8 Lessons from the Public Transport in Indonesia (Village)

M Bali Tour - If you want to travel by bus in Indonesia, you should learn to avoid the branches of trees and lull goat.

Stepping up the various modes of transportation is the best way to recognize a place, perhaps even more intimate than you want.

From the damaged vehicle until stared, cramped seating, the strange smells of spin, to livestock, public transport in Indonesia provides its own lessons.

1. There are no seat reservations

Outside major cities, the concept of seat reservation is meaningless. You indeed can be guaranteed a seat, but the tickets you do not specify in which part you would sit. You can be wedged between the boxes and sacks of rice and other farm animals.


Kernet buses will still be climbing onto the roof to request your ticket even if you have to hold on when the bus began to climb the road up the mountain.

2. Learn to stoop

The trunk will be very very painful when on your head speed of 60 kilometers per hour. Especially if there are seven people who sit on the roof and trunk successive hits you like a comedy slapstik.

3. Lull goat

Second time someone left the goat in my lap when I sat on the roof, I tried to get acquainted with him. But the owner of the goat actually fell asleep.

I then learned something new: stroking the goat's head while singing a French song will help the goat to stay calm.
4. Nudge is the best weapon

The best way to make strangers who sit next to you to stop stroking your thigh in the middle of the night is by nudging his ribs. Do it hard.

5. Double standard of cleanliness

As a tourist, you are not allowed to use the toilet on the bus tonight, if only to urinate. Even the kernet would be very surprised, as if not believing, that you dare to ask.

However, the same kernet would not protest if the local residents to clean his nose on the curtains bus.

6. Cooler air means ready frozen

The cold blast of air from the AC will make you shiver. If you boarded the bus cooled, then you seemed to be in the refrigerator.

The driver or kernet do not care if you and many other passengers until almost frozen. They will only laugh, as if to say, "Hey, you're already paying dearly for the cold bus, yes this is it expensive buses are cool."

7. Ready shame karaoke session

If you sing the song Total Eclipse of the Heart, Do not Stop Believin 'or Sweet Child o' Mine in the Philippines, his remarks will be very good. But not so in Indonesia.

Get ready to be kicked out of bed when you sing, and other passengers stared.

In the end, you will be 'directed' to the deck outside, where you can sing as much.

8. Boat driver who fell a sleep

It turned out that the boat driver can sleep peacefully at night.

Despite so, the boat that we were riding caught in fishing nets belonging to a small village. Wake up at 5 am because of quarrels between your boat driver and all the villagers can make you feel unsure of the rest of the trip.

Read More......

The beauty of Komodo Island (New 7 Wonder)

M Bali Tour - The presence of the Komodo National Park which is one of the popular vote competition nominator "New 7 Wonder" is quite inviting charm. The controversy that accompanied the event certainly had no effect on the intensive efforts to continue to preserve the park established in 1986 by UNESCO as world heritage site.



Komodo National Park is located between the Province of West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara It includes three large islands of Komodo, Rinca, and Padar, and several small islands with a land area covering 603 km ² and the total area is 1817 km ². Administratively, this region lies in the subdistrict of Komodo, West Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province. National Parks are designated as forest conservation area by the Minister of Forestry with 132 572 ha area was originally established with the aim of conserving species of giant lizard dragons or a unique and rare.

Komodo dragons are known by the scientific name Varanus komodoensis is the world's largest lizard species that live on the island of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and Gili Dasami in Nusa Tenggara. By local people, dragons are often called Ora.

Including family members Varanidae monitor lizards, and Toxicofera klad, dragons are the largest lizards in the world, with an average length of 2-3 m. Large size is associated with symptoms of island gigantism, the tendency for body meraksasanya certain animals that live in small island linked to the absence of mammalian carnivores on the island where dragons live, and the rate of metabolism of small dragons. Because of his body, these lizards occupy the position of a top predator that dominates its place of living ecosystems.

