Garuda Indonesia Airlines Added Airbus A330-200

photo: greatstyo.files.wordpress.com

Garuda Indonesia Airlines Company added one more Airbus A330-200 and that mean now already have 4 unit planes. This plane has 22 seats capacity and will used for long distance flight destination (oversea). The new Garuda Airbus A330-200 flight non stop 13 hours and 26 minutes from Toulose Blagnac, France to Jakarta, Indonesia brings 13 passengers, there are 11 Garuda Indonesia employees and 2 journalists and 109 ton avtur. Now in the world around 600 units Airbus A330-200 was operated by some airlines company including Garuda Indonesia, Northwest Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Emirate. They are prime Airbus A330-200 users. Totally, Garuda ordered 10 Airbus A330-200 planes. Next 6 planes will arrive.

Indonesia Step in G-20

Still fresh from ongoing G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, United States of America, Indonesia make end note about that important events. Important because in Pittsburgh, G-20 officially changed the richest industry counties group in the world, that is G-8. Different with G-8 that have elite and exclusive, image come from this new group looks more opened and various. In G-20 there some developing countries like Indonesia. We understand level of developing countries in this group have different level reviewed from income per capita, science and technology progress, and military power. Just notice, countries who included in G-20 represented 90 percent of world gross national product, 80 percent of world trade, and two third of world population. Now in this scope and scale Indonesia step in international forum know as G-20. Of course this fact made me as Indonesia citizen proudly with my country participation in G-20. This is one kind of recognition that even Indonesia excluded of elite economic class countries, Indonesia according to World Bank has position in ranked 19 of world economic country. By become member of G-20 economy group make real what Pricewaterhouse Coopers predicted for some last years ago about strengthening role of countries that joined Emerging 7 (E-7) in the future will pass over G-7 countries role. The Countries that included in E-7 is BRIC (Brazil, Rusia, India, and China), added Indonesia, Mexico, and Turkey. Moreover, there are some other countries excluded of this group, there are Australia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Argentina.

Garuda Asked Flight to New Zealand

Garuda Indonesia Airlines hoped direct flight to New Zealand as effort to increased tourist from this Kiwi country to Indonesia. This request submitted by participant in Indonesia business dialog held by Culture and Tourism Department of Republic of Indonesia and Republic of Indonesia Embassy in Auckland, New Zealand on September 14, 2009. The dialog presented in promotion agenda for recovery Indonesia tourism image after bomb blaster at Marriot and Ritz Charlton on last June. Dialog participants is around 100 persons consist from local officers, businessman, and travel agent. Answered about that question, Senior General Manager of Garuda Indonesia in Australia Purwoko Soeparyono said that to service the question, first of all must increased passengers from New Zealand. Garuda Indonesia hoped can fly directly to New Zealand, with option city destination is Wellington or Auckland. There is no problem if Garuda must fly from Jakarta or Bali. According to Purwoko, from business considered break event point reached if passengers load reached in one specific point Based from recently data, in the last six months New Zealand tourism who visited to Indonesia only 12,000 persons. The passengers number must divided into some flight likes to Singapore, Malaysia, even Brunei Darussalam. So in economical side this request is still difficult to realize. Even in the future will be have direct fly to New Zealand, maybe destination not to Bali but Jakarta.

Batik Becomes World Culture Heritage

photo: batikindonesia.info

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided batik as world culture heritage from Indonesia. Batik appraised as culture icon that have uniqueness and deeply philosophy, also included human life cycles so decided as non physical culture heritage from humanity. Before that UNESCO declared wayang and keris as world culture heritage from Indonesia. “Next we still process to include angklung (kind of traditional music instrument made from bamboo). We keep fighting one by one our nation culture works,” says Jero Wacik, minister of culture and tourism in Bogor, West Java on September 7, 2009. Non physical culture by UNESCO consist of oral culture, story, including language, dance, wayang, stage art, society custom and tradition, craft, and another thing connected with the nature environment. Meanwhile physical cultures consist of monument temple, landscape, and etc. Batik is non physical culture heritage from humanity. It is important because humanity means come from Indonesia. Decided of traditional cloth batik as world culture heritage from Indonesia basically from some considers, some of them is batik as traditional craft hereditary with rich culture from Indonesia. In their considerate, UNESCO also researched about protected had already given by Indonesia government to batik. “UNESCO asked that is Indonesia government has safeguard to batik or not?” says Aburizal Bakrie, Minister of Coordination for Wealthy People Sector. For that purpose, Indonesia government made book and education guided about batik and distributed to schools. UNESCO also researched that Indonesia have batik society, batik industries, and batik history in Indonesia. Based from UNESCO research result, they agreed batik as world culture heritage from Indonesia. This ceremony will organize on September 28 till October 2, 2009 in Abu Dhabi, Arab Emirate United. Connected with this ceremony plan, Indonesia President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono asked to all Indonesian people to wear batik on October 2, 2009.

Becak

The term Becak in Indonesia means cycle rickshaws. The Becaks were banned in 1994 within the city of Jakarta as they were found to be one of the main causes of traffic jams. Almost region in Java island and Sumatera have becak. In Kalimantan, I never seen becak. Becak run efficiently in those places where you don’t find bus services. But becak can drive fastly like motorcycle or bus because the power is depend of human driver. Becak run slowly and no pollution. A becak is a three-wheeled cycle rickshaw. It is generally decorated in ornate colors, especially though colors vary with the choice of the becak owners. The becak are sometimes driven by the drivers and sometimes by the owners themselves The becaks are ideal for two passengers. You can get some protection under the hood from the glaring rays of the sun in summer, whereas in winter, they draw a plastic sheet in front of you. Becaks have flair of their own; it is a great feeling to travel in a becak. Becak in Jogjakarta and Solo I think is the best. Because the driver so polite, cheaper, and the best thing…. becak in this region is bigger than another. So I feel more safety.

Batik

Batik is traditional cloth from Indonesia. Batik can made by hand or machine. Batik made by hand is more expensive. There many motif of Batik in Indonesia. Every region have different motif and pattern. The famous batik come from Yogyakarta, Solo, Tasikmalaya, Pekalongan, Palembang, etc. If you visiting Yogyakarta, you can come by to Bringharjo market (you cant ask becak, taxi, or delman driver, they must be know this place). In Indonesia, bureaucrat officer must wear batik one day in a week, usually in Friday (some region have different day. Like in Central Java, the bureaucrat officer wears it in Thursday). This obligation helps Batik industrialist or entrepreneur get survive in high competition with another cloth. Nelson Mandela from South Africa also likes Batik. He often wear Batik from Indonesia in ceremonial event. The pattern can be animal, plant, or special patern. The favorite pattern from animal is bird (like cendrawasih or eagle), dragon (Tiongkok influence), or elephant. Favorite Plant batik motif is flower and tree like Beringin. I will inform you later in my blog about the famous Batik in Indonesia.