About Bangka-Belitung

Bangka Belitung Island is a province with archipelago nomenclature. Broadly regional entirely 81, 725, 14 km sq, land width is 16, 424, 14 km sq and wide territorial water is 65,301 km sq, 20% among others represent territorial water of rock. Consist of 2 big islands, Bangka Island and Belitung Island and also 254 islets surrounding them with coastal length is 1,200 km sq, divided in 7 sub-provinces. With excellence of comparability and supported by regional ecosystem of archipelago, coastal area and the island with the other, Bangka Belitung present marine tourism (diving, scuba, snorkeling, fishing and sailing). There are approximately 55 Chinese or Buddhist temples on Bangka alone which are still in use. The Chinese make up at least 20% of the population of Babel. The majority of the Chinese are direct descendants of the coolies who worked the tin mines. The oldest temple is in Batu Rusa, a village along the road from Pangkalpinang to Su¬ngai Liat. A beautifully decorated temple is found near Tayu in the north of Bangka Island.

Tourist Office:

Jl. Merdeka (ex. Wisma Timah IV) Pangkalpinang 33121, Phone. (0717) 437705, 437442 Ext.124 Fax. (0717) 437442

Getting there:

By Garuda Indonesia Airlines from Soekarno Hatta Airport or by boat and plane from Palembang.

Places of Interest

Belitung Island

Belitung Island has stayed natural and unspoilt. Coming here is a bit of an adventure where the tourist has to be more self-sufficient and adaptable. Visitors have to come prepared, bring things like swimwear, diving equipment, medicines, cosmetics, sunglasses and sun cream.

Tanjung Pandan

Tanjung Pandan is the capital city of Babel. The topography consists of lowland and some small areas of swamp while in the middle part there is highland in groups of 150-200 meters above the sea level. It is the second biggest tin producer in Indonesia.

Manggar

Manggar is about 90 km from Tanjungpandan. The main economy activity in Manggar was tin mining. There are many nice places that can be visited like: Serdang beach, Burung Mandi beach, Malang Lepau beach, Pengepangan beach, Tirta Surya natural swimming pool, Payak Lake, Kwan In Chinese temple.

Matras and Parai Tenggiri Beaches

Matras and Parai Tenggiri Beaches in the northeast of Bangka, 48 km. from Pangkal Pinang and 12 km from Sungai Liat. The beach is about 3 kilometers long and its width is almost 30 metres. Parai, a beach set between rocky capes is an ideal location for relaxing and swimming. Local fishermen moor their vessels here after a day of fishing, giving the beach the picturesque feel of a fishing village.

Mount Menumbung

Mount Menumbung (355 m) a rather high hill in the neighbourhood of Mentok (North West Bangka) stands as a memorial to the history of the Indonesian nation. A guest house which was built here by the Dutch in 1932 was used to house the former President Soe¬karno and Vice-President Hatta during their imprisonment from February to July 1949.

Remodong Beach

Remodong Beach in North Bangka is a favourite place to enjoy the sunset as the beach faces the west. Tourist facilities are also available on this beach.

Bangka

The name Bangka is derived from the word “WANGKA”, which means tin. This word was also written in a Sriwijaya stone inscription dated 686AD and discovered near the town of Kota Kapur in West Bangka. Today this inscription is kept in the National Museum in Jakarta. Bangka is the main tin producer in Indonesia and is also well-known for its white pepper. The group of islands making up the Babel province is almost located on the equator with latitude of 1 degree 30 to 3 degree 07 and a longitude of 105 to 107 degrees east.

Source:http://www.my-indonesia.info/page.php?ic=1123&id=3229

Image Source: http://cyberwoman.cbn.net.id/UserFiles/Image/cybertravel/Time%20Traveller/juli08/Bangka.JPG

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Taman Mini Indonesia Indah - Exploring Indonesia in One Day

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah or Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park was built to be the showcase of Indonesia, in this park visitors will find many Indonesia natural & cultural richness such as unique replication of traditional houses (pavilion) from all around Indonesia, an Indonesia archipelago shaped lake and many other fascinating attraction. The park is an Ideal spot for week-end family outing and also international tourist who did not have enough time to explore Indonesia.

It started with the idea of the late Ibu Tien Soeharto (former Indonesia first lady). The construction of TMII began in 1971 and it was official inaugurated on April 20, 1975.

Since its existence and in the course of time TMII continues to grow and developed in line with the dynamism of the community life of Indonesia. People are the more aware of the great advantages of the existence of TMII, with the mission to be a vehicle for the preservation and development of the culture and a means to strengthen the unity and integrity of the people of Indonesia.

TMII is considered as a vehicle presenting the diversity of the people of Indonesia and the variety of cultural wealth enables the community to gain interesting experience, knowledge and information regarding various aspect of culture, tradition, customs, forms of art as far as the introduction of cultural objects.

The beauty and cultural wealth presented by TMII can easily be observed by the community through the availability of a more complete and interactive means of information. It is expected that through the website the information can be disseminated widely all over the Archipelago and even abroad so that it will facilitate the community to better know about the culture and customs of the people of Indonesia.

Province Pavilions

The bulk of the facilities at TMII is made up of the regional pavilions. With more than twenty five pavilions to walk through, representative of the architecture of each province of Indonesia, the visitor is provided a very unique opportunity to view the breadth and scale of the full range of regional architecture. Each pavilion presents at least three typical examples of the regional style it represents.

