Kelimutu Lake, The Three Lakes with Three Difference Colors on The Top of The Volcano

Kelimutu Lake, a beautiful lake in Flores Island, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia. This lake located at the top of the Mount Kelimutu in Kabupaten Ende, Nusa Tenggara Timur. This mountain is an active volcano recorded has been erupted tremendously big and spewed black lava in 1830. In the year of 1869-1870 this mountain erupted with lava and the last eruption was in 1968. According to the type of the eruption this mountain has been spewing lava, gas, and volcanic ash.

The named "Kelimutu" is compounding of two words "Keli" and "Mutu". Keli means mountain and Mutu means boil. It means this mountain can explode so big when erupted. This mountain famous of three lakes with three different color. They are red, blue, and white. And uniquely these colors always changed through the time. What did make Kelimutu Lake can changed their colors with uncertain time? According to the myth every time these lakes changed the color, natural disaster would happen. These lakes have many myth stories.

Kelimutu Lakes

The width of these three lakes is 1.051.000 meter square with water volume 1.200 million meter cubic. The border between the lakes is a sheer wall stone and easy to avalanche. This border or wall is so steep with tilt 70 degrees with elevation around 50 meter to 150 meter. 

Almost a century ago in 1915 a researcher from Netherlands, Van Such Telen  discovered these lakes. The beauty of these lakes became popular and famous after Y. Bouman described these lakes on his writing in 1929. After this, many tourists came to visited these lakes. Since February 26th, 1992, the area of Kelimutu assigned as national nature conservation.  

These three lakes have a folktale. The story begun at the top of the Mount Kelimutu called "Buariya", the named for a forest that always cloudy. Long time ago in this forest lived "Konde Ratu" with her people. There were two respected figures, one is "Ata Polo" the cruel witch who liked to ate human and the other one is "Ata Mbupu" the good witch. Although they were different and opposite, they were friend and bowed to Konde Ratu. 

One day a pair of orphaned children came to Ata Mbupu for protection and Ata Mbupu protected them with one condition, they could not left the field of Ata Mbupu because he was afraid Ata Polo would ate them. But Ata Polo has smelled these two kids when he visited Ata Mbupu's field and he wanted to ate them. Ata Mbupu asked Ata Polo to waited until they grew up to be teen so they would have more meat and more delicious. Ata Polo was agree. 

By time these two kids became teens or "Koo Fai" or young woman and "Nuwa Muri" or young man. They asked Ata Mbupu for a place to hide to avoided Ata Polo for eating them. When they success to escaped to a cave, Ata Polo angry to Ata Mbupu for betrayed him. They were fighting terribly created earthquake and big fire. Ata Mbupu was lose because he was too old.  Ata Mbupu decided to gone inside the earth. Then Ata Polo smelled the cave where those two teens hiding. But Ata Polo died cause the earth swallowed him. And the cave where Koo Fai and Nuwa Muri hiding was broke cause the earthquake and bared them.

After a moment of this accident, the place where Ata Mbupu gone inside the earth created a lake called "Tiwu Ata Mbupu" with blue color. And the place where Ata Polo swallowed created a lake called "Tiwu Ata Polo" with blood color. And the place where Koo Fai and Nuwa Muri hided created a lake called "Tiwu Nawa Muri Koo Fai" with green color. Tiwu means lake. Tiwu Ata Polo believed is the place for the spirits of bad people gathering. Tiwu Ata Mbupu is the place for the spirits of good old people. Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai is the place for the spirits of the young people. The people around these lakes believe anyone who die will gather or stay in these three lakes.

When these lakes changing color, the local people who live near to this lakes give offerings or gifts for the spirits of the people who have die. This ceremony called "Patika" means eating. This ceremony held in a field near to the lakes. The ceremony started with a traditional dance "Tari Gawi" leads by the leader or the head or a figure. And then laying down the offerings or the gifts for the ancestors. The local people who live near this lake is an ethnic called "Lio".

