The name comes from the century-old British tradition of “mountain bagging” (gunung is the Indonesian word for mountain), whereby hikers challenge one another to conquer a checklist of peaks categorized by topographic prominence. It is called “bagging” because each peak conquered is another one “in the bag” for the hiker.

The tradition started with Sir Hugh Munro’s 1891 list of 915-meter plus peaks in the British Isles, known as the “Munros,” and spread to the creation of a list of worldwide “Ultras,” mountains with a minimum 1,500-meter elevation drop on all sides.

Indonesia doesn’t have too many Ultras, but there are plenty of peaks worth bagging in the mountainous archipelago. That’s why Quinn, 30, an English teacher working in Jakarta, and Dean, 34, a geographic information systems specialist working in Bogor, decided to establish the Gunung Bagging Web site — to bring the British hiking tradition to Indonesia, and the hiking possibilities of Indonesia to the world.

The bagging list for Indonesia centers on the “Ribus” — peaks of at least one “ribu” (thousand) meters in topographic prominence — and was compiled by Quinn and Dean after they met on a hike up Gunung Lawu in East Java. On the Web site, Gunung Lawu falls into the category of “Sangat Tinggi” (“Very High”), at a height of over 3,000 meters, but the accompanying information describes it as “a great hike for those new to hiking in Indonesia.”

So how hard can the Ribus be? “They can be quite tough,” Quinn says. “Like following some local guys hacking your way through, and there’s no trail, and you’re falling all over the place.” Not to mention the slight problems of muddy tracks, no promise of a view at the top, and some very nasty strains of local stinging nettle. But the greatest challenge of all, Quinn says, is finding information on the peaks in the first place.

“Indonesia really should be the No. 1 hiking destination in Southeast Asia,” he says. “It really is tremendous, but the infrastructure is not really there, and they don’t seem to be very good at promoting themselves, either.”

While other world-class hiking destinations provide maps, experienced guides, campsites and toilet facilities, Indonesia’s hiking sites are notoriously inaccessible and overgrown, or poorly maintained and full of litter.

Existing groups in Indonesia, such as the highly popular Java Lava (javalavaindonesia.multiply.com) volcano-climbing group and other local hiking communities, do provide fairly comprehensive information on the most popular peaks in the archipelago. But for hikers who want to explore further, the trail of information soon runs out.

Outside of the usual tourist trails, information on Indonesia’s lesser-known peaks is almost impossible to find, and the intrepid hikers who attempt them have only local guides to rely on, some of whom have never even walked the trails themselves.

That’s where Quinn and Dean come in, going where no hiker has ever gone before and bringing back information for others hoping to explore Indonesian mountains off the beaten track.

The Gunung Bagging Web site contains a list of Indonesia’s 226 Ribus, including a list of 50 Ribus under the category “Belum Bagged” (“Not Yet Bagged”).

For the mountains that have been bagged, Quinn and Dean provide GPS tracks, contact details for reliable local guides and trekking advice to consider before attempting some of the more dangerous peaks.

Aside from the Ribus, the pair also provide information on a list of interesting hikes that don’t fall under the Ribu category, which they call the “Spesials.” These include peaks of geographical or historical interest, or those that only just fall short of Ribu status.

Dean himself has conquered 27 Ribus, 25 of those with his wife Gill. He says the spirit of adventure and the reward of spectacular views is what drives him to break new ground in Indonesia’s mountain ranges.

“For anyone who likes hiking and adventure travel, Indonesia is hard to beat,” he says. “Some of the things that make travel and hiking frustrating in Indonesia also make the travel so interesting.”

Dean was hooked on hiking in Indonesia after he and his wife enjoyed a stunning view from the summit of Gunung Rinjani in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, during a full moon. But he says that one of his most memorable hikes in Indonesia was up Gunung Tambora on the neighboring island of Sumbawa.

“The hike had everything: Porters who had never hiked the mountain and couldn’t carry our bags, perfect weather, camping on the crater rim, almost getting blown off the rim by the wind and a volcanic sandstorm in the night, views of Rinjani on Lombok,” he recalls fondly.

