Monas Gets Scrubdown After 22 Years Without Bathing

Jakarta Globe, Lenny Tristia Tambun, May 06, 2014

Finalists in the Abang None Jakarta pageant rehearse at the National
Monument (Monas) on July 2, 2013. (Photo courtesy of @abnonjakarta).

Jakarta. One of Jakarta’s most iconic landmarks, the National Monument, will be washed this week and next for the first time in decades.

“Today we commenced [the cleaning] and some experts from Germany will come on Thursday to clean the obelisk,” monument manager Rini Haryani said on Monday.

Usually referred to as Monas, shortened from Monumen Nasional, the obelisk stands in the center of a grassy park in Central Jakarta that attracts thousands of tourists every day, along with hawkers, street performers and local children kicking footballs.

Sukarno, Indonesia’s first president, ordered the construction of the 132-meter tower, which opened to the public in 1975.

The grounds and other attractions will remain open during the cleaning, scheduled to end on May 18, but the top of the monument will be off limits.

“Visitors can still visit the National History Museum and the Hall of Independence, they are still open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m,” Rini said.

German company Kaercher, known for its work on public monuments, has taken on the mammoth task of washing away 22 years of discoloring dirt and Jakarta pollution. The company recently changed its Facebook cover photo to an illustration of two figures abseiling down the structure’s facade.

Kaercher cleaned the monument in 1992 — the last time it had a professional rinse. Rini said the company would use special heavy duty equipment.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said he had entrusted Kaercher with the task because it did well in 1992 and because of its strong international reputation.

“First of all it is free,” he said. “Many companies offered us to clean it up for free, but we need a company that has experience… and we want to be able to promote our landmark.”

Kaercher has cleaned over 80 global landmarks, including the London Eye in England and Mount Rushmore in the United States.

Basuki dismissed criticism over his choice of a foreign company.

“There are many other historical monuments in Jakarta that need to be cleaned up,” he said. “Why don’t they make a fuss about these monuments?”

The city has invited residents and visitors to attend an event during which they can participate in the cleaning on May 15.

Monas last underwent major maintenance between Oct. 21 and Dec. 15, when its elevator system was replaced.

Obama plans to give a public speech in Jakarta

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/17/2010 8:15 PM

US President Barrack Obama has expressed his intention to give a public speech during his visit to Jakarta next month.

“The White House hopes President Obama can deliver a public speech in an open-air venue,” Ted Osius, the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Jakarta, said Wednesday as quoted by Antara state news agency.

However, the exact schedule is yet to be decided, he added.

Among the places that might be suitable for the public speech are the National Monument area or Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Central Jakarta.

Obama will visit Indonesia between March 21 and March 23. He spent his childhood in Jakarta for several years.

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Family time

The Jakarta Post, Fri, 01/01/2010 5:37 PM | Jakarta

Hundreds of residents line up to enter a car that will surround the National Monument area in Central Jakarta, on Friday. People in the capital enjoyed the New Year holiday with their families at the recreational site. (Antara/Ujang Zaelani)

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Beach holiday

The Jakarta Post, Fri, 01/01/2010 8:11 PM

Thousands of residents spend their New Year holiday at Parangtritis Beach, Yogyakarta, on Friday. They packed the recreational site despite strong waves. (JP/Tarko Sudiarno)

Welcoming the New Year In a Time-Honored Way

Jakarta Globe, Lisa Siregar

Fireworks explode next to Jakarta landmark Welcome Statue

A year ago, I spent New Year’s Eve on an apartment balcony, watching the fireworks across the city with a good friend of mine. The view was amazing — especially when we caught the silhouette of a couple making love on the balcony of their apartment in the tower across from ours.

We reviewed our year, recalled some of 2008’s finest moments and enjoyed our monthly dose of MSG by way of a huge bag of potato chips. We agreed it was a nice way to start the new year.

This year, however, I was at a loss when it came to deciding how to celebrate. The nation was mourning the passing of two prominent figures: former President Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, who passed away on Wednesday, and former Finance Minister Frans Seda, who passed away less than 24 hours later.

This was gloomy news to end the decade on as both men were known for their hard work in support of pluralism.

So my friend Salim and I were not really sure about how to celebrate on Thursday night. We felt it would be inconsiderate to party hard, and we just weren’t in the mood for dressing up and hitting the town.

We ended up with no plans beyond Salim’s intention to cook dinner and maybe stroll downtown before midnight — something I had never done before.

I arrived at Salim’s place hours early and watched him light red candles on the balcony of his apartment. Salim is Chinese and believes that the color red brings good luck. He also told me not to do the dishes after dinner, because according to the tradition for Lunar New Year, it would wash the prosperity away. This despite me reminding him that it was the Roman New Year we were celebrating.

