Sunda Strait Realize in 2020

Realized of Sunda Strait Bridge that connected between Java Island and Sumatera Island hope can be realized in 2020. Budget for realized 20 kilometers bridge approximately around Rp. 100 trillion (US$ 10 billion), excluded land free. This is Sunda Strait Bridge feasibility study arranged by Artha Graha Network via PT Bangun Sejahtera and Wiratman and Associates. This feasibility study result hand over to Banten Province Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah and Lampung Province Governor Sjachroedin ZP on August 13, 2009 in Jakarta. From that feasibility study, for Sunda Strait Bride building project need minimal 10 years to realized. The feasibility study result document will give to central government. Ratu Atut said Province Banten government has commitment to supported budget for released land form Sunda Strait Bridge build. This land will used for bridge building and commercial area. “For commercial area in near Sunda Strait Bridge will be quicker for returned fund from bridge project invest. Because with only rely on bridge operational income is need longer time,” she says. In 2006, passenger Java-Sumatera traffic that crossed over Merak-Bakauheni reached 20 million persons. For goods traffic reached 1.75 million tons. In 2020, predicted will reached 40 million passengers and for good increased become 3.5 million tons. Artha Graha Group Head Tommy Winata said his side hopes local government and central government support by compensations to supported Sunda Strait Bridge financial. “We make more priority this project as mutual cooperation project. The biggest benefit is for Java and Sumatera people, also for all economic actors in both territories,” says Winata. When asked to Winata about benefit finance prospect from this project. “This project realized not only for financial benefit, but also our nation progress. If this project if realized, this project just finished in next 10 years when I am 63 years old. Investment cost return maybe take in 30 years, when my age is over than 90 years old.”

Takjil at Soekarno Hatta Airport

Soekarno Hatta Airport for Ramadan fasting month catered 4,000 takjil packets for all passengers who will departure or arrive at Soekarno Hatta Airport closing to break fast time. Takjil is snack likes kolak, traditional cakes, or dates. Kolak is sweet compote made of starchy fruits (cassava, bananas, etc.) stewed in coconut milk and sugar. I don’t know what kind takjil they provided at Airport. Soekarno Hatta Airport Head, Hariyanto on Wednesday (August 26, 2009) explain takjil supplied is one of their management services to flight passengers. “Takjil catered we give in Departure Terminal 1, 2 and 3. We hope with takjil catered, passenger easily to break their fast in airport,” says Hariyanto. For financed this takjil catered services, Airport Management spent budget around Rp. 4 million (US$ 400,000).

Jember Fashion Carnaval

photo : lampungpost.com

The dream finally come back again. This setence said by Dynald Fariz with full emotion when Jember Fashion Carnaval or JFC press conference. JFC President seriously with his word. Need extra time, patience, and big effort to reachable and enjoy his obsession now already give the result. August 2, 2009 come back to JFC success witness that crowded by approximately 300,000 spectators, even from nearly Jember or from outside Jember. JFC now became annual event that name starting to know all over the world. This event success to make Jember famous and more known. Jember is small city with position in south corridor of East Java. In the 8th JFC event, 600 contestant comprise from students, university students, and the public show their ability and creation over asphalt catwalk with length 3,6 km, started from town square and recorded as the longest catwalk in the world. With “World Unity” theme that means to united and make world peace, this theme was developed to 8 sub theme, that voiced issue about social, economy, culture, or politic.
Food crisis problem, for example, voiced by “Upper Ground” theme, meanwhile “Animal Plants” voiced forest riches. Freedom symbol of animal and plant showed in animal or plant characters in attractive package. Another theme is “Off Life” showed some people wear all cloth is black, with gothic fashion style. It is really contrast with the previous group that wears colorful cloths likes green, orange, and red. Costume design illustrated the creation is so high and incredible, and for some people stigma that cloths is symbol of useless or endangered another people. Group indentity with no have change to develop, visualization in black color. This theme tried to voiced that creativity and work is right of every person. From here, Fariz gives important learning to everybody that dream will be come true. Uniquely, annual JFC event became one of tourism potential and included to Jember Visit Months Agenda.

