CAVES IN JAVA

CAVES IN CENTRAL AND EAST JAVA
Java island is rich of caves as quiet many areas covered by carst. More than ten carst caves located at the south of Java and North of Java round Tuban regency.

Here are caves in Java:

1. Jatijajar Cave : Located in Kebumen , Central Java. This cave has few natural springs and has been developed for tourism.

2. Gong Cave :Located at 37 KM from Pacitan Regency, this cave is popular for its crystal-like relief that spark and stand tall like pillars. You can find stalactite, stalacmite, and other reliefs such as shape that look like shawl drapery, flowstone, Helectite and sodastraw stalagtite. This cave has 12 rooms, 7 pools and one natural shower room. This cave is called Gong cave as local people hear gong sound from this cave every Tuesday and Friday.

3. Putri Cave: Located in Pacitan regency with mythical pool for ever young power.

4. Tabuhan Cave: limestones at this cave can make beautiful sound like javanese gamelan. The very outstandng from this cave is that there is 50 m hi pillar.

5. Lawa Cave :Cave with 25 m diameter complete with 9 tunnel and the home of bats (lawa). This cav’s length is 800 meters and 40 m depth with 4 pools and natural ventilations. According to survey held by Gilbert Manthovani and Dr Robert Kho in 1984, this cave is known as the biggest and longest in South East Asia.

6. Akbar Cave: Impressive cave but concrete of building distract its natural condition. This cave has very long tunnel to the Tuban City Square and to Merakurak, to Ngerong Cave and to Gembul Cave.

7. Maharani Cave: Cave with 2500 m2 hall with ease access.

8. Luweng Jaran : Located in Pacitan/Not developed by the Govt.

Pacitan has more than 65 caves and only 3 that has been developed for tourism.

Lawa Cave

Convenient Hotel in Wonosobo

If you travel to Dieng PLateau, the most convenient is that you stay overnight in Wonosobo.

My favourite if i go there is Dieng Kledung Pass Hotel.

This hotel is located in the middle of Mt Sindoro and Sumbing. Awesome. It was so amazing to see the summit of MT Sumbing covered by white cloud. Even when it is misty, it is very exotics.

The slope of MT Sindoro and Sumbing are tobacco fields. If you arrive in the afternoon just stroll along the field and you will meet local farmers working and address you with friendly smile. I love doing tobacco walk.

And if you love delicacies, in front of the hotel there is a restaurant where you can enjoy Indonesian and Chinese Food. Sometimes they have food like Mi Ongklok, the specific food of the area which is very yummy. Special menus in this restaurant are: Tempe Kemul, Rawon,

Goat Satay, Tempe Satay, Mushroon Satay.

ID Facebook orang Indonesia kok banyak yang aneh-aneh ya?

Aku sudah sekitar setahun ini mempunyai akun facebook. Tadinya aku pikir aku tidak memerlukan situr jejaring sosial untuk tetap keep in touch dengan teman ataupun keluarga. Selama ini aku merasa cukup menggunakan media telephon dan hp. Karena setiap ketemu teman lama selalu ditanya kalau aku punya akun facebook, maka akupun akhirnya menjadi pengguna facebook.

Dan memang Facebook membantuku untuk kembali kontak dengan teman-teman lamaku waktu SMP dan SMA. Hanya dengan mengetik nama orang yang kita cari di kotak search, maka akan keluar nama-nama yang sesuai atau mirip dengan yang kita search. Aku cukup banyak teman di friends listku di Facebook. Fenomena yang aku dapatkan mengenai nama di facebook untuk orang Indonesia ialah bahwa banyak orang Indonesia yang menggunakan nama yang bukan namanya sendiri sebagai nama facebook. Kadang aku sampai harus mikir ini siapa dia, karena menggunakan nama yang untuk keren-kerenan.

