Archive for August, 2007
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Surabaya city in East Java province by ways of the Surabaya Tourism Promotion Board (STPB) has joined the Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities (TPO), which covers various cities in the Asia and Pacific region, and a membership of 56 cities in 12 countries
The countries including Malaysia, Japan, China, the Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, America, and Russia, Executive Director of STPB Yusak Anshori said in a press release sent from Guangzhou, China on Thursday.
Anshori said that the global tourism market continued to grow while Asia and the Pacific had become one of the most attractive tourist destinations.
Joining the TPO would strengthen Indonesia`s tourism network, Surabaya in particular, so that the East Java provincial capital would become more popular to the outside world.
“Joining the TPO would increase the opportunity to lure investors in the tourism sector,” said Yusak, who is also Deputy Marketing Director of Prime Plaza Hotel & Resort.
He also said that after joining the TPO, the STPB had a chance to attend the 3rd TPO General Assembly in Guangzhou attended by representatives of tourism organizations in Asia and the Pacific as members of the organization.
The meeting discussed efforts of increasing the number of foreign tourists by issuing TPO traveller`s cards which covered all the TPO members, in addition to the exchange program for students as long-term tourism investment, joint overseas marketing, and development of the routes of cruise ships to all cities of TPO member countries.
TPO was founded on August 31, 2002, and its presidency is currently held by the mayor of Busan, Korea, Nam Sik Hur, and his deputy is mayor of Fukuoka, Japan, Hiroshi Yoshida.
The organization is aimed at tourist information exchange, joint marketing and promotion, development and promoting tourist products, development of human resources, research on tourism and tourism statistics management. (*)
Source: http://www.antara.co.id/en/
August 31st, 2007
The Associated Press Published: August 29, 2007
An Indonesian cave used for meditation by Buddhist priests in the 12th century contains previously undiscovered sculptures depicting the spiritual journey of Buddha, a religious leader said Wednesday.
The sprawling cave — a reminder of the rich Buddhist past in the world’s most populous Muslim nation — was discovered more than two decades ago near Jireg village in East Java province.
But it had never been thoroughly explored because of its remote and difficult-to-reach location, said Dhamma Subho Mahathera of Shangha Theravada Indonesia — the country’s largest Buddhist organization — who visited the site on Aug. 12.
“As far as I know it is the only Buddhist cave in the world for meditation of Buddhist priests,” Mahathera said. “There are reliefs representing four levels of meditations, from Sutatana to Arahata.”
The sculptures include depictions of an elephant, cow, monkey, and a lotus — Buddhism’s symbol of peace.
Indonesia also has the Borobudur temple complex in Central Java built more than 1,100 years ago — three centuries before the arrival of Islam — as a shrine to Buddha and a place for pilgrimages. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the 1980s.
Mahathera said Buddhist caves have also been discovered in India and Sri Lanka, but those did not have reliefs depicting the stages of Buddhist meditation.
Gautama Siddhartha was born in southwestern Nepal around 500 B.C. and later became revered as the Buddha.
Buddhism teaches that right thinking and self-control through meditation can enable people to achieve nirvana — a divine state of peace and release from desire. Buddhism has about 325 million followers, mostly in Asia.
Source: http://www.iht.com/
August 31st, 2007
Surabaya - Pemprop Jatim bertekad menjadikan Surabaya sebagai pusat perhiasan dunia. Pasalnya, selain sebagai penghasil perhiasan terbanyak, pengusaha emas di kota ini selalu mengadakan pameran perhiasan emas sejak beberapa tahun terakhir.
“Surabaya sudah dikenal sebagai pusat perhiasan emas dunia. Kami bertekad merealisasikannya,” ujar Kadisperindag Jatim, Cipto Budiono, Rabu (29/08/2007).
Setiap tahun, produksi mutiara Indonesia mencapai empat ton. Dari jumlah itu, 90 persen dieskpor ke berbagai negara besar seperti ke Uni Eropa (UE), Amerika Serikat (AS), Jepang, Singapura dan Hongkong. Sementara sebagian produksi lainnya juga dipasarkan di kawasan dalam negeri.