“You know, Gus Dur would be proud to see us. We can’t celebrate New Year any more pluralistically than this,” I said.

Although the city government had announced that it was moving the annual New Year’s celebration from Monas, Central Jakarta, to Ancol, North Jakarta, at 8 p.m., a local news portal announced that people had started to flock to Central Jakarta. So, after cooking a mouth-watering dinner, we decided to head to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Thamrin.

I have seen pictures of New Year’s celebrations at the traffic circle many times, but it was far more intense and exciting to be there in person, together with thousands of others who had braved the traffic to join the public celebration.

Children were running around playing, and adults were busy taking photos with their mobile phones. In the air hung a mixture of cigarette smoke, firecracker smoke and the fumes from vehicle emissions. Every few minutes we stopped to take photos and watch the fireworks being fired into the air by revelers.

After staying at the traffic circle for about 15 minutes to survey the scene, we headed for Merdeka Square, and by midnight we had arrived at Monas, where everything was in confusion because the official countdown had moved to Ancol.

There were at least three rounds of people wishing each other “Happy New Year!” according to their own time pieces, and we joined in enthusiastically each time, until we realized that there was a huge analog clock on one of the nearby buildings, giving the “official” time.

By the end of the evening I was exhausted but happy because I was with a friend and with my countrymen, sharing a memorable experience. And despite breaking my favorite pair of sandals on the long walk to Monas, spending New Year’s Eve this way was an eye-opener that was worth the trouble.

Salim said it was “a gentle reminder for us that there are people out there who probably cannot go to the comfortable spaces we go to every day.”

Thank you, my friend, for the experience and the wisdom and new cultural values I learned. The steak was good, too.

Surakarta to Build a Rp 5.5 billion City Border Monument

Tempo Interactive, Wednesday, 30 December, 2009 | 16:12 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Surakarta:The Surakarta city government plans to build a city border monument in Adisucipto Street. The budget is planned to amount to Rp5.5 billion.

“The monument will reflect Surakarta’s character as cultural city,” said the Head of the Surakarta City Planning Office Agus Djoko Witiarso yesterday.

The monument will have eight sides and its form resemble Kresna’s hat, the hero of a shadow-puppet story.

According to Agus, the monument will be 38 meters high, with a diameter of 23 meters and it will be installed lying across the street and sheltering it.

Head of the Surakarta Revenue, Financial Management and City Asset Office Anung Indro Susanto said that the monument construction will amount to Rp5.5 billion.

The expense, he said, will not be taken from regional funds.”But from a third party source,” he said.

AHMAD RAFIQ

Jakarta New Year Eve Revelry to Be Moved From Monas

The Jakarta Globe, Nivell Rayda

Crowds ring in the start of 2009 in Central Celebrations this New Year's Eve will be moved to alternate parts of the city. (Photo: EPA)

The city administration has announced plans to move New Year Eve celebrations from the center of the city in a bid to ease the crippling effects of the often deadly celebrations on traffic, as well as to cut down on the damage caused to the National Monument Park.

Muhayat, Jakarta’s provincial secretary, said the city would hold its official celebrations at Ancol in North Jakarta and the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah theme park in East Jakarta, and not at the National Monument (Monas) as in previous years.

“Gardens inside the complex have sustained a lot of damage after previous New Year’s celebrations and the surrounding streets have also experienced heavy traffic. We want to avoid that by moving the celebrations elsewhere,” he was quoted by Antara as saying.

He said other moves by the administration to reduce disorder included limiting this year’s New Year celebrations to 3 a.m., adding that restaurants and bars that breached the regulations “would be fined.”

Another policy was a crackdown on dangerous firecrackers, very much a feature of celebrations in the past, with raids planned for traditional markets between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar, Jakarta Police spokesman, said they were still discussing which places required heavier security.

“We plan to have more officers along the major streets where traffic is usually congested. We will allow people to parade in the street but we shall not tolerate any infractions,” he said.

Last year, police estimated a crowd of 300,000 people, including 100,000 motorcyclists, flocked to the city’s center, bringing traffic to a standstill. The areas most badly affected included the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and roads leading to Monas, Ancol in North Jakarta, and Taman Mini.

Dozens of major traffic accidents and numerous deaths or injuries are also a feature of the annual, often rowdy celebrations, mainly involving young males, a number of whom are drunk.

Boy said more than 16,000 police officers from Jakarta Police would be deployed to safeguard the capital.

He said on a normal shift, 9,000 police officers were deployed in the capital, but that would be boosted by 7,300 during the festivities. That total number accounts for two-thirds of Jakarta’s police force.

