Getting to know Lombok personally

 

        Lombok is not only famous for its pristine beaches and stunning natural view, but it is also acknowledged for its inhabitants who until present still faithfully maintain their traditional culture.

        If you travel to Desa Sade in Lombok, don't miss the precious opportunity to interact with the friendly native inhabitants of Lombok called Sasak people who make up two-third of the total population aside from the Balinese people dwelling there since the past colonization of Majapahit kingdom. Sasak people belong to the Polynesian group and speak a combined language of Sasak, Bali and Sumbawa. 

Religion

 

The majority of Sasak people strongly adhere to Islamic principles although are still influenced by local traditions of animism and dynamism. There are two kinds of Islamic streams in Lombok, Wetu Telu and Wetu Lima. Wetu Telu is a unique belief of the minority of Sasak people with a strong influence of Hinduism and Buddhism mixed with the local traditions. Its followers conduct their shollat or prayer time only three times a day, which is different from the Wetu Lima believers who do a five-time shollat and dominate the entire population.

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Experience the Natural Treasures of Lombok – a heaven on earth

 

        Exhausted with the bustling and thriving of a city life, you might want to find a getaway to relax yourself. If you are in search for serenity and natural beauty, Lombok Island is the perfect destination. Easily reached from Bali via 25-minute flight or six-hour ferry voyage, you could be in one of the most beautiful natural resorts in Indonesia.

       Compared to its counterpart, Lombok still has many unfolded God-made treasures hidden in mountains, beaches and waterfalls, leaving most parts untouched by tourists. Its natural surroundings are mostly well preserved despite some resplendent hotel and entertainment buildings in the city area. 

Putri Mandalika Beach

 

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Wake up!!! This life is short

        Beberapa waktu ini Tuhan terus mengingatkan kepada saya tentang arti hidup manusia di dunia yang fana ini. Kebanyakan dari kita karena kesibukan sehari-hari mungkin tidak sempat atau lupa untuk merenungkan makna hidup ini yang sesungguhnya. Firman Tuhan berkata bahwa dunia ini hanyalah tempat sementara untuk manusia dan manusia hanyalah seseorang asing di dunia ini seperti yang tertulis dalam Ibrani 11:13 "Dalam iman mereka semua ini telah mati sebagai orang-orang yang tidak memperoleh apa yang dijanjikan itu, tetapi yang hanya dari jauh melihatnya dan melambai-lambai kepadanya dan yang mengakui, bahwa mereka adalah orang asing dan pendatang di bumi ini”. Setiap orang cepat atau lambat pasti akan meninggalkan dunia ini untuk menuju kekekalan. Dan salah satu cara untuk menuju kekekalan adalah dengan kematian.

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Meridian View Center 地王大厦– Shenzhen, China

        In the early evening around 6 pm, we set off from Splendid China Folk Village to go to our dream place, Di Wang Da Sha. Joe and I wanted to know what kind of place it is and how it looks like because we did not want to see it only in the movie. Honestly, we had no idea where the building was, so we had to ask for directions. We wanted to find if the building was real, not only a movie fantasy. I was excited to know that the building was real. We took the MTR to go to the tower. After that, we walked for about 10 minutes from the MTR exit. Then, we found it. O thank God. But our stomach was so hungry that we had to have dinner first, a quick one of course because the entrance to the tower would be closed at 11 pm. We hurriedly took the elevator to go to the administration desk. We were very surprised to know that the admission fee was RMB 80 per person. But because we did not want to waste the chance to see the real Di Wang Da Sha, we paid the money. We were then guided by some lady officers to the highest level of the building, the 69th floor. Once the elevator's door was opened, we were too surprised because the real Di Wang Da Sha was not like what we saw in the movie. It was far from our imagination and expectation.

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Splendid China Folk Village 锦绣中华民俗村 – Shenzhen, China

        Do you believe you can actually visit the largest country in the world, China, within only one day? Yes, indeed you can. Let’s find the answer here. Watching Asian drama movies, mainly Chinese movies, has always been my favorite. Driven by the romantic Chinese movie, “Rainbow Sweetheart” featuring Jimmy Lin as the main actor, we were eager to find the building where most of the movie scenes take place, called Di Wang Da Sha or Di Wang mansion. For this reason, after our visit to Hong Kong, we stopped over in Shenzhen. However, the view from the building is at its best at night, so we spent the whole afternoon visiting one of the prime tourist attractions in Shenzhen called Splendid China Folk Village. My boyfriend and mom have visited the site several times so they just accompanied me to go there. The park is very accessible. You only need to take the MTR and get off at the Window of the World Station and you can cross the road since the park is just across the Window of the World. We bought the ticket for RMB 120 per person. I tried to find the English guide map but there was none. So, I just took the Chinese version. Although I could read some Chinese but still reading English is much easier for me. 

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