:: Lampung - South Sumatra Travel Guide ::
Lampung is a province of
Indonesia, located on the southern tip of the island of
Sumatra. It borders the provinces of Bengkulu and South
Sumatra. The original inhabitant of Lampung is the "Lampung"
tribe, who speak a distinct language from other people
in Sumatra and have their own alphabet.
The
province
has a population of 6,654,354 (2000 census). A large
portion of the current population of Lampung is
descended from migrants from Java, Madura, and Bali.
These migrants came both spontaneously, in search of
more land than was available on the more densely
populated islands, as well as part of the government's
transmigration program, for which Lampung was one of the
earliest and most important transmigration destinations.
Lampung is commonly known for its geographical
instability in terms of earthquakes and volcanoes. On
May 10 2005, a strong earthquake measuring 6.4 on the
richter scale struck the province. The historical
volcano blast of Krakatau occurred in 1883, which
resulted in disastrous consequences.
Administration
Lampung is divided into 9 regencies:
* West Lampung
* South Lampung
* Central Lampung
* East Lampung
* North Lampung
* Way Kanan
* Tanggamus
* Tulang Bawang
* Pesawaran
and 2 cities: Bandar Lampung and Metro
Some of the major produce in the country includes
robusta Coffee beans, Cocoa beans, coconuts and cloves.
This has resulted in a thriving agricultural sector with
companies like Nestlé procuring coffee beans from the
region. This agriculture has included illegal growing in
Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park.In addition, Nata de
Coco is also manufactured in the region by domestic
companies like Wong Coco.
Textile
Up until the 1920s, Lampung had a rich and varied
weaving tradition. Lampung weaving used a supplementary
weft technique which enabled coloured silk or cotton
threads to be superimposed on a plainer cotton
background. The most prominent Lampung textile was the
palepai, ownership of which was restricted to the
Lampung aristocracy of the Kalianda Bay area. There were
two types of smaller cloths, known as tatibin and tampan,
which could be owned and used by all levels of
Lampungese society. Weaving technologies were spread
throughout Lampung. High quality weavings were produced
by the Paminggir, Krui, Abung and Pesisir peoples.
Production was particularly prolific among the people of
the Kalianda Bay area in the south and the Krui
aristocracy in the north.
The
oldest
surviving examples of Lampung textiles date back to the
eighteenth century,[citation needed] but some scholars
believe that weaving may date back to the first
millennium AD when Sumatra first came under Indian
cultural influence. The prevelance of Buddhist motifs,
such as diamonds, suggests that the weaving traditions
were already active in the time when Lampung came under
the Buddhist Srivijayan rule. There are similarities
between Lampung weaving and weaving traditions in some
parts of modern-day Thailand that experienced cultural
contact with Sriwijaya.
Lampung textiles were known as 'ship cloths' because
ships are a common motif. The ship motif represents the
transition from one realm of life to the next, for
instances from boyhood to manhood or from being single
to married and also represents the final transition to
the afterlife. Traditionally, Lampung textiles were used
as part of religious ceremonies such as weddings and
circumcisions. For instance, the palepai cloths were
used as long ceremonial wall-hangings behind the bridal
party in aristocratic marriages. The smaller, more
humble tampan cloths were exchanged between families at
the time of weddings.
Production of many fine cloths blossomed in the late
nineteenth century as Lampung grew rich on pepper
production, but the devastating eruption of Krakatoa in
1883 destroyed many weaving villages in the Kalianda
area. By the 1920s the increasing importance of Islam
and the collapse of the pepper trade brought production
to a halt. Today Lampung textiles are highly prized by
collectors.
PLACE OF INTEREST IN
LAMPUNG
Bandar Lampung
The capital of Lampung has severa
l
interesting places such as the Museum and the Monument
of the Krakatau Eruption. Worth while seeing or doing is
the weaving process of Tapis textile, art and dance
performances or just sunbathing on the beach.
Museum of Lampung
Located at Teuku Umar Street, it can be reached
within 15 minutes from the centre of Bandar Lampung. It
contains ethnographic and archaeological collections,
Chinese ceramics, traditional music instruments, ancient
Tapis cloth and ornaments.
Way Kambas Reserve and Way Wako River
Way Kambas is a 2-hour drive from Bandar Lampung.
130,000 hectares of area on Lampung's East coast, Way
Kambas is the best place to watch wild Sumatran
elephants, tigers and many species of birds. Motorboats
can be hired at Way Kanan for cruising around and up the
river.