“The additional officers will include those from Jakarta Police’s crime prevention department, traffic control, detectives and the Mobile Brigade [Brimob],” he said. “The bomb squad will be on high alert and standing by although they won’t be deployed to patrol the streets.”

Boy said that on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, every church in the capital would be guarded, particularly during prayer services.

The Christmas Eve bombings, including five attacks on churches in Jakarta, in 2000, left eight people dead and many others injured. The attacks, blamed on Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah, were allegedly planned by Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, who was once described as Asia’s Osama bin Laden. He is currently believed to be in detention in Guantanamo Bay.

Another implicated in the plot was hard-line cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, though he was found not guilty of involvement in 2003.

On Friday, it was reported that a church under construction in the Harapan Indah Housing Complex in Bekasi was attacked by hundreds of people marching home from a parade to mark the Islamic New Year on Thursday.

Boy refuted the story, which was reported by a number of media outlets, including the Jakarta Globe, saying the incident was a case of theft.

“A man broke into the construction site and stole drills and equipment. By coincidence there was a parade nearby: the two weren’t related,” he said. “It wasn’t an attack. So we won’t be taking extra precautions such as increasing patrolling officers.”

Heritage sites losing out to malls, seminar warns

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 12/17/2009 9:55 AM

The city administration is not contributing enough to much-needed efforts to preserve the city’s heritage sites, a seminar concluded Wednesday.

“The local administration often plays a large part in damaging monuments,” Indonesian Heritage Trust (BPPI) chairman Setyanto P. Santosa said on the sidelines of the seminar.

The seminar was held by the BPPI to record this year’s achievements and next year’s plans to preserve the country’s heritage sites, which range from natural to cultural ones.

Setyanto said preserving them was still low on the administration’s list of priorities.

“They often go after regional revenue, so they [give permits to build] more malls,” he said.

Heritage sites still lack sufficient legal protection, because the current heritage object law is deemed outdated and too narrow in terms of its definition, said BPPI executive director Catrini P. Kubontubuh.

“The 1992 law [on heritage objects] mainly considers monuments as heritage to be protected,” she said.

However, she pointed out there had been a shift in the understanding of what constituted “heritage”.

“Heritage is no longer confined to monuments or objects left behind by kings,” Catrini said.

She added a more holistic definition should include community sites, buildings and other sites that should be considered in city planning.

“The current law, for instance, failed to prevent houses in Menteng being torn down [and altered] that were supposed to be preserved,” she said.

Several homes in the leafy Central Jakarta neighborhood were built in the tropical deco style and are widely considered heritage objects.

Nevertheless, Catrini said the administration could have done more to prevent the alteration of those houses.

“While the new law is being deliberated, the protection [of heritage sites] can still be enforced through local ordinances,” she said.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry is in the middle of deliberating the bill for a new law, Catrini pointed out.

“Lots of places can be categorized as heritage sites, including the Old Town area and the Jalan Veteran area [in Central Jakarta],” she said.

The Old Town is home to historical buildings such as the Kota train station, the National Archives and the Tugu church, as well as several museums, including the Bank Indonesia Museum in which the seminar was held.

The Veteran area also holds a key place in the city’s history, renowned as an upscale residential area in colonial times.

The seminar also highlighted further legal weakness concerning heritage sites, particularly for buildings, in the 2002 law on buildings, which participants said did not have the requisite technical guidelines to preserve buildings.

Setyanto said the government should provide tax deductions for companies carrying out programs to save and preserve natural heritage.

“When companies contribute to help sports activities, they get a tax deduction,” he said.

“We hope the same treatment can be given to [companies that preserve] cultural heritage.

Companies are obliged to conduct corporate social responsibility, so that’s a good way to help.” (dis)

Shuttle provided for Monas park tours

Mon, 03/10/2008 1:25 PM (Jakarta Post /J. Adiguna)(JP/J. Adiguna)

A number of kids smiled happily inside a new shuttle bus making rounds at Monas Park on Sunday morning, the day the shuttle was launched.

The shuttle was launched by the city administration for visitors to the Central Jakarta park which is the location of Monas national monument.

The launching of the minibuses -- at the park's southwest gate -- was attended by Governor Fauzi Bowo .

Head of the Culture and Museum Agency Aurora Tambunan said there were two shuttles, each three-cars-long and able to carry 36 passengers.

Topped with decorative Betawi-style roofs, the shuttle is four meters long, 1.7 wide and 2 high. The shuttle takes 10 minutes to reach the base of the monument from the southwest gate, some 800 meters away.

"We decided to offer a shuttle because visitors were complaining about the distance from the parking area to the monument," Aurora said Sunday as quoted by Beritajakarta.com.

She added that it was a sunny, hot walk.

Aurora said the minibuses would run free of charge from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

At a ceremony Governor Fauzi Bowo said he hoped people would look after the new vehicles.