Sejauh ini minat masyarakat Surabaya terhadap perhiasan sangat tinggi, terutama dari kalangan menengah atas. Bahkan ada yang berbelanja hingga ke negara tetangga. Mengingat kondisi ini, pihaknya berupaya menjaring masyarakat, baik masyarakat Surabaya maupun dari daerah lain, agar berbelanja perhiasan di kota ini.
“Selain itu, ekspor perhiasan juga terus kami giatkan untuk meningkatkan masuknya devisa dari ekspor perhiasan,” urainya. (bro,bj0)
Source: http://www.beritajatim.com/
August 30th, 2007
Surabaya - Sebanyak 148 orang calon Cak dan Ning Surabaya mengikuti rangkaian tes hari pertama di Gedung PDAM Jalan Prof. dr Moestopo Surabaya. Calon Cak dan Ning surabaya tersebut terdiri dari 62 peserta cak dan 86 peserta ning. Hari pertama tes tersebut diisi dengan performa, mereka menunjukkan kebolehan dan kelebihan yang mereka miliki, di bawah penilaian tim juri yang terdiri dari Widiarto Cak tahun 2005 dan Popy Ning tahun 2004.
Berbagai macam kebolehan yang dimiliki peserta antara lain akting bernyanyi dan menari. Lukman salah satu peserta menunjukan kebolehannya yang tidak dimiliki oleh peserta lainya, yakni bernyanyi keroncong.
Menurut Ivansyah yang saat itu menjadi pengawas mengatakan tes kali ini akan menjaring semua peserta menjadi 40 pasangan Cak dan Ning. “Ini masih tahap pertama, nanti akan ada tahap selanjutnya,” ujarnya.[rif/gus]
Source: http://www.beritajatim.com/
August 29th, 2007
Selasa, 28 Agt 2007,
Oleh Arif Pribadi
Surabaya dengan statusnya sebagai Kota Pahlawan memang sudah lengkap dengan masih tersisanya sejumlah bangunan cagar budaya dan berdirinya monumen perjuangan di beberapa lokasi. Dinas Kebersihan dan Pertamanan Pemerintah Kota Surabaya mencatat, setidaknya ada 26 monumen berdiri kukuh di kota ini. Namun sayang, jumlah yang cukup besar itu tidak memiliki arti apa pun bagi kemajuan Surabaya.
Sebenarnya, apa arti sebuah monumen? Dalam istilah Jerman, monumen atau denkmal secara harfiah memiliki fungsi utama sebagai sebuah simbol dalam ruang publik yang mengajak orang berpikir (denken) dan memberikan petunjuk-petunjuk kepada jejak sejarah. Berdirinya suatu monumen diharapkan mampu mendorong para pengunjung untuk merefleksikan peristiwa sejarah menjadi motivasi di kehidupan sehari-hari (Goethe Institute).
Merujuk pada definisi itu, jika pemkot cukup jeli memanfaatkan peluang, berdirinya simbol-simbol perjuangan tersebut bisa mendatangkan dua manfaat. Pertama, sebagai sumbangsih sejarah dalam kurikulum pendidikan berbasis kompetensi. Kedua, membangkitkan pariwisata Surabaya yang belum menemukan jati dirinya.
Monumen dan Pendidikan
Sebagai saksi bisu perjuangan, monumen dibangun atas dasar penghormatan terhadap jasa-jasa para pahlawan yang berjuang pada masanya. Struktur bangunan monumen biasanya khas dan cenderung sama, yakni sebuah kolase yang menggambarkan kejadian peperangan saat itu. Struktur bangunannya hampir sama dengan candi-candi yang dibangun pada zaman Majapahit.