Beside this folk story, these lakes are so beautiful. The lakes and the mountain surrounded with beautiful green forest. Green forest means fresh air. You can enjoy beautiful forest and fresh air. There are also monkeys live in this forest or this mountain. They are funny. And on the top of the mountain near to the lakes there is a spot like a monument for the visitors to enjoy the beauty and the colors of the lakes. This is also a good spot for you if you want to enjoy the sunrise. Combination between the light of the sunrise with the colors of the lakes are really a perfect beauty and a perfect moment.  And if you come when the traditional ceremony is held, you can join the local people, you can dance with them but not modern dance, it's traditional dance. So what do you get from visiting these lakes? You got the mountain, the lakes with three different color, climbing activity, beautiful forest, monkey, tradition, sunrise, and fresh air. Many attractions in one spot. So come and visit these lakes. No other lake like this with three different color.

Ora Beach The Large Crystal in Maluku, Indonesia.

Ora beach or Pantai Ora is a hidden heaven, this is what people said about this beach who have visited this beach. Why they called this beach is a hidden beach? Cause this beach is so beautiful like a heaven and hidden or not many people know this beach and this beach is not crowded. This beach is a beautiful place for relaxing, not many people or seller who will bother you. This beach located in Seram Island, Maluku, Indonesia. It's in the east of Indonesia.

Clean water as clean as the crystal with beautiful corals overlay that is clearly visible from the surface, as well as the color of a romantic sunset on a deserted beach, truly a wonderful location for honeymooners. Coral reefs in the beach are also varied. The colorful of the corals with the colorful of the fishes are a beautiful mix of colors like the rainbow. You can see the fishes swimming from the surface, you do not need to dive or snorkeling. In some places the water are swallow. But diving or snorkeling are also a good thing to do in this beach, not all places are swallow. No shark in this beach and no big wave, this beach is safe for snorkeling even for a newbie who never did snorkeling before. Or you can rent a small boat to enjoy the corals from the surface.

Ora Beach

Not only the clean water, Ora Beach has a very beautiful blue sky, it's like a big blue umbrella shade a large crystal. By late afternoon, the sky turning orange with purplish tinge that adds a romantic impression. At the night time, stars studded at the sky make more beauty in Ora Beach. Beautiful sunrise and sunset with quiet moment are very beautiful thing to enjoy in this beach. You can enjoy the sunrise and the sunset while swimming in this beach. Indonesia is a tropical country, we have a hot weather, swimming in a hot weather is very fresh and perfect, you even can swim in the beach when the night. The isolated location or remote place that is far from the crowded, city, people, noisy, etc, makes this beach is a perfect place for people who are searching for serenity or calmness. Especially for the new couples who are searching for a romantic place and beautiful and quiet for honeymoon, this beach is a perfect place for you.

I suggest you to stay a night first in Sleman because when the morning is the best time to cross to the beach, you will see incredible views, a beautiful quite bay, and high mountains behind the beach. These mountains look like the buffers of Ora Beach. Crossing the beach in the morning is a good moment for the people who visit this beach for the first time.

There are three places for you to stay in this beach. They are Ora Resort, Kaka Tua Resort, and homestay in village Sleman. Ora Resort is the most famous. There is no land way to get to the Ora Resort, this resort built in the sea or in the beach. You can go by boat to this resort. The resort is like some small houses made from woods with the roof made from straw. It's like a traditional house of Malulu people. To stay in Ora Resort you need to pay about $100 per night. One house maximum for three people.

