Features

The Masks Parade

A flock of pint-sized humans wearing white masks depicting various facial characteristics; some sad, some laughing, some angry and some even coquettish; stood eerily silent next to each other, neat and ready to march for kilometres when the signal is given. No, this is not a scene out of the movie V for Vendetta. Instead, these are children taking part in Festival Topeng Nusantara 2010

In Search of the Great Waves

My excursion to Cimaja, West Java, was largely inspired by a documentary that films the life of an extraordinary surfer Dede Suryana, not only the first Asian to compete in the World Qualifying Series but also the winner of several international competitions. “Mengejar Ombak” (“Chasing the Waves”) took three years off the lives of the film’s directors, Dave Arnold and Tyrone Lebon, to make the 45-minute documentary

Stranded in Samalona

A tiny scrap of land in the Makassar Strait, from afar the petite island of Samalona looks like a green dot on a blue ocean. Yudasmoro enjoyed the silence of its white sands

In Praise of Karimun Jawa

There was no sound of crickets serenading me to sleep at night. There were no sounds of vendors passing by and there was no sound of television. There were just the sounds of a motorboat in the distance, the waves crashing onto the wooden deck behind my room, and the diesel electricity generator chugging all night long

Ujung Genteng Beach - A Never-Ending Adventure

Although the clock said it was still only 4 am, I couldn’t keep my eyes shut. I was too excited about starting my journey along Ujung Genteng beach later that morning. The first test came a moment later as thunderbolts roared and the drenching rain poured down without restraint

Close to the Edge

With its rather remote location, its challenging terrain and its lack of commercialisation, Sempu Island, just off the south of East Java, is an interesting prospect for tourists from big cities. Viewed from Malang’s Sendang Biru beach, it seems an unremarkable island blanketed in dense jungle

Down the River

Banjarmasin has two floating markets: the one at Lok Baintan and another at Muara Kuin. The market at Lok Baintan is still authentic whereas the one at Muara Kuin was built by the government specifically for the tourist trade