Don`t have the time or the fortitude to venture to distant or out-ot-the-way locations? No need. Visit every pavilion and you will come away with a very clear impression of the diversity and richness of Indonesian architectural and living styles. To point out just a view, there is the `Bogonjong` house of the Ranah Minang from West Sumatra, a `Lamin` of the Dayak people from deep in the interior of East Kalimantan, a `Tongkongan` from Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi, a traditional Batak `Bolon` house from North Sumatra; a `Joglo` house from Central Java, etc.

Primary Source: http://www.my-indonesia.info

Secondary Source: http://www.antaranda.com/articles.php?id=9

Image source:http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Indonesian/SEAcamp/taman_mini.jpg

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GUNUNG JATI. The Saint, The Founder and The Sultan.

In front of the smoke blackened studded doors an old man sits chanting. His bowed head is bent towards the solid teak doors which conceal the access to the sacred tomb of Sunan Gunung Jati - Cirebon's charismatic founder and one of the Wali Sanga (Nine Saints) of Java. Nearby, other pilgrims loll on the floor, surrounded by the holy tombs of their ancestors. Around them, ancient Chinese Ming ceramic urns containing holy water have been placed on the ground for the pilgrims to sprinkle themselves for added blessings. Lying adjacent to the teak door are the whitewashed walls of the mausoleum of Sultan Samsudin Achir, decorated with precious Ming plates. Priceless green celadon urns and blue and white Ming vases stand along the walls, reputedly brought to Cirebon as part of dowry of Chinese Princess Ong Tien on her marriage to Sunan Gunung Jati.

Encircled by white walls, the complex has an Arabic appearance. Entrance is through the Pintu Gapura - old Javanese-styled archways or Hindu-styled candi bentar or split gates - which lead into the Pakemitan, a kind of reception area where wizened and ancient sarong-clad attendants receive important guests and accept donations. In all, the complex comprises ten levels. The uppermost level contains the tomb of Sunan Gunung Jati, reachable through nine gates, symbolizing the nine Walis of Java.

It is rumored that surrounding Gunung Jati's tomb are priceless treasures of gold and silver, and the tomb itself is topped with a precious piece of ornamental jade.

Each level is divided by a high white wall, accessible through carved wooden gates or doors. Kasepuhan family tombs are separated from Kanoman. Royal tombs are separated from common ones. Most levels are accessible only to members of the royal families. On a few special holy days during Lebaran and Maulud, the Birthday of Prophet Muhammad, the gates are opened and much of the complex is thronged with visitors.

Ancient carved stone tombs can be seen covering most of the available space in all the compounds. Inscribed in Arabic, some are painted gold or silver, others in natural stone. Outside the compounds stand several ancient pavillions, presented to Sunan Gunung Jati from various royal personages. They provide pleasant resting place where people sit, absorbing the mystic power of their ancestors.

One of the most holy and revered places in Java, Gunung Jati is a mystical center, attracting pilgrims from all over Indonesia and the neighboring countries of Brunei and Malaysia. Some come for a day, others come to stay for weeks. Following the examples of the early mystics, they spend their days in prayer and meditation, living on a spartan diet of boiled rice and water, sleeping between the holy tombstones in an attempt to absorb from the spiritual energy that emanates from the ancestral tombs.

Stalls line the main entrance to the complex. Women sell flowers and insence, books and religious souvenirs to the pilgrims before they enter the Desa Astana (grave complex). Other vendors sell cold drinks and snacks. On busy holy days and ceremonial occasions, the whole road becomes a bazaar, filled with food vendors and hawkers with colorful toys and religious paraphernalia.

On feast days the place is jammed with visitors. The roads swarm with thousands of people. Village women, colorfully dressed in batik sarong, their heads covered with lacy white shawls arrive in small groups with their family. Richly dressed wealthy women arrive with their entourage of children and servants while men arriving separately, wear their black songkok, or for the Hajis, white caps.

When men from the Kraton royal families appear in the traditional gear of batik sarong and headgear with white jackets their stately appearance causes a quiet stir. People come to pay their respects, almost bent double as they scurry forward to receive their salaams from the respected personages. It is an illuminating vignette from an older world, of which only vestiges remain.

Across the road from the complex is an extinct volcano, the hill from which Sunan Gunung Jati took his name (Hill of Teak). The entire hill is covered with more holy tombs, a quiet and peaceful place shaded by tall teak trees. A cool breeze blows from the sea as families walk about and old man sit by the stone steps, hoping for a donation to keep body and soul together. Near the summit is the holy white mausoleum of Syech Datu Kahfi. Arriving from Baghdad with twelve followers, he was one of the first Muslims to reach Muara Jati (Cirebon). He is reputed to have been a teacher of Sunan Gunung Jati and founded one of the first Pasantrian (Islamic Schools) near Cirebon.

Care's of Gunung Jati's tomb is entrusted by the Sultans of Kasepuhan and Kanoman to the descendants of Adipati Keling whose ships ran aground near Cirebon in the early 16th century. The watches are still organized as on a ship, using nautical terms and times. The Jeneng or Chief Administrator must always be a direct descendants of Keling, whose job it is to see that everything is running smoothly and to lead the do'a arwah (prayers for the ancestors) for important visitors.

Other jobs are held by descendants of the sailors, who work for two weeks at a time. People are on duty 24 hours a day so that there is always someone enggage to continual prayer and meditation. The keepers live in the village behind Gunung Jati, joined by narrow winding lanes that lead between the tiny crowded haouses to the small mosque - one of the oldest in Cirebon.

Source: http://indonesia-archipelago.com/crb/cirebon-wali.html

Image Source: http://www.cirebonarts.com/images/gunung_jati.jpg

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