If yo want to visit this beach, you need to fly to the airport Bandara Internasional Pattimura, Ambon, Maluku. It's a long way from the airport to visit this beach, as I said before this beach is isolated. There are some travel agents who can serve you to this beach, who can take you from the airport to this beach and serve you with some attractions to do in this beach. Or you can go by your own

Living With The Nature With Mentawai People

Mentawai is an ethnic in Indonesia who lives in the islands Mentawai in West Sumatera Province, Indonesia. This ethnic lives in the jungle or forest with traditional life style. They live without electricity, no car, no restaurant, no smartphone, no internet, or no hotel, and no modern clothes. You can just see houses with woods and people with traditional clothes. If you want to escape from the noisy of the city, visiting this ethnic is a good idea. It's like your are visiting an island with no modern civilization. You will only hear the sound of the birds and seeing the trees.

Mentawai people are kind people. They like to see new people, they are kind to the foreigners. They cannot speak Bahasa Indonesia or English. It will be good if you bring an interpreter if you want to communicate with this people to know how they live and to join them in their routine life. Mostly they live by hunting in the jungle and searching the fish in the river. The men hunting in the forest and the women searching the fish in the river. They do not know farming at all, they do not to grow anything for their life. They only rely to the nature, they only rely their life to what the nature can give to them. If you visit or traveling to this people and join how the live, it's like you live with the nature. You can enjoy hunting in the forest in the real which you cannot have in the city. You can enjoy searching the fish in the river in the wild life which also you cannot have in the city. 

Mentawai man

If you want to stay with them you should wear their clothes. They wear their traditional clothes and their clothes are so minim. For the men they wear cawat made from tree's bark, cawat is like an underwear for the men. The men also wear beads necklace, beads bracelet, and a headband. And for the women, they do not wear a bra, they wear a fabric skirt, accessories from the beads, and a headband. For the girls you can follow their rule to not wear a bra but if you won't you can wear a tshirt or whatever you want. Their house is called "umai", made from woods from a tree "koko". Their house is stilts house with wood floor. You will look like a prince and a princess from the jungle with wood palace.

For the welcoming ceremony they usually perform a traditional dance with traditional music.You can follow their dance, you can dance with them. Their dance is also close to the nature, their dancing's movements are the movements of the nature like the movement of the animal like a bird who flies in the sky.

Hunting with them is not hunting like on the films or on the TV but true hunting with no modern tools like gun or rifle. You can only use traditional hunting tools like arrow, spear, and knife or blade. It's not modern arrow but traditional arrow from the wood. They use poison from the plants on their arrow so once you shoot it to your prey, they cannot get away. This is an interesting thing you can do which you cannot found in the city. And searching fish in the river in the jungle with no modern tools is also a way to live with the nature. This is an interesting activity to do, the river is clean, you can catch the fish and have fun by swimming in the clear river. Swimming in the clean river in the forest is so relaxing, the water is so fresh. 

And for you tattoo lover, who do you think the founder on the tattoo in this world? Who do you think the discover of the tattoo? I guess you will say Egyptian, but you are wrong, mentawai people are the founder of the tattoo, they are the oldest nation with tattoos. Tattoo is one of their tradition until now, every men and women should have tattoos. Tattoo for them is not a style or a fashion but it's the symbol of their relationship with the nature. Their tattoo's motifs are usually leafs, wind, and waves of the sea. They use traditional tools and traditional ink. They use the bone of the animal as the needle and they use plants and charcoal as the ink. They are a skillful tattoo maker. You can ask them to make you a tattoo if you want. One tattoo from them is an unforgettable memory from them and from the nature.

And when the night there are only moon and the stars in the sky as your light and the fire, for some people maybe this is a romantic night. Mentawai people live bound with their tradition, living with them make you feel like living in the old time, isolated, and untouched by the modern civilization. They keep their tradition and their way of live until now, we should proud of them. Mentawai people believe ruin the forest same like they ruin their life. They believe that all living things like the animal and the trees have a soul. This believe called "arak sagulungan".

Where you can live without smartphone, social medias, internet, TV, cars, noisy people, and many other modern things? Where you can live with the real nature? The answer is mentawai people.

