Legong Dance



Bali, not every one have same understanding of the word "Legong". Until today some Balinese think that legong is any non-dramatic dances performed by woman. One of the cause is the popularity of kebyar dances that become so popular in Bali after legong era. Instead, the word Legong Kraton, means 'legong of the palace', is often used by the Balinese referring to all repertoire of legong.



Despite the fate of legong that fade in popularity many decades ago, after it peaks in the beginning of this century, recently, slowly but quite encouragingly, legong regain it's popularity and dignity once more. This is partly caused by tourism industry and also by the work of individual, organization, or local government, who have special interest to the renaissance of this type of dance-drama.



But one thing is certain, the beauty and charm of this delicate and feminine dance is indisputable. It's not easy to find any dance in Bali and in other places that comparable to the grace and beauty of the legong. Beside the dance it self, many of musical compositions that accompanying it is among the sweetest and most beautiful on the island. Original music for legong accompaniment is gamelan pelegongan, a kind of percussion instruments with bronze keys, cymbals, and drums, although it can also accompanied by gamelan gong kebyar, the modern gamelan of Bali.



The dancers start dancing for public at a very early age. Traditionally they are selected among little girls in the village for their suppleness and beauty. They will go on dancing legong until the age of puberty, before they start dancing other type dances. Usually excellent legong dancers are respected as master dancers at older age and some of them also become respected dancing teachers.



'Stage' of the legong, as for many other dances and dramas in Bali, is called kalangan in Balinese. This is an open space with a kind of horse shoe half circle created by the spectators. With a big tree, usually an enormous banyan tree, overshadows the stage, and an elevated beautiful carved candi bentar gate as the back drop, from where the dancers emerge, the stage is complete. Watching legong performance in Sadha Budhaya legong dancers of Ubud



such a place under a moonlight at night is quite an experience, for some, this also means a revelation.Sadha Budhaya legong dancers of Ubud Up to now, at least eighteen forms of legong had been recorded. Some of them successfully revived only recently. And the others are quite popular that almost in par with kebyar dance. The legong are, lasem, kupu-kupu tarum, jobog, kuntul, legod bawa, smaradhana, andir, condong, and many others.

Baluran Savannah National Park



Java’s Little Bit Of Africa. Baluran is the easiest place on Java to see an impressive variety of plant species and animals. Its wildlife features monitor lizards, wild dogs and pigs, squirrels, fruit bats, giant woodpeckers, crab-eating monkeys and leaf monkeys in the upland forests. Groups of 30 or more barking deer are common.



This park is a forest preservation area that extends about 25.000 ha on the north coast of East Java. The location is in Sumberwaru village, Banyuwangi district, Situbondo (on the east border of Java Island).



You can enjoy the panorama of savannah and mount Baluran (inactive volcano) in the center of area that becomes habitat of many exotic animals such as wild pigs, deer, peacocks, wild chicken, some species of monkeys and also bulls as the protected animals in the area.



You can enjoy the amazing scenery of the forest and do the safari activities in the wild life and feel the magic of the forest. This park is so unique because 15 km from the main entrance, you can find a beautiful white beach called Bama Beach, here in the habiat of coral reef, fish and mangrove.

Tanah Lot Temple



The Pura Tanah Lot in Bali is a popular tourist destination in the entire island. It is a beautiful temple located amidst the sea. The surroundings of the temple are pretty beautiful and attractive as well. This temple is a grand tourist destination, so far as the sightseeing in Bali is concerned. For detailed information regarding the sightseeing spots in Bali, you can always consult the Bali travel guide.



The popular temple called Pura Tanah Lot in Bali in Indonesia is located on a huge rock amidst the sea. The transportation towards the temple is pretty advanced and well networked. The native Balinese people throng at the temple premise, in order to pay their homage to the Goddess. The main priest is there at the temple to introduce the Goddess to the international tourists.



On the whole, it would be a grand experience for you to visit the temple and relish the pervading tranquility out there. In order to reach the temple, you need to go up by the rocky staircase. The entire scenery is breathtakingly beautiful and exciting as well.



