Backpackin Magazine 8 English

M A Y - J U N E 2 0 1 1 I b a c K p a c K i n

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Derawan Island has been a destination for tourists these days. Of course, it is not without reasons

DERAWANViRgiNislAND

lOCAl CUlTURESEREN TAUNCOMMUNiTY KASKUS INDONESIAN TRAVELERSFigUREHARLEY BAYU SASTHA

FREE

Magazine

b a c K p a c K i n I M A Y - J U N E 2 0 1 11

15

3

ON THE SPOT3 DERAWAN VIRGIN ISLAND

Derawan Archipelago has been a destina-tion for tourists these days. Of course, it is not without reeasons

HOW TO GET THERE11 GO TO DERAWAN

There are two harbors that serve to cross to Derawan Island, which are Tanjung Batu harbor in Berau and Tengkayu harbor in Tarakan.

MY JOURNEY15 MIRACULOUS DECEMBER IN DERAWAN

Derawan Island, located in Berau Regen-cy, East Kalimantan. That was the place I visited.

GALLERY25 THE BEAUTY OF DERAWAN

LOCAL CULTURE27 SEREN TAUN

There was a sudden crowd last January, to be exact on the 18-23 in Sindang Barang Village, Bogor, West Java.

COMMUNITY33 KASKUS INDONESIAN TRAVELERS

FIGURE37 HARLEY BAYU SASTHA

33

Contents


GENERAL MANAGERKhemal Nugroho

[email protected]

EDITOR IN CHIEFAmbar Arum

[email protected]

SENIOR EDITORMuhammad Iqbal

CORRESPONDENTSGhamal Satya Mohammad

Soekarno Ibrahim

TRANSLATORSAnnisa M.F. Harahap

Anindya LeonitaDea Maria Christa

Ryana Andari Purba

DESIGNGalih Permadi

Kibar Desain Salman

WEBMASTERKurniawan Aji Saputra

WEBSITEwww.backpackinmagazine.com

[email protected]

Cheers for Backpackers!,

THOSE WHO ARE deep sea and beach lovers

has brought Derawan into the must see list. Why is that

so? What are the things to see in Derawan and how to

get there? How much the cost is? All those things will be

answered in this Backpackin’ edition!

Meanwhile, in order to increase the quality of

Backpackin’ magazine, from this edition we would like to

show a new nuance in this magazine. Covers, some new

rubrics and layouts are the things we’d like to fix to make

it more interesting.

We do that not for us, but for Indonesia’s tourism

to be better! Let’s support Indonesia’s tourism!

Enjoy It!!

EDITOR IN CHIEF

M A Y - J U N E 2 0 1 1 I b a c K p a c K i n 2

REVIEW41 DUARANSEL.COM

EDUCATION45 PROTECT THE CORAL REEFS

ACCESSORIES47 TRANGIA VS GAS STOVE

CONTRIBUTOR51 BM 8TH EDITIONS

INTERACTION52 BEING SILLY IN A PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

NEXT EDITION53 SEMPU ISLAND

Editor’s Note


ON THE SPOT

DERaWanV i R G i n i S L a n D

Derawan Island has been a

destination for tourists these

days. Of course, it is not with-

out reasons



DERAWAN ARCHIPELAGO, WHICH is

located in Berau district, East Kalimantan

province, consists of many small islands.

The popular ones are Derawan Island itself,

Kakaban Island, Maratua Island, and San-

glaki Island.

ON THE SPOT

By : Ambar Arum

Photo: Maliq & Yanuar Priambodo

Beautiful View From every corner of this archi-

pelago, our eyes will always be spoiled by

the extraordinary and naturally wonderful

sight. Every islands has its own beauty that

attracts tourists’ attention to finally made it

there, whether local or international tourists.

Snorkelling and Diving It is one of the best diving spots in

the world, especially with the existence of

unique jellyfish. It is the most unique spe-

cies here. In Indonesia, we can only find it in



ON THE SPOT


THE NAMES OF THE ISLANDS HERE HAVE THEIR OWN MEANING. DERAWAN IS FROM THE WORD PERAWAN (VIR-GIN), MARATUA (MERTUA/ PARENT IN LAW), SANGLAKI IS (LELAKI/MAN WORDS), AND KAKABAN (KAKAK/OLDER BROTHER)

Kakaban and Maratua Islands. It is hard to

find in other countries. The easiest access to

be reached is Kakaban Island.

We can also see rare sea animals, like

manta rays or dugong. Imagine that you can

swim with jellyfish around you and dive with

tortoise!

8


Tortoise Captivity Tortoise and human live together

here. You can meet tortoise easily in

Derawan and Sanglaki Island.

