Thausand Island North Jakarta

Thousand Islands (Indonesian: Kepulauan Seribu) is the only regency of Jakarta, Indonesia. A string of 105 islands stretching 45 kilometres north into the Java Sea, with the closest lying in Jakarta Bay only a few kilometres off mainland Jakarta.









With total land area of 8.7 km² the population is about 20,000. Pramuka Island is the regency seat[citation needed] of the Thousand Islands although the most populated island is Panggang.[citation needed] The area is a marine national park although development is allowed on 37 of the islands. Some islands are uninhabited, others have resorts and a number of them are privately owned by wealthy Jakartans.









Having lived in Jakarta for nearly five years now I had always known of the Thousand Islands, but had never visited them - mainly because like so many attractions in Indonesia you often come away disappointed, thinking ‘ well it would be great if only they had done it right ‘. I did not want to be disappointed by something that should be a potentially fantastic experience.









But recently I had the chance to accompany a group of journalists, travel agents and a few people with dubious cover stories on a special introductory trip to nine islands in two days, organized by the Jakarta Tourism Department as part of the ‘ Enjoy Jakarta ‘ Islands and Marine program. This was my big chance to discover if the Thousand Islands lived up to expectations or not.









Pulau Seribu means Thousand Islands ( Kepulauan Seribu in Indonesian ) and as the name suggests, the Thousand Island group comprises numerous tiny islands scattered across the Java Sea to the North of Jakarta. Reefs surround many of the islands and good coral growth and a variety of fish life including turtles, morays, large cuttlefish and stingrays can be found.









There are well preserved wrecks accessible from several of the resorts, most of which offer day trips. The islands are accessible ranging from 20 minutes to 2 hours by speedboat off Marina Jaya Ancol or Tanjung Kait.











Unfortunately the islands are in danger. Pulau Seribu has the misfortune to lie immediately offshore from a conurbation of 20 million people and the combined effects of land-based pollution and sedimentation are wreaking havoc in the fragile reef ecosystem of Jakarta Bay. Steps are now being taken to prevent further damage and clean up this precious ecosystem.

Bogor Botanical Garden

The Bogor Botanical Gardens are located 60 km south of the capital of Jakarta in Bogor, Indonesia.











The botanical gardens are situated in the city center of Bogor and adjoin the Istana Bogor (Presidential Palace).









The gardens cover more than 80 hectares and are said to be the inspiration of Sir Stamford Raffles who was governor of Java from 1811-1816.











The extensive grounds of the presidential palace were converted into the gardens by the German-born Dutch botanist, Professor Casper George Carl Reinwardt.









The gardens officially opened in 1817 and were used to research and develop plants and seeds from other parts of the Indonesian archipelago for cultivation during the 19th century.








This is a tradition that continues today and contributes to the garden's reputation as a major center for botanical research. Today the garden contains more than 15,000 species of trees and plants located among streams and lotus ponds. There are 400 types of exceptional palms to be found along the extensive lawns and avenues, helping the gardens create a refuge for more than 50 different varieties of birds and for groups of bats roosting high in the trees. The bats can be easily detected by the noise they make while competing for space under the canopies. The orchid houses contain some 3000 varieties.

Ujung Kulon National Park

Scientists have found evidence of four new Javan rhino calves in Indonesia's Ujung Kulon National Park.










The calves were discovered by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) conservation group in August.
According to the WWF, these are the first known births of Javan rhinos in over three years.









"Javan rhinos are probably the rarest large mammal species in the world and they are on the very brink of extinction," said Arman Malolongan, director general of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation at Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry.
"To discover that this population is breeding, and even slowly growing, gives us hope for the species' future."











Javan rhinos are the rarest of the world's five rhino species and are categorised as critically endangered in the IUCN red List of Threatened Species.
It is estimated that between 28 and 56 Javan rhinos live in Ujung Kulon.
The only other known population is in Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam, where no more than eight rhinos are thought to survive.









The WWF team found the first sign of a calf a few weeks ago, with the discovery of a small footprint (about 16-17 cm) along with a larger footprint belonging to the mother.
One day later, two sets of mother and calf footprints of slightly different size were discovered in different areas.
And the following day, the team found a fourth small footprint in another location.









Because of the distance between the four areas where the discoveries were made and the differences in the size of the footprints, the WWF said there was evidence of four different calves.
"Javan rhinos live deep inside the rainforest and it's very unusual to catch a glimpse of them," said Adhi Rahmat Hariyadi, WWF-Indonesia site manager in Ujung Kulon National Park.
"Our team was lucky to actually be able to observe a mother and calf in the Ujung Kulon Peninsula while checking camera traps installed in the area."

Bromo Mountain Tengger Caldera

Mount Bromo also Gunung Bromo, located in the Tengger Caldera, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. It is an active volcano and part of the Tengger massif, and even though at 2329 meters it is not the highest peak of the massif, it is the most well known.









According to a local folk tale, at the end of the 15th century princess Roro Anteng from the Majapahit Empire started a separate principality together with her husband Joko Seger.









They named it Tengger by the last syllables of their names. The principality did prosper, but the ruling couple failed to conceive children. In their despair they climbed Mount Bromo to pray to the gods, who granted them help, but requested the last child to be sacrificed to the gods.








They had 24 children, and when the 25th and last child Kesuma was born Roro Anteng refused to do the sacrifice as promised. The gods then threatened with fire and brimstone, until she finally did the sacrifice.








After the child was thrown into the crater, the voice of the child ordered the local people to perform an annual ceremony on the volcano, which is not held today.

Prambanan Hindu Temple

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple compound in Indonesia, located in Central Java, approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the 47m high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.

It was built around 850 CE by either Rakai Pikatan, king of the second Mataram dynasty, or Balitung Maha Sambu, during the Sanjaya Dynasty. Not long after its construction, the temple was abandoned and began to deteriorate. Reconstruction of the compound began in 1918. The main building was completed in around 1953.









Much of the original stonework has been stolen and reused at remote construction sites. A temple will only be rebuilt if at least 75% of the original stones are available, and therefore only the foundation walls of most of the smaller shrines are now visible and with no plans for their reconstruction.










The temple was damaged during the earthquake in Java in 2006. Early photos suggest that although the complex appears to be structurally intact, damage is significant.









Large pieces of debris, including carvings, were scattered over the ground. The temple has been closed to the public until damage can be fully assessed. The head of Yogyakarta Archaeological Conservation Agency stated that: "it will take months to identify the precise damage".