Land of the heavenly kings

TANAH TORAJA

Why do people choose Toraja land as a destination? We have spoken to many travelers, while in Sulawesi (Celebes) and they all seemed to say the same things. They had arrived in Sulawesi (Celebes) and the study of Toraja land, either because they had heard such wonderful things from friends or relatives who had been there or who had previously visited themselves. What people seem to be the best friends were the people, culture and beauty of the virgin in the majority of Sulawesi.

Toraja runs along the coast about 130 kilometers from Makasar or Ujung Pandang. After the entry of Tanah Toraja enter a majestic landscape with giant gray, granites and stones and blue mountains at a distance after passing the market village of Mebali. Will form a sharp contrast with the green living in fertility, rain-fed terraces and read the rusted of tropical laterite soil. This is Tanah Toraja, one of the most beautiful areas of Indonesia.

Tanah Toraja has a specific and unique funeral ceremony is called Rambu Solo. In Tanah Toraja, dead body is not buried, but that is put into Tongkonan several times, maybe even more than ten years until the family has enough money to held the ceremony. After the ceremony, the corpse was carried to the cave or on the wall of the mountain. The skulls show us that the body is not buried but just put on the stone or earth, or put at the funeral hole.The festival season begins when the last rice has been harvested, usually in late June or July and lasts until September.
ourist who wants to stay in the heart of the city has many options as there are large number of hotels available. Or if you had an adventurous soul, you can sleep in villages along the way.

Bemo is the best way to get to know the locals, besides chartered vehicles (jeeps and minibuses), with or without a driver. While in the village you can take a stroll to move.

Take a side trip to Rantepao Kete, a traditional village with excellent handicraft shops. Behind the village on a hill is a mass grave with the monitoring of LifeSize statues oldest coffins

Visit Batu Tumonga Plateu; it means stone that facing to the sky. From here can be seen many volcanic stones comes up in between padi fields. And, several giant stones cave became a graveyard. The points of view is quite impressive. The huge Tanah Toraja [Toraja land] looks so lush and green. Like a mosaic of modulating the tone of the green

Palawan is an excellent visit to a village Tongkonan, or a place of burial pululando even with the celebrations and festivals.

Most times, you can not eat at those places, however, appear more warung and restaurants along the road. You can also bring their own food and drinks.

There is a souvenir shop where you can buy anything specific Tanah Toraja. There are clothes, bags, wallets and other handicrafts.

Visitor are expected to adhere to the customs and dress to keep a current mode, such as cigarettes or coffee when Tongkonan.
1. As the roads are not always paved, it is necessary to use a jeep or walking, even when the weather is good (between May and October).
2. Watch your head every time you go to Tongkonan inside, Toraja The traditional house.
3. Enrekang, Makala and Toraja Higland are surrounded by stunning cliffs of volcanic rock. Do not miss it, and just stop taking the picture for a while and not reg

Bromo Mountain

Bromo, about 145 km south of Surabaya

Bromo mountain, located in Tengger. It's cover some 800 square kilometers in the center of East Java. It is the largest volcanic region in the province and is Mt. Semeru, which rises 3676 meters above sea level. At its northern end is the spectacular Tengger Caldera the largest of Java, with its 10 km barren desert-like sea of sand. In the place of the boiler deeply fissured volcanic cones of Batok and Bromo, the latter is still active with a cavernous crater blowing smoke into the sky. To the south is a plateau of rolling uplands dissected by valleys and dotted with several small scenic lakes, extending to the foot of Mount Semeru, a tower of gray skirted the southern cone forests dominate the landscape. The uniqueness of the area of the property is reminiscent of a lunar landscape, rather than anything related to the land offers impressive experiences such as observing and watching the sunrise in the crater of a volcano

Across the sands of the sea is Mount Batok with its nearly perfect cone. To the south, Mount Semeru, the highest mountain on Java provides a backdrop of fines for this scenario supernatural. While crossing the sea of sand, low-lying fog that often surrounds the boiler plant, adds to the mystery of your surroundings. As the temperature drops several degrees, the combination of cold air and echoing the strange from the horse's hoof creates a fantastic sensation of walking through a vast frozen lake. Temperatures at the summit of Mt. Bromo range of 5 to 18 degrees Celsius.

