BOROBUDUR TEMPLE

Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist Monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path circumambulating the monument while ascending to the top through the three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kāmadhātu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). During the journey the monument guides the pilgrims through a system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the wall and the balustrades.Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the fourteenth century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam.Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the then British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia’s single most visited tourist attraction.

MOUNT BROMO

Mount Bromo (Indonesian: Gunung Bromo), is an active volcano and part of the Tengger massif, in East Java, Indonesia. At 2,329 meters it is not the highest peak of the massif, but it is the most well known.The massif area is one of the most popular tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia.According to a folklore, at the end of the 15th century princess Roro Anteng from the Majapahit Empire started a separate principality together with her husband Joko Seger. They named it Tengger after the last syllables of their names. The principality prospered, but the ruling couple did not have children. In their despair, they climbed Mount Bromo to pray to the gods, who granted them help, but requested the last child to be sacrificed to the gods. They had 24 children, and when the 25th and last child Kesuma was born Roro Anteng refused to do the sacrifice as promised. The gods then threatened with fire and brimstone, until she finally sacrificed the child. After the child was thrown into the crater, the voice of the child ordered the local people to perform an annual ceremony on the volcano, which is still held today.Sulfur is collected by workers from inside the caldera.

PRAMBANAN TEMPLE

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple compound in Central Java in Indonesia, located approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta.The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the 47m high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.There are 237 temples in this Shivaite temple complex, either big or small.But the majority of them have deteriorated, what is left are only scattered stones. The Prambanan temple complex consists of three zones; first the outer zone, second the middle zone that contains hundreds of small temples, and third the holiest inner zone that contains eight main temples and eight small shrines.

History
It was built around 850 CE by either Rakai Pikatan, king of the second Mataram dynasty, or Balitung Maha Sambu, during the Sanjaya Dynasty. Not long after its construction, the temple was abandoned and began to deteriorate. Reconstruction of the compound began in 1918. The main building was completed in around 1953. Much of the original stonework has been stolen and reused at remote construction sites. A temple will only be rebuilt if at least 75% of the original stones are available, and therefore only the foundation walls of most of the smaller shrines are now visible and with no plans for their reconstruction.

PARANGTRITIS BEACH

Parangtritis beach located about 27 kilometers from Yogyakarta. Parangtritis is an enchanting sloping beach combined with rocky hills, dunes and white sandy beach. On a clear morning or evening,this beach is a great place to stroll while watching sunrise or set.Beside being famous as recreational spot. there also a sacred place. Many people come to the beach to do meditation. In the western part of Parangtritis, Labuan ceremony is held every year in Parangkusomo beach. Local people believe that the beach is the meeting place between the kings of Mataram and Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, the Goddess of the south sea.

PANGANDARAN BEACH

Small mainland peninsula with a national park with beaches and stunning scenery to rival the beaches of Bali on the south coast of Java. Pangandaran is one of Java’s best-kept secrets as far as international tourists are concerned, but has been extremely popular with locals for along, long time. A small fishing town, it possesses one of Java’s finest beaches and Pangandaran Nature Reserve teems with wild buffalo, barking deer and monkeys. The people are very friendly, this combined with the idealize surroundings make this a great place to spend a few days relaxing island-style. Pangandaran is halfway between Bandung and Yogya, about 5 hours by bus from Bandung and 8 hours from Jakarta. This is the second beach resort area on the Indian Ocean after Pelabuhan Ratu. The site is 223 from Bandung and 400km from Jakarta. The trip by car or bus is recommendable because the road conditions are good. However, if we prefer to take the train, get into Bandung-Yogyakarta Express train and get off at the Banjar railroad station about 4 hours later. From here it will be another 50 km by bus to Pangandaran. The beach is called Penanjung, where most of the cottages and hotels are located, however, of modest ratings. Nothing luxurious should be expected. Pangandaran is especially of interest to nature lovers, as there is a wildlife reserve in the vicinity where wild birds and other indigenous animals live about freely to be enjoyed by visitors. In Pangandaran visitors will like fine white beaches, blue ocean and fine seafood. Twelve kilometers before arriving at Pangandaran visitors will see a huge rock on the beach, which is called Karang Nini.

