Travel Photo: Peaceful White Sandy Beach

Peaceful White Sandy Beach

Location: Gili Nanggu, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

~Awesomeness in Nature~

Travel Picture: Another Day in Paradise

Another Day in Paradise

Gili Nanggu, Lombok, Indonesia

Picture Taken by: Ferry Wijaya

Date Taken: August 13, 2013

Camera Used: Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL

Location: Gili Nanggu, Lombok, Indonesia

~ White Sandy Beach ~

~ Gili Nanggu, neighbor of Gili Bedis and Gili Sudak ~

~ One of the Great Beautiful Islands of Indonesia ~

~ Sunny Day by the Beach ~

~ Chillaxing by the Beach, Enjoying the Sunshine ~

Travel Photo: Smallest Island on Earth?

Gili Bedis, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

~It could be one of the smallest island on earth~

~It is located in Lombok, Indonesia~

~It is one if the three island group of Gili Nanggu, Sudak, and Bedis~

Travel Picture: Island Hopping

Island Hopping

at Gili Nanggu, Gili Sudak, and Gili Bedis......

!August 2013!

~Living the islander life~

Taken by: Ferry Wijaya

Kecak and Fire Dance, Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

Kecak and Fire Dance, Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

The show starts at 6pm everyday (schedule is subject to change) from sunset until dark.

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Pertunjukan dimulai jam 6 sore setiap hari (dapat berubah-ubah) dari matahari terbenam sampai gelap.

Travel Photo: Sampan Boat at Gili Nanggu, Lombok

Sampan Boat at Gili Nanggu, Lombok

Sunny day at Gili Nanggu, Lombok, Indonesia!

Such a great day to take out your snorkeling gears and explore the beauty of underwater corals and fishes........

One of the best places I have ever been for snorkeling!

:) :) :)

Pura Ulun Danu Beratan, Danau Bedugul, Bali, Indonesia

Pura Ulun Danu Beratan, Danau Bedugul, Bali, Indonesia

Gitgit Waterfall Bali

Gitgit Waterfall Bali

Gitgit Waterfall is located in the middle of Bali Island. It's on the way between Singaraja and Bedugul Lake.

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Air Terjun Gitgit terletak di Bali bagian tengah, di perjalanan antara Singaraja dan Danau Bedugul.

Landscape Photography: Bukit Nona Toraja

Bukit Nona, Toraja, South Sulawesi

Date Taken: September 13, 2013

Taken by: Ferry Wijaya

Location: Bukit Nona, South Sulawesi

~Bukit Nona is about 1 hour from Tana Toraja~

~One of the gates to go to Tana Toraja is from Makassar~

~Tana Toraja (Tator) can be reached from Makassar for about 8 hours driving~

~Tana Toraja is one of the best cultural travel in Indonesia~

Travel Photo: Clear Water at Gili Meno, Lombok

Clear Water at Gili Meno, Lombok, Indonesia

Taken by: Ferry Wijaya

Date Taken: December  28, 2013

Location: Gili Meno, Lombok, Indonesia

~Gili Meno is one of the three gili islands northwest of Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia~

~Gili Meno is situated in the middle between Gili Trawangan in the West and Gili Air in the East~

At the Top of Mount Ijen, Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia

At the Top of Mount Ijen, Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia

The 360 degree view from the top of Mount Ijen, Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia.

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Pemandangan 360 derajat dari Puncak Gunung Ijen, Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur, Indonesia.

A Sampan/Boat Sign at Gili Nanggu, Lombok, Indonesia

A Sampan/Boat Sign at Gili Nanggu, Lombok, Indonesia

Traveller's Notes:

• Gili Nanggu is one of the islands in another group of gilis (small islands) off the coast of Lombok Island, other than the Gili Islands (Gili Trawangan, Meno, Air)
• It is located about South West of Mataram and  can be reached in about one and half hours from Mataram, the Capital of West Nusa Tenggara.
• Snorkeling gear rentals are available on the island and also on the beach where you rent your boat in Lombok Island.
• Gili Nanggu is gaining more popularity nowadays and is getting more crowded.
• Gili Nanggu is still a peaceful and laid back place to be compared to Gili Trawangan
• There is some basic accommodations on the island if you need or want to stay on the island overnight.
• I personally enjoy snorkeling off Gili Island since the corals are more beautiful and healthier compared to those in Gili Islands.