This temple is very famous among tourist destinations in Bali with spectacular view of sunset. At some nooks of coral reef around Tanah Lot Temple there are holy tame snake in black and white color where according to the local society believe that it as a deity property and as the guard of the temple from the bad influence.

Kerinci Seblat National Park



Kerinci Seblat National Park is the largest national park in Sumatra. The park has a total area of 13,750 km², and spans four provinces: West Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu and South Sumatra.



The park area includes a large part of the Barisan mountain range, including the highest peak in Sumatra, Mount Kerinci (3,805 m). The park includes hot springs, rivers with rapids, caves, scenic waterfalls and the highest caldera lake in Southeast Asia - Mount Tujuh.



The park is home to diversity of flora and fauna. Over 4,000 plant species grow in the park area, including the world's largest flower, Rafflesia arnoldi, and the tallest flower, Titan Arum.



Kerinci Seblat lacks the security to prevent poaching and illegal settlement. Continued settlement may stop the rhinoceroses from moving throughout the area and thus hurt their chances for breeding.



The fauna include Sumatran Tigers, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Sumatran elephants, Clouded Leopard, Malayan Tapir, Malay Sun Bear and 370 bird species.



Kerinci Seblat is included in the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, an area that was officially declared a World Heritage Site in 2004.

Kecak Dance (Monkey Chant)



The Kecak dance is one of the most famous of Balinese dances. It is unusual because it has no musical accompaniment like many other Indonesian dances do, the rhythm of the dance is produced by the chanting 'monkey' chorus. Instead, a troupe of over 150 bare-chested men serve as the chorus, making a wondrous cacophony of synchronized "chak-achak-achak" clicking sounds while swaying their bodies and waving their hands .From that chanting noise of "Cak-cak-cak", then it gave the dance its name Kecak.



What makes the Kecak such a fascinating dance to watch are the fifty or so men in the checkered pants. They are both the choir and the props, providing the music for the story in a series of constant vocal chants that change with the mood of the actors. They don't sit still, either, they wave their arms to simulate fire, and reposition themselves around the stage to represent wind and fire, prison cells, and unseen hand of protection from the gods.



The dance is played in five acts and lasts roughly 45 minutes. It taken from the Hindu epic Ramayana, which tells the story of Prince Rama and his rescue of Princess Sita, who has been kidnapped by the evil King of Lanka, Rahwana and somehow with the help of the white monkey army, Rama rescues his wife and defeats the evil Rahwana.



Attending a Kecak recital is a must for any visitor to Bali. It is a wondrous experience, and a window into the musical and artistic culture that make the Balinese a special people.

Menjangan Island



As a part of Bali Barat National Park, Menjangan Island is well known for its magnificent underwater world, beautiful coral reefs found nearby and the best site for fishing.. Another attraction of the island is protected deer. Menjangan, an inhibited island about 10 km offshore, offers deep coral reef walls and is one of Bali's best diving sites.



There are a few dive sites to choose from at Menjangan with good conditions and excellent visibility. It's also an interesting site for snorkeling. Menjangan also has a wreck , known as the 'Anker' because of its heavily encrusted anchor at the top of the reef. Fixed moorings have been built to prevent damag, and the island is reached by a 30 minutes boat ride from Labuan Lalang.



Pemuteran is an ideal place to plan excursions to West Bali National Park, compromising the nature reserve of Menjangan Island and the uplands in the west. Menjangan has the most beautiful coral reefs in Bali. Along with the nearby Labuan Lalang, this is a wonderful place for diving and snorkeling.



Menjangan’ s white sandy beaches make a nice location to break for lunch. Underwater, the drop-off along the south shore and eastern tip, facing the Bali Sea, are home to lots of colourful small fish and vertebrates, lacy sea fans and a variety of sponges. The sandy, gradual slopes of Menjangan’ s north coast is a final resting place for Bali’ s oldest dive able shipwreck, the Anker Wreck. Menjangan Islands north coast has also some beautiful snorkeling sites.



Even large pelagics are sometimes seen at Menjangan. Occasionally sightings of Whales, Whale sharks and Manta rays have been reported. Drift diving is usual, but currents are quite mild and all levels of divers can enjoy this area.

Hi....Bowo.....

