Culture Immersion

Posted in: Destination, Rural Getaway by admin on March 22, 2010 | No Comments

• Fields Tour

  Agriculture is an important commodity in Indonesia. Use the farmer’s hat and rubber sandals, carry along your pickaxe and walk with the villagers to the fields. Cultivate and participate in planting the paddy rice and vegetables. If you are a Tea addict or Coffee addict, visiting the plantation to see the villagers’ activities in processing these beverages from its raw ingredients will definitely enhance your experience in enjoying tea and coffee. Share these with friends and amaze them with your newfound knowledge and insights!

  Have lunch with the locals who traditionally use only their hands to eat. Learn local traditions! Did you know it was impolite to eat or drink until invited to do so by the host and finishing a drink implies the desire for the glass to be refilled? Always sit to eat because it is considered inappropriate to eat while standing or walking on the street!

  Enjoy the local high tea where cassava and hot drink are served while you are overlooking the tropical landscape and sound of traditional music played with instruments constructed with bamboo. Explore the natural beauty from rice terrace, waterfall, forest and the wonderfully friendly people. Take a bath at nature hot spring water or clean water river to complete this amazing cultural experience.

• Village Trekking

  Life in a village is never alone! Explore traditional life of different ethnics of Indonesia, stay at local homes and involve with the activities of the family. Have you ever traveled around by local transportation and spent the journey squashed into a small seat, wedged between bound chickens and bags of rice, and surrounded by thick smoke from clove-scented cigarettes? Despite the hardship, this kind of journey even brings you closer to ordinary Indonesians. Talk about immersion!

  Come! Visit the local elementary school, experience the teaching and learning process and enjoy the chirping of the kids.

  Don’t miss visiting the traditional market and getting advice in selecting ingredients and obtaining secret recipes from local chef on how to prepare the local cuisine. There is something you must know, which is that Indonesia food recipes are rich of colorful spices and offer different taste from west. Learn how the villagers cook their authentic food in traditional kitchens and discover the flavors you will not find commonly served in hotels and restaurants. Bring the culinary experience back from Indonesia to your home kitchen with friends and families!

• Festivals and Tradition

  Indonesia is one of the most culturally developed countries in the whole of Asia. The lifestyle is expressed through dance and music during festivals and ceremonies. Visit this country and attend festivals and events that are held throughout the year. The colorful processions and cultural performances are worth indulging your senses into. You can join them to enjoy singing, dancing and organizing grand feasts.

  In the month of January, you can attend the Lomban Festival that is celebrated by the fishermen of the country. Join them as they thank the sea for their fishing catch during the year and understand the joy in having a simple life with the fishermen.

  In the month of February, Muslims throughout the country commemorates the Birth of Prophet Muhammad with a week-long festival with gamelan performances and a colorful float parades. Don’t miss it if you’re there in the month of February!

  In the month of March, Indonesia celebrates the Kasada Festival, when people pay tribute to their ancestors by offering flowers, chicken and fruits. As for Balinese of the Hindu religion, they celebrate Hari Raya Galungan (Holy Day) where they make offer to Ida Sang Hyang Widhi (Balinese word for God) for prosperity and blessing to the world and then bring the offerings to the temple in the morning. The festive is characterized by offerings, dances and new clothes. All day men go through the streets performing with musical instruments and a sacred barong monster. Hear from the locals themselves for the interesting myths and legends.

  In the month of April, Hindu religion throughout the country will celebrate the Nyepi (Day of Silence) also known as The Saka New Year is observed where a large number of cultural shows and grand processions are held on this month. To honor a pioneer for women’s rights in Indonesia on Kartini Day (21 April), most of Indonesia woman celebrates the life and achievements of Raden Ajeng Kartini (Lady Kartini) who set up a special girl’s school and went on to raise awareness about women’s rights and movement in Indonesia.

