Seven thrilling adventures around Jakarta, Indonesia

From the people to its culture, Cambodia and Indonesia share lots of similarities that make tourists from both countries feel at home in each others’ land.

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Phnom Penh and the DKI provincial government, on November 13-18, invited Cambodian journalists and vloggers to embark on a tour that explores the massive capital of Jakarta, Indonesia, and discover the rich culture that it has to offer.

Here are the capital’s seven adventure spots that are worth adding to your bucket list:

Pulau Ayer Resort

Only a 30-minute boat ride from Marina Bay Ancol ferry port, Pulau Ayer Resort and Cottages offers a relaxing weekend getaway on one of the capital’s renowned Thousand Islands.

Aside from its diverse collection of flora, the tropical paradise, also known as the “Pearl of the Thousand Island,” boasts the island’s significant history before it was officially opened for tourism in the 1950s.

In one of its sea view bungalows, a picture of Indonesia’s first president Sukarno, when he invited former Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito and former UN secretary-general U Thant to stay at Pulau Ayer during the times of liberation of West Papua, still hangs on the wall.

This explains why most of the island’s architecture is inspired by Papuan culture.

Besides food and accommodation, the island offers a variety of leisure activities and water sports such as sailing and boat cycling.

A big playground is also available for family tourists, as well as a children’s pool to allow the kids to swim at their hearts’ content.

A package for a standard two persons starts at 968,000 rupiah ($67 or 279 riel) to 1,815,000 rupiah, excluding the individual boat transportation at 170,000 rupiah.

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Sea World Ancol and Dunia Fantasi

Returning to Marina Bay Ancol, tourists can experience the joys of spending time with sea creatures at the Sea World Ancol and thrill at riding Dunia Fantasi’s roller coaster and interactive rides.

As an edutainment aquarium, Sea World Ancol showcases a variety of sea creatures from giant jellyfish, to whales and sharks. With just a ticket worth 135,000 rupiah to 180,000 rupiah, visitors can enjoy the sight of 138 species of fish, invertebrates, and reptiles in the contemporary aquarium.

The aquarium also offers a piranha feeding show, which is a sure-fire way to bring in the crowd.
To encourage sustainable tourism, the aquarium also asks visitors to leave their plastic bottles outside before entering.

After an hour or two of touring the aquarium, visitors can explore one of the oldest amusement parks in the capital, Dunia Fantasi (also known as Dufan).

The amusement park has both indoor and outdoor rides offering the thrilling Halilintar, Tornado, and Kora-Kora rides.

Tickets at Dufan are sold at 145,000-195,000 rupiah.

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Myanmar (Burma) rebrands itself to woo more tourists

DESPITE the current decline in tourists coming from Europe and the Americas due to international media coverage of conflicts in Rakhine state, Myanmar remains confident it can attract foreign visitors in the months to come, according to officials and industry leaders.

The nation will promote its natural attractions and traditions to raise tourists’ interest, May Myat Mon Win, chairwoman of Myanmar Tourism Marketing (MTM), said in an exclusive interview with The Nation. 

“We have a lot of unexplored attractions across the country. This does not mean that we are not yet ready [for a tourism boom]. With authenticity and commitment, everything is possible,” she said.

According to her, it is now time to take another step in the “Myanmar, be enchanted” rebranding campaign launched in late 2018. From this year onwards, Myanmar will mainly focus on tourism marketing by participating in international travel shows, maintaining its current attractions and creating new destinations.

As part of MTM’s efforts to promote Myanmar’s tourism, it will have a booth at the ITB Berlin, the world’s largest tourism trade fair to be held in Germany next month. 

The presence at such an international event would pave a way for promoting Myanmar’s tourism on the international stage, said the executive.“We are now trying to improve our image. In the meanwhile, we are also targeting new markets. 

So, we need to raise visitors’ awareness about Myanmar. 

In this respect, promotion matters,” she said.Myanmar has adopted a “Look East” policy to attract visitors from Asia and develop its tourism sector. Yet, May Myat Mon Win insists Myanmar remains optimistic about increasing tourism visitors from the West.

