Indonesia to Host the L-Men Mister International 2010

L-Men, the effective nutrition for body building and athletic performance of active men, will hold the 5th edition of the Mister International male pageant at Central Park in Jakarta, Indonesia on November 20th, 2010. Since its debut in 2006, this would be the first time for Indonesia to host this groundbreaking event. Around 45 contestants throughout the world have confirmed that they will be competing in this event. Mister International 2009 Bruno Kettels from Bolivia will crown his successor at the end of this event. Mister International 2010 will also line up some special performances from notable Indonesian hosts and musicians, such as Cathy Sharon, Steny Agustaf, Krisdayanti, Rini Idol, Duo Percussion, and Rampak Kendang Nusantara. So, Don’t miss it!

For more info, please visit www.l-menmisterinternational2010.com/

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December Highlights In Bali

December seems to be the most special month amongst other months in 2010. Three main holidays from three different religions will appear on December. Surely, as the community who tolerate other religions’ celebration, Balinese will respect any celebrations and hope everything will go smooth. December this year will be also filled by various festal events to welcome New Year 2011. Take a jaunt to Bali and experience the festal celebration of life!




7 December Moslem New Year
The celebration of Moslem New Year is as not festal as the celebration of New Year’s Eve on December 31^st. Even it could be said that there is no celebration, the city is just like usual. No fireworks, no trumpet, no feast. Moslem community goes to mosque, pray, and goes back to their home. However some shopping centers or communication products often give special discount on this day.

8 December Galungan Day
Galungan is Hindus’ main ceremony to celebrate the glory of righteousness against the wickedness. As the sign of the glory, Hindus create Penjor (decorated long bamboo) and stick it in front of the gate. Hence, when you come to Bali on this day you will see how beautiful Bali with the festal decoration of penjor. They celebrate Galungan day during three days. On the core day, Hindus go to temple and enjoy the togetherness with family staying far away from them. Every family cooks traditional dishes such as suckling pig and lawar then on the core of Galungan they gather and eat together.

18 December Kuningan Day
Kuningan is celebrated 10 days after Galungan to pray and demand prosperity from the God and ancestors. Balinese people believe that on this day, the ancestor spirits will return to heaven at mid-day. For this reason they conduct the ceremony and finish all things before 12 pm.

18 December Makotekan
Makotekan is identified as a celebration and ceremony to purify the village and as a symbol of never ending battle between virtue and evil. You can’t enjoy Makotekan at Kuta or Ubud, or Seminyak, since Makoketekan is the privileged ceremony held in Mungu village, Mengwi, Badung. This was a celebration of the glory of Mengwi Kingdom against to Blambangan. All male from Mungu carry Kotekan, long wood decorated with leaves and tamiang and pray firstly to ask for the blessing for the success of Makotekan. They then unite their kotekan forming a mount. Sometimes there is a guy climb it up and stand on the top peak to make another group fall down. It is worth to see! It is a battle where fun covers all the procession.

26 December Pangerebongan
Pangerebongan is another sacred traditional ceremony which aims to protect the village from the disease. This ceremony is also identified as mass trance ritual in which trance people will stab kris to their body.
Unbelievably, they are all ok, without blood or wound. Surely the procession is not all about mass trance. This sacred ritual started at 9 pm till afternoon in the courtyard of Pangerebongan Temple is followed by various rituals such as praying to the Lord, Tabuh rah, summoning ritual, and encircling the wantilan.

25 December Christmas Day
Although Bali Island is dominated with Hindu community but all people enjoy the friendly Santa Klaus in front of the mall entrance or any shopping centers in Bali. All shopping mall will be decorated with typical Christmas-tree decoration. Besides most of great resorts in Bali will do the same; even make special events to mark the coming Christmas. Enjoying Christmas in Bali will be a distinctive experience.

