VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Miduana Traditional Village in Balegede village, Cianjur regency, West Java province, Indonesia is a tourism destination which has a rich culture and the charm of typically natural beauty of  mountains. Interestingly, the village with 21 houses inhabited by 21 families also maintains their ancestral traditions, even in modern times. For example, there is a tradition of building houses with doors facing south or north. The procedure for planting rice is still traditionally carried out there.

Not only interesting culture and traditions, Miduana traditional village also has an extraordinary  special food  for outsiders, namely payo fish. Payo fish resembles tadpoles, but larger in size, namely the size of an adult's thumb. This animal lives attached to rocks in river flows in the area. Payo fish is usually prepared by frying until dry. Apart from that, people often process it into payo fish curry. It tastes so delicious, particularly when eaten with warm rice.

According to the beliefs of local people, this payo fish dish is said to provide the properties of youth and longevity. Evidently, dozens of people in this traditional village still look fit and healthy although they are more than 100 years old. They can do daily activities including going to the garden to pick vegetables. For those of you who are curious and want to prove the benefits of Payo Fish, please  just come to the Miduana traditional village in Cianjur.

Indonesia recorded potential transactions worth 2.725 million Euros or around 46.6 billion rupiah at the annual international tourism exhibition Feria Internacional de Turismo (FITUR) 2024,  which took place on 24-28 January 2024 in Madrid, Spain. The Indonesian Embassy in Madrid is optimistic that  Indonesia's successful participation in FITUR will contribute positively to increasing the number of Spanish tourist visits to Indonesia by 2024.  According to a press release from the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid on Tuesday (30/1), the Indonesian Embassy is collaborating with ten tourism business actors to bring various Indonesian destinations closer to visitors. They are Asia Bespoke Tours, Catur Viajes,  Come2indonesia,  Experience Toni Bali, Invierte en Indonesia Group, Kura Kura Resort, Lotus Asia Tours, Melia Bali, Pacto DMC and Spanesia Adventure Group. Chief Executive Officers of Asia Bespoke Tours,  Manfred Schweizer admitted that he was very happy to be able to participate  at the event of  FITUR 2024 with Indonesia.  According to Manfred Schweizer,  many visitors were interested in group travel packages, particularly  to Bali.  But he tried to suggest  them to also visit Sumatra or Kalimantan island to see orangutans or to Komodo Island,  Lake Toba and Raja Ampat.

Meanwhile,   owner of Experience Toni Bali, Toni Granados who comes from the city of Madrid conveyed that  apart from trips to see the beautiful nature of Bali,  there is also a meditation package for those who want to go on a spiritual journey with healers.  Indonesia's participation at the event  is an effort taking advantage of the recovery of Spanish people's interest in traveling abroad as well as the recovery of the Indonesian tourism sector after the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Indonesian Embassy in Madrid also took advantage of the momentum of Indonesia's election as a member of the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, representing the regional commission for East Asia and the Pacific for the period 2023- 2027.

Moreover, Indonesia's participation was carried out by  using a public-private partnership scheme.  The Indonesian Embassy in Madrid received support from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,  Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.  This year's FITUR also recorded new history because  the number of participants reached 9,000 companies from 152 countries.  At the Feria Internacional de Turismo (FITUR)  2023,  the number of participants reached 8,500 companies from 131 countries.

If you have a culinary tour to Papua, you can enjoy not only the sago-based dish of Papeda, but also other dish called Swamening. Swamening, or Gedi Gulung, is a typical food of the Grime Valley community, Nimboran District, Jayapura Regency. This dish is usually served during local traditional ceremonies and is cooked on clay pottery.

Swamening is made from Saccharum edule sugarcane, gedi leaves or edible hibiscus, coconut, and sago. To cook it, gedi leaves are arranged alternately on a flat surface, then sago is sprinkled on top of the leaves, then coconut is added as needed. Peeled Saccharum edule sugarcane then arranged evenly, rolled up slowly, and tied with string taken from its peel. The roll is then boiled in a mixture of water and spices such as tomatoes, pepper, salt, and lemongrass until it boils. Once cooked, Swamening is usually eaten with chili sauce.

Swamening is the main course that can be eaten directly or with other proteins such as fish. Swamening is classified as a healthy food because it is rich in fiber and uses lots of vegetables. Besides that, sago is also good for digestion. Swamening also doesn't use any oil at all, so it's healthy for daily meals. In the Grime Valley, as a flavoring, people often use seawater or salt made by themselves from sago trees that are cut off the bottom.

The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Hong Kong launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Indonesian citizen protection program to improve services for Indonesian citizens in Hong Kong and Macau.

The Indonesian Consul General in Hong Kong, Yul Edison, in a written statement received by Antara, Monday (29/1), stated that the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong is always making improvements through close coordination with elements of the Hong Kong government and employment agencies. TheConsulate Generalisalso always responsive to measurable input,andfacilitatecase resolution and service innovation through AI-based 'hotlines'.

This statement was made during the "Indonesian Citizen Protection and Interactive Dialogue Program" on January 28 2024 which was attended by Indonesian migrant workers, students and professionals.

According to Yul Edison, one of the main work programs of the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong in 2024 is to improve services for Indonesian citizens through the use of artificial intelligence-based 'hotlines' and the appearance of the latest 'website'.

The activity aims to provide reports and public accountability for the performance of the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kongduring2023 and the planned work program for 2024.

The hotline utilizes developments in artificial intelligence to collect general information, respond quickly to incoming questions and forward messages to those in charge if certain cases are found,that require immediate special treatment.

Apart from the hotline, the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong has also developed a user-friendly 'website' as a means of disseminating public information. Through the website kemlu.go.id/hongkong/id, Indonesian citizens in Hong Kong can find important information regarding various services of the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong, especially consular services, passports, immigration, protection, socio-cultural and economic information, releases of the activities of the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong and other information, which is relevant.

The development of this artificial intelligence-based hotline was carried out by the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong in collaboration with Telin Hong Kong, one of the Indonesian State-Owned Enterprises operating in Hong Kong so that the social media already owned by the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.