Raja Ampat - Papua

World best dive destination located off coast of Sorong in West Papua of Indonesia, Raja Ampat (which literally translates as “The Four Kings”) has a startling diversity of habitats to explore. Each of these – from the stark wave-pounded slopes that drop away beneath the karst cliffs of Wayag and Uranie to the deep, nutrient-rich bays of Mayalibit, Kabui and Aljui to the “blue water mangrove” channels of Kofiau and Gam to the plankton-rich upwelling areas of Misool and the Dampier Strait – are home to unique assemblages of species that, when taken together, add to produce the most impressive species lists ever compiled for a coral reef system of this size.

Marine tourism, as a sustainable alternative to overfishing, mining, and logging, has the potential to play a key role in the conservation of Raja Ampat’s spectacular underwater realm, while also creating real benefits for the local communities.  For complete information about Raja Ampat, Please click this link ► Raja Ampat

Lombok Island - Sumbawa

Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Barat or NTB) province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is roughly circular, with a "tail" (Sekotong Peninsula) to the southwest, about 70 km across and a total area of about 4,725 km² (1,825 sq mi). The provincial capital and largest city on the island is Mataram. It is somewhat similar in size and density with neighboring Bali and shares some cultural heritage, but is administratively part of NTB along with sparsely populated Sumbawa. It is surrounded by a number of smaller islands locally called Gili.

The island is home to some 3.16 million Indonesians as recorded in the decennial 2010 census, and in 4 regencies along with the provincial capital Mataram.

Bali - Paradise island

Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. Bali's central mountains include several peaks over 3,000 metres in elevation. The highest is Mount Agung (3,142 m), known as the "mother mountain" which is an active volcano. . The island is surrounded by coral reefs. Beaches in the south tend to have white sand while those in the north and west have black sand. Bali has no major waterways, although the Ho River is navigable by small sampan boats. Black sand beaches between Pasut and Klatingdukuh are being developed for tourism, but apart from the seaside temple of Tanah Lot, they are not yet used for significant tourism.

The largest city is the provincial capital, Denpasar, near the southern coast. Bali's second-largest city is the old colonial capital, Singaraja, which is located on the north coast and is home to around 100,000 people. Other important cities include the beach resort, Kuta, which is practically part of Denpasar's urban area; and Ubud, which is north of Denpasar, and is known as the island's cultural centre.

With a population recorded as 3,891,000 in 2010, the island is home to most of Indonesia's small Hindu minority. In the 2000 census about 92.29% of Bali's population adhered to Balinese Hinduism while most of the remainder follow Islam. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music. Bali, despite being a tourist haven for decades, has seen a surge in tourist numbers in recent years.
To see more video and Information about Bali, please click in this link ► Bali Travel Doc 1 Bali Travel Doc 2 Bali Travel Doc 3  Bali Travel Doc 4 Bali Travel Doc 5 Bali Travel Doc 6 Bali Travel Doc 7 Bali Travel Doc 8 Bali Travel Doc 9 

Ciater Hot Springs West java

Ciater Hot Spring is a nice park with small pools in which we can sit or swim. The streams and pools are fed by warm mineral springs, which are created by the heat from nearby volcanoes. About 30 minutes from Tangkuban Perahu crater. Ciater is pretty little place in the middle of huge tea estate. Its main attraction is the Sari Ater Hot Spring Resort; the pools are probably the best of all the hot springs around Bandung. We can enjoy swimming in warm sulfurous water pools that can heal rheumatism and skin problems. Here we can swim in warm mineral water pools, good for healing skin problems. Ciater hot spring is one stop place for entertainment and relaxation. Ciater is located in Lembang, a green, lush place. The water contains iodium and sulfur, well for curing skin ailments and rheumatism. Equipped with tennis courts, restaurants, and camping area, Ciater is a good way to retreat from every day's life. Ciater is another area with tea plantations and hot springs, eight km northeast of Tangkuban Perahu. The place also has a tea factory. Ciater is a good starting point for hiking, and has some accommodation.

