Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Wonosobo
With its 100 plus hectares surrounded by misty green hills, the temple compound in the Dieng highlands is a perfect spot for a healthy morning stroll.
Every tourist excursion should combine exercise and culture.
On this particular tour, a good place to start is the parking lot next to the Dieng tourism agency, close to the Arjuna temple complex.
Arjuna, you may recall, was one of the mighty Pandawa brothers in the Mahabharata. In fact, all the temples in Dieng are named after characters in the epic.
A stone road some 100 meters in length stretches from the parking lot to the Arjuna complex, where inside, you’ll find five temples of various size: the Arjuna temple itself, along with the Srikandi, the Sembadra, the Punta Dewa and the Semar. Of course, walking around the complex isn’t enough, as visitors will want to pop inside each of the structures.
Dating from the 7th century, the temples, unfortunately, are not intact, with many reliefs vandalized or faded with age. While catching your breath inside, rest your eyes on the potato farms that dot the landscape here and there. According to some locals, lush forests blanketed the region before agriculture was introduced.
From year to year and little by little, the forests were converted by farmers who needed land for vegetable cultivation. Though no secret among environmentalists or the public, rapid deforestation here seems to have little in the way of obstacles.
Decked out in layers of cloth and sturdy boots, farmers seemed unfazed by the temples’ beauty — or the presence of tourists — as they chatted among themselves on the way back to their farms.
A kretek between their lips, farmers start their day before sunrise.
From the Arjuna temple compound, head east, where you’ll find the office of the archeology agency. It’s not the office you’re after, but a cluster of temples nearby, the Gatotkaca temples. Six temples, similar in size and shape to those in the Arjuna complex, used to comprise the compound: the Gatotkaca, the Sentyaki, the Petruk, the Antareja, the Nakula Sadewa and the Nalagareng. Almost all are in ruins. Only the Gatotkaca temple remains, though not fully intact.
Here too, vandalism has left little of interest.
From there, you can head north along an elevated asphalt road where, on the left-hand side, you’ll discover a huge pond — the remnants of a volcanic crater — whose still waters reflect the colors of the sun.
Local farmers claim they never get close to the pond because of its smell, believing it indicates the presence of poisonous gas.
The asphalt road continues on to a village with houses wrapped in tidy bamboo fences and stacks of dry wood neatly arranged outside.
Not far from the village is another large temple, standing in the midst of trees: the Bima temple — named after the strongest of the Pandawa brothers. Better preserved, with clear and well-maintained reliefs adorning its walls, the Bima is renowned for its arca Kudhu, or Kudhu statues, depicting the torsos of several men, each with half a face. In the 1980s, several statues were stolen from the compound.
The faithful still frequent the temple to practice rituals on holy days. It’s even been reported that former President Soeharto and his wife, Tien Soeharto, used to retreat to a small prayer house nearby to meditate. Go figure!
Some fifteen minutes from the temple is the Telaga Warna compound, a perfect spot for a rest. Restaurants and coffee shops are open for business, and you can find a range of liquids to soothe your thirst, from beer and hot coffee to traditional drinks such as purwoceng, a ginseng-like beverage only found in the Dieng area.
All in all, it takes a half hour to tour Dieng’s four temple complexes. When you return to the parking lot near the tourism agency, make sure to have another glass of purwoceng.
Source: The Jakarta Post
August 4th, 2008
Marak dan penuh Tawa Road Show Kedua
SURABAYA - Road show Surabaya Green and Clean di Kecamatan Wonokromo kemarin benar-benar semarak. Ratusan peserta memadati lapangan depan SD Budi Dharma, Jalan Pulo Wonokromo. Kemeriahan semakin bertambah ketika kader lingkungan Kelurahan Wonokromo meluncurkan lagu Surabaya Green and Clean.
Sejak pukul 06.00, peserta terlihat memadati tempat acara. Tak hanya datang dari Kelurahan Wonokromo, sebagian dari Kelurahan Ngagel, Kelurahan Darmo, dan Kelurahan Gayungan. Bahkan, ada peserta yang jauh-jauh datang dari Kelurahan Banjar Sugihan, Kecamatan Tandes. Wawali Arief Affandi juga hadir bersama Kepala Dinas Kebersihan dan Pertamanan (DKP) Kota Surabaya Hidayat Syah dan Camat Wonokromo Indrayana.