“Definitely we look to the East but will also maintain the West on our radar. We are willing to grow simultaneously but need to be realistic in some cases,” she said.

Last year, Myanmar received far fewer Western visitors than in 2017. The number of European tourists dropped by 25 per cent, those from the Middle East were down 26 per cent, and Australians also declined by 19 per cent. American tourists were down 13 per cent, according to the statistics. 

Yet, Myanmar enjoyed 37 per cent growth in Chinese tourists’ arrivals and 9 per cent growth from Thailand, as well as a rise in Indian visits last year compared to 2017.“This year, we hope to receive more tourists from both Asia and the West. 

At this point, the most important thing is to ensure more people know about Myanmar and we are striving for that,” she said.She stressed the importance of key destinations – Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, and Inle Lake, which she described as the “big four”. 

Additionally, the organisation focuses on helping build awareness of new destinations such as Hpaan, Loikaw, Chin State, Myeik Archipelago and Mogok, to name a few.“Another move is to expand direct air links to our attractions. 

We are also trying for that, and hope to see more direct flights to major destinations in the months to come,” she said.In late January, China’s Hainan Airlines launched a direct flight between Yangon and Chongqing in China, which is now running four times weekly. 

Earlier last month, Sichuan Airlines launched direct flights from Chongqing to Mandalay. 

Cambodia and Myanmar last week discussed the possibility of establishing a direct flight between the ancient cities of Bagan and Siem Reap.

May Myat Mon Win repeatedly stressed the need for a national tourism marketing strategy that aligns with international standards.“It should be properly designed for practical approaches to raise the bar. It needs to be realistic and practical,” she said.

Thet Lwin Toh, chairman of Union of Myanmar Travel Association (UMTA), echoed her view. He also stressed the importance of ensuring sustainability in key destinations.

“We need to strike a balance between demand and capacity. 

This means we need to ensure all our destinations are not squeezed by over-capacity in the market,” he said.

He suggested investing in infrastructure and capacity building to unlock Myanmar’s tourism potential.

“We need to ensure our readiness before we open the doors. We should have effective strategies to lure luxury tourists in place, and this is another important area we are focused on,” he said.

He lauded the government’s reforms, including approval of visa-free travel for Japanese and Korean tourists, and issuing visa-on-arrival for Chinese visitors. 

UMTA has urged the tourism ministry to also allow visa-free travels for visitors from some European countries.

“The ministry is now taking it into serious consideration. Later this year, they may allow some Western countries to visit Myanmar without the need to apply for a visa,” he said.

He warned of “zero-dollar tours” by Chinese tour companies.  In order to ensure sustainability of locals engaged in Myanmar’s tourism industry, the government needs to set proper mechanisms to ensure that locals benefit from every single tour.

He considers a surge in Chinese tourists as a plus for tourism development in Myanmar. And he foresees a substantial increase in Korean tourists in the coming months.

Aung Aye Han, deputy director-general at the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, agrees. “Following the visa waiver, Japan and Korea are among the most promising countries driving our tourism revenue. 

We are now reviewing our next steps. You are sure to see another visa waiver for more countries in Asia and the West in the first half of 2019,” he said.

The official said decentralisation of tourism permits to state and regional governments would drive more investments in the industry. 

He also highlighted the importance of traditional festivals and Inle Lake in attracting tourists.

“We aim to tap some traditional festivals to attract foreign visitors, particularly in the low season,” he said. “Another important move is the conservation of the Inle Lake eco-system. We take the lake’s sustainability seriously, and participate in conservation work in cooperation with environmental experts and international organisations.”

Source The Nation 

#Vietnam - Five holiday destinations within reach from Saigon Places

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 Suoi Mo Park, Dong Nai

About 100 km from downtown HCMC, this park is located in Tra Co Commune, Tan Phu District, Dong Nai Province. A good choice for a day trip, it has a natural lake created by the convergence of streams flowing from surrounding hills that cascade over a rocky area. 

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 You can swim, camp, enjoy a BBQ party and so on at Suoi Mo Park. Admission costs VND120,000 ($5) for adults and VND70,000 ($3) for children under 1.3 meters. Visitors are not allowed to bring in their own food, but the park has restaurants with affordable prices.