Komodo dragons are found in 1910. Her body is great and terrible reputation makes them popular in zoos. Dragons in the wild habitat has shrunk and therefore IUCN include dragons as a species vulnerable to extinction. These large lizards are protected under Indonesian law and a national park was established to protect them.


Actually the Park attraction not solely by the mere presence of dragons. As I quoted from the official website of the Ministry of Forestry who manages this site Komodo National Park, panoramic underwater views of savanna and attract potential supporters. Eg marine tourism, fishing, snorkeling, diving, canoeing, boating. While on land, natural tourism potential that can be done is to observe wildlife, hiking, and camping. Visiting the Park and enjoy the natural scenery is very charming an experience that will never be forgotten.



Some interesting sites to visit include:

1. Loh Liang: a tourism concession area managed by PT. Putri Naga Komodo (PNK PT.). Activities that can be done among other observations the Komodo dragon, deer, wild boar, bird watching, canoeing, etc..

2. Red Beach: a beautiful beach with shallow coral reefs charming. Activities usually carried out by tourists who visit are snorkelling or sunbathing.

3. Loh Sebita: Loh Sebita a mangrove area and the activity is quite interesting to do is bird watching and trekking.

4. Loh Buaya: a tourism concession areas dielola by PT. Putri Naga Komodo (PNK PT.). Activities that can be done among other observations the Komodo dragon, deer, buffalo, birds, long-tailed monkey, wild horses, birdwatching, canoeing, etc..

5. Bat Island: Activities that can be visited include the observation colony of bats in large numbers. The most interesting observation made during the afternoon where the bats started to come out to look for food.

6. Golo Code: From the top of the hill, known as Code Golo, visitors can see a panorama and a landscape that is fantastic because the representation of various types of ecosystems can be seen from this place.

7. Molo Strait: Strait which has a heavy flow like river water flowing at high tide.

There are 36 dive sites in the area of ​​TN. Komodo. Frequented by foreign tourists for diving and snorkeling are: Tatawa Island, Red Beach, Gililawa Sea, Loh Dasami, Pillar Steen, Batu Bolong and Taka Napier.

To reach this place can be done via the road through land through Bali - Mataram (Lombok Island) - Bima - Sape (Sumbawa P.), followed by a trip using the ferry every day to Labuan Bajo. From Labuan Bajo visitors can visit the Komodo National Park aboard the boat or speedboat. Another alternative is by air, visitors can use air transportation from Bali (Denpasar) to Labuan Bajo every day with the existing penerpangan airlines including; Indonesian Air Transport (IAT), Pigeon, and Trigana Air.



Price to go Komodo Island   
    
 : 2d/1n : IDR 3.500.000 (Return)
 : 3d/2n : IDR 5.000.000 (Return)

Related :
Komodo Island

Source reading: Site www.dephut.go.id and Wikipedia Indonesia

Read More......

Sumba adventure

Towards Sumba

M Bali Tour - Sumba Island can be reached by air through two airport. Tambolaka Airports in West Sumba and Umbu Mehang Kunda Airport in East Sumba.


Flights are serviced daily by Merpati, Batavia and TransNusa. From Jakarta, the aircraft will transit in Denpasar, Bali, before traveling to the island. Merpati flight by the end aims to Kupang, with point-Tambolaka Denpasar-Kupang-Waingapu and vice versa. Air travel from Waingapu Tambolaka to take less than 10 minutes, the time to observe Sumba from the air.

The island can also be reached by sea from the port of Sape, Bima, West Nusa Tenggara and Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.

Transportation

Do not forget to bring a map of the island and city maps to estimate the distance and location. Maps can be downloaded from several sites of travel guides.

Condition of main roads linking the main cities in Sumba is relatively good. The streets are still much smaller damage, potholes and muddy when it rains. There are several bridges that are still in repair so that motorists have to cross a river.

Public transport is available on main routes. Transportation between cities by car elves, usually very full until passengers hanging on the door and the roof of the car. Path towards the more remote areas are served by several trucks with erratic schedules.

