Andong, Traditional Transportation in Yogyakarta

Andong Yogyakarta

Andong or Dokar is one of specific transportations from Yogyakarta. It is also known as delman, bendi, or sado. An anthropologist who once did a research on Andong indicated its small shape as the differing factor of andong in Yogyakarta to the ones in other different places such as Surakarta and Cirebon.

Andong was historically a chariot with 4 wheels, which was used only by the noble people, the Kings and their relatives for particular event. It was one of the icons to indicate social status of the priyayis (the royal families) in the early 19th century to the 20th century. The story started when Mataram Kingdom was led by Sultan Hamengkubuono VII (around the early 19th century). The lay people were not allowed to use andong during that period. They could only use a gerobak sapi (a chariot pulled by cattle) or a dokar for transportation. Andong was gradually available for the lay people during the leadership of Sultan Hamengkubuono VIII. It was limited for the traders and merchants though.

Going around the city with Andong is an interesting experience that tourists might not have at other places. To enjoy such an experience, tourists can choose the andong they wish. There are 2 kinds of andong in Yogyakarta: the regular Andong (which is also known as ‘not for tourism andong‘, and ‘for tourism andong‘.

Kusir Andong

Tourists can easily identify andong, which are meant for tourism because they are clean, well taken care of, and relatively new. The number of each andong is written in Javanese letters and put on the front side.

Besides, tourists will also be able to see the driver (kusir) in complete Javanese outfit: the blangkon, sorjan and lurik, and a black ¾ size pants. The friendliness of the drivers and their broad knowledge on the history of the city contributes special taste of the andong in Yogyakarta.

Andong Location

Andongs are generally available at the city of Yogyakarta, Sleman District, Bantul District, Gunung Kidul District, and Kulonprogo District. However, the andongs for tourism can only be found in Yogyakarta because of their limited numbers (100 units). People will find a number of ‘for tourism andong‘ parked along the jalur lambat (the streets meant for slow ridings), when they go to Malioboro Yogyakarta. They can also find the same kinds around the Beringharjo traditional markets and the North Townsquare (alun-alun Lor) which are located nearby Malioboro. Those who want to try the regular andong can go to any traditional markets in Yogyakarta since they are available there. The cost for renting ‘for tourism andong‘ with the destination Malioboro-the Sultan Palace-Ngasem traditional market-Tamansari-Pojok Benteng-Pathuk-Sosrowijayan-Malioboro is IDR. 20.000-30.000 (data on February 2008).  On the other side, the cost for ‘not for tourism andong‘ usually depends on the destination (how far the place to go is).

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Indarapatra Fortress

Indarapatra Fortress


Indarapatra Fortress was built by the Lamuri Sultanate (The first Hindu Sultanate in Aceh) in the seventh century before Islam came to Aceh. It was built directly face to the Malacca straits for defensive purposes against the aggression of Portuguese. It was Laksamana Malahayati, the first fleet admiral woman in the world, who presided over her soldiers to defend Aceh Darussalam against the Portuguese` aggression.
Welcoming Visit Indonesia Year 2008, the local government of Aceh Darussalam makes serious efforts to renovate the fortress for the central role of the fortress as valuable historical site. It was big, made of limestone with the unique architecture and solid construction. Now there are only two extent buildings after Tsunami occurred in Aceh four years ago. Moreover, the gate has also broken at the same time. In the past, there were three buildings in the fortress, the biggest one was 70 x 70 meter square with more than 3 meters in height. It could also be found a big room with 35 x 35 meter square and 4 meters high. At the time when the fortress was built, it could be categorized into a futuristic fortress since the people had to climb it first to go inside the building.



Where Access Location?

Indarapatra Fortress lies nearby Ujong Batee, Ladong village, Masjid Raya sub-district, in the district of Aceh Besar, Nagroe Aceh Darussalam province.  You may use Labi-labi (The typical transportations in Aceh province) for about 40 minutes. You may also take your own car for approximately 35 minutes to reach the destination. Indarapatra Fortress is 19 km away from Banda Aceh city. The costs for taking Labi-labi for your transportation from Banda Aceh to Krueng Raya is Rp. 4.000,00.  It is hard to find lodgement around the destination, so you have to seriously consider spending more nights there.