  In the month of May, Indonesian Buddhist commemorate the birth and death of Gautama Buddha (Vesak Day) at Borobudur; the largest Buddhist monument in the world. The ceremony centered at the three Buddhist temples by walking from Mendut to Pawon and ending at Borobudur.

  In the month of August, hundreds of thousands Tenggerese in East Java gather at the active crater of Mount Bromo to witness the Kesodo Ceremony and present offerings of rice, fruit, vegetables, flowers, livestock and other local products to the God of the Mountain. They ask for blessings and a year free of eruptions.

  Also come visit South of Sulawesi, where most of Toraja rice farmers that lives in the mountainous areas hold fascinating and elaborate funeral rites to send the spirit of the dead to the afterworld and to prevent misfortune on the deceased’s family. The ceremony is often held weeks or months after the death so that sufficient funds can be raised to cover the funeral expenses. During the waiting period, the corpse lives with the family in Tongkonan. Chanting and dance are performed to honor the deceased and to bid farewell.

• Culinary

  Most people always associate Indonesian cuisine with Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice), Gado Gado (Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce) or Sate (Skewered Grilled Meat with Peanut Sauce). So where do you go to discover the other lesser known cuisines that stretches more than 2800 miles from Sumatra to Papua as Indonesia is a food lover’s paradise? Well… Come with us!

  The staple food of most Indonesian is rice. On some of the islands in Eastern Indonesia, staple food traditionally ranged from cassava, corn, sago, and sweet potatoes. If you want a gastronomic tour with a difference, try adventurous and intriguing traveling through Indonesia’s regions and sampling the different local culinary specialties.

  The Sumatrans generally eat more beef compared to the other regions. For a truly unique flavor of Indonesia, a visit to Padang restaurant from West Sumatra is a must. You will see Padang restaurants everywhere in Indonesia from the biggest cities to the smallest towns. These Nasi Padang shops are characterized by plates of cooked dishes piled high in an elaborate pyramid formation in their window display. The waiter will bring a huge array of dishes to your table, spread them out in front of you, and leave them on the table until you have finished your meal. You will be expected to eat with your right hand and a bowl of water provided for cleaning your fingers. You only pay for what you eat but please expect to be charged if you only took a nibble at one of the dishes. Famous Padang dishes are Rendang (Beef Cooked in Spices and Coconut Milk), Ayam Pop (Chicken Breast served with Tomato Paste), Ayam Gulai (Yellow Curry Chicken), Telur Balado (Boiled Egg with Spicy Chili Paste) and Vegetables.

  Java is not the biggest island geographically but certainly one of the most culinary diverse where as many as 120 million of people live. The Javanese cuisines are more palatable to the general taste and consist of vegetables, beef, chicken and other varieties. You may try classic dishes such Bubur Ayam (Porridge with Chicken and Vegetables mixed together with a Chili Sauce), Soto (Chicken Soup with Vermicelli, Boiled Egg, Fried Potatoes and Fried Shallots cooked with Turmeric), Bandeng Presto Semarang (Pressure-cooked Milkfish), Gudeg Jogjakarta (Jackfruit Curry), and even the signature dish of Surabaya; Ayam Penyet (Smashed Fried Chicken).

  In Bali, Irian Jaya and North Sulawesi, pork dishes are specialties. As the population of Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, pork is usually not served except in Chinese restaurants, non-Muslim regions and in places serving international cuisine. A particular favorite famous pork dish in Bali is Babi Guling (Roast Suckling Pig) where Balinese roast a piglet rather than a fully grown pig.

  Continue the journey eastwards across the archipelago to the fabled spice islands of Maluku province. Until the 19th century, Maluku was the only places in the world where nutmeg, cloves and pepper grew. It was nutmeg, a spice worth more than gold in weight in medieval times, which first brought the Dutch to Indonesia to establish a monopoly on the trade. Where better place to try a dish made with nutmeg than in its original home?

  Indonesia being such a huge country consisting of 17,508 islands makes us impossible to write about all the different foods to be enjoyed. Wherever you go, your taste buds will not be disappointed. One thing for sure!