INDONESIA ~ Oerangutan Mother and Baby ~

...A wonderful orangutans postcard...Although we share 97% of our DNA with these gentle creatures they are close to extinction due to the systematic destruction of the rainforest, primarily for palm oil production... with beautiful matching stamps featuring Chinese Zodiac Sign – The Monkey...Thank you very much Shinta♥

From backside card:
Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates, they use a variety of sophisticated tools and construct elaborate sleeping nests each night from branches and foliage. Native to Indonesia and Malaysia, orangutans are currently found in only the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra.

Babies stay with their mother until they are about 8 or 9 years old and have a long childhood compared to other apes.

Stamps:

2016 Chinese Lunar New Year
Year of the Monkey
(Issued 24-01-2016)

INDONESIA ~ Bali- Kecak dance ~

Great postcard showing a traditional dance....a wonderful display of Balinese culture... Thanks a lot Hime!!

Kecak is a form of Balinese dance and music drama that was developed in the 1930s in Bali, Indonesia. Since its creation, it has been performed primarily by men, with the very first women's kecak group starting in 2006.

Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, the piece, performed by a circle of at least 150 performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak" and moving their hands and arms, depicts a battle from the Ramayana. The monkey-like Vanara helped Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana. Kecak has roots in sanghyang, a trance-inducing exorcism dance.


Stamps:
Greetings stamps - Flowers
(Issued 21-04-2001)
The 150 Anniversary of Red Cross International
(Issued 17-04-2013)

INDONESIA ~Toraja Tomb of Sulawesi-UNESCO Tentative List~

... Great postcard showing rare ancient rites and unique culture... a fascinating place... Thanks a lot Hime for this lovely surprise in my mailbox^^!!

The Toraja are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi (one of the largest islands in Indonesia). People in Toraja believe in life after death. It is well known as the Land of Heavenly Kings. They have a unique funeral ceremony for helping the Spirit goes to heaven easily. After the ceremony, the dead body is put inside the rocky mountain. They believe that’ll make them closer to heaven.

At Lemo village, probably the most impressive burial area these graves are built into the cliff, and wooden statues of the dead are displayed in balconies alongside. This cliff grave site has a large number of Tau Tau statues; Tau Tau is a wooden carving made to represent the dead. The two structures on the right are used to carry coffins.


Stamp:
Greetings Stamps - Flowers
(Issued 21-04-2001)

INDONESIA ~Komodo National Park - UNESCO ~

 ..Fantastic view of an enormous pre-historic looking animal...the experience of getting face to face with such a creature must be amazing... Thanks a lot Jennifer!!

Photo Ⓒ Michael Lane From backside card:
The most remarkable inhabitant of Komodo National Park is the Komodo Lizard. These giant lizards, existing no-where else in the world, are of great scientific interest, especially for their evolutionary implications. Most commonly known as "Komodo Dragons", due to its appearance and aggressive behavior, the Komodo Lizard, is the largest living species of lizard, growing to an average length of 2 to 3 meters

The Komodo National Park is located within the Lesser Sunda Islands. The park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Padar and Rinca, and 26 smaller ones, with a total area of 1,733 km². The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard. Later it was dedicated to protecting other species, including marine species.

In 1991 the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Komodo National Park has been selected as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Stamps:
General Elections
(Issued 09-01-2014)
Year of the Rabbit
(Issued 25-01-2011)

INDONESIA ~The Smokey Vulcano-Merapi~

Great nature view with the volcanic mountain in the background...the incredible power of a volcano always fascinated me.. Thanks a lot Very!!
"He never sleeps, he's just waiting for the right moment to uncover him"

With nice Flora and Fauna stamp;
 (Issued 05-11-2012)

Mount Merapi is the most active of the nation's 129 volcanoes, and smoke can be seen emerging from the mountaintop at least 300 days a year.
 Mount Merapi or Fire Mountain in Indonesian/Javanese), is located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta. Merapi  has erupted 68 times since 1548.

INDONESIA ~Bali~

Wonderful picturesque temple view in a beautiful setting surrounded by water... One of the most important temples for Hindu and Budhist... Thanks a lot Edwin!!

With great stamps too!
The Ulun Danu temple literally means " the beginning of the lake" was built in 1663 by King Mengwi I Gusti is one of Bali’s most visited and most spiritually important balinese temple. This temple is used for offerings ceremony to the Balinese water, lake and river goddess Dewi Danu, due to the importance of Lake Bratan as a main source of irrigation in central Bali.

INDONESIA ~Rafflesia arnoldi-The world's largest flower UNESCO~

...Just look at the size of this magnificent a bit "bizarre" looking flower! As being a keen gardener I find this a great and impressive view But I don't think I would want it in my garden because of its odor of rotting meat...:D Thank you very much Edna!!

And as usual with great stamps:Indonesia issued a set of six stamps and two s/s for intangible culture on 29.03.2010.the stamps show Arjuna and Hanuman.