Bluefire Phenomenon at Ijen Crater, Banyuwangi, Indonesia

Bluefire Phenomenon at Ijen Crater, Banyuwangi, Indonesia

Video Taken by: Ferry Wijaya

Camera Used: Olympus TG-2

Date Taken: December 24, 2013

Petualangan Menuju Bluefire Kawah Ijen

Gunung Ijen merupakan salah satu dari sekian banyak tujuan wisata di Jawa Timur selain Gunung Bromo. Dibandingkan Gunung Bromo, memang Gunung Ijen lebih kurang dikenal. Namun, keindahan Gunung Ijen bukanlah sesuatu yang dapat dianggap remeh dan seharusnya mendapatkan lebih banyak perhatian dari penikmat wisata gunung.

Puncak Gunung Ijen

Gunung Ijen terletak lebih dekat ke Bali daripada ke Surabaya, ibukota Jawa Timur. Gunung Ijen tertelak di Kabupaten Banyuwangi dan sekitar satu jam dari Kota Banyuwangi. Jika Anda sedang berada di Bali, Anda dapat dapat dengan mudah mencari tour yang menawarkan perjalanan ke Gunung Ijen.

Sulfur Dingin yang Dipahat

Gunung Ijen dapat dituju dengan 1 jam perjalanan dari Kota Banyuwangi menuju Paltuding dengan menggunakan mobil biasa. Paltuding, yang merupakan kaki Gunung Ijen, adalah awal dari pendakian menuju puncak Gunung Ijen. Anda juga dapat mencapai Paltuding dari kota lain yaitu Bondowoso, jika Anda dapang dari arah Surabaya. Namun, konon jalan dari Bondowoso ke Paltuding lebih buruk kondisinya.

di Atas Awan

Ketika Anda sampai di Paltuding, Anda biasanya akan bertemu penduduk lokal yang kebanyakan penambang sulfur yang akan menawarkan jasa guide menuju puncak gunung. Biasanya jasa mereka berkisar di harga Rp 100.000 - Rp 300.000. Namun, Anda juga bisa memilih untuk mendaki gunung sendiri tanpa guide.

Penambang Sulfur Sedang Menimbang Hasil Penambangannya

Jalan pendakian cukup bagus kondisinya, sehingga Anda tidak perlu khawatir tentang keamanan diri Anda. Jalanannya cukup lebar sekitar 4 meter sepanjang jalur pendakian.

Bluefire di Kawah Ijen

Hal yang paling spesial di Gunung Ijen adalah adanya fenomena bluefire (api biru) di dalam kawah gunung. Bluefire ini merupakan salah satu dari hanya dua tempat di dunia dimana Anda dapat menyaksikan fenomena ini. Namun untuk dapat melihat kemegahan fenomena ini, Anda harus sudah berada di dalam kawah gunung Ijen sekitar jam 2-4 pagi karena hanya pada waktu itulah fenomena bluefire terjadi. Jadi, Anda harus memulai perjalanan pendakian Anda sekitar jam 12 malam dan mencapai puncak gunung sekitar jam 2 pagi, lalu masuk ke dalam kawah selama sekitar setengah jam sampai 45 menit dikarenakan jalan yang cukup terjal dan agak berbahaya jika tidak hati-hati.

Bluefire di Gunung Ijen ini adalah salah satu fenomena yang tidak ingin Anda lewatkan dan fenomena ini bisa jadi salah satu hal yang harus Anda lihat before you die.

Adventure to Mount Ijen to See Bluefire

Mount Ijen is one of the most visited tourist destinations in East Java, other than Mount Bromo. Compared to the neighboring Mount Bromo, Mount Ijen is indeed less famous. However, the beauty of Mount Ijen is not something to be skipped over and deserves some more good publications.

At the Top of the Mountain

Mount Ijen is closer to Bali than to Surabaya, the Capital of East Java. It is located in Banyuwangi regency and about one hour drive from Banyuwangi City. If you visit Bali, you can opt in for an optional tour to Mount Ijen through any tour operators you can find in Bali. It's pretty easy to find a tour operator to go to Mount Ijen from Bali.

