Coal Village is located east of Labuan Bajo, the capital city of West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. Going to Coal Village can be reached by land using motor vehicles. The traveling time by motorcycle is about 3-4 hours from Labuan Bajo. Located in Kuwus District, Coal Village has now been dressed as a tourism village. The main attractions are natural beauty, culture, handicrafts, local culinary, artificial tourism spots and coffee agrotourism. It is managed by a group of youths organized under the Creative Youth Association. Institutionally, this group was strengthened by the formation of the Bukit Porong Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) on March 6, 2021. It was formed as a response to changes in Labuan Bajo tourism that is increasingly famous as one of the super priority tours in Indonesia, with the leading destination of Komodo National Park.
Coal Tourism Village is a new one developed with the concept of Storynomic Village Tourism. This concept means promoting narrative, creative contents, living culture, and cultural power. All tourism attractions, both natural, cultural and artificial will be narrated with interesting stories for tourists. Furthermore, the development of creative contents on social media is a promotional medium for tourists. Coal Tourism Village has the power of natural and cultural tourism which becomes the main magnet to attract tourists. In this village, there is a tourist spot for Bukit Porong Tedeng which means the hill of hope. Tourists can enjoy the sensation of natural scenery from the height as above the clouds.
Coal Tourism Village is also developing coffee agrotourism that is part of a local village tour package. The visitors will have the experience of traveling to coffee plantations. The types being developed are Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee. Even if visiting at the right time, visitors can participate in harvesting Arabica coffee which usually takes place during April-June, while Robusta coffee is harvested from June to September. It's a very suitable tourism destination for coffee lovers. You must keep in mind that you must apply health protocols so that your vacation is safe and comfortable.
Indonesian and Egyptian youths are encouraged to become entrepreneurial drivers who are needed in efforts to recover the economy post Covid-19 pandemic and strengthen Small Business and Medium Businesses (MSMEs). In the youth business forum with the theme "Entrepreneurship in Civil Society”, Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt, Lutfi Rauf underlined the major role of young entrepreneurs in Indonesia who have gained a lot of success, even when they are still relatively young, that is under 40 years old. In a written statement at the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo, Saturday (13/11), Ambassador Lutfi Rauf said that the youths are able to provide space and job opportunities in various sectors by taking advantage of various opportunities, including e-commerce business platforms and other technologies that can adapt, innovate and create with the current situation.
Furthermore, it was explained that the Indonesian diasporas which also consist of students in Egypt play an important role in supporting efforts to promote and penetrate small business products in the Egyptian market. Most of the Indonesian diasporas in Egypt are youths. They not only carry out the mission of completing their studies at various educational institutions in Egypt, but also have the opportunity to expand their business skills, social entrepreneurship and strengthen networks to become successful and helpful entrepreneurs in the future.
Meanwhile, the Trade Attache of the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo, Irman Adi Purwanto said that the representatives of the Indonesian government in Egypt always encourage the youths to contribute to the national economic recovery amid the Covid-19 pandemic era, to enhance competence, productivity and competitiveness and to develop entrepreneurship. The business forum was held in Cairo on November 11, 2021; it’s a part of the fifth anniversary of the founding of the Egyptian Youth Council in which Indonesia was invited as a guest of honor. During the event, Ambassdor Lutfi expressed his hope that the existence of an increasingly active Egyptian Youth Council could always develop, move, channel the participation of the younger generation, as well as become a forum for fostering and developing the younger generation.
Arborek Tourism Village in Raja Ampat Regency, West Papua has a quite unique welcoming tradition, namely Injak Piring tradition. Local people know this tradition by the name of Mansorandak. Mansorandak is a tradition that has existed for a long time in Papua, including in Arborek Tourism Village. This tradition has its own philosophy for people who have just set foot on Arborek Island. In the local language, “Mansorandak means 'to wash your face', which means celebrating the first person who comes to our place.
Citing the Indonesian Intangible Cultural Heritage site, managed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Mansorandak tradition is a ceremony to welcome people who leave or return from a recently visited place. This tradition is also interpreted as gratitude because the person returns or arrives safely. The Mansorandak tradition is not only carried out to welcome guests who have just set foot in Arborek Village, but this tradition is also done by local residents to welcome their families who are visiting a place for the first time.
According to the Indonesian Intangible Cultural Heritage site, the welcoming will be done at the place according to the type of transportation used by the person. For example, if the nomad is on a boat, the nomad will be greeted at the dock. This tradition begins with the Flower Bath procession on a traditional plate. Next, the nomad will enter a special room in the house along with his/her family and must go around nine traditional plates for nine rounds. This procession ends with stepping on a crocodile replica as a symbol of the challenges, sufferings and tests of life that will accompany the person’s way of life.
This procession ends with eating together. They eat traditional food consisting of main course such as meat, fish, betel and areca nut which are hung at the top of the house and can only be eaten once the elders give instruction. As time goes by, this tradition is now carried out only by pouring water on the nomad before entering the house without circling plates and eating together.
Besides Toba Lake, North Sumatra has also another interesting tourism attraction to visit. That is the Nature Reserve of Dolok Tinggi Raja. It has an area of 167 hectares and is located in Dolok Merawa Village, Silau Kahean District, Simalungun Regency, North Sumatra Province. The total of the area, 4 hectares is the main location for geysers mixed with sulphur. The hot spring of Tinggi Raja White Crater is surrounded by travertine or limestone deposits at an altitude of 450 meters above sea level. It is one of the tourism attractions of the Nature Reserveof Dolok Tinggi Raja.
The hot spring with temperatures around 90 degrees Celsius from the Tinggi Raja White Crater comes from small hills in the area. The flow of hot water flows between the limestone rocks that are stepped, so that the rocks become pure white like snow. Some people call it “Hot Snow”. There are two places that can be visited in this tourism area. The first one is the limestone hill which is traversed by the flow of hot water which makes these rocks beautiful to the eye. On top of the limestone hill, there is also a small natural pool that emits hot springs that appear bubbling from the bottom of the pool. There is also a stream of hot water flowing through the dry bushes of trees and gathering into one and forming a very beautiful blue-green lake.
Another place that you can visit when you go to the Tinggi Raja White Crater is under the cliff. You can soak in the water. There is a cool river flow and a waterfall that flows from the hill above, making this place a destination for soaking after visitors enjoy the beauty of the hot water above. This hot spring is believed to contain sulphur which is good for skin health when used for bathing or washing the limbs. There are food stalls or restaurants in this nature reserve, you are recommended to bring your own food.