After we were refused entry to the Yadnya Kasada Festival, we searched for alternative activities, since we could not enter the festival boundaries. The local guide asked permission for us to attend the Reception Night, where East Java governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, the first woman governor in Java, would be attending. She was being inaugurated […]
Indonesia 15 – Java 5 – Bromo Festival
We showed some photos and a time-lapse of Mount Bromo and Mount Semeru a few days ago. The view was so spectacular that we figured it was worth repeating… ☺ The smoke fuming above is from Mount Semeru, which last erupted on December 4, 2021, and is the tallest mountain in Java. The Kasada Cultural […]
Indonesia 14 – Java 4 – Yogyakarta Market & Region
Terraced rice fields and paddies around Yogyakarta in rural parts of Java. East Java is the biggest rice producing province within Indonesia. Indonesia is ranked third among the biggest rice producers in the world, and is also among the largest rice consumers in the world. Indonesia continues to experiment to increase yields, including increasing the […]
Indonesia 13 – Java 3 – Harvesting
The rural areas surrounding Malang, Java are quite picturesque, so we had an opportunity to work on photographing landscapes. One stop was to the Wonosari Tea Plantation, located on the slopes of Mount Arjuna in East Java. It is the oldest tea plantation in East Java and the government operates this as an Agro-Tourism site, […]
Indonesia 12 – Java 2 – Sunrises
As a photographer, waking up at three in the morning to capture photos of beautiful landscapes is a given. When you add the blue hour, you add up to another 30 minutes. The Indonesian island of Java is almost entirely of volcanic origin and has 45 volcanoes which are considered active. Indonesia has the most […]
Indonesia 17 – Java 1 – Malang Village of Color
We next flew to Java, for a week to explore that portion of Indonesia. Our first stop in Java was Malang, located in the highlands of East Java with a population of 844,000 people. It was formerly a Dutch colony prized for its mild weather, and thus much of the architecture has Dutch influence. At […]
Indonesia 16 – Bali 8 – Balinese Dance
There are at least 3,000 different original types of dance forms in Indonesia. We saw the Barong and Legong Dance performed by the Panca Arhta Troupe from the Mahabharata at the Ubud Palace in Bali. The dances usually depict stories of the characters fighting evil gods or demons from Hindu scripture. Some characteristics of Balinese […]
Indonesia 15 – Bali 7 – Galungan Day
Galungan is a Balinese holiday celebrating the victory of dharma over adharma or the triumph of good over evil. Praying at the temple is the climax of Galungan Day. The people put on their finest traditional clothes and go to the temple with their families to pray and bring offerings to share. Early in the […]
Indonesia 14 – Bali 6 – Galungan Day Prep
Galungan marks the beginning of the most important religious Hinud holiday that recurs every 210 days in Bali. It is like Christmas, where families come together to celebrate. The spirits of the people who have died and been cremated return to visit their former home, and the family has a responsibility to welcome them through […]
Indonesia 13 – Bali 5 – More Karya Agung Temple Ceremony
An Odalan or temple ceremony usually lasts for three days, but larger ones, which occur every 5, 10, 30 or 100 years, can last for 11 days or longer. This is one of the larger celebrations that occurs every 30 years, called Karya Agung, or “Great Ritual,” and was held at the Pura Puseh Temple at Tulikup […]