As for Quinn, he’ll always remember taking a weekend hiking trip to Ambon in Maluku. Working full-time in Jakarta, Quinn had limited time to add Ribus to his list. Determined to reach Ambon’s highest point over the course of a weekend, he took a 1 a.m. flight from Jakarta on a Saturday, met up with a local guide to climb the highest mountain at 10 p.m. that night, and was back in Jakarta by 6 p.m. on Sunday night.

“So, stupid things can be done, it just depends how stupid you are, I suppose,” he says with a laugh.

Quinn says he has tried to contact national tourism authorities in Jakarta many times about the Web site, but has never received more than recognition of receipt for his e-mails.

For those wishing to follow in the footsteps of the Gunung Bagging trailblazers, all the information is there on the Web site. Like-minded enthusiasts are also encouraged to contribute their own entries, and many have provided detailed accounts of their hiking escapades.

A handful of contributors have even made it onto the Web site’s “Hall of Fame,” also titled “Gunung Bragging,” but Quinn still tops the list, followed by Andy and Gill Dean.

Quinn says that for him, the driving factor is still the urge to provide useful information on new frontiers.

“Once I put up information on something, it’s great. Especially when there is really no information on the Internet about it,” he says. “Then I think I’m really doing something new here.”

For more information, visit www.gunungbagging.com

The operator, owned by Dubai’s ruler, will open its second Asian hotel, Jumeirah Bali, in 2015, the group said on Tuesday. The property spans 80 hotel suites and 25 private villas, the company said in an emailed statement.

The luxury hotelier in October said it planned to double its properties under management globally by early 2012. The firm, which recently opened brand-managed hotels in Frankfurt, the Maldives and Shanghai, said it planned to expand into Kuwait, Majorca and Azerbaijan.

“We will open in Kuwait, Majorca, and Azerbaijan. We will almost double the number of hotels under management for Jumeirah in a 14-month period,” Lawless told Reuters.

“We have a few other potential projects ‘bubbling’… Some of them are in Europe,” he said, adding that the group would count 20 hotels by the end of the first quarter.

The group, which competes with the likes Mandarin Oriental and the Four Seasons, currently has one hotel in Asia, the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel in Shanghai, and has a further five hotels under development in China.

The hotel chain is not currently planning an initial public offering (IPO) or a bond issue, Lawless said last year.

“We are very happy with our levels of financing and debt at the moment,” he said. “The funding positions are not difficult for us, we are in a strong position where we have investors who own the hotels, they build the hotels and we brand them.”

“We are asset-light … We have been very encouraged by the success of the acquisition of management contracts and it continues to grow,” he added.

 http://www.arabianbusiness.com/jumeirah-group-eyes-slice-of-bali-luxury-tourism-market-441138.html

Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Mari Pangestu presented the award to representatives of the hotels here on Wednesday.

The 10 hotels are Matahari Beach Resort & Spa (Bali), Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel (Bali), Holiday Inn Resort (Batam), Angsana (Bintan), Melia Benoa (Bali), Losari Spa Retreat & Coffee Plantation (Magelang), The St Regis Bali Resort(Bali), Melia Bali Villa & Spa Resort, The Dharmawangsa Jakarta, Hotel Gran Melia Jakarta.

Mari said the Green Award 2012 was the third of its kind since 2008. The first such award was given to ASEAN hotels in Thailand in 2008 and the second in Brunei Darussalam in 2010.

Environmentally friendly principle is the main aspect to see if a hotel deserves to receive the award according to the document of ASEAN Green Hotel Standard agreed upon by 10 ASEAN member countries.

The document covers a number of criteria and prerequisites as environmental policies which lay a basis for the environmentally friendly operation of hotels, including the use of green products, cooperation with local people and organizations, and human resources development.

Besides solid waste management, energy efficiency, water efficiency, air quality management (indoor and outdoor), noise pollution control, waste water treatment and management, toxic and chemical substance disposal management.

