Travel to Indonesia

With more than 17,500 islands, Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), and Papua (Indonesian New Guinea) account for about 90 percent of Indonesia’s land. Indonesia has more coral reefs than any country in the world. The islands rise from the deepest points of the oceans to the snowy heights of the Jayawijaya mountain range on Papua, which towers more than fifteen thousand feet above sea level.

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Sumatran Tiger

Most visitors to Indonesia hope to see the Sumatran tiger. However, this beautiful animal rarely shows itself. Unfortunately, human development has already pushed two other tiger species in Indonesia into extinction. The Javan tiger was declared extinct in 1994 and the Balinese tiger was last seen several decades before that. Fewer than five hundred Sumatran tigers are left in the wild, and the number is dropping steadily. If habitat destruction and poaching across Asia are not stopped, wild tigers have just a few years to survive. Tiger bones and body parts are sold on the black market for use in traditional Chinese medicines. This demand alone is putting tremendous pressure on these beautiful animals. Meanwhile, the forests where they live are being destroyed for timber, mining, and farming. Each animal needs up to twenty square miles to survive, and forests are a vanishing resource in many regions.

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Papua New Guinea Mask

Papua (Western New Guinea)

New Guinea is the second-largest island in the world, and it stretches from warm equatorial sands to icy glacial peaks. Indonesia shares the island with the country of Papua New Guinea, which controls the eastern half of the island. Papua (PAH-poo-AH) features abundant natural resources, including the second-largest tract of rainforest in the world.

About 75 percent of Papua is covered by forests, which contain more than 2,500 species of orchids and 600 species of birds. Papua is also rich in culture, with as many as eight hundred different languages spoken among the various tribes and ethnic groups. Papua also is famous for its various art forms and its unusual flora and fauna.

Tangled swamps and rugged mountains blocked access to most of the island until the 1950s, when Christian missionaries began hiking and flying into the interior. Michael Rockefeller lost his life in the area in 1961, while conducting research and collecting art. Crocodiles or headhunters likely took his life.

The island of New Guinea is like a lost world, where Stone Age tribes still live remotely and where unique forms of plant life thrive like nowhere else on earth. It has a very old civilization, with carbon dating suggesting human inhabitation for the last 25,000 years.

The population of Papua is estimated at approximately 1.8 million people. An estimated 800,000 migrants now live in the province. Most are landless Javanese who were encouraged to move to Papua under the government’s transmigration program. Under

this resettlement program, Papua is now the largest destination for migrants from other islands such as Java, Bali, and Sulawesi. The diversity of vegetation in Papua includes an estimated sixteen thousand species. It is considered to hold the richest concentration of plant life in the world. Many unique plants are of special interest such as the beautiful flame of Irian, a winding vine with large red flowers. Papua also has carnivorous pitcher plants.

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Borobudur Temple

In many ways, Java (JAH-vah) is the heart of Indonesia. It is the historical center of Buddhist and Hindu culture and home to the nation’s sprawling capital city, Jakarta. With more than 100 million people, Java (locals say JAH-wah) is the most populated island in the world. It is the thirteenth largest island on earth in terms of land size. About 60 percent of all Indonesians live on Java, while the island only holds about 7 percent of the country’s land area. Java stretches from Bali to Sumatra, and it is framed by the Indian Ocean on its southern coast and the Java Sea to its north. This highly populated island has thirty-eight volcanoes, many of which are still very active.

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Stone Statue

Almost 90 percent of Indonesia’s population practices Islam, with Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism making up the remaining 10 percent. Hinduism thrives on Bali, and Christianity has a significant presence on Flores, Timor, Sulawesi, and other islands.

Indonesia’s religious history created a trail of beautiful temples in its wake, most of which are found on the islands of Bali, Java, and Lombok. According to the Balinese, there are more than ten thousand temples on that island alone. Java’s Borobudur temple is the largest Buddhist monument in the world. It’s located near Yogykarta and dates back to the eighth century. Prambanan, the ancient Hindu monument, which predates Borobudur, is also found near Yogykarta. Central Java’s Dieng Plateau also features several other large Hindu temples.

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Komodo Dragon

There are only about three to five thousand Komodo dragons alive in the wild, and they are limited to a few volcanic islands in Indonesia. The island of Komodo is now a nature reserve where the dragon is protected. The dragon is a large and deadly monitor lizard with close ancestors that date back more than 100 million years. It is the largest living lizard in the world (averaging ten feet long and two hundred pounds), but not the largest reptile (alligators and crocodiles can grow larger). The local villagers call the Komodo dragon ora, which means “land crocodile.” The dragons are normally a sandy brown with dark markings against very coarse and dry scales. They have a long neck and a tail that is longer than their body. They have strong, sharp claws that are used in combat with other dragons and during feeding frenzies.

