West Sumatera - Padang
West Sumatra (Indonesian: Sumatera Barat, abbreviated to SumbarIs a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra, and borders the provinces of North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara) to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast. The capital of the province is Padang.
History
The history of West Sumatra is closely related to the history of the Minangkabau people. Archaeological evidence indicates that the area surrounding the Limapuluh Koto regency forms the first area inhabited by the Minangkabau. This interpretation seems to be justified as the area of the Limapuluh Koto regency covers a number of large rivers which meet at the eastern part of the Sumatran coastline. The rivers were known have provided important sailing transportation from the previous era to the end of the last century. The Minangkabau ancestors were believed to have arrived on this route. They sailed from Asia (Indo-China) via the South China Sea, crossing the Malacca Strait and later settled along the Kampar, Siak and Indragiri (or Kuantan) rivers. A portion of them lived and developed their culture and traits around the Limapuluh Koto regency.
The integration with migrants in the ensuing periods introduced cultural changes and an increase in population. Their settlement area gradually became diminished and eventually they spread to other parts of West Sumatra. A portion of them went to the Agam regency while others went to the now Tanah Datar regency. From those areas onward, further spread of the population occurred north of the Agam regency, in particular, the Lubuk Sikaping. Rao and Ophir districts. Most of them settled in the western area such as the coastline and some in the southern parts in Solok, Selayo and the surrounding areas of Muara and Sijunjung.
The history of the West Sumatra Province became more accessible at the time of the rule by Adityawarman. This ruler left considerable amount of evidence of himself, although he did not proclaim that he was the Minangkabau King. Adityawarman ruled Pagaruyung, a region believed by the Minangkabau to be the center of its culture. Adityawarman was the most important figure in Minangkabau history. Apart from introducing a government system by a ruling monarch, he also contributed significantly to the Minangkabau world. His most important contribution was the spread of Buddhism. This religion had a very strong influence in the Minangkabau life. The evidence of such influence found in West Sumatra today includes names such as Saruaso, Pariangan, Padang Barhalo, Candi, Biaro, Sumpur and Selo.
Since the death of Adityawarman in the middle of the 17th century the history of West Sumatra seems more complex. During that time, the connection of West Sumatra with the outside world, in particular, Aceh, became more intense. West Sumatra at that time was the political dominion of Aceh which also monopolized the economy of the area. Coupled with the intensive connection Islam entered into West Sumatra. The new faith eventually became fundamental to the social and cultural way of life in the region. Sheik Burhanuddin was regarded as the first preacher of Islam in West Sumatra. Prior to expanding the faith in the region, he was studying in Aceh.
The dominating influence of Aceh’s politics and economy did not make the people of West Sumatra happy. Ultimately, the growing dissatisfaction gave way to the acceptance of the Dutch although the presence of them also opened up a new chapter in the history of West Sumatra. The arrival of the Dutch in the region caused them to enter the era of colonialism in the very of essence of its meaning.
The first westerner to reach West Sumatra was the French explorer Jean Parmentier in 1529. However, the westerners who came for economic and political reasons were the Dutch. The Dutch commercial fleet was seen along the southern coast of West Sumatra between 1595 – 1598. Apart from the Dutch, other European nationalities also came to the region such as the Portuguese and the English.
Geography 
Mount MarapiWest Sumatra lies in the middle of the western coast of Sumatra, and has an area of 42,297.30 km². Geographic features include plains, mountainous volcanic highlands formed by the Barisan mountain range that runs from north-west to south-east, and an offshore island archipelago called the Mentawai Islands. The West Sumatran coastline faces the Indian Ocean and stretches 375 km from North Sumatra province in the north-west to Bengkulu in the south-east. The lakes of West Sumatra include: Maninjau (99.5 km²), Singkarak (130.1 km²), Diatas (31.5 km²), Dibawah (14.0 km²), Talang (5.0 km²). The rivers of West Sumatra include: Kuranji, Anai, Ombilin, Suliki, Arau. The mountains & volcanoes of West Sumatra include: Marapi (2,891 m), Sago (2,271 m), Singgalang (2,877 m), Talakmau (2,912 m), Talang (2,572 m), Tandikat (2,438 m).
Lake maninjau
Lake Maninjau has an area of 99.5 km², being approximately 16 km long and 7 km wide. The average depth is 105 m, with a maximum depth of 165 m. The natural outlet for excess water is the Antokan river, located on the west side of the lake. It is the only lake in Sumatra which has a natural outlet to the west coast. Since 1983 this water has been used to generate hydroelectric power for West Sumatra.
Most of the people who live around Lake Maninjau are ethnically Minangkabau. Villages on the shores of the lake include Maninjau and Bayur.
Maninjau is a notable tourist destination in the region due to its scenic beauty and mild climate. It is also used as a site for paragliding.