Way Kanan River
Here we can sail
along Way Kanan and Way Kambas by canoe or boat to watch
the surrounding flora and fauna while in the mouth of
Way Kambas, it's good for fishing and swimming. In the
morning, we can safari for 2 hours through the prepared
track and listen to wild animals roaring and birds
singing.
Elephant Training Centre
Way Kambas Elephant Training is an international project
which is partly funded by the World Wildlife Fund. The
aim of training them is to make the captured elephant be
useful to mankind.
Most visitors come to Way Kambas to see the training
centre and to have an opportunity to ride on an
elephant.
Simple tourist facilities are available at Way Kanan
such as lodges, wooden houses on poles, river boats and
an observation centre. Way Kambas is accessible by car
from Bandar Lampung. The activities and special
interests are bird watching, jungle tracking, elephants
safari, and river cruises..
Pugung Archaeologicai Site
Located in Pugung Raharjo village, 40 km. northeast
of Bandar Lampung, is a site of megalithic and
prehistoric relics as well as of the classical Hindu
Buddhist period. There are primitive trenched fortresses
which almost surround its site. Stone inscription,
ancient Chinese porcelains, Polynesian statue and the
statue of Bodhisatwa are at the museum, a house on poles
located on the way to Pugung Raharjo.
Merak Belantung Beach
Located 40 km south of Bandar Lampung on the way to
the seaport of Bekauheni. The beach is ideal for
swimming and wind surfing. Cottages and equipment for
wind surfing are available.
WAE KAMBAS ELEPHANT TRAINING
CENTER
Way Kambas is one of the
national park in Lampung Province, besides Bukit Barisan
Selatan, covering a total area 128,450 hectares. Here
there are two objects which are able to visit. One is
the elephant training center situated in intensive use
zone about 1,000 hectares. In the zone the wild Sumatran
elephants are trained to be useful ones.
The result of this training you will be able to see and
enjoy some elephant attractions, as a playing football,
swimming or ridding on the elephant around the area. If
you like to go safari into the jungle where ever you
like, the trainer will be ready to accompany.
To reach Way Kambas, through asphalt road it only takes
you 2 hours drive from Bandar Lampung. In the nature
reserve, there is the first Elephant Training Center in
Indonesia.
MOUNT KRAKATAU
Administratively Krakatau
belongs to Lampung Province.
Krakatau located in Sunda Strait, between Java and
Sumatera Island, had been wellknown and recorded in the
history since the 16th century.
At that times Sunda strait became a heavy business
traffic line from Europe (Holland, England, etc) to East
India (Indonesia).
In this modern century Sunda Strait plays more important
role as business traffic line as well as the field of
geological and maritim research.
Ancient Krakatau was estimated 2,000 meters in height
and radius of 9 kms.
Its great eruption happened in pre history in 416 as
documented in the ancient Javanese book "Pustaka Raja",
and left 3 island as the rest i.e. Rakata, Sertung and
Panjang Island.
In the later expanding Rakata comes and followed by
Danan and Perbuatan volcanic summits.
The latest
great
eruption of Krakatau volcano happened on 27th of the
August 1883 and destroyed most of its body (3/4 of it).
It caused big wave with 40 metres height.
A stemship anchored in Teluk
Betung port was thrown 2.5 kms away and washed ashore in
the lower course of Kuripan river. It also caused ash
and stone hail covered 300.000 squared miles or some 483
sq kms within a radius of 150 kms.
Jakarta (Batavia) and around Sunda Strait such as Anyer,
Merak, Labuan, Kalianda, Teluk Betung and Kota Agung
became pitch dark.
The eruption was heard from Phillippines, Alice Springs,
Rodriquez Island and Madagascar. The power of its
eruption was estimated to 21,547.6 atom bomb multiplied.
Besides that, the ash hail produced by the eruption
caused obstruction of the view to the sun, so that it
created a spectacular view as if the sun was almost
gone.
After having 44 years rest, the child of Krakatau
appeared in December 1927 and it is expanding until now.
Today you can come and step your foot
on
it searching closely the minerals (Volcanic bomb, lava,
lappili) from the bottom of the earth which were thrown
up through its creater.
Krakatau and its terific eruption which is recorded in
the history now invites every one to come and witness
for science as well as for pleasure.
Now the child of Krakatau has reached approx 200 m above
sea level with the diameter of 2 kilometres.
The way to get there is from Canti located in Kalianda
about an hour driving from Bandar Lampung, and the boats
will take to the Karakatau area. Near by the Krakatau
there are Sebuku and sabesi island as for stopover and
staying over night. It only taken one and half hour from
Canti.
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