The flower with the world's largest bloom is the Rafflesia arnoldii. This rare flower is found in the rainforests of Indonesia. It can grow to be 1meter (3feet) across and weigh up to 7kilo (15 pounds)! It is a parasitic plant, with no visible leaves, roots, or stem. It attaches itself to a host plant to obtain water and nutrients. When in bloom, the Rafflesia emits a repulsive odor, similar to that of rotting meat. This odor attracts insects that pollinate the plant.

INDONESIA ~Java-Temple of Borobudur-UNESCO~

Got this fantastic and impressive view from my friend Benny who is there on holiday!The Borodudur Temple is a UNESCO WHS since 1991.

Borobudur: Pathway to Enlightenment
On the island of Java stands a mountain of a thousand statues...

The temple was buried under volcanic ash and overgrown with vegetation for centuries... It was rediscovered in 1814 thanks to Thomas Stamford Raffles, the British Lieutenant-Governor of Java. The Borobudur temple was fully unearthed in 1835.
With nice stamps too!

Borobudur is a 9thC Mahayara Budhist monument built by Syalendra Dynasty in Magelay, Central Java. It was built to honour the glory of both the Buddha and its founder. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circulair platforms, and is decorated with 2.672 relief panels and 500 Budha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platforms is surrounded by 72 Budha statues seated inside perforated Stupa.

INDONESIA ~Batur Mountain-Kintamani~

Its always so nice to receive a "surprise card" in your mailbox. Thanks a lot Edna
for thinking of me during one of your trips! :) Its a wonderful view...
And also a great new UNESCO site! The sender wrote that you can easely walk up to the waterfall (ranks with its overall drop of 422 m as the tallest waterfall in France).The views on the climb must be stunning, would love to do it someday!


Mount Batur is a small volcano that still active in this island, Bali . Created by an eruption of Mount Batur approximately 30,000 years ago. It sets in the hearth of a huge crater 14 km in diameter and 65 meters deep.

INDONESIA ~The Sangiran Early Men Site-UNESCO~

Received a great lighthouse card from the USA and a very interesting card from Indonesia, a site in Central Java. Both again with such nice stamps...


Sangiran is an archaeological excavation site at the island of Java in Indonesia. In 1996 it was accepted as World Heritage by the UNESCO.
In 1934 the anthropologist Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald started to examine the area. During excavations in the next years fossils of some of the first known human ancestors, Pithecanthropus erectus ("Java Man", now reclassified as part of the species Homo erectus), were found here. About 60 more human fossils, among them the enigmatic "Meganthropus", have since been found here. In addition, there are considerable numbers of remains of the animals that these primitive humans hunted, and of others that merely shared the habitat.

INDONESIA ~Java- Grand Mosque~

Got a beautiful mosque with an interesting architecture. You will never find buildings like this in Europe........ Love the stamps too!:-)


This mosque was built in 2001 until 2006. This mosque stands on 10 hectares of land. The mosque is an extraordinary building , even from a distance the building will appear upright supported by the high tower.

INDONESIA ~Java-Prambanan Temple~

The Prambanan temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, currently the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia, and is one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the towering 47m high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.

INDONESIA ~Ujung Kulon National Park-UNESCO~

Received three wonderful cards today! Two amazing whale cards for my collection and a really nice nature multiview of Indonesia and it is an UNESCO site. Also with great Year of the Tiger stamps....

It is Indonesia's first proposed national park and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 for containing the largest remaining lowland rainforest in Java. It is also one of only two homes of the critically endangered Javan Rhinoceros. A population of fifty to sixty live in Ujung. The park protects 57 rare species of plant. The 35 species of mammal include Banteng, Silvery Gibbon, Javan Lutung, Crab-eating Macaque, Leopard, Java Mouse-deer and Rusa Deer. There are also 72 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 240 species of birds.

INDONESIA ~Borobudur-Java-Unesco~

I found this beautiful qoute when I was searching for imformation about Borobudur:

Between heaven and earth

" Some moments in life make one feel as if there were no longer any distance between Heaven and Earth, and in the creative blending into the whole, the sense of life is being revealed.
Such an emotion is experienced when one ascends the stairs of Borobudur, Buddhist marvel of stone, in a full tropical moon-night."

This is certainly a place on top of my wishlist for a visit....

INDONESIA ~Borobudur-Java-Unesco~
Originally uploaded by gerda_dager

Sent by Shinta. Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayara Budhist monument built by Syalendra Dynasty in Magelay, Central Java. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circulair platforms, and is decorated with 2.672 relief panels and 500 Budha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platforms is surrounded by 72 Budha statues seated inside perforated Stupa.

INDONESIA ~Mount Brome, Batok and Semeru~

INDONESIA ~Mount Brome, Batok and Semeru~
Originally uploaded by gerda_dager

Sent by Dee from East Java. A sunrise view of Mount Bromo, Batok and Semeru.The best view is from Mount Pananjakan