Kamaro Island : Festive Cap Go Meh Celebrations, South Sumatra - Palembang

Ever since the 9th century when the ancient kingdom of Srivijaya became a thriving trading power and an epicenter for Buddhist learnings, Chinese merchants came to trade in Palembang and monks stayed here to study Sanskrit before proceeding to India, or on their journey home from India. Many settled in the city so that through the centuries the growing Chinese population, its culture and history became an inseparable part of the city of Palembang. 

Later, in the 17th century Chinese communities were also involved in the construction of the Kuto Besak Fortress when it was first built as the Sultan’s new palace.  

With time, Chinese celebrations and religious commemorations were introduced and accepted as part of local culture. Today the annual highlight in the Chinese calendar is the Cap Go Meh, held 15 days after Chinese New Year, - here called Sin Cia,-  centering on the Island of Kamaro, or sometimes spelled Kamaru, located midstream in the wide Musi River delta where are   pagodas and Chinese temples.

On this day, thousands of ethnic Chinese fr Palembang and around Indonesia, as well as from neighbouring Singapore, Malaysia to Hong Kong and Taiwan gather on the island, arriving here by boat from Palembang city.

There is a legend about Kamaro, which has a number of versions. According to one version, the island is evidence and symbol of the love and loyalty of Princess Siti Fatimah, daughter of the King of Srivijaya, towards a Chinese prince called Tan Bun An. 

In the 14th century, so the legend goes, Prince Tan Bun An arrived in Palembang to study. After living here for some time, he fell in love with princess Siti Fatimah.  He came to the palace to ask the king for her hand in marriage. The king and queen gave their approval on one condition, that Tan Bun An must present a gift.

Tan Bun An then sent a messenger back to China to ask his father for such a gift to be presented to the King of Srivijaya. When the messenger returned with pots of preserved vegetables and fruits, Tan Bun An was surprised and enraged because he had asked his father to send Chinese jars, ceramics and gold.

In his anger he threw the ships cargo into the Musi River, unaware that his father had placed gold bars inside the fruits and vegetables.  Ashamed after finding out his mistake, he tried to recover what he had thrown into the river.  Tan Bun An, however, never returned as he drowned with the precious cargo.

When Siti Fatimah heard about the tragedy, the Princess ran to the river and drowned herself to follow her lover, but not before leaving a message saying; "If you see a tree grow on a piece of land where I drown, it will be the tree of our true love ".

At the place where the princess drowned, a piece of land appeared on the surface of the river. The locals believe that this new island is the couple’s tomb and therefore, they call it "Kamarau Island" which means that despite high tides in the Musi River, this island will always remain dry.

The local ethnic Chinese believe that their ancestor, Tan Bun An, lives on this island.  As a result, the island is always crowded during Chinese New Year.

Today, a magnificent Chinese temple, the Hok Cing Bio, stands here. Built in 1962, it attracts many devotees. On special occasions, especially on what the Hokkien call the ‘Cap Go Meh’  Celebrations, the island is packed with locals and visitors coming from Palembang and overseas. There is something magical about Kamaro island. Witnessing the crowds on this particular occasion is an attraction by itself.

To reach the island , cross the river for free as everything will have been arranged by the Chinese community here. There are tongkangs, small boats called ketek, speedboats, and dragon boats. Find your own spot in a crowded tongkang then walk along the walkways to locate the graves of the legendary Tan Bun An and Siti Fatimah, or watch Chinese opera on the island. There is also a show of Barongsai, and local Chinese bands. The event starts in the morning and lasts until midnight. Naturally, with the flood of visitor to the island, food vendors, and those selling drinks, souvenirs, religious accessories, and even clothes, secure their own spaces too to do what they do best: selling.

The vivid red and golden colors, the burning incense, and the excitement around will make this a day of utter excitement. Wealth is in abundance during the event. To see it, just come here a couple of days before the actual activities begin. Cap Go Meh is an event both for the Chinese and everyone else who wishes to participate in these celebrations.

Bekasih Temple, Bali

Located on the western slope of Gunung Agung,  and referred to as the Mother Temple of Hindu Bali, Besakih Temple (Pura Besakih) sits in a vast area, that offers breathtaking views of the scenery  surrounding this beautiful and artistic temple complex.