28-30 December Denpasar Festival (Gajah Mada Town Festival)
Starting from 2008 local government of Denpasar holds Gajah Mada Town Festival at Gajah Mada area to recall Denpasar community’s memory. Gajah Mada area was the most interesting area since it provided entrainment as well as shopping center in 1950s. However, nowadays because of the massive modern mall’s development Gajah Mada area turns to be forgotten. By presenting hundreds of various booths showcasing art works from many ethnics, culinary, and band performances, local government has helped Denpasar people to be entertained with something rare to be found in Denpasar. Although there is no official statement that Denpasar Festival will be held in this year yet but for you who plan to have vacation in December should add this event to your list to visit.


31 December New Year’s Eve
Bali will be flocked by many people coming from abroad or other areas in Indonesia to experience how festal Bali in celebrating New Year’s Eve. There will be a lot of fireworks, trumpet, music festival, and many events where people can enjoy the happiness and great entertainments. Welcome the first sun rise in 2011 in the Island Of The Gods.

source : blog.baliwww.com

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National Geographic : Merapi Eruption

Nationalgeographic.com

Smoke rises Monday from Indonesia's Mount Merapi, one of the world's most volatile and dangerous volcanoes. Thousands of people living on the volcano's fertile slopes began evacuating as Merapi started erupting Tuesday, sending hot ash and rocks high in the air. (See an Indonesia map.)

Scientists had been warning for days that pressure building in the rumbling volcano has the potential to set off an especially violent eruption. (See related pictures of the ten most dangerous U.S. volcanoes.)

"The energy is building up. ... We hope it will release slowly," Indonesian-government volcanologist Surono told reporters, according to the Associated Press. "Otherwise we're looking at a potentially huge eruption, bigger than anything we've seen in years."

Meanwhile, officials in western Indonesia are racing to deal with the aftermath of a deadly tsunami that struck the remote Mentawai Islands late Monday, killing at least 113 and leaving hundreds more missing. The killer wave, triggered by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake centered offshore of the island of Sumatra, had many recalling the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which devastated the same region.

While it's unclear whether Monday's earthquake and the Merapi volcano eruption are linked, neither event is uncommon in Indonesia. The archipelago sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a series of fault lines that stretches from the Pacific coasts of the Americas through Japan and into Southeast Asia. (See "Deadly Java Quake Highlights "Ring of Fire" Dangers.")

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Garuda Indonesia Launches Onboard Visa Processing

Garuda Indonesia has introduced visa onboard processing facilities on all direct flights from Sydney to Jakarta, allowing passengers to fast track through immigration, avoid currency exchanges and notorious airport queues.

Garuda Indonesia passengers taking advantage of this new service will have their visa processed by immigration officials onboard the aircraft and payment will be processed when checking-in at Sydney airport.

Garuda hopes to extend the facility to other of its services departing Australia. So, let's make your flight be enjoy and happy with Garuda Indonesia Airlines.

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Garuda Indonesia International Photo Contest

For the fourth consecutive year, the Garuda Indonesia International Photo Contest (GIIPC) broke its own record again in regards to level of participation. The number of participants reached a new high of 8,050 this year from 6,170 last year. As many as 14,985 photos were submitted, also a rise from the 12,458 photos received last year.

The continually rising number of participants and submitted photos prove that photography is indeed an ever-growing field and the team at GIIPC is honoured to have played a part in supporting that growth, where logic, technical skills and strong sense of the aesthetics are championed, not just in Indonesia, but also in the international community.

This year, 36 countries participated in the event, a rise from 30 last year. The participating countries are Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Moldova, Montenegro, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand, United States, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Venezuela.

The rules of the preliminary round of the competition remain the same. Photographers submit their entries by registering at www.garudacompetition.com and posting their photos online. The best photos are then chosen by internal judges through an online judging selection and those who are selected will then be sent to a round of photo-hunting competition in secret locations.

GIIPC 2010 employs eminent photographers as judges that include Adek Berry, Agus Leonardus, Arbain Rambey, Goenadi Haryanto, Jan Dekker, Jerry Aurum, Makarios Soekojo, Oscar Motulloh and Tan Lip Seng. As of the second week of August, the judges have short-listed 479 photos and 15 photographers to go to the final stages of the photo contest. Out of these 15 photographers, five are from Indonesia, three are from Vietnam, two are from Myanmar and one contestant each from China, Bangladesh, India, Russia and the Netherlands.