Local agriculture
The lake is used for aquaculture, using karamba floating net cages. The technique was introduced in 1992, and by 1997 there were over 2,000 cage units with over 600 households engaged. Each cage may have 3-4 production cycles each year. There is evidence of pollution around some karamba area.
On the edge of the lake, the landuse includes rice fields in the swamps and the lower slopes. The villages are bordered uphill by a large belt of forestlike tree gardens, which dissolves into the upper montane forest on the steepest parts of the slopes up to the ridge of the caldera.[3]
The tree gardens include three typical components:[3]
Fruit trees including durian, jack fruit, cempedak, rambutan, langsat, golden berries and water apples.
Timber species including Toona sinensis and Pterospermum javanicum.
Spice trees including cinnamon, coffee, nutmeg and cardamum.
Flora & fauna
The province includes large areas of dense tropical forest, which is home to a host of species including: Rafflesia arnoldii (world's largest flower), Sumatran Tiger, Siamang, Malayan tapir, Sumatran Serow, Rusa Deer, Malayan Sun Bear, Bornean Clouded Leopard, and many birds and butterflies.
The province includes two National Parks: Siberut National Park and Kerinci Seblat National Park, as well as a number of nature reserves: Rimbo Panti Nature Reserve, Batang Palupuh Nature Reserve, Lembah Anai Nature Reserve, Lembah Harau Nature Reserve, Bung Hatta Grand Forest Park, Beringin Sakti Nature Reserve.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
All I know about Toba lake
The other tour place that well known in Sumatera is lake Toba ( prapat).
Thios is the lagest lake in north Sumatera, with good view, fresh atmosphere. In the middle of the lake, is a small island called Samosir. The place thar have the most visitor isa Tuk Tuk and Temok. Many tourist go there to buy hand made sourvenir.
Lake Toba (Indonesian: Danau Toba) is,100 km long and 30 km wide, in the middle of the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra with a surface elevation of about 900 m (3000 feet), stretching from 2.88° N 98.52° E to 2.35° N 99.1° E.
GEOLOGY
In 1949 the Dutch geologist Rein van Bemmelen reported that Lake Toba was surrounded by a layer of ignimbrite rocks, and that it was a large volcanic caldera. Later researchers found rhyolite ash similar to that in the ignimbrite around Toba (now called Young Toba Tuff to distinguish it from layers deposited in previous explosions) in Malaysia and India, 3000 km away. Oceanographers discovered Toba ash, with its characteristic chemical "fingerprint", on the floor of the eastern Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.
HISTORY
The Toba eruption (the Toba event) occurred at what is now Lake Toba about 71,500 ± 4000 years ago. It had an estimated Volcanic Explosivity Index of 8 (described as "mega-colossal"), making it possibly the largest explosive volcanic eruption within the last twenty-five million years. Bill Rose and Craig Chesner of Michigan Technological University deduced that the total amount of erupted material was about 2800 cubic km (670 cubic miles) — around 2000 km³ of ignimbrite that flowed over the ground and around 800 km³ that fell as ash, with the wind blowing most of it to the west. By contrast, the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens ejected around 1.2 cubic km of material, whilst the largest volcanic eruption in historic times, at Mount Tambora in 1815, emitted the equivalent of around 100 cubic kilometres of dense rock and created the "Year Without a Summer" as far away as North America.
The Toba eruption was the latest of a series of at least three caldera-forming eruptions which have occurred at the volcano. Earlier calderas were formed around 700,000 and 840,000 years ago.[2]
To give an idea of its magnitude, consider that although the eruption took place in Indonesia, it deposited an ash layer approximately 15 cm (6 in) thick over the entire Indian subcontinent; at one site in central India, the Toba ash layer today is up to 6 m (20 feet) thick[3] and parts of Malaysia were covered with 9 m of ashfall.[4] In addition it has been calculated that 1010 metric tons of sulphuric acid was ejected into the atmosphere by the event, causing acid rain fallout.[5]
Landsat photo of Sumatra surrounding Lake TobaThe subsequent collapse formed a caldera that, after filling with water, created Lake Toba. The island in the center of the lake is formed by a resurgent dome.
Though the year can never be precisely determined, the season can: only the summer monsoon could have deposited Toba ashfall in the South China Sea, implying that the eruption took place sometime during the northern summer.[6] The eruption lasted perhaps two weeks, but the ensuing "volcanic winter" resulted in a decrease in average global temperatures by 3 to 3.5 degrees Celsius for several years. Greenland ice cores record a pulse of starkly reduced levels of organic carbon sequestration. Very few plants or animals in southeast Asia would have survived, and it is possible that the eruption caused a planet-wide die-off. There is some evidence, based on mitochondrial DNA, that the human race may have passed through a genetic bottleneck within this timeframe, reducing genetic diversity below what would be expected from the age of the species. According to the Toba catastrophe theory proposed by Stanley H. Ambrose of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1998, human populations may have been reduced to only a few tens of thousands of individuals by the Toba eruption.
