| Friday, April 30, 2010 |
| Manado Tua Island |
Manado Tua--or Old Manado--island, together with the islands of Bunaken, Siladen, Mantehage and Nain form the Bunaken-Manado Tua Marine National Park. The Park lies just off shore from the city of Manado, capital of the province of North Sulawesi, site of the first World Ocean Conference 2009 which held in May. Covering a total of 89,065 hectares, the Bunaken-Manado Tua park is among the most spectacular dive sites in the world.
The islands are separated from the mainland by a submarine trench that reaches a depth of 1,200 meters, and keeps these waters relatively free from city garbage and silt. The reserve is protected by law from spearfishing and coral or fish-collecting, as well as from dynamite fishing.
Only one hour by motor boat from Manado town, the island of Manado Tua is distinguished by the majestic perfect cone of the extinct volcano that formed the island, which is capped with a rainforest on its summit. Around the island are underwater plateaus sloping from 5 meters to 30 meters, fringed by vertical coral walls plunging 25 to 50 meters down, and large caves with hanging coral reefs: a truly amazing sea garden. Next to Manado Tua is the more well-known island of Bunaken.Labels: manado tua, manado tua island, north sulawesi |
posted by yv @ 3:46 PM  |
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| Sunday, April 25, 2010 |
| Manado Is The Largest |
People are Manado’s best asset. Manadonese are extroverts, warm and happy-go-lucky, drawing visitors naturally into the big family circle. Aptly, the city’s slogan is “Torang Samua Basudara”, meaning:” we are all one family”. No one here is allowed to feel lonely.
Manado is the largest, most-northerly city in Indonesia, capital of the province of North Sulawesi. It is better known for its breathtaking underwater life at Bunaken, an island that directly faces this city. But Manado has much more to offer, and you will miss much if you do not explore this part of the Indonesian archipelago. For Manado spells fantastic diving, adventures through the wild and cultural heritage attractions.
Located on a long promontory, Manado is backed by a number of active volcanoes, while facing the open sea. Its wide Pierre Tendean Boulevard bordering the water edge is lined with top class hotels and restaurants serving typical Manado cuisine. Having recently hosted the World Ocean Conference, Manado is fast growing into a favourite venue for international meetings and conventions.
From the Boulevard you can see the perfectly cone-shaped mountain of Manado Tua, which, together with the islands of Bunaken, Mantehage, Siladen and Nain form the Bunaken-Manado Tua National Park, world famous among divers for its steep walls and fantastic underwater life. A deep trench separates this National Park from the city, preventing pollution of the park. Regular ferries take visitors to Bunaken.
Behind Manado are a number of active volcanoes called Lokon, Soputan, and Dua Saudara whose lush green tropical terrain are ideal for trekking, eco-tours, bird watching and white water rafting. The Tangkoko National Park is habitat to the world’s smallest monkeys called tarsiers, cute little animals with saucer-large eyes. And all around you will see coconut trees and plantations. For, the region of Minahasa is also known as the land of the waving coconut trees or” Nyiur melambai”.
The majority population being Christians and Catholics, you will find Manado dotted with churches. Christmas is a particular good time to visit when the city and the surrounding hills come alight with
Christmas decorations. A huge statue of Jesus Christ rises above the city, blessing its inhabitants.
There is also a sizable Chinese population here, so that Chinese New Year and Cap Goh Meh festivities are held in grand scale, especially around Chinatown and the Ban Hin Kiong Temple.
Manado’s cuisine is particularly tasty. Try the rice porridge, called Bubur Manado, and the fresh seafood served with cut green tomatoes and special chili sauce. Many of Manado’s cuisine are cooked in bamboo tubes, then baked over an open fire, giving it that particular zesty taste. Do not miss “klappertaart”, a special cake filled with large slivers of fresh young coconut.