It is highly advisable to keep them at a safe distance and to always look for them when touring their domain. More than a dozen human deaths have been attributed to dragon bites over the last century. A Swiss tourist sat down to relax while the rest of his tour group went onward and was attacked and eaten by a dragon. All that was left was a piece of his camera.

The discovery of the Komodo dragon is one of the zoological surprises of the twentieth century. Large lizards were assumed extinct until 1912, when a party of pearl fishermen went to Komodo Island and brought back stories of an enormous, prehistoric creature. An expedition followed from the Buitenzorg Zoological Museum on Java. A report about the dragons was published but received little attention in the years leading up to World War

In 1926, an expedition from the American Museum of Natural History traveled to Komodo to investigate the dragons. The expedition confirmed the stories and they returned with some specimens that they killed on their adventure.

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Lombok Beach

Lombok (LOHM-bohk) is often compared to Bali. The neighboring islands have many similarities and many differences. They are only about twenty miles apart. Both islands have Hindu and Muslim influences, but in opposite proportions. Both islands have beautiful highlands and white sandy beaches, but Lombok is quieter and dryer than Bali for the most part. The administrative capital and largest city on the island is Mataram. Until 1987, few visitors made the trip to Lombok. Today, Lombok is growing in popularity, but it is still relatively quiet and undeveloped, although tourism is already the second-largest industry on Lombok. Mt. Rinjani, beautiful coastlines, coral reefs, and stunning waterfalls highlight the list of popular destinations on Lombok.

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Asian Elephants

The Asian elephant is the largest land mammal on earth. In Indonesia, it roams the wilds of Sumatra and Kalimantan. The largest populations are concentrated in Way Kambas National Park and the Air Sugihan Reserve in South Sumatra. An adult Asian elephant consumes about three hundred pounds of food per day. They love the succulent leaves of young bamboo, ginger, and wild bananas. They also love oil palm, coconut, and other cultivated crops. A herd of these hungry creatures can wipe out young plantations quickly, which pits the elephants against their human neighbors in battles for survival. When elephants are pressed for space, they can come out of the jungle fighting mad, destroying crops, homes, and even killing farmers and their families. Many elephants also have been killed in this ongoing turf battle. To help minimize and manage these conflicts, the forestry department started an elephant education center at Way Kambas National Park. The center has trained hundreds of elephants to listen to human commands. Then the trained elephants are returned to the wild herds. When the herds come too close to a village or a plantation, villagers can issue commands to the trained animal to take the entire herd away from human conflict. Hundreds of villagers also have learned how to manage the wild animals in this manner. The education center has spawned similar training centers on Sumatra. As a result, elephant populations in parts of Sumatra are stabilizing. The fate of the elephant in Indonesia rests with its ability to coexist with its human neighbors, and programs such as the elephant education center can promote coexistence.

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Volcano in Indonesia

Indonesia has more than 400 volcanoes, including 128 active ones. The tallest, Kerinci on Sumatra, Rinjani on Lombok, and Semeru on Java, for example, reach more than 10,500 feet above sea level. The country covers one of the most volcanic and seismically active regions in the world. The volcanic ash yields extremely productive crops, which lures people to risk their lives farming in the shadows of these dangerous mountains. Thousands of farmers and their families have lost their lives as a result. These mysterious mountains now lure hikers and mountaineering clubs, which have sprung up in Jakarta, Bandung, and other cities. Adventure travelers from other countries also find these volcanoes worth the trip. The most popular ones to climb are:

♦ The twin volcanoes of Gede and Pangrango in West Java

♦ Semeru and Kelud in East Java

♦ Merapi in Central Java

♦ Rinjani on Lombok

On rare occasions, expeditions are made to the snow-covered summit of the Jayawijaya Range in Papua. Although it was not formed by volcanic activity, it is the highest point in Indonesia and one incredible adventure at sixteen thousand feet. Indonesia’s most famous volcano is Krakatau (known in the Western world as Krakatoa) in the Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra. When it blew up in 1883, the explosion and its after-effects circled the world. This volcano and many others have killed more than 150,000 people in Indonesia over the last two hundred years.

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Incense

Indonesian is a fairly phonetic language. One way to learn Indonesian pronunciation is to listen to local people when they speak. After listening carefully, imitate their pronunciation as accurately as possible and practice speaking out loud. Most Indonesians are happy to help you learn.

