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Showing posts from December, 2018

THE RAGUNAN ZOO IN SOUTH JAKARTA

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Storks at Ragunan Zoo One of the ideal places to spend our holidays is the zoo. Parents tend to take their children to the zoological garden where they can see a great number of beautiful and attractive animals. Walking on the pathway in the shade of the trees is a good physical exercise, which gives a lot of benefits to our health. Ragunan Zoo is located in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta. It covers the area of 140 hectares and has a collection of wild animal specimens. It’s the first zoological garden in Indonesia and was founded under the name Planten En Dierentuin in 1864. At that time, the zoo was under the management of the Batavia Wildlife Lovers Association. In 1949, the name Planten En Dierentuin was changed to Cikini Zoo and it was moved to Ragunan, Pasar Minggu subdistrict, South Jakarta City. Ragunan Zoo was officially launched by Major General Ali Sadikin, the Governor of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta on 22nd June 1966, under the name Taman Margasatwa Raguna

THE BURUNG MANDI TEMPLE ON BELITUNG ISLAND

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The Burung Mandi Temple Burung Mandi Temple is also called the Temple of the Goddess of Compassion and it is located in Burung Mandi village, Damar subdistrict, East Belitung Regency. It is around 70 km from H.A.S Hanandjoeddin International Airport. Burung Mandi Temple was founded in 1747 and it’s the sacred place for pilgrims to worship. It stands at the height of 200 meters on a very big rock and faces the sea magnificently. It is usually very crowded on the 1st and 15th of the lunar calendar. Young and old people bring joss sticks, fake money, flowers and fruits in their baskets. They come to pray for good fortune and a peaceful life. They do hope that the Goddess of Compassion will grant all their wishes, so that they can make a lot of money. According to the folklore, an angler discovered a bodhisattva statue while he was walking on the beach. The statue was half buried in the sand and the angler picked it up and washed all the mud covering its body. He was hesitating

THE AMAZING GUNUNG KAWI ON BALI ISLAND

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Photo: By NaidNdeso - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66551424 There is an archeological site called Gunung Kawi in Bali. It is different from the Gunung Kawi temple in Malang, Java Island. The Balinese Gunung Kawi is situated in Tampaksiring village. In olden days, the Central Government of Bali kingdom was also located in Tampaksiring. Gunung Kawi isn’t the name of a mountain in Bali, but it is one of the cultural heritages where everybody can have a close look at the outstanding collection of ancient shrines carved into the surface of the cliff. Besides the unique rock cut architecture, there’re a number of caves which are believed to be the ideal places for meditation. Only a few spiritual gurus or fakirs have ever reached the state of enlightenment. They’re free from all the sufferings of the world and will never be back to samsara. This historical site was founded in 11th century during the reign of King Udayana. It was

THE MAYUNG PUTEK WATERFALL

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Photo: https://pixabay.com/en/cascade-waterfall-iceland-landscape-1846424/ The proverb says, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” We need recreation after a long period of hard work. Some people like driving their cars out of the city where they can admire the beautiful scenery with their families. The splendor of a mountain range that extends miles away like the shape of a dragon is good enough to attract your attention. Visiting a waterfall on vacation can be so glad and full of the joys. There’re also a lot of benefits which are good for your health. The thunderous falling water produces negative ions which bring a great number of advantages to the environment. Negative ions can clean the polluted air, dust, viruses and bacteria. Inhaling fresh air by the waterfall makes you feel relaxed and comfortable. It’s a good idea to release tension and physical fatigue by taking a bath at the waterfall lake. It is a kind of natural therapy which will make you look yo

THE SKULL VILLAGE OF BALI

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Photo: By Kochiana - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73239908 When you are in Rome do as the Romans do. Different places have different customs. The Almighty is a great designer and has created a great number of different things. Therefore, the world won’t be too monotonous. Knowing other cultures can add more colours to a person’s life. One of the famous tourist attractions which is well known for its uniqueness is Trunyan village. In this oldest village, the way villagers take care of the corpses of their family members is so weird. The Balinese have the tradition to cremate human remains, so that the souls will be able to obtain a better life and live in heaven. However, Trunyan village has its own way to handle the dead. In Trunyan village, the deceased are laid in a special location called seme wayah (old cemetery). Though all the corpses are left in the open air, none of them gives off putrid smell. It’s unbelievable