Indonesian Lifestyles

Want to know what people from Indonesia do for recreation, what they eat or what they wear? This page is to give you some insight on how Indonesians live.

CLOTHING

Although many people in Indonesia wear clothing very similar to those worn in America, there are some traditional types of clothing that are still used today.

One type of garment worn for both ceremonial purposes and for relaxing at home is the "sarung". A sarung is simply a large piece of cloth that wraps around the lower body at the waist. A sarung used for ceremonial purposes often have intricate designs and are very colorful. The ones used at home are generally plain and simple. On the island of Java, the sarung is only worn by men, however on the island of Borneo (Kalimantan), women also use the sarung. In the Java provinces, women generally use a "daster" as a wrap for around the house. This garment is similar to a robe.

"Batik" is a style of cloth making in Indonesia using a hand-dyeing method. Shirts and other clothes are made from this art. Batik clothing is a made from silk and usually has beautiful, hand-painted designs.

FOOD

Rice is a major staple of food in Indonesia. Most people in Indonesia eat rice at least three times a day. "Nasi goreng" (fried rice), "nasi putih" (steamed rice) and "bubur" (a rice porridge) are only a few of the ways that rice is eaten. Spices such as curry and chili peppers are used in many Indonesian recipes. Other important foods in the Indonesian diet are fish, beef and chicken. Breads, cereals and cheeses are not eaten as much as in America.

EDUCATION

The Indonesian child begins his formal education at about age seven. The first six years of elemenetary school are called "sekolah dasar". The next three years of secondary school are called "sekolah menengah pertama". High school makes up the last three years and is called "sekolah menengah atas". Indonesian students go to school practically year-round. Each quarter there is a two-week break between sessions.

RELIGION

The primary religion in Indonesia is Islam. Several special days pertaining to the religion surround important dates in the life of Mohammed, the founder of Islam. Other religions in Indonesia include Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.

HOLIDAYS

Probably the most important Islamic holiday of the year in Indonesia is Hari Raya (also known as Idul Fitri). In the month prior to Hari Raya, Muslims in Indonesia fast everyday from daylight to dark. Then on Hari Raya there are celebrations and feasts to commemorate the end of fasting month. Christianity is also practiced in many parts of the country, therefore Christmas is also celebrated and is a public holiday in Indonesia. The major Hindu holiday called Nyepi is also celebrated in many parts of Indonesia. August 17 is Indonesia's independence day and is celebrated as the national holiday.

SPORTS

Soccer and badminton are two of the most popular sports in Indonesia. Other sports include swimming, tennis, bowling and bicycling. The popular American sports of baseball, hockey and football are not popular in Indonesia. Some traditional pasttimes in Indonesia include the annual buffalo races that take place on the small island of Madura (between Java and Bali).
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Pulau Seribu, an Exotic Destination

Pulau Seribu or the thousand island group is a group of small islands scattered in the bay of Jakarta. Pulau Seribu is located some 90 km from Jakarta making it easily accessible by ferry from Ancol in Jakarta or by air. In total there are 110 islands and many have been developed to service tourists. The islands this group geared towards tourism include Pulau Bidadari, Pulau Ayer, Sepa, Coconut, Pelangi, Bira, Pantara, Kul-kul and Pulau Putri and are the main islands for accommodation, dive shops and restaurants. The Pulau Putri Paradise Co. has developed Pulau Putri, Pulau Melintang, Pulau Petondang and Pulau Papa Theo as a holiday resort with cottages, restaurants, diving and sailing facilities.

Resorts and recreational activities abound and although the aforementioned are regarded by many travelers as above-their-budget, there are other smaller places to suit everyone. Interestingly, the northern area of the islands is a national marine park The reef systems surrounding Pulau Seribu are home to a magnificent underwater world with a wide variety of fish, making it an ideal spot for diving, snorkeling and fishing. Besides chilling out on the beach grabbing some rays from the sun there are quite a few other things to see and do. For instance, the ruins of VOC’s Fortress are interesting and used to be centre of Jakarta’s defence against the British invasion during the Dutch occupation. Adventurous people might be interested in jet skiing and banana boating. There is also canoeing and rafting available.

Getting There:

Speedboats from Marina Jaya Ancol, in Jakarta take about 20 minutes. Bidadari island is only 15 kilometers away from Jakarta.

