Wediombo beach, Fishing from the Coral Hill

The imagination of very wide, white-sand beach that enables you to see different angles of the beach will rise when you hear the mention of Wediombo (wedi=sand, ombo=wide) Beach. Nonetheless, Wediombo Beach actually does not have such wide spread of sands. The west and east parts of the beach are planked by coral hills so that the spread of the sands is not as wide as the one in Parangtritis, Glagah, and possibly Kuta beaches.

In fact, local people tell that the name of this beach that was given by the predecessors does not represent the real situation. Some people say that more appropriate name for this beach is Teluk Ombo (The Wide Bay), since the beach looks like a wide bay. There are two flanking coral hills with the seawater protrudes to the land but it is wider that common bays.

Apart from the inappropriate name, however, Wediombo still provides extraordinary beach view. The seawater looks clear blue; it is different from other beaches of which seawater looks greenish resulted from water pollution. The white sands with ornaments of the seashells are maintained well. The atmosphere of the beach is quiet so that it becomes the right place to get out of noisiness.

Wediombo is located in Jepitu village of Girisubo Sub-District in Gunung Kidul Regency. If you have come to Siung Beach, you will easily reach this beach. You only have to get back to a T-junction in Tepus before the road leading to Siung Beach, then turn right following the road until you get to a sign board asking you to turn right to get to Wediombo.

The location of this beach is far lower that the surrounding lands. You have to get down by the stairs in order to reach the beach and enjoy the panorama. While descending the stairs, you will be able to see the field, houses and mangrove vegetation on your left and right sides. Some people are seen carrying herbs for their cattle or taking care of the cattle in its stall.

In addition to the enchanting coastal panorama, Wediombo offers a unique tour experience, if not an extreme one, namely fishing from the height of the coral cliff. This kind of tour originating from the fishing habit of local people is popular with fishing hobbyists from Yogyakarta and Wonogiri. The main objective is, according to local people to YogYES, to catch big fish.

It is not easy to reach the fishing location at the top of the coral cliff. We have to walk eastwards through the shore; climbing steep and slippery cliff and sometimes the waves will hit us before arriving at the cliff that directly faces the deep ocean. For those who have been familiar with the route, it will take them one-hour walk.

The difficult way to the cliff, however, is paid well. Big fish are sometimes caught by the hobbyists. At least they will catch fish that local people name it panjo fish. The fish of which size is as big as man's arm are of two kinds, the cylindrical one that exist more during dry season and the flat one during the rainy season.

The baits are small fish that can even be collected at the seashore. We can use either fishing pole or fishnet to catch the small fish. It's cheap and easy, isn't it?

For those who do not dare to get to the top of the cliff, they might just buy the fish they the fishermen catch. They sell the panjo fish at IDR 3,000 one fish, or IDR 20,000 for a string of fish containing 5-6 fish. Some local people are willing to cook them for you if you wish. Otherwise, you can take them home as a gift for your family.

Cooked panjo fish are also available. Served with rice and condiment from chili pepper, fried Panjo fish is sold at IDR 7,000 only. The rice is served in the traditional container called bakul and the condiment is on traditional saucer called cobek. The portion is big enough for two persons. YogYES tried this menu in a warong located close to the parking area. Fried sea urchin that tastes like fried chicken is also available if you want to try.

At certain occasions, you can see Ngalangi ceremony that is held by local people. This ceremony takes place once in a year, just like the labuhan besar ceremony, of which objective is to express the gratitude to God for what have been granted and asking for good fortune for the future. The fortune is mainly good catches in sufficient quantity to fulfill daily needs.

The procession of the ceremony is unique; it begins by spreading gawar - the fishnet made from wawar tree. This kind of fishnet was used to catch fish before the present nylon fishnet. The gawar is spread out from Kedongkowok hill to the area of the rise and fall of the tides in order to trap the fish that are washed away by the waves and that cannot get back to the sea.

