Culinary Tourism World Summit

...(1888PressRelease) Interest in sponsorship opportunities for the 2010, the One World, One Table Culinary Tourism World Summit has risen to new heights. Unique, high-value opportunities are now available to suit foodservice, tourism and hospitality organisations and destination marketing organisations.

Halifax, NS, Canada and Portland, OR, USA - With the recent announcement of the Canadian Tourism Commission as the presenting sponsor of the leading culinary tourism event in 2010, the One World, One Table Culinary Tourism World Summit, the interest in sponsorship opportunities for the event has risen to new heights. The three day summit, presented by the International Culinary Tourism Association (ICTA) and Taste of Nova Scotia, is taking place September 19-21, 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and is expected to draw in excess of 300 delegates.

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Ark Galerie Puts the Focus Back on Art

Contemporary art tends to shine brightest when shown in a clean setting that puts the art at center stage. Jason Gunawan, the owner of Ark Galerie in South Jakarta, knows this and has made a point of stressing the ambience and look of the showplace in the gallery’s recent revamp.

Jason decided to renovate the gallery after a brainstorming session with co-owner Ronalk Akili.

The goal was to reduce the boundaries of the gallery to provide a more open space where the art would better be able to make an impression on visitors.

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Solo’s Operatic Soul

The city of Solo in Central Java, Indonesia, was once known as a center of culture, religion and royalty. More recently, however, it has been associated with something much more menacing.

“I was sad and angry that people started labeling Solo a ‘haven for radicals,’” said Atilah Soeryadjaya , referring to an article in Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper last month. The article detailed the killing of terrorist Noordin M Top on the city’s outskirts.

A true-blue Solo native, Atilah is the granddaughter of Sultan Mangkunegara VII, a direct descendent of the Mataram dynasty’s royal line, which ruled Java between the 17th and 18th centuries.

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Ababi’s ritual of warriors

The sun had almost disappeared into the horizon when the usually peaceful village of Ababi, Karangasem, was taken over by a bastion of proud warriors.

Dozens of men swarmed the village main street with krisses drawn on their hands. Bare-chested, they wore sarongs draped with poleng (checkered black and white cloth) and blazing red udeng (headgear).

Their upper torso glistened under the scorching sun as they rushed along the road. In unison, they repeatedly raised their hands, their krisses pointed at the sky, to show their readiness to attack.

Following them was a procession of a less aggressive character. Hundreds of men and women carried various offerings and sacred objects, such as jempana (wooden thrones of the deities), pratima (statues) and the

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Fab Cafe: A perfect rendezvous

If it stands alone, Fab Cafe may remain a stranger. But when you says Fab Cafe, Gramedia, Grand Indonesia East Mall, it will no longer be anonymous. 

Instead, located just across the road from the iconic Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, the cafe is a perfect rendezvous.

Upcoming author Ahmad Fuadi, who recently spoke about his bestselling novel titled Negeri 5 Menara (Nation of 5 Towers) during the Meet the Authors and Photo Exhibition to help needy students held by the Singapore International Foundation (SIF)-ASEAN Fellowship Indonesian alumni at the cafe, commented: “Having a gathering in here reminds me of a famous book store with a cafe abroad.”

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A Year of Artful Delights in Yogya

When German national Claudia Seise studied at the Yogyakarta fine arts school Institut Seni Indonesia in 2005, she experienced the dynamic contemporary art scene there firsthand. She was so fascinated by it that she returned to Indonesia from her homeland in 2008 to look at the cultural scene more closely.

The result of her exploration was recently published in “One Year on the Scene: Contemporary Art in Indonesia.”

The book offers valuable insight into Yogyakarta’s vibrant art community, including its background and problems.

Color photographs of gallery artworks and exhibitions emphasize the diversity of the province’s creative culture.

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Bringing the World to Jakarta

The list of complaints about living in Jakarta seems endless, with traffic and pollution easily taking the top spots. There are also others who criticize the capital for its lack of community-based evening activities.

The people who complain about the latter have probably never set foot in the Jakarta International Community Center, a meeting point for expats and locals, and a bustling center that offers a wide range of courses and activities for both children and adults.

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Spiritual Tourism in Sidoarjo

Sidoarjo regency is more likely to evoke painful thoughts of thousands of Lapindo mudflow victims still left in limbo rather than instill a desire to take a leisurely stroll around the area.

But aside from attracting attention as a prime location for natural disasters and man-made catastrophes, Sidoarjo has also become an increasingly popular destination for spiritual tourism.

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Annual Fashion, Food Festival Spotlights Multicultural Jakarta

Jakarta’s annual fashion and food festival highlighting culinary treats and the works of home designers is under way. The festival, jointly organized by the Jakarta Tourism Office and property developer Summarecon Group, is the seventh of its kind and is once again being held at Kelapa Gading Mall in North Jakarta.

Governor Fauzi Bowo kicked off the festival last Wednesday. It will go on until this Sunday.

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Light of the Gods on Bali’s Peaks

The chain of steps, cutting a narrow band through the damp green forest, rose above me. Sweat dripped from the tip of my nose; rustling and chattering in the undergrowth hinted at unseen monkeys and a cool, cloying mist rose from the rice terraces below. It was not long after dawn, and I was picking my way up the pilgrimage route to the highest station of the complex of temples known as Pura Lempuyang that stud the green flanks of the fractured volcano standing sentinel on Bali’s eastern

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Unveiling rare beauty

If you think you can only find Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel or the Pendusa God in fairytales and myths, then you’re wrong.

In Indonesia, you can also find them on the traditional batik cloths. Hard to imagine? Maybe.

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Bali: A Cowboy’s Paradise

You may think you already know everything there is to know about the so-called cowboys of Kuta Beach in Bali. But Singaporean filmmaker Amit Virmani’s controversial documentary, “Cowboys in Paradise,” will make you think again. The film offers a peek into the minds of the cowboys, from lessons in how to woo women and a rather naive outlook on sexually transmitted diseases, to unusual sex tips, like tying horse hair to the tip of your penis for enhanced pleasure.

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