Beef Satay

Ingredients:
300 gr beef, 5 shallots, 2 spoons of sweet soy sauce, 1 spoon of vegetable oil, 1 lime, salt and pepper.

Direction:

• Slice beef into bite sized pieces, slice shallots
• Mix everything evenly
• Put beef in skewers
• Barbecue in medium heat until desired level (medium rare recommended).

Karimun Jawa - Central Java

The name "Karimunjawa" comes from the era of Sunan Muria. He was one of the outstanding religious figures who helped to disseminate Islam in Java. Story has it that once upon a time, Sunan Muria was viewing the islands of Karimunjawa from Java, but they were just a blur on the horizon - in the Javanese language, 'kremun-kremun soko jowo'. When Sunan Muria's son, Sunan Nyamplungan, or Amir Hasan, passed away, he left a bequest of lele fish (Clarias meladerma) without poisonous fins, the grave of Nyamplungan, dewodaru wood, sentigi, kalimosodo and edhor snakes, all of which are now considered sacred by the local people.

Karimunjawa National Park, represents several ecosystem types including lowland rain forest, seagrass and algae fields, coastal forests, mangrove forests, and coral reefs.

Around Kemujan island, the wreck of the Panamanian ship "Indono", which sank to the sea bed in 1955, is now a habitat of coral fish and is a popular site for wreck diving.

Only five of the 27 islands are inhabited: Karimunjawa, Kemujan, Karang, Nyamuk and Genting. Karimunjawa Island is the centre of this sub-district, which is located 83 km from Jepara (a city famous in Indonesia for its woodcarving industry ).

Menjangan Kecil, Menjangan Besar, Tanjung Gelam, Legon Lele, Genting, Kembar, Parang, Cemara and Krakal Islands: marine tourism (sailing, surfing, water skiing, swimming, sunbathing on white sand beaches, diving/snorkelling), camping, cultural visits, deer and bird observation.
Bengkoang and Kemujan Islands: camping and wreck diving.
Bukit Bendera, Bukit Gajah and Legon Goprak: tracking and marine tours.

Travel bureaus in Semarang and Jepara offer package tours lasting from between one and seven days.

Cultural attractions outside the Park include the Durian and Lomban Festivals in Jepara, held in January and March each year.

How to reach the Park: Semarang-Jepara, about 1.5 hour by car (100 km), then Jepara (Kartini Harbour)-Karimunjawa, about 5 hours by ferry (twice a week), or Semarang (Achmad Yani Airport)-Kemujan Island by plane (once a week).


Office: Jl. Menteri Supeno I Nr. 2
Semarang 50241, Central Java
Tel. : +62-24-8319709
E-mail: btnkjawa@indosat.net.id

Tawang Mangu, Grojogan Sewu Waterfall

Tawang Mangu is the area of the tour that is located in the Karanganyar City, Solo, Central Java, in the slope of the Lawu Mountain.

While the trip headed Tawangmangu, we will be served by typical scenery the mountainous plateau. The field of carrots and vegetables will refreshing the eyes. Entered the Tawang Mangu area, we could go along the road that was steep in surrounded by the pine forest that was full of the wild forest monkey.

The street will head towards the Grojogan Sewu waterfall that as high as 1000 m. Grojogan Sewu in the Javanese language means one thousand waterfall.

Tawang Mangu promised picturesque scenery that will make you relax and fresh. You could go along the hilly road by leasing the horse. For the present, plenty of sellers souvenir peddled their merchandise. You can also buy the fresh fruits that just was reaped from the garden.

Kota Solo (Solo the Heritage City)

Solo Balapan, the rail station in Kota Solo.





Solo City (aslo known as Surakarta City) is a city among 2 volcanoes mountains, Merapi & Lawu. It has a welknown river named Bengawan Solo River that flowing through this city.





Solo has a city theme "Solo the Spirit of Java" and also famous as a stronghold and center of Javanese tradition and culture.

Keraton Solo is located 10 km west of Solo, the remnant of the palace is there.

Solo antique market is located nearby Mangkunagaran Palace, named Pasar Triwindu. You can see so many things of antique ornaments, curiosities, crafts, etc. You can also buy traditional fabrics of Javanese, Batik, in Pasar Klewer. It is an old market placed off the west gate of Keraton's North Square.