Berikut ini nama-nama aneh di friendlistku yang bikin aku mikir siapa sebenarnya mereka ketika mereka add aku. Vania Luph, ’nama’ Luph Mamaz dan sebagainya. Ada lagi yang menggunakan nama idola mereka seperti Cullen (karakter dalam The Twilight Saga) atau pemerannya Pattinson sampai nama yang berupa kata-kata seperti Andai Dia Tahu, Aku Chayank Kamu. Kenapa orang Indonesia (terutama anak muda) suka memakai nama yang bukan nama mereka sendiri? Apakah alasannya? Aku benar-benar penasaran.

Ketika aku tanyakan kepada pemilik akun-akun tersebut ternyata nama-nama tersebut untuk alasan ekspresi. Jadi mereka menggunakan nama facebook sebagai media ekspresi diri. Seperti rasa cinta kepada pacar, anak bahkan kepada artis idola mereka. Coba tengok lagi nama-nama facebook di friend list kamu, pasti ada nama-nama yang aneh. Jangan-jangan punyamu sendiri bukan nama aslimu.

Untuk aku sendiri aku lebih senang dengan namaku sendiri di profile facebook. Aku bangga punya nama tradisional yang diberikan oleh orangtuaku. Dan memakai nama asli akan memudahkan teman-teman kita mencari melalui kotak search. Aku lebih suka memakai blog ataupun media lain untuk berkspresi daripada menggunakan nama yang lain.

Tips Belanja Lebaran

Saya mengantar seorang teman untuk belanja di bulan puasa tahun ini. Saya sih cuma ngantar, karena menurut saya lebaran bukan berarti belanja baju, makanan, dan sebagainya yang khas dengan perilaku konsumtif. Lagi pula yang lebih penting lagi dalam Islam nggak ada tuntunannya bagi umat islam untuk merayakan lebaran seperti orang Indonesia merayakan lebaran. Ya budaya mudik, ya perilaku konsumtif.

Tapi karena sudah jadi kebiasaan, ya sudahlah. Berikut ini tips-tips belanja saat lebaran, siapa tahu bermanfaat untuk pembaca.

1. Sebenarnya yang paling oke itu kalo kita nggak ikut-ikutan konsumtif, alias tetap bersahaja. Kan yang penting puasanya. bukan lebarannya. Daripada habisin uang untuk lebaran lebih baik utnuk beramal atau keperluan lain yang lebih diperlukan. First thing first. Toh nggak beli baju lebaran juga kita masih punya baju tahun-tahun lalu.

2. Kalau memang Anda tetap mau belanja, sebaiknya pakai transportasi umum saja bila memungkinkan, seperti becak. Wah parkiran ramai sekali dan seringnya macet. Selain nggak usah parkir ribet, kita juga beramal. kan tambah penghasilan pak becak untuk berlebaran. Pakai motor juga ribet banget karena parkir ramai. Naik taxi juga oke kalau belanjanya banyak.

3. Kalau hunting baju di pasar atau mall sekalipun selalu saja ramai pada saat lebaran. Seperti lautan manusia. Saya sendiri sering gak tahan di keramaian, selain panas karena AC nggak begitu kerasa juga karena sumpek. Nah biar lebih nyaman, sebaiknya pakai pakaian yang nyaman seperti sepatu flat, baju cotton, kaos. Penampilan belanja lebaran bisa di nomer sekiankan. Yang penting nyaman. Dari pada gaya tapi belanjanya nggak nyaman dan kaki pegel karena hi-heel?

4. Belanja nggak usah pakai make up yang tebel biar kalau kepanasan nggak kelihatan aneh. Biar mbak-mbak penjaga stores saja yang dandan habis-habisan.

5. Hati-hati sama tas Anda, apalagi kalau belanjanya di pasar. rawan copet.

Black Magic in the Metropolitan City

thats nonsense.......thats superstition......thats primitive belief...
well i guess that what people in this modern world say if people ask them about black magic.
In Indonesia communities especially in Java that i really know sometimes i heard people died with very strange cause and unusual symptoms.

But here is Surabaya you can see the dead witness of black magic which exist among community. There are interesting collection like indonesian voodoo doll which is called Jaelangkung and nini towok, or rusty nails which were taken from a patient by operation.