Penggambaran simbolis itu bisa dijadikan bahan dalam mata pelajaran sejarah. Para pendidik bisa memanfaatkan Sabtu (atau Minggu) untuk mengajak para siswa mengunjungi monumen-monumen perjuangan tersebut. Setidaknya, selain memahami sejarah nasional, para siswa (di Surabaya) memahami sejarah kotanya. Mereka tidak perlu sekaligus mengunjungi ke-26 monumen yang ada, tapi bisa dibagi berdasar kedekatan lokasinya.
Monumen dan Pariwisata
Surabaya sebagai kota transit hingga sekarang dianggap belum mampu menjadi tempat tujuan wisata utama bagi wisatawan domestik maupun asing. Padahal, sejak Surabaya Tourism and Promotion Board (STPB) dicanangkan pemerintah pada Mei 2005, pemkot terus berupaya menggali potensi wisata di Surabaya. Sebagai Kota Pahlawan, mestinya Surabaya tidak kehilangan “jati diri”-nya. Tentu pemkot bisa mendeskripsikan sebutan Kota Pahlawan dengan mengelola cagar budaya dan monumen perjuangan. Sebab, menjadikan monumen sebagai daya tarik pariwisata sudah dilakukan berbagai negara.
Tembok Berlin, Jerman, bisa jadi merupakan simbol tragedi kemanusiaan yang membagi Kota Berlin menjadi dua, Berlin Barat dan Timur, yang dibangun semasa perang dingin. Tembok itu telah memakan banyak korban, warga kedua negara yang bermaksud menyeberang. Kini setelah Tembok Berlin runtuh dan menyatukan kota dan masyarakat Berlin, beberapa bagian temboknya sengaja dibiarkan sebagai saksi sejarah dan monumen tragedi kemanusiaan yang patut dikenang umat manusia di bumi ini.
Contoh lain, Ground Zero 9/11 di Amerika. Meski lampu sorot yang menembus langit hanya menyala setahun sekali saat peringatan 11 September berlangsung, puing-puing reruntuhan dan foto-foto para korban keganasan teroris yang terpampang di Ground Zero tetap memiliki nilai jual tinggi bagi wisata internasional.
Lalu, bagaimana Surabaya? Pemkot bisa memulainya dengan mengelola sebuah paket perjalanan wisata seperti “Refleksi Perjuangan Arek-Arek Suroboyo” mengingat kota ini dikenal dengan para pejuangnya yang gigih melawan penjajah. Jadi, peristiwa perobekan bendera di Hotel Yamato (Hotel Majapahit) sampai terbunuhnya Jenderal Mallaby bukan cuma dinikmati melalui diorama di dalam Tugu Pahlawan. Tapi, semua peristiwa sejarah itu diwujudkan dalam sebuah paket perjalanan wisata.
Menjadikan 26 monumen perjuangan sebagai salah satu daya tarik wisata mungkin tidaklah terlalu sulit. Sebab, kenangan yang menyertainya tidak semata-mata milik warga Surabaya, tetapi sudah mendunia menjadi milik orang Belanda, Jepang, sampai Inggris. Tidaklah juga terlalu sulit untuk “menawarkan” objek-objek itu kepada turis, asalkan ada fokus pengelolaan dari Pemkot Surabaya. Bukankah dengan mendatangkan wisatawan ke kota ini, otomatis pemkot mendapat pemasukan untuk memelihara monumen-monumen tersebut? Datangnya wisatawan sama juga dengan bertiupnya angin segar bagi sejarah perjuangan kota ini. (*)
Arif Pribadi
Penyiar Radio Mercury Surabaya
Source: http://www.jawapos.co.id/
August 28th, 2007
Duncan Graham, Contributor, Bromo, East Java
Visiting Mount Bromo, East Java’s premier tourist attraction, is soon to get a little easier and more comfortable — though only because a banker found facilities a disgrace.
Mount Bromo, the huge cone squatting like a boiling pot in a 10-kilometer wide “sand sea” of lava is a big money-spinner for locals and the government. It’s part of the 50,000-hectare Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park — a must-see destination.
According to official statistics, last year 65,000 people made the trek. About 25 per cent were overseas visitors, mainly from Europe, Malaysia and Japan.