Take good care of any place you

visit! Keep it clean and original! Be polite

and follow the citizen’s rules. t



Air Lane

Can only be reached from Balikpa-

pan with Batavia Air, Sriwijaya Air, Kalstar

plane and Trigana Air (1 hour ride).

Land Lane

Rent a car from Balikpapan, 3-4

million Rupiah (back and forth, driver in-

cluded, price and capacity is according to

the kinds of car). 22-30 hours of ride even

more, depend on the road’s condition.

Straightly taken to port Tanjung Batu.

TO BERAU

THERE ARE TWO harbors that can be used

to get to Derawan Island, which is Tanjung

Batu harbor in Berau and Tengkayu harbor in

Tarakan. That is why we need to reach Berau

or Tarakan first. Berau can be reached within

the land or sky meanwhile Tarakan can only

be reached through sky. Land way is much

cheaper but takes a long time. On the other

hand, sky way is much expensive yet faster.

This information could be change at any

time, especially the price.

Air Lane

1. From Balikpapan: take Batavia Air (1 hour

ride).

2. From Jakarta: take Lion Air or Sriwijaya

Air.

3. From other cities: transit in Balikpapan

and take Batavia Air.

TO TARAKAN

11

HOW TOGET THERE


IT IS THE MOST UNIQUE species here. In Indo-

nesia, we can only find it in Kakaban and Maratua

Islands.

There is a lake in Kakaban Island which

water is from the trapped sea. It is also from water

inside the ground and rain since a long time ago.

This is how Kakaban Lake that has unstinged jel-

lyfish was created.

Why isn’t the jellyfish sting? It is because

the evolution process that has happened a long

time ago by the rain and ground water, where the

water in the lake here became more insipid com-

pared to the other sea around the lake.

This changing impacts the adaptation of

the sea animals inside the lake. One of them is jel-

lyfish. Because of the limited food, the jellyfish can

finally adapt and do a symbiotic mutualism with

algae that is the producer of food. However, algae

needs sun to produce food, therefore the jellyfish

can place the algae on their feet and walk back.

The sting power may be decrease and even gone

because of the differences of the ecosystem in the

water.

UNSTINGEDJELLYFISH

From Tarakan

From airport to Tengkayu Harbor

take a taxi approximately 15-20 minutes

ride.

From Berau

From airport to Tanjung Batu Har-

bor take a taxi (2–2,5 hours ride).

TO THE HARBOR

From Tengkayu

1. Regular boat: 5-6 hours

2. Speedboat: 2-3 hours

From Tanjung Batu

1. Regular boat: 1-2 hours (around Rp

400.000 back and forth for 5 persons)

2. Speedboat: 20-30 minutes

MENUJU P. DERAWAN



HOW TO GET THERE

13

Remember: regular boat has longer

time to reach the island than speedboat, so

the spots to be visited are less than taking

speedboat. The capacity of regular boat is

obviously small.

Regular Boat

Cost :

Rp500.000 – 1.000.000,00

(capacity: approximately 8 persons)

Speedboat

Cost :

Rp 1,5 million. Capacity: 5 persons (2 days)

or

Rp 7,5 – 9 million. Capacity: 14 million(3

days)

BOAT RENT

In Derawan and Maratua Islands, Rp

50.000,00 per day.

SNORKELLING+FIN

There are food stalls in Derawan and

Maratua Island range from Rp 10.000,00 –

Rp 25.000,00

FOODS


1. To be economical, bring stove and food.

Pick the instant ones and long lasted like

abon, dendeng, dry temper, etc or the easy

fried ones such as instant noodle, sausage,

corned beef, etc.

2. The weather is not definite nowadays so

it’s better to contact local people to know

the weather condition.

3. It’s possible to stay at local people’s

house or build a tent in Derawan but it

needs permission from the local people.

TIPS

Inns are only in Derawan and

Maratua Islands. The range of inn per night

starts from Rp 100.000,00 (Derawan) and

Rp 150.000,00 (Maratua).

INN

Maliq (Kakaban Tour)

081254200333

email: [email protected]

FB Fan Page : Derawan Island Info

Rent Car from Balikpapan

CV Gina Mandiri Travel. 0852 4895 3177

Inn in Derawan

Danakan Inn 081347733701

CONTACTS


MY JOURNEY

b a c K p a c K i n I M E I - A P R I L 2 0 1 115


Miraculous December in

DERAWANDERAWAN ISLANDS, LOCATED in Berau Regency, East Kalimantan. That was the place

I visited. What made me interested to explore Derawan was the unique jellyfish in Kaka-

ban Island where it couldn’t sting! By: Antho Riyanto | Photo: Antho Riyanto & Kakaban Tour

M A R E T - A P R I L 2 0 1 1 I b a c K p a c K i n 16



I started Googling about Derawan since I

came home from my Komodo trip. From

blog-walking, I found out that backpacking

to Derawan was not really backpacking be-

cause the cost was expensive, except if we

had much time.