Two large cities, Waingapu and Waikabubak can be achieved with a travel worth IDR 50.000 and takes about 5 hours. Travel will pick up and deliver passengers to their destination.

Manager of the hotel can usually help find a rented motorcycle or car. Rental rates of the motor complete with a guide IDR 200.000. The car rental rates start from IDR 400.000.


Culinary and souvenirs

Almost no special food sold in Sumba. Plus, there are rarely stalls that sell food. Places to eat only in the center of town. Although most residents are Christian, halal food can be obtained easily. If you want to go away all day to a remote area, it is advisable to bring lunch from the city.

By-the distinctive Sumba is ikat weaving. Several traditional villages are also producing the best woven belt. A time to see the process of weaving and coloring using natural ingredients derived from nature. Woven motifs differ in their respective regions. West Sumba have simpler patterned fabrics from East Sumba.

Stay

There are several options to stay cheap price of IDR 100.000 - IDR 500.000, mainly in the capital district. Usually, the hotel also provides transportation to and from the airport. There is also the option of staying at a five-star resorts like Nihiwatu in West Sumba.

The best time option

Pedestrians who visited during the rainy season will see a green Sumba, wet, and thankful for the rain. Savannas spread like a green carpet as far as the eye could see.

Visiting Sumba during the rainy season means must be prepared through the road that turns into a muddy pond. In general the condition of the main street of Sumba is good enough. But to get to the beach and indigenous villages in the hinterland, the journey must go through a dirt road that will be muddy when it rains.

No that is the situation in the dry season. It was green fields will be replaced by grass drought brown color. Sumba is famous with hot and dry weather. Taufik Ismail in his poem, entitled Give Me tell Sumba Sumba as a "tropical weather, hundreds of dry rainless days."

During summer, transportation to remote places more easily. The sky appears blue with a starry night to allow adventure in the outdoors such as hiking or camping.


Ritual

Besides taking into account the weather, the best time to travel on this island is now a main ceremonies. The ceremony which is Pasola pity to miss, "war" two horsemen by way of the horse javelin throw.


Pasola traditional ceremony was held four times a year at four different places, usually in February and March. Only the traditional leaders who could determine when the exact date Pasola held, because the ceremony is to be done to coincide with the emergence of worms Nyale from the sea.

The ceremony started early days by looking Nyale activities on the beach. Thereafter before the Rato getting on a horse, without saddle. Pasola is a high-risk activities because they involve. Participants Pasola not afraid of blood spilled. Wounds are considered ordinary and death leaves no grudge.

As in October or November are the closing ceremony Wula Podu in Waikabubak, West Sumba. Wula podu month ban is in force in Kampung Tarung, Prai Klembung and Waitabar. In many village residents ban prohibited from engaging in various activities - not even allowed to mourn the deceased family. At the end of Wula Podu indigenous population have a party very festive with animal sacrifices and dances.

A funeral also be interesting attractions for tourists. Embraces the belief Marapu believe that the dead need a provision to go into nature. The body will be wrapped with multiple layers of woven fabric, coupled with the slaughter of the animal sacrifices in large quantities. Dozens of buffalo, dozens of pigs and hundreds of chickens are believed to be packed into the spirit of the deceased occupant Marapu.

All these ceremonies are not held regularly according to the calendar AD. To find out when the ceremonies are held, we suggest you contact a travel agent or hotel before planning a trip.

Read More......

More Flexible With Coffee (Excellent Coffee 2)

M Bali Tour - Coffee is often the choice of many people to fill his spare time. Benefits of the most popular coffee is to make the sleep lost and the spirit to come back. Though many other things that can be obtained when we drink coffee.

A psychologist conducted a study of Australia and the United States shows that, a cup of coffee can also lead to changes in a person's attitude. The study was conducted in a way that is quite simple. As quoted from Genius Beauty, the researchers asked for opinions from a group of objects on a matter of research. But after that, the object of study was divided into two groups. The first group was given no coffee, and the second was given coffee.