Carved Sulphur

In order to go to Mount Ijen, you will have to go on an approximately one hour drive from Banyuwangi City to Paltuding (by any car, since the roads are paved well anyway). Paltuding, the foot of the mountain, is the start point of the hiking trip to the top of the mountain. You can also go to Paltuding from another city, Bondowoso, if you come from another direction (from Surabaya). However, the roads from Bondowoso to Paltuding is said to be less well paved (I haven't confirmed it yet since I didn't go through this way).

Above the Clouds

Once you arrive at Paltuding, you would usually find a lot of locals (usually also sulphur miners) who would offer you a guided hiking trip up to the top of the mountain. It usually costs around IDR 100.000 - IDR 300.000 for the guide fee. But, you can always opt in to go by yourself without a guide.

The Sulphur Miner Weighing His Mine

The hiking trek is in pretty good condition now, so you don't have to worry about the safety too much. The trek is pretty wide consistently, about 4 meters most of the way.

The Bluefire

The most special thing about Mount Ijen is that you can see the bluefire inside the crater. It is said to be one of the only two places where you can see the amazing bluefire in the world. However, in order to see the bluefire, you must be inside the crate in the middle of the night, at around 2-4 am. So, you might need to start your hiking trip at about midnight, reach the mountain top at 2 am, and climb down into the crater for about half an hour to 45 minutes.

Bluefire at Mount Ijen is something that you wouldn't wanna miss and it is a place you would want to see before you die.

My Snorkeling Video at Gili Air, Lombok, Indonesia

My Snorkeling trip at Gili Air, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
A lot of awesome fishes even though the corals are in bad condition. I hope we can recover the conditions of under water life at Gili.

For more of my travel adventures, please visit:
www.ferrystraveladventures.blogspot.com

Any question regarding my trips are so very welcomed. It's a great pleasure for me to share my travel experiences with any of you. :)

I travel, I watch, I observe, I taste, I experience...... the world through my adventures.....

East Java & Bali Road Trip December 2013

Tomorrow I am starting my road trip with a friend for the end of the year of 2013....

Finally the time has come!!!! :) :) :)

Starting on December 20th finishing on December 29th, my route trip would be an adventurous one, exploring East Java (especially Banyuwangi Regency) and Northern Part of Bali and probably also The Gili Islands in Lombok, my favourite islands.....

My Road Trip Route is:
1. Surabaya - Banyuwangi (by train - IDR 140.000 per person)
2. Banyuwangi - Mount Ijen - Banyuwangi (by car & foot - IDR 500.000 for tour guide)
3. Banyuwangi - Sukamade Beach - Banyuwangi (by car rental - unplanned yet)
4. Banyuwangi - Pulau Menjangan Bali (by ship & bus - unplanned)
5. Pulau Menjangan Bali - Lovina (by public transport - unplanned)
6. Lovina - Singaraja (by public transport - unplanned)
7. Singaraja - Tulamben (by public transport - unplanned)
8. Tulamben - Amed (by public transport - unplanned)
9. Amed - Ubud (by public transport - unplanned)
10. Ubud - Kuta (by public transport - unplanned)
11. Kuta - Gili Islands Lombok (by boat)

So mostly this trip is unplanned except for Mount Ijen part since we need to prepare for everything to prevent bad things happening during the hiking since it's a rainy season in Indonesia.

Hotels are also unplanned and we plan to shop around for hotels on each day. I don't know if it's a good idea in terms of price but for sure it will be fun....

I decided to explore Northern part of Bali since it's the part of Bali that we rarely go and I haven't actually been there since 10+ years ago. And there will be a lot of snorkeling during this trip....

I am super duper excited for this road trip.....

I hope I can stay healthy, strong, and safe for this trip....

How about you all? Any plan for this holiday season?

Pulau Sempu - Hidden Paradise in East Java

One spontaneous decision to explore and go on a road trip to somewhere new....

Me and a friend decided within 2 hours on a Saturday Morning that we were going on a road trip from Surabaya, where we live, down to South Malang (still in East Java).

