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Tara Bandu pole (Photo Narve Rio)
The environment of East Timor is highly diverse; in terms of geology, topography, climate, as well as terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna. Obviously man has affected the East Timor environment, but it is equally true that most resource uses are curtailed by and adapted to the island’s natural conditions.
The differences in practises and livelihoods found throughout East Timor reflect these varying natural conditions in highly specialised systems for resource use.
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May 18, 2012 | Categories: Asia Pacific | Tags: east timor, island, photos, tara bandu, timor, timor leste, tradition | 1 Comment »
Indonesia, Sulawesi, Manado. Manado harbour with a lighthouse on the pier. Manado Tua, an extinct volcano, in the background. (Photo Bjorn Grotting)
Manado is the provincial capital of north Sulawesi, and has a population of about 250.000. The city is located in the Minahasa region at the northern tip of a long and narrow peninsula, and is a trade center for northern Sulawesi. It’s harbor is exposed to the open sea, and Manado’s commercial port is therefore located in Bitung about one hour drive away.
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May 12, 2012 | Categories: Sulawesi | Tags: bunaken, indonesia, island, manado, minahasa, photos, sulawesi | Leave A Comment »
Indonesia, Sumatra. Bukit Lawang. Gunung Leuser nasjonalpark. The Bohorok river continue further down through Bukit Lawang. (Photo Bjorn Grotting)
The Gunung Leuser national park is covering an area of about 9.000 sq km, and Bukit Lawang is today the main point of access to this impressive habitat, which wildlife includes tigers, rhinos, tapirs, elephants, gibbons, reptiles and of course the orangutan. There are more than 380 species of birds and a huge number of flowers, trees and other plants.
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May 10, 2012 | Categories: Sumatra | Tags: bukit lawang, gunung leuser, indonesia, orangutan, photos, sumatra | 1 Comment »
Indonesia, Sumatra. Bukit Lawang. Bukit Lawang is a small tourist village at the bank of Bahorok River. (Photo Bjorn Grotting)
Bukit Lawang is a pleasant getaway from the polluted streets of Medan. The village sits on the eastern outskirts of Gunung Leuser National Park, a huge sanctuary for the flora and fauna of the region, but BL is maybe most famous for the Bohorok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. These attractions has made Bukit Lawang one of the most popular destinations in northern Sumatra, and today the town exists almost only for the purpose of serving the tourists.
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May 01, 2012 | Categories: Sumatra | Tags: bohorok, bukit lawang, gunung leuser, indonesia, orangutan, photos, sumatra | Leave A Comment »
Indonesia, Sumatra. Toba. View of the Toba Lake from the mainland, Parapat side looking north-west. Samosir to the left, this island was created around 30-75.000 years ago. (Photo Bjorn Grotting)
Lake Toba (or Danau Toba in Indonesian) is a lake and supervolcano, 100 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide, and 505 metres at its deepest point. Toba is Located in the middle of the northern part of Sumatra with a surface elevation of about 900 metres. It is the largest volcanic lake in the world. In addition it is the site of a supervolcanic eruption that occurred 69,000-77,000 years ago, a massive climate-changing event. This eruption is believed to have been the largest anywhere on Earth in the last 25 million years. According to the Toba catastrophe theory to which some anthropologists and archeologists subscribe, it had global consequences, killing most humans then alive and creating a population bottleneck in Central Eastern Africa and India that affected the genetic inheritance of all humans today.
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Apr 30, 2012 | Categories: Sumatra | Tags: batak, caldera, danau, indonesia, island, photos, samosir, sumatra, toba, volcanic | Leave A Comment »
Javan rhino in Ujung Kulon, 1930
On a densely populated and highly modernized island of Java, some people are still facing difficult and hard life. With small and no steady income to sustain their economy, people in Kampong Cegog must work very hard to make the ends meet. Kampong Cegog is located in the village of Rancapinang; sub-district Sumur, regency of Pandeglang, Banten.
Nestled in a hilly area, it is the last settlement before entering the south part of Ujung Kulon National Park, a world heritage site, sanctuary of the last Javan rhinoceros.
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Apr 29, 2012 | Categories: Java, Life | Tags: cegog, indonesia, java, krakatua, labuan, national park, photos, ujung kulon | Leave A Comment »
Java, Central Java. Prambanan is a ninth century Hindu temple compound in Central Java, Indonesia, (Bjorn Grotting)
At the boundary between Yogyakarta and Surakarta there are several temples which are scattered within a distance not more than 1 km. It is interesting to note that these temples belong to a sacred place of two religions: Hinduism and Buddhism. The temples were constructed between the eighth century and the ninth century A.D. Prambanan, the name of the complex of these temples, is a beautiful and fertile region.
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Apr 27, 2012 | Categories: Java, Life | Tags: candi, culture, hindu, indonesia, java, photos, prambanan, temple, yogakarta | Leave A Comment »
Bali, Gianyar, Yeh Pulu. The relief tells stories about daily life on Bali about 1000 years ago. (Photo Bjorn Grotting)
For most people who visit Bali Yeh Pulu remains a well hidden secret. This may not be a grand attraction, but the site is one of Bali’s oldest and contain some of the most mysterious and important sculptures from it’s time, Yeh Pulu is therefore of great importance to the Balinese. Like the nearby Goa Gajah this was probably an hermitage, not a temple, probably from the 13th century.
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Apr 16, 2012 | Categories: Bali | Tags: bali, balinese, bedulu, gianyar, indonesia, island, photos, pulau, relief, yeh pulu | Leave A Comment »
Java, Central Java, Borobodur. Borobudur is a 9th-century Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java. Stupas with the mount Merapi volcano in the background. (Photo Bjorn Grotting)
The largest Buddhist monument in the world is located 42 kilometers northwest of Yogyakarta. It was built sometimes between the years 750-850 AD, during the Sailendra dynasty’s rule on Java. The name probably origins from the Sanskrit words “Vihara Buddha Ur”, meaning something like “Buddhist monastery on the hill”.
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Apr 08, 2012 | Categories: Featured, Java | Tags: borobodur, buddhist, candi, indonesia, java, monument, photos, unesco, yogyakarta | Leave A Comment »
Sumatra, Aceh, Banda Aceh. Beach just outside Banda Aceh, (Photo Bjorn Grotting)
Aceh is the northernmost province on Sumatra and in Indonesia, the provincial capital is Banda Aceh with a population of approx. 150.000. The province is rich on resources, mainly oil and natural gas. The most important agricultural products are rice, coconuts, rubber, tea and coffee. Aceh has because of it’s location always been one the first points of contact with foreigners, with both positive and negative consequences
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Apr 03, 2012 | Categories: Sumatra | Tags: aceh, acehnese, banda aceh, indonesia, island, photos, sumatra | Leave A Comment »