The contestants will be competing for prizes in the categories of Best Culture, Best People, Best Landscape and Best Overall. This year, a special award in recognition of Best Female Participant will also be up for grabs. The total prize money is IDR 100 million, excluding 

other prizes.

The GIIPC Team congratulates the finalists for making it this far and wishes them luck in winning the competition.

Visit garudacompetion.com to see the finalists.

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Eat Pray Love Showcases Bali to the World

The long awaited film version of Elizabeth Gilbert’s best selling memoirs Eat Pray Love, starring superstar Julia Robert  showcasing the beauty of Ubud to the world, premiered In New York’s Ziegfeld Theatre on Tuesday 10 August 2010.

The premiere in America was also attended by co-star, Indonesia’s own celebrity Christine Hakim, and Director General for Tourism Promotion, Sapta Nirwandar. The film will open in U.S cinemas from 13 August. In Indonesia the film is expected to premier in October.

Eat, Pray and Love is already a world’s best selling book that tells the story of Liz Gilbert and her year long journey in Italy, India and Indonesia as she seeks to find balance and fulfilment in her life following the break down of her marriage. Liz ends her journey in Ubud, Bali, where, surrounded by spectacular natural beauty and friendly people, she finally finds contentment.

With an all star cast and big names like Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem as well as local Indonesian beauty Christine Hakim, the film promises to be a huge hit. Chiristine Hakim, a prominent Indonesian film star herself, plays Wayan, the traditional Balinese healer, who, along with Ketut Liyer, help Liz rediscover her ability to love.

Filmed in Bali, namely Jimbaran and Ubud, the movie showcases the spectacular Indonesian landscape and Balinese culture which Ubud is famous for. Ubud has turned into a popular resort for relaxation and inspiration. Ubud was voted as The Top City in Asia and The Friendliest City by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

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The Republic's Living History

In 1945, the Republic of Indonesia to fight hard for its independence. The fighters such as Bung Karno and other fighters collided with the tactics of the colonialists. and finally Indonesia won its independence. Want to know more about the history of life in Indonesian nation, just read this article by Widi Yunani. Here..

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Tourindonesiaunite Talkshow & Photo Exhibition

After the successful performance of Endah n Rhesa in the 1st pre event in Score, Ciwalk on April 23rd 2010, #tourindonesiaunite will hold the 2nd pre event to commemorate The National Education Day in this May. This inspiring event will be completed by the photos exhibition and talkshow on May 28th-30th 2010 in Braga City Walk Bandung. The theme of the photos which were contested before is 1001 dreams in the limited educational support in indonesia and those all were judged by the expert juries of photography; Galih Sedayu, Ari Angin and Deni Sugandi.

The summit agenda is talkshow about "Gerakan Hati, Satu Langkah membantu mengejar mimpi" which will be held on May 30th by inviting the activists of #tourindonesiaunite : Leonita Julian and Ramya Prajna as the resources. Moreover, #tourindonesiaunite will also allow everyone to vote Komodo as the new7wonders of nature on Vote Komodo booth.

In this event, the winners of photography contest will be announced. The whole event can be enjoyed for free cost included certificate. This 2nd pre event of #tourindonesiaunite is supported by Detik Bandung, Oz Radio , 99ersr radio, JONAS photo and Pikiran Rakyat.

#tourindonesiaunite which was supported by Pandji Pragiwaksono and Glenn Fredly and the 1st time with the main purpose to explore the spirit of indonesian youth is the charity event of education.

So, Book your weekend calendar now!

For the further information, please contact Wahyu; phone +62 856 244 65 431

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12 countries to attend ethnic language congress in Baubau

Representatives of 12 countries have confirmed to attend an international ethnic language congress in the Southeast Sulawesi city of Baubau on July 8, 2010.

Local tourism and cultural office's archaeological service spokesman Ali Arham said Wednesday that out of 30 countries invited to attend the congress, 12 had confirmed their participation.