When seawater falls, the fish are collected. People are then busy cleaning and cooking the fish. Some of the fish are returned to the sea with some rice ans offerings. Most part of the dish is shared to the families. This ceremony is known as kenduri besar or great shared-meals as the form of local wisdom that fish are livelihood for all people.

In addition to Ngalangi ceremony, the enchantment of the beach can be enjoyed everyday. The entrance fee is only IDR 5,000 for two persons. If you want to spend the night and gather with some of your friends, you can use a small hut located close to the warongs alongside the beach. It is so refreshing to be in this beach.

The Glagah Beach, from Lagoon Scenery to Agro Tourism

When you come to Glagah Beach, you will directly find plain coastal land. This
gives you an opportunity to get wide view of all directions. Looking straight ahead, you will see the long horizon uniting the ocean and the sky. The beauty of the bending coastal line will satisfy your view when you look either westward or eastward.

Both the plain coastal land and the long coastal line also give you some
alternative locations to see the beauty of the coastal scenery. Every location seems to have different nuance even though they are located in the same area. In each location, you can enjoy the overall view of the beautiful beach without boundaries of huge coral reefs.

The first location to get best view of the coastal area is the one that is planned to
become a harbor in the future. You will find the place when you follow a 'PP' sign at the fist turn after the ticket post. The full-of-harmony meeting point between the river stream and the ocean waves can be seen by climbing to the view post in the location.

From the first location to some hundreds meters westwards, you can find a loog
with the water flowing to the river estuary. This lagoon divides the coastal area into two, the one with coastal plants and weeds and the other place with the sand dune that directly borders on the sea. You can cross to the sand dune area through a connecting bridge that is located close to the river estuary.

Walking further to the west, you can see the activities of local people and some
people fishing. When YogYES visited, they are standing in shoulders along the coastal line holding their fishing rods. The slightly sloping area gives much fish for local fishermen. Some kiosks sell seafood with various menus worth trying.

In addition to the beautiful coastal scenery, Glagah Beach also has various
beach tourism facilities. One of them is the motocross circuit that is located at the seaside that will satisfy hobbyists of this sport. Meanwhile, the asphalted road connectiong the Glagah Beach and other beaches can be utilized for fun bike activity.

You can even enjoy the agro tourism facility by visiting Kusumo Wanadri
plantation. There, you can observe the cultivation process of medication herbs such as dragon fruit and Roselle flower. Besides, you can also hire the bamboo-boat (in Javanese language: gethek), canoe, and rowing duck that you can use to explore the lagoon or you can just cross the wooden bridge to come to the sand dune area at the seaside.

When you feel tired after taking a long walk, you can take arrest in cross-legged
sitting hut in the area of Kusumo Wanadri plantation. Some exotic menus and beverages are worth trying. You can try fresh dragon fruit juice and is famous for its efficacy to heal some illnesses, or you may order Roselle flower syrup that will quench your thirst and neutralize various toxins in your body.

In order to enjoy the entire beautiful Glagah scenery, you can take either one of
the two alternatives roads. First, go southwards via Bantul road and turn right to Bantul - Purworejo road after you come to Palbapang. Second, go westwards via Yogyakarta - Wates - Purworejo road and turn left after finding a signboard directing to Glagah Beach. You would better drive your own vehicle to reach the access more easily.

The trip to this beach is not as difficult as reaching the beaches in Gunung Kidul
area. The road is flat and not much so climbs that you can reach the beaches while relaxing your mind. The road leading to Purworejo city also connects Glagah beach with other beaches in Kulon Progo Regency. In other words, you can kill two birds with one stone.

source :YogYES.COM

Anyer Beach

Anyer is a beach town in Banten. It is located at Anyer, 38 km from Serang City. The beach is facing the West, so we can see the view of Mt. Rakata (the remaining / child of Mt. Krakatau that exploded in 1833) and the sunset. A beautiful sea sight with all activities such as Jet Ski, Speed Boat, Para Sailing and other aquatic sport, those types of activities can be found here, as well as sunset view from the beach and an old lighthouse at Cikoneng. A lot of hotels from jasmine to international 5 stars can be tourist best choices to stay. Anyer is a popular beach resort for Jakartan.

