Indonesia Trips, North Sulawesi

Principally Indonesia Trips may represent opportunity overlooking huge tourism objects covering vast Indonesian territorial. Tourism trip over the Indonesian five main islands could perhaps require a dozen volumes of manual handbook where as most available trip guidance cover mostly on both Java and Bali islands.

The remaining islands have had less exposure despite of their inherent outstanding natural’s beauty. Hence it is a privilege indeed that in the near future the Leisure Activities readers will have an opportunity to get a glimpse of those hidden and untapped beauty of Indonesia Trips.

The picturesque scene capture the natural beauty of along the northern shoreline of North Bolaang Mongondow Regency conveniently located adjacent to the main Trans Sulawesi Road. Our explorist 600 Magellan GPS registers this “waypoint” to be 183Km down the South from the North Sulawesi Province’s capital of Menado which is approximately almost 3 hours flight from Jakarta.

The newly established regency has its main income mostly from Coconut agriculture as well as deep sea fishing easily reachable within 20 minutes boating from the shoreline. The locals has been boasting that an investment on a small wooden fishing boat known as “Katingting” could be repaid in full for a mere 2 fishing trips during the peak season.

However our Indonesia Trips over this region is solely on neither sea fishing nor agriculture’s viability study alone, but also to look for those untapped tourism activities as well. The untapped beauty of a small region located at Eastern part of the vast Indonesian Archipelago.

As promised earlier the Leisure Activities would not limit itself to merely covering Bandung Trips alone, but could extend to other part of Indonesian Archipelago. Indonesia Trips to North Sulawesi would be one excellent destination as well as other region such as the South Kalimantan and in particular the well known Bali. For now the Cikampek Cipularang toll road may temporarily disappear being replaced by Trans Sulawesi main road.

Bali Vacation

Exactly six years ago we decided to make a special kind of Family Quality time for a packaged Bali Vacation tour; the eldest being our Grandma where as the youngest was our then 3 years old nephew. We could go by plane straight to Denpasar or train to Surabaya and continue the trip by Java-Bali Ferry, but we did not. Instead we opted to rent a 52 seats Bus for the whole family, and since we were much less than the capacity we ordered two rows of seats on each side in the middle to be removed.

The extra space gained was being used for all Grandkids and their cousins as a play ground with double function for sleeping zone. There were five toddlers, one kid, one teenage and nine adults accompanied by two bus drivers and one crew. Taking a toddler could in itself bring a truck load of amenities for the five days Bali Vacation trip, but that was the reason for taking the bus instead.

Furthermore we could save time and energy by not carrying our baggage from one port to another. Our logistics stayed in the bus the whole time. It seems like a good idea does it?

Unlike our recent Post Exam Trip, it was an excellent one in a life time Bali Trip experience to the whole family indeed. It was our third trip to Bali but during the first two being only five members of family as we were not married yet back then. The fourth trip if we take into account the fact that I and my wife spent our honey moon there with those memorable two nights at the famous Amandari Resort in Ubud.

The late Lady Diana was once spotted staying at this lush greenery and serene Amandari Resort. Yes, it was expensive but not for our honey moon. Bali Vacation continues….next!

Technorati Tags: Bali Vacation,Family Quality time,Bali Trip,Amandari Resort

Bandung Travel

Technorati Tags: Bandung Travel.Paris Van Java,Bandung

Bandung Travel may not sound exotic at all, but it has its own element of charm to satisfy the whole family quality time. Bandung has it all; even to meet three generations of family requirements into a single trip purpose. Furthermore there are plenty of choices for those looking for educative aspect into their family trips, one good example would be Leisure Activities version of post-exam trip.

Our quality time version on Bandung Travel may also depict; Ciwidey Volcano Trip and its All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) facility, Bosscha Leisure, The Little Farm and many more. Both Ciwidey and Bosscha represent historical portion of Bandung. White Crater, Ciwidey at the turn of 20^th century was a Sulphuric Acid factory and thus the oldest one in Indonesia perhaps in Asia. Where as Bosscha is also the oldest within most Southern Hemisphere Observatory in similar period.

While ATV at Ciwidey speaks for itself, the Little Farm offers a glimpse of farm learning activities for children education purposes. The children could learn how to grow and harvest a few vegetable species. And by the end of farming activities their unleashed energy could be released into outdoor action type of activities such as Jumping Fox.

To some, Bandung’s attraction may also represent itself through its Heritage Buildings. There are certain areas which still preserve the era of 1960s for example. The recent film making of Barack Obama when he was attending a primary school in Menteng, Jakarta; it is in fact being conducted around Lapangan Supratman St. as well as Cimahi for outdoor and indoor shooting backgrounds.