Suramadu Bridge

The Suramadu Bridge also known as the Surabaya–Madura Bridge, is a bridge with three cable-stayed sections constructed between Surabaya on the island of Java and the town of Bangkalan on the island of Madura in Indonesia. The construction contract for the building of the bridge was signed on September 24th, 2004 between China and Indonesia. And the construction work began in a year after, October 2005 Suramadu Bridge connecting Surabaya (Java Island) and Bangkalan (Madura Island). Once finished this 5.438 Km bridge will become the longest bridge in Indonesia and South East Asian (ASEAN).
Opened by President of Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on June 10, 2009, the 5.4-km bridge is the longest in Indonesia and the first bridge to cross the Madura Strait
"Suramadu bridge is a domestic masterpiece in the field of construction technology of the 21st century. This bridge also proves that this century, Indonesia has become a developed country," Yudhoyono said in front of some 6,500 guests attending the launch ceremony. Suramadu bridge that connect Java island and Madura island is expected to gift benefit, merit and improvement to the people of Madura.
The cable-stayed portion has three spans with lengths 192 m, 434 m and 192 m. The bridge will not have a railway. But they will have a special line for motocycle. For cars, each way will be two lines plus emergency line. The first toll bridge in Indonesia, fares have been initially set at Rp. 30,000 (US$ 3) for four-wheeled vehicles and 3,000 (US$ 30 cent) for two-wheelers.
The bridge was built by a consortium of Indonesian companies PT Adhi Karya and PT Waskita Karya working with China Road and Bridge Corp. and China Harbor Engineering Co. Ltd. The total cost of the project, including connecting roads, has been estimated at 4.5 trillion rupiah (US$ 445 million).

Borobudur

Borobudur is located at Magelang, in Central Java, about 40 km North West of Yogyakarta, 1,5 km northest of The Pawon, and 3 km northeast of the Mendut. It was built in the ninth century as a shrine to Buddha, and abandoned in the fourteenth century after the decline of the Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, when the Javanese converted to Islam. After Borobudur was abandoned in ancient times it was mentioned twice in two historical Javanese texts Babad Tanah Jawi (1704) and Babad Mataram (1754). It was rediscovered in 1814 by Sir Thomas Raffles, British ruler of Java. A complete restoration did not take place however until 1907, under the guidance of a Dutchman, Theodorus Van Erp. He worked on the project until 1911.
Borobudur is a giant mountain-building. It is built entirely on a natural hill. The base is about 118 m (387 ft) on each side. Nine terraced layers rise around the hill to a height of about 46 m (150 ft), covering the entire hill. Although there is a stairway leading directly to the summit, there are 4.8 km (3 miles) of original passageways and stairways inside the monument. Exploring these and finding a way to the top is like stepping back in time 1,000 years, to when the temple was built.
This 1907-1911 restoration was established to primarily focus on cleaning the sculptures, and excavating the grounds around the monument to find missing Buddha heads and hidden panel stones. The restoration project did not address and solve the drainage problem. Within few decades, the gallery walls were sagging and the relief showed signs of new cracks and deterioration. Theodoor van Erp used concrete from which alkali salts and calcium hydroxide are leached and transported into the rest of the construction. This has caused some problems that a further thorough renovation is urgently needed (Soekmono, 1973). In 1968, the Indonesian government and the United Nations, working through UNESCO, launch the "Save Borobudur" campaign. Over the next fifteen years, twenty million dollars are raised to support a bold plan: the complete dismantling and reconstruction of the lower terraces of the monument – stone by stone. Professionals from twenty-seven countries join their Indonesian counterparts to carry out the project.
Over one million stones are moved during the course of restoration, and set aside like pieces of a massive jig-saw puzzle. Thirteen hundred carved panels are taken apart and individually cleaned, catalogued and treated for preservation. And Borobudur becomes a testing ground for new conservation techniques – new procedures to battle the microorganisms eating away at the stone. Experts in engineering, chemistry, biology and archaeology all share their skills to solve the multitude of problems. The restoration takes eight years of labor and unprecedented international cooperation to complete.
In the words of Professor Soekmono, the Indonesian archaeologist who directed the Borobudur Restoration Project: "Borobudur has resumed its old historical role as a place of learning, dedication and training. We might even conclude that the builders of the monument hoped and planned for such continuity. An excellent training program, either for the pilgrim-devotee or for the field technician, is always based on a wish, a fervent wish, that the trainee will achieve what is projected. For the ardent Buddhist it is the Highest Wisdom that leads to the Ultimate salvation, and for the technician the highest degree of expertise that leads to the appropriate fulfillment of his duty. In both cases, Candi Borobudur is the embodiment of such a deeply felt wish. It is a prayer in stone."The international character of the project now being ensured by a National Executive agency, a UNESCO Coordinator and an International Consultative Committees, the government and UNESCO signed a formal agreement in January 1973 in Paris. In August 1973 the start of the project was announced by President Republic of Indonesia, inspite of the fact that the international fundraising campaign had only just been started. The significance of Borobudur Temples has an outstanding universal value and UNESCO world cultural heritage inscribed the temple and its surrounding in the World Heritage List in 1991 no. C 592. The Vesak annual ritual is observed by Indonesian Buddhists during the full moon in May or June, by walking from Mendut, passing through Pawon, and ending at Borobudur.

