INDONESIA & BALI HOLIDAY, TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION GUIDE

INDONESIA & BALI TRAVEL GUIDE

Indonesia - The Exotic Archipelago    by Leila

So while browsing through the hotels in Indonesia, keep in mind that there is a fat chance of extending your stay in the country. Picking one of the Indonesia cheap hotels will allow you to spend less on accommodation and more on adventurous activities that one ought to do while holidaying in Indonesia.

If you are into extreme sports, Indonesia is legendary when it comes to activities such as diving and snorkeling. Wreck diving at USS Liberty Wreck off Tulamben which is an artificial reef can pump up your adrenaline to levels you can't even imagine. The Coral Sea Gardens of Bunaken Islands is a must visit for any nature lover who is definitely going to be awe struck by the marine life and the drop-off reef formation. All hotels in Indonesia will have information about tours to both these locations and will be happy to arrange the same.

If your thirst for action remains unquenched, the front desk of most hotels in Indonesia can assist you with trekking packages over some of the famous active volcanoes in Indonesia. 

Mount Bromo, located in East Java, is the most popular active volcano around which several trekking tours are organized. Another great option would be the Kawah Ijen which provides one of the best picturesque views of grassy fields and the surrounding peaks which is nothing short of a fairy tale experience.

Indonesia is one of the wealthiest countries in South East Asia owing to the large number of resources available in this archipelago. This translates into a shopper's paradise with umpteen numbers of malls and street shops of a wide price range. All hotels in Indonesia will be situated close to some shopping mall or market so you can fulfill your shopping desires from everywhere.

There are two things one must remember while holidaying in Indonesia to cut down on the budget. Firstly, living in one of the Indonesia cheap hotels can prove to be highly economical and smart. Indonesia cheap hotels provide the same luxury and comfort as offered by the others but at a much affordable price. The second important thing to remember is, if anything doesn't have a price tag on it, the price is negotiable.

Indonesian Traditional Foods   by Sisca

Indonesia consists of many islands and many provinces. There are five big islands and more than thirty provinces altogether, and each provinces has its own unique traditional foods.

Jakarta, the capital city of the country, or as its original people called as Betawi, has Kerak Telor as its traditional food. This food can not be easy to find nowadays as Jakarta people like to flock to fast food restaurants and other modern foods which are scattered throughout the city. Kerak Telor would be easy to find on June and July when Jakarta celebrates its annyversary. The celebrations usually takes place at Kemayoran, and there will be many people selling Kerak Telor there. So, if you would like to try this Betawi traditional food, I would advise you to come to Kemayoran on June or July.

Another food from Betawi is Roti Buaya, made of bread in a crocodile shape. This Roti Buaya usually served at a Betawi's traditional wedding ceremony. Beside Kerak Telor and Roti Buaya, there are also Ketoprak, and Soto Betawi.

Bogor is a small town near Jakarta. Its unique traditional food is Asinan Bogor. In the contrary with Kerak Telor, you can almost find this food anytime you want. Just come to this town, ask people wherever they are, they will guide you to any place selling Asinan Bogor. Empek-empek is another Indonesian traditional food from Palembang. 

This province is located in Sumatra Island. This food is so popular that you do not have to go across that island to try this one. There are many Palembang people in Jakarta or in other town selling this food.

Bandung, the capital city of West Java, has many unique traditional foods. Lalapan is one of them. Lalapan is fresh vegetables accompanied by sambal or you may also say spicy sauce. Many believe that Bandung people, usually called as Sundanese, would struggle living in a vegetarial garden because of this lalapan.

Other famous Bandung traditional foods are nasi timbel, comro, batagor, peuyeum, etc. Nasi timbel is rice wrapped in banana leaves, usually served with fried chicken, lalapan, and sambal or spicy sauce. Peuyeum, which is soft and tastes sweet, made of fermented sago. Batagor, also called as baso tahu goreng, is fried meatball and tofu with peanut sausage.

Gudeg is another traditional food which comes from Yogyakarta. Gudeg is made of young jackfruit which is cooked in Javanese traditional way. Like other Javanese foods, gudeg is rather sweety than salty. Other ingredients accompanying the young jackfruit are egg, tofu, and tempe. People usually eat gudeg together with warm rice and spicy krecek. If you have a chance to come to Yogyakarta, do not miss to try this food as Yogyakarta is also known as Kota Gudeg, means The City of Gudeg.

Nasi Rawon is traditional food from East Java. Nasi Rawon is rice served with dark beef soup. The dark color of the soup comes from seeds of kluwek nuts. Rendang or spicy beef comes from Padang, West Sumatra. Padang is famous for its spicy foods, and many of its foods use coconut milk as ingredient.

Another Indonesian traditional food is otak-otak. This food is made from steamed fish wrapped in banana leaves. You can find the great taste of otak-otak in Kota Serang. Beside otak-otak, Kota Serang is also famous for its Ikan Bandeng. Be sure to try them when visiting Kota Serang.