YOGYAKARTA

Yogyakarta Overview 

Welcome to Yogyakarta, one of Indonesia most iconic travel destinations and home to an amazing array of sights, activities and events. Even first time visitors to Yogyakarta will quickly be enthralled by how fun and fascinating Yogyakarta really can be. For those looking a glimpse of the real Indonesia, or just a fun night out, Yogyakarta mixes old world charm with a modern and vibrant night life. Click the general information links below for further information.

Situated on the Indonesian island of Java, Yogyakarta is both the name of a province and the capital city within the province. Yogyakarta is commonly called the ‘cultural heart’ and ‘soul city’ of Java, thanks to its rich history, heritage and commitment to preserving Javanese tradition. Visitors flock to the city in their thousands to see its plethora of cultural attractions, among which are royal buildings, religious structures and fascinating museums. The Borobudur Temple is a highlight, often mentioned alongside Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and Egypt’s Karnak Temple for its historical importance and architectural significance. The Sultan’s Palace, or kraton, is also high up on the city’s list of culturally significant sites. Yogyakarta’s commitment to preserving traditional Javanese arts such as batik, gamelan music, puppet shows, drama and poetry has give the city its reputation as a centre for culture. There are plenty of opportunities to appreciate these art forms in Yogyakarta, with regular displays and a number of annual festivals dedicated to showcasing the performing arts. Eating out in the city can be an enjoyable experience, with local eateries in Yogyakarta offering popular Indonesian dishes as well as local specialties. If trying the traditional food is an integral part of the holiday for you, then Yogyakarta won’t disappoint with its varied selection of street vendors, authentic eateries and upmarket restaurants to choose from.

The city is reached easiest via its own airport (Adisucipto International Airport), which services a number of domestic connections as well as limited international flights. For most people, the easiest way to reach Yogyakarta is via an international flight to Jakartaand then a domestic transfer to Yogyakarta. Alternatively, there are direct flights from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

With such large numbers of tourists arriving every year, the city has developed its visitor infrastructure and consequently offers a good selection of accommodation options. Reputable hotel chains such as Sheraton and Hyatt Regency are present, alongside a large selection of mid-range and budget options.

BALIKPAPAN CITY

Profile of City of Balikpapan

Balikpapan city is one of the citiess in East Kalimantan province. Geographically it is located between 1,0o- 1,5o south latitude and between 116,5o- 117,0o east longitude. It is adjacent to Kutai Kartanegara regency in the north, North Penajam Paser regency in the west ,Balikpapan city and Makssar straits in the east and south. Administratively it is divided into 5 districts. 
The regency haas big potential to develop especially from agriculture sector with the commodities such as corn, cassava, soybean, peanut, any kinds of vegetables, and any kinds of fruit.The plantation sector is the one that the local government tries to develop to improve the economical growth. Now there are six commodities developed in the regency. they are rubber, coffee, cacao, pepper, clove, and coconut.
The regency has also developed the animal husbandry sector which includes lying puppet, any kinds of birds,cow, and goat. To develop the sector the local government aims to develop companies dealing with it such as cow flattening and chicken cultivation.
The regency has produced the mining commodities such as oil which becomes the main raw material for Pertamina refineries located in Yos Sudarso coastal area and industrial zone supporting mining sector, workshop, and suppliers.
The develoment of tourism sector in Balikpapan is in the mean of benefitting tourist objects to attract tourists. They are natural reserves, cultures, remains, and archeological sites.

KOMODO DRAGON

About the Komodo Dragon
The Komodo dragon is a huge animal that is considered to be the largest lizard in the world. Historically, its ancestors roamed the earth half a million years ago. Now these amazing creatures are found in several locations including Komodo Island, which of course is the home to the prehistoric creatures, Rinca and in several nearby islands in the Indonesian archipelago. The islands are classified as semi-arid. If you cannot visit these islands, you will find that you will be able to see the Komodo Dragons in zoos across Indonesia.
Komodo Dragons are considered the last of their kind remaining in the world today. They are characterized by their short legs with large talons, a stout body and very long tails that can be used to crush an opponent. They can also grow up to 3 to 4 meters in length and run at speeds up to 15 miles per hour. Their long, forked tongue allows them to test the air for scents. The Komodo dragon has a long, forked tongue that it uses to test the air for scents. Their eyesight is good for distinguishing movement and color but not very good in low light. They also have a severely limited frequency range that they can hear (400-2000 Hz).
They are good swimmers and are able to prey upon a variety of species. Young komodo dragons feed on insects and small lizards but as they get older they begin to eat mice and other small mammals. Adult komodo dragons prey on pigs, goats, deer, young buffalos, horses and basically anything that they are able to catch.
Komodo dragons are solitary lizards and usually come together only to mate and feed on carrion. At night, komodo dragons sleep in caves or in gullies and among tree roots. They come out to feed in the morning. Female komodo dragons lay between 20 and 40 eggs in a hole in the ground. The Komodo dragon is protected by law and although they are considered harmless, it is advisable to keep them at the distance.