The standard way to get there is to drive east from Surabaya for about three hours toward Probolinggo along the coast road, and then turn south.
At the villages of Ngadisari and Cemorolawang the hotels and guesthouses are set for pre-dawn trips in four-wheel-drive vehicles. These are organized to view the sunrise from a lookout at Puncak Penanjakan, 2,770 meters above sea level — and almost 400 meters above sulfur-smoking Bromo.
It would be ideal to add the adjective “clear” to the description above, but the truth is the chances of the vision splendid aren’t always that good, particularly during the wet season.
Fickle weather, clouds, rain and mist cannot be avoided — but the press of people, defective crowd management, the rubbish and graffiti-strewn lookout — these could all be controlled.
What should be a pleasant experience sometimes becomes an ordeal. Deliberately lit fires in the dry season obscure the view and set watchers choking as the smoke billows upwards.
Sigit Pramono, president director of Bank Negara Indonesia, followed the sunrise ritual last year, and found it wanting.
“I’m a keen photographer and I’ve seen many fine places overseas,” he told The Jakarta Post. “I think the Bromo-Tengger area is one of the most beautiful in the world.
“But the problems are the conditions — they’re very bad. So is tourism management.”
So he persuaded the bank to donate Rp 10 billion (US $1.14 million) to upgrade facilities at the lookout. Improvements include a new parking area, a better sightseeing platform, toilets and a general cleanup. Work is now under way and should be finished before the end of August.
“It took time to get through the bureaucracy even though we’re donating the money,” Sigit said. “The Tengger people need a quality tourist industry to supplement their agricultural economy.
“I hope what we’re doing will be an example of what can be done, and encourage others to help improve tourism. There should also be a book of photographs published to spread the word about this lovely place.”
However, the other curse of Indonesian tourism — rip-offs of unsuspecting visitors — look set to continue reinforcing the sweat-stained travelers’ credo: Do your own research.
For example there’s a much more interesting legal route into the national park than the heavily promoted northern access. The way in from the southwest offers tourists an opportunity to see people and places that have not yet been corrupted by commercialism.
This road turns east at Purwodadi (half-way on the highway between Surabaya and Malang), and then wends up the hill to the vegetable and dairy town of Nongkojajar. Many of the udderful Friesians you’ll see cudding by the kerb are from Australia.
There’s also another slow and pleasant back way into the park from Malang through Pakis and into Nongkojajar that’s a grand eye-filler. Few outsiders use this sealed road.
Apart from the opportunity to see rural life up close, there’s every chance of catching fairs and weddings, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays. These are staged by the locals and therefore the real thing.
From then on the journey through Tosari to the park entrance at Wonokitri and beyond is a knockout wonder.
For those who want to take it slowly there are low-cost losmen (inns) and a two-star hotel in Tosari with prices starting at Rp 375,000 a night.
Otherwise you can go there and back (from Malang) in a day.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/
August 28th, 2007
The road running along the hill in Jireg village, Bondowoso, East Java, is deserted. Once in a while, a motorbike breaks the silence.
In this arid and rocky area far from the noise of the island’s cities, is a cave containing what could be some of the most important carvings in Indonesia.
Indonesia’s Theravada Buddhists believe the cave, known locally as Gowa Buto, “giant” in Madurese, contains the reliefs in the cave, which depict Buddha’s journey, are the most complete set in the world.
But its remote location has meant it has remained relatively unknown.
The cave is located on a hilly area east of Bondowoso regency, on a section of the damaged road to Situbondo regency, East Java, some 250 km from provincial capital Surabaya.
It can be reached only by car or motorbike, along 30 km of steep and winding road from Cermee district to Jireg village through the Sengon and teakwood forests.
On arrival in Jireg, an impoverished village inhabited by 116 families, the journey continues by foot downhill at a 70-degree slope, along a path of limestone and through tall grass, before arriving at the location. The cave is situated on a steep cliff, covered by an old Sengon tree.