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Sanur Beach Bali Fascination

Sanur Beach in Bali, Indonesia, is one long beach - with white/off white sand. As you see in the video, the water is calm and protected. Once home to a great reef, it is mainly gone due to erosion and Indonesia "progress"; silt and pesticide runoff from construction. So for Sanur, lot's of nice sand, but below the surface there are many problems. We were first interested in the beaches of Bali when a user e-mailed asking why we didn't include this beach. Unfortunately, this is one of the better beaches here. For some reason, probably corruption, these beaches do not get the treatment they deserve. There is little enforcement of the few laws Indonesia has for preservation. Feel free to comment.

One of Southeast Bali's gems is Sanur Beach. With its small tourist population, Sanur is a very attractive. The surf is gentler than other areas of the island and the hotels are quite nice. In the past 20 years Sanur has developed into a great resort for tourists, feasting on the sights and sounds of the Indonesian countryside.

Sanur is a very mellow town. There is an amazing contrast constantly going on here. There are hotels upon hotels, but there are also many aspects of the old village life going on as you will see when you find a place to stay. You may choose to stay in an 11-story hotel or you may choose to stay in a Balinese type resort. Aside from the accommodations, there are also many restaurants to enjoy near the beach. Indonesia is this way. Below is one of my favorite pictures; people relaxing around one of the temples in the area.

What to visit: The Sacred Temple of Ratu Ayu of Singgi, located in the Grand Bali Beach Hotel.

Sanur Beach - Bali - BEACH INDEX:

* Sand - Golden, about a km long
* Facilities - All included at the nearby hotels. Plus small stands that sell various items such as chessboards.
* Shade - mature palm trees
* Sports - Parasailing, surfing, snorkeling, touring on glass-bottom boats, canoeing, jet-skiing, windsurfing, sailing and swimming.
* Notes - can get crowded around major hotels.



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Paradise Trip Karimun Jawa Island

Lies 90 km north east of Jepara in Central Java, The Marine National Park Karimun Jawa spread over 110,000 ha . The Karimun Jawa Islands comprise an archipelago of 27 small islets, of which Karimun Jawa is the largest. Only seven of the islands are inhabited. The vegetation consists mainly of mangrove and beach forest, although there is some lowland rain forest on Karimun Jawa. Most of the islands are surrounded by sandy beaches and fringing coral reefs. Fresh water is confined to a few small wells and forest streams on Karimun Jawa. The average tidal range is 92 cm.

Five of these islands are domestically inhabited and together with 22 others from the four major zones; Zone I is the core sanctuary area and is out of bounds to all, Zone 2 is the wilderness area open to limited tourism, Zone 3 is the utilization area, Zone 4 is the buffer zone.

For visitor to the Park, expect a very pleasant welcome, and an exciting range of flora and fauna to discover both above and below the water.The reefs harboring 35 types of hard corals, sponges, gorgonian, soft and red corals and an amazing 240 plus variety of fish.

At least 66 genera of corals have been identified; 353 species of reef fish; 7 species of giant clams and other marine organism such as mollusk, sponge, soft corals and sea worm. There are 16 species which are categorized as the endangered and rare species such as Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas), Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelis Imbricate), Giant Clam (Tridacna Maxima), Sand Clam (Hippopus Hippopus), Boring Clam (Tridacna Crocea), China Southern Clam (Tridacna Derasa)
Lamun and Seaweed Plain.

The identified Lamun are Thalassia Hempicrii), Cymodocea Rotundata, Thalassodendron Ciliatum, Enhalus Acorodes, Halophila Ovate, Halodule Uninervis, Halodule Pinifolia, Halophila Ovalis, Syringodium Isoetifoliu.

Mangrove Forest Ecosystem

There are 44 species of mangrove trees, one of the rare mangroves species in the world is Scyphyphora Hydrophyllaceae.

Coastal Forest Ecosystem

The ecosystem is characterized by Terminalia Cattapa, Casuarina Equisetifolia, Seaeta Frutescens, Pempis Acidula, and Hibiscus Tiliaceus.

Ecosystem of Lowland Tropical Rain Forest

It is the habitat of some endemic butterflies. Some species that have been identified in Karimunjawa are Euploea Crameri Karimondjawaensis and Idea Ieuconooe Karimondjawaensis. There is also Ular Edor, a poisonous snake (Calloselasma Rhodosthomd) and White-Bellied Sea Eagle (Heliaeetus Ieucogaster).


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