To view some of the finest images of Kalasey beach, at the outskirts of Manado, visit oru photo essay: The Deep Water Paradise of Kalasey Seas off ManadoLabels: manado is the largest, north sulawesi |
| posted by yv @ 3:50 PM |
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| Friday, April 23, 2010 |
| Ban Hin Kiong Temple |
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The beautifully designed Ban Hin Kiong Temple in the heart of Manado’s China Town is 335 years old and is the oldest Chinese temple built here during the Qing Dynasty era in China (1644-1911). It is a house of worship for the Tridharma followers from Manado and the region.
The name Ban Hin Kiong consists of three words, Ban meaning “plenty”, Hin meaning “abundant favors” and Kiong meaning “palace”. Therefore, Ban Hin Kiong means a holy palace that exudes much happiness. At Ban Hin Kiong, a number of annual events are held every Chinese New Year and at Goan Siao or Cap Go Meh.Labels: ban hin kiong, ban hin kiong temple, north sulawesi, temple |
| posted by yv @ 3:34 PM |
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| Friday, April 9, 2010 |
| Lake Tondano |
Lake Tondano is a famous tourist destination in the province of North Sulawesi. It is located 600 meters above sea level and covers an area of 4,278 hectares (or about 10,571 acres). This lake is situated by the village of Remboken, some 3 kilometers from Tomohon city or some 30 km from Manado.
Lake Tondano is surrounded by mountains of 700 meters high, which are the Lembena, the Kaweng, the Tampusu and Masarang. The lake covers three sub-districts, these are Eris, Kakas and Remboken. From the lake side, you can see clearly Mount Kaweng.
Lake Tondano has a tourist attraction called "Sumaru Endo" Remboken, and the Tourist Resort of Bukit Pinus (from Tondano towards Toliang Oki). From the lake side at Toliang Oki, and Tondano Pante you can see as far as the beautiful Maluku sea, beyond the Lembean hill. Entry fee to this tourist attraction is Rp 4.000 plus for insurance.Labels: lake tondano, north sulawesi |
| posted by yv @ 3:11 PM |
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| Friday, April 2, 2010 |
| The Beautiful Bunaken |
Ever fancy yourself being a mermaid? Being able to swim along with other creatures of the sea , moving to the rhythm of the waves? In the Bunaken Marine Park, you will encounter a real “mermaid”, and you can also get a glimpse of sea life here.
Bunaken is an 8.08 km² island in the Bay of Manado, situated in the north of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Bunaken forms part of the administrative city of Manado , capital of North Sulawesi. The marine Park around Bunaken is part of the National Park that also includes the ocean around the island of Manado Tua – or Old Manado, Siladen and Mantehage.
Within the Bunaken Marine Park, visitors can see various strange and colourful marine life along its sea bed. To reach this park, you can take a motorboat. The journey from Manado takes around 40 minutes. Entrance fee is 25,000 rupiahs per person per visit.
The translucent waters of the Bunaken seas enable people to clearly view numerous sea biota. There are 13 species of coral reefs in this park, dominated by edge ridges and block ridges of rocks. The most attractive view is the steep vertical sloppy coral reef that plunges down as deep as 25-50 meters.
Feast your eyes on 91 types of fish found in the Bunaken National Park, amongst which are the locally known gusimi horse fish (Hippocampus), the white oci (Seriola rivoliana), yellow-tailed lolosi (Lutjanus kasmira), goropa (Ephinephelus spilotoceps and Pseudanthias hypselosoma), ila gasi (Scolopsis bilineatus) and others.
Divers may also meet mollusk like the giant kima (Tridacna gigas), goat head (Cassis cornuta), nautilus (Nautilus pompillius) and tunikates/ascidian.
For those who enjoy scuba diving, this is a great place to be. With about 20 dive spots to choose from, divers will have the chance to swim below the sea, and frolic joyfully while admiring the sea creatures.
Make sure to visit Bunaken during its best season between May to August. That way you can explore the Park to its fullest.
To observe some of the fascinating images of Bunaken Marine Park, you can visit our photo essay: Bunaken&Derawan Underwater Paradise
Similarly stunning are the sceneries of Kalasey seas,at the outskirt of Manado in: The Deep Water Paradise of Kalasey Seas off ManadoLabels: bunaken, north sulawesi, the beautiful bunaken |
| posted by yv @ 2:48 PM |
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