Karimun Jawa, Indonesia

Karimunjawa adalah kepulauan di Laut Jawa yang termasuk dalam Kabupaten Jepara, Jawa Tengah. Dengan luas daratan ±1.500 hektare dan perairan ±110.000 hektare, Karimunjawa kini dikembangkan menjadi pesona wisata Taman Laut yang mulai banyak digemari wisatawan lokal maupun mancanegara.

Berdasarkan legenda yang beredar di kepulauan, Pulau Karimunjawa ditemukan oleh Sunan Muria. Legenda itu berkisah tentang Sunan Muria yang prihatin atas kenakalan putranya, Amir Hasan. Dengan maksud mendidik, Sunan Muria kemudian memerintahkan putranya untuk pergi ke sebuah pulau yang nampak "kremun-kremun" (kabur) dari puncak Gunung Muria agar si anak dapat memperdalam dan mengembangkan ilmu agamanya. Karena tampak"kremun-kremun" maka dinamakanlah pulau tersebut Pulau Karimun.

Karimunjawa adalah rumah bagi terumbu karang, hutan bakau, hutan pantai, serta hampir 400 spesies fauna laut, di antaranya 242 jenis ikan hias. Beberapa fauna langka yang berhabitat disini adalah elang laut dada putih, penyu sisik, dan penyu hijau.

Tumbuhan yang menjadi ciri khas Taman Nasional Karimunjawa yaitu dewadaru (Crystocalyx macrophyla) yang terdapat pada hutan hujan dataran rendah.

Ombak di Karimunjawa tergolong rendah dan jinak, dibatasi oleh pantai yang kebanyakan adalah pantai pasir putih halus.

Transportasi paling umum digunakan untuk ke Karimunjawa adalah kapal dari Semarang dan Jepara. Dari Pelabuhan Tanjung Emas, Semarang, kapal Kartini I (kapal cepat) berangkat setiap Sabtu pukul 9 pagi ke Karimunjawa dan kembali dari Karimunjawa setiap Minggu siang, lama penyebrangan 2-3 jam.

Dari Pelabuhan Kartini,Jepara terdapat Kapal Muria yang berangkat setiap dua hari sekali,lama penyebrangan kapal ekonomi ini +/- 6 jam pelayaran. perlu diperhatikan untuk jadwal kapal dari pelabuhan Jepara biasanya berangkat hari selasa,kamis,sabtu jam 9 pagi dan dari karimunjawa menuju jepara rabu,jumat,minggu jam 8 pagi. jadwal ini bisa berubah sesuai dengan cuaca atau ombak di laut jawa. seandainya terjadi gelombang tinggi maka pihak perhubungan di pelabuhan tidak akan memberikan izin pelayaran, dan jadwal keberangkatan kapal akan berubah mengikuti perubahan cuaca. Pelabuhan jepara juga bisa membawa Mobil dan motor untuk diseberangkan ke Karinjawa.

Jalur udara dapat ditempuh dari Bandara Ahmad Yani, Semarang menuju Bandar Udara Dewa Daru di Pulau Kemujan dengan pesawat sewa jenis CASSA 212 yang disediakan oleh PT. Wisata Laut Nusa Permai (Kura-Kura Resort). Waktu tempuh kurang lebih 30 menit.

dan banyak Paket Wisata yang ditawarkan di Karimun Jawa

The Fullerton Hotel Singapore

Built in 1928, the historic neo-classical Fullerton Building was transformed into a 400-room luxury hotel in 2001. It is dynamically located in the heart of the financial and arts districts, along the scenic Singapore River. The hotel successfully blends rich heritage with contemporary style to offer an unsurpassed world-class accommodation experience for business and leisure travellers. It is a 25-minutes drive from Singapore Changi Airport and a short walk to the Raffles Place Mass Rapid Transit station. In the immediate vicinity are Boat Quay, the Asian Civilizations Museum, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, The Fullerton Waterboat House, One Fullerton, Merlion Park, and Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay.

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PAN PACIFIC SINGAPORE

With 778 well-appointed rooms and suites and over 20 meeting and banquet venues, Pan Pacific Singapore presents the choice accommodation option for a business or leisure travellers, merely 20 minutes away from Changi International Airport.