We drove for about 3 hours down to Malang and stayed overnight there. Very early in the morning at about 5am we departed our hotel and continued on another 3 hour drive down to Sendang Biru Beach where we chartered a boat to get across to the island.

But before we took the boat, we had to register and pay some fees to the Park Officials for a permit.

It's actually a good move for a first timer because some people have been reported missing in the past because the didn't know the ways in Pulau Sempu.

The boat ride took about 15 minutes. It could be much faster though if they use faster and better boats.

As soon as we arrived in Pulau Sempu, we had to walk inside the jungle for about 2 hours. It could be quite challenging for an unprepared physical body condition. Therefore, it's best if you prepare your body, bring enough foods and water along the way.

The most famous destination in Pulau Sempu is Segara Anakan (a lagoon). (Photos below)

The calm water in Segara Anakan is the only place (as far as I know) that you can swim in. Some people choose to camp overnight here and swim in the "lake", but we decided to just have a look and didn't swim because there is no fresh water in the island where you can take a shower after a swim.

Segara Anakan 

 Swimming at Segara Anakan

Calm Water at Segara Anakan

Taking Picture at Segara Anakan

Camping Colony at Segara Anakan

South Sea

On the Cliff

Waves Against the Cliff

After having a good time at Segara Anakan, we decided to go to the next beach. The hiking trail to the two next beaches is quite steep and we had to be very careful with our steps....

A Quite Beach at Pulau Sempu

Chillax at Pulau Sempu

A Quite Beach at Pulau Sempu

Calm and Chillaxing

Waves at Pulau Sempu

Pulau Sempu is a hidden paradise yet to be discovered.....

But, in my opinion, Pulau Sempu should be kept quite and natural so that we can reserve the natures in Pulau Sempu.

And please if you go to Pulau Sempu, don't litter on the beach or anywhere in the jungle. And if you are nice enough, like me :), you would also help collecting the garbages along the way, like we did :).....

Have a great adventure of your life!

Go Back in Time at Fort Rotterdam Makassar

A visit to Makassar, used to be Ujungpandang, will not be complete without a visit to Ford Rotterdam....

Entry to Fort Rotterdam is absolutely free. You can sign up your name as a visitor at the entry office near the entrance.

Fort Rotterdam is basically operated as a museum in Makassar City.

Fort Rotterdam is one of the highlights when I visited Makassar in September 2013.

Toraja - Rich in Culture & Tradition

So, I haven't been updating this travel blog of mine for quite some time. But, I decided to update this blog with an entry of my recent travel to Tana Toraja in South Sulawesi / Celebes, Indonesia.

It was such a surreal experience. While it might not be one of the most popular travel destinations among Indonesians, it could be very interesting to international tourists who are looking for something new, especially those who are interested in cultures and traditions.

Starting my journey by car from Makassar, the Capital of South Sulawesi, at 10pm, the road trip took about 8 hours. We decided to sleep in the car for that night. Thank God for a good and strong driver who didn't sleep through the night. Thinking about it now, it was quite insane and tiring. But it was all worth it when we saw the many interesting and unique sites in Toraja.

We arrived in Toraja at about 9 am, since we took a roadside break for about 2 hours to let the driver catch some zzz-s.

The first site we visited was LONDA. The site which has graves in caves....

In front of the graveyard caves....

Venturing inside the cave... At some parts we had to crawl up and down through the cave....

We were also lucky enough to attend a Torajan funeral ceremony which was apparently visited by some foreign tourists. One of the tourists said that they had to donate a cow for the ceremony while we didn't have to.....

A tourist taking picture of the ceremony

 The relatives of the deceased....

After watching the ceremony, we went to the next site which was Kete' Kesu which is a colony of some villagers.... it's so nice to see a group of "Tongkonan" (traditional Torajan ancestral Houses) and the types of houses where they live in....

Next was Londa with a Torajan tomb in a high rocky cliff.

There is also this unique custom in Tana Toraja that the bury babies who died before they reached six months old in trees.

"Baby Trees"

Apparently a trip to Tana Toraja was a quite unique and interesting one..... A trip which you won't forget for the rest of your life and probably the only experience you can't get anywhere else in the world.

A look at one of the many cultures of Indonesia at Tana Toraja was an absolute eye-opener of how rich Indonesia is in culture and tradition....