Tight competition in the hotel industry has encouraged the adoption of the Green Hotel Standard. The award is designed to promote hotel operators’ environmental awareness amid the looming threat of global warming, increase the competitive edge of the hotel industry in attracting more guests and improving the quality of ASEAN hotels’ services to support ASEAN as a single tourism destination.

The award was also given to a number of other ASEAN member countries which respectively nominated 10 hotels for the award.  (S012)

Editor: Ade Marboen

Kabut putih tipis yang menggantung menutup sebagian bukit yang mengelilingi desa Doda, udara segar zero pollution, savanna hijau membentang luas dengan ratusan sapi merumput bak lingkaran-lingkaran keputihan dari kejauhan, sungai yang mengalir bening, masyarakat yang selalu tersenyum nan ramah, what else can you ask for? Ya, Doda, bagi saya adalah sebuah negeri di awan, mengutip kalimat puitis Katon Bagaskara “dimana kedamaian, menjadi istananya” Sepanjang perjalanan dari Palu menuju Poso, mata kami dimanjakan dengan hamparan gunung dan lembah yang hijau, kelokan sungai dengan airnya yang sangat bening, sesekali menjumpai savanna hijau bak permadani yang menutup sebagian lereng bukit.

Di perjalanan pertama ke Lore tahun 2009 saya sempat tersesat beberapa kali ke daerah transmigran di pedalaman, tetapi justru saya mensyukuri ketersesatan itu karena saya bisa menikmati indahnya pemandangan di pedalaman Sulawesi. saya sempat menitikkan air mata ketika menikmati keindahan pemandangan yang menghampar di depan mata. Setelah 8 jam perjalanan akhirnya kami tiba di Penginapan Berkat di desa Doda. Penginapan ini memiliki 6 kamar sederhana, dengan tarif sekitar 90,000 per malam, termasuk sarapan pagi.

Setelah beristirahat sejenak, sekitar jam 6 sore kami menuju Balai Desa setempat untuk menghadiri pertemuan warga. Udara malam itu sangat dingin, dan penerangan pun sangat terbatas , tetapi kami bisa melihat antusiasme warga yang berbondong-bondong menuju balai desa, dengan pakaian adat setempat. Para perempuan mengenakan pakaian adat yang berwarna merah menyala dengan hiasan-hiasan berwarna keemasan. Sebagian di antara mereka menggunakan baju adat yang terbuat dari kulit kayu, sementara bagi Bapak-bapak, kulit kayu ini digunakan sebagai topi adat.

Acara dialog dibuka dengan persembahan musik tradisional bambu yang sangat indah. Jika selama ini kita mengenal bambu sebagai seruling, di sini kita bisa menemukan berbagai jenis alat musik dengan suara yang berbeda-beda yang terbuat dari bahan bambu. Lebih dari 50% penduduk di Doda beragama nasrani, Islam adalah kelompok minoritas. Tapi saya bisa merasakan, tak ada ketegangan sama sekali seperti yang selama ini kita dengar di media. Masyarakat hidup berdampingan dengan damai. Meski acara dibuka dengan doa nasrani, tetapi keberadaan kelompok non-nasrani juga disebut dalam doa tersebut. Sapaan ‘Assalaamualaikum’ pun juga disampaikan beriringan dengan sapaan ‘Shalom;. Menurut penerjemah saya, nyanyian yang ditampilkan oleh kelompok paduan suara ibu-ibu di acara pembukaan, adalah tentang cerita bahwa masyarakat di Doda berasal dari nenek moyang yang sama, sehingga kita harus rukun dan menjaga persatuan. Isn’t that sweet?

Hampir setiap anak bisa memainkan alat musik bambu tradisional tersebut. Sekolah – sekolah (hanya ada SD dan SMP sejauh ini), setiap peringatan 17 Agustus, mengikuti lomba kesenian tradisional tersebut, dan mereka berlatih keras untuk memperoleh kemenangan. Itulah ajang yang menjadi kebanggan anak-anak desa setempat.