Immerse in 37 floors of luxury presenting beautiful views of the bustling financial district and Marina Bay while the hotel's central location amongst three shopping malls, including Suntec Singapore International Conventions and Exhibitions Centre, offers over 1,000 shops and restaurants to be explored.

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Tourist attractions in Jakarta

• Ancol Dream Park (Taman Impian Jaya Ancol): consists of Dunia Fantasi (Fantasy world), Seaworld (for the largest aquarium in South East Asia), Gelanggang Samudra (Ocean Park), resorts, hotel, beach, marina, and great restaurants. It's one of the biggest park in Asia. Entrance ticket, weekdays : Rp. 133.000,-, weekend: Rp. 163.000,-

• Taman Mini Indonesia Indah: Just Like Its name which mean Beautiful Indonesia in Little Park we can see the whole Indonesian Culture from here. It offers an exciting tour of 30 provinces of Indonesia with samplings of the country's more than 250 cultures. Highlight features are the Museum Indonesia and the Keong Emas IMAX theater.

• Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta Arts Theater): This neo-renaissance structure was meticulously restored, and now one of the proud landmarks among the many Jakarta buildings which have been conserved. Some of the city best performance by both local and visiting artists are often held here.

• Museum Nasional: The museum houses vast collections of prehistoric, ethnographic and archaeological artifacts, including one of the world's largest collections of Southeast Asian ceramics and Hindu Javanese art. The museum was opened in 1868. Entrance ticket : Rp. 750,-

• Pasar Baru: Although the name means New Market, it doesn't mean the place is new at all. Dating back to the Dutch colonial era, it has been one of the main hub for commodities trading. And nowadays, it has been nothing short of a mixture of stores packed up in a very limited space. You can bet to find unbranded items with good quality and good price here.

• Monas (National Monument): Jakarta's best known landmark, the 137 meter monument is located in the center of Merdeka (Freedom) square. From the observation deck, you can view the city. At the basement there are dioramas that portray the dramatic story of Indonesia history. Entrance ticket : Rp. 2500,-, ticket to the top of monas : Rp. 7500,-

• Presidential Palace. Located north of the National Monument, the official residence and office of the Indonesian president is open to the public on weekends for free, preferbly make reservation first and use formal clothes, no sandals.

• Textile Museum: The museum houses a large collections of textiles related to the religious and social practices of the major islands of the archipelago, including batik, ikat and kain ulos.

• Gedung Proklamasi(Proclamation Building): The historical site of Indonesian independence, where on August 17th, 1945 Soekarno-Hatta (Indonesian first president and vice-president) declared the nation's independence.

• Lubang Buaya: Another historical site, despite a darker one in Indonesian history. It marks the site where a failed coup d' etat by Partai Komunis Indonesia (Indonesian Communist Party) met its end, alongside the bodies of several high-ranking generals who were tortured to death for not cooperating the revolutionaries.

• Museum Sasmita Loka

• Museum Wayang (Puppet Museum): This museum is dedicated to puppetry, one of Indonesia's most famous traditional art forms. On display are the wayang kulit shadow puppets, three-dimensional wooden puppets and special dance masks. Wayang performances are presented on Sunday at 10 am.

• Jalan Surabaya (Surabaya Street): For a unique shopping experience, visit this lively open-air antique market on the fringes of the Menteng residential neighborhood. A good place to bargain for exotic treaures.

• Sunda Kelapa Port / Old Harbour: The old port area of Sunda Kelapa remains today as a bustling hub for inter islands trade. Graceful Bugis phinisi schooners, the world's last wind-powered sailing fleet used for trade, still berthed at the quay as they have for century.

• Ragunan Zoo: Located to the south Jakarta near Pasar Minggu, this 185-hectare city zoo contains a comprehensive collection of some 3600 species of wildlife from throughout Indonesua. Look for the rare Komodo dragon. The animals live in natural habitats. Pusat Primata Schmutzer consists of gorillas and other various primate fauna.

