Lampung Literature: Sumatra

October 31st, 2007 | 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.

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Mandi Balimau Ritual: Pekanbaru, Riau, Sumatra

October 27th, 2007 | 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.

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Simmering Volcanoes in Indonesia

October 26th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. The archipelago nation is home to 129 active volcanoes, including 21 on Java. Now, scientists in Indonesia are closely monitoring three simmering volcanoes across the disaster-prone nation, including the offspring of infamous Krakatau off Sumatra island. Ash has been spewing some 200 metres (yards) into the air since Tuesday at Anak Krakatau, or Child of Krakatau, the volcano left behind after Krakatau blew in 1883 and killed some 36,000 people, scientist Agus Budianto told AFP. Anak Krakatau forms part of a popular international tourist destination about 40 kilometres off Sumatra island. Visitors typically tour the waters around the volcano by boat.

Indonesians in Focus: Basrial Koto

October 25th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

West Sumatrans have been known as commercially minded and savvy traders for a very long time. Many started without strong financial or educational backgrounds, so it has been their gritty determination on which they have built their reputation. Basrial Koto is one such Sumatran.

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Sumatran Rhino Population Increases: Lampung, Sumatra

October 19th, 2007 | By Barrie | 1 Comment »

Some rare good news for the threatened Sumatran rhinoceros has come out of Lampung. The Sumatran rhinoceros population in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park and Way Kambas National Park in Lampung has increased in the past nine years. A survey by the Rhino Protection Unit (RPU) and Yayasan Badak Indonesia in 2007 found the population of the rare animal had risen by between 24 and 30 rhinoceroses.

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Indonesians in Focus: Teuku Jacob

October 19th, 2007 | By Barrie | 2 Comments »

Indonesian paleontologist Teuku Jacob, who died Wednesday from a liver disease, was known for his firm scientific judgments, including his opinion on the “Hobbit” fossils found on an island in East Nusa Tenggara province. A public funeral ceremony was held at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta on Thursday before Jacob’s body was moved to its final resting place in the university’s cemetery. Hundreds of academics, administrative staff, students, former rectors, and colleagues, friends and relatives of Jacob attended the ceremony that ended with a military salute for the recipient of the 2002 Bintang Mahaputra Nararia State Award.

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Volcanoes - Magnets for Tourists

October 17th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

Seen as sacred in some local traditions, devotees living close to dangerous volcanoes are sometimes reluctant to evacuate when warnings are issued. The crater lake of Mt Kelud, for example, is thought to be a source of peace and prosperity by some living by its slopes. Thousands of tourists are also drawn to the symmetrical cones of volcanoes such as Bromo, one of Java’s most active, to see the sun rise through clouds of mist and volcanic steam; and Agung, Bali’s highest and most sacred volcano, which towers over the east of the island.

Bridging the Sunda Strait: West Java/Sumatra

October 16th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

The Sunda Strait bridge project from Merak in West Java to Bakauheni on the southern tip of Sumatra island has been revived. The governors of Banten and Lampung, and the representatives of the consortium that will build the bridge, signed a memorandum of understanding last Thursday. The pre-feasibility study will be completed in 2009 and the feasibility study in 2012, after which construction of the bridge would start in the same year. The cost is estimated at US$10 billion.

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The History of Kue-Kue

October 13th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

In Indonesia kue-kue, sweet or savory snacks, are a familiar sight, found everywhere from food markets to star-studded events and grand weddings. However, during colonial times, kue-kue were not considered appropriate food for well-heeled individuals and it appeared only in traditional circles.

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Peatland to Palm Oil Not a Good Idea

October 11th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

Indonesia needs to focus on reigning in the destruction of peatland along with illegal logging if it wants to tackle climate change, says Greenpeace International. Indonesia has approximately 60 percent of the world’s peatland swamps, around 20 million hectares.

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