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Jakarta Anniversary Festival (JAV) VIII Will Be Held from 2 June to 4 July 2010

Started in 2003 in order to celebrate Jakarta's anniversary day, this year JAV or locally known as Festival Peringatan Jakarta will be held at "Gedung Kesenian Jakarta" from 2 June until 4 July 2010. There will be musical performances, traditional dances and many other performances, which are related to Jakarta's arts and cultural. For more details please call Gedung Kesenian Jakarta at +62 21 3808283 or 3441892.

A Hotel in Java, Indonesia is listed in the "Hotels With The Most Beautiful Views" by Forbes

It is Amanjiwo hotel near Jogjakarta, Java, Indonesia that catches attention from Forbes this time. It is listed as Forbes' 11 hotels with the most beautiful views. Amanjivo is located right in front of the (probably) biggest ancient Buddhist temple in the world. Please click the following link for its complete recent report: Hotels With The Most Beautiful Views.

Sail Banda 2010

“Sail Banda 2010”, which is organised by the Maluku Provincial Government together with the Indonesian Navy and some private organisations, will be held, in Banda Island, Central Maluku, Indonesia from 24 July to 17 August 2010. This festival will be consisted of many events, such as Yacht race from Darwin (Australia), international conferences, Jazz festival and so on. There will be a participation from the US Navy by deploying its USNS Mercy T-AH 10 ship, as well as around 200 international sail boats. Please click here for further details.

A Cooperation Between Universities in Phnom Penh & Bandung

Phnom Penh 's University of Cambodia and Bandung's Jenderal Ahmad Yani University agreed to conduct joint research, lecturer exchange and so on. The MoU was signed by the rectors from both universities on 13 March 2010. Please click here for further details. Click here for Phnom Penh and here for Bandung.

Jakarta International Handicraft Trade Fair 2010

The 12th Jakarta International Handicraft Trade Fair (INACRAFT) event was held in "Hall A & B, Lobby A & B, Cendrawasih Hall, Plenary Hall, Assembly Hall & Main Lobby" at the Jakarta Convention Center from 21 April until 25 April 2010 at 10am-10pm, in Jakarta, Indonesia. It exhibited and sold Indonesian handicraft, such as flower products, candle holder, lighting lamp, wood products, silver, furniture, toys, jewelry box, photo frames, cigarette box, aromatherapy, batik, and so forth. For further information, please visit: www.inacraft.co.id.

1st Indonesian Hot Air Balloon Adventure

This was held at Sentul City (south of Jakarta) from 26-28 March 2010. Presenting balloons and pilots from many countries, such as Belgium, France, Japan, the Netherland, USA and so on. Free 10-minute balloon ride was available for visitors, flying high up to approximately 20 meters (65 feet). Please click here for further details.

Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2010

Said to be one of the best and largest jazz festival in the world, the Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2010 was held at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta on 5-7 March 2010. This annually held jazz festival was begun in 2005. This year, it has a list of well known international artists going to perform there, such as John Legend, Tony Braxton, Diane Warren, the Manhattan Transfer, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, as well as well known Indonesian artists. For details please click its website: www.javajazzfestival.com.

Belly Dance Festival Asia 2010

The Belly Dance Festival Asia 2010 was held at Ayodya Resort in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, from 24-28 February 2010. A world-class dance festival featuring top artists from at least 15 countries. The event included belly dancing clinic, food and bazaar, woman talk show, Asian belly dance competition and so on. Please click its official website for more information: www.bellydancefestivalbali.com.

Tax Refund for Tourists in Indonesia Starting April 2010

Foreign tourists will be entitled for a tax refund starting from April 2010, with a minimum spending of Rp. 5,000,000 (a refund of Rp. 500,000) - click here for the exchange rate. For the beginning tax refund will only be available at Soekarno Hatta International airport of Jakarta and Ngurah Rai airport of Bali for purchases made within one month prior to departure.

Act On CO2 Program

A program from the British government to act on CO2 that "aims to help people save money, save energy and reduce their CO2 emissions. The campaign highlights how individuals can act to make a difference." Click the picture on the left to access to their website and to find out more about the program and eventually start to participate in saving our world. Alternatively you can click here: direct.gov.uk/ActOnCO2.

Cambodia's Tuk-tuk Banned From Operating Along Norodom Boulevard in Phnom Penh

Visitors will no longer be able to alight from their Tuk-tuk or get a Tuk-tuk along Norodom Boulevard in Phnom Penh. This takes effect shortly as the local government decided to ban Tuk-tuk from operating along this street, which is one of Phnom Penh's main streets. Click here for more details.

Indonesia's Bali Beach listed as "World's 25 Sexiest Beaches '09" by Forbes Traveler

It's not Kuta Beach but Forbes named it as "Dreamland Beach", which is located nearby Bukit Peninsula in Bali. Please click the following link for its complete recent report: World's 25 Sexiest Beaches '09.

Q&A: Why Do They Turn Off Airplane Cabin Lights Before Take Off?

If you noticed or remembered, whenever you are travelling at night, before taking off, you might hear your cabin crew saying "for safety reasons, we will be dimming the cabin lights..." What's the safety reason behind it? Well, try this in your room at night. Switch off your room light and count how long your eyes need time to adjust to the darkness, so that you 'can see' your furnitures and other stuff again.

Taking a bit of theory, the rods in our eyes, which play important roles in a dark environment, can take up to 30 seconds to fully adapt from a bright environment to darkness.

That is actually one of the main reasons why cabin crew has to turn off or at least dim your airplane cabin lights before taking off in a dark evening. In case of emergency, such as aborted take off followed by overshooting the runway (crashed) and lost of electric power, passengers' eyes should be already adjusted to cabin darkness, hence they should be able to see better their airplane cabin and help them evacuating the airplane faster.

The 42nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank

Was held in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia from 2 to 5 May 2009. The most important international economic and development gathering in Indonesia in 2009, the ADB Annual Meeting will bring together more than 3,000 people from across the globe. Click here for further information.

Ancient Fish Coelacanth

Believed to be extinct long time ago, this fish was found by a fisherman in sea near Manado in late early 2000s. Last year a few Coelacanth were caught by local fishermen. More about Coelacanth, click here: en.wikipedia.org/Coelacanth.