Langkawi, Malaysia

Langkawi, Malaysia. Berkunjung ke Malaysia tidaklah lengkap jika Anda tidak mengunjungi Pulau Langkawi. Pulau yang kaya dengan keindahan alam dan legenda ini menjadi salah satu destinasi wisata populer di Malaysia. Langkawi merupakan pulau terbesar dalam gugusan pulau dan terletak di sebelah barat negara bagian Kedah dan Perlis, serta berseberangan dengan pulau Sumatera dan Thailand.

Anda dapat menikmati perjalanan di jembatan gantung di atas kanopi hutan hujan, hangatnya air laut di pantai, serta beragam kegiatan yang diadakan di Lengkawi. Malaysia Water Festival, Le Tour de Langkawi, dan Royal Langkawi International Regatta diadakan di pulau ini. Keindahan alam bisa Anda nikmati di Air Terjun Telaga Tujuh, Gunung Raya, Crocodile Adventureland, dan masih banyak lagi.

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Langkawi, Malaysia 9out of 10 based on 10 ratings. 12789 user reviews.

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Culture of Minangkabau

Performing Arts
Dance The Minangkabau perform a dance illustrating how a beruk monkey climbs a coconut tree and picks choice coconuts for its owner. Another dance is based upon a Hindu ceremony; before Islam came in, Sumatra was influenced by Hindu culture. Whilst in a religious trance, men in the Dabuih ceremony stick steel hooks into their flesh. In the graceful Taripiring, or "dish dance ", entranced dancers hold plates alight with candles, deftly twisting and turning without extinguishing the flame. The Tari Payung or "umbrella dance" portrays a young man's loving protection of his girl friend and provides a combination of literature, sport, song and drama.
Randai Randai is one of the traditional Minangkabau arts. Randai is really interesting because in this art there is dancing, singing and traditional music collaborated into one performance. It is most often held outdoors in the evening. Between nine and twenty young men, dancing in a circle, are accompanied by sharp cries from the audience. The dresses are colourful and the exchanges captivating. The dance consists of slow steps followed by rapid ones; it depicts the story of a wicked woman, driven from her village. One way to develop Randai is to hold a festival in Payakumbuh every year. Actually this festival is not only to introduce Randai to foreign people but also for local youth.
Music The Minang style of gamelan folk orchestra consists of the rebab (stringed instrument made from a calabash with a long stick and four strings), the talempong (xylophone), the puput (straw flute), the gandang (tambourine), drums and many different kinds of salung (bamboo flutes), some of which are said to put love spells on women
Cuisine The staple ingredients of the Minangkabau diet are rice, fish, coconut, green leafy vegetables and chili. The usage of meat is mainly limited to special occasions, and beef and chicken are most commonly used. Pork is not halal and therefore not consumed, while lamb, goat and game are rarely consumed for reasons of taste and availability. Spiciness is a characteristic of Minangkabau food, and the most commonly used herbs and spices are chili, turmeric, ginger and galangal. Vegetables are consumed two or three times a day. Fruits are mainly seasonal, although fruits such as banana, papaya and citrus are continually available. Three meals a day are typical with lunch being the most important meal, except during the fasting month of Ramadan where lunch is not eaten. Meals commonly consist of steamed rice, a hot fried dish and a coconut milk dish, with a little variation from breakfast to dinner. Meals are generally eaten from a plate using the fingers of the right hand. Snacks are more frequently eaten by people in urban areas than in villages. Western food has had little impact upon Minangkabau consumption and preference to date. Rendang is a dish which is considered to be a characteristic of Minangkabau culture, and is cooked 4-5 times a year. Other characteristic dishes include Asam Padeh Soto Padang, Sate Padang, Dendeng Balado (beef with chili sauce). Food has a central role in the Minangkabau ceremonies which honor religious and life cycle rites. Minangkabau food is popular among Indonesians and restaurants are present throughout Indonesia. Nasi Padang restaurants, named after the capital of West Sumatra, are known for placing a variety of Minangkabau dishes on a customer's table along with rice and billing only for what is taken. Nasi Kapau is another restaurant variant which specializes in dishes using offal and the use of tamarind to add a sourness to the spicy flavor	rendang
Crafts Particular Minangkabau villages specialize in cottage industries producing handicrafts such as woven sugarcane and reed purses, gold and silver jewellery using filigree and granulation techniques, woven songket textiles, wood carving, embroidery, pottery, and metallurgy.
Weavings The rich gold and silver brocade of Minangkabau cloth plays an important role in the ceremonies of birth, circumcision, marriage and death. This iridescent and intricately designed textile forms the material expression of the Adat Minang. A traditional saying is "The fabric is the skin of the Adat ". Women weave this expensive cloth on a background of silk or cotton, applying an embossed pattern of silver or gold thread, a technique called Songket. The finest threads are traditionally made from paper with a thin layer of gold or silver. Since 1900 the ceremonial cloths have been woven in only four villages: Kota Badang, Padangpanjang, Payakumbuh and Silungkang and the famous Kain Balapak, the most exclusive ceremonial brocade, only in Pandai Sikek. Pandai Sikek lies12 km. south of Bukittinggi, and is also famous for its wood carving.
Filigrane silverwork Kota Gadang is a picturesque silver work village near Bukittinggi on the other side of the Sianok valley. In the village are a variety of beautiful colonial houses and the place breathes an atmosphere of days gone by. Kota Gadang is well known because of its fine silver work home industries.
Architecture Traditional house of Minangkabau is called 'Rumah Gadang' that means big house or Rumah Adat that means customary house. It is called Rumah Gadang is not because of its big size, but it refers to the big function of the house it self. Rumah Gadang in Minangkabau belongs to all members of relatives along the mother's line called "kaum". This is the place for all Adat (custom & tradition) ceremonies, like a wedding party or an inauguration of a head of clan. The original Adat house is made of wood and bamboo for the back wall. The roof is made of palm vibre. The house is about 12 to 20 meters long and 6 to 8 meters wide. The position of the floor is two or two and half meter above the ground. The location of an Adat house stretch from west to east, while the numbers of the rooms are 3,5,7,9 & even though 17. The construction is expended up with a horn shape roof. The roof looks like the horn of buffalo with 4 to 6 points stretch along the house and a point in addition forward for the front door and ladder.
MuseaCentre for information and documentation on Minang Kabau culture.
This centre for Minangkabau culture and studies provides opportunities for those who are minded to study regional traditions. Here are collected data from literature and archaeological sites providing the raw material for new Minangkabau studies. It provides a record of significant events, traditional practices and the way of life, now and formerly, within the Minangkabau culture. The museum has a small but very interesting collection of historical photographs of West Sumatra and a large library. All the documents and artefacts are housed in a traditional Minangkabau house called "Rumah Gadang" (literally: Big House'). Located on a two hectare site and surrounded by environmental parks which apply traditional conservation methods to avoiding erosion by a combination of terracing and contour strip cropping.