Nasi Goreng, Fried Rice from Indonesia

Nasi Goreng is one of the popular street culinary in Indonesia. Anywhere in Indonesia you can find this food. Almost in all streets in the cities in Indonesia you will find this food. Each place or each city has their own taste, has their own recipe, nasi goreng has thousands different taste. This food is also cheap, you can eat this food only with 1$. Easy to find and cheap. All Indonesian people love this food. If you came to Indonesia but didn't eat this food, you were not truly have been in Indonesia. 

Nasi goreng with egg

Almost all restaurants in Indonesia serve this food. You can eat this food as a breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This food is good to eat in any time. You can eat this food with sweet tea or juice, these are the best drinks to drink with this food. Coffee and alcohol are not a good idea to drink with this food. Eating this food with kerupuk will be more tasty. Anyone of you knows kerupuk? On Google Translate kerupuk is crackers. I think crackers and kerupuk are different. They are just crispy or crack. The taste and texture are different. Usually kerupuk is salty. Indonesan people like salty food. Nasi goreng has sweet taste, salty food is good to eat with sweet food. That's why kerupuk is nice to eat with nasi goreng.

Rice is the main food in Indonesia. Fried rice and egg are the basic recipe of this food. You just need to fried the rice with onion, chili, garlic, ketchup, and egg. Simple and easy, if you want to cook by yourself, maybe if you miss this food and miss Indonesia, you just need to fried this rice and your longing to Indonesia will be fulfilled. One plate of nasi goreng can full your stomach with Indonesian taste

Not only the beautiful nature you can enjoy in Indonesia but also the tasty foods. For culinary travelers our country is also the best to visit.  Enjoying the beautiful view and eating nasi goreng are a perfect combination. For Muslim travelers, nasi goreng is a halal food. And for travelers who like spicy foods this cuisine is also tasty to ate with spicy taste. So what do you wait? Come and enjoy this food.

Candi Prambanan a Temple Built by The Demons

Candi Prambanan is a temple of Hinduism, it means this temple is a holy place, just like church for Christian or mosque for the Muslim. It's a place for worship for the God. But what is unique from this temple is this temple is build by the demons according to the legend and the folk story. Can you imagine if a church or a mosque built by demons? It sounds funny, isn't it? How can the demons built a holy place for the demons?

And this is the answer for that question. Long time ago there was a very beautiful princess, Roro Jonggrang. There was a prince, Bandung Bondowoso who wanted to married her but Roro Jonggrang hated this prince because this Bandung Bondowoso killed her father. She made a condition to that price to built her 1000 temples in a single night. And Bandung Bondowoso was agree. Then Bandung Bandowoso asked the demons to built that temples and the demons built that temples. But unfortunately the demons were failed, they could built 999 temples. This is why this temples were built by the demons. This is according to the legend or folk story.

Candi Prambanan

But according to the history this temple was build by a Kingdom Sanjaya by a King Rakai Pikatan in 850 M. This temple was built as the counter of the Candi Borudur a Buddhist temple. Hinduism and Buddhist were the biggest religions in Indonesia at that time. According to inscription Siwagrha, Candi Prambanan is a temple to honor Shiva. There are three biggest temples on Candi Prambanan, they are Brahma's temple, Vishnu's temple, and Shiva's temple. Shiva's temple is the biggest temple.

The temple compound, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia, and one of the biggest in Southeast Asia. It is characterized by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the towering 47-metre-high (154 ft) central building inside a large complex of individual temples. Prambanan attracts many visitors from around the world.

You can see a beautiful architect on this temple, many beautiful reliefs, and many beautiful statues, and all of them are ancient. You cannot see architect like this in Europe, America, Australia, and Africa. People who love historical traveling, who love Asian, and who love Hinduism should visit this place. I think there are not many people are Hinduism now in this world. You can see that long time ago Hinduism was a big religion from this great temple.