Travelers also can learn a great deal by watching local news and programs on Indonesian television. Watching movies also can help you learn words because they often are in English with Indonesian subtitles. It makes for an interesting language lesson when you compare the words that your hear with the words that you can read.

Consonants

Most consonants are pronounced the same in Indonesian and English. The most distinct exceptions are:

c is pronounced like the “ch” in champion

Example: cinta (CHEEN-tah) love

g is always hard, as in girl

Example: gigi (GEE-gee) tooth/teeth

h is very soft like in the word hush

Example: habis (HAH-bees) finished

k and kh are always hard like the k in in keep

Example: khabar/kabar (KAH-bahr) news

r is always stressed and rolled, as in Italian and Spanish

Example: baru (BAHR-roo) new

y is one of the tricky letters in the Indonesian alphabet. Technically, it always is pronounced like the y in yellow. However, personal and regional interpretations sometimes pronounce it like a j. In some cases, such as Yogyakarta (JOHG-jah-KAHR-tah) Indonesians pronounce the y like a j. The proper and traditional pronunciation is YOHG-yah-KAHR-tah.

Vowels

Indonesian has five vowels and two diphthongs:

a is pronounced “ah” as in the word father

Example: babi (BAH-bee) pig

e is usually hard “eh” as in the name Ed

Example: empat (EHM-paht) four

However, when placed at the end of a word, the e usually sounds

like “ay” in today.

Example: sate (SAH-tay) sate

i is pronounced “ee” as in the word bee

Example: tiga (TEE-gah) three

o is pronounced “oh” as in show

Example: bodoh (BOH-doh) stupid

u is pronounced “oo” as in boot

Example: Juni (JOO-nee) June

au is sometimes pronounced with two syllables, like the final two syllables of the Hawaiian island Oahu.

Example: mau (MAH-oo) want

au can also be pronounced with only one syllable “ah,” which sounds more like the vowel in now.

Example: pulau (POO-low) island

ai is smooth and long like the y in the word apply

Example: pantai (PAHN-tye) beach

As mentioned earlier, there are several regional variations to pronunciation and spelling. In addition to regional variations, some words are spelled differently today than they were prior to 1972 (when Indonesia eliminated some of the Dutch influence from the language). For instance, Jakarta and many other words that start with the letter J were once spelled with Dj at the beginning. Therefore, be prepared to see some variations when reading words that are printed or posted.

Verbs and Verb Forms

The verb is the key element in Indonesian sentence structure. While verbs are not conjugated for people and numbers as they are in many languages, there are a number of verbal prefixes and suffixes that alter or reinforce the meaning. The most common

is the prefix me, which makes a verb active in the present tense. However, since most verbs are assumed present tense, this prefix usually is omitted. For instance:

I want to see Borobudur. Saya mau melihat Borobudur.

I want to see Borobudur. Saya mau lihat Borobudur.

As mentioned earlier, the prefix di makes a verb more passive. The passive form often implies an imperative or necessity. For instance:

This rice must be cooked. Nasi ini dimasak.

These shoes may be tried on. Sepatu ini boleh dicoba.

Essential Words and Phrases

Greetings

Hello. Halo. (HAH-loh)

How are you? Apa kabar? (AH-pah KAH-bahr)

(I’m) fine/good. Baik/bagus. (BYE-eek, BAH-goos)

Good morning. Selamat pagi. (SEH-lah-MAHT PAH-gee)

Good day. (Use this from 11 am until 3 pm) Selamat siang. (SEH-lah-MAHT SEE-ahng)

Good afternoon. (Use from 3 pm until dark.) Selamat sore. (SEH-lah-MAHT SOHR-reh)

Good evening. (after dark) Selamat malam. (SEH-lah-MAHT MAH-lahm)

Good night. (Use when going to bed.) Selamat tidur. (SEH-lah-MAHT TEE-door)

Good-bye/good trip. Selamat jalan. (SEH-lah-maht JAH-lahn)

Enjoy your meal. Selamat makan. (SEH-lah-MAHT MAH-kahn)

Enjoy your drink. Selamat minum. (SEH-lah-MAHT MEE-noom)

What is your name? Siapa nama anda? (SEE-ah-PAH NAH-mah AHN-dah)

My name is _____. Nama saya _____. (NAH-mah SYE-ah _____)

Where are you from? Dari mana? (DAHR-ree MAH-nah)

(I’m) from _____. Dari _____. (DAHR-ree _____)

Where (are you) going? Ke mana? (keh MAH-nah)

(I’m going) to _____. Ke _____. (keh _____)

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