Ah, saya jadi malu, 17 Agustus bagi saya berlalu begitu saja sekedar sebagai hari libur. Sementara, nun jauh di sini anak-anak bangsa, yang kadang terabaikan oleh para pembesar di negeri ini – tanpa perlu gembar-gembor soal patriotisme – punya cara mereka sendiri untuk mencintai tanah air. Esoknya, ketika kabut pagi masih menggantung tipis di perbukitan yang mengelilingi desa Doda, rombongan berangkat menuju Situs Pokekea. Di situs Pokekea terdapat berbagai jenis megalith, tetapi didominasi tong batu (stone vots) atau oleh masyarakat setempat disebut sebagai kalamba. Kalamba berbentuk silinder, yang bagian dalamnya dilubangi menyerupai bentuk tong besar dengan ukuran tinggi bervariasi antara 1,5 meter sampai 2,7 meter, dan memiliki diameter antara 1 meter hingga 1,8 meter. Sangat menakjubkan melihat batu-batu sebesar itu, dengan ukiran masing-masing, secara acak, ditemukan di padang rumput di Besoa. Melihat kondisi geografis, jelas batu tersebut bukan berasal dari daerah tersebut.

Pertanyaannya, bagaimana bisa batu-batu tersebut sampai di Lembah Besoa? Para ahli sejarah pun masih berusaha menguak misteri ini. Diperkirakan batu-batu ini berusia atara 3000 – 1300 SM. Dan Pokekea hanyalah satu dari 300 situs yang diperkirakan tersebar di Lembah Besoa, Napu, Bada di Kabupaten Poso. Juru pelihara setempat, Pak Alfon dan Aminada yang mendampingi saya bercerita bahwa beberapa benda baru ditemukan lagi setelah mereka membersihkan rumput-rumput tinggi di kawasan tersebut. Dan bukan tidak mungkin jika dilakukan penggalian-penggalian lebih lanjut, ratusan bahkan ribuan patung, kalamba, atau benda purbakala lain akan ditemukan. Dan keindahannya memang tak bisa digambarkan dengan kata-kata. Bahkan foto pun tak bisa mewakili keluasan dan kedalaman serta keindahan pemandangan di sana.

Di padang rumput situs pokekea, saya merasa sangat dekat dengan langit, negeri di atas awan yang sesungguhnya. Jadi, saya akan berhenti bercerita di sini, and let these pictures speak. Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Propinsi Sulteng saat ini tengah menginventarisasi kembali situs-situs yang ada di Lembah Besoa, Napu, dan Bada. Pemerintah setempat juga berencana menggelar seminar internasional di tahun 2012 mengenai World’s Heritage untuk menarik minat dan perhatian dunia mengenai peninggalan sejarah yang tak ternilai ini, dan membantu menguak misteri kehidupan nenek moyang masyarakat di Lembah Besoa. How can you not be grateful for living in such a beautiful country like Indonesia?

by Esti Durahsanti - a proud traveler

Another photo from Derawan Island.

That is a place for tourists to stay when they visit Derawan Island, home stay that ran by local people. Enjoy yourself at Derawan island.

Regards

Mad

Check my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri

Back again to Biawak Island.

Another photo from Biawak island is the swing made from tires. I am sure that I’ve already told you about Biawak island before. All I can say is pack your bag and go to Biawak Island.

Regards

Mad

Check my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri

Hello there.

Yup, that’s me who snorkeling in Kambing Island in Tanjung Bira, South Sulawesi.

I forget how many times I have post photos and wrote about Kambing Island. I said it again, this place is so…I still don’t find the word that can describe Kambing Island. Choose the word you like to describe Kambing Island after you see all the photos that I’ve already posted in here.

Regards

Mad

Check my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri

Welcome back again in Ambon.

The picture above was taken when I was diving in Pintu Kota Ambon.

Pintu Kota Ambon is located in Airlouw village, 30 minutes away from Ambon by vehicle. Here you can see the beautiful scenery of Ambon Bay from the rectangular hole that located in the foot of the rock that jutted into the sea. The rectangular hole is known as ‘Pintu Kota’. It just like the entrance gate that seems to give a welcome to the tourists who want to travel to Ambon.

second photos taken from: siapaindra.wordpress.com

Regards

Mad

Check my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri

Hello from Derawan island.