Finally, around August 2010 I booked

Mandala Airlines ticket JKT-TRK (Jakarta

– Tarakan) round trip, 1,4 million for 4-8

December 2010. Why I chose Tarakan? Be-

cause when I made the calculation, going to

Derawan via Tarakan was much cheaper and

more efficient.

Next, I started to influence my

friends to accompany me to Derawan. But

it was hard to find a companion on this high

budget trip. After I contacted all the contact

persons, I started to post this trip to many

mailing lists.

In October 2010, gathered 12 people

who were interested to go to Derawan (10

people from Jakarta, 1 person from Surabaya

and another one from Makassar). Closer to

the D day, one of the people cancelled the

trip and on the day before leaving, there was

another one cancelling the trip. Automatical-

ly, the sharing cost was increased, but show

must go on!

Friday, December 3, 2010 Since the flight was so early (6 am)

and we were lazy to get DAMRI (airport

shuttle bus) in the morning or to take taxi,

so five of us decided to stay one night in the

airport. Fortunately, it was in Terminal 3 so

it was pretty comfortable. I had once stayed

one night in this terminal.

Saturday, December 4, 2010 And the trip started…

The flight that was scheduled on 6 am was

delayed until 8 am! This screwed the plan!

We were supposed to arrive in Tarakan on 11

but we arrived there at 1!

As soon as we arrived in Tarakan, we

straightly went to Tengkayu port. We had

already contacted the boat driver. But before

we took our long journey to Derawan, we

took our lunch first. Around 3 pm we left

Tarakan and so the journey began.

We arrived in Derawan at around 6

in the evening. Thank God the waves were

calm. Then we unpacked our things and pre-

pared for island hopping the next morning.

BECAUSE WHEN I MADE THE CALCULATION, GOING TO DE-RAWAN VIA TARAKAN WAS MUCH CHEAPER AND MORE EFFICIENT.

18

Phot

o: A

ntho

Riy

anto

Photo: Kakaban Tour


Sunday, December 5, 2010 We started island hopping at 7.30.

The plan was we would visit Kakaban and

Maratua islands. At around 8.30 we were

arrived in Kakaban. I was so excited to swim

with the jellyfish so I just walked to the stairs

that would take me to where the jellyfish

were. When I got there, suddenly I remem-

bered Lake Satonda in Flores. It looked the

same. Finally I jumped to the lake.

After swimming with the jellyfish, I

went to the quay to snorkel there but sud-

denly it was raining. According to the plan,

after this we would go to Maratua but the

rain made fogs. So we decided to have our

lunch and continue snorkeling while taking

pictures.

Around 1 o’clock, the rain was not

MY JOURNEY

19

Photo: Antho Riyanto

Photo: Kakaban Tour


as heavy as it was before so we continued

our trip to Maratua. Along the way, we were

welcomed by dancing dolphins! Wow!

Unfortunatey, when we arrived in

Maratua, we weren’t allowed to pull over

because there were many guests there. The

boat driver said that if we still wanted to

go there, we could but not in group, but we

were already lazy.

So we were just snorkeling. Not long

after that the wave was pretty high so we

decided to get to the boat. Again, a bunch of

dolphins came to us. Wow!

The trip was continued back to

around Derawan for turtle hunt. I wish I

could swim with turtles.

20

Photo: Kakaban Tour

Phot

o: A

ntho

Riy

anto


MY JOURNEY

Monday, December 6, 2010 As it was the same with the day be-

fore, we started our island hopping at 7.30.

The plan was we would visit Semama, San-

glaki and Gosong. The trip to Semama was

only 45 minutes. It was the home for turtles

as there were many turtles there. The view

of this island was so beautiful and it was nice

for taking pictures. There were white sand,

palm trees, everything.

After that, we went to Sanglaki.

Along the way we were looking for manta

but we couldn’t find it, so we were just snor-

keling there.

After snorkeling, we pull over to the

21

Foto

: Kak

aban

Tou

rPh

oto:

Ant

ho R

iyan

to


beach. In here, we were served by the small

turtles that were just hatched. They were

hatched from the eggs that were buried in

the sand. Cool!

After we ate our lunch, we continued

our trip to Gosong. We were still looking for

manta and we found it! We were so lucky.

The Derawan people said we were lucky too

because it was about manta’s season. Yeay!

And finally we arrived at Gosong. As

we can assumed from the name (Gosong

means the burned skin), there was only sand.