For this National Day (September 2) holiday, the park is serving a lunch buffet of 60 dishes for VND199,000 ($8.5) per adults and VND109,000 per children ($4.7). The buffet will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on September 1 and 2. 

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#Cambodia - Former ‘killing caves’ become a sobering tourist destination

Phnom Sampov consists of many mountain caves attracting tourists from around the world. But their natural beauty today contrasts with their grim history as Khmer Rouge-era “killing caves”.

Among them is Pka Sla cave, Chest Pounding cave and the Bat cave, where thousands were killed under the Pol Pot regime, with the bones of victims today kept in a glass stupa for display. 

Guide Soung Sitha accompanies visitors to the historic caves, starting with Laang Teng Kloun (Beautified Room Cave) where he points to a case displaying the clothes of victims: “Here we keep victims’ remains, especially clothes worn by people under the Pol Pot regime. They were well-educated people.” 

Leaving Laang Teng Kloun and visiting nearby Laang Lkoun, visitors are greeted by a large golden Buddha reclining next to a stupa full of bones, while a picture depicting victims being thrown from a cliff down into the dark abyss below, as occurred in the cave during the Khmer Rouge era, sits on the wall. 

Grade 5 student Sok Sonita serves as an amateur local guide for children. She takes time from her studies to tell tourists about the history of the caves.

“I can speak a little English and can tell foreigners about the killing and bludgeoning. This was the place they [Pol Pot’s comrades] hit people from above and let them fall. They were well-educated people. I earn irregular money as some days I get a very small amount or nothing, and some days I earn $10,” she said. 

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Phnom Sampov, 12km west of Battambang, is also the locale for a Homeric Khmer legend in which the machinations of a sentient crocodile were foiled by the stroke of a maiden’s hair.

Mok Sinnara, Battambang provincial tourism department’s former director, told The Post: “The legend goes that Sampov mountain was formed when prince Reach Kol’s sailing junk, carrying dowry in order to marry princess Romsay Sok, was immersed by her crocodile named Athun and became Sailing mountain. 

“The dowry was littered around and became Chicken Cage mountain, Duck Cage mountain and the location where princess Romsay Sok stroked her hair became Romsay Sok mountain. Moreover, when the water went down, Athun’s body became Crocodile mountain. 

“Here at Sampov mountain, where the Romsay Sok temple sits, there are many caves. We think that the Beautified Room Cave is where Romsay Sok dressed up and waited for the prince Reach Kol.”

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But today, it is survivors of the Khmer Rouge era that visit the caves to pay their respects.

“A few months ago, survivors visited the homeland and conducted a Buddhism ceremony to offer deeds for dead people. They cried remembering the things that happened to them,” said Sitha, who is among four guides who work at Sampov mountain. 

Sitha estimates that some 10,000 victims were killed around the mountain, with trucks full of bones transported to museum.

The caves are located at the peak of Phnom Sampov, in Phnom Sampov commune, Banan district along National Road 57. The entire complex is comprised of 12 caves that can be explored.

Source - PhnomPenhPost

#Myanmar, (Burma) registers more tourist arrivals

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Tourists coming to Myanmar during the first months of this year have increased by 22 percent over the same period of last year, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

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 “We got more than 600,000 international visitors at the end of February, the number of which was greater than the same period in 2016,” U Myint Htwe, director from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism told The Myanmar Times.

However, the overall tourist arrivals last year were only 2.9 million, a decline of 38pc in comparison to the 4.68 million visitors in 2015, according to a new system of collecting data by the ministry, which did not include day trippers with border passes.

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“The previous system counted visitors coming through international border checkpoints. But this year’s figures were systematically categorized into tourists, business travelers, day trippers,” according to U Ohn Maung, Union Minister for Hotels and Tourism, who made this comment at the recently held ASEAN Tourism Forum in Singapore.  

