VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Pacitan in East Java is famous for its caves and beautiful beaches. For beach tourism, Pacitan does have sandy beaches in the south coastal area, such as Klayar Beach, Buyutan, Kasap, and Watu Karung. These beaches are some examples of beautiful beaches in Pacitan.

There is also Soge beach that complements the beauty of Pacitan's south coast. Soge Beach is located in Sidomulyo Village, Ngadirojo District, Pacitan Regency, East Java. The distance from Pacitan City is about 30 kilometers with a driving time of approximately one hour.

Usually white sandy beaches are located a little further in, interestingly Soge Beach is located on the edge of the highway and this is an attraction in itself. Many tourists take pictures on the side of the highway with Soge beach as the background. The natural atmosphere of this beach is still very natural, the blue sea and the natural scenery around it are truly enchanting. The beach is very clean and the waves are quite large.

To enjoy the beauty of Soge beach, you have to pay an entrance ticket of 2,000 rupiah for children and 3,000 rupiah for adults. On weekends and holidays, the entrance ticket price is slightly different, it is 3,000 rupiah for children and 5,000 rupiah for adults. Ticket prices are subject to change at any time.

Traveling to Soge Beach, you can play in the sand, play in the water, swim, or even just sit under the coconut trees. Not only that, you can also go around the small lake using a speed boat rented by local fishermen.

For 15,000 rupiah, you can go around the lake several times. The lake is formed from sea water that does not fully return to the sea when the low tide phenomenon occurs, because there is a high sand dune.

In this place there is also the Soge Beach Blue Bridge. The construction of this bridge is very futuristic, with a curved pipe at the top that resembles a giant dome frame. You can take pictures with the background of this 50-meter-long bridge while enjoying Soge beach from the mouth of the river. There is also a gazebo for resting and several restaurants on the beach.

If you are visiting Pacitan, take your time to see the beauty of Soge Beach.

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea held a ministerial meeting of the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) of the Republic of Indonesia - Papua New Guinea in Jayapura, in order to strengthen cooperation related to state border management.

Acting Director General of Regional Administration of the Ministry of Home Affairs Amran in a written statement quoted by Antara, Saturday (11/5) explained that the results of the SOM (Senior Official Meeting) and JMC meetings are the basis to follow-up and discussion at the Joint Border Committee (JBC) Forum of the Republic of Indonesia - Papua New Guinea during the 2024 trial period which will be held in Indonesia at the end of this year.

The meeting was hosted by the Papua New Guinea Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jayapura on May 8 and 9, 2024. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Retno Marsudi. 

The Joint Border Committee is known as a forum that more technically discusses border management cooperation of the Republic of Indonesia - Papua New Guinea.

Amran explained that the Senior Official Meeting and the Joint Ministerial Commission Forums are official forums in taking political policies that have a positive and complementary impact. The Joint Border Committee forum of the Republic of Indonesia - Papua New Guinea has been implemented and chaired by the Director General of Regional Administration of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

This Joint Ministerial Commission meeting discussed various strategic issues including security and political cooperation, economy, education, and infrastructure. Some of these cooperation issues have also become important notes discussed at the Joint Border Committee Forum of the Republic of Indonesia - Papua New Guinea at the end of 2023 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. One of the important points in the meeting was to build border cooperation between the Republic of Indonesia - Papua New Guinea, especially on cross-border, security and defense.

Economic and development cooperation was also discussed at the Business Forum of the Republic of Indonesia - Papua New Guinea, which provided the basis for the implementation of a joint task force and joint feasibility study for Papua New Guinea and Indonesia on the Preferential Trade Agreement.

TripAdvisor, a travel guide platform, released its list of the 25 best of the best hotels in the world in 2024 recently. The list is part of the annual Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Hotels Awards, celebrating some of the highest-ranked hotels in the world based on the platform's reviews. Vice President & General Manager of Hotels, Tripadvisor, Dan Mitchell explained, the title of 25th best hotel in the world is recognized by thousands of tourists because of its extraordinary service, stunning design and complete facilities, which redefine what it means to experience an extraordinary hotel stay. .

Among the 25 hotels, there are two accommodations from Indonesia, namely Adiwana Suweta in Ubud, Bali, in fourth place and Padma Resort Ubud also in Ubud, Bali, in ninth place. Adiwana Suweta is located on Jalan Suweta, Bentuyung Sakti, Ubud District, Gianyar Regency, Bali. Reporting from its official website, this boutique resort has a number of accommodation types, including Adiwana Room, Suweta Suite, One Bedroom Private Pool Villa, and Two Bedroom Private Pool Villa. During their stay, guests can also do a number of activities, including swimming in the infinity pool with panoramic views of the trees, spa, taking a cooking class, doing yoga at sunrise, exploring Ubud, and dining in the swimming pool with floating breakfast.

Padma Resort Ubud is often included in TripAdvisor's list of the best hotels. This hotel is located in Banjar Carik, Village, Puhu, Payangan District, Gianyar Regency, Bali. One of the attractions of this accommodation is its infinity pool which has a natural panoramic backdrop. This is coupled with various existing facilities, including a spa, jogging track, bamboo bridge and kids club. Various types of rooms are available at this accommodation, including Premier Room, Premier Deluxe Room, Premier Twin Room, Premier Club Room, Premier Club Pool View and Family Premier Room.

Almost all traditional snacks or cakes originating from Central Java province have a sweet taste. Apart from that, snacks from Central Java also have a simple shape but a tempting taste. In Jepara district, this sweet taste and simple form can be found in Moto Belong.

In Javanese, Moto Belong means glaring eyes. Indeed, its appearance is unique because it is shaped like an eye. It is made from cassava and other mixtures such as young coconut and banana.

Though Moto Belong means glaring eyes, it has attractive colors such as red, yellow and green which are quite tempting.

The origin of the name Moto Belong is taken from Javanese, namely moto means eyes, while belong means glare. The food is called Moto Belong because the shape of the snack resembles the shape of a bulging eye.

Apart from Moto Belong, this traditional Jepara snack is often pronounced Moto Blong. It is not served with coconut milk sauce like many other traditional snack, but is eaten with grated coconut. The ingredients for making Jepara's typical Moto Belong are cassava, salt, granulated sugar, grated young coconut, banana and vanilla as well as food coloring. Whole bananas that have been peeled are covered with smooth cassava dough that has been colored and then steamed until cooked.

The way to serve Moto Belong is quite simple, when it is cooked, just cut it into thin pieces so that the shape resembles an eye. Pieces or slices of Moto Belong are then mixed with grated coconut and added with a little sugar and salt to add a savory taste.

Moto Belong is one of Jepara's traditional snacks which is widely sold in traditional markets with prices starting from Rp. 5000.