I’m sure that I have posted many photos about Derawan island before. Here is another photo to remind you that if you visit Derawan island, make sure you go diving and snorkeling there.

Regards

Mad

Check my travel blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri

Here I am in Ambon, again.

You will never get enough to visit every beautiful beach in every province in Indonesia, especially in Ambon.

Santai Beach is located in Latulahat village, Nusa Niwe sub-district, 17 km from Ambon and it’s about 30 minutes away if you take a motorcycle to go there. There are many visitors in this beach in the afternoon especially Saturday, Sunday and national holiday.

Regards

Mad

Check my blog travel Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri

let’s go back to west Java, Indramayu, where you can find the beautiful Biawak Island. on day 42 i posted a photo about Nudibranch that we can find if we snorkel there. now, i am posting a photo about a coral table that you’ll also be able to find here.

so what are you waiting for?

Regards,
Mad.

check out my travel blog madalkatiri for more amazing pictures and follow @madalkatiri!

here’s another shot of Plebon ceremony, guys. i’ve posted a couple of pictures about this ceremony before, and today i am posting another, just to ensure you that this ceremony is really magical.

Regards,
Mad.

check out my travel blog madalkatiri for more amazing pictures and follow @madalkatiri!

today am gonna give you another picture of Palambak Island. i believe i’ve told you about this island before, but i forgot on which day. my bad, sorry

anyway, enjoy!

Regards,
Mad.

check out my travel blog madalkatiri for more amazing pictures and follow @madalkatiri!

According to the locals, the island was originally named Rakit Island. The Dutch called it Bompyes. But around the year 1980s, it was changed again to Biawak Island for conservation and tourism purpose by the local government. And it was because the island itself is the habitat of a species of monitor lizards (Varanus Salvator) called Biawak by the locals.

to get to Biawak Island you need about four hours from Indramayu City. And the way to travel there is only by small fisherman’s boat. You could hire them, usually visitors had to spend around $70 USD to $90 USD for a fishing boat with a capacity of about ten people. So if you share the expenses with 10 persons, you only need to pay around $10 USD just for the boats.

No docks can be reach by visitors at high tide and there are no special vacation homes that can be rented by tourists, only caretaker’s house, the lighthouse, and some modest hut. It would be best to take a tent with you just in case you need to spend the night with some Biawak.

The water is greenish clear, white sand, and the reefs are still “virgin” and colorful, with so many species of fishes. There are also many kinds of birds that came and go to the island, including The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus Ibis), The Great Billed heron (Ardea Sumatrana), and Cerulean Kingfisher (Alcedo coerulescens).

The Island is also a haven for hundreds of species of marine life with the beautiful shapes and colors. The visibility is about 3-4 meters, and if you try scuba diving into the deeper reef you could find so many types of fishes, including Yellowtail butterflyfish (Chaetodon xanthurus), Zebra lionfish (Dendrochirus zebra), Clown fish, small Barracudas, and a type of Moray eel (probably Gymnothorax punctatus) inside, lying in between the reefs waiting for small fish to prey. it’s also a perfect place to spot this beautiful creature, nudibranch.

A nudibranch is a member of what is now a taxonomic clade, and what was previously a suborder, of soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusks which shed their shell after their larval stage.[2] They are noted for their often extraordinary colors and striking forms. The clade Nudibranchia is the largest clade within the heterobranchs, with more than 3,000 described species.
The word “nudibranch” comes from the Latin nudus, naked, and the Greek brankhia, gills.

Nudibranchs are often casually called “sea slug”, but many sea slugs belong to several taxonomic groups which are not related to nudibranchs. A number of these other sea slugs (such as the colorful Aglajidae) are often confused with nudibranchs.

Regards,
Mad.

check out my travel blog madalkatiri for more amazing pictures and follow @madalkatiri!

