Planet Mole
Indonesia in Focus
Lampung Literature: Sumatra
By Barrie | 
No Comments » An eight-by-ten square meter room in a Lampung University campus complex had been transformed into a performance-ready theater. A wall at the back of the stage had been covered by a black tarpaulin. As for seats, well the audience had to put up with mats on the floor.
Mandi Balimau Ritual: Pekanbaru, Riau, Sumatra
By Barrie | No Comments » 
In Indonesia, Muslims celebrate Ramadhan in various ways. In Riau, they take part in the mandi balimau, or lime purification ritual. Usually occurring the last day before Ramadhan, the tradition of greeting the fast by cleaning oneself with limes in the river has been handed down from the royal Islamic kingdoms. But while it was traditionally a celebration of restraint, outings to local rivers to celebrate the last day before fasting begins is so popular today that mandi balimau has become a mass picnic attracting tourists.
Possible Dutch Cultural Center: Aceh, Sumatra
By Barrie | No Comments » Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province is considering setting up a Dutch cultural center in a bid to preserve historical sites dating back to the Dutch colonial ruler. “We will try to set up a Dutch cultural center in Aceh in the near future,” Governor Irwandi Yusuf said in a plenary session with the local legislative assembly.
Tourism Cooperation: Bukitinggi, Sumatra
By Barrie | No Comments » Through her thick reading glasses, Wirma carefully counts her threads before weaving them carefully to create the beautiful motifs that make up her songket traditional woven fabric. Wirma is 57 and has used the traditional weaving method since she was 15, taking only brief breaks to raise her children.
Lake Toba: Samosir, North Sumatra
By Barrie | No Comments » Looking out over Lake Toba, it is evident that is a basin of superlatives. With a surface area of 1,130 square kilometers and possessing a maximum depth of 529 meters, it is the world’s largest and deepest crater lake.
Tombs and Megaliths: Samosir, North Sumatra
By Barrie | No Comments » The main road in Samosir presents the traveler with two options. To the southeast lies the village of Tomok, while in the opposite direction are Ambarita and Simanindo. From both headings one can turn inland and climb to the highlands via trails less-traveled and be richly rewarded with spectacular views of the lake below.
New Mentawai Decree: Padang, Sumatra
By Barrie | No Comments » The Mentawai Islands regency council, along with regional NGOs, has rejected the ratification of a provincial decree because it contains Islamic philosophy and most of the people in Mentawai are Protestant or Catholic. The decree is of the subdistrict level — or Nagari — and is the basic administration approved by the
West Sumatra legislative council.
Basa Pagaruyung Palace Reconstruction: Padang, West Sumatra
By Barrie | No Comments » Officials in West Sumatra say reconstruction will begin in June on Basa Pagaruyung Palace, which burned down Feb. 27 this year after being struck by lightning. “God willing, the cornerstone ceremony will be held in June. The details are being worked out now,” West Sumatra Governor Gumawan Fauzi said.
Sawahlunto Promotes Tourism: Padang, Sumatra
By Barrie | 1 Comment » For more than a century, Sawahlunto, in West Sumatra, has been a booming coal mining city. Originally a small town, coal was discovered in the area in 1867 by Dutch geologist William Hendrik De Greve and by 1891 a flourishing coal industry had grown. After 110 years, only half of the 200 million tons of high-quality coal, thought to be the best in Asia, originally believed to exist in the ground is left.
Children of the Forest Tell their Tales: Jambi, Sumatra
By Barrie | No Comments » 
As the country marks National Education Day yesterday, the Kubu tribe in Jambi province has special reason to celebrate, with the release of a book of traditional tribal tales symbolizing its emergence from isolation and embrace of formal learning. The tales were passed down orally for generations by members of the Kubu tribe, who live in what is now the Bukit Duabelas National Park, before being recorded for the book by five anak rimba, which literally means children of the forest.
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