Arief mengatakan, selama ini Wonokromo selalu identik dengan Stasiun Wonokromo, Terminal Joyoboyo, dan Kebun Binatang Surabaya. Tempat-tempat tersebut mewakili kesan kumuh, kriminal, dan bangunan-bangunan tidak teratur di stren kali. “Tapi, dalam beberapa tahun belakangan, Wonokromo justru menjadi pelopor hidup bersih dan hijau,” katanya.
Didampingi fasilitator dan kader lingkungan, Arief beserta rombongan mengunjungi sejumlah RW dan RT di Kelurahan Wonokromo. Selain itu, mereka melihat langsung pengolahan sampah di kampung-kampung.
Di RT 15 RW 7, rombongan dibawa ke sebuah tanah kosong, tempat lima komposter diletakkan. Komposter tersebut merupakan tempat membuat kompos skala rumah tangga. Selain itu, rombongan mengunjungi pameran produk-produk daur ulang di salah satu lapangan kampung. Di tempat itu warga memamerkan berbagai bentuk produk daur ulang. Antara lain, tas dari bungkus sabun isi ulang dan hiasan dinding dari botol bekas. ”Ini prospeknya sangat bagus. Bisa digunakan sebagai UKM (usaha kecil menengah, Red.),” katanya.
Ketika mereka kembali ke lapangan, kemeriahan road show sudah menyambut. Apalagi, lomba yel-yel antar-RW mulai digelar. Peserta menggunakan berbagai macam lagu lawas yang dimodifikasi dengan lirik bertema penghijauan. ”Sampah yang basah jadi kompos. Sampah yang kering jadi kompos,” nyanyi salah satu kelompok dengan nada lagu Tanjung Perak Tepi Laut.
Sambutan paling meriah muncul ketika seluruh peserta lomba yel-yel menyanyikan lagu Surabaya Green and Clean karangan Camat Wonokromo Indrayana. ”Mari semua kita bergotong royong. Ramai-ramai menanam pohon. Di sekitar lingkungan kita. Agar lebih asri dan hijau,” nyanyi mereka bebarengan sambil berjoget. ”Lagu ini karya besar pujangga Indonesia bernama Indrayana,” ujar Djadi Galajapo yang memeriahkan road show sebagai pembawa acara.
Djadi benar-benar mengocok perut seluruh peserta Surabaya Green and Clean. Misalnya, ketika dia memanggil salah seorang peserta yang datang dari Banjar Sugihan, Tandes. Namanya Sarbini Samsul. Ketika di panggung dia dikerjai Djadi. “Siap grak! Hormat grak! Lho, kok gelem ae,” kata Djadi disambut tawa penonton.
Tak cukup sampai di situ. Djadi melanjutkan dengan jurus kedua. Yakni, jurus buka-tutup. “Tangan saya membuka atau menutup,” kata Djadi sambil membuka tangannya yang disembunyikan di balik punggung. “Membuka,” jawab Sarbini yang tetap dalam posisi siap. Djadi lantas menutup telapak tangannya dan menunjukkan kepada Sarbini. “Salah, menutup,” jawab Djadi. Setiap kali Djadi membuat tebakan, Sarbini dibikin salah dalam menjawab buka tutup.
Terakhir Sarbini merasa kesal dan ogah memberikan jawaban. Djadi pun tak kalah akal. Dia mengizinkan Sarbini memberikan dua pilihan sekaligus. “Buka dan tutup,” jawab Sarbini sambil tersenyum. Di luar dugaan, Djadi masih punya jurus untuk membuat membuat Sarbini kecele. “Salah, tanganku nyengkerem,” katanya. Tawa peserta semakin meledak. ”Sudah tua kok masih lucu,” kata Djadi sambil membiarkan Sarbini berlalu membawa bingkisan dari Jawa Pos.
Selain penuh gelak tawa dan kemeriahan, acara kemarin banjir hadiah. Honda menyediakan door prize, sementara Telkom Speedy memberikan layanan nge-net gratis bagi peserta. Selain itu, sesuai janjinya, Supreme Vegetarian memberikan makanan vegetarian gratis bagi seluruh peserta road show. Di akhir acara, kupon Surabaya Green and Clean diundi untuk sepuluh pemenang. Masing-masing mendapat Rp 500 ribu. (aga/fat)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
August 4th, 2008