetation.
Wairinding Hill is so beautiful and very enchanting; it makes the eyes of the visitors look at the hill on and on. The vast expanse of savanna will be yellow during the dry season and green during the rainy season. Visiting Wairinding Hill in both seasons will certainly give a different impression. If visitors come in the dry season between July and October, the natural atmosphere there will feel like being in Africa, with its exotic savanna. It's different if visitors come in the rainy season, they will feel the atmosphere like in the hills of New Zealand when arriving at this hill. Wairinding Hill is an appropriate place for visitors who want to enjoy the silence and beauty that is still very natural.
Visitors who want to visit Wairinding hill can use travel services, public buses or they can rent motor vehicles in Waingapu. Car rental rates range from Rp500,000 to Rp600,000 with a driver, while for motorbike rentals, it is around Rp100,000/day. There are no supporting facilities around the location, and there is only a small shop on the outskirts. It is recommended for visitors who want to visit the hill to bring food supplies, especially drinks because the weather in East Sumba is very hot during the day.
July
Last June 26, interfaith residents attended the “Ngertakuen Bumi Lamba” ceremony at Mount Tangkuban Perahu, Bandung Barat regency, West Java province. Ngertakeun Bumi Lamba is a way of carrying out the message entrusted by the ancestors to guard three mountains that are considered sacred places (kabuyutan), one of which is Mount Tangkuban Parahu, a volcano left over from the eruption of ancient Mount Sunda 200 years ago. This ceremony is also a form of gratitude for the natural resources around the mountain.
This ceremony is usually accompanied by music and dances from the Sundanese tribe, as well as prayers, which are said to God Almighty for having given blessings to the people there. Usually, the Ngertakeun Bumi Lamba traditional ceremony is held on the 1st of Kapitu in the Suryakala Sunda calendar. Kapitu month is the seventh month when the sun has just arrived from the northernmost earth to the south of the earth according to the belief of Sundanese people. Participants in Ngertakeun Bumi Lamba are not only from the Sundanese people. The ceremony always invites various other tribes to attend and participate in a series of rituals. Some participants believe that this is because Mount Tangkuban Perahu is believed to be a great and ancient mountain that must be purified by most of the original beliefs of the archipelago.
The Ngertakuen Bumi Lamba ceremony opens with the preparation of offerings and the reading of a tattoo. This offering is a literature or a way to communicate with elders in Sundanese belief. This offering is taken from natural products that have given humans life. The Sundanese believe that maintaining the balance of nature is their way of maintaining a relationship with Sang Hyang Karesa (the Creator) and Sang Hyang Widhi (the Almighty). Then, the participants dance to the accompaniment of karawitan (Sundanese music). In this session, anyone can participate, including immigrants from various other tribes. The event continues with the Tarawangsa ceremony. It is opened by a woman with a scarf around her neck who dances to the accompaniment of Tarawangsa and Jentreng musical instruments. Each participant may join the dance according to the tempo being played. Tarawangsa is usually also carried out every harvest month as a form of respect to Dewi Sri (Mother of Rice) or if there is a certain traditional ceremony. A series of eating activities with all participants and visitors becomes the final event. After that, the participants bring some of the main ritual offerings to Mount Tangkuban Perahu.
July
Visiting Bali, especially Gianyar, will not be complete without tasting Nasi Tepeng. Nasi Tepeng or Tepeng Rice is a must-have breakfast in Gianyar, Bali although one can find it in the afternoon around Gianyar Market.
For spicy-foodies, Nasi Tepeng is appropriate for you. It spices up your tongue, of course with lots of spice and pepper. There are also vegetables, such as long bean, red bean, unripe jackfruit, eggplant, drumstick leaves, and grated coconut. Egg and shredded chicken make Nasi Tepeng more perfect for you.
Basically, the main ingredient of Nasi Tepeng is rice, but it is mushy, almost like porridge. Then, the mushy rice is added with spices. Nasi Tepeng is still served traditionally and eco-friendly, namely using a banana leaf as its plate and a yellow young coconut leaf as its spoon.
One serving of Nasi Tepeng is less than US$1. You can easily find it at Pasar Senggol both in the morning and at night. Pasar Senggol opens in the evening from 6 p.m to 11 p.m. So, you can enjoy the hot Nasi Tepeng and the calmness of Gianyar City at night.
Not only for breakfast, Nasi Tepeng in Bali is also a must to have during Nyepi or the Day of Silence. The Hindunese of Bali eat Nasi Tepeng during the silence of Nyepi.
