VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Saudi Arabia has begun to  accept applications for Umrah from international Muslim pilgrims on condition that they have received the Covid-19 vaccination. The announcement was made through state media, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Sunday (8/8). SPA reported, the relevant ministry would receive Umrah applications from various countries in the world starting Monday 9 August 2021.

Thus, even though the Covid-19 pandemic is not over, Saudi Arabia is estimated to have started granting permits for 60,000 Umrah pilgrims who have been vaccinated. That number will gradually be increased to two million per month. Umrah pilgrims from abroad who are allowed to perform worship in the Holy Land must include an officially recognized Covid-19 vaccination certificate along with other requirements for Umrah.

Saudi Arabia's move to reopen Umrah for international pilgrims is quite bold. It needs cooperation at the international level so that there is no transmission of Covid-19 in Mecca. For Muslims outside Saudi Arabia who want to perform Umrah in the Holy Land, the decision is a breath of fresh air and encouraging.

However, the Saudi Government also imposes quite strict regulations, especially for pilgrims who, even though have been vaccinated, come from nine countries on the list of prohibited entry to Saudi Arabia. They are India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, and Lebanon. They will be quarantined for 14 days in third countries before entering Saudi Arabia. The reason is because Saudi Arabia has recognized only four types of vaccines, namely Pfizer, Moderna, Johnsons & Johnsons, and AstraZeneca. In fact on one hand, the Covid-19 vaccinations obtained by the 9 countries have already been approved and permitted by the World Health Organization -WHO. On the other hand, these countries, especially Indonesia with the largest Muslim population in the world, are known for their large number of Umrah pilgrims and bring in considerable income/foreign exchange for Saudi Arabia. The question is whether Saudi Arabia will relax the conditions in question given this fact.

Each country certainly needs to convince Saudi Arabia that the vaccines given to their citizens, although not included in the list of the Saudi Arabian government, have been tested and received permission from the WHO.

Understandably, the regulations are enforced solely to ensure that Umrah activities in the Holy Land are carried out in a safe manner by implementing all preventive measures and strict health protocols. This is considering that Umrah activities inevitably involve a great number of people with the potential to crowd. Thus, Umrah pilgrims are expected to be protected from the risk of Covid-19 transmission.

Voice of Indonesia presents Let’s Speak Indonesian, a program that introduces the Indonesian vocabulary and guides you to speak in the language. Mari Berbahasa Indonesia or Let’s Speak Indonesian is a joint initiative of Voice of Indonesia and the Language Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.  Today’s topic is still about Transportasi which means Transportation.

Here is the conversation entitled Dengan Aplikasi which means With Application.Kevin takes online taxi and it has arrived. Kevin tells the driver that he will pay with application, not cash. Let’s read to the conversation.

After reading to the conversation, now I am going to introduce some vocabulary and expressions related to the topic of the day.

In the dialog, you hear Kevin say Saya membayar dengan aplikasi, kan? (2x) which means I pay it with application, right? In the expression, there is the word dengan (2x) which means with.It is used to explain a way, tool accompaniment and many more. In the dialog context between Kevin and the taxi driver, the word dengan means using with a tool. The phrase dengan aplikasi (2x) which means with application in the sentence is functioned as a description. For example, Saya membayar dengan aplikasi (2x) which means I pay with application.

Let’s read to the other examples.

Kevin          : Saya membayar dengan uang tunai (2x) which means I pay it cash

Sopir taksi  : Baik, Pak (2x) which means Alright, Sir

Sopir taksi  : Saya mencari jalan dengan Google Maps (2x) which means I’m finding roads with Google Maps

Kevin          : Oh, begitu (2x) which means Oh, I see

In the dialog, you hear Kevin say Kiri di depan (2x) which means Front left. Literally, the word kiri means left. However, in the dialog context, Kiri di depan means stops in the front. The word kiri is associated with stop because in Indonesia vehicles stop on the left.

That was “Let’s Speak Indonesian” for today. Hopefully, this edition can be useful for those of you who want to know more about Indonesian language. 

When the pandemic is over and you can travel to Indonesia, try to visit the city of Medan in North Sumatra. Besides rich in beautiful tourism objects, the city of Medan is also rich in its culinary specialties. One of them is Kentut Rice.The name may sound strange, but this one food is delicious and healthy. This Medan specialty is named Kentut rice or in English means fart rice, because there is a unique spice in it, namely sembukan leaves or known as kentut leaves among the local community. Sembukan leaves or in Latin is called Paederia foetida.It is a wild plant in the open nature like a shrub. It is called kentut leaves because it has unpleasant smell similar to the smell of human’s fart.

