Indonesian fisherman vs coral reefs

Some locals doing a workshop called “Go Blue” about ocean conservation practises in the Thousand Islands

Kepulauan Seribu or the Thousand Islands are a chain of islands to the north of Jakarta’s coast. They consist of a string of 110 islands stretching 45 km north into the Java Sea. Described as possibly the best coral reefs on the doorstep of a major capital city anywhere in the world, they understandably face some environmental pressure such as pollution,  tourism and development. (the local inhabitants of the thousand islands still like to use the coral for building houses and foundations).

However, the additional pressure of fishing just adds to this environmental stress, NGOs and the government have convinced the fisherman that cyanide fishing and dynamite fishing are unacceptable and cause much wastage and huge damage to the reefs.

Conservation: Releasing Hawkesbill Turtles into the wild at Sunset

The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in its genus. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Pacific subspecies. Human fishing practices threaten E. imbricata populations with extinction. (Turtle soup is a Balinese delicacy and fishing nets often inadvertently catch and drown turtles. The World Conservation Union classifies the hawksbill as critically endangered.

Bogor Botanical Gardens, a peaceful respite

Kebun Raya Bogor or the Bogor Botanical Gardens are an excellent and reasonably well maintained botanic gardens in Bogor, an hour south of Jakarta housing more than 15,000 species of plants and trees, including the disgustingly smelly and large Amorphophallus titanum, Rafflesia arnoldii and Rafflesia padma. They cover an extensive 80 hectares or so and have a number of smaller gardens within. Established by the Dutch East India Company in 1744 but officially opened in 1817 as the National Botanical Gardens it is apparently located on a site that was once a samida (human made forest) built during the Sunda Kingdom at the turn of the 16th Century. 

Hong Kong Trams

One of the cheapest but most interesting ways to see the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong street life is from the top deck of one the double decker trams that slowly travel up and down Harcourt Road. They cost a mere $2.30 (you need exact change). They’ve been a form of transport in Hong Kong for over 100 years. They may not be the fastest or most convenient but, particularly if you have children, they are a perfect way to wile away an hour or so as you pass through Central, Causeway Bay, Wan Chai traffic.

If you go to Bandung, don’t bother visiting Rumah Sosis (House of Sausage)

In the tradition of broken down, tired Indonesian style tourist places that your Indonesian colleagues may suggest to you to visit; (you may recall the awful Kota Wisata Fantasy Island or Tourist City Fantasy Island that I blogged about earlier) I have another to add to that list, Rumah Sosis.

We were visiting Bandung and my dearly beloved suggested that we would visit Rumah Sosis on the Sunday before we drove home. “Apparently they have all sorts of sausage food items there.” She knows I am a big fan of sausages, but usually what we get here is not really top quality, more processed hot dogs.

Scenic waterfall in Kuningan, Central Java

Nearby Kuningan is a beautiful and rather scenic waterfall. The road is somewhat tricky to get to, perhaps 20-30 minutes via a local Angkot and then you will need to walk another 15 minutes through the park to get there, but it is worth it. Given that the water comes straight from the mountains, expect it to be very chilly!

Hang Gliding in Byron Bay

There’s a number of places in Byron Bay that offer to teach you hang gliding or allow you to experience the thrill of flying via a tandem flight. Expect to pay $100-$150 depending on how long and who with. Obviously the flight depends on the right winds. Though once up in the air the views of the beach and peninsula are tremendous.