The cave’s reliefs are in three sections, each around 100 meters apart. A relief of a giant’s head, or buto, is found on the ceiling of the first cave, which is situated on the right side of the path. The second and third sites are located on the left side of the path. Engravings depicting a holy place, buffalo and lotuses are found in the second cave.
Further inside, under a relief of the holy place, lies a spring. Both locations are littered with flowers and offerings, remnants from rituals carried out there.
“The cave is the only one in the world,” said senior council head of Shangha Theravada Indonesia, Dhamma Subho Mahathera, in Surabaya on Aug. 13. Discovered in the 1980s, the historical site is believed to be more than 800 years old.
Bondowoso is one of the areas in East Java which is rich in archeological remains. Based on data at the Center for Archeological Conservation and Heritage (BPPP) in Trowulan, there around 822 archeological remains have been found in the regency, such as stone chairs, sarcophagi, statues and caves.
The local regency, however, has done little to conserve the area’s historical remains.
The Gua Buto, for example is only guarded by a Jireg villager, Misraya, 47. Misraya, who only finished elementary school, replaced his father-in-law, Sumarto, who watched the site previously. Misraya, who also cleans the cave, receives a monthly salary of only Rp 280,000 (approximately US$31.00).
Misraya said he was unfamiliar with the history of the cave. “I don’t know its history. I only work to clean up the place,” he said. He said Chinese-Indonesian Buddhists often came there to pray.
Another Jireg resident, Nisin, 40, who lives around 200 meters from the cave agreed, saying that groups came at least once a month to clean the area and pray.
“They usually drop by at the village to chat with the villagers,” said Nisin.
Nisin said Gua Buto had been in better condition several years ago and that there used to be several statues in the cave. “But they vanished gradually. I remembered there were many statues in the cave. Whether they were stolen … I don’t know,” he said.
The site is also overgrown and some of the reliefs are beginning to deteriorate through corrosion and damage from the roots of a large tree.
Head of the Maitreya Foundation Buddhist temple in Bondowoso Yenny expressed concern over the neglected state of the cave. She said local authorities and related agencies should have publicized the discoveries in the area and protected archeological finds.
“According to our faith, there must be a intention behind the creation of a holy place,” Yenny said.
She said she had only learned of the cave in the last week, and that the 1,500 Buddhists in Bondowoso probably did not know about it.
“If it’s an archeological finding, the public should have been informed,” she said.
Source: The Jakarta Post
August 28th, 2007
SURABAYA - Mulai kemarin hingga besok (25/8), PT HM Sampoerna dan klub pencinta alam Siklus ITS mengadakan kompetisi SAR tingkat nasional. Kegiatan itu dilangsungkan di dam Rolak Gunungsari.
Dua kegiatan dilombakan. Yang pertama adalah boat race and rescue competition. Kegiatan itu berupa lomba dayung dan teknis penyelamatan terhadap korban bencana secara berkelompok.
Kegiatan tersebut diikuti sekitar 30 peserta yang terbagi dalam dua kategori. Yakni mahasiswa atau pelajar dan umum. “Di sini, masing-masing kelompok diuji ketangkasan dan kekompakannya dalam mendayung maupun menjadi penyelamat,” kata public relation associate PT HM Sampoerna Don Rozano.
Selain itu, ada lomba prusik competition. Kegiatan itu diikuti sekitar 100 peserta yang terbagi dalam dua kategori, putra dan putri. “Modelnya mirip dengan boat and race. Cuma ini dilakukan perorangan,” lanjutnya.
Don menjelaskan, kegiatan tersebut bukan hanya sebagai ajang perlombaan biasa. Tapi, diharapkan kegiatan itu juga bisa menjadi mengasah kemampuan, serta melatih kesiapan dalam penanggulangan bencana. (ris)
Source: http://www.jawapos.co.id/
August 24th, 2007
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Despite the current popularity of plywood, vinyl and plastic furniture, for some people nothing beats natural wood.