“However, the overall tourism outlooks are very good, despite the 38pc decline due to a different way of counting foreign visitors,” Ma Hnin Hlwar Kyaw Win, sales manager from Myanmar Tourism Services Company told The Myanmar Times. She said that few visitors to Myanmar are coming from Russia and Japan but tourists from other countries have increased.

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Source - mmtimes

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#Indonesia - Gunung Padang to have tourist train next year

More and more tourists are visiting Gunung Padang megalithic site in Cianjur regency, West Java.

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 A train service to Gunung Padang megalithic site in Cianjur regency, West Java, is set to be provided by the local administration following the increasing number of tourists visiting the destination.

"We will increase the number of tourists to Gunung Padang by providing [a tourist] train that stops by at Lampegan station. From there, visitors can hop on vehicles that will take them to the site," said Cianjur Deputy Regent Herman Suherman on Sunday as quoted by tempo.co, adding that the service would be an affordable one and was slated for launch next year. 

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Tourists are currently using the Siliwangi train service that travels from Cianjur to Sukabumi to visit Gunung Padang. To reach the destination from Lampegan station, they reportedly have to pay for an ojek (motorcycle taxi) that could cost up to Rp 100,000 (US$7.5), since public transportation is not yet available. 

Some supporting facilities are presently being developed by the government at the location, including a rest area in Lampegan and an alternative road to Gunung Padang. 

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Source - TheJakartaPost

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Myanmar - Mrauk-U still struggling to woo tourists

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Mrauk-U, a town surrounded by hills in northern Rakhine State, is known as the ‘Stone City’. It was given the name because its 14th-century pagodas are made of stone.

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Mrauk-U is home to 1552 ancient stone pagodas – historic structures that are still standing strong today, owing to the wisdom of the old Rakhine kings who ordered them to be built from stone that can withstand the weather on top of the hills.

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“These pagodas are over 800 years old, but younger than those in Bagan in the Mandalay Region that were built in the 11th century,” local hotelier U Hla Myint from the Mrauk-U Princess Hotel said.

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Although Mrauk-U’s pagodas are similar to Bagan’s pagodas in being located close to residential areas, giving the location huge tourism potential, Mrauk-U has not attained international stardom like Bagan.

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Mrauk-U’s tourist arrival numbers are still much lower. While Bagan recorded 280,000 tourists in 2016, Mrauk-U only managed to hit 4000 the whole of last year.

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Hoteliers said the reason for the poor numbers was the instability affecting Rakhine, even in areas far from Mrauk-U, since 2012.

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Since the crisis that brought political instability, the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism imposed an order prohibiting hotels from accepting guests without official permission.

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Foreign ministries abroad also notified their citizens of the danger in Rakhine and discouraged them from visiting the state.

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Tourism in Mrauk-U has not been able to recover since then, even though the town is more developed, better connected, and even has an airport in the pipeline.

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Rakhine Hoteliers Association member Daw Ohnmar Khin said travellers needed to be informed that Mrauk-U was safe.

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 She said there should be more familiarisation trips organised with the collaboration of hotels and tour companies.
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“For Mrauk-U’s tourism growth, we need political stability. But we also need to get the right information out to let people know that Mrauk-U is a safe place to visit.
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“Not everyone knows about us so we need better promotion. We need to help travel agents bring visitors here,” she said.
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Mrauk-U has several prominent heritage sites such as the palace, Shit-thaung (80,000 Buddha images) Pagoda, Htukkanthein Pagoda, Koe-thaung (90,000 Buddha images) Pagoda and Laungbanpyauk Pagoda.
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In the Chin ethnic villages in Mrauk-U, visitors can meet women who have kept the tradition of having tattoos on their faces. For beautiful sceneries, tourists can visit the Laymro River that has water so clear the stones on the river bed can be seen.
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In 1996, local authorities first applied to UNESCO to get Mrauk-U’s archaeological zone recognised as a world heritage site, but were unsuccessful.
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The Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library of Mrauk-U is now trying again, with a team of experts conducting surveying work such as 3D mapping of the ancient architectural and cultural site, to draft a new application.
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There had been some conservation challenges when work was carried out to restore some of the ancient pagodas in Mrauk-U.
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One example was the the loss of the Shit-thaung Pagoda’s heritage value when conservation was not properly done.
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There were also concerns by nearby locals that they would be forced to move if the sites became UNESCO world heritage sites, Mrauk-U guide association chair U Kyaw Hla Maung said.
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“The people are worried about possible relocation. The authorities should talk to them and hear their views and suggestions before proceeding.
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“Do it like what State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi suggested for Bagan. Then they can also educate the people and help them understand why the UNESCO listing is a good thing,” he said.
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U Hla Myint said tourism would bring prosperity to the locals, who could sell crafts and find jobs in tourism-related businesses.
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Source - The Myanmar Times
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Tham Morakot, Trang