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Pasir Putih Beach in the South Part of Bandar Lampung

Pasir Putih Beach

Pasir Putih beach is one of the tourism objects in Bandar Lampung for domestic and foreign tourists. For the sake of it, the cleanness of the place is preserved.Across the Pasir Putih beach, shady trees are planted to cover the tourists after they feel like getting enough sun from walking down the beach. The water is clean and fresh to bath and play in, and the white sand gives peace to the tourists. This place is perfect for spending holiday. Besides the treat above, in the afternoon, the tourists can watch the sunset.

If tourists want to watch the coral and sea creatures, they can swim until certain border or use motor boat until the middle part. This place has amazing kinds of fish, coral reef, and sea plants.

Pasir Putih Beach Location

Pasir Putih beach is located in the south part of Kota Bandar Lampung City, about 20 kilometers from Bandar Lampung across Jalan Trans Sumatera (Trans Sumatra street). To get there, tourists can use personal car or public transportation. It is 30 minutes from Bandar Lampung. For tourists, who want to spend the night near Pasir Putih beach, there are many lodgings. The tourists can bring their own food or order it from the lodging. Tourists can get souvenirs in Bandar Lampung, near the beach, or by ordering them from the lodging.

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Beautiful Lake Maninjau : West Sumatra Destination

Lake  Maninjau  is a volcanic lake that is located at 461,50 meter above the sea level. Its width is 99, 5 km2 with 4, 95 meter of the maximum depth. The existence of Lake Maninjau has created a folktale called "Single Sembilan" (The nine Bachelors). People living around the lake believe that those nine Bachelors are real. Once upon a time, there was a family consists of nine Bachelors and a beautiful girl named Sani. There was a man named Sagiran who loved her, they love each other until one day they were accused of doing contemptible thing by the Bachelors. In order to prove the Bachelors 'assumption, both Sani and Sagiran jumped into the cauldron of Mount Tinjau. Before jumping into the cauldron, they swore that the mount would not explode if they did that contemptible thing, otherwise, the mount would explode if they did not do it. Finally, there was a huge explosion causing a big hole that was fulfilled by water that is believed as the cause of the existence of Lake Maninjau.

The first President of Indonesia, Mr. Ir. Soekarno, batas ever visited Lake Maninjau, as an expression of his amazement, he wrote a pantun  (Malayan bait ramalan) sounded " Jika makan aria pinang, makanlah dengan sirih hijau, jangan datang ke ranah Minang, jika belum mampir ke Maninjau " which means that he suggested everyone visiting West Sumatera must visit Lake Maninjau because of its wonderful scenery.

We may compare it with other famous lakes from all over the world seperti lake in Luzern, Zurich, dan Swiss. Lake Maninjau has shinny turquoise water with the Flapping leaves of coconut trees and hills around the lake that make a wonderful view in Lake Maninjau.

Where Location and Access go to Lake Maninjau?

It is located in Tanjung Raya, in the district of Agam, West Sumatra provinsi , Indonesia.  Ada dua alternative ways to reach the destination, from the east and from the west. If you choose to start it from the west, it will be started from Padang to Lubuk Basung (the capital of Agam district) passing by Pariaman city. It spends about a half an hour day by land using any accessible public transportation or chartered car that can be easily found there. It will be started from Padang to Bukit Tinggi continued to the destination passing by Kelok 44 for approximately three hours if we choose the alternative way from east.  Many types of hotel or home stays can be easily found there. There are many restaurants offering delicious Masakan.

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The Beauty of Ranau Lake in West Lampung

Ranau Lake is the widest one in South Sumatra. It is around 8x16 km2  in width with the scene of Mount Semiung on its behind. It is also surrounded by hills and valleys. Moreover, its water is so clear.

The lake is a result of a natural process. It comes from an earthquake and volcanic explosion that created huge shale. A stream from the Mount Semiung later empties to this shale that turned it to a lake.There is natural hot water at the feet of Mount Semiung, which comes from the bottom of the lake. A waterfall, the Subik, can also be seen around the lake.

Ranau Lake Location

Lake Ranau locates on the border of the District of West Lampung, the Province of Lampung. The lake can be threaded with private car from Bandar Lampung through Kemuning and Liwa Hills. The road is already asphalted yet it curves all the way, at the border of the District of OKU precisely (on the southern part of South Sumatra Province and West Lampung District, Lampung Province). People can also reach the site with different routes. It is more or less 324 km from the city of Palembang, around 130 km from the city of Baturaja, and 50 km from Muara Dua. There are hotels and motels for rent at the sides of the lake. People, who would like to taste the beauty of the lake, are welcomed to stay in one of those places.

