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The Glossary

bamikro - "also called angkot or microbus"

From Indonesia Glossary

Indonesia's "Middle Earth" is Flores, a land of "hobbits," giants, dwarves, three-colored lakes, and other oddities usually thought to have only existed in fiction or in dreams. Found east of Sumbawa and Komodo, Flores or flowers in Portuguese, is a scuba diving and snorkeling haven for its varied marine life such as whale sharks and dolphins, thriving in an equally distinct underwater environment of sheer cliff walls, submarine plateaus, sunken caves, and all possible size, color and type of hard and soft coral. This island's West Coast is one of the few places on earth, apart from Komodo, where komodo dragons can be found lurking in the wild.

Flores' most famous tourist attraction is Kelimutu, a series of three-colored lakes in the laidback district of Ende. These crater lakes are in a volcano's caldera and a volcanic gas makes them change colors almost as fast a snake would change its skin. In 2004, the lakes' hues were turquoise, brown and black. A year before, it was turquoise, green and red. That same year, scientists who excavated at Liang Bua Cave discovered small skeletons of 18-thousand-year-old hominid species fondly called "hobbits." Flores was also inhabited by the extinct Stegodon dwarf elephant and continues to be the habitat of giant rodents.

In the north coast, Maumere and Riung are famous for their idyllic diving and snorkeling spots, as well as Seraya Island in Labuanbajo, known to be a migratory path for whale sharks. Labuanbajo is also where ferries can be rode to Rinca Island and the World Heritage-listed Komodo Island. Moni is a launching pad for trekking Mount Kelimutu while tens of thousands of bats reign at dusk in the mangrove island of Kalong. Local villages and indigenous architecture can be found in Ruteng and Bajawa while the laidback Ende city serves Kopi Ende, a unique blend of Indonesian coffee beans and ginger.

User blogs:

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News from http://news.ph.msn.com/top-stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3737940 Richard Branson unveiled Monday a commercial spaceliner offering tourists a cheaper chance to experience the thrill of weightlessness and view the splendor of the Earth from space.   The British billionaire hopes to offer tickets aboard his spacecraft at a cost of 200,000 dollars each, giving adventurous ... Read full Blog post

Indonesia Eco Tourism

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San Gimignano and San Pellegrino

Night falls on the flourishing and industrious San Gimignano, its 72 towers stand on the low roofs of the houses lit by the moon. This is not a luxury travel spot but is something you don't see every day. In the distance the clatter of hooves echoed tired in the Via Francigena. The hand of the blacksmith stops beating, the frame of the weaver becomes silent, the streets of the tank only a concert ... Read full Blog post

An Aerial fiesta in Clark Pampanga

Its a party in the sky as multi colored hot air balloons piloted ny different pilots from various partso of the world participated in this annual gathering. As early as 5am, the 2,500 hectare aviation complex at Clar Economic Zone in Pampanga was already crammedi with excitement. Clusters of hot air balloon participants busily prepare their own balloons for liftoff as they need to take advantage of ... Read full Blog post