LEMBANG

Another resort town some time ago influenced by the Dutch is Lembang and the Bosscha Observatory. Situated just 16 km north of Bandung, Lembang features magnificence nature’s beauty. Just wear your casual costumes, and take a walk around tea plantations. Then, your journey continues on through main woodland for a hike to the crater of Tangkuban Perahu, the only crater in Java accessible all the way by car as far as its rim. It is an aweinspiring sight of emanating of sulfur fumes. Descent into all the volcano’s 12 craters is only possible with the aid of an experienced guide, because of the presence of suffocating gases at certain spots. Just a 15 minutes drive from Tangkuban Perahu is a hot springs resort. Here you can swim in warm mineral water pools, good for healing skin problems. You can also trek other routes, one which starts from Lembang to Cimahi waterfall, as well as the one begin at Dago waterfall to reach Maribaya. Through the later-mentioned route you will witness the past caves used by the Japanese troops on World War II along the Cikapunding River. A superb 6-km walk will bring you to a small park at Maribaya, just 5 km east of Lembang. While in Lembang, you should not miss ‘colenak’ – one of the street-side stalls’ delicacies made of fermented cassava topped with palm sugar, shredded coconut and peanuts. Meanwhile, the attractive yellow color cooked chickens hang in warung window fairly ”beg” you to drop by and dine in. Being known as producers of fresh milk, sweet corn, black rice and organic vegetables, Lembang also hosts several spas and peak restaurant overlooking dazzling nighttime views of Bandung.

PULAU SERIBU (THOUSAND ISLANDS)

Thousand Islands (Pulau Seribu) scaterred in the Bay of Jakarta, accessible ranging from 20 minutes to 2 hours by speedboat off Marina Jaya Ancol or Tanjung Kait. The Thousand Islands or Kepulauan Seribu consist of around 340 isles, including sand bars. Set in a clean blue sea filled with myriad of tropical fish living among muticolored corals, the Thousand Islands are tremendously tempting places to spenc your vacation. Some of them have been developed into holiday resorts for real lovers of sea, sand and sun. Furnished with ample, holiday comforts such as accommodation, restaurants, pools and other sport facilities it is an ideal place for a change from the routinism of your life. For water sports and underwater world lovers, it’s a paradise.

PASIR PUTIH BEACH

Pasir Putih Beach is a maritime and nature tourism object because it lies between a sea and a mountain. And it said that the Situbondo Pasir Putih Beach became known because of its nice and beautiful, concave beach, with its sparkling white sand. The sea, the beach, the forest and the mountain are the main tourist attractions that you can enjoy. Pasir Putih tourist resort lies on the north coast of East Java and along Bungatan district – 21 km to the west of the centre of Situbondo and easily accessible by any transportation because it is by the side of a main road from Surabaya to Banyuwangi. It is 174 km from Surabaya to Pasir Putih Beach and takes about 4 hours by bus and about 2 hours from Ketapang, Banyuwangi. As a marine tourism resort, Situbondo Pasir Putih Beach is the ideal place to practice water sports, such as swimming, diving, and wind surfing. This beach also often becomes the water sports competition arena, either of regional, or national scale. Like wind surfing, sailing, as well as traditional fishing boat competitions, are often held here.

JAYA ANCOL DREAMLAND
Taman Impian Jaya Ancol, an amusement park in north Jakarta, Indonesia, is one of the most attractive places serving the densely populated city of Jakarta. It has all the adventures people crave for; Sea World, Fantasy World, Atlantis Water Adventure and Marina Beach. This is Jakarta’s largest and most popular recreation park. It is built on reclaimed beach land at the Bay of Jakarta, having, sea and freshwater aquariums, swimming pools, an artificial lagoon for fishing, boating, bowling, an assortment of nightclubs, restaurants, a steam-bath and massage parlors. The Ancol complex includes a Marina, Dunia Fantasi (Fantasy Land), a golf course, hotels and a drive-in theater. The “Pasar Seni” or art market has a varied collection of Indonesian handicraft, paintings and souvenirs on sale. At a nearby open-air theater art performances are held using the local dialect.

MONAS MONUMENT

The Monumen Nasional (or Tugu Monas, the National Monument tower) is a 450 ft (137 m) tall tower in Central Jakarta, symbolizing the fight for Indonesia’s independence. Construction began in 1961 under Sukarno and was not finished until 1975 under Suharto. It is topped by a 14.5 ton bronze flame, which is plated in 35 kg (1,125 troy ounces) of gold. On inner part of walls surround the monument in central part of the park, there is a series of statues and reliefs depicted the history on Indonesia that span from ancient empire of Majapahit to the history of modern Indonesia. Visitors can take an elevator up to upper platform beneath the golden flame with a view of Medan Merdeka Park, Istiqlal Mosque, and the city. At the middle part is the Cawan (Indonesian: cup) with viewing middle platform on top of it. The Cawan is a reverted pyramid structure that engulfed the base of towering obelisk shaft. Inside the Cawan there is Ruang Tenang (solemn hall) or Ruang Agung (grand hall) with black marble square walls at the center of it. The four sides of central black marble wall displaying a carved golden gate that houses the text of Indonesian Proclamation of Independence in 1945, Garuda Pancasila (Coat of Arms of Indonesia), the map of Indonesian archipelago, The flag of Indonesia, and the flags of Indonesian provinces. The golden gate is opened several times in a day displaying the text of Indonesian declaration of independence and playing the record of Soekarno’s voice reading the declaration. In the lower part inside the base of the monument is an exhibition hall with several dioramas showing the history of Indonesia.