July
When visiting Indonesia, you will find a food called ‘Bakso’ (meatball) in various places in Indonesia. This meat ball-shaped dish is very popular. Bakso is usually served hot with clear beef broth mixed with noodles, vermicelli, bean sprouts, tofu, sometimes eggs and then sprinkled with fried shallots and celery. In Muara Enim, South Sumatra, you will find food similar to bakso there. At first glance, it looks like a meatball with curry sauce, but it's not. Its name is Sengkuang.
Sengkuang is made of beef or buffalo meat which is shaped like a meatball. If the meatball has a mixture of flour and meat, Sengkuang filling is pure meat. Another difference is that if meatball has a clear soup, Sengkuang has a long-soaked coconut milk soup. When you sip Sengkuang, you can feel the aroma of coriander. The meatballs taste so good too. Sengkuang is usually served in the tunggu tubang traditional event (inheritance distribution), ngunduh mantu (welcoming an in-law) or welcoming honored guests. As a complement, this dish is usually served with unji/kecombrang (torch ginger) chili sauce, rusit (a dish made from fermented grouse), bekasam (a dish made from fermented fish), and hehancang (eggplant). As for fresh vegetables, there are petai (stinky bean), jengkol (dogfruit) or vegetable stew.
Besides beef or buffalo meat as main ingredients, Sengkuang is made of coriander leaves, coriander seeds, lemon grass, turmeric, and salt. All these spices are ground. Then, the meat is soaked with a handful of rice in the water for 20 minutes to soften it. Then, the rice is pounded until smooth and used as a thickener instead of coconut milk. After all the spices are smooth, then they are stir-fried, and the water is added along with the mashed rice. Meanwhile, the meatball dough is made of lean beef or buffalo meat, garlic and coriander. When the gravy boils, add the meat balls until cooked and ready to serve.
March
Maumere in Sikka Regency, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara is a coastal area, which has a variety of delicious seafood. The taste of the food starts from being savory, slightly sweet, sour, fresh to being spicy, which you can taste in Maumere. If you visit this city, do not miss to taste a variety of seafood. One of them is Wogi. Wogi is made from preserved Se fish. The Se fish is red anchovy that only appears in Paga and surrounding waters from October to December. This marine life is very rare.
When the season arrives, usually fishing mothers in Maumere catch the Se fish in groups around the Paga beach. They use Sere, a traditional fishing gear made of woven rattan. The way to preserve it is very simple. The fish, which has been cleaned, is sprinkled with salt and a little sea water. Then, stir the fish evenly until the salt melts. Then, it is preserved for 3 to 7 days, and then the fish can be enjoyed. This is what makes the fish last for months, even years.
To enjoy Wogi, the local people in Sikka Regency usually mix it with chilies, shallots, garlic, lime, and basil leaves which are mixed together. When tasting Wogi, you can also eat it with white rice, corn, bananas and sweet potatoes. It tastes so delicious. In Maumere, Wogi is priced at Rp 50,000 per bottle. This price is quite affordable. Because apart from being rare, the Se fish is very difficult to find, only on Paga beach.
March
Indonesia has a variety of unique traditions. One of them is the Head Fighting Dance. This dance art is called ‘Mpa'a Ntumbu Tuta’. The Mpa'a Ntumbu Tuta is a traditional dance of the Ntori village community, Wawo District, Bima Regency, West Nusa Tenggara. It has existed since the 15th century. According to the stories of the ancestors from generation to generation, Ntumbu is estimated to have existed since 580 AD. This dance is usually performed in traditional ritual ceremony, circumcision and welcoming important guests, such as the royal family, who come to visit the Ntori Village area.
Before the show starts, offerings or rituals are a process that must be carried out and it is very important not to be abandoned, based on the belief of the people of Ntori Village. Soji, (as the offerings) is a prayer with the hope that the Mpa'a Ntumbu Tuta performance will not experience bad things, such as physical and mental accidents while performing. For the implementation of this ritual, two people will be selected who alternately bang their heads or what is called, "Sabua Dou Ma Te'e Sabua Dou Ma Ntumbu" (one in a defensive position and another one in an attacking position). The drumming and Silu (a musical instrument made of palm leaves) accompany the Mpaa Ntumbu participants. One participant prepares to attack or another one, the Tee will receive the attack, and the Tee will take a certain distance before finally getting closer to the recipient of the attack. Before being attacked, the participant will raise his thumb as a sign that he is ready. Then, the Tee attacks the opponent's head, after that it takes turns.
Ntumbu matches are led and supervised by Sando or "Shaman" who also serves as referee. Despite banging their heads against each other, none of the Ntumbu participants feel painful or bleeding. The immune effect is believed to come from the incantations recited by traditional elders and prayer water. The participants also surrender completely to the Almighty so that they are not afraid of being painful to do Ntumbu. In Ntumbu, no one wins or loses. In fact, the participants who follow Ntumbu will not feel a grudge against their opponent.