Culture of Minangkabau 9out of 10 based on 10 ratings. 12789 user reviews.

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Overview of the Surrounding Bukittinggi

Bukkittingi

To Bukkittingi, in the heart of the highlands, it is a two-hour drive through the beautiful countryside of the Anai Valley and up to the Agam Plateau. A little park, overlooking the spectacular Ngarai Sianok is a centre of attraction. This is the grand canyon of Sumatra, which separates Bukkittingi from Kota Gadang, 12 kms away overland.

Then there is the clocktower of the town topped by a hornshaped roof and referred to by the people as Jam Gadang. It overlooks the market square and its magnificent surroundings.

Located 930 metres above sealevel, Bukkittingi, formerly named Fort de Cock by the Dutch, has a cool climate and is surrounded by three volcanoes: Tandikat, Singgalang and Merapi. Bukkittingi is a great place if you want to discover the highlands.

Kota Gadang

On the other site of the canyon is the village of Kota Gadang. the place is reknowned for its fine silver filigrane work and for its hand-embroidery. All over the village you can find silverworkshops where craftsman making the filigrane juwelery and small sculptures. Most workshops have a shop where you can buy souvenirs. To visit Kota Gadang walk to the bridge over the Sianok canyon. At the other side of the bridge steep stairs will lead up to Kota Gadang. It is also possible to catch a minibus from the bus station in Bukittinggi. A new option is to climb up from the canyon to Kota Gadang via the greatwall. the old stair is completely restored beside other renovations in the canyon.

Mount Merapi

Access to 2890 meter mount Merapi (Fire Mountain) is from Kota Baru, 12 km south of Bukittinggi. Typically, the climb witch is strenuous rather then gruelling if you are reasonably fit takes 6 hours up and four hours down. Most people climb at night to arrive at the top for the sunrise. The first four hours or so are through the forest and then across bare rocks leading to the summit. The top, actually a plateau area, with the still smoking crater in the middle. You may spot bats, gibbons and squirrels in the forest.

Pandai Sikek

The village of Pandai Sikat is 10 km away from Bukkittingi, with hand-weaving and carving industries.

The village has 1000 looms and turns out richly interwoven cloth. Carved wooden ornaments and furniture are also made here.