In the south, there is a plateau of rolling uplands dissected by valleys and dotted with several small lakes landscapes extend to the foot of Mt. Semeru, a tower of gray skirted the southern cone forests dominate the landscape. The offer of Kasodo ceremony is held each year by Tenggerese the 14 days of full moon Kasodo (Tenggerese Calendar). Tengger inhabitants of the mountain gather at the edge of Mt. Bromo's active crater to present annual offerings of rice, fruits, vegetables, flowers, livestock and other products to the local god of the mountain. As followers of the religion that combines elements of Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism, to ask God's blessing of supreme Hyang Widi Wasa.

Bromo Tengger Semeru can be reached by private and public vehicle. There are four gates to access the place, Probolinggo, Wonokitri, Ngadas and Lumajang. Probolinggo approach is the easiest and by fat the most popular route, especially if you go by public bus from surabaya or malang, Wonokitri is the closes and the easiest one if you go by private vehicle from Surabaya (5 hours journey). To get closer to Mt. Bromo you must rent 4×4 vehicles (there are many 4×4 vehicles rental there).

The tourists are driven to the small town of Ngadisari, about six miles northeast of Bromo. It is the base camp of the expedition. Needs for the trip includes a flashlight, warm clothes and some alcoholic beverages as a protection against the freezing temperatures ranging from zero to five degrees Celsius (33 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit). Ngadisari of the ascent to the crater is about two hours on foot. The horse-back (ponies can be hired), the trip takes about an hour and a half. Tours usually start around midnight. Ngadisari hotel also has facilities. This allows hikers to spend the night and get up a little later than midnight for the hike to Bromo. The last stage of the trip is the flight of steps leading to the Bromo crater rim, and finally, the incomparable view of the rising in the east.

Travel Tips :

1. Check the latest travel advice for your destination and subscribe to receive free e-mail notification each time the travel advice for your destination is updated.

2. Before travelling overseas register your travel and contact details online or at the local embassy, high commission or consulate once you arrive, so they can contact you in an emergency

3. Make copies of your passport details, insurance policy, travellers cheques, visas and credit card numbers. Carry one copy in a separate place to the originals and leave a copy with someone at home

4. Check with health professionals for information on recommended vaccinations or other precautions and find out about overseas laws on travelling with medicines

5. Make sure your passport has at least six months validity and carry additional copies of your passport photo with you in case you need a replacement passport while overseas

6. Leave a copy of your travel itinerary with someone at home and keep in regular contact with friends and relatives while overseas

7. As soon as you arrive in another country, you are subject to that country?s local laws

8. Necessities for the trip to Bromo include a torch, warm clothing, comfortable trekking shoes, and glove as a protection against the freezing temperature which hovers between zero to five degrees Celsius (33 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit).

9. If you buy or rent something please negotiate.

10. In Bromo Sunrise starts at 4.50 am till 6.00 am (If weren't cloudy), so you may leave from your hotel or guesthouse at 3 am or even less than that.

11. Don’t forget to bring your camera.

12. Before start trekking, hiking or climbing, be sure that you already eat, or you can bring some food and drink from your places of stay.

13. Some Emergency case please dial 0335 108 ( Telkom Information Center ). When you dial 108 , you can ask the telephone number of your hotel , police or your embassy office.

Indonesia [chapter 3]: language

It might be worth speaking a bit of Bahasa. Bahasa means language, and Bahasa Indonesia is the lingua franca of the archipelago, a good lingua franca is clearly necessary… When pronounced or spoken sentences in Bahasa Indonesia (Bahasa) are generally not as lively as English, and like Deutsche (Germany), Bahasa words are pronounced more or less as are written. Compared with European languages, grammar is very simple.

It's good to talk a bit about the language of a country you're visiting or at least understand the term commonly used or greetings - this will allow you to get a better game, with people and culture. It also helps to speak a little of the language when negotiating memories in the tourist areas, as a little knowledge goes a long way to get a better price!

Here are some common expressions be able to use:
Selamat datang ----> welcome
Apa kabar? --------> how are you ?
Selamat pagi -------> good morning
Selamat siang ------> good may
Selamat sore -------> good afternoon
Selamat malam ----> good evening
Selamat makan ----> have a nice meal
Selamat jalan ------> have a nice trip / goodbye (if someone is leaving)
Selamat tinggal ----> goodbye (if you are leaving)
Terima kasih ------> thank you
Sama sama --------> don't mention it
Tidak terimah kasih ---> no, thanks
Berapa harganya? -----> how much does it cost / what's the price?
Mahal! -------------> expensive!
Murah! ------------> cheap
Boleh tawar? ------ > can I bargain
Harga pas ---------> fixed price