Dragon Boat Race Competition in Padang City, West Sumatra

Dragon Boat Race Competition

Boat race competition in Padang City has been started since the Dutch colonial government occupied Indonesia. At the time, it was called Selaju sampan (literally means paddling boat). The boats are decorated with colourful ornaments so the paddling boats in the competition will be more attractive. In 1995, Chinese people brought Dragon Boat race Competition around the world including Indonesia. Later on, its development in Indonesia occurs rapidly rather than other countries. Hitherto, Dragon Boat Race Competition is functioned by some regions having rivers on it, as annual event, national or international, by International Dragon Boat Foundation. In Padang, West SumatraProvince, Dragon Boat Race Competition takes place to commemorate the birthday of Padang City, on August 7^th. Recently, Dragon Boat Race Competition takes place at international level.

Dragon Boat Race Competition that takes place in Padang has some distinctions from other similar events in other provinces in Indonesia. Rivers in Padang tend to have broad side, calm water and constant stream. That is why; it is regarded as the right place for such event remembering its comfort offering challenges for the players to achieve the best results.

This competition has some categories, 200 meters race, 250 meters race, 1000 meters race and 2000 meters race. For each team, there are three classes, 10 paddlers, 20 paddlers or 30 paddlers each team. Dragon Boat Competition in Padang will be more interesting when the home team joins the competition. In 2006, when the competition of Dragon Boat took place in Malaysia and in 2007 in China, the Dragon Boat team from Padang, Indonesia won the race.

When Time of Events Dragon Boat Race Competition?

Dragon Boat Race Competition in Padang usually takes place in Sporthall of Haji Agus alim, Padang City. West Sumatra Province,Indonesia. The event is commonly held on August. The location can be accessed by any kind of public transportation via Ketaping Airport – Padang City route. It is around 30 minutes fromKetaping Airport to Padang City. For you who want to spend more days around the location, you can easily find some comfortable lodgements and inns. For food and beverages, Rumah Masakan Padang are always there for you 24 hours.

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Samalona Island

Samolana Island

Samalona Island is a cluster of coral reefs area with 2,34 ha in width. This small island is a favourite destination for local and international tourists. There are some activities you can do there like sunbathing above the sandy beach and diving into the deep waters of Samalona Island to observe the wonderful coral reefs and beautiful sub-marine life within. The best months for visiting Samalona Island range from February to October.

This pleasant recreational area contains so much mysteries dealing with some wreck ships, the remnants of the world war II. At least there are seven ships that were sank there. They are Maru Boat, a Japanese warship that is approximately located at 30 meters deep; Japanese gunboat; Hakko Maru cargo vessel made of the Dutch; and Japanese submarine hunter. Now, they have turned into wonderful coral reefs where ample fishes live within. Such wonderful scenery of submarine life surrounding Samalona Island is a distinction from other destinations. Many come to the location for diving in purpose to observe some wreck ships inside the surrounding waters of the island.

Besides revealing the mysteries within and observing the wonderful submarine life in Samalona Island, you can watch the sunrise and likewise the sunset on the same position.  There are numerous kinds of local seafood cooked with special recipe and method. For instance, fishes are cooked by putting them above coconut shell covered by some leaves growing around the location. By such cuisine, the appetizing aroma wafting from the coconut shell will lure you to taste it soon.

Samolana Island Location

Samalona Island is administratively included into  Ujung Pandang Sub-district,  Makassar City, South Sulawesi Province. The location is 6,8 km away from Makassar City. It can be reached for approximately 20 – 30 minutes by taking speedboat for maximum 12 people. Its costs range from IDR 250.000 to IDR 350.000. 

In the location, there is a middle-class guesthouse for 20 people. Its costs range from IDR 150.000 to IDR 250.000. Some food tents offering fresh seafoods can be found as well. Its costs around IDR 15.000 to IDR 20.000 each portion.