Ngarai Sianok

“Ngarai,  the Indonesian word for canyon, Sianok “ lies at the outskirts of Bukkittingi. It is a steep canyon of about 100-150 metres high ( deep? ), It is very beautiful and this panoramic landscape is hard to describe, it is as if there are no words to express the beauty of  this geological wonder. We can see a perfect view of the Ngarai Sianok from Panorama Park, which is located inside the town of Bukittinggi. In this park there is also a famous Japanese hole. The garden is very beautiful and spacious, cool weather was a typical Bukittinggi will make an amazing atmosphere.

From there, we can see a perfect landscape. This valley has a cliffs covered by the green forests. The extent up to tens of kilometers.

From Panorama in the evening you can see a spectaculair natural event when the flying foxes go hunting. and a few kilometers insite the canyon you can find Taruko a cafe-restorant/hotel with a beautifull view. The place is populair by students.

Overview of the Surrounding Bukittinggi 9out of 10 based on 10 ratings. 12789 user reviews.

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West Sumatera sport

Sport

Trekking

West Sumatra is with all her natural beauty a great place for walking, biking and trekking. You can go on your own with public transport. Busses in all colours and sizes go anywhere all the time, or you can rent a bike or car. If you want to go into the jungle, you better take a guide. They know how to survive there and, not the less important know how to get out again.

From Bukittinggi you can also make a trekking to Siberut Island. It takes 2 days to go there and 2 days back. One day on a boat. Most trekking's are 10 days. You will walk trough the unspoiled jungle of Siberut, pass rivers and swamps and visit many villages. So you have to be in good shape.
The programmes we offer, includes transportation, English speaking guide, local guide, and food during the trek (not on the mainland or the boat), accommodation and Mentawai porters for food supplies.

Wild water rafting

In the Sawahlunto Sijunjung regency wild water rafting and river tours have been extensively researched as this area has several rivers. At this stage the best river is the Kantian River, witch flows from Muarto Sijunjung to Riau. Flowing through panoramic scenery this river includes wild water rapids ranging up to a technical grade IV to V.

Paragliding

Around the lake of Maninjau, from the Top Lawang, there is a possibility for para-gliding down to the lake. The service is quit new, so you better ask around in Maninjau village. The view from the top is spectacular. For people who want to walk down there is a small jungle path, from the entrance of Top Lawang. Half the way is a small jungle hotel, where you can stay a night over.

Bicycle Racing

The first edition of Tour de Singkarak held in 2009. Tour de Singkarak is usually held between the months of May-June. Since the first edition, Tour de Singkarak usually lasts for 7 days. This year, Tour de Singkarak will be held on June 3 to 9, 2013. Along the race route of Tour de Singkarak , participants and spectators can enjoy the natural beauty of the mountains of West Sumatra and the colorful local culture.
One of the stages in Tour de Singkarak is passing through a small and romantic town, called Sawahlunto. Sawahlunto is an old city that filled with many stories from Dutch colonial period. Dutch colonists at that time exploited coal from this city. Old mining relics and buildings from the Dutch colonial era still prevalent.
For this time, I will not elaborate this Tour de Singkarak things, I just wanted to show the Tour de Singkarak atmosphere with the beauty of West Sumatra province as the backdrop. For further information about Tour de Singkarak, please visit www.tourdesingkarak.com

Diving

Off Padang in the canter of the west coast is a group of small islands with a variety of different dive sites with Indian Ocean visibility and a big variety of underwater life. The coral slopes and walls tempt divers with the opportunity to see hammerheads, big turtles, white- and black tip sharks, schools of unicorn fish, and occasionally a pod of dolphins. The reef is fairly damaged in places, but this doesn't always have a direct effect on the quantities of fish, rather it is the variation of species that changes. There is also the attractive hull of the Kapal Wreck, which promises good bottom times from its shallow position. Further off the coast are the larger Mentawai Islands - renowned among surfers, but still relatively unexplored by divers.

Surfing around Siberut

Mentawai is group of islands in West Sumatra. Siberut is the main island. Mentawai has the best surfing location in the world. In 1991 Rip Curl took ten of the best surfers in the world, to research and prove the intensity of that location. They claimed that the Mentawai Islands were one of the best surfing spots in the world beside Hawaii.
The conclusion of the group was that the wave condition, available in Mentawai Islands, was very good for surfing, it has a big, high and long waves, what makes that the surfers don't want to stop. There are many bungalows available for longer stay at the beaches.

West Sumatera sport 9out of 10 based on 10 ratings. 12789 user reviews.

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