• Istiqlal Mosque: the biggest mosque in Southeast Asia and Cathedral Church located right in front of it)

• Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands): Located north of Jakarta in the Java Sea, these stunning Kepulauan Seribu, easily accessible by speed boat from Ancol marina. This spray of some 300 hundred sandy, picturesque islets offers invigorating respitee for those wishing to escape from the bustling city.

• Museum Adam Malik: A small museum dedicated to Mr Adam Malik, one of the renowned figure, who represented Indonesia in the United Nations, among many of his other feats as Indonesian foreign minister then.

• Museum ABRI (Military Museum)

• Jembatan Kota Intan (Kota Intan drawbridge): The bridge was developed coincide with the development of Batavia by Jan Pieterzoon Coen in 1628, and the only one of the rests of many suspension bridge ever decorating Batavia city.

• Bird Market: Located at Jalan Barito in South Jakarta and Jalan Pramuka in Central Jakarta, here you can find various colourful tropical birds on sale.

• Fish Market and Museum Bahari (Maritime Museum): Located at the mouth of the Ciliwung river, this market area bustles with activities related to the sea. The Museum Bahari situated at the harbor, is housed in restored Dutch warehouses dating back to the first trading post of the Dutch East Indies.

• Bird Island (in Thousand Islands)

• Atmosfear Dry Slider Located in FX Lifestyle Center Mall Sudirman, one of the world's longest slider and fastest

• Museum Bank Mandiri : Located in the Old Town area opposite the Northern Terminus of Corridor 1 of the Busway and Kota Station,see the history of banking in the Dutch colonial era. Sections include the history of how the Dutch segregated the services offered to bankers by race, the history of the creation of Bank Mandiri and it's memorabilia , Colonial Era Bank Governors and Rupiah bank notes through time.

wikitravel.org/en/Jakarta

About Jakarta

History

The port of Sunda Kelapa dates to the 12th century, when it served the Sundanese kingdom of Pajajaran near present-day Bogor. The first Europeans to arrive were the Portuguese, who were given the permission by the Hindu Kingdom of Pakuan Pajajaran to erect a godown in 1522. Control was still firmly in local hands, and in 1527 the city was conquered by Prince Fatahillah, a Muslim prince from Cirebon, who changed the name to Jayakarta.

By the end of the 16th century, however, the Dutch (led by Jan Pieterszoon Coen) had pretty much taken over the port city, and the razing of a competing English fort in 1619 secured their hold on the island. Under the name Batavia, the new Dutch town became the capital of the Dutch East Indies and was known as the Queen of the East.

However, the Dutch made the mistake of attempting to replicate Holland by digging canals throughout the malarial swamps in the area, resulting in shockingly high death rates and earning the town the epithet White Man's Graveyard. In the early 1800's most canals were filled in, the town was shifted 4 kilometers inland and the Pearl of the Orient flourished once again.

In 1740, there was a rebellion by Chinese slaves against Dutch. The rebellion was put down harshly with the massacre of thousands of Chinese slaves. The remaining Chinese slaves were exiled to Sri Lanka.

In 1795, the Netherlands were invaded and occupied by France, and on March 17, 1798, the Batavian Republic, a satellite state of France, took over both VOC debts and assets. But on August 26, 1811, a British expedition led by Lord Minto defeated the French/Dutch troops in Jakarta, leading to a brief occupation of Indonesia by the British (led by Sir Stamford Raffles of Singapore fame) in 1811-1816. In 1815, after the Congress of Vienna, Indonesia was officially handed over from the British to the Dutch government.

The name Jakarta was adopted as a short form of Jayakarta when the city was conquered by the Japanese in 1942. After the war, the Indonesian war of independence followed, with the capital briefly shifted to Yogyakarta after the Dutch attacked. The war lasted until 1949, when the Dutch accepted Indonesian independence and handed back the town, which became Indonesia's capital again.

Since independence Jakarta's population has skyrocketed, thanks to migrants coming to the city in search of wealth. The entire Jabotabek(Jakarta-Bogor-Tangerang-Bekasi) metropolitan region is estimated to have 16-18 million people, a figure projected to double to 30 million by 2016. The official name of the city is Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta Raya (DKI Jakarta), meaning "Special Capital City Region".