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The Museum of West Nusa Tenggara

The Museum of West Nusa Tenggara

The museum of West Nusa Tenggara is located in the downtown of Ampenan which was built by the decree of The Education and Culture Minister, Dr. Daoed Joesoef on January 23, 1982. More than 7000 historical objects are neatly organized based on the elements of culture such as language, knowledge system, social system, technology, bread and butter system, religion and Art. In front of the museum, there is a traditional building of Sasak tribe named Berugak which was built in modern architecture.

For you who love historical and cultural tourism, do not forget to prioritize this destination on your list when you visit Indonesia, especially West Nusa Tenggara province. The main enchantment of this museum is its collections within where you will not only find the collections from Sasak tribe, but also some collections from Bali, Samawa and Mbojo (The indigenes of Sumbawa Island).

The building comprises two parts, the front room, and the gallery room. Both of them are connected by a corridor where you will see the wall painting illustrating cultural items of Sasak tribe such as Gandrung, Rudat, Cepung, Wayang, dan Jaran Kamput. In addition, on the right side of the corridor, there are illustrations of Malengke, Toja, Konya, Sak Eco, and Rebana Rea.

The gallery room consists of two rooms, the first room and the second room. The first gallery room is used to keep many ancient photographs like Stegodon, Paleokarbau, and Hypothalamus fossils. Moreover, you can find many scarce woods like Rajumas, Cempaka, Lingsar, Bajur, Kepundung and Kelincung in this room. Most of the cultural artifacts relating to the people‘s cultures are displayed in the second gallery room where you will see some traditional dresses of Indonesian tribes such as Sasak, Bali, Mbojo and Samawa. 

An ancient artifacts in shape of Siwa Mahadewa Statue (from the 9^th century), equipments used for the cycle of life ceremony in their daily life such as Ceret, Kendi, Pondi and Kipas, and other tools that was used for inaugurating the Kings of Bima, Sumbawa, and Selaparang Sultanates are distinguish features of the museum. You will also find some original manuscripts like Asta Dasta Parwa (Mahabharata), Takepan Kotoragam, Takepan Jatiswara, Katika Book, and pisau Pangotthat show the original language of indigenous people in the Central Lombok.

The Location of Museum of West Nusa Tenggara

The Museum of West Nusa Tenggara is on Panji Tilar Negara Street No.6, Ampenan Selatan sub-district, about 7 km away from Mataram city. It is about 15 minutes from Selaparang airport to reach the The Museum of West Nusa Tenggara. However, if you choose to start from Mandalika bus station, Cidomo (the typical public transportation vehicles from Lombok) will carry you to the destination for approximately 30 minutes passing by Seruni crossroad. The Museum of West Nusa Tenggara is opened for public on Tuesday until Saturday at 8 a.m. – 13 p.m. The ticket price to enter the destination is in the confirmation process.

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The beauty and originality of Pesagi Mountain Escapade Tour

Pesagi Mountain

The top of Pesagi Mountain is very magnificent; its height reaches 2.200 meters above the sea surface. The beauty and originality of the nature that surround the Pesagi Mountain is very well preserved. From the top of the mountain, visitors can enjoy the beauty of West Lampung, Ranau Lake, the OKU society`s residents, and Krui and Belimbing high seas.

The top of Pesagi has a challenging hiking route. In the route, hikers can find kinds of orchid and wild fauna like birds and beasts. Anyone across the territory is not allowed to pick and take flowers or hunt animals. All hikers must participate for preserving the environment, littering is strictly forbidden.

Legend has it, at the top of Pesagi Mountain, there were seven wells, which one of them sometimes produced a good aroma like perfume. Not all people could take water from that special well. Local people said, that only “pure intentioned” hikers could get water from the well. Hikers who did not have respect for nature or did not have good intention, would not get the water.

Pesagi Mountain Location

The top of Pesagi is located in Pekon Hujung (Hunjung village) territory, Belalau sub-district, Lampung  Barat District. To get to the top of Pesagi, there are two routes that tourists can choose to take. The first route is from Pekon Bahway, ends in Pekon Hujung. This normally takes 12 hours round trip on foot.

The second one is started in Pekon Hujung and ended from Pekon Hujung. Just like the previous route, this one also normally takes 12 hours in normal weather condition. If it rains, it takes more than 12 hours on foot.

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