Sumatera Barat (Sumbar) memang dikenal memilik alam yang indah dan menawan. Dengan alam yang berbukit-bukit dan sebagian berada di dataran tinggi, alam Sumbar memberikan kesan yang sejuk bagi setiap wisatawan yang mengunjungi daerah ini. Makanya tidak heran, tidak hanya wisatawan domestik saja, tapi wisatawan manca negara selalu menjadikan Sumbar sebagai tempat wisata alam yang menarik.
TSARA TOWNSHIP, Tibet - The muffled thud of hooves on thick grass provided an echo of Tibet’s distant warrior past.
For a few hours, as the people of Tsara on Sunday gathered for their annual horse racing festival, the traditional image of Tibetans as peace-loving Buddhists was put to the test.
DHARAMSALA, India, March 31, 2006 - Tibetans living in exile in India gathered in this picturesque northern Indian hill resort Friday to seek blessings from the Dalai Lama before the start of a vibrant Tibetan festival.
In the late 1980s, author Pico Iyer embarked on an Asian journey with the purpose of discovering to what extent Western - and especially American - culture had impinged on the cultures of the newly opened and revitalized East. During this time several Asian nations were undergoing unprecedented economic growth; the historic Nixon visit to China and the market reforms of Deng Xiaoping were beginning to drag China out of the darkness of Maoism; and Southeast Asia, after years of wars and insurgencies, was more or less at peace. Pundits, even Iyer himself, spoke of an Asian century to come, and no one could have foreseen that in less than a decade the Thai economy would tank, Japan’s would stall, or that authors would suddenly be writing premature obituaries for the People’s Republic.
Indonesia uses more fuel than it produces, which is a shame for an oil rich country. Indonesians are heavily dependent on diesel, petrol and kerosene for cooking. The recent world price rises in oil put pressure on the Indonesian government, as they had to import expensive oil, and subsidize people for using it.
Petrol prices doubled a while ago and people dealt with it. Now the government plans to restrict petrol use, in public and private vehicles,to save further money. It will be interesting to see how the government goes about implementing the petrol restrictions. Maybe we can revert back to a system like in Europe after the war, when you had to have ration vouchers, as well as the cash. Indonesia will then truly become a nation going in reverse.
Banten memang dikenal kaya potensi wisata spiritual. Kalau daerah Banten Lama di Kabupaten Serang, misalnya, dikunjungi ribuan wisatawan setiap liburan karena memiliki kawasan wisata peninggalan Sultan Banten - yang antara lain berisi Benteng Surosowan, Mesjid Agung, Klenteng Kuno dan sejumlah makam keluarga Sultan Hasanudin, maka Kabupaten Pandeglang, 20 km dari Kota Kabupaten Serang, juga dikenal karena memiliki kawasan wisata Gunung Karang.
SIAPA yang tidak kenal dengan kota Bukittinggi. Meski masih merupakan sebuah kota kecil yang berada di Sumatera Barat, namun nama Bukittinggi sudah cukup dikenal secara nasional, malah juga di mancanegara. Apalagi Bukittinggi pernah menjadi ibukota Republik Indonesia (RI) saat zaman kemerdekaan dulu.
Berwisata ke kota Manado sungguh sangat menyenangkan. Banyak pilihan bagi wisatawan untuk berekreasi dan ber wisata ria. Dari wisata alam seperti taman laut Bunaken, keindahan pantai, tempat hiburan rakyat, pusat perbelanjaan, hingga restoran, ada di kota ini.
Australian tourists are, for the time being staying away from Bali. With all the stuff that’s been going on from the Schapelle Corby, Michelle Leslie, the Bali Nine, Bali Bomb II, prophets cartoons and Papua, its not surprising things have been quiet. In the long run I reckon most things are cyclical.
Garuda Indonesia is hoping to get a jump on the tourist revival in Bali by putting out a new brochure. ‘Bali on ANY budget’ follows the website of a similar name.