Anyer beach has many unique enchantments. Its white sands amaze many tourists. They are so pure; we can feel the softness of the sands. The deep blue sea attracts many divers around the world because its various sea lives are so completely perfect. The sea breeze can make visitors' mind fresh, out of stress and enjoy. And the last enchantments that can make Anyer beach as the most favorite place to visit is the view of the legendary Krakatau Mountain and its historical lighthouse.

It is located in the west coast of Java about 120km from Jakarta. Sanghyang, 10 km off Anyer beach, is an easy diving destination for Jakartan divers who can only spare a weekend. This volcanic island offers white carbonate-sand beach and a wealth of underwater life, while Anyer offers a gorgeous sunset.

KOTA GEDE

Kota Gede, which is often called Sargede is located about five kilometers southeast of Yogyakarta, Kotagede is a neat little town, which was once the seat of the mighty Mataram Empire. Since the 1930s, Kotagede has become famous for being the center of the Yogya silverwork industry. There are a number of workshops where visitors are welcome to watch silver being transformed into beautiful works of art known as "Yogya Silver". Kotagede is easily reached by "andong", the four-wheeled horse-drawn cart, by taxi, bus, or car.

In that cemetery complex one can still visit the cemetery of the Mataram kings like Sutowijoyo or Ngabei Loring Pasar, the founder of Mataram Kingdom, who was then called Panembahan Senopati. There is also the unique tomb of Ki Ageng Mangir. He was Panembahan Senopati son in law and also Panembahan Senopati enemy. His dead body was buried half inside of the special area for kings and Panembahan Senopati families, and a half of his body was buried outside of the complex. There is a stone called " Watu Gilang ", a stone on which Panembahan Senopati smashed the Ki Ageng Mangir head to dead.

Those who want to go inside the cemetery have to wear traditional clothes that one can hire at the place. Kota Gede Royal cemetery is open on Monday at. 10.00 am - 12.00 am, and Friday at 01.30 pm. - 04.00 pm. In addition to the cemetery, there are also graceful gates, a pond full of Clarius Melanodermas and a yellow turtle. This turtle is hundred years of age and people believe it as a sacred miraculous turtle.

Since the 1930s, however, Kotagede has become famous for being the centre of the Yogya silverwork industry. Kotagede is easily reached by "among", the four wheeled horse drawn cart, by taxi, bus, or car. There are a number of workshops where visitors are welcome to watch silver being transformed into beautiful works of art known as "Yogya Silver".

krakal beach

Go to the next beach, about 6 kilometers from Kukup beach, we will find Krakal beach- a white sand beach stretch along 5 kilometers. Krakal beach the longest beach of the junction is located in Ngestirejo village, Tanjungsari district, about 3 km away in the east of Baron-Kukup-Sepanjang-Drini beach junction, has scratching white hill with blue slopes gently to the sea. The beauty of green lime-scratching hill with blue seawater offers a perfect harmony, which is very natural and ideal for sun bathing. Krakal beach mostly is a white sandy beach in Yogyakarta area. There's a development now because of its beautiful panorama of the southern sea. It should be careful here because it has big wave and the texture of the beach which are rocks meet the sands.

Among all the beaches that stretch along Java beaches, Krakal with its white sandy beach surrounded with mountainous rocky hills is the most beautiful one. Krakal is close to Kukup beach and Baron cove. This cove is in fact an estuary of an underground river that comes up exactly at the waterfront. It is interesting to observe the combination of the beach and the cove from the protruding rocky hills that flank the caves on both sides.

