Sailing Smoothly with Richard Mille

The Caribbean Sea, Luxury Swiss brand Richard Mille supported the annual Les Voiles des Saint Barth sailing tournament – organized for the ninth time this year – in the Caribbean Sea in April. The brand also created a specially designed trophy for the tournament’s winners.

Participants took pride in taking part in the tournament, which comprised 53 crews in seven different classes, showing their solidarity with their fellow sailors despite logistical difficulties. They also did this in honor of the people who survived Hurricane Irma in August last year.

The designer of the eponymous brand said he had placed his trust in the participants’ endurance in taking on the Les Voiles de Saint Barth, which embodied the triumph of the human spirit. The event was launched in 2010.

“Now that the event has reached maturity, it has become a major event in the Caribbean. We want to maintain its world-class reputation to make it more attractive. Therefore, we are strengthening our participation in solidarity with the organizers. Helping to create a successful event is a source of a great shared pride, which builds true camaraderie,” Richard Mile said.

GENDENG VILLAGE Center of Wayang Kulit

FOR LOVERS AND COLLECTORS of wayang kulit (leather puppets), Gendeng village in Bangunjiwo yakarta, it is where tens of artisans ;prodsubdistrict, Kasihan district, Bantu regency, Yogyakarta, is well known.

Located some seven kilometers southwest of downtown Yogyakarta, it is where tens of artisans produce Yogyakarta style wayang kulit of high quality.

It is therefore not surprising to learn that the village is not just well known among wayang kulit lovers and collectors, but also among noted puppeteers such as Ki Timbul Hadiprayitno and Ki Hadi Sugito, said to have puppets made in Gendeng in their wayang kulit collections for show purposes.

“We prioritize quality. As for myself, It’s not just a matter of generating revenue but more importantly a desire to preserve leather puppets,” said local artisan Sagio, 67, the owner of a puppet handicraft workshop.

The history of Gendeng as a center of wayang kulit production started back in 1925 when a newcomer named Bundu came to the village and introduced puppetry, including how to make wayang kulit, to the local villagers.he later had a pupil named Walijo, also known as Atmo Sukarto, or more commonly, Pujo. It was Pujo who then introduced the puppet handicraft industry to the village in the 1930s.

Gendeng gained its golden years a puppet production center especially during the rule of Indonesia’s second president Soeharto, who was also known as a wayangkulit show lover.

“I was once sent to Japan to promote wayang kulit there,” said Sagio, adding that he spent a year there from 1969 to 1970 for the purpose.

Ever since, he said, he was frequently sent to other countries for the same reason. Sometimes he even visited a country more than once. Among the countries he visited were the Netherlands, France, England, Hungary, New Zealand, the Unites State, India, china, Thailand and Singapore.

Sagio himself said he started learning about puppet making when he was 11 years of age. He said he first learned from Pujo, then directly learned it from Bundu. When Bundu passed away. Sagio frequently went to the Yogyakarta Palace to have a closer look at the palace’s wayang kulit collection to learn about their fine and high quality.

This accounts for why Sagio is well known as an artisan specializing in fine and high quality wayang kulit in the Yogyakarta style, although he is also capable of making puppets in the Surakarta style.

Workshops

He said he initially also learned puppetry and was once a puppeteer but he finally decided to focus on puppet making because he realized that no formal institution for puppet making was available.

“There were schools for puppeteers, but none for puppet makers, that is even still the case now,” he said.

Gendeng’s glow as a center of wayang kulit production faded away following Soeharto’s fall in 1998, leaving only about 50 artisans in the village.

Wayang kulit handicraft showrooms and workshops are mostly centered in the area around the subdistrict hall, as the hall is also located in Gendeng. Among the well-known workshops ar those of Sukono, SAntoso, Sabarno and Suprih.

“Many of them were previously my apprentices and now they have their own workshops,” said Sagio.