Today i am taking you all the way across Indonesia to see this incredible Ringgit Cape or Tanjung Ringgit. FEW people know about Tanjung Ringgit. Getting there takes you to the ends of the earth, well certainly to the very south-eastern tip of Lombok, to an irresistibly beautiful coastal paradise littered with wartime relics that recall Lombok’s significance to its Japanese occupiers in World War II.

As you near Tanjung Ringgit, on a two-and-a-half hour rough road trip from the island’s capital of Mataram, you’ll feel close to heaven as a spectacular panorama unfolds that takes your from wide, white sand bays across sparkling blue ocean to the dramatic coastline of Sumbawa island.

Observers consistently say the scene makes them want to collapse into the cooling sea and reach out to touch Sumbawa. how about you?

Regards,
Mad.

check out my travel blog madalkatiri for more amazing pictures and follow @madalkatiri!

this is another picture of Derawan that i took when i was there. beautiful white sand, don’t you think so? like i said, you’ll never get enough of Derawan, guys.

Regards,

Mad.

check out my travel blog madalkatiri for more amazing pictures and follow @madalkatiri!

you must be not an Indonesian if you don’t recognize the picture. yup, our next stop is Prambanan Temple, Yogyakarta! Prambanan temple is an extraordinarily beautiful building constructed in the tenth century during the reigns of two kings namely Rakai Pikatan and Rakai Balitung. Soaring up to 47 meters (5 meters higher than Borobudur temple), the foundation of this temple has fulfilled the desire of the founder to show Hindu triumph in Java Island. This temple is located 17 kilometers from the city center, among an area that now functions as beautiful park. one heck of a temple, isn’t it?

It was designed as three concentric squares. In all there are 224 temples in the entire complex. The inner square contains 16 temples, the most significant being the 47 m high central Siva temple flanked to the north by the Brahma temple and to the south by the Vishnu temple. These three ancient masterpieces of Hindu architecture are locally referred to as the Prambanan Temple or Lorojonggrang Temple (Slender Maiden); the compound was deserted soon after it was completed, possibly owing to the eruption of nearby Mount Merapi.

this beautiful temple is a must visit whenever you go to Yogyakarta. oh, and you can bring the temple home by buying key chains of Prambanan Temple there. it’s very cheap, it costs only Rp 1000-3000 for every piece. a perfect giveaway for your friends back home.

Regards,

Mad.

check out my travel blog madalkatiri for more amazing pictures and follow @madalkatiri!

From Ambon, now we go to Lombok again.

On 6th day, the picture was taken from the sea. Now, the picture was taken from the beach.

Here it is. If you go to a beautiful place, do not forget to take a picture from different angle. Or maybe you can record whole place in video, that’s better. Choose by yourself whether you will take some pictures or record in video.

Regards

Mad

Check my blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow me @madalkatiri

Hello again from Ambon, Maluku. there’re a lot of places that you have to visit and things you should see, and this Gong is one of them.

this gong was made for the commemoration of the 29th World Peace Day, on 2009. since then the gong the gong who is made from pure gold and displays flags from every country in the world has been kept in one of a park in Ambon, and opened for public display.

Regards,

Mad.

visit my travel blog madalkatiri for more amazing pictures of Indonesia and follow @madalkatiri

Hello, sunset lovers!

As a traveler who’s been to several incredible places in Indonesia, i have to reassure you that Indonesia, is a perfect place for sunset lovers. there are countless number of sophisticated spots for you to watch the sun set that will make you feel really grateful for everything. especially, grateful for being an Indonesian.

anyway, this picture was taken in one of the beach in West Nusa Tenggara. you might not be familiar with this province, but that’s really normal. West Nusa Tenggara is a province in Indonesia that consists two major island, Sumbawa and Lombok (now you know Lombok is in which province!). just like Bali, there’re so many tourism spots that you can visit when you go there. the best part is the fact that tourism spots in West Nusa Tenggara is cleaner and quieter than Bali, so you’ll get double pleasure.

see you in other pictures of sunset, guys!

Regards,
Mad

Check my blog Mad Alkatiri for more cool places and follow @madalkatiri