"They have sent their confirmation to us by email," Ali said, adding that the 12 countries included The Netherlands, Australia, the US, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

Ali said other countries expected to confirm their participation in the near future would be, among others, Germany, China, South Korea, Japan and Singapore.

He said that besides foreign participants, the congress would also be attended by a number of linguists from several universities in Indonesia.

Arham said the congress was aimed at enabling the participants to discuss various issues related to ethnic languages and literature.

The result of the congress would then be reported to the government to make a policy to preserve and develop other languages, he said.

source: the jakarta post

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Hundreds to take part in Sail Indonesia

Around 220 participants from 22 countries across the world have confirmed their participation in the 10th of Sail Indonesia, which will start on July 24.

According to the annual sailing rally’s official website www.sailindonesia.net, the participants will depart from Darwin, Australia, and enter Indonesia through Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Provincial tourism agency official Ubaldus Gogi told tempointeraktif.com on Tuesday the participants would visit Rote Ndao, Alor, Sikka, Nagekeo, Ende, South Central Timor and Labuan Bajo.

After spending a few days in Kupang, some the participants would take part in the Sail Banda in Maluku, while some others would visit Bali.

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The Best Hotel in Indonesia based on geographic Traveller

from : terselubung.blogspot.com

The Most Foreigners Favourite
1. Amanjiwo Hotel (Magelang - Central Java )
2. Majapahit Hotel ( Surabaya - East Java )
3. Borobudur Hotel (Jakarta - Capital city )

The Best Room
1. Amanjiwo Hotel (Magelang - Central Java )
2. Shangri - La Hotel (Jakarta - Capital city )
3. Borobudur Hotel (Jakarta - Capital city )

The Most Savety and Security
1. Borobudur Hotel (Jakarta - Capital City)
2. Tugu Malang Hotel (Malang - East Java)
3. Majapahit Hotel (Surabaya - East Java)

The Best Architecture and Landscape
1. Majapahit Hotel (Surabaya - East Java)
2. Amanjiwo Hotel (Magelang - Central Java )
3. Borobudur Hotel (Jakarta - Capital city )

The Best Hospitality Social & Enviromental
1. Amanjiwo Hotel((Magelang - Central Java )
2. Santika Hotel (Yogyakarta - Special Region of Yogyakarta)
3. Majapahit Hotel (Surabaya - East Java)

The Best Satisfaction with The Most Make sense Cost
1. Amanjiwo Hotel((Magelang - Central Java )
2. Santika Hotel (Yogyakarta - Special Region of Yogyakarta)
3. Majapahit Hotel (Surabaya - East Java)

Maybe all of this hotels can be your perfect home in Indonesia! Let's Explore Indonesia !!

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2010 MRA Bali International Triathlon: Vini, Vidi, Vici!

No matter where on earth you are, en route to ironman, you are invited to come out, compete, and improve your triathlon skills in this season fitness in the challenging multi-sport event, 2010 MRA Bali International Triathlon, which is ready to disembark this year!

This fourth annual event will be taking place on June 20th, 2010 at the gorgeous Four Season Resort at Jimbaran Bay, Bali and promises to be the most exciting and fun spirit triathlon of the year.

This breathtaking sport race will feature two distances:

• The Olympic Distance Course includes a 1.5 kilometer swim in the warm waters of Jimbaran Bay, a 40 kilometer bike ride on hilly paved roads and a 10 kilometer mostly flat run with a beach finish at the Four Seasons Resort Jimbaran Bay.

• The Sprint Distance Course includes a 500 meter swim in the warm waters of Jimbaran Bay, a 20 kilometer flat and fast bike ride and a 5 kilometer flat run with a beach finish at the Four Seasons Resort Jimbaran Bay.

It will also be held simultaneously with a scenic 5 kilometer flat run with a beach finish at the Four Seasons Resort Jimbaran Bay.

A special festival will be held at Race Central on the morning of June 20th at Coconut Grove Beach, opposite the Four Seasons Resort in Jimbaran. The Four Seasons in cooperation with the Intercontinental Bali Resort are the main hotel sponsors for this year's event. The festival, running throughout the morning of the race, will include live music, games, food and beverage outlets, commercial stands and free massages from Jari Menari.