"The shuttles represent Rp 800 million (around US$88,000) in public funds. So I ask visitors to take care of them," Fauzi said.

Monas is the largest public park in the city and measures 80 hectares.

Fauzi Bowo calls Jakartans to be optimist in facing New Year

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo called on all Jakarta residents to be optimistic in facing the year`s vhange-over and make Jakarta a pleasant and safe city.

"In facing the new year, all the people (of Jakarta) should jointly create peace and order which has already begun to be realized in 2007," he said before a crowd celebrating New Year`s eve at the National Monument (Monas) Park early on Tuesday.

He also expressed gratitude to all people who had taken part in the creation of a conducive and safe Jakarta.

Previously, before proceeding to the Monas Park, the governor asked the management of the Ancol to hold a free entertainment for the people in the celebration of several occasions routinely.

"I call and instruct the Ancol management to hold such a free-of-charge event for the people of Jakarta, mainly on the occasion of the Jakarta`s anniversary," he added.

He also asked the Ancol management to accommodate the artists` interest in the form of fixed stage in the area.

Some two millions of people attended the New Year`s eve celebration in Ancol and in Monas Park.

Balikpapan envisions a future in tourism and services

Nurni Sulaiman, The Jakarta Post, Balikpapan

Balikpapan earned the nickname "Oil City" when Firma Samuel & Co. first carried out oil exploration activities here 110 years ago, but city planners hope the city will be known as something more than an oil-producing city in the future.

As a major gateway to East Kalimantan it is increasingly a city of tourism, as evidenced by recent infrastructure development. As of October this year, 17 new hotels had started operations.

A number of luxury apartments such as Grand Sudirman and Sea View are new, and shopping malls such as Balikpapan Super Block and Pasar Baru Square are both nearing completion.

The city boasts a number of tourist sites, such as Manggar and Lamaru beaches, and it has two esplanades, the Melawai and Banua Patra.

A number of historical attractions also await visitors, including the Meriam and Tugu Jepang (Japanese Monument).

Balikpapan is one of the biggest fish suppliers in the province, and also a center for semi-precious stones.

The Balikpapan Central Bureau of Statistics recorded a gross regional product of Rp 26.15 trillion (US$2.8 billion) in 2006, up slightly from 26.018 trillion in 2005.

The city-initiated income amounted to Rp 93.35 billion in 2006, dropping slightly to Rp 92.82 billion in 2007.

Balikpapan Mayor Imdaad Hamid said he envisioned the city on its way to becoming the "Bay City".

In 2009, trucks of all sizes will no longer be allowed to pass through the city, as the industrial zone and container terminal will be relocated to the Kariangau Industrial Area (KIK) in the Balikpapan Bay area. The bay area will also function as a tourist site.

Imdaad said the KIK would be ready by 2009 at the latest. It will host a container, cargo and coal terminals.

It will also house heavy machinery workshops, wet and dry docks, a supply base, coal terminal and docks, a palm oil plant, coal storage facilities, a waste processing facility and warehouses.

The Kariangau Container Port Terminal, which spans 57.5 hectares, was built at a cost of $52.8 million and financed 70 percent by the Asian Development Bank. The remaining 30 percent came from the state budget.

"There will no longer be trucks and trailers entering the city in the future. They will be rerouted to Kariangau, so the Semayang Port, located in the city, will later be used as a passenger terminal," said Imdaad.

"Balikpapan will also become more attractive and ready to host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in 2010, acting as an industrial, service, trade and tourist city.

"Based on a survey by the Regional Autonomy Supervision Committee (KPPOD), Balikpapan is ranked the fourth most attractive city in Indonesia, after Batam, Cilegon and Padang.

"The KPPOD ranked Balikpapan on top in regards to security and favorable investment conditions. Let's all retain the good image," said Imdaad.

In terms of urban development, Balikpapan has emulated neighboring Malaysia in the education, economic and tourism sectors, signing related joint agreements with Tawau, Malaysia, in August.

The city has also provided incentives for investors, such as setting up an integrated one-roof licensing system in July this year.

In terms of people's welfare, Balikpapan has decreased its number of poor people to 6.95 percent of its population.

People from the low-income bracket in Balikpapan are entitled to free health care and education until they reach senior high school.

The city has four international-level schools -- SMPN 1 Junior High, SMAN 1 Senior High, and SMKN 1 and SMKN 4 state vocational schools -- and plans to establish an environmental school by transforming SMAN 4 into the Mangrove School, which will study the cultivation of mangroves.

And in regard to cleanliness, this year Balikpapan won the Adipura award for the cleanest city in Indonesia for the 13th time.

