Indonesiaphoto

Sangihe and Talaud are a chain of islands stretching north from Sulawesi in the direction of the Philippines. There are many active volcanoes here and a very fertile soil. Much of the products are sent by boat to Manado, like coconuts, rattan, nutmeg and ebony. The total land area is 813 sq. km, population about 240.000. The largest islands are Sangihe, Siau, Biaro and Tahulandang.

Senggigi is maybe Lombok's equivalent to Bali's Kuta Beach, but is in many ways totally different. It's far more quiet and peaceful, the nightlife here is also much more limited. The place is located north of Mataram and not far from the airport, many tourists prefer to stay here the first days before they explore the rest of the island, but you can also use Senggigi as your permanent base. Senggigi is clearly the most developed tourist area on Lombok, but stretches over a wide area and is still not overdeveloped.

Join the Norwegian guys in World Wide Vikings on an expedition to Puncak Jaya, the highest peak in Indonesia, also known as Carstensz Pyramid. The expedition took place in December 2002 / January 2003. Carstensz Pyramid is the lowest peak of the Seven Summits (the highest mountains on seven continents), but not necessarily the easiest to climb. The mountain is located in the Indonesian part of New Guinea, and is not easily accessible.

The entire area around Bandung can offer a beautiful countryside with high mountains, hot springs and large tee plantations. The most easily accessible area is north of the city, with maybe the largest attraction; the Tangkuban Prahu volcano. Also south of the city you can find volcanoes to climb or tea plantations to admire, but this area is less developed for visitors and not as easily accessible.

Arts on Bali flourished already centuries ago, even before the warring but artistic Balinese kingdoms of the 16th century. Inscriptions say that already around 1000 AD Bali had puppet masters, poetic singers and musicians. These artistic activities and endeavors were further patronized by the feudal lords and sustained by their religious rituals. Economic stability of the people thanks largely to the success of agriculture gave the Balinese plenty of spare time to practice and develop the arts.

The approximately 65,000 Asmat people of the south-central alluvial swamps of Irian Jaya Province are descended from a Papuan racial stock. They live in villages with populations that vary from 35 to 2,000. Until the 1950s, when greater numbers of outsiders arrived, warfare, headhunting, and cannibalism were constant features of their social life.

Tanah Lot is located in the Tabanan district southwest on Bali, only a short distance from Kuta and Denpasar. With it's beautiful location and architecture it is one of the most characteristic temples on Bali, and for the Balinese the most sacred of the sea temples along the southern coast of Bali. On a clear day you can see Pura Luhur Uluwatu further south of here, another famous sea temple.

There is no doubt that Jatiluwih is among the most beautiful places and can offer some of the best scenery on the entire island of Bali. The place has a particular charm even if the weather, which can change dramatically within minutes, is rainy and cloudy. Everywhere you look you see green rice fields and rice terraces, combined with high mountains and forests. On clear days you may see large parts of southern Bali.

A couple of years ago West Timor used to see tourists in the range of 3 - 4.000 foreigners a year. Many of these visited the mountainous region of the Gunung Mutis protection forest. Particularly bird watchers showed a great interest to the area. In 2001 tourism dropped to less than a hundred visitors yearly due to the proximity to the East Timor border, the refugee situation and general instability in the area.