Registered race participants will receive high quality race t-shirts, competitor swim caps, a pre-race high-carbohydrate dinner hosted by the Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay, invitations to a post race lunch and party, discounted tours and water sports activities during their stay in Bali, and special rates at Bali hotels. Prizes from Bali hotels and other businesses will be presented with a custom-made trophy for each age and gender category donated by Jenggala Ceramics.

Join us in The 2010 MRA Bali International Triathlon, and be among the first to be part of a wonderful and memorable day.

Bring your heart and soul of triathlone alive at the 2010 MRA Bali International Triathlon!

For more info, please point your web browser at www.balitriathlon.com or send your e-mail to infoATbalitriathlonDOTcom

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Ubud to Host Bali Spirit Festival 2010

Bali Spirit Festival returns to hillside community of Ubud for its third year on March 31st, 2010 to April 4th, 2010. It is a spiritually charged event that celebrates yoga, dance and music and the synergy of global cultural collaboration through the arts.

Held over 4 days and 5 nights, this annual celebration brings to Bali a wealth of talented and respected creative masters from around the world, merging the indigenous and rich cultures of Indonesia in the spirit of learning, collaboration and the celebration of our creative and spiritual diversity.

The Bali Spirit Festival combines over 95 inspiring yoga, dance, and music workshops with nightly world music concerts to an enthusiastic audience of over 4,500 people.

The majestic outdoor festival grounds are located just outside of Ubud, Bali on sprawling green lawns with a blessed river flowing through.

The festival grounds truly embody the spirit of Bali.

We are honored to invite you to join this incredible community. Rejuvenate yourself to the World retreat with Bali Spirit Festival!

Source: www.balispiritfestival.com

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Taiwan – ICE 2010: Komodo Island is the Most Hidden Treasure of Indonesia

The NTUST Indonesian Student Association welcomes you to indulge in the flavors of uniqueness culture of Indonesia in Indonesian Culture Exhibition (ICE) 2010, which will be taking place on March 11th, 2010 to March 12th, 2010 at the First Floor of NTUST International Building, Taiwan.

By seizing this year’s theme, “The Hidden Treasure of Indonesia” Indonesian Culture Exhibition (ICE) 2010 will allow you to reveal wonderful Indonesia through spectacular Indonesian traditional dances, extensive exhibit of arts and traditional games, exotic site introduction, and delightful Indonesian Food.

Indonesian Culture Exhibition (ICE) 2010 will also lead you to find the most hidden treasure of Indonesia in the special zone “Komodo Island as the New7Wonders of the World”. Here, you will not only get the insightful info about Komodo Island but you can also give your contribution by voting Komodo Island as the New7Wonders of the world.

Cherish yourself to be involved actively by trying traditional games offered and three kinds of those traditional games such as bakiak games, puzzle of Indonesia archipelago and games 17-Agustusan (Indonesian celebration games) will be competed in the second day.

Do not miss an outstanding performance of Indonesian students who will be performing drama, custom built form Java, traditional dancing, and live music of Indonesian traditional songs which represent Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi and Papua on the last day event which are noteworthy to see.

So, what are you waiting for? Come rejoice yourself on Indonesian Culture Exhibition (ICE) 2010 and reveal the hidden treasure of Indonesia.

source: indonesia.travel

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Foreign Tourists from Australia reached 417.7 thousand, growing 24.88%

Foreign tourists (tourists) an Australian who visited Indonesia in January to October 2009 were recorded as many as 417,785 people or experienced 24.88% growth compared to the same period last year. Wisman from Australia still chose Bali as their favorite destinations.

Management Center and Data Network System (P2DSJ) Depbudpar, Tuesday (1 / 12) mentions, an Australian foreign tourists, France, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and China who visited Indonesia in the period January-October 2009 experienced a significant increase in the average in the double digits.