He added that he previously took on apprentices to be trained as wayang kulit artisans in his workshop, but he has not done so since 1998. Nowadays he only receives groups of students or tourists to experience puppet making at his workshop. Some stay for up to a week, others just for three to four hours.

Other workshops in the village also do the same. Apart from selling puppet products at different prices depending on their quality level and size, they also offer puppet making experiences.

“There are always tourists coming to the village to enjoy the experience,” said Sagio, adding that some 75% of the tourists visiting Gendeng were foreigners.

He said an average of 20 foreign tourists visited his workshop every moth, giving him a monthly revenue of about IDR 20 million.

Products on offer in the workshops include puppets of the standard size for both collections and souvenirs, puppets of bigger and even huge sizes for decoration, puppets of smaller sizes for bookmarks or wedding souvenirs, and puppet key-rings.

In the village, tourists can also see the process of turning animal leather into parchments. For this they can go to Suyoto’s.

“I need at least three days to get this leather ready,” said Suyoto, 57, while currying a sheet of buffalo leather spread on a structure to be turned into parchment.

The process starts by submerging sun-dried buffalo leather overnight in a nearby river to soften it, then spreading it the following morning on a structure to dry and curry.

“The best leather for making puppets is buffalo,” said Suyoto, whose workshop is located some 100 meters to the east of Sagio’s.

To get to the village, visitors have to take a taxi or private vehicle, as no public transportation heading to Gendeng is available. However, it is just a stone’s throw from the renowned ceramic handicraft production center, Kasongan. Both Kasongan and Gendeng are under the same jurisdiction of Bangunjiwo district administration.

In fact, both are part of the subdistrict’s leading toruism and industrial package called KAJIGELEM, an abbreviation of Kasongan, Jipangan, Gendeng and Lemahdadi.

Jipangan is a bambbo handicraft production center while Lemahdadi is a stone statue production center. [Sources from the Jakarta Post, August 2018|words by: Sri Wahyuni]

LAKE TOBA Pearl of North Sumatra

THE EXPANSIVE BLUE that is Lake Toba, located in the midst of mountains, is an aweinspiring spectacle for all who visit it. They are mesmerized by the exotic view of the lake.

The lake has an area of 1,130 square kilometers and is not only the largest lake in Southeast Asia but also the world’s largest volcanic lake. The beautiful panorama makes the lake, which is located in seven regencies and towns, a favorite among local and international tourists. Zulkifli Fahmi, 42, a local visitor from Dairi, said he and his family visited Lake Toba almost every month. The teacher was full of praise for the lake’s beauty.

“It’s soothes the mind to see the beautiful lake; it gives me comfort,” Zulkifli told the Jakarta Post at Taman Simalem Resort, which offers views of the hills and mountains surrounding Lake Toba in Karo regency, on July 15.

Tourism Minister praised Lake Toba, saying it had a temperate climate, was highly popular and admirable. Arief said the government had designated Lake Toba as one of the tourist mainstays because of it strong allure.

“Lake Toba has a beautiful nature and an interesting history, especially on how it was formed as the result of a massive volcano eruption thousands of years ago that created this caldera. The nature itself is already a strong draw,” Arief said during a working visit to Medan.

Arief added that the culture of the Lake Toba area was also rich and had a strong character. Like culture-rich Bali, the Toba area has a deeply rooted Batak culture.

“That is another strength that Toba has. So, we want to empower this culture so that it becomes stronger and can lure more tourists to Lake Toba,” said Arief, stating that Lake Toba had tourist spots that had the potential to compete, with those in other regions.

The Tourism Ministry has released the Top10 list of tourist sites around Lake Toba. They are:

Tomok

Tomok is a traditional village acting as a gateway to Samosir Island. It is here that the large sarcophagus of king Sidabutar can be found. Tomok has long been a tourist village on Samosir. There are three interesting tourist attractions in TOmok village, the Sigale-Gale statue, the burial ground of former Batak kings and the Batak Museum.