As usual, let’s take some pictures! Then we

continue our trip to snorkel with turtle spot.

This was our last day snorkeling in Derawan. Phot

o: A

ntho

Riy

anto


Phot

o: A

ntho

Riy

anto


MY JOURNEY

23

Phot

o: K

akab

an T

our


Poto

: Kak

aban

Tou

r


Phot

o: K

akab

an T

our

Tuesday, December 7, 2010 After taking our breakfast in around

9 am, we started to leave the beauty of

Derawan to get back to Tarakan. We arrived

in Tarakan around 1 pm because the wave

was unfriendly. In here, we were touring

down the city, accompanied by CS Tarakan

members who were willing to be our guide.

What a fun! Goodbye miraculous

Derawan!


GALLERY

SNORKELLINGPHOTO : YANUAR PRIAMBODO

T h E b E a u T Y o f

Send your photo collections to [email protected]


JELLYFISHPHOTO : KAKABAN TOUR

SEA STARPHOTO : INDONESIAN TRAVELER

DIV

ING

PHO

TO

: KA

KA

BA

N T

OU

R

26

T h E b E a u T Y o f

Send your photo collections to [email protected]


LOCALCULTURE

S u n D a n E S E S o c i E T Y ’ S T h a n K S G i V i n G D a Y

There was a sudden crowd last January, to

be exact on the 18-23 in Sindang Barang

Village, Bogor, West Java. It turns out that

there was held a caremony called Seren

Taun, a custom ceremony from Sundanese

society. This ceremony was aimed to

celebrate thankfulness to Nyi Pohaci

(Goddess Sri) or God for giving a life to

human through nature.

By : Soekarno Ibrahim | Photo: Firmansyah

27



THE WORD SEREN TAUN comes from Bu-

hun Language (ancient Sunda). The meaning

is to have a yearly transfer (seren: transfer,

taun: year) from one year to another. Hist-

torically speaking, Seren Taun ceremony has

been exist from the years of the Pajajaran. It

was held simultaneously in all kingdom’s re-

gion, from Pakuan, the capital city, to kapuu-

nan and kekolotan.

In the pajajaran calendar, a month is

not counted from the many days it has but

from the starting of full moon to the next

fool moon. This calendar system is the same

as lunar calendar or Qamariyah system in

Islam. The difference is on the beginning of

the month. Throughout its history, Seren

Taun ceremony got many influences includ-

ing Islam.

LOCAL CULTURE


Seren TaunItinerary

Day One Starting from Imah Gede Kampung

Budaya, the kokolot (the head of the village)

and all people do ngembang or visiting Sang

Prabu Langlangbuana and Prabu Prenggong

Jayadikusumah’s grave in salak Mountain, a

kings’ grave which is believed as their ances-

tors. Then it will continue to neutepken or

praying to God that is lead by Sang Rama or

Kokolot Panggiwa (the head of the village).

This ceremony is held in pabeasan’s place

(the place to keep rice) in Imah Gede.

Day Two and Three It is time for mass circumcision (it is

called sudat in Sunda language). This event

is held in an open space or in Bale Pangriun-

gan. Before the boys got circumsized, there

is sawer sudat ceremony and heleran or a

parade for the boys through the village.

Day Four The poeple of the village and the ko-

kolot do the process of taking the water from

seven springs which is caleld Ngungkulan or

Ngala Cai Kukulu. This priocess starts from

gathering first in Imah Gede and throughout

the journey taking the water, they will be ac-

companied by Angklung music.


Day Five It’s the time for cake alms in Kam-

pung Budaya alun-alun. Here, the parawari

(commitee) served 40 winnow of cakes and

buffalo’s meat to be eaten by everyone. This

day is also glorified by many arts perfor-

mances like golek puppet, tatalu gamelan,

and other Sunda arts.

Day Six Since morning there has been pre-

pared Heleran, a parade of agricultural

product that is festified by traditional music

and mass dances such as Kendang Pencak,

Parebut Seeng, Angklung Gubrag, Calung

and Reog. In this procession, almost all

people from the village served dongdong

(agricultural products that have been puri-

fied with the water from the seven springs

and is formed as interesting as possible to

make it attractive).

The parade is glorified by rengkong

carrier (rice) and many forms of dongdong

that is lined beautifully. It shows the pride

of each village. They moved to Leuit Ratna

Inten field, which is six rice barns aimed as

the symbol of bridal dais in paddy wedding

or Majiekeun Pare Ayah and Pare Ambu.

After that, people and tourists can take

dongdong. Sundanese call this event Pare-

but Dongdong, similar to grebeg maulud in

Yogyakarta.