There are many stories written or carved on the walls of the temples. It likes you are reading a story on the big wall stone book with pictures. Maybe it was a cinema or a theater long time ago. You will see the story of  Ramayana and Krishnayana, Lokapala, Brahmana, and Dewata, Panil Prambanan: Singa and Kalpataru. These stories carved with beautiful pictures, beautiful art. It just like you are watching some films in the cinema. You will see great history and amazing arts on this temple. You can touch the carved with your hands to feel how is the true art and you can feel the story goes on your hands.

This temple is located in Kecamatan Prambanan, Sleman and Kecamatan Prambanan, Klaten, about 17 km from Yogya. While you are traveling in Yogyakarta you can visit this great temple only by walking some minutes.

Mount Bromo, The Mount of The God

There are so many mountains in this world, in the land and in the sea. Indonesia blessed with many mountains, I think mountain is a bless cause mountains are always beautiful, beautiful view, fresh air, fertile soil, fresh water, etc. Mount Bromo is not only physically beautiful but this mountain has a story, the story of The God. The God chooses this mountain. I will tell you the story of this mountain but let me tell you where this God's mountain located.

Mount Bromo located in Jawa Island in province Jawa Timur or East Jawa in Indonesia. This mountain lies in four regencies, they are Kabupaten Probolinggo, Kabupaten Pasuruan, Kabupaten Lumajang, dan Kabupaten Malang. If you want to visit this mountain, there is an airport in Jawa Timur, Bandara Udara Juanda in Surabaya. You can fly from Jakarta or Bali to this airport. You can fly by AirAsia, AirAsia is a low fare airline, you can check or book the tickets on AirAsia's website. After you arrive in Surabaya you can search the bus terminal Bungarasih and take a bus from this terminal to Probolinggo, it takes about 3 hours. From Probolinggo you should take a public transportation to the village Desa Sukapura. And from Desa Sukapura you need to rent a jeep to travel to Mount Bromo. Or if you like to walk, you can walk from Desa Sukapura to this mountain. 

Mount Bromo

To enter this mountain you need to pay a ticket, one ticket for foreigner cost about $9. You need to bring a mask cause it's windy and dusty in this mountain and there is a little desert in this mountain. And you need a jacket, it's a little bit cold in this mountain, 

Now I will tell you the story about this mountain. Bromo means Brahma, Brahma is one of the main Gods of Hindu. A wife of a Brahmana (a priest of Hinduism) was giving birth in a meditating, her son's name is Joko Seger. And there was a beautiful girl Raya Anteng. They were in love and had a relationship. A powerful man Bajak proposed Raya Anteng to be his wife, Raya Anteng didn't love Bajak and she asked Bajak to made a sea in the top of the mount Bromo so he could married her. But he was failed and Raya Anteng married Joko Seger. Why this mountain called Mount Bromo cause Joko Seger's father is a Brahmana and he was born when Brahmana was meditating to Brahma in Mount Bromo. There are some attractions in Mount Bromo.

1. Crater of Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo is an active volcano mountain. You can rent a horse to the top of this mountain to see the crater of this mountain. Or you can walk by the stairs, there is a stair built to climb to the top of this mountain. This stair consists of 250 steps, it needs about 2,5 hours by walk. This mountain height is 2.329 meter above sea level. The crater or the cauldron has diameter ± 800 meter (north-south) and  ± 600 meter (east-west). 

2. Teletubies Hills

This mountain surrounded by line of hills. These hills are savanna, you will see green grasses around these hills. Green view can make you feel fresh when you are in this mountain. If you see this mountain from the distance it's like a painting of a mountain surrounded with green color and hills.

3. Pasir Berbisik Gunung Bromo

In English language Pasir Berbisik means is whisper sand. Why is it called whisper sand? Cause when you are standing on this sand you will hear the sound of the wind and the sand whispering to you. Wind flows a little fast in here. This sand is like a sea of black sand. This desert is the valley of this mountain around the caldera of this mountain.