Great posting, I'm very proud to your work.
Big contributions to our TFT forum, completely database about Indonesia.
Hm....very special thanks to you.........

EKO_NURSANTY_GUNAWAN wrote:Hi....Bowo.....

Great posting, I'm very proud to your work.
Big contributions to our TFT forum, completely database about Indonesia.
Hm....very special thanks to you.........

Hi Santy! Thank you so much... I will psot many and many more about Indonesian picture and attractive destination places. because it's time to Visit Indonesia

Wayang Kulit (Shadow Puppet)



Wayang is an Indonesian and Malay word for theatre. When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theater, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang. "Bayang", the Javanese word for shadow or imagination, also connotes "spirit." Performances of shadow puppet theater are accompanied by gamelan in Java, and by "gender wayang" in Bali.



Wayang is a generic term denoting traditional theatre in Indonesia. There is no evidence that wayang existed before Hinduism came to Southeast Asia sometime in the first century CE. However, there very well may have been indigenous storytelling traditions that had a profound impact on the development of the traditional puppet theatre.



The first record of a wayang performance is from an inscription dated 930 CE which says "si Galigi mawayang," or "Sir Galigi played wayang". From that time till today it seems certain features of traditional puppet theatre have remained. Galigi was an itinerant performer who was requested to perform for a special royal occasion. At that event he performed a story about the hero Bima from the Mahabharata.



Wayang kulit, shadow puppets prevalent in Java and Bali in Indonesia, are without a doubt the best known of the Indonesian wayang. Kulit means skin, and refers to the leather construction of the puppets that are carefully chiseled with very fine tools and supported with carefully shaped buffalo horn handles and control rods.



UNESCO designated Wayang Kulit, a shadow puppet theater and the best known of the Indonesian wayang, as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on 7 November 2003.

Mount Rinjani National Eco Park, Lombok Island



Mt. Rinjani forms the second highest volcanic peak in Indonesia, part of celebrated “Ring of Fire”. The dramatic landscape has been created over millions of year of cone - building, violent explosions, and erosion The 6 km by 8.5 km oval-shaped caldera is filled partially by a crater lake known as Segara Anak ('Child of the Sea') and is approximately 2000m above sea level and estimated at being around 200m deep);the caldera also contains hot springs. The eruptions of 1994, 1995, and 1996 have formed a small cone, Gunung Baru (or 'New Mountain' - approximately 2300m above sea level) in the center of the caldera and lava flows from these eruptions have entered the lake.



Thepark covers an area of 41,330 ha on the northern part of Lombok and locates the three administrative district of West, East and Central Lombok. The area covers 12,357.67 ha in the west, 22,152.88 ha in the east and 6,819.45 ha in central Lombok. Rinjani dominates the National Park of Lombok, an island east of Bali on the Indonesian archipelago. At 3726m it is the second highest volcano in Indonesia, part of the infamous ring of fire that encircles the basin of the Pacific. Within the crater is the spectacular Segara Anak lake and the still – active volcano Gunung Baru (2,363m).



Segara Anak is a crater lake contained within Mount Rinjani on the island of lombok in Indonesia. The name Segara Anak means child of the sea given to it due to the blue colour of the lake reminiscent of the sea.

Thehighlands are forest clad and mostly underdeveloped. The lowlands are highly cultivated. Rice, soybeans, coffee, tobacco, cotton, cinnamon, and vanilla are the major crops grown in the fertile soils of the island.



The volcano and the caldera are protected by a national park established in 1997. Tourism is increasingly popular with trekkers able to visit the rim, make their way into the caldera or even to make the more arduous climb to the highest point; fatalities, however, are not uncommon.



It is surrounded by further 66,000 ha of Protection Forest also covers the three administrative districts. The park ecosystem is in the transitional zone between Asia and Australia (Walaceae zone). Average rainfall is about 3,000mm annually.Gunung Rinjani, one of the over 50 National Parks through out Indonesia and 21 become National Park model included Gunung Rinjani National Park, it was established in 1997. It is valued and protected for its spiritual as well natural values, and is worshipped by thousands of Balinese as well as Sasak pilgrims. Hot springs near the crater lake are sought after for their healing powers.