Indonesia unveils Asia's tallest Jesus statue

MUSLIM-majority Indonesia has unveiled one of Asia's tallest Jesus Christ statues in the mainly Christian town of Manado on North Sulawesi island.

News.com.au, By correspondents in Jakarta, December 11, 2007 10:28pm

Article from: Agence France-Presse

Indonesian real estate developer Ciputra built the 30m-high statue in its CitraLand residential estate, hoping it will lure tourists and become a religious icon, the company's marketing manager Sonya Lasut said.

"It looks like the Jesus is flying to bless people," she said.

The white monument, which shows a robed Christ with his arms and palms outstretched above his head, took nearly three years to complete and cost about $A611,000. It also consisted of 25 tonnes of metal fibre and 35 tonnes of steel.

She said the Indonesian Museum of Records had certified the statue as Asia's tallest Jesus, overtaking the 27m-tall Cristo Rei in East Timor's capital Dili.

However, Vietnam's state-run tourism agency SaigonTourist says on its website that the southern coastal resort city of Vung Tau is home to a 32m-tall Jesus Christ statue.

President sees off cyclists to campaign climate change

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the National Monument square here Sunday morning saw off cyclists who will run from Jakarta to Bali as part of a campaign on the climate change.

On the occasion, the head of state gave the Red and White flags to the cyclists who will be on a 1447-kilometer long trip from the capital city to the resourt island.

"I encourage our brothers to promote cycling as it has a lot of advantages," the head of state said, adding that the event was held also as an effort to save the earth.

Meanwhile, State Minister for the Environment Rahmat Witoelar said Bicycle for Earth Goes to Bali would take place from November 11 to December 1, 2007, as part of the UN Conference on Climate Change to be held from December 3 to 14, 2007 in Bali.

The cycling event is being participated in by 50 cyclists consisting of 15 participants of the main team who will be running the Jakarta-Bali route and 35 members of the cycling community from cities where they will pass through.

The route will pass through the cities of Jakarta, Karawang, Pamanukan, Cirebon, Tegal-Pekalongan, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Solo, Madiun, kertosono, Surabaya, Probolinggo, Situbondo, Banyuwangi, Tabanan, Denpasar, Nusadua.

"The cyclists will take the distance of 1447 kilometers passing through 44 cities with stopovers in 16 cities," the minister said.

The 15 cyclists in the main team have passed a selection test as they were able to take a nonstop trip from Jakarta to Bandung (West Java).

"The event is intended to campaign and popularize the use of bicycles in support of the people`s daily activities," he said.

Rahmat said along the route, the campaign team were scheduled to make socialization on impacts of the climate change and alternative solutions to the issue through mass media as well as discussions with regional leaders and people among other things.

On the occasion, the president in tandem with First Lady Ani Yudhoyono accompanied the cyclists till the Hotel Indonesia circle, Jakarta.

Monument saves memory of Japanese soldiers

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam

The monument, which lies next to a large house between the beach and the paved road, looks inconspicuous. The message it bears is of forgotten warriors from an obscure past.

It was built to honor fallen Japanese soldiers in World War II, who were interned on the island of Rempang before being repatriated to Japan at the war's end. Over 100 died, reportedly from sickness and hunger.

The 16500 square hectare island is located some 2.5 kilometers southeast of Batam, connected to the larger island by a bridge. With a population of only 1,000 people, Rempang is a quiet, desolate island.

Engraved on the small monument are these lines: "112,708 repatriated and 128 dead and buried in Rempang and Galang 1945-1946. This monument was constructed by the contributors as shown here, with their best wishes for friendship between Indonesia and Japan and for world peace, August 23, 1981, Rempang Friendship Association."

The Rempang Friendship Association (RFA) comprises former Japanese soldiers who survived Rempang. It was founded in 1977 and chaired by Masao Sato, former managing director of Japan Airlines.

The association's first visit to Rempang was made in 1978. Braving difficult roads and rough seas, dozens of elderly war veterans revisited their memories of pain and suffering.

The house next to the monument belongs to Amin Bujur, 60, the former chief of Rempang village for 30 years. His son, Jamnur, said the number of Japanese visitors had dwindled over the years.

"Most of these war veterans are very old now, making it difficult for them to travel this far. Gradually they've stopped coming," he said.

Not a single grave of a Japanese soldier is visible at first glance. However, Jamnur said, visting kin or comrades sometimes went deep into the forest with maps in hand. The maps had been drawn by fellow soldiers tasked with burying the fallen among them, and they charted the precise location of the graves.

"The ritual of visiting the graves was led by a monk. It could take a whole day because they had to walk through the woods and look for signs of graves, using the maps as their reference," Jamnur said.

"I really don't understand the ritual because I've never participated in one. It's so tiring."