Afterward, both groups were given different views with their opinions. The group that drank no coffee to be more 'rigid' and survive on their opinions. While on the contrary, the group that drank more easily directed. They are also being more flexible and try to find the midpoint between the new view as well as their personal opinion.

The experts concluded that coffee was also influential in changing the attitude of the object of study earlier. Coffee can accelerate blood circulation, thus reducing the stress and pressure in one's mind. Thus making them more flexible and more receptive to input from others.

Source : http://id.berita.yahoo.com/lebih-fleksibel-dengan-kopi.html

Read More......

Ayung River Rafting

M Bali Tour - Rafting is one of the tours in Bali, offering the most dramatic motions and experiences, perfect for your tour or adventure in Bali during your holiday. During two-hours rafting at Ayung River you will really feel the real adventure. This Bali activity also will let you see the untouched tropical rainforest along the river. You don’t need to worry about anything as the guides are professional and well-experienced and also the equipments are totally safe. First, you will be brought by the air-conditioned transport to the start point in the north of Ubud area where you will pick up the equipments and the other preparations.

Soon you arrive at the Ayung River then the excitements begin. The first action is an 8 km river length where you will be shown by the endless rice paddy terrace and rainforest views. Along the way, the excitement will increase as your boat will do some maneuvers.

The fun of whitewater rafting managed by the Ayung River Rafting touring is indeed expressive in a way one could never really be sit and still. Determined to make a difference, Ayung River Rafting dispatches one expert and experienced guide on each inflatable kayak to elicit on the ecology happening in the beautiful rain forest territory. Fun and facts are just part of the enjoyment that will cherish you up as you thrive hard in a team to helm the unsteady raft.

Bali Cheaper Price:
Adult : USD 35 / IDR 300.000
Children (5-14 years old) : USD 25 / IDR 230.000.


Tour Inclusion:

* Return hotel transfers
* Professional Rafting Guide
* International safety equipment
* Lunch
* Complimentary one soft drink
* Insurance

Read More......

Tegenungan Waterfall

M Bali Tour - Tegenungan waterfall Located at Tegenungan Village, approx. 5 kilometres, south Tengkulak Kaja, south east Ubud ( Nearby Mas Village / Woodcarving Village).

Bali has a selection of waterfalls that are fun to visit such as Munduk waterfall, Git git waterfall and Tegenungan waterfall. For many people the idea of hiking through the jungle to a hidden waterfall and taking a cooling swim is the image of paradise. These places definitely exist and here are some useful tips of how to find them and what to expect. Waterfalls are sharp drops along the course of a river. You will often have to hike up or down a river for a certain way to get to a waterfall, but the river provides a route for you to follow.

Rivers flow best during and immediately after the wet season, During that time you can expect waterfalls to be pumping and the pools at the bottom to be at their deepest. You can also expect more debris including rocks and the occasional log to come over the waterfall. Wet season means cloudy days in the highlands especially and after getting a soaking from the rain, the cold mountain water can be quite a shock. Bathing in a waterfall during the wet season may not feel like tropical paradise at first. During the dry season the weather is better, sunny and dry. However water flow is way less and pools will be shallow

The waterfall it self is not really that high. Only approximately 10-15metres high. Cemented pathway, but quite steep to climb up back to the parking area.

Read More......

Jimbaran Beach

Madeftu Bali Tour - Jimbaran Beach Located on the south and adjacent to Kedonganan Beach, this beach also offers the same thing with another, only water is more clear, so convenient for swimming, relaxing and sunning herself.

In Jimbaran beach there are several large hotels with complete facilities and international standards. Some units also lined the beach cafe provides a variety of food seafood, especially grilled fish, with its distinctive aroma and flavor are invited to taste.

Kedonganan beach is a beach which is located just 3 miles south of Ngurah Rai International Airport, this beach offers a gently sloping white sand with the waves are calm, so it is suitable for relaxing, swimming and sun bathing, and suitable for dinner.
Northern Beaches Kedonganan have a traditional fish market with several "boats" (traditional boat) line the beach which can add to the beautiful scenery. Crescent-shaped beach sail with this fishing boat, also could give the impression for tourists.