You also can taste many kind of Javanese Cuisine in Galebo, it placed in along the street not far from Keraton Surakarta, such as Nasi Kucing, fresh cow milk, angkringan, and many else.

Batik

Batik is generally thought of as the most quintessentially Indonesian textile. Motifs of flowers, twinning plants, leaves buds, flowers, birds, butterflies, fish, insects and geometric forms are rich in symbolic association and variety; there are about three thousand recorded batik patterns.

The patterns to be dyed into the the clothe are drawn with a canting, a wooden 'pen' fitted with a reservoir for hot, liquid wax. In batik workshops, circles of women sit working at clothes draped over frames, and periodically replenish their supply of wax by dipping their canting into a central vat. Some draw directly on the the cloth from memory; others wax over faint charcoal lines.This method of drawing patterns in wax on fine machine-woven cotton was practiced as a form of meditation by the female courtiers of Central Java; traditionally, batik tulis (tulis means 'write' in Indonesian) is produced by women.In the 19th century, the application of waxed patterns with a large copper stamp orcap saved the batik industry from competition with cheap printed European cloth. The semi-industrial nature of cap work allows it to be performed by men. Batik motifs recall characters from the Hindu epics, plants, animals, sea creatures and gamalan melodies.

In Surakarta rich creams and browns are juxtaposed with tinges of yellowish gold.White, undyed cloth is left to contrast with the sombre opulence of brown and blue dyes in Yogjakarta. The palette of the north coast were influenced by lively maritime trade and the textile traditions of the Chinese and Arab mercantile communities living in port and coastal towns.

The Symbolic Meaning of Batik's Motifs
The motifs of Batik, especially with old pattern, as in other field of Javanese tradition are symbolizing something. Might be, this is one of the reasons, why people still adore batik up to present date. Some of the motifs are :

• Sido Mulyo :Sido (you should be ), mulyo (happy). Symbolizing 'you should be happy and rich man'.


• Sido Dadi :Symbolizing 'you should be a man/woman as you wish (prosperous, high ranking position, wealthy, etc)'.


• Satrio Wibowo :Symbolizing 'Man with dignity'.


• Tikel Asmorodono :Tikel (more), Asmoro (love), Dono (gift).It is meant the one who wears this batik, should be loved more and more by others. The Process of Batik Making
  Batik, in Javanese means 'To Dot'. Basically there are two kinds of batik; Batik Tulis (hand drawn) and Batik Cap (stamped). The price of batik tulis is much more expensive than batik cap.

The Process of Batik Making
Batik, in Javanese means 'To Dot'. Basically there are two kinds of batik; Batik Tulis (hand drawn) and Batik Cap (stamped). The price of batik tulis is much more expensive than batik cap.

Doting
A canting (a pen like instrument with a small reservoir of liquid wax) is applied to the cloth of batik tulis making. The tracing of the desired design on to the prepared cloth is the first stage of making followed by the technique of applying wax and dye substances. At the final stage of the process, all the wax scraped off and the cloth boiled to remove all traces of the wax. This process of repeatedly waxing and dyeing is the batik process, used until nowadays in Java and other parts of Indonesia.

So, this kind art of batik is an indigenous to the country. The wax used in batik process is a combined product of paraffin, bees-wax, plant resins called gondorukem and mata kucing.
Batik cap, which is also using the waxing process, its process of course faster and easier. But people appreciation of batik tulis is higher, it is really a work of an artist not only a craftsman. It combines the expertise, patience, deep feeling to produce the finest product, and it may take days, weeks and even months to make only a batik tulis

The Cities of Batik
Yogyakarta and Solo are the centers of traditional of batiks, as the north coastal town of Pekalongan is the center of more modern batiks, using more floral and birds motifs. There are some well-known artists of batik design in Yogya and Solo, as well as some big batik manufacturers with famous trademarks.

The growing production of batik makes way to the establishment of mori (woven cotton fabrics) factories in Yogya and Central Java. The Batik research Institute was founded in Yogya.

When Batik is Worn
Batik dresses are worn for several purposes, such as ;

• Informal DressesIt is a free choice, usually for daily casual wear.
  


