The ASEAN Guide 2017

{ Asean Guide 2017 } GOASIAPLUS
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A visit to any wildlife sanctuary park has never fail
to excite anyone’s interests, especially when you get
to see the natural habitat of man’s closest relative -
the orangutan. The Gunung Leuser National Park in
northern Sumatra is one such place. Here, the Bukit
Lawang Sumatran orangutan sanctuary is located
within the park along with a wide range of protected
ecosystems and species such as the Sumatran
elephant, tiger, rhinoceros, sambar deer and leopard
cat. The Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra is
a World Heritage Site and a must visit for all nature
and animal lovers.
Facts
Home to hundreds of ethnic
groups speaking many different
languages, Indonesia, which is
made up of thousands of volcanic
islands, is also the world’s largest
Muslim population and Southeast
Asia’s biggest economy.
Indonesia has a population of
260,581,100 as of 2016, with
Indonesian as the main dialect, and
300 regional languages.
Indonesia’s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) stood at US$861.9
billion as at 2015. The capital
city is Jakarta and its currency is
Indonesian rupiah.
Indonesia imports machinery
including computers, mineral fuels
like oil, electrical machinery, iron,
steel and vehicles among others.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
The extreme sport of water
rafting; The lush waterfalls
of Sumatra; Locals hanging
out on the bridge; Fresh
fruit to be eaten, ripe and
tasty from the forests of
Indonesia.
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HOW TO GET THERE
It takes between 3-4 hours
by non air-conditioned bus
from Medan to Bukit Lawang.
A more comfortable option is
to take a taxi from the airport
or hotel in Medan and if you
are in Belawan ferry terminal,
there are many drivers
offering minivans direct to
Bukit Lawang. Travellers
can also opt to travel by car
which can be arranged by
Medan hotel pick-up.
WHAT TO DO
A jungle trek to the
orangutan rehabilitation
centre in Bukit Lawang
is a good sport for hiking
lovers. Here visitors will be
able to learn how rangers
rehabilitate orangutans
released from captivity so
they can survive in the wild.
Besides that, visitors can
make a stop at a bat cave
and elephant camp at nearby
Tangkahan.
WHERE TO STAY
There are plenteous
guesthouses, homestay
and inns available in
Bukit Lawang and nearby
areas, which offers ‘back
to basics’ experience for
travellers. Most of these
accommodations are run by
local families. Notable ones
are the Junia Guesthouse
and Brando Resto, where
travellers can enjoy both the
scenic Bohorok river and
sounds of nature.
WHAT TO EAT
The place is blessed with
local cuisines as travellers
can get good food in many
restaurants in Bukit Lawang
that cater to vegetarians as
well. Open spaced Green Hill
and Indra Valley Inn are some
of the best choices to taste
a variety of dishes. There are
also the Jungle Tribe cocktail
bar and Tony’s Restaurant
that serves great pizzas.
Palm oil, metal scrap, gems and
precious metals are the fastestgrowing
exports for Indonesia.
Overall, the country has shipped
US$144.5 billion worth of goods
around the globe in 2016.
Major national free-to-air
terrestrial television stations in
Indonesia are TVRI, RCTI, SCTV,
MNCTV, ANTV, Indosiar, MetroTV,
Trans TV, Trans7, tvOne, Global
TV, Kompas TV, NET., RTV, and
iNews TV.
Indonesia government works in
a framework of a presidential
representative democratic republic,
whereby the President of Indonesia
is both head of state and head of
government.
National flower of Indonesia is
Melati Putih (Jasminum sambac)
a small white flower with
sweet fragrance, has long been
considered as a sacred flower in
Indonesian tradition. It symbolises
purity, sacredness, graceful
simplicity and sincerity.
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