Read More......

Nusa Dua Beach

Madeftu Bali Tour - Nusa Dua area's lovely to imagine a society that lived at the corner of a beautiful island in the world, far away from the bustle of the city, its people live in peace alongside a white sandy beach with a glint of solar light reflected off the calm water lagoon.

The scenery is so beautiful to this day still has not been disturbed, and even forms of Balinese architecture buildings still remain guarded harmony as a characteristic of the island of Bali.

As the area of tourism in the region has available a complex system of care for the community of modern tourists, such as clean water, electricity installation, telephone, drainage sanitation and other facilities. Everything was arranged carefully designed to avoid pollution, noise, views the stifling and others.

Image tourist area is located in the southernmost island of Bali, a location that gets the most early morning light. Along the 4 kilometers of white sandy beaches covered with hundreds of hectares of palm trees with magnificent five-star hotels with international standard facilities. NUSA DUA which is only 15 minutes from Ngurah Rai airport in Bali has a lot to contribute the development of tourism and even induce the surrounding areas, such as the Benoa and Sawangan.

Read More......

Indonesia confirms Bali expressway (underpass)

Madeftu Bali Tour - Indonesia has confirmed that it will build a 11.5 km toll road in Bali connecting the international airport to the tourist enclave of Nusa Dua.

“The toll road will not curve but cut from the airport to Benoa,” said a government official.

The road has been dubbed the Mangrove Express because it will be built through eco-sensitive mangrove swamps.

Four state-owned enterprises will manage the construction of the toll road - work is scheduled to begin this month and is targeted for completion by May 2013.

It is hoped the toll road will be finished before the APEC Summit in Bali in 2013.

And started on January 2012 underpass main road project was going on, when you go to Sunset Road, kuta you will see some body works there, but they look not so hard work, because the project workers is not so many.
many project fix the main street in Bali, another Underpass project, goverment fix and build a new junction to go and out from the Airport on the way By pass ngurah rai street, Airport wa building and re new the street at Kuta areas (Tuban, Legian, Kuta), hopefully this is will be decrease terrible traffic jammed in Bali.

Read More......

Eat, Pray and Love

Madeftu Bali Tour -Ubud - Providence smiled on Balinese seer Ketut Liyer the day US tourist Elizabeth Gilbert came to visit -- her memoir, "Eat, Pray, Love", would make him richer than he ever dreamed.

The fortune teller said to be aged in his 90s -- no one knows exactly -- was a poor man when he looked into Gilbert's eyes and predicted she would live in Bali and find true love.

Gilbert worked her own magic and Ketut's prediction became the stuff of Hollywood fantasy.

Now there is a line of camera-toting tourists waiting outside his home to hear their own fortunes told, at 25 dollars a pop.

That's a fortune for a man who is more accustomed to bartering his predictions for simple gifts from local villagers.

"From 8:00 am to 6:00 pm every day ... 50 people on average," said his son, Nyoman, who acts as a translator.

"It's a great life," he adds, as he checks the sequence of "clients".

As black storm clouds rolled across the sky one recent Sunday afternoon, the courtyard outside Ketut's comfortable wooden house was packed with visitors, male and female, from all corners of the globe.

"Look! It's him!" said 26-year-old American Mary as she fumbled excitedly for her camera.

Songbirds fluttered in cages suspended among frangipani and orchid blossoms, as Ketut -- wearing traditional Balinese cloth headware, a sarong and a T-shirt -- sat cross-legged on the porch and held his 20-minute consultations.

Most of the sessions -- which can involve readings or massages -- seem to end in optimistic predictions of love and happiness, according to the customers surveyed by AFP.

"He told me the same thing he told my friend: I'll be rich, happy, and I'll have two children. OK ... but at least I can say I met him," said Mareyka, a 29-year-old South African.