Sindang Barang asCulture Village The best time to visit Sindang Barang

is on the middle of January. Why? Because

LOCAL CULTURE

THE WORD SINDANG BARANG ITSELF MEANS A PLACE TO LEAVE WORLDLY THINGS

31


Seren Taun ceremony is held in the middle of

January.

Seren Taun ceremony in Sindang

Barang has been died since Pupuhu Entong

Surnawijaya die in 1972. Seren Taun reappear

in 2007, the same time Sindang Barat re-

ceives the predicate culture village from the

ministry of west java. Sindang Barang village

has many culture inheritance that still can be

seen untul today.

The word Sindang Barang itself

means a place to leave worldly things (sin-

dang: stop, barang: material, things). There

is also a myth that is still believed by the

people that it is forbidden to start a busi-

ness with the hope of worldly goal, moreover

if the money used is got by borrowing. All

business should be started with one’s own

money. If people don’t do this, something

bad will happen to that person.

Basically, human can’t live without

nature. Nature gives everything human

needs; foods, equipments, even drugs.

Nature is the source of human’s life, that’s

why human’s culture rooted from nature

elements. In modern times wherever in the

world, there must be some customs or cul-

tures that resemble thankfulness to the Al-

mighty taht has given the life in the form of

ceremony. Sometimes nature is the resem-

blances of God in keeping His creatures.t


COMMUNITY

33


KaskusIndonesianTravelersW E A R E F A M I L Y ,N O T C O M M U N I T Y

If there’s an Indonesian youngster who is active in the virtual

world, there’s a big probability that he knows Kaskus. And

if he’s being asked what words best describes Kaskus? The

dominant answer would be “trade”.

By : Muhammad Iqbal | Photo: KIT doc.

34


COMMUNITY

BUT IT’S NOT ALWAYS trade that is in

Kaskus. In the previous edition, Backpackin’

had told about a community who is inter-

ested in nature tour. It looks like they are

not the only traveler community in Kaskus.

This time, we will see deeper about Kaskus

Indonesian Traveler (KIT).

At first, Backpackin’ was confused

because it is writing for community rubric

but clearly KIT’s tagline is We are Family Not

Community. Not a community! But after we

did some research, the value they have is still

the same so it’s not a problem that they are

called community.

KIT just doesn’t want to be considered

as a formal community. The trade which is very

identical with Kaskus as their first medium

does not include in them. There is no trade

thing in family so that’s how they choose to

use the word “family” instead of “community”.

It all started from Zacky Soemam-

pouw and friends who arranged their first

trip to Jogja and Bali (some of them con-

tinue the journey to Lombok) on September

28, 2009. he was succeed in gathering 18

people who didn’t know each other from

many regions (Jakarta, Bogor, Sukabumi,

Cirebon, Jogja, Bangka Belitung) to a harmo-

nious group.

Since then, the story goes. Some-

one from the group told his friends and his

friends told the others. Then next trip was

opened. There was a new member. This new

member told his friends about the group.

THE TRADE WHICH IS VERY IDENTICAL WITH KASKUS AS THEIR FIRST MEDIUM DOES NOT INCLUDE IN THEM.

35


Another trip was opened. Another new

member. And so on. Until they don’t really

know the exact active number of their mem-

bers. Besides, who needs to know? The thing

is, the member numbers has reached more

than 1500 people on Facebook.

Yes, Facebook, because Kaskus is

considered as not as communicative as

Facebook, so they widen their network to

facebook. But it doesn’t mean the communi-

cation media in Kaskus die.

The former name for this group in

Facebook was Kaskus Backpacker. However

the word backpacker was not suitable since

the trips were not always backpacker’s style.

To make it general, they changed the name

to Kaskus Indonesian Traveler.

If they are asked about their trip, it was so

many! Until now, the event that is registered

on their Facebook fanpage is 31. That’s the

“legal” events only, not to mention sudden

events or unannounced events.

Those events are not always beaches,

seas, caves or mountains trips, but there are

a lot of trips such as city tour, culinary tour,

history and culture tours. Even KIT join pho-

tography, music, or social events sometimes.

So wide.

These are some of their events that

are considered big: Bali-Lombok, gathering

in Puncak, Explore Cirebon and also attend-

ing one of the member’s wedding ceremony,

Pramuka Island in Kepulauan Seribu, trip

to Dufan, rafting in Citarik, Rumah Singgah

visit, Merapi social dedication, etc. t


When was the first time you like climbing

and why?

Before I start to climb mountains I

was actually in love with traveling to places

like Yogya and camping in Situ Gunung and

Cinumpang in the foot of Mount Gede; Suka-

mantri and Curug Nangka in around Mount

Salak. Then I started trekking to Mount Pun-

tang in Cianjur. So I’ve been wandering since

I was in junior high. The mountain climbing

itself started when I was in the 2nd or 3rd

grade of junior high. I like mountain climbing

because of an experience.