It is due to such preserved Heritage that today we could think of Bandung as it was named the Paris Van Java. By the same token the name is also used for an open space mall. Paris Van Java Mall attracts Bandung’s visitors and the place is full packed of crowd on every week-end. Though the mall has “One Stop Shopping” including restaurant mostly fast food retails but the famous city’s Culinary Cooking are available elsewhere scattering the whole region.

Bandung Culinary Dishes

For some peculiar reason our kids has gotten the bite of Bandung Culinary Dishes addiction. Whenever we have the opportunity to have a Bandung trip, the food is always their top priority agenda. Though for traffic conveniences we have only gone to those restaurants within the Northern part of the city.

Upon arrival through Cikampek Cipularang Toll road our full packed minivan goes straight to the Sam’s @ Dago St for wonton noodle gourmet accompanied by fresh Strawberry Juice and subsequently ends by a thick delicious cold Coffee they refer as Coffee Blast.

When everyone’s business has been catered for the day in the evening we simply order takeaway grilled chicken and fish accompanied by a subtle “sambal” from the nearby street vendors along the Cisangkuy and Cilaki St. There is a bewildering choice of Dishes from either street vendors or restaurants alike along these streets all the way through Cibeunying, Ciliwung up to the Riau St. And best of all it is free from the nuisance of traffic congestions.

Most of the vendors either operate during the evening or morning where most Hotel occupants often seem to have their breakfast rather than that being offered by the Hotel which only cater two free breakfasts per room. This is convenient for those travelling in a group of family.

Incidentally Leisure Activities has covered other attraction offered at Cisangkuy and Cilaki St. which is quite popular amongst younger kids especially during the school holiday; Horse Riding. Furthermore finding the location is also quite easy, just look for the famous Gedung Sate or Geology Museum Landmarks at Diponegoro St. then you are spot on!

Across Cisangkuy heading to a Gas Station along the Cibeunying Selatan St. there is another favourite restaurant by the name “Roemah Nenek”. They serves excellent local, Chinese and European Dishes, we might have visited this place dozens time and the taste never miss a beat always delicious and tasteful consistently more importantly it is affordable. This recommended Bandung Culinary Dishes has also live music entertainment during evening.

Similarly located at Riau St. but with more upbeat and upper scale restaurant “Roemah Keboen” albeit at higher rate with chic modern interior. Interestingly the interior décor comes with Harley Stand, or rather a Special Built Custom Chopper. Though unfortunately we were kept waiting for our orders for almost two hours during the last New Year’s holiday, but we are hoping it happened to us only then as they seems to be running by highly professional Chef Cook and staff.

Occasionally for special event when our whole twelve family members are completely present we do go a bit further close to downtown at Lengkong St. to the “Atmosphere”. Or alternately to the upper Dago area which is famous for its Look Out Point : The Valley overlooking the Northern part of Bandung.

Technorati Tags: Bandung Culinary Dishes,Sam’s @ Dago St,Roemah Nenek,Roemah Keboen,Atmosphere,The Valley

See our Bandung Trip Map Guide for further info on the above restaurants whereabouts!

Leisure Activities Content

Main Content Frame work: We all know blogging is purely designed for personal review and consequently articles are structured systematically as such. What we look at the front page is simply the latest posted article. Hence visitor would be lucky indeed to find a particular review that she actually in desperate to look for. Labeling your bundle of posts does not make searching gets easier either. Apart of available labels at the right sidebar, I would also like to organize these valuable tips according to my niche category. Hope this would help ease of navigating within my blog.

Blog description;

Bandung (Java island, Indonesia) apparently has been designed for leisure since the inception of Dutch Indies government’s itention moving its capital from Batavia in early 1920s. Even today we’re still able to recognise some landmarks such as city parks, colonial style buildings, art deco hotel and villa (savoy homan and formerly villa isota) as well as other natural tourist attractions, FO (Outlets) and recently agro-tourism industry.

This is basically the initial intention of this blog with more focus on "Family Quality Time" theme, however there are also glimpse of such leisure time on other places as well. These include places within the West Java region itself, such our recent family trip to Pelabuhan Ratu (Padi-padi and Ocean Queen). It would not be appropriate for me to make another blog to accommodate these other places review on its own. Who knows that in the near future we might also share those tropical paradise like in Maldives or Costa Rica and perhaps other tourism attraction such as Bali, Yogya and so forth. Certainly it would not make a dominant topics here!

Main Topics;
I. Bandung and surroundings
II. Other places & misc.

Sub-category topics; (excerpt)
I.1. How to reach Bandung;

1. Excerpt of my review bundles
   
2. All of my review; simply hit my "In road to Bandung" label on sidebar
   

I.2. Accommodation in Bandung
I.3. Typical family trips
I.4. General knowledge of Bandung
I.5. Tips in Bandung

II.1. Pelabuhan Ratu
II.2. Important ; plan ahead and healthy trip

Thanks for your visit; Let me know if you have any other navigation hurdle within my blog!