Recorded the number of French tourists visiting as many as 132,273 people or 31.72% increase, while foreign tourists nationals of Saudi Arabia up 44,345 people or 17.49%.

Foreign tourists to visit United Arab Emirates nationals as many as 3156 people or up 30.36% and foreign tourists of 296,546 Chinese nationals or increased 21.44%. Visits of foreign tourists from the five major markets in the next two months, November-December 2009, showed increasing trends. (Pusformas)

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Contest: Making Your Own Indonesia Trip – Winners Announcement

We proudly announce the winners for the "Contest: Making Your Own Indonesia Trip." We thank you for your participation and feedback.

1. Hoky Ajicahyadi "Magnificent East Javali Route" as the winner of Amazing Indonesia under US$ 1,000 category

2. Lomar Dasika "Sulawesi Selatan Tiada Duanya" as the winner of Wisata Impian di bawah Rp. 10 juta category

3. Johan Sobihan "Jelajah Ujung Barat Ujung Jawa-TN Ujung Kulon" as the winner of Most Active Users category

The winner of the "Contest: Making Your Own Indonesia Trip" will receive a free trip around Indonesia (already designed by themselves) and grab merchandise from indonesia.travel.

Congratulations to all winners, you have done a great job and for all of you who have not won this time, don’t be disappointed as all of you have done tremendously great job in planning your own trip to Indonesia and of course there would always be next time.

Thank you so much for judges for sparing their valuable time for judging this event. See you on the next event!

Congratulations...!!!

source: visit Indonesia

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ndonesia To Host 2010 IRF Australasian Continental Rafting Champs

Running from April 22nd 2010 until April 28th 2010, Indonesia will host a thrill and spill sporting event: The IRF AustralAsian Continental Rafting Champs 2010 comes to Central Java and promises to prove its worth as perhaps the country’s foremost international sporting event.

Organized by the Indonesia Rafting Federation (FAJI) in partnership with Marine Corps, this R6 (male and female) championship will take place on two scenic rivers; Serayu River in Wonosobo - Banjarnegara regency and Progo River in Magelang regency of Central Java and will be attended by top line-up rafting teams from various participating countries in Asia and Australia who are ready for a truly exhilarating experience.

This adrenaline-pumping rush event will consist of four different races: Sprint, Down River Race, Slalom and Head to Head. As mentioned above, all of the races will be conducted in both rivers with their reputation for being wild and unpredictable, with legendary Class III and Class IV rapids.

Central Java is a perfect location for sporting holiday -- the breathtaking rivers, fresh air, and superb mountainous views should provide the ideal counterpoint to all of the outdoor action. If you’d like to know further information about the IRF AustralAsian Continental Rafting Championship 2010 then point your web browser at www.faji.org. For details and participation please send an email to: pb_faji [AT] faji DOT org.

The championship promises to be a superb event; the thrill of victory, pursuit of excellence and bragging rights at its best in Indonesia.

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Contest: Make Your Own Indonesia Trip !

Indonesia has hundreds of destinations to explore and tons of activities to experience. Indonesia.travel has only covered a tiny fraction of them. And travelers keep coming up with new interesting stories about their trips to Indonesia on The Net.

Enter Indonesia.travel's Trip Planner (BETA); the site's newest feature for travelers to share your travel plans and stories. As applied to every Web 2.0 site with user-generated content, the site's going to need your participation and feedback. Thus, this "contest" is actually an invitation for travel enthusiasts to participate. And we're going to hand out prizes to appreciate the most active and helpful/relevant users.

The prizes would be your own trip in Indonesia, paid by the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism.*

Everyone is eligible to participate, except the employees of the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism. So register now at http://trip.indonesia.travel and start sharing!



Contest Details
----------------

1) There are three categories, with one winner each:
a. Amazing Indonesia Under US$1,000 (in English)
b. Wisata Impian di Bawah Rp10 Juta (in Indonesian)
c. Most Active User (in English or Indonesian)

2) Go to http://trip.indonesia.travel

3) Register

4) Create a Trip (you can choose any names for your trips. As long as it's under US$1,000 and in English, it's eligible to be evaluated for Amazing Indonesia. And if it's under Rp10 millions and in Indonesian, it's eligible to be evaluated for Wisata Impian.)

