The Buried Fortress

If not for the occasional appearance in international headlines whenever Indonesia executes the drug convicts in the infamous Nusakambangan Island, the town of Cilacap in Central Java may easily be forgotten. It does serve as the main harbor for the prison island and many people merely bypass the roads and go straight to the harbor. Indeed, the sleepy town boasts little else than some beaches, and the domestic visitors often complain about the scorching heat. But a visit to a local attraction of Benteng Pendem (lit. The Buried Fortress) will reveal just how important this town was in the Dutch era when it served as a coast observation post to the passing vessels.

The Boundaries of Dieng Plateau

High on the hills of Java lies the plateau of Dieng; a sacred ground to the Buddhists and Hindus who roamed the island long before the arrival of the New Religions. Up here, people live so close to the gods as the temples sit side-by-side with vast farmlands of potatoes, carrots, squashes, and tomatoes. Backing the prayers through its puffing ponds are the numerous craters which give vibes to the people and geothermal energy to faraway cities.

Life here is so free one can almost touch the gods by sitting inches to the craters with little or no boundary and letting your prayers go up and up. Here are the proofs:

Kawah Candradimuka; the breeding ground of Javanese warriors

The Pyramid of Java

The Gates of Lasem

Lasem, Central Java, Indonesia

The spirit of freedom from oppression descended upon me that morning as I was gazing through the gates of Lasem; filling the empty voids of my bones.

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Mejikuhibiniu

Broken Heritage

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Early Bromo

Bromo, East Java, Indonesia.

The sun has just risen from the shadowy hills. A new day has come for business as usual, but let’s take a moment to appreciate:

the sunrise

the crater

the side hill

the landscape with the temple

the horse riders

 

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More entries to this challenge can be found here.

#wcjog: Catatan dari WordCamp Indonesia 2013

Meski sudah lewat lebih dari seminggu, saya tergerak juga untuk menuangkan apa yang saya pikirkan saat menghadiri ajang WordCamp Indonesia 2013 yang berlangsung di Rasamala Ballroom, Gowongan Inn Hotel, Yogyakarta, pada 18-20 Oktober 2013 lalu. Mengapa saya datang? Terus terang saya tertarik dengan ajang kumpul-kumpul pengguna WordPress ini sejak lama karena saya konsisten menggunakan WordPress sebagai engine blog saya sejak 2010 lalu. Namun dengan berbagai alasan maka saya belum pernah menghadiri ajang WordCamp di Indonesia. Oleh karena itu, ajang yang keempat kalinya digelar di Indonesia ini sangat saya nantikan.

Saya datang tanpa beban dan tidak berharap banyak. Kenapa? Sejak awal saya sudah menduga bahwa percakapan akan didominasi oleh topik-topik teknis tentang pengembangan WordPress dan tidak banyak membahas konten. Meski pihak penyelenggara membuka kesempatan seluas mungkin kepada para pengguna dan penggemar WordPress dari beragam area ketertarikan, nampaknya soal teknislah yang menjadi primadona. Oleh karena itu sesi demi sesi di hari pertama berjalan sedemikian tanpa banyak yang saya tangkap.