Tham Morakot one of the fantastic attractions of the Unseen in Thailand

is located at the west of Ko Muk. The exciting journey to Morakot Cave besides

seeing the marvelous nature creation is the way to reach the cave by swimming

one by one into the entrance of the cave.

This can allow only a small boat to pass through during low tide along

the channel of 80 metres long. After passing the entrance to the other side,

one will stand at the large hall roofed by the sky looking like standing

inside the very large funnel. The sand beach will be seen in the middle to the hall

surrounded by high cliffs. Some species of plant are found either on the beach

The sunlight during midday will be straight through the mouth of the funnel.

The reflection of the sea creates the emerald color

as the name “Morakot Cave” which means ”Emerald Cave”.

Tham Morakot is visited by swimming or by small inflatable boats.

Starting from a ship, the swimmer has to enter the cave

until he reaches a water filled chamber,

which is lit by sunlight through a hole in the ceiling.

The entrance passage is rather small and low,

and it is passable only during low tide.

The name of the cave means Emerald Cave.

It describes the emerald colour produced by sunlight filtered through sea water.

Inside the cave is a secluded beach of white sand.

To get to Ko Muk and Morakot Cave, boat service leaves Kuan Tung Ku Pier

at 08.00 hr everyday charging 40 baht per person.

One trip by the rented boat will charge 400 baht and takes 30 minutes to Ko Muk.

Upon arrival at Sapanyao Pier in front of the island,

one have to rent a long-tailed boat to Morakot Cave rested

at the other side of the island (100 baht each).

Another way is to rent the boat from Pak Meng Pier

straight to Morakot Cave at Ko Muk.

The rate is 1,800 baht/day taking about 40 minutes.

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Kai Island, #Phuket, Thailand.

Kai Island, #Phuket, Thailand.

 For the Best #Hotels & Resorts

We help you with your bookings

http://thailand-besthotels.com/

http://phuket-besthotels.com/

http://hotels-patong.com/

 http://thailandrentcar.com/

 

 

 

 

 

Nai Thon beach, #Phuket #Thailand

Nai thon Beach is one of these little known beaches on the west coast of Phuket,

far from the crowded areas such as Patong Beach or Kata Beach.

People coming here are searching for a peaceful place

with just enough facilities and hotels not to feel too remote.

Phuket being such a small island you always can rent a car

and drive to Patong for a fun night out or further south for a discovery day.

The beach is an amazing long and wide strip well shaded by tall trees

and divided in two by a small rock formation.

Walk beyond these rocks to reach a more private area of Nai thon.

The sand is smooth and swimming is great during high season. Loungers, umbrellas

and drinks are available as well as several small restaurants.

Some of them start to look trendy, a sign of increasing popularity

and already new hotels are building nearby such as Pullman.

No Jetskies  or parasailing in sight yet, only few long tails boats bobbing here

and there and beach vendors are still discreet.

parking your car is easy in the shade of trees anywhere along the beach.

Across the road are few more bars, restaurants, a mini mart and even a tailor and a dive shop.

This is definitely a high season kind of beach, it looks

and feels quite abandoned during low season

and swimming is not recommended (July to November)

The easiest way to reach there is to drive to the airport

and turn left at the T intersection just before reaching it,

then drive few kilometers and turn right at the signs pointing to ‘Andaman White Beach Resort’

and Trisara Phuket Resort. The closest beach, not to miss,

is the secret Banana Beach, just 3 kilometers away.