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The Traditional Ceremony of Garebeg Keraton Yogyakarta

The Traditional Ceremony of Garebeg


Garebeg Keraton Yogyakarta is a traditional ceremony performed as a manifestation of Sultan’s duty to spread and protect Islam. The ceremony, better known as Grebeg, was initiated by Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono I (1755 – 1792).
The name Garebeg itself is derived from the process of miyos, the moment when the Sultan and the rest of the royal family come out of the palace (keraton) to bestow the gunungan (a heap of various food served in cone shape) to the people. The sound of the royal family’s steps is likened to the sound of a strong wind garebeg… garebeg… garebeg…
Garebeg is held three times a year on Islamic holidays. There are three kinds of Garebeg, namely Syawal, Garebeg Maulud, and Garebeg Besar. Garebeg Syawal is performed as a form of Keraton’s gratitude to God after finishing the month of fasting and also to welcome the month of Shawwal. Garebeg Maulud is perfomed as a celebration and commemoration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW while Garebeg Besar is to celebrate Eid al-Adha which takes place in the month of Dhu al-Hijja which in Javanese calendar is known as Bulan Besar (the Big Month).


The traditional ceremony is opened with a parade of Keraton soldiers. In the structure of Keraton military, there are ten groups of soldiers: Wirobrojo, Daheng, Patangpuluh, Jagakarya, Prawirotama, Ketanggung, Mantrijero, Nyutra, Bugis, and Surakarsa. One by one, eight groups of soldiers come out of Siti Hinggil (the main hall of the palace where a Sultan is inaugurated) through Pagelaran (the front room right behind the north gate of the palace) and stop at Alun-alun Utara (the North Esplanade) to form their typical marching formation. Each personel is wearing full dress, carrying a special weapon or banner, while playing a musical instrument. After the eight groups, there will appear Manggala Yugha (Keraton’s military commanders). At last,  the gunungan is carried out of Siti Hinggil escorted by the other two groups of soldiers.





A gunungan is a heap of food that is served in cone shape. It is the special feature of Garebeg. It consists of various natural products, symbolizing Keraton Yogyakarta’s prosperity, that in the occasion will be provided for the people. In Garebeg ceremony, there are six kinds of gunungan, each has different shapes and consists of different kinds of food. Gunungan Dharat is a gunungan whose peak is made of dark big flat cakes and surrounded by ilat-ilatan, the tongue-like cake made of sticky rice. Gunungan Gepak is a gunungan composed of forty baskets containing various tiny cakes of five colors, red, blue, yellow, green, and black. Gunungan Kutug/Bromo contains miscellaneous cakes with a hole on its peak in which there is a brazier burning incenses. As for Gunungan Lanang, the peak is embedded with a cake made of pulverized rice called mustaka (head). This gunungan consists of a combination of long beans, red chilies, duck eggs, and sticky rice. Gunungan Wadon is a gunungan made of many kinds of small cakes and sticky rice cakes. Gunungan Pawuhan resemblesGunungan Wadon in shape, except that there is a small white flag on its peak.


All gunungans are brought to Alun-alun Utara. By then, Keraton’s soldiers are already waiting in lines to give salvos of honors. After that, escorted by all of the soldiers, the gunungans are carried to Masjid Gedhe Kauman (Keraton’s mosque, literally means the Big Mosque of Kauman since it is situated in Kauman neighborhood) in order to be prayed for by the high priest of the mosque. Later on, the gunungans are put on the ground so that the people waiting around the mosque can take the food right away. The crowd will struggle to take any food provided in the gunungans. They believe that the food will bring them luck and prosperity. Some kinds of the food are believed to have the power to fertilize land if planted, so that the amount of crops will be abundant.

How to Access Location Garebeg Keraton Yogyakarta?

The entire ceremony is held in three different places, yet near to each other. The ceremony begins in the Pagelaran Hall of Keraton Yogyakarta, than moves to Alun-alun Utara and ends in the complex of Masjid Gedhe Kauman. All of the places lie in Yogyakartadowntown, the Province of Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. To get to the palace, you can take a Trans-Jogja bus route 1B, 2A, 2B, and 3A from the nearest shelter and pay around Rp. 3.000,00 (by October 2008) for the fare. Using this public transportation, you should stop at the Kantor Pos Besar shelter, then take a walk or a pedicab to the palace complex. To get more comfort and ease, you can take a taxi up to the front of the ticket counters.


To enter the palace and see the entire ceremony, the charge is Rp 10.000,00 a person (by October 2008). Around the palace there are parking lots for motorcycle and car so that visitors who take their own vehicles should not worry. Besides, outside the gate, visitors can easily find people selling traditional toys, souvenirs, and snacks and beverages.