What is the most Impressive Mountain

you’ve ever Visit? What’s the Story Behind

it?

This question is one of the most

questions people asked to me. The answer

Harley Bayu Sastha

THE MOUNTAINCLIMBER

FOR THOSE OF YOU who likes to mountain climbing, you’re definitely

familiar with Harley B. Sastha. Following are the interview between the

author of Mountain Climbing for Everybody (a Guide to Mountain

Climbing in West Java) and Backpackin’ crew. :

By : Ambar Arum | Photo: Harley doc.

FIGURE


is the same as I tell everybody else that all

mountains I’ve been climbed have their own

impression because every mountain has

different appeal, uniqueness and history.

Climbing in a different time would make a

different impression. Though the mountain is

being climbed over and over again, still there

are new impressive things.

How Long does it Take to “Memorize” the

Road and Condition in all Mountains in

West Java then Make it to Book?

I don’t memorize road but whenever

I climb I try to integrate myself with what I

see, hear and feel alongside it. That’s why if

you asked how long, it would be relative. For

the condition of mountain climbing in West

Java that I later made a book about it, it’s

based on my experience. However, in order

to make a book, I update it by climbing the

mountains again.

Any plans to make mountain guide book in

Java?

Not just the mountains in Java, but

mountains in Indonesia. The book Mountain

Climbing For Everybody is about mountain

climbing in Indonesia. The first series was

about 9 mountains in West Java. Now I’m

finishing my second book: Mountains in

Central Java and Yogya.

38M A R E T - A P R I L 2 0 1 1 I b a c K p a c K i n


FIGURE

39 b a c K p a c K i n I M A R E T - A P R I L 2 0 1 1


“I LOVE TO SEE CULTURE

ACTIVITIES IN REGIONS AND SOCIETY WITH THEIR LIFE

-Harley Bayu Sastha-

What is the most favorite menu to cook in

the mountain?

For dinner, it’s usually rice with

vegetables soup, orek tempe plus omelet or

scrambled egg. The beverage is hot Milo.

Other easy menu to make is instant crème

soup eaten with bread and fruits, of course

(pear or apple).

What is your target for mountain climbing

this year?

To finish the update data for my

second book. For other mountains, I think for

now I have no target because sometimes I

could go suddenly in a month or two or even

one or two weeks before.

Besides mountain climbing, what are you’re

other hobbies?

Jogging, reading, writing includ-

ing writing poetry and of course travelling

because I love to see culture activities in

regions and society with their life.

Keep on rocking for Backpackin’ Maga-

zine. Keep on making Indonesia’s

beauty as your main point! t


REVIEW

41

duaransel.comW E o n L Y h a V E T W o b a c K p a c K S

a n D c L o T h E S i n o u R b o D Y

They had experienced the sensation of sandstorm in

Maho Bay, St. Marten (Netherlands), underground

rafting in Waitomo Cave, directly seen the pink sheep in

New Zealand, also almost being tricked by a couple in

Barcelona when they asked for taking pictures.

By : Ambar Arum | Photo: Duaransel.com


ITS NOT A LUXURIOUS vacation. They have

to wash their own clothes. They are prefer to

walking for hours than using a cab. They ar-

range their route tour and decided not to join

package tour from travel agent. They also

like to blend with local people. Simply, they

enjoy every second of moment in their jour-

ney: the people, the culture, and of course,

the food!

Everything started from a crazy

decision of a couple, Dina and Ryan on April

2009. They left their apartment in Canada,

and travel around the world with ONLY two

backpacks. And, hup! Now they already stay

in the 35th country, and its not over yet..

Dina comes from Surabaya and Ryan

comes from Canada. At the beginning their

jobs make them can’t meet regularly. Tired

of their routines, they decided to go together

and find something new, travelling around

the world.

What things we have to prepared?

How much money do we need? Ah, after

so many things they had experienced, they

realized that they only need humor and

open-minded self. The other thing is not a

problem, because you can learn and get dur-

ing your journey.

How long they want to travel? They

simply answered, “This world is so big

mysterious, and at this time, we still doesn;t

want to stop.”

Follow their journey on duaransel.

com (Bahasa) or vagabondquest.com (Eng-

lish). Don’t feel ashamed to ask questions

or just say hi, they are really nice and open.

Prove it! t


TIPS

43

T a K E n f R o m a L i Y a m u a f a ’ S E x p E R i E n c E

being Solo backpacker

THESE TIPS ARE based on the

experiences I got when I was

a backpacker, both of team

or single backpacker. It’s a bit

much but I think it has to be

noted in having a trip. So,

let’s check this out :

By : Aliya Muafa


1. Make sure that you want to do this trip

alone.