BARON BEACH

Baron beach lies in Kemandang Village, Tanjungsari district about 23 km in the South of Wonosari city. Baron beach is the first beach that would be found in the junction of Baron, Kukup, Sepanjang, Drini, Krakal and Sundak beaches area. It is a bay with big wave. Baron beach is popular as fish catching area. There is a mouth of Underground River that can be used for bathing after playing in the beach. The visitors can also enjoy various kinds of low prices seafood or fresh fish and Baron's special menu namely Kakap fish soup. There is limestone hill in this area. The visitors can reach that place by passing through a path. The way to go there is very interesting because it passes a place called Pegunungan Seribu (a thousand mountains).



Visitors could have a magnificent view of the beach; about 10 kilometers in the West of Baron beach there are Parang Racuk hill with its mountain slopes. It challenged the visitors to do some adventures. Every syuro month (the first month of Javanese calendar), the fisherman societies organized a Labuhan sea ceremony, to express their gratitude to the God for the abundant fish harvest and for the welfare in fishing.

475 Beat Competitors, Vocalista champion Angels in the World Children Choir Festival

Jakarta - Indonesia Raya songs resound in the building of China Convention and Exhibition Centre, Shaoxing, Monday (07/19/2010), children choirs accompany victory Vocalista Angels. Excitement seems to fill the room to greet contestants gold medals from Indonesia were in the choir festival's world-class children.

Such an atmosphere that is described by CA Tersierra Rosa, Vocalista Angels troupe leader, choir boy home in Klaten, Central Java (Central Java), which became representative of Indonesia on the international festival. Vocalista champion Angels won for the category of folklore with the choreography.

"In addition to winning the gold medal and Folklore with koregrafi category, they also obtained a gold medal for the category of Children's choir," said Rosa, or a familiar Tersierra called Thea in the releases received by AFP on Tuesday (07/20/2010).

According to Thea, in the championship this time, Vocalista Angels carry several folk songs like "Montor-montor CILIK", "Romo Ono Maling," "Go Jago," and the song "Toki Tifa" of Maluku. In addition, the choir includes 27 children from 8-18 years after it also hosted foreign songs is "Las Ammarilas" from Spain and "Tola" from Africa.

"VA is led by conductor Jason Christy Pranowo appear very attractive so getting very boisterous applause at every appearance, even standing applaus," Thea said, adding achievements Vocalista Angels also make Indonesia as the second overall champion in the arena of world choral 6th this.

Police visited

Vocalista Angels released their departure by the Vice President (VP) Boediono on July 12 and arrived in Shaoxing on July 13. Arriving in Shaoxing, the children who come from lower class families were immediately returned to practice before the festival begins.

The exercise was carried out by entertaining the public in parks around town near the hotel they were staying. At least they do the exercises two hours in the park or any open place that is sometimes visited by local police because of noise in public places.

"Although the police eventually come to enjoy serving their singing. This is due to the difficulty to obtain an adequate gym," said Thea.

Victory choir Vocalista Angels could also be accompanied by several problems. For example, when performing the registration, Vocalista Angels name is not in the list of the committee, so that the official should contact the organizers of INTERKULTUR and local organizers.

"However deserves thumbs up to the Chinese government is earnestly preparing for the World Kejauaran that the choir was due to coincide with the sixth anniversary of the 2500 water year Shaoxing city," said Thea.

Ranked World 41

Previously, Vocalista Angels have won many international championship level choirs, among others at the World Choir Championship in South Korea in 2009. At that second gold medal for successfully disabet Kids category and Folklore.

For children choir category, since 2008 Vocalista Angels ranked 17th world. As for the level of the world, Indonesia is on the prestigious enough, namely rank 41 in all levels of age and all types of competition (children choir, youth choir, Chamber choir, Male Choir, Female choir, choir Mix, Jazz, Spiritual, and Folklore ).

Now, go Thea, choral groups will be trained to lead the choir world championship to seven children. "There is support from local governments or not, Vocalista Angels keep practicing to prepare for the 7th World Championship in Ohio, United States," he said.