ETHNIC
Most of the people who live around Lake Toba are ethnically Bataks. Traditional Batak houses are noted for their distinctive roofs (which curve upwards at each end, as a boat's hull does) and their colorful decor.
Lake Toba 
Landsat photo
Location North Sumatra
Coordinates 2°37′N, 98°49′E
Lake type Volcanic/ tectonic
Primary outflows Asahan River
Basin countries Indonesia
Max length 100 km
Max width 30 km
Surface area 1130 km²
Max depth 505 m[1]
Water volume 240 km³
Surface elevation 905 m
Islands Samosir
Monday, July 23, 2007
My hometown
Hi, my name is Evana, I am the eldest daughter in my family. I have 2 brothers and 1 sister. I was born in a small town called "Brastagi". It is a wonderful place, mountain range with cold weather, about 2hours from Medan (where I live now) by car. The most popular mountain is Mount Sibayak and Mount Sinabung. A lot of foreign tourist come to visit this small town for climbing, horse riding, buy fresh fruits and vegetables. At weekend, many people from Medan like to go there, to get relax.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
All about us
Monday, 23 july 2007,
I go out early,to my office, rainy day.
i came early cause I want to add something about me to this blog.
the story begun on 14 march 1976, the day I shown up on the first time in this world. 1976 was a year that we called dragon year..so that, they got my name Hui Long, 'Long' in chinesee word mean dragon.
my mother said,when i was a baby,i always slept (slept like a baby, cause i'm a baby) when the sun still online.then when the moon is online,I always keep my eye on, and start to crying... crying... and crying.. (maybe that was my first sin cause made them can't slept).
I have 1 older sister,and also have 1 younger sister,we always play together when we was kids.now, my older sister have her own family ( she married 6 years ago) and already have 1 kid, a boy.he is 6 years old now.my younger sister is in singapore.
first time in school,i was 5, my school was across from my home (now,my school is not there anymore,they moved,maybe 5 years ago).
then I took Industry Management program,at T.D.Pardede Institute and graduated 4 years later.
after graduated, i make our own business, goes in florists,its called Athena deFlorist, I also keep teaching, a private less. I want to have an education center, and still working on it (I start it 2 month ago).all what i do,need a lot of time.
I know about blogs about 1 month ago,from a magazine,local magazine.this take my attention totally,i went to book store to know a lot about blogging.I read things about blogging.maybe it's a little to late,but it's better than none.
then i built this blog, with my girlfriend (that i love),we will go for it.things always get better when we work on it.
My nephew,kenzie
Hi, I'm Long's GF, Evana. When I was a kid, I don't like eat vegetables, whereas my hometown "Brastagi" is wellknown with its fresh fruits and vegetables. Almost everyday I just eat rice with fried egg or just with soy sauce. Actually I don't remember my childhood time (my BF compell me to write this. LOL) But, I remember the first day I went to school (kindergarten), I ran home myself (my school and my house just have short distance). After home, my mom angry and bring me back to school. (I'm so naughty, LOL). But now, the most important thing is, I have a BF who loves me so much (and now sitting beside me, watching me write this blog).
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Bali island
I read a story about bali island in internet, that knew as god island, called that because the beauty of bali, like heaven, the place of god.
this is the story,
The island of Bali is blessed with the line of beaches surrounding it.Sanur.On the southeastern side of Bali, Sanur beach is easily reachable from Denpasar, about a 5 to 10 minute drive. Sanur is an excellent site to watch the sun rises, as you jog along the white sandy beach. Being one of the first resort developed in Bali, Sanur maintains its traditions. Only a stone thrown away from the beach, ancient temples stand as solemn as they have been in centuries past.
Practically on the opposite side of Sanur, the beaches of Kuta and Legian stretch on the southwestern side of Bali, again only about 5 to 10 minute drive from Denpasar or the airport.waves will invite you to test your surfing.Surfing is a major activity in these beachesThe beach of Kuta is one of the first favorite beaches discovered by tourist.
On the south, the beach is fenced by the airport’s runway, which gives you a breathtaking landing experience. The beach stretches as far north as the eyes can see.
Nusa Dua
Nusa Dua is a new luxurious resort area where the world's most sumptuous hotels gracefully integrate into the beautiful white beaches. Crystal clear water provides excellent snorkeling and diving site, and the waves on the northern and the southern part of Nusa Dua allow for great surfing opportunity.Soka BeachFurther northwest from Denpasar, on the way to Gilimanuk, the ferry port town that connects Bali and Java, there is a small quiet beach called Soka Beach.Medewi BeachContinuing along the path towards Gilimanuk, near the village of Pulukan, the beach of Medewi is another beautiful beach.Lovina BeachNear the northern tip of the island of Bali lies a stretch of villages by the Bali Sea. Lovina Beach is the name. It is well known as an excellent site for sunset watching, snorkeling, and diving. Night life activities are also abound, as well as chartered boats to go out into the sea. If you like what Kuta offers but do not like the crowd, Lovina Beach is for you.