Bandung (West Java)

Bandung as known as City of Flowers, is the provincial capital of West Java and Indonesia' s third largest city after Jakarta and Surabaya. Known in colonial times as the Paris of Java because of its European ambiance and sophistication, Bandung shares with Miami a fine legacy of Tropical Deco architecture dating from the 1920's. Situated on a plateau in the beautiful Parahayangan mountains, Bandung's pleasant climate and lush surroundings have offered an escape from the heat of the lowlands since the mid 19th century when it was the heart of the region's most prosperous plantation area. Host to the historic Asia Africa conference in 1955, Bandung is now a center of higher education ,commerce and aircraft industry which despite its modern amenities still retains much of its colonial era charm. Bandung is also renowned for its shopping, particularly for shoes, textiles, clothing and denims which are found in the colourful Jeans street . Easily reached from Jakarta by train , road or air (the scenic train trip is recommended), Bandung, with its cool mountain air is a popular second stop for those visiting the national capital and an essential stay-over for travellers enroute through Java.
Bandung is also known as shopper's paradise in Indonesia. There is a lot of Factory Outlet (FO) that offer both local as well as imported clothes. You can find them with no trouble because they are spread out around the city. Jl. Ir Juanda (also known as Dago), Jl. Martadinat (around Jl. Riau) and Jl Setiabudi are places for popular FO. Why they called factory outlet? The price is cheaper because send directly from factory. There are also particular shops known as Distro (Distribution Store). They offer home industry products with limited amout and the result those products become exlusive item. Each Distro usually offer only specific product, for instance shop selling only surfing equipment, skateboards, Motor Gede (Big Bike), environmentalist, Devil icon lover's and so on. Furthermore for alternatives, there are shopping malls like Pasar Baru, Bandung Indah Plaza, Bandung Super Mall or World Trade Center Bandung.

Yogyakarta

Lying in the shadow of the aptly named "Fire Mountain", (2914 meter-high active volcano, Mt.Merapi), is the seat of the once mighty Javanese Empire of Mataram, Ngayogyakarto Hadiningrat. Yogyakarta (Yogya) came into being in 1755, when a land dispute split the power of Mataram into the Sultanates of Yogyakarta and Surakarta (solo). Prince Mangkubumi built Kraton of Yogyakarta and created one of the most powerful Javanese states ever. The Kraton is still the hub of Yogyakarta's traditional life and despite the advance of the refinement which has been the hallmark of its art and people for centuries. Yogyakarta is one of the supreme cultural centers of Java. Full Gamelan orchestras keep alive the rhythms the past, classical Javanese dances entrance with visions of beauty and poise, shadows come to life in the stories of the Wayang kulit and a myriad of traditional visual art forms keep locals and visitors alike spell-bound. Yogya has an extraordinary life force and charm which seldom fails to captivate. Contemporary art has also grown in the fertile soil of Yogyakarta's sophisticated cultural society. ASRI, the Academy of Fine Arts, is the centre of the arts in the region and Yogyakarta has given its name to an important school of modern painting in Indonesia, best illustrated by the renowned impressionist, the late Affandi.The province is one of the most densely populated areas of Indonesia. It stretches from the slopes of mighty Mount Merapi in the North to the wave - swept beaches of the powerful Indian Ocean to the South. The city of Yogyakarta has an area of 3186 sq km and population of 500.000. It used to be the city of bicycles, with noisy and chaotic traffic much like any Javanese city.However the Kampungs, behind the main streets life unhurried. The city provides easy acces for an insight into Javanese culture : craft industries such as batik, silver, pottery. It is also a city of art: Wayang are easily visited: traditional Javanese perfoming arts can readily be seen :and the contemporary arts are also flourishing. Yogya is alsi a good base to explore nearby attacration including Indonesia’s most important archaeological sites Borobudur and Prambanan.

Cipularang Highway connected Bandung and Jakarta

Cipularang connected between Bandung and Jakarta. Since Cipulang was operated, traffic in Bandung increase in the week end. Because traveled distance only two hours. Like Bandung residence say ,”In week end, we better stay at home. The traffic jam is increase highly. Many people come from Jakarta, Tangerang, Bekasi, and town around Bandung. So crowded. In the week end, our city occupied by Jakarta resident.” Kuliner, Factory Outlet (sell cloth with factory price). I remember 15 years ago, Bandung is not really hot in midday. But right now, so hot like Jakarta. Sawah changed by new resident. Supermall, hotel, factory outlet, grow so quickly. Now Bandung have different face.