Anna, an Australian, also came with a friend.

"I was here in 2005. This was before the novel and the advertising," she said, pointing to a poster extolling Ketut's powers.

"At the time, he made me read paragraphs from a big book. It was amazing. Today, he's tired. There are so many people."

As the sun set, the Western customers kept coming. Each new arrival frowned at the sight of those before them, as if they expected to have Ketut all to themselves.

And the Balinese customers?

"He saw them earlier in the morning and only accepted gifts in kind," Nyoman explained.

The rain began to fall. The soothsayer took the opportunity to have a break. The tourists would have to wait.

Read More......

Mangrove Ecotours and Conservation

Madeftu Bali Tour - On the island of Nusa Lembongan, tour operators and environmentalists are working together to protect a vital resource.

When the 2004 tsunami struck the province of Aceh and other coastal areas in the region, some communities survived because they were shielded by mangrove forests.

Reports from survivors in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia recounted stories about villages that were spared and people who had clung to life by taking shelter among the mangroves as massive waves washed over the land.

Found in tropical and subtropical tidal zones, mangroves are a natural defense for coastal areas, serving as buffers against storms and erosion and providing a vital source of nutrients for fish and coral reefs.

Despite the critical role they play in coastal ecosystems, vast tracts of mangrove forests are commonly cleared to make way for shrimp ponds or beachfront developments.

In Nusa Lembongan, a small island southeast of Bali, local communities have been quietly nurturing their mangroves, not only as part of a larger effort to preserve coastal resources, but also as a way to develop ecotourism on the island.

Wayan Sukitra, 47, said he recognized about 20 years ago that the mangrove clusters bordering the beach in his village of Jungutbatu could become an additional attraction for tourists, who come mostly to dive in the island’s coral-rich waters and to enjoy its tranquil white-sand beaches. After meeting a French tourist who took a special interest in the mangroves, Wayan decided to move forward with his idea and set about planting 150,000 mangrove trees.

Today, Wayan is one of 33 tour operators who provide boat rides through the mangrove forest that now boasts 13 species of the tree and is home to 30 birds species, minotaurs, lizards, crabs and a host of insects and butterflies.

The site attracts a regular stream of visitors, mostly from Australia and Europe. Several years ago, Wayan opened the Mangrove Bar and Restaurant, a cozy outdoor eatery on a quiet beach among the mangroves.

“In the busiest months, from July to November, the restaurant brings in good business,” Wayan said with a modest smile, declining to disclose his profit margin.

To keep the tourists coming, he added, the mangrove tour operators organize a monthly cleanup of the mangroves.

“The government doesn’t tell me to clean it up. But if the mangrove forest isn’t clean, the tourists won’t come,” Wayan said.

In recent years, The Nature Conservancy has contributed mangrove seedlings to support the ecotours.

“These are very healthy mangroves, among the best in the area,” said Marthen Welly, a TNC project leader.

To promote the preservation of the mangroves, Marthen and his colleagues at TNC have launched an educational outreach program for young people on the island.

“If the people know how useful the mangroves are, they will take better care of them and they will respect the mangrove forest and support the protection of this ecosystem,” he said.

At a community center in Lembongan village, about 20 students from a local high school gather monthly with TNC staff to take part in a mangrove replanting project. Through the program they have learned about the value of mangroves and the various mangrove species that thrive on their island.

They meet every three to four weeks to gather mangrove seeds for cultivation in a seed bank and replant the seedlings when they are ready.

Dwi Putri, 17, said she has always loved nature but never knew much about the mangrove forest. “Now I know we must replant the mangroves because they hold the waves back and they are like nests for small fish,” Dwi said.

Three months ago, Nusa Lembongan was declared a “marine protected area,” along with the neighboring islands of Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan. The initiative aims to protect the area’s marine resources, including the mangrove forests, coral reefs, fish stocks and seaweed farms.

“We would like to replicate this kind of marine conservation and ecotourism in other islands across Indonesia,” Marthen said.

Read More......