The Saung Angklung Udjo - A Traditional Bamboo Musical Instrument Performance

The Saung Angklung Udjo is a place where you can enjoy the performance of traditional bamboo musical instruments called Angklung that was played beautifully by the local musicians.  You will be amazed by the music arrangements and the performance by the local teenagers in the singing and dancing. The happiness on the faces of all the participants - some are very young indeed - was a joy to behold. The Saung Angklung Udjo makes traditional Instrument becomes an international taste on its hands.

The Angklung - Saung Udjo

For the non-speaking Bahasa visitors, the host also speaks in English however you can see the rundown and details on all about the performance in the leaflet that you’ll be given along with the unique entry ticket (a mini angklung necklace) or  you can also download the synopsis in the Saung  Udjo's website to get more information on the show.

Dusun Bambu at the foothill of Burangrang Mountain Bandung

Dusun Bambu Family Leisure Park is sited on a 15 hectares area in the foothill of Burangrang Mountain area, it has  a great view, great architecture, you can see the mountain, playing and just walking or just sit, relax and enjoying the place.

Dusun Bambu Entrance - Bandung

This area used to be a farming land and was revitalized into a bamboo conservatory. This park is owned by group of Kampung Daun Cultural Gallery & Café.  This park is still continue to serve better since its opening on January 2014 up to now. The locals talked a lot about Dusun Bambu and it is also on top list of places to visit for a holiday to Bandung area.

Museum Angkut+ - A Classic Cars Heaven

Museum Angkut+ is a transportation museum located beneath the Panderman hills in Batu, Malang – East Java.  This museum is around 4 hectares wide and housed various collections of vehicles from different periods of time along with its development through times.  The museum displays its collections with setting backgrounds of cities, famous movie legends and other exotic buildings, it is divided into several zones, such as Jakarta in the old days, Hollywood, Europe and America.

Museum Angkut+ Batu Town Malang

New Pasar Mayestik, fabrics marketplace at Jakarta

If you have been at Jakarta around the 70’s, you should know this famous Pasar Mayestik. It is located at Kebayoran Baru neighborhood in South Jakarta , the new suburb of Jakarta at that time that housed for a upper class citizens. This market catered good quality fabrics with reasonable price and also there were professional tailors ready to fashion your fabrics into a suit, dresses, Kebaya, office suits, bed cover, etc. However, like others traditional market in Jakarta, this place was slum, dirty and unorganized.

Enjoy the fresh air at The Bogor Botanical Gardens

The Bogor Botanical Gardens located in the middle of Bogor town, it is truly the heart of this city. The gardens founded 1817 were very old and yet very well maintained. It covers more than 80 hectares and contents an impressive collection of various plants and incredible trees from all over Indonesia. Many trees have grown into incredible height, some with a root system reaching high over ground creating a true feeling of walking around in the rain forest.

General Map of Bogor Botanic Gardens

The many ancient trees, canopies of vines and flowers and sheer abundance of exotic tropical plants gave you a sense of sanctuary. With all the water features and landscaping adding to the scenic stroll throughout the grounds, it was hard not to want to take a picture of everything you saw. The bamboo garden was wonderful, here and there you would find benches to sit down and contemplate the beauty of the garden.

The Color Run™ by CIMB Niaga Jakarta

Succeeded on debuting The Color Run™ -  Singapore over the weekend of 17 and 18 August, 2013 at Sentosa - Beach Station Open Air Car Park by CIMB Bank, The Color Run™ will be held at Jakarta on January 26, 2014 by CIMB Niaga Indonesia.

participants of The Color Run™ -  Singapore 

“CIMB Niaga is proud to present this unique and fun run called the Color Run. This is a phenomenal event,” president director of CIMB Niaga Arwin Rasyid said in a statement.

Taman Bunga Nusantara Puncak Indonesia

Taman Bunga Nusantara or National Flowers Park is a thematic garden located at Luwuk Sukaresmi Village, Cipanas-Cianjur. It perched high on the famous Puncak area, covered a total area of 35 acres. It was founded on September 10, 1995.  This park is a beautiful place to get away from Jakarta's congestion!

 Labyrinth Garden. Dont get lost in it!

This park is the Indonesia's first flower park that have various collections of plants and flowers, arranged in a harmonious and beautiful shapes. It also has many collections of beautiful and fresh flowers, ranging from plants to flowers from Indonesia as well as from all over the world. It also has a special cultivation house of orchids. There are estimated 2,000 species of orchids are being cultivated in this place.

Ride the wave at The Ocean Park - Bumi Serpong Damai

Ocean Park is a recreational water park. The park is quite large, there are varieties of outbound water based game, a Flying Fox game and trampoline. The place can be easily recognized by the giant octopus on it’s roof. This place is a family recreational park, you can bring your little ones for a fun water play, no kids can resist playing with water.

relax at ocean park BSD

Ocean Park is situated at Bumi Serpong Damai real estate, known as BSD City.  It is located at a suburb area of west side Jakarta.  BSD is a city designed around one thing: the people who will live, work and play here. People who will experience an unparalleled Quality of Life as comfortable homes, business spaces, shopping, education and leisure all come together to provide a better, healthier environment in which to live.

The Story of Lion Dance

Lion Dance - (Barongsai)  is believed to have existed since thousands years ago. In fact there is literature that says that Barongsai has been around since the third century BC, which is in the Chin Dynasty. The dance is usually performed on the Cap Go Meh celebration, which falls annually on the 15th calendar China. When that moment arrives, Barongsai will be around the village. People would normally stand in front of their houses to welcome the Barongsai. They will give money wrapped in red envelopes, which we know as "hong pao/ang pao".

Gold Dragon Statue at Causeway Bay Hong Kong

It is said that the ancient times, there lived an evil beast named Nian. He used to come in late winter to eat the crops. His arrival brings terror to the whole village, because he did not hesitate to destroy the houses too. This condition lasts for a long time, until one day, the people knew the creature's weakness. Apparently, the Nian was afraid of red color, dance of Barongsai and firecrackers. So, since then, people were flocking to light red lanterns, ring the gong and drum, then start dancing of Barongsai (Lion Dance). Those make Nian scared and ran deep into the woods.

It is said that since then he never again returned to the village. The villagers then live in peace. Since then, people always dance Barongsai when new year comes, so Nian would never return to their villages. All of that was a tradition when the new year arrives.

Jalan Surabaya - The well known antiques goods flea market at Jakarta

Jalan Surabaya is a flea market that well known for the antiques goods.  Along the Surabaya Street,  you can see many kiosks and shops sold the antiques goods. It has been existed since 1974 and there are about 180 or so stalls in a 500-meter line on left side of the narrow street. It sells various items that usually attract collectors, historians or those who simply want an extra touch of authenticity in their living room.

Jalan Surabaya Market sign

Jalan Surabaya itself is located at the Menteng residential area, at the Central of Jakarta. The Menteng area is a new urban design developed in the 1910s to become a residential area for Dutch people and high officials. This area has become one of the most expensive  for residential real estate in Jakarta. Several important people such as former president Suharto take up residence in Menteng. The President of the United States Barack Obama spent his childhood in Menteng, attending local schools including Besuki Public Schooland St. Francis of Assisi School.