There is annually event every of local people who live in this mountain. This event held in month Kasada on day 14th. This event is to celebrate the sacrificed of the youngest child of Joko Seger and Raya Anteng. Joko Seger sacrificed his youngest child to the caldera of this mountain.

This mountain is historical and beautiful, I think Brahma is agree with me. He is proud his name is the name of this beautiful mountain. You can ride a horse, drive a jeep, and drive a motocross, you can do fun sport and enjoy this beautiful mountain. You can enjoy beautiful sun rise on the top of this mountain. And it's not difficult to visit this mountain, transportation is easy and there is a stair built to the top of the mountain. Come and enjoy this mountain of the God.

Komodo, The Dragon From Indonesia

Komodo Dragon is a relict animal that only exist in Indonesia. This animal lives in Komodo Island in province Nusa Tenggara Timur. The island is very small but it's very beautiful. There are no cities and not many people live there. In this island you can find only some sunny beaches and wonderful nature. The name of the island is the same with the name of this dragon Komodo cause it is the habitat of this animal and the only place in the world where you can find it.  Why is this animal called dragon? Cause this animal has long tale, long tongue, and has legs with sharp nails like a dragon. But has no fire like in the movie:).

A komodo success chasing a goat

If you want to see this relict Dragon you have to go to Komodo Island. And how to go to Komodo Island? Komodo Island is near to Bali. You can take a flight from Denpasar, Bali to Labuan Bajo, you can check the flight on this site Traveloka if you want. Or you can go by ferry, you can go from the port Pelabuhan Benoa, Bali to Labuan Bajo, by ferry it takes about 8 hours, you can go by PELNI's ferry. PELNI is a state public transportation. If you want to purchase or to check the PELNI's ticket go to this site PELNI. You can stay in Labuan Bajo for a while to rest if you want. 

There are two habitats of Komodo Dragon, one is Loh Liang (in Komodo Island) and the other one is Loh Buaya(in Rica Island), you can see Komodo Dragon on these habitats, you just need to choose one, maybe the cheaper cost. You just need to go the street Jalan Soekarno Hatta in Labuan Bajo to search some travel agents for the trip to the Komodo Dragon's habitat. You need to rent a boat from Labuan Bajo to go to the habitat of the Komodo Dragon, it needs about 4 hours to arrive on the Komodo Dragon's habitat from Labuan Bajo. On the way from Labuan Bajo to the Komodo Island you will see exotic view, line of beautiful hills like the view on the film Lord of The Ring.

And after 4 hours you will arrive in Long Liang or Loh Buaya. You will see the relic animal that only live in this island in Indonesia, no where else in the world. This animal is like a giant lizard or giant iguana. This animal weight is around 75 kg with long 2.59 m (8.5 ft). This animal is poisonous with sharp teeth, the saliva of this animal contains a variety of highly septic bacteria. So you have to be super careful. Don't stand to close to this animal and don't make them angry. They are a fast runner, if you make them angry they will recognized you and chase you until they can bite you they will not stop. You are lucky this dragon cannot fly. So be careful, don't make the dragon angry, don't go by yourself, you have to go with the guide.

This animal is carnivorous. You will see this animal walking around on this island, they are free, not in the shelters or cages, it feels like you are in the Jurassic Park island. This animal is ancient as ancient as the dinosaur. This animal has a long tale, long tongue like snake, and can swim, a swimmer dragon. You can swim with this animal if you want but it's not a good idea I think, hahaha.. A young Komodo Dragon can climb the tree and sleep in the branch of the tree. This animal eat once a month. This animal is deaf, they use their tongue to feel. This animal is like a monster from the old time. Scary look without any editing or any effect. It likes you travel through the time back to the age of the dinosaur age with time machine and discover the dragons in a small island. Not only this beautiful and scary animal you can see, you can also see a beautiful nature, very natural island with some beautiful beaches. Come and see this dragon:), this dragon only exist in here in Indonesia, no where else where you can see a dragon.