Woodworkers in Pondok, Bambu, East Jakarta, have many years of experience of creating custom-made furniture in solid teak.
“The older teak furniture gets, the prettier it is. So I’m optimistic this business will go on,” said Syarifuddien, who has been in the industry for 14 years.
He did say, however, business was better before the 1997 economic crisis.
“The rupiah remains weak against other currencies,” Syarif, 31, said last week.
Ten years ago, US$1 was equivalent to about Rp 4,650 but now it is more than Rp 9,000.
Firda, 36, who was hanging out in her father’s shop quoted him as saying: “We sit more than we sell now”.
Firda said her father had started in the business 20 years ago, previously employing 20 workers. Now there are just three.
Syarif, the owner of furniture shop Alia Paris, said he had once had 17 staff but was down to five.
Keeping customers loyal is the important thing, he said.
“Honesty is the key. If we can make our customers trust us, they will return to buy our goods in three or four years time,” said Syarif, the eldest of eight siblings. His father had been a tire repairman before switching to woodwork in 1994.
“The customers’ relatives and neighbors will also come to us,” Syarif said.
“I like to tell customers right from the start that I only use teak from West Java and Lampung,” he said, adding that some woodworkers and salesmen lied about the wood’s origin.
Customer satisfaction, he said, was important. Therefore his furniture is hand-crafted to customers’ specific requirements.
“Whether it’s an antique, ethnic or minimalist look they are after, we are ready to make it.”
Syarif produces 90 percent of his furniture in his 360 square-meter showroom and workshop, while the bulk of the work on the remaining 10 percent is completed in Jepara, Central Java.
Teak is often rated according to its origin. The best teak is said to come from East and Central Java.
“It’s harder and more expensive to get materials from East Java,” Syarif said.
He cited as an example that a wardrobe made from teak from Lampung might cost Rp 2.3 million, while for a wardrobe made from teak from East Java a customer would be looking at paying more like Rp 10 million.
According to Ibu H. Abdullah, 51, who has been in the business for almost 30 years, prices range from Rp 500,000 per cubic meter for teak from Lampung to Rp 12 million per cubic meter for teak from East Java.
She said her loyal customers were from places outside Java, like Pontianak, West Kalimantan, as well as abroad, including Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
“All of them are traders who sell the furniture in their own countries,” she said.
However, Ibu Abdullah, who has a 1,000 square-meter showroom and more than 20 workers, declined to say how much the business made.
“The point is we never run out of customers. People keep coming to buy our furniture.”
Meanwhile, Syarif said his monthly sales ranged from Rp 65 million to over Rp 100 million, with about a Rp 6 million net profit.
Syarif said that at the beginning of every school year, the net profit would drop by half, while in the Muslim fasting month and before Christmas, it might increase by 40 percent.
There are more than 2,000 furniture traders in the East Jakarta Furniture Craft Center, which includes Pondok Bambu, Klender, Cipinang Muara, Duren Sawit and Penggilngan.
Abdullah and her husband, who started their business in Pondok Bambu in 1978, have five daughters — two of whom have graduated from university — and four foster children who are all university graduates.
“Thanks to this furniture business,” she said proudly.
She said that to support the furniture business, traders should be producing the goods themselves besides buying half-finished products from Jepara. (07)
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/
August 24th, 2007
JAKARTA (JP):What is today’s “urban culture”? Get an idea of the answer in UrbanFest 07 this weekend, through music, fashion, games and the arts at the Ancol recreational part in North Jakarta.
Organized by Kompas Gramedia, the country’s largest media group, the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) and Prambors radio station, the three-day event will run from Aug. 24 to 26.
Hundreds of participants will demonstrate their work and talents in the festival to be held at the 15-hectare Carnaval beach.
Over 30 bands, mostly indie groups, including Clubeighties, Netral, Sore, Whiteshoes n The Couples Company, The Brandals, Siksa Kubur, Souljah and Kill The DJ will perform at the festival. (Ahmad Junaidi).
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/
August 23rd, 2007
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