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Ban Hin Kiong Chinese Temple, Wonderful in Manado City

Ban Hin Kiong  Chinese temple is a Buddhist temple in Manado, North Sulawesi   Province. It is about 300  years old, built in the 18^thcentury. Currently, the temple is well  taken care and still exists because of the heterogeneous society in Manado including Chinese  descendants.
Ban Hin Kiong  temple consists of three words, Ban means much, Hin means  abundance favor, and Kiong means palace. According to its founders‘  convictions, people would get so much favor and safety for attaining the  orderliness of life.


It looks elegant  in red color combined with Chinese classic architecture. In addition to having  beautiful design, Ban Hin Kiong has also some annual events to commemorate the Imlek (The Chinese new year) and the Toa Peh Kong (The Chinese tradition  brought by Chinese ancestors to North Sulawesi usually take place in February).  There will be many attractions and Chinese cultural performances such as Barongsai (The Lion dance performed when Imlek), Ince Pia (Invulnerability  show), Pikulan and Kuda Locia.


The special motif  of the temple is the ornaments portraying symbols of material. Observed it in  more detail, those symbols seem that they desire to deliver us the holy message  representing that the temple is a worship house regarded as “Istana Tuhan”  (God Palace)  and a realization of “Istana Langit” (Heaven Palace)  on the earth.

How to Access Location Ban Hin Kiong Chinese Temple?

Ban Hin Kiong Chinese  temple lies in the downtown of Manado city in D.I Panjaitan Street, North  Sulawesi. You may use any  public transportation such as minibus and taxi. You may also rent vehicle  services as car or motorcycle.

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The History of Museum of Lambung Mangkurat in Banjarbaru South Kalimantan

Museum of Lambung Mangkurat


The Museum of Lambung Mangkurat was officially opened in 1979. It is traditional house of Banjar architecture, Rumah Bubungan Tinggi(High Ridge House), which is polished in modern style. The collections of the museum are the archaeological remains of The Sultanate of Banjar, Agung Temple, and Laras, stone alliances, Ulin woodcarvings, farming tools and household appliances, and traditional music instruments.
The Museum of Lambung Mangkurat, is a two-storey building. The first floor has three display rooms; an open exhibition room and two close exhibition rooms. In the open exhibition room, visitors can find three river transportations mean of Banjar people: jukung sudur, perahu pandan liris, and jukung tambangan. Beside those three kinds of boat, visitors will also find kinds of sea fauna fossil, such as whale (Rhineodon Typus Cotaceae) skeleton. While in the close exhibition rooms, visitors will be brought to the age far before we were born. In one of the rooms, visitors can see the displays of devices used in the pre-history age, such as pickaxe, shoulder axe, pahat kapak lonjong, and bronze axe mould. In the other one, visitors can find kinds of archaeological remains of Banjar kingdom.
In the second floor, visitors can observe some ethnical photos painting and the map of the dissemination of Indonesia tribes in South Kalimantan. In this place, visitors will find some types of traditional Banjar house such as Bubungan Tinggi and Gajah Manyusu. Moreover, visitors can also find the life cycle diagram of Banjar people, from birth- children- adults- getting married- giving birth- phase, until death. Those phases are described in some Islamic ceremonies such as Baayun Anak, Basunat, Baantar Jujuran, Batamat Al Quran, andBakawinan.


Entering the Museum of Lambung Mangkurat, visitors are brought to experience the era when South Kalimantan had not became a province yet. This Museum give a better understanding to the visitors about the development of Banjar people from the stone age, when all devices were made of stones, until the age of the influential kingdoms that existed in South Kalimantan. Seeing Genta Kencana (a place where the king rested), for example, the visitors will know the civilization of Banjar people at the time.



How to Access Location Museum of Lambung Mangkurat?

The Museum of Lambung Mangkurat is located in Banjarbaru, Banjarmasin city, South Kalimantan province.  The Museum of Lambung Mangkurat is located in Banjarbaru, 35 km from Banjarmasin. The strategic location on A.Yani Street, makes it easy to reach by any public transportation or private transportations. From Syamsudin Noor Airport Landasan Ulin Banjarbaru, it takes about 20 minutes. 