The temple of Besakih is located in the village of Besakih, in the eastern part of Bali. The name Besakih comes from the word “Basuki”, derived from the word “Wasuki” which means Salvation in the classical Sanskrit language. Whereas, in the Samudramanthana mythology, the same name “Besuki” in fact refers to the Dragon-God “Naga Besukian”, who inhabited Gunung Agung, the main volcano in Bali..

This grand temple complex has been regarded as a holy place since ancient times. The first recorded mention of its existence comes from an inscription dating back to 1007 AD. It is known that since the 15th century, Besakih was regarded as the central temple of Hinduism in Bali.
Besakih Temple, also known as Pura Penataran Agung, is Bali’s main place of worship, a   complex comprising twenty-two temples set on parallel ridges. This complex expresses the essential belief of the Balinese known as Tri Hita Kirana, meaning that life on earth must be lived and kept in balance and harmony between man and God, man and society and his fellow human beings, and man and his natural environment.
During a full moon, Balinese and pilgrims throng to the temple. During the festival of Odalan, the temple is most elaborately decorated. Odalan is celebrated on every 210th day.

Baliem Valley Festival, Papua

The main tribes inhabiting the beautiful Baliem Valley in the central highlands of Papua are the Dani, the Yali and the Lani.

Although now modernized, the Dani still strongly adhere to their traditions and customs, most notably the dress of the men. Even in this cool mountain climate, men wear only a penis gourd, known as koteka, though complemented with elaborate headdress of bird of paradise or cassowary feathers, while the women wear grass or fern fiber skirts  (Sali or saly) slung around the waist. And to carry pigs or the harvest of sweet potatoes, women carry a string bag, called noken, slung from their forehead.

To defend their villages or to raid others to avenge for tribe members killed, the Dani practiced regular warfare. However, anthropologists note that the “Dani wars” are more a display of prowess and opulence of dress and decoration rather than an all out war to kill the enemy. Dani warfare displays competence and exuberance, rather than the wish to kill.  Weapons used are long spears, measuring 4.5 meters, and bows and arrows. Most often, therefore, there are more wounded than killed, and the wounded are quickly carried off the field.

Nowadays, Dani mock battles are held yearly at the Baliem Valley Festival in Wamena during the month of August (see Calendar of Events).  At this feast, which has as its highlight the mock battles among the tribes, the Dani, Yali, and Lani send their best warriors to the arena, wearing their best regalia. The festival is complemented with a Pig Feast, Earth cooking and traditional music and dance. 

There are also arts and crafts exhibited or for sale.

Each tribe will come with their own identity, and one can see clear differences among them and identify tribes according to their costume especially the penis gourds each wears. The Dani men usually wear only a small koteka (penis gourd / penis cover), while the Lani tribesmen wear larger koteka’s, since their bodies are bigger than the average Dani, while the Yali wear long slender kotekas held by a rattan belt, strapped at the waist.

By attending the massive Baliem Valley Festival, visitors will have a rare chance to learn and experience firsthand the different traditions of each tribe participating in the Festival without having to make the difficult trek to their compounds deep in the hinterland of West Papua.

Wayang Kulit Performance. The city of Semarang, Central Java

Wayang Kulit performances can be enjoyed at RRI Semarang, Jl. Ahmad Yani on Saturday night, the first and fourth week of each month. The performance began at 8:30 p.m. pm | taking the story Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Arts Padang Bulan and the Son Tale, Magelang Regency, Central Java

Arts Padang Moon and the Son Tale
Magelang Regency

Each night a full moon at the Cottage tingal Borobudur, folk art performances are held from villages in Magelang district. The event was held every month Tale Children on Saturday Pahing.