5) Share it!

6) (Optional) If you have a blog, you can write about your trip in in more details and link it to your Trip Planner plan/journal.

7) Send feedbacks (or error reports) to rep.indonesiatravel AT gmail DOT com, with the subject "Trip Planner Feedback"

8) The "contest" starts on 15 November 2009 and ends on 14 December 2009.

9) (Optional) Follow us on Twitter! @indtravel


Winning Evaluation
----------------

For Amazing Indonesia Under US$1,000 and Wisata Impian di Bawah Rp10 Juta, we're going to evaluate from participants' travel plans or journals and select one winner (each) who writes the most interesting trip idea (plan) or shares the most interesting trip experiences (journal). This will be based on:

- The number of users who picked the trip as favorites

- The number of users who copied the trip for their own itineraries

- Whether the trip is logically accurate in the real world (for example, a trip which involves going from Jakarta to Raja Ampat Island in fifteen minutes is only logical in science fiction)

- Whether the trip actually costs less than US1,000 (excluding the roundtrip fares from abroad to Indonesia and formalities expenses like visa etc.) As a guide, if you want your trip to be eligible for the contest, starts from an Indonesian entry point and ends to the same or another entry point. (Ex: starts from Jakarta and ends in Jakarta. Or starts in Batam and ends in Bali, etc.)

- Whether the trip is the participant's original idea/experience. If she/he copies it from another user, the original writer will be more eligible to win, unless the trip is modified/adapted to involve different destinations.


For Most Active/Helpful User, the winner will be picked based on:

- The number of trip ideas/journals the participant shared

- The number of useful feedbacks or error reports

- The number of linkbacks to relevant content on http://trip.indonesia.travel or http://indonesia.travel from the participant's blog (will need to confirm if the blog owner is the same user in Trip Planner)


*Prizes/Appreciation
------------------

Winners can choose any of his trip ideas which is eligibly under $US1,000 as a prize. The Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism will then make it come true by reserving an itinerary to match it. Participants can also choose another user's trip idea by copying it. As long as the Ministry has confirmed that the trip is under US$1,000 (with the abovementioned condition, that the trip will not include roundtrip fares from/to overseas).


For more details, send an email to rep.indonesiatravel AT gmail DOT com. Include the keywords "Trip Planner" in your subject.

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Don't Miss The December Rain in Jakarta

For this is Rain with a capital R. Jeong "Rain" Ji-hoon (born June 25, 1982), the South Korean pop singer, dancer, model, actor and designer is coming to Indonesia.

As part of the Korean popstar's Asia Tour "Legend of Rainism", Rain will hold a concert in Jakarta on December 3rd. The venue at JITEC Mangga Dua will feature several huge LCDs to show the synchronized performances of dancers, lighs and sound effects.

"All to maximize the performance of the singer who's called The Asian Justin Timberlake," said Sean Sudwikatmono, Managing Director of W Production, the local promotor.

Rain's management decision to hold a concert in Indonesia shows their trust in Indonesia's stability and security. "Especially since there are a lot of Koreans who live in Jakarta, about 27 thousands," said Sean.

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Jakarta to have a new batik museum

Seeking to house its growing batik collection and attract more visitors, the management of the Textile Museum in Central Jakarta is preparing to open a separate batik museum within the existing complex.

“We’re looking to complete the planning [for the new museum] by the end of this year,” museum head Indra Riawan said Monday.

Built in the 19th century as a private French residence, the museum, on Jl. K.S. Tubun, showcases 1,800 items from around the archipelago, most of them batik.

Indra said the museum’s management had planned to renovate the 300-square-meter contemporary-textile gallery to make room for the new batik museum.

He declined to say when the new museum would open, with funding still being sought from the city administration before the start of renovation.

“We have so far secured a commitment from the Indonesian Batik Foundation to put some of their collections in the new museum,” Indra said.

source : Hasyim Widhiarto, The Jakarta Post

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