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Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo Sunset

The word bromo is derived from ancient Javanese language brahma, the name of a Hindu deity. According to Tengger (the original tribe inhabiting Mount Bromo) people, Mount Bromo is a holy mount, so it requires an annual ceremony called Yadnya Kasada or Kasado. It is a local ritual of throwing natural wealth into the crater of the mount. The ceremony is held at midnight in a full moon of the tenth month of Javanese calendar. By such ritual, Tengger people ask for an abundant harvest and hope for being avoided from disaster and recuperation from ilness.

Mount Bromo, which is known still active, includes into the area of Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. It was officially opened by Indonesian government in 1997. It is a 5.250 ha wide of sandy area located at an altitude of 2.000 meters.

This 2.392 meters above the sea level mount is famous for its wide sandy area and large crater. Taking a bird`s eye view from the top of the mount, you will see the large crater bleaching out thick smoke from the bottom. The crater is 800 meters in diameter (north to south) and 600 meters in diameter (east to west). From the same place, you will see the panoramic view of sandy area with naturally splendid silhouette of the surrounding places.

Watching the sunrise from the peak of the mount, hanging around the location by riding horse and tasting a glass of local beverages while having a bonfire against the cold weather are some alternative activities for you visiting the destination. Besides of natural tourism that will be experienced, you will be familiar with cultural tourism atmosphere, especially when the ceremony of Yadnya Kasada is held. In addition, for you who want to watch the ceremony of Yadnya Kasada, you better come to Mount Bromo during December to January.

Mount Bromo Location

Mount Bromo lies in four different districts: Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Lumajang, and Malang. All are in East Java Province. However, administratively, it is located in the district of Probolinggo. You can access Mount Bromo by using either public transportation or private car. To reach the location, you can acceess via “the western gateway” from Pasuruan District. However, accessing the location via the western gateway will be hard as it can only be accessed using jeep car. In general, most of visitors tend to reach the mount by walking from Wonokirti Village for about 13 km away.

Accessing the mount via “the northern gateway” from Probolinggo District. Via this way, you may use any public transportation remembering the access to the location is not too steep. If you want to watch the sandy area of Mount Bromo, it is better for you to pass by this way. Otherwise, if you want to watch the sunrise, just take the trip through the western gateway.

The nearest village to the mount is Cemorolawang Village around 45 km away from Probolinggo District. It can be reached by public transports from Probolinggo. In addition, to reach the mount from Cemorolawang Village, you had better charter a horse or jeep car and you may walk as well.

Bonfire provided by some food tents can be alternatives for you against the cold weather in the location while tasting lukewarm beverages. When you need to spend more days there, you can easily find lodgement, shelter and hotel around the destination. Multifarious restaurants, souvenir shops can also be found there proposed to offer comfortable visit for you.

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The History of Somba Opu Castle in South Sulawesi

Somba Opu Castle

In 1525, The Sultan of Gowa IX named Daeng Matanre Karaeng Tumapa‘  risi‘ kallonna built a castle that was called Somba Opu Castle. In the middle of the  16^th century, the castle became a very busy spices port and a  commercial center where many merchants from Asia and Europe  anchored there. On June 24^th, 1669, it was conquered and destroyed  by VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) until it was sunk by tidal waves. In  1980‘s some archeologists discovered the castle and reconstructed it in 1990.  Now, it has been turned become an interesting historical museum.

The castle used the combination of clay and egg white as the material replacing cement for building the castle. Physically, it has square shape with length of the castle is around 2 km, 7 to 8 meters in height with total width  is about 1.500 ha.  All of the buildings are covered by thick wall where many heritages of Gowa Sultanate‘s historical  things are kept within. In addition, there are some customary houses representing tribes from South Sulawesi such as Bugis, Makassar,  Mandar and Kojang and artillery with 9 meters in length and 9.00 kg in weight  are kept in the museum. Visiting the castle will be beneficial for everyone who wants to know more information about the history and culture of tribes in South Sulawesi.

How to Access Location Somba Opu Castle?

The castle located in Daeng Tata street, Makassar city, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. It lies 25 km away from Cenderawasih street from the city of Makassar. It can be reached by bus, taxi, or pete-pete (minibus). Its costs Rp. 25.000,00 by taxi or only Rp. 7.000 by pete-pete. Just come to Somba Opu castle, there will be guides that will help you  in giving more information about the castle.

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