2. Make sure that the place you want to visit

is quiet safe and has no conflict.

3. Look for the information as much as you

can about your destination to make you feel

more enjoy in having the trip.

4. Do a trip at night in order to save the ac-

commodation and in the morning you can

travel as much as you want all day.

5. Bring food supplies that could delay the

hungry such as bread or chocolate to avoid

starvation when there are no sellers of food

on the bus or train.

6. Bring enough money (do not over) in the

form of cash as a precaution if you can’t find

an ATM. Put the money in a safe place and

(if possible) separate it to avoid undesirable

things such as theft.

7. Some other important items to bring:

clothes, location map, handphone and char-

ger, camera, toiletries in small sizes, vitamin

c and personal medicines, a lot of plastic

bags, needles and thread to sew in an emer-

gency.

8. Make sure that the bag you will use is in a

good condition.

9. Use comfortable footwear for use in a long

time such as mountain sandals or shoes.

10. Ask the price first when eating to avoid a

price that “shouted” by the seller.

11. Do not ask people who do not reassure

like all brokers, ask at the official station.

Enjoy the trip! t

DO NOT ASK PEOPLE WHO DO NOT REASSURE LIKE ALL BROKERS, ASK AT THE OFFI-CIAL STATION


EDUCATION

45

f R o m Y o u R S T E p

protect the coral Reefs


A GOOD SNORKELER let the reefs are not

disturbed. Follow these simple instructions

how to be a good snorkeler following :

BEFORE YOU GO

1. Select the snorkeling place which is eco-

friendly

2. Learn the ins and outs of coral reefs - coral

reef is a fragile environment.

IN THE WATER

1. Never touch the reefs.

2. Do not bring beings who are still living or

the dead out of the water except discharges

that are not living organisms in the dirt.

ON BOARD

Make sure the garbage is stored

properly.Bring down garbage from ships to

the waste properly.

EDGE IN THE BEACH

Avoid purchasing souvenirs made

from coral, turtles and other marine animals;

it can be categorized as an illegal activity,

and not friendly to the environment. t

Taken from : www.corel.org

MAKE SURE THE GARBAGE IS STORED PROPERLY.BRING DOWN GARBAGE FROM SHIPS TO THE WASTE PROPERLY.


ACCESSORIES

47

Trangia vs GasGAS STOVE AND TRANGIA STOVE. These two are popular among backpackers. In this

accessory rubric, Backpackin’ would like to compare the pluses and minuses of each stove. In

the end, the best stove to bring is the one suits our destination. So, what’s your choice?


TRANGIA

HARLEYJAKARTA

My favorite is Trangia, I use it more often because the

fuel is relatively easy to seek, even in small area. However,

sometimes I use also gas stove.

GAS STOVE

FACHRANBOGOR

It’s better to use gas stove. Trangia has too many

accessories. The small ones are likely to get lost. Gas stove

is more practical; just bring small stove and minimum 2

tubes. Doesn’t use much space.

TRANGIA STOVE

Pluses1. Saver in any heights and any place

(including cooking inside the tent)

2. Easier to get the fuel.

Minuses1. Hard to settle how big or small the fire.

2. Heavier.

3. There are many small things to be lost if

we don’t careful enough.

4. More expensive.

GAS STOVE

Pluses1. Lighter and practical.

2. Not too big so it doesn’t use much space.

3. Easier to settle how big or small the fire.

4. Much cheaper.

Minuses1. Easily off when wind blew.

2. Gas tube is hard to find in some places.

3. Not safe to use in certain heights (above

3000 sea level)


CULINARY

49

n o T a S b R a V E a n D p u R E

Red and White porridge

There are some

special Indonesian

foods that comes

from the exploitation

of basic materials

from particular

region such as Sukun

Chip in Biereun (NAD),

Sago Porridge in East

Indonesia or Snail Satay

in East Java.

By : Amalia Pranoto


THERE ARE SOME others who

like to search the philosophy of

the food, after they found the phi-

losophy they make the step from it. This

one is very rare and Red and White por-

ridge is considered one.

Maybe because this porridge is only

served at certain events which are consid-

ered sacred or special so it has to have the

basic reason. This rice and coconut milk

based food is usually served when there’s a

new born baby, giving baby’s name, building

a house and other events

The porridge is of course has red and

white color in it. That’s the basic rule. The

white color comes from the natural color of

the rice, while the red color comes from red

sugar. In a bowl, the white and red is piled up

into order; white-red-white-red-white-red.

There are different basic philosophies of it.

Some said white color represents the mean-

ing of human’s life. Then the red color sym-

bolizes the world as the place where human

born into.