Holbung Hill (Teletubies Hill)

Holbung Hill is in janji Marhatan village in Samosir regency. The hill is also known as Teletubies Hill. Many international tourists visit the hill to go trekking. The top of the hill can be reached in 10 to 15 minutes and offers an enthralling view of Lake Toba.

Situmurun Waterfall, Binangalom

Situmurun Waterfall is also known as Binangalom Waterfall because the watger flows from Binangalom village in lumban Julu district, toba Samosir regency.

The waterfall is special as the waterfalls directly into Lake Toba. The sensation of swimming against the current can be experienced at the waterfall.

Iman Sitinjo Tourist Park

Iman Sitinjo tourist park is located in the hills of Stinjo district, Dairi regency. The place combines the concepts of religious tourism and nature tourism. Aside from showcasing several spots of officially recognized places of worship, the place offers a beautiful panorama of the lake.

Beautiful Simarjarunjung Hill

As the name suggests, the hill, which is situated on Jl. Simarjunjung, a road crossing from Parapatto Merek, Karo regency, offers natural beauty. It offers a vantage point to view the lake.

Simarjarungjung Hill is managed in the same way as Kalibiru in Yogyagkarta, complete with tree house.

Paropo Beach.

Paropo is a village on the shores of Lake Toba. Besides being a popular camping area, the village, which is situated in Silahi Sabungan district, Dairi regency, is ideal for fishing.

Taman Labirin, Taman Simalem Resort

Taman Labirin is a mainstay of Taman Simalem Resort in karo district. The tourist destination offers a challenge to visitors to find their way out of a 500-square-meter labyrinth.

From here tourists can also visit the pearl of Lake Toba and enjoy the lake’s panorama from an elevation of 500 meters, a truly instagrammable spot.

Huta Ginjang

Huta Ginjang is located in Muara district, North Tapanuli. The place can be reached in 15 minutes from Silangit Airport, Huta Ginjang is situated on a highland. From here, visitor have a beautiful view of Lake Toba.

Most people visit Huta Ginjang Hill either in the morning to catch the sunrise or in the afternoon for sunset. The place also has a pine forest and is popular for paragliding.

Sipinsur Park

Sipinsur is an ideal location for relaxation. Visitors can feel their exhaustion and stress ebbing away when they spend time in the park. Sipinsur Park is situated in Paerung village, Humbang Hasundutan. Here, visitors can stroll amid pine trees and enjoy the invigorating breeze.

Lae Mbilulu Waterfall

Lae Mbilulu Waterfall, located in Pakpak Bharat regency, has an elevation of around 40 meters, its pool a depth of 5 meters and an area of 60 square meters. To the right and the left is enchanting greenery surrounding pristine water.

Of the 10 tourist destinations around Lake Toba, Taman Simalem Resort is the only one to have won a 2017 Indonesian Sustainable Tourism Award (ISTA) in the environmental preservation category from the Tourism Ministry.

Taman Simalem Resort general manager Eddy Tanoto said the national level award was the first one it received from the Tourism Ministry since the establishment was opened in 2008.

Eddy expressed pride in the achievement because the 200-ha agriculture and eco-themed resort was the only one in North Sumatra to have won second place in the environmental preservation category.

“We won the award thanks to the support from the community and the governments of Karo gegency and North Sumatra province,” Eddy stated.

A tourism player, Tandeanus Sukardi from Erni Tour, praised the development of tourism at Lake Toba over the last few years. Tandeanus likened Lake toba to a shining pearl. Tandeanus said many international tourists visited the lake and enthused about their experience.

“I often take groups of international tourists to Lake Toba, especially to Taman Smalem Resort,” said Tandeanus, adding many of the tourists hailed from Singapore, Malaysia and European countries. [Sources from the Jakarta Post, August 2018|words by: Apriadi Gunawa]