According to Jamnur, stories of the graves started fading in the locals' consciousness once the Japanese stopped visiting.

"Many people around here do not believe the story. The monument is no longer maintained due to a lack of funds. The RFA has long since stopped sending money," said Jamnur, adding that the RFA used to send Rp 5 million (US$555) each month for maintenance costs.

The monument is not included in textbooks and tourist booklets published by the Batam municipality or Riau Islands provincial administration.

"We hope relatives of the former soldiers, especially the younger ones, will come and visit the graves of their forefathers again," said Jamnur.

What to do with Bali's 'ground zero'?

By Lucy Williamson, BBC News, Bali

If you turn into the backstreets of Bali's main city, the sound of traffic deadens to a hum.

A small family compound is tucked into a narrow alleyway, and wind chimes compete with the noise of a sewing machine somewhere in a back room.

This is where Iluh Januarini lives, surrounded by photographs of her father - a taxi driver, blown up by a truck bomb outside the Sari nightclub in Bali's Kuta tourist district five years ago.

That bomb - and a smaller one at the nearby Paddy's Bar - killed 202 people.

All of them are remembered on a monument close to where the attacks took place, but the site of the Sari Club - known locally as "ground zero" - remains an empty plot of land, neglected and overgrown.

Once a year, on this day, Iluh makes the 30-minute journey to the site of the attack, to honour her father's memory.

"Every year I go back for the commemoration, and face that road," she says, sitting on a small sofa in the dim house she shares with her mother.

"Being there makes me feel cold. Apart from then, I don't go past it. I never go down that road - if I want to go to the beach or something, I go the long way round."

Looking forward

But will building on the site make it any easier for Bali to deal with?

On the first anniversary of the bombings, people from across the world gathered here on the beach to commemorate the dead.

But local journalist Iwan Dharmawan says that was more for the foreign visitors. Balinese culture, he says, is all about looking forward, not hanging on to the past with monuments and memorials.

"The empty Sari Club site lets the wounds remain wounds," he said as we walked back along the beach.

"It hurts the Balinese people every day when they walk past it. Visitors want to keep it as a monument to the ravages of terrorism, but the Balinese who live here want it to become a place of activity - a business or office, or whatever.

"The important thing is to get rid of the sense that 200 people were killed there by a bomb."

'Stained with blood'

At the marketplace where Iluh helps her mother run the family shop, opinions on what to do with the site are divided. Some people say they would like a memorial, but just as many are clear they want another bar or nightclub build on the site - a new Sari Club. "Rebuilding will bring the tourists back," one woman explained. "Don't leave it empty."

Iluh does not agree. "The site of the bombing is stained with human blood," she said.

"You can't build on a site like that - it's spiritually dirty."

She would prefer to see the site left empty, or made into a garden of some kind. It is an idea that has already gained support from victims' groups in Bali.

Asana Viebeke is a local community spokeswoman. She has thrown her support behind building a peace park on the site of the club, and says the Balinese need to accept that it is not only about what they want.

"Kuta does not belong to the Balinese only," she said.

"It's not about what the Balinese will accept, or won't accept. Look - it's 7am and people are walking here from all over the world."

Who owns the site is a very real question for Bali's government planning team.

It has drawn up plans to build a memorial museum on the site, but the private owner has so far refused to sell.

This is prime real estate, slap bang in the heart of Bali's busiest tourist area.

People may disagree over what they want to see on the Sari Club site, but ultimately it is likely to be market forces that decide.

Bukit Bangkirai a rainforest wonderland

Nurni Sulaimana, The Jakarta Post, Kutai Kartanegara

Imagine an orchid forest with more than 45 different species including dancing and dragon scale varieties, sambas breeding deer, flying fox, short- and long-tailed macaque birds, wild boar and 40-meter-high, 150-year-old bangkirai trees.

A forestry student's dream come true and a native bird-watcher's paradise.

And now it's accessible to those of us without hiking boots.

This is one of the world's most beautiful virgin conservation forests -- and it is at Jakarta's front door, in East Kalimantan.

It is the Bukit Bangkirai forest and conservation parkland, located in Samboja district, Kutai Kartanegara regency.

There are three roads that lead to this incredible 1,500-hectare wonderland as well as wide-ranging accommodation to suit just about anyone.

Bukit Bangkirai forest is internationally recognized yet still one of Indonesia's best kept tourism secrets.

It boasts various species of hardwood trees -- including the bangkirai tree (Shorea laevis), which can survive for more than 150 years and will usually grow as high as 50 meters.

Bukit Bangkirai is a tropical rainforest and natural monument, and home to other woods including ulin (Eusideroxylon Zwageri), blackwood or ebony (Ebenaceae), red meranti (Shorea smithiana), kempas (Koompassia malaccensis) and kruing (Dipterocarpus).