• Formal OccasionsIn some parties, as a state banquets, receptions, etc, the invitees are requested to wear batik. Long sleeves shirts for the men and 'kain batik' (long batik to cover the lower body) for the women.
  


• Traditional OccasionsIt is worn to present the traditional wedding ceremonies, special ceremonies for the Royal families, etc.

In a wedding ceremony the bride and the bridegroom wear the same motif of batik Sidomukti, symbolizing a happiness and prosperous life. Using the same motif symbolizing the togetherness. The parents of the bride and the bridegroom wear batik with motif of Truntum, symbolizing the advice of the parents to the newly weds to enter the new life with full of love and confidence.

source: indonesianmusic.com

Wayang Kulit (The Indonesian Traditional Leather 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.

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.

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.

Hinduism arrived in Indonesia from India even before the Christian era, and was slowly adopted as the local belief system. Sanskrit became the literary and court language of Java and later of Bali. The Hindus changed the Wayang (as did the Muslims, later) to spread their religion, mostly by stories from the Mahabharata or the Ramayana. Later this mixture of religion and wayang play was praised as harmony between Hinduism and traditional Indonesian culture. On Java, the western part of Sumatra and some smaller islands traditionalists continued to play the old stories for some time, but the influence of Hinduism prevailed and the traditional stories either fell into oblivion or were integrated into the Hinduistic plays.

The figures of the wayang are also present in the paintings of that time, for example, the roof murals of the courtroom in Klungkung, Bali. They are still present in traditional Balinese painting today.

When Islam began spreading in Indonesia, the display of God or gods in human form was prohibited, and thus this style of painting and shadow play was suppressed.

King Raden Patah of Demak, Java, wanted to see the wayang in its traditional form, but failed to obtain permission from the Muslim religious leaders. As an alternative, the religious leaders converted the wayang golek into wayang purwa made from leather, and displayed only the shadow instead of the figures itself. Instead of the forbidden figures only their shadow picture was displayed, the birth of the wayang kulit.

The figures are painted, flat woodcarvings (a maximum of 5 to 15 mm thick -- barely half an inch) with movable arms. The head is solidly attached to the body. Wayang klitikcan be used to perform puppet plays either during the day or at night. This type of wayang is relatively rare.
Wayang today is both the most ancient and most popular form of puppet theatre in the world. Hundreds of people will stay up all night long to watch the superstar performers, dalang, who command extravagant fees and are international celebrities. Some of the most famous dalang in recent history are Ki Nartosabdho, Ki Anom Suroto, Ki Asep Sunarya, Ki Sugino, and Ki Manteb Sudarsono.

source: wikipedia

photos: gambarwayang.wordpress

Kawah Putih (White Crater)

The Patuha mountain, was approximately 2300 metre on sea level, next south the Bandung city, kept a mystery from the passed. The community considered the Patuha Mountain was the region that the armature, they considered the peak of the Patuha Mountain beforehand was the place of the meeting of the ancestors Bandung Selatan. But, the mystery that has become known that began to be extinct after being expressed by a Dutch scientist peranakan Germany, Dr. Franz Wilhelm Junghun, that also a Dutch plantation businessman who loved conservation of nature during 1837. The condition for the Patuha Mountain valley at that time still was taking the form of the luxuriant forest, was filled local kind trees, like rasamala, saninten, huru, samida, etc.




Because the feeling was curious and his mistrust, Junghun continued to penetrate the density of the Patuha Mountain forest. And finally he found a crater lake that was seen very exotic, and very beautiful. Although being found in 1837, but this region just became the tourist attraction in 1987 after being developed by PT Perhutani the Unit of III West Java and Banten.




After entering the area of Kawah Putih, not the fear that will be experienced by you, but you will definitely be motionless and were stunned like that saw and witnessed personally how astonished him the pool of coloured white water was accompanied the smoke that billowed above. The colour of water in the Kawah Putih lake always was not white, the white colour of the crater was the colour that most was experienced when visiting, occasionally water was green apples and bluish, when the intensity of the sun and the clear weather, occasionally also was coloured the milk chocolate.











source: bandung total.com
photo: irpon.wordpress.com