In addition to using sembukan leaves, to make kentut rice, rice is also processed with other spices such as turmeric. Then this rice is cooked by being wrapped in banana leaves and then steamed or baked until cooked. After that, the aroma is so appetizing.Kentut rice is very delicious when eaten with a variety of side dishes. There are various choices of side dishes from anchovies, spicy potatoes, pepes oncom which is a steamed or grilled fermented soybean paste wrapped in banana leaves, stir-fried vegetables to fried chicken. And do not miss sambal terasi or shrimp paste sauce or green chili sauce as a complement. To make it more delicious, you can make kentut leaves as lalapan. Lalapan is fresh vegetables which are eaten raw.  

Besides being delicious, kentut rice is also rich in benefit because it uses kentut leaves as one of the main ingredients. This leaf has so many benefits such as treating all problems related to stomach and as a herbal medicine to cure smallpox (Herpes Zoster). It is also proven to relieve symptoms of heartburn such as canker sores, sore throat and chapped lips as well as improve blood circulation.For those of you who are interested in enjoying kentut rice, it is not difficult to find it in the city of Medan, North Sumatra. The price is also quite cheap, only around Rp10,000 to Rp15,000 per serving, depending on the side dish you choose. So, don't hesitate to enjoy kentut rice when you visit Medan in North Sumatra.

The Sewu Mountains are the largest tropical karst area in Southeast Asia. This area is administratively included in the territory of 3 provinces, namely Gunung Kidul Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region Province, Pacitan Regency, East Java Province; and Wonogiri Regency, Central Java Province. The Sewu mountain range was formed due to the lifting of the bottom of the sea thousands of years ago, where the presence of limestone is a characteristic of these mountains. These mountains have a very unique karst landscape, which is characterized by the presence of phenomena on the surface (exokarst) and below the surface (endokarst). Because of the uniqueness of its ecosystem, in 1993 the International Union of Speleology proposed that the Sewu Mountain Karst Area is included as one of the world's natural heritages. Finally, in September 2015, UNESCO designated the Sewu Mountains area as one of the world's geo-park areas.

The inauguration of the Sewu Mountains as Gunung Sewu Unesco Global Geopark at a symposium in Totton City, Japan, on September 19th, 2015, brought positive changes to the world of tourism and research in Indonesia, especially in the Sewu Mountains area. Gunung Sewu Geo-park has the Nglanggeran Ancient Volcano which is located in Nglanggeran Village, Patuk District, Gunung Kidul Regency, which is located in the Baturagung Mountain range. This mountain is an ancient volcano that was formed about 0.6-70 million years ago. To climb the top of the Nglanggeran Ancient Volcano takes about two hours. If departing in the afternoon, tourists can enjoy the sunset from its peak. There are two forests in Gunung Sewu Geopark, namely Wanagama Forest located in Banaran Village, Playen District, and Derivative Tourism Forest located in Girisuko Village, Panggang District. Both are included in the Gunungkidul Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region Province.

In the Gunung Sewu Geopark, there are also several valleys, such as the Sadeng Dry Valley – or Bengawan Solo Purba, located in Pucung Village, Girisubo District, Gunungkidul Regency. Its hilly and winding terrain makes this area be often visited by tourists who like downhill cycling. Then, there is also the Mulo Karst Valley which is located in Mulo Village, Wonosari District, Gunungkidul Regency. In addition, there are several waterfalls that can be found in this valley, such as Sri Gethuk Waterfall located in Bleberan Village, Playen District, Gunungkidul Regency and a waterfall located on the banks of the Oyo River. To enjoy the beauty of this waterfall, you have to go down the river by raft. In the dry season, the water looks clear blue. The water that falls from the 25 meter high cliff comes from three springs, namely Ngandong, Dong Poh, and Ngumbul springs. In the Gunung Sewu Geopark area there are also several caves such as Jomblang Cave, Pindul Cave, Kali Suci Cave, and Cokro Cave. Tourist activities such as caving and tubing can be done here. In this cave we will find a very enchanting view of the stalagmites and stalactites. You must enter the cave with the help of a tour guide to ensure safety. Another uniqueness of the Sewu mountains is that it is not far from the beach. There are several famous beaches in this area such as Baron Beach which is known as one of the most challenging fishing spots in Indonesia. Meanwhile, Wediombo Beach is popular as a surfing spot because of its powerful waves. For those of you who want to have an adventure, of course, this Mount Sewu tourism destination is the right place for anyone to visit.