KOMODO DRAGON

About the Komodo Dragon
The Komodo dragon is a huge animal that is considered to be the largest lizard in the world. Historically, its ancestors roamed the earth half a million years ago. Now these amazing creatures are found in several locations including Komodo Island, which of course is the home to the prehistoric creatures, Rinca and in several nearby islands in the Indonesian archipelago. The islands are classified as semi-arid. If you cannot visit these islands, you will find that you will be able to see the Komodo Dragons in zoos across Indonesia.
Komodo Dragons are considered the last of their kind remaining in the world today. They are characterized by their short legs with large talons, a stout body and very long tails that can be used to crush an opponent. They can also grow up to 3 to 4 meters in length and run at speeds up to 15 miles per hour. Their long, forked tongue allows them to test the air for scents. The Komodo dragon has a long, forked tongue that it uses to test the air for scents. Their eyesight is good for distinguishing movement and color but not very good in low light. They also have a severely limited frequency range that they can hear (400-2000 Hz).
They are good swimmers and are able to prey upon a variety of species. Young komodo dragons feed on insects and small lizards but as they get older they begin to eat mice and other small mammals. Adult komodo dragons prey on pigs, goats, deer, young buffalos, horses and basically anything that they are able to catch.
Komodo dragons are solitary lizards and usually come together only to mate and feed on carrion. At night, komodo dragons sleep in caves or in gullies and among tree roots. They come out to feed in the morning. Female komodo dragons lay between 20 and 40 eggs in a hole in the ground. The Komodo dragon is protected by law and although they are considered harmless, it is advisable to keep them at the distance.

MOUNT MERAPI

MOUNT MERAPI, Jogjakarta

MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesian name for "Mount of Fire", the most active Vulcanoe in Indonesia. Statistically it would erupt in every 2~5 years. This mountain favor by local and foreign tourist. It take 5 hours to climb, 3 hours to return. Peoples prefer the north slope route via Selo. Other prefer south west route thru Kinah rejo. Route from southwest is possible but dangerous as the lava flow path is here. It is really hyper active vulcanoe; during a clear we can see hot night red molten lava. 

THE HIMALAYAS

The Formation of the Himalayas
The Himalayas are known to be youngfold mountains. Young, because these have been formed relatively recently in the earth's history, compared to older mountain ranges like the Aravallis in India, and the Appalachian in the USA. They are known as fold mountains because the mountains extend for 2500 km in length in a series of parallel ridges or folds.The accepted theory about the formation of the Himalayas started to take shape in the year 1912 when German meteorologist Alfred Wegener developed his Theory of Continental Drift. According to Wegener, the earth was composed of several giant plates called tectonic plates. On these plates lie the continents and the oceans of the earth. The continents were said to have formed a single mass at one point in time. From this single mass, today's continents have "drifted" apart from each other over a period of millions of years.

We pick up the story about 250 million years ago. During this time, all the earth's land was a single super continent called Pangea, which was surrounded by a large ocean.Around 200 million years ago (also known as the Middle Permian Period) , an extensive sea stretched along the latitudinal area presently occupied by the Himalayas. This sea was named the Tethys. Around this period, the super continent Pangea began to gradually split into different land masses and move apart in different directions.

As a result, rivers from both the northern Eurasian land mass (called Angara) and the southern Indian land mass (called Gondwana) started depositing large amounts of sediments into the shallow sea that was the Tethys. There were marine animals called ammonites living in the sea at the time. The two land masses, the Eurasian and the Indian sub-continent, moved closer and closer. Indian plate was moving north about at the rate of about 15 cm per year (6 inches per year).

The initial mountain building process started about seventy million years ago (or the Upper Cretaceous period) when the two land masses (or plates) began to collide with each other. As a result, the already shallow seabed rapidly folded folded and was raised into longitudinal ridges and valleys.