Bali "The Best Spa Destination in The World"

Indonesian through Bali has been selected as “The Best Destination Spa in the World.” by InternationalBourse Berlin, Jerman and gets International Wellness Awards.

Most of Bali spa centres offer 100% natural material. The basic ingredient of Spa original massage oils are imported from France. Bali spas have well-trained therapist. You will enjoy a fragrance while you are staying at spa treatment room. Some of Bali spa centres also have service of hair treatment, herbal milk bath, volcanic mud body treatment, lavender body treatment, and many other high quality services. Sometimes Bali Spas also give a free transport for a visitor from Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Kuta and Sanur beach area.

Beginning with foot bath and body wash, and traditional Balinese massage, lets the mud prevent wrinkles, enlighten your skin and clean the pores while giving nutrients and mineral back to your skin, end by relaxing into warm aromatic flower bath. For other choice, you may choose Aroma Therapy Massage, Balinese Traditional Massage, Swedish Massage or other kind of massage. Improve your blood circulation, reduces tension and stress, relieve muscles, rejuvenate tired muscles and relax your mind. The prices are relative cheap, around US$ 68-78 per package. So lets enjoyed your vacation on Bali Paradise.

The National Monument:
The National Monument, or "Monas" as it is popularly called, is one of the monuments built during the Sukarno era of fierce nationalism. It stands for the people's determination to achieve freedom and the crowning of their efforts in the Proclamation of Independence in August 1945. The 137-metre tall marble obelisk is topped with a flame coated with 35 kg of gold. The base houses a historical museum and a hall for meditations. The monument is open to the public and upon request the lift can carry visitors to the top, which offers a bird's eye view of the city and the sea. Istiqlal Mosque: It is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia and the second largest in the world. The mosque took 17 long years to build and the grandeur of its walls and dome is visible from quite far away. Orchid Gardens: Indonesia has some of the most exotic orchid gardens. Several commercial orchid gardens are open to public. Some of the best known of them are located at Slipi and Taman Mini. Condet: This village in southern Jakarta is a protected area where the old rural life style of Jakarta is preserved. Condet is also famous for its fruit orchards. Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature): Situated just outside Jakarta, the park has miniatures of all the 27 provinces of the country reproduced in its Central Lake. This is a wonderful place to know about the entire archipelago in just one day. Regular cultural programmes and ceremonies are held in the park representing different regions. Pulau Seribu: This group of islands in the Jakarta Bay offers a haven away from the bustle of city life. There are golden beaches fringed with coconut palms. The surrounding waters are a paradise for scuba divers. The islands can be reached from Tanjung Priok or Pasar Ikan (Sunda Kelapa) by ferry or by chartered boat. Some of the islands in this group developed for tourism are Pulau Bidadari, Pulau Ayer, Pulau Laki and Pulau Putri. Museum Gadjah: The National Museum of Indonesia is situated at Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat. It contains around 85,000 items, the largest in the world of Indonesian artefacts. There is one of the largest and rare collections of Oriental ceramics in this museum.

Bukittinggi, Indonesia, meaning “High Mountain” in Malay, is a small town in the middle of the Minangkabau area, in West Sumatra. High up in the mountains, this little town in Indonesia, is a major tourist attraction, and people from all over the world come here to vacation. There are many wonderful and interesting things to see in the town of Bukittinggi, Indonesia, and AsiaRooms.com has made a comprehensive list of all of these.

Fort De Kock and the Museum, at Bukittinggi, Indonesia # From Fort De Kock a footbridge takes one over the main street of Bukittinggi to the Museum and the Zoo. The museum has a wonderful collection of Minangkabau art and culture put on display for tourists. The Zoo is also a place one can visit, though it is not really well-kept.

Sianok Canyon, in Bukittinggi, Indonesia # The Sianok Canyon or Ngarai Canyon covers an area of bout four kilometers southwest of the town of Bukittinggi, Indonesia. One can walk trough the canyon and climb up a small steep trial. It is quite a heavy climb, but leads to a flat green ricefield, that will lead to Kota Gadang, which is at about two hours walking distance from Bukittinggi, Indonesia.

Kota Gadang, lying about eight kilometers from Bukittinggi, Indonesia, is famous for it crafts, such as silwerware, and shawls. One can get to see the silversmiths at work with filigree or see the weaving of shawls.

Batu Sangkar, about 40 km from Bukittinggi, Indonesia, is the traditional Minangkabau village, with traditional Minangkabau buildings, structures, and architecture. The major attraction here is the palace known as Balai Janggo.

Ngalau Kamang and Ngalau Indah, two caves that lie north east of Bukittinggi, Indonesia with many stalagmites and stalactites.

Rafflesia Arnoldy Sanctuary, 16 km away from Bukittinggi, Indonesia, is a place where one can get to see the Rafflesia, which is the largest flower on earth, and is renowned for its foul smell.

Harau valley/Lembah arau, is about 45 km from Bukittinggi, Indonesia, to the north east and is a land of waterfalls, and many steep cliffs. The highest waterfall here is 110 meters high.

Lake Maninjau, about 40 km from Bukittinggi, Indonesia, is one most beautiful spots in west Sumatra. The path to the Lake is impressive in itself, with 44 hairpin bends that afford spectacular views over the lake.

Apart from these, there are a few more attractions in and around the town of Bukittinggi, Indonesia, such as –

Lobang Jepang, or the Japanese Caves - a network of underground bunkers & tunnels built by the Japanese during World War II

Jam Gadang - a large clock tower built by the Dutch in 1926.

Ethnic groups in Indonesia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are over 300 ethnic groups in Indonesia.

The largest ethnic group in Indonesia is the Javanese who make up 41% of the total population. The Javanese are concentrated on the island of Java but millions have migrated to other islands throughout the archipelago.The Sundanese, Malay, and Madurese are the next largest groups in the country. Many ethnic groups, particularly in Kalimantan and Papua, have only hundreds of members. Most of the local languages belong to Austronesian linguistic family, although a significant number, particularly in Papua, speak Papuan languages. The Chinese Indonesian population makes up a little less then 1% of the total Indonesian population according to the 2000 census. Some estimates, however, put the number of ethnic Chinese at roughly 8 million, claiming a large undercount due to widespread reluctance to self-identify as Chinese}. Some of these Indonesians of Chinese descent speak various Chinese dialects, most notably Hokkien and Hakka.

The proportional populations of Indonesian ethnic groups according to the (2000 census) is as follows:

Asmat:

Balinese:

Batak:

Betawi:

Minahasa:

Toraja:

Smaller groups

The regions of Indonesia have some of their indigenous ethnic groups. Due to migration within Indonesia (as part of government transmigration programs or otherwise), there are significant populations of ethic groups who reside outside of their traditional regions.

• Java: Javanese, Sundanese, Bantenese, Betawi, Tengger, Osing, Badui
• Madura: Madurese
• Sumatra: Malays, Batak, Minangkabau, Acehnese, Lampung, Kubu
• Kalimantan: Dayak, Banjar
• Sulawesi: Makassarese, Buginese, Mandar, Minahasa, Gorontalo, Toraja, Bajau
• Lesser Sunda Islands: Balinese, Sasak
• The Moluccas: Nuaulu, Manusela
• Papua: Dani, Bauzi, Asmat

Colonial era groups

Additionally, there are other smaller groups reminiscent of Indonesian demographic dynamics from colonial era, such as Arab Indonesian, Indian Indonesian, and Eurasian Indonesian.

The latter group diminished as an ethnic group since major emigration from Indonesia after the World War II.