Some also said that red symbolizes

the blood of mothers which is consumed

by babies in womb. While white represents

the mother’s breast milk which is consumed

after the baby is born.

It means that there are many mean-

ings of red and white regardless the common

ones; brave and purity. Whatever it is, don’t

think too long or else you’ll get full before

you eat the porridge. t

SOME ALSO SAID THAT RED SYMBOLIZES THE BLOOD OF MOTH-ERS WHICH IS CON-SUMED BY BABIES IN WOMB.


CONTRIBUTOR

51

ANTHO RIYANTOJAKARTA

This “Teknik Elektro” bachelor

from University of Indonesia

is so into snorkeling. His story

can be read on My Journey

column this edition.

MALIQ (KAKABAN TOUR)BALIKPAPAN

Really good in Derawan (www.

kakabantour.com) Maliq is an

example of a man who has

unlimited amout of money,

because he never stop travel

around Indonesia.

AMALIA PRANOTOJAKARTA

She is rarely talking, but you

will see her at Bedugul, or

shopping in Klewar Market

at Solo. She writes Culinary

column in this magazine.

ALIYA MU’AFAJAKARTA

Hobbies: travelling, talking,

and eating. She contributes

in giving tips doing soloist

backpacking.

FIRMANSYAHJAKARTA

Be careful, his DSLR has a

potential to make his model

looks fatter than the real looks.

You can see his photographs

in Local Culture column.

PENJAMAH INDONESIA JAKARTA

A group of man who has a

dream to step in Indonesia’s

big five island: Adi Pratama,

Yanuar Priambodo, Ok Fachru,

Abdul Kohar, and Iqbal

Harahap. They give lots of info

and pictures about Derawan.

Twitter @PenjamahIndonesiaERLAND MAHARDIKA(INDONESIA TRAVELER)BANDUNG

Two words for him: magic boy.

He contributes through his

photographs in this edition.Wants to be a contributor? Send your article

to [email protected]

b a c K p a c K i n I M A R E T - A P R I L 2 0 1 1


INTERACTION

52

AMRIJAKARTA

AMBARJAKARTA

AGAMBOGOR

being Silly in a public Transportation

The fifteen of us wanted to travel to Yogyakarta by Progo

train. That train is always full of passangers and the seats

are always seated. My girl friend, who looks like a freeman,

reprehended with a big confident, “Sir, these are our seats.

I’d like to see your tickets! Come on guys, we can sit here!”

The men gave up and gave us the seats. It may be because

they were beaten by fifteen people. It turned out that we

were in the wrong daycoach. Shame on us.

I was in a bus when I realized that I did not bring my wallet.

After that, I put my mean-face, and I asked a junior-high-school

student who unfortunately sat beside me to pay my bus fee.

“Pay my bus fee, I’ll return it later!” The kid took his money out

with a pale face. Well, I was actually more afraid than him.

Oh, how I love sleeping. When I was in an economy train

to Bogor, I fell asleep. I was in Cilebut station the last time I

remembered, but then when I woke up, I was still in Cilebut.

It turned out that the train had already went back to Jakarta.

Then, I continued my sleep.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, SUCH AS city bus, angkot, or economy train, must have been our

daily routine, especially for us who loves going around the city. Here are some silly experiences

in a public transportation from several friends. How about you?

For the next edition, Backpackin’ wants to know your experiences in fooling your trip partner

or being fooled by your trip partner. It is better to be sillier! You can send it to redaksiezinebi@

yahoo.com, the most interesting stories will be written in Backpackin’s next edition! t


WHAT THEY SAY?

Mangga kula aturi tindak dateng sempu

menawi panjenengan pados panggenan

ingkang endah (Javanese Language) Coming Soon!! Sempu Islandon Backpackin’ Magazine 9th Editions

Sempu, keren bro! Lo pada wajib kesini! (Betawi)

NEXT EDITION


Coming Soon!! Sempu Islandon Backpackin’ Magazine 9th Editions

Tempat ieu alus pisan, maneh kudu kadieu (Sundanese)

Sempu tu rancak bana, dun sanak sadonyo wajib kasitu, kalo indak rugi gadang (Minang)

Oma hai ngen...gata payah jak usempu,asli lagak that disinan (Acehnese)

Sempu, keren bro! Lo pada wajib kesini! (Betawi)


INDONESIAf i n d t h e b e a u t y o f

j o i n W i T h u S :

W W W . I S S U U . C O M /B A C K P A C K I N M A G A z I N E

B A C K P A C K I N M A G zB A C K P A C K I N ’ E - M A G A z I N E

@ B A C K P A C K I N _ M A G z

Backpackin Magazine 8 English

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