A two-ha area within the forest has been intentionally filled with jungle fruit tree species in a bid to preserve the mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana), the durian family, including lai (Durio kutejensis), and the mentega (magarine) fruit (Diospyros).

Bukit Bangkirai's orchid forest provides orchid lovers with the opportunity to feast their eyes on a collection consisting of 45 species, including the black orchid (Coelegyne pandurata), sugarcane orchid (Grammatophyllum speciousum), dragon scale orchid (Cymbidium antropurpureum) and dancing orchid (Bromheadia fynlaysoniana).

A 3.5-ha breeding ground for deer from the sambas family (Corvus unicolor) was cleared but sadly locals today say it has been neglected for too long and is now overgrown with underbrush.

"I'm not sure when, but the deer breeding activities stopped long ago," said Nyoman Suterini, owner of a food stall in the area.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of other animals to be found in the area, including the owa owa (Hylobates muelleri), short-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina), red long-tailed monkey (Presbytus rubicunda), the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis), wild boar and flying fox.

One of Bukit Bangkirai's most infamous attractions is its bridge that connects five large trees, better known as the "Canopy Bridge".

The bridge is suspended 30 meters from the ground and stretches a total of 64 meters in length. It is made of bangkirai timber laths, bound by steel cables and secured by a 1.5-meter safety net on both sides.

But when the late afternoon wind starts to howl, locals say the bridge will do all it can to frighten the very daylights out of those visitors using it and even passers-by.

"When I was up on the canopy bridge, I yelled my heart out not because I was afraid but too excited," said Japanese student Takeshi Arizono, 29, an alumnus from the forestry school at Mulawarman University in Samarinda.

"My friends and I had a great time ... it was my first time on such a bridge.

"The place is terrific and very suitable to conduct a research project," Takesi said.

As a specialized forestry student, Takesi was investigating the rattan plant and was accompanied by a junior from the Nihon University who was attending comparable studies on the bangkirai tree, the dominant tree species in the area.

"I've also seen a bangkirai tree which is 150 years old and 40 meters tall here," said Takeshi.

Visitors can choose to stay overnight in one of the four fully-equipped cottages built of ulin timber. Tariffs at the time of writing ranged from Rp 350,000 to Rp 450,000 per day.

"The check-out time is more flexible here, unlike hotels in the cities," said Ommeng from the Bukit Bangkirai resort area.

"And the number of guests staying in a room is unlimited."

For those who really want to blend in with the natural surroundings, the resort also offers a camping ground with tents and camping space for rent.

"The fee for a camping space is set at Rp 45,000 per day, which is the same price as hiring an eight-person tent," said Ommeng.

"And a four-person tent is rented for Rp 25,000 per day."

Others who want to enjoy the cool night air of Bukit Bangkirai can try the outbound barracks.

The price here can be as high as Rp 1.5 million per day, but the barracks can accommodate up to 100 people and the area is suitable to hold reunions, workshops and other activities that involve a crowd.

Getting to and from the forest involves either a simple a 58-km drive from Balikpapan, a 150-km drive from Samarinda or a 150-km drive from Tenggarong.

The park is managed by state-run forestry company PT Inhutani and charges entrance fees for visitors and vehicles -- Rp 2,000 (approximately 22 US cents) for adults and motorcycles and Rp 1,000 for those below the age of 12.

The entrance fee for a car is Rp 5,000, while buses are charged Rp 10,000.

A group of 50 people or more can receive a 25 percent discount on the entrance fee and a group of more than 100 people can get a 50 percent discount.

Enjoying Borobudur -- beyond the monument

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Magelang, C. Java

There is no doubt that the beauty, glory, and magnificence of the world heritage site, Borobudur temple, is well known not just across Indonesia but also around the globe.

Yet, little may be known about the surrounding areas that are no less interesting destinations and can be enjoyed while visiting Borobudur -- the largest Buddhist temple in the world built around the 7th and 8th centuries, located some 60 kilometers north of Yogyakarta.

Among the human achievements are beautiful natural landscapes, the exoticness of traditional Javanese communities tending to their daily activities, and the uniqueness of traditional cuisines and rituals.

"Riding a horse-drawn cart through the traditional villages indeed offers a different experience of enjoying a visit to the temple, making it even more meaningful to visitors," heritage activist Laretna T. Adishakti told The Jakarta Post recently.

Laretna, also called Sita, is a lecturer and researcher at Gadjah Mada University's Center for Heritage Conservation.

Sita was in Borobudur to guide a group of visitors on the "Borobudur Fun Heritage Trail", a special tour that incorporates cultural landscape surrounding the ancient temple.