Well this museum wasnt built by witchdoctors community but by professional medical organizations. The founder of this museum is DR. Dr. Haryadi Soeparto, DOR, M.Sc tahun 1990.
Other things displayed are ghost map, anti-rapping pants, contraception devices, health spell, old medical tools, fetishes, magical water and many more.

Visiting this museum for me not just to satisfy my curiosity about those superstition but also broaden my knowledge about medical history.

mangrove tourism at Surabaya

Lokated at the eastern shore of Surabaya lokated mangroves which is now can be a place to hang out and learn about coast ecosystem. Mangroves in this area has now been restored after it has been destroyed by illegal logging and waves.
The admission fee is just Rp.25.000 for adult and Rp. 15.000 for children.
it opens daily until late afternoon.

You will be taken by motor boat to gazebo at the mangrove. From the the pier to Gazebo will take about 15 minutes. On the way to gazebo you can enjoy the clean river with mangrove on the banks of it. Feel the breeze... i feel the breeze very rejuvenating. And you can see seagulls flying showing their pretty white wings sometimes.

The boat will also take you to the estuary of Wonorejo River and the Madura Strait where you can see Suramadu Bridge also if the weather is clear enough.

Once you get off you can see mangrove fish. Pretty interesting that they can walk with their fins to the mud. I think i see crabs too. And what is interesting is that there are birds. i wish i could bring good camera so i can take photograph of them

In Wonorejo has 8 species of mangrove. and in the whole mangrove in Wonorejo, Gunung Anyar and Medoan there are fauna species like grey monkey, 137 aves species, 53 insects, 7 mamals, 18 fishes, 10 herpetofauna (amphibia & reptile) and 7 species of crustacea.

After getting of the boat you can follow the jetty which will give you nice angle to shoot pics. Arriving at teh gazebo you can see strait a head, with ocean breeze blowing. At the gazebo, you can buy food or water that is sold by local people.

As i went there alone and other people were with their groups and they seem just wana sit at the gazebo, i walk thru the mangrove forest. I love the forest but this side hasnt been cleaned yet though the management.
Activities that you can do here:
1. Trekking (if you dont want to go by boat, you can take trekking route from the parking area)
2. Birdwatching
3. Learning/Education
4. Fishing
5. Refreshing

COMMUTING IN SURABAYA

Surabaya as the second largest city in Indonesia has a very hectic traffic especially in rush hour round 7-8.30 in the morning and afternoon round 4 to 6 sometimes to 7 pm. If you are new here you maybe will think how to commute here.
1. public transport
this is the cheapest way to commute. Surabaya has shuttle line that we call LIN. Probably for every place you are heading too you will just have to get public transport twice. First to Jayabaya Shuttle Station and then from there take other LIN that will take you to where you head to. Do not worry even you dony know which LIN you are going to take, people at the Station will let you know which LIN you should take if you have the address. For each LIN charges Rp.3000.
2. Becak
Becak is pedicap which is avai;able every corner of Surabaya. You will need becak for short route that maybe there is no LIN reach the area. Usually becak will charge you Rp5.000 to Rp.10.000 rupiah, subject to the distance.
3. Taxi
there are many taxi companies here, and taxi is comfy and save way to commute. As always.
4. Ojek
Ojek is motorbike transport that you can hire to take you. Very efficient because motorbike can after cars in traffic jam.
5. Rent Car
If you rent car you will be easier if you need to go out of town. Usually rent cars will provide you with experienced driver that will take you to nice places in the vicinity of Surabaya like Malang or Batu. Rent car can be monthly, 12 hours or daily.
6. Rent Motorbike
Motorbike is very popular mode of transport in Surabaya. As it is cheap and efficient. If you want to stay long anough in Surabaya you can manage to buy one, but if not then better you rent it. Maybe hard to find rent motorbike here, but available personnally.
7. Cycle
Bicycle is the cheapest and most environmentally friendly mode of transport. BUt as Surabaya is very big city with very crowded traffic do not forget to have safety riding by wearing helmet and mask.