Karimun Jawa Island

Karimun islands in the Java Sea is included in the district of Jepara, Central Java. With an area of ​​1500 hectares of land and waters  ± 110 000 hectares, Karimunjawa now developed into a tourist charms Marine Park which began much-loved local and foreign tourists.
Based on the legend that circulated in the islands, Karimun Jawa was discovered by Sunan Muria. The legend tells about Sunan Muria are concerned about the mischief her son, Amir Hasan. For the purpose of educating, Sunan Muria then ordered his son to go to an island that appears “kremun-kremun” (escape) from the summit of Mount Moriah for the child to deepen and develop the science of religion. Because it looked “kremun-kremun” then was named the island of Karimun Island.mun Island.

The Prambanan Temple

Prambanan is the masterpiece of Hindu culture of the tenth century. The slim building soaring up to 47 meters makes its beautiful architecture incomparable.There is a legend that Javanese people always tell about this temple. As the story tells, there was a man named Bandung Bondowoso who loved Roro Jonggrang. To refuse his love, Jonggrang asked Bondowoso to make her a temple with 1,000 statues only in one-night time. The request was nearly fulfilled when Jonggrang asked the villagers to pound rice and to set a fire in order to look like morning had broken. Feeling to be cheated, Bondowoso who only completed 999 statues cursed Jonggrang to be the thousandth statue.

Prambanan temple has three main temples in the primary yard, namely Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva temples. Those three temples are symbols of Trimurti in Hindu belief. All of them face to the east. Each main temple has accompanying temple facing to the west, namely Nandini for Shiva, Angsa for Brahma, and Garuda for Vishnu. Besides, there are 2 flank temples, 4 kelir temples and 4 corner temples. In the second area, there are 224 temples.

The Borobudur Temple

The Borobudur Temple Compounds is a ninth century Buddhist temple complex. It was built on several levels around a natural hill. Borobudur is built as a single large stupa, and when viewed from above takes the form of a giant tantric Buddhist mandala, simultaneously representing the Buddhist cosmology and the nature of mind. The foundation is a square. It has nine platforms, of which the lower six are square and the upper three are circular. The upper platform features seventy-two small stupas surrounding one large central stupa. Each stupa is bell-shaped and pierced by numerous decorative openings. Statues of the Buddha sit inside the pierced enclosures. The site was rediscovered in the 19th century, and restored in the early 20th. In 1973 a major renovation took place that was funded by UNESCO.

Java Island

Most populated island of Indonesia, situated between Sumatra and Bali; area (with the island of Madura) 132,000 sq km/51,000 sq mi; population (with Madura; 2000 est) 118,230,300. The capital is Jakarta (which is also the capital of Indonesia). The island is divided into three provinces: Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, and Jawa Barat, together with Jakarta Raya (the Jakarta metropolitan district). About half the island is under cultivation, the rest being thickly forested. Mountains and sea breezes keep the temperature down, but humidity is high, with heavy rainfall from December to March. Ports include Surabaya and Semarang.

Java is crossed from east to west by a chain of mountains rising to 2,750 m/9,000 ft. Of these mountains, 112 are volcanic and 35 are active. Eruptions of Mount Merapi (2,911 m/9,551 ft) killed 1,300 people in 1930 and 64 people in 1994. The highest mountain, Semeru (3,676 m/12,060 ft), is in the east. The weathering of volcanic ash has given rise to fertile soils which has helped to produce a very productive agriculture. About 40% of the cultivated land consists of rice terraces, while major commercial crops include rubber, coffee, tea, sugar, quinine, tobacco, cacao, and timber. Mineral wealth includes petroleum, coal, tin, gold, and silver. Industries on the island at centres such as Jakarta, Bandung, and Surabaya are largely based on the processing of these agricultural and mineral products. The population is predominantly Muslim, and includes people of Javanese, Sundanese, and Madurese origin, with differing languages.

Discover Indonesia Part II

The Republic of Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world comprising 17,504 large and small tropical islands fringed with white sandy beaches, many still uninhabited and a number even still unnamed. Straddling the equator, situated between the continents of Asia and Australia and between the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. Indonesia has a total population of more than 215 million people from more than 200 ethnic groups. The national language is Bahasa Indonesia.

Among the most well known islands are Sumatra, Java, Bali, Kalimantan (formerly Borneo), Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), the Maluku Islands (or better known as Moluccas, the original Spice Islands) and Papua. Then, there is Bali with its enchanting culture, beaches, dynamic dances and music. But Indonesia still has many unexplored islands with grand mountain views, green rainforests to trek through, rolling waves to surf and deep blue pristine seas to dive.