Pelabuhanrantu, West Java's

The Palabuhanratu area, a favorite weekend surfing destination for expatriates and a growing number of Indonesian surfers based in Jakarta, is the most crowded of West Java's surfing grounds due to sheer ease of accessibility. Most of the surf pounded beaches in the Palabuhanratu resort area-also called Samudra Beach are just that: pure beachpound, featuring vicious riptides and big walls of water with nowhere to go. Most surfers skip this non-directional stuff and head a few kilometers due west to the sleepy fishing and rice-growing village known as Cimaja, or Cimaja Beach.
 The Cimaja break, a right that rises off a rocky reef, is reached by walking about 300 meters from the main road through beachfront sawah (rice paddies). This spot is consistently surf able because it has a solid and angular rock bottom perfectly attuned to south and southwest swells rising out of the Indian Ocean. Its rights peel off in front of a cobble-stone and boulder strewn beach that clatters like a series of giant castanets every time a wave set rolls in.
Here down below are some information for surfing at Cimaja.
Spot information for surfing at Cimaja (globalsurfer.com):
Type of break: pointbreak
Type of wave: occasionally barreling wave
Direction: right hand
Bottom: rock
Average lenght of ride: 100-200 meter lenght
Suitable for: intermediate level

Detailed information:
Crowd level: normal crowd
Best tide: mid
Ideal board size: 6'2-6'4 Thruster
Ideal wind direction: east

Wavesize & wetsuit:
Spring - Summer - Autumn - Winter
Good: 4' - 6' - Overhead: 6'- 8' - Ok : 2'- 4' - Ok : 2'- 4'
Boardshorts - Boardshorts - Boardshorts - Boardshorts

Nias, west of the island of Sumatra

Nias, Located west of the island of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean are a chain of islands, running alongside Sumatra but separated from the mainland by a deep trench, they include the islands of Nias, Simeulue, the Mentawai islands and Enggano. Few early trading ships dared to approach these islands because of their forbidding appearance, veering instead to the ports of Padang and Bengkulu in Sumatra.

At over 5,000 square kilometers, Nias is the largest of those islands. It is 130 km long and 45 km wide, lying 125 km off Sumatra’s west coast.

This far-flung island with rugged terrain, fiercely independent people and a distinct hierarchical culture is a unique destination having remained largely resistant to outside influences for centuries.

Today Nias is most famous for stones and surf. Stone jumping (lombat batu) is a phenomenon where local young men jump over stone walls up to two meters high while the surf here is famous the world over for massive breaks and awe inspiring swells. Australian surfers in search of the perfect wave were among the first to "discover" Nias and the island is now home to the Indonesian Open surfing Championship at Lagundri beach.

This is an ancient land. While no one knows exactly how long people have lived on the island, according to Nias legend life originated at the Gomo River where six gods descended and began the human race.  This is why Nias people call themselves ono niha or ‘children of the people’. From Central Nias people moved North and South developing distinctive languages, customs and art in each region.

Traditionally Nias villages are ruled by a chief who heads a council of elders. Society is hierarchical with the aristocratic upper caste at the top, followed by the common people, and below them the slaves.

The people here have a reputation for fierceness and a militaristic culture which is one of the reasons Nias has resisted the impact of foreign influences for so long.  The warrior culture of Nias goes back for centuries when local villages would band together in coalitions and declare war on each other. Inter-village warfare was fierce and furious, provoked by a desire for revenge, slaves or human heads.

Along with being warriors, the people of Nias are traditionally farmers, cultivating yams, maize and taro. Pigs were considered a mark of social status and the more pigs you had, the higher your status in the village.

Throughout its history, the Chinese, Portugese as well as Arab traders have all explored Nias. The island became known as a source of slaves with the Acehnese, Portuguese and Dutch all probably having bought slaves from here at one time or another. In fact, up until the 19th century Nias’ only connection with the outside world was through the slave trade.

The Dutch assumed control of the island in 1825. Despite a century of contact and conflict with the outside world, Nias traditional culture today remains remarkably intact. The population of the island is spread over more than 650 villages, many of which are inaccessible by road.

Gunung Sitoli is the capital city of Nias with most of the islands tourist facilities concentrated there.

Nirwana Golf Resort, Bali

Putt your way to the Nirwana Golf Resort in Bali as you swing your view to the breathtaking horizon. Golfing in Indonesia is more than just a relaxing sport, as it brings colors to your vacation, leisurely pastime, or a business meeting. Slip this fun and stylish sport within your social function agenda.