Some 70 participants had joined the tour, which was jointly organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-Jakarta, and Jogja Gallery.

The tour group comprised of journalists as well as senior and junior high school students, while the same tour was held previously for a group of senior high school teachers.

"Borobudur has been overburdened with thousands of people visiting it every year," said Sita, underlining the importance of introducing the cultural attractions around Borobudur to the greater public.

This way, according to Sita, the surrounding communities would benefit financially from tourists visiting the heritage site, and Borobudur could be preserved at the same time.

At least five sites, including the temple, were on the tour's agenda that day, which was conducted mostly via andong -- horse-drawn carts -- with three to four participants to a cart. The other sites were the villages of Tuksongo, Tanjungsari, Karanganyar and Candirejo.

Tuksongo was on the tour program for its traditional production center of pati onggok -- sago palm flour -- and glass noodles.

Tanjungsari is known for its tofu production while Karanganyar is a center of traditional earthenware.

Participants gathered at the Borobudur Tourism Information Center, a kilometer to the east of the temple, where they were divided into two smaller groups so the andong caravan would not stretch out too long en route to the scheduled sites. The two groups were assigned separate trails, and the tour was off.

The first group took a route through Tuksongo, Tanjungsari, Karanganyar, and Candirejo; the other started at Karanganyar then continued through Tanjungsari and Tuksongo, to regroup at Candirejo.

A feeling of exotic nostalgia arose once tour members boarded their andong and rolled to the clopping rhythm of the horses.

The leisurely tour revealed views of traditional kampongs with shady trees -- mostly fruit trees -- lining the village roads, with grinning children and villagers waving or nodding their heads in greeting, and traditional houses with spacious yards.

"Hellooo!" several children cried as they ran alongside the carts as the tour passed them.

"The residents here are used to having tourists visiting their villages like this," Yusuf, an andong driver, commented spontaneously.

Yusuf, 60, said he had frequently taken tourists to areas around Borobudur, adding that tourists were welcome to join the villagers in harvesting rice and vegetable crops, as well as pick fruits grown in private gardens.

"But you have to tell them prior to the visit so that they can arrange that for you," he advised.

Enjoying a panoramic view of the temple atop its hill, creating a backdrop to a green expanse of rice fields as farmers tended to the harvest, adds another level of excitement for visitors on the heritage tour.

"This is truly something that we could never enjoy at the temple," said Ratna, a journalist on the tour. "From here, the temple looks much more glorious and magnificent to me."

At strategic points where photographic opportunities were evident, participants were indeed welcome to alight from the andong to take pictures or simply to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

"I will surely come back here later and bring my family to enjoy all of this. I might even spend a night or two here," Ratna added.

Visitors can stay in the area at local accommodations for a night or more to further explore the surrounding area. Candirejo village, only some 3 kilometers to the south of Borobudur, has 50 or so home stays open to visitors.

Over the past four years, the village has been developed steadily into a tourist destination, and offers several different tour packages, including a cooking class on traditional cuisines and snacks.

Candirejo was also where that day's Borobudur Fun Heritage Trail participants stopped by for a rest and lunch.

From there, the andong journey continued to Borobudur. Upon ascending the temple's steps, tour participants were able to recognize the places they had just visited. And from the temple's many relief panels, they were able to learn about daily life in the past, which made the visit much more meaningful.

On the return trip to Yogyakarta, this time on buses, participants were taken for a short visit to a nearby river to trace the remains of a prehistoric lake believe to have once surrounded Borobudur temple.

Geologist Helmy Murwanto of the Yogyakarta-based UPN Veteran's University accompanied this part of the tour, explaining his recent scientific findings on the existence of the lake.

The findings and ongoing research on the lake has inspired heritage activists to design possible trails for special-interest groups, keeping in mind the benefits to local communities and heritage conservation.

"Heritage conservation is not romanticism of the past. In fact, it is for developing the future by sustaining the potentials of the past toward select development today," Sita said.

As regards Borobudur in terms of heritage conservation, she continued, it was not just about the monument's physical structure but also its intangible aspects, including culture, potentials and the daily life of surrounding communities.

In line with this thinking, the Borobudur Fun Heritage Trail is available to everyone who wishes to enjoy the cultural landscape of Borobudur Temple.

The five villages visited above are just a few of the tour's attraction.

Cultural landscape heritage, or pusaka saujana as it has been popularized by local heritage activists, is defined as a mix of natural and cultural heritage within a unity of place and time.

"Unfortunately, the preservation of the cultural landscape here is not yet fully understood, regardless that Indonesia possesses one of the world's largest mosaics of cultural landscapes," said Sita, and that it was time for the government to start adopting the concept as part of its development policy.