Because of her location, and geology, Indonesia is blessed with the most diverse landscape, from fertile ricelands on Java and Bali to the luxuriant rainforests of Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, to the savannah grasslands of the Nusatenggara islands to snow-capped peaks of West Papua.

Her wildlife ranges from the prehistoric giant Komodo lizard to the Orang Utan and the Java rhino, to the Sulawesi anoa dwarf buffalos, to birds with exquisite plumage like the cockatoo and the bird of paradise. This is also the habitat of the Rafflesia the world’s largest flower, wild orchids, an amazing variety of spices, and aromatic hardwood and a large variety of fruit trees. Underwater, scientists have found in North Sulawesi the prehistoric coelacanth fish, a “living fossil” fish, predating the dinosaurs living some 400 million years ago, while whales migrate yearly through these waters from the South Pole.

Culturally, Indonesia fascinates with her rich diversity of ancient temples, music, ranging from the traditional to modern pop, dances, rituals and ways of life, changing from island to island, from region to region. Yet everywhere the visitor feels welcomed with that warm, gracious innate friendliness of the Indonesian people that is not easily forgotten.

Discover Indonesia Part I

The name Indonesia has its roots in two Greek words: "Indos" meaning Indian and "Nesos" which means islands. It is an appropriate description of the archipelago as there are estimated to be a total of 17,508 islands, of which only about 6,000 are inhabited, stretching for 5,150 km between the Australian and Asian continental mainlands and dividing the Pacific and Indian Oceans at the Equator.

Five main islands and 30 smaller archipelagoes are home to the majority of the population. The main islands are Sumatra (473,6O6 sq.km), Kalimantan 1539,400 sq.km), Sulawesi l 189,216 sq. km), Irian Jaya (421,981 sq. km), and last but not leastJava (132,187 sq.km), home to 70 percent of the country's population. Indonesia shares Irian Jaya with Papua New Guinea and two thirds of the island of Kalimantan with Malaysia and Borneo.

The islands and people of Indonesia constitute the fourth most populated nation in the world. As a democratic republic, Indonesia is divided into 32 provinces, special territories and classified geographically into four groups. 

First are the Greater Sundas, made up of the larger islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Sulawesi.Second are the Lesser Sundas, consisting of smaller islands from Bali eastward to Timor. Third is Maluku which includes all the islands between Irian Jaya and Sulawesi. The fourth and final group is lrian Jaya in the extreme eastern part of the country. 

Healthy Vacation Tips

Some peoples get a meager amount of vacation time, they also tend not to use it all. There's a push for productivity, and that can make people really avoid taking a vacation. Some people just figure they'll relax when they retire. 

This behavior may impress the boss, but medical experts vacations help ease tension, which can lead to depression. Stress produces physiological changes in our bodies, including higher blood pressure and a surge in stress hormones, such as adrenaline, which can cause blood to clot and increase the risk of a heart attack. By working all of the time, you're constantly subjecting your body to these responses. It's not clear whether vacations cause better health or whether they are just an indicator of healthier lifestyles. But taking time off does appear to have physical and mental benefits. Some Tips for Healthy Vacations ▼

Don't Feel You Have To Travel Far

Taking a great vacation doesn't have to involve a long plane ride to an exotic beach or a hike to a mountain top, especially if you don't have a lot of time or money. Just spending a few days relaxing in your backyard can have a big impact on your physical and mental health, experts say.

Timing Is Everything

If you don't feel like you can leave work behind while you're away, it might not be the best time to go on a vacation. When you're planning your trips, take a hard look at your calendar and try to determine your least busy weeks.

Make Time To Unwind

Visiting every museum and historical monument in your guide book can be fun, but remember, the purpose of a vacation is to relax. Don't fill your days so full of events that you end up being more worried about keeping plans than having a good time. Treat this time as your own.

Allow Proper Time For Your Return

Build in some extra time on the tail end of your vacation. This will prevent extra stress if a flight is cancelled or you encounter traffic delays. A day at home before returning to work also gives you time to rest, unpack, open the mail, hit the grocery store and generally wind down from your trip.

You Deserve A Break

Sure, there are projects and meetings that will be affected by the fact that you're taking a break. But you need a vacation! Stop feeling guilty about taking one. Use your time off to give your mind and body a rest, and you will be in better shape, physically and mentally, when you return.