The Three Sisters

The Three Sisters is another famous rock formation in Australia. It is located near to Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales. The rocks formation is unique. The rocks stand side by side over the Jamison Valley. They sculpted by wind and rain constant erosion. Each rock has its own name, Meehni (922 m), Wimlah (918 m), and Gunnedoo (906 m). I think the three rocks may totally detach one day in the future because of the wind and water erosion over time.


Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo?? Which is which?


Waterfall with a rainbow ...

A folk tale says that the rocks represent three sisters, namely Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo. The three sisters fell in love and wished to married three men from other tribe. However, the three couples were not allowed to get married by the tribal law. Then, a war between the two tribes erupted. To protect the three sisters from any harm, they were, then, turned to stones by a medicine man. The war killed the medicine man, as a result the three ladies were kept forever in the stones.

Indonesia Travel Tips II

Here are more tips for you ... You can read other tips in ‘Indonesia Travel Tips I’

6. The staple food in Indonesia is steam rice. It is usually served with a variety side dishes. Most of the side dishes taste spicy. So if you can not tolerate spices, make sure you ask for non-spicy food before ordering. One more thing, make sure that you know exactly the prices of your food before ordering.
Then, do not drink from the tap water. The tap water here does not meet the requirement for safe drinking water. Keep a bottled water with you. You can purchase the bottled water from a supermarket.

7. As Indonesia is a hot and humid country; light clothing, like trousers, slack, shirt, is more comfortable. Avoid wearing halter-tops or shorts unless you are on the beach or around sport facilities area.

8. Do bargain when you buy souvenirs or hire a tour guide.

9. Public toilet here could also be a huge problem. Do not expect to find good and clean public toilet on the street, at bus terminals, train stations or even airports. Even for me, I try not to go to the public toilets unless I really really desperately need one. There are some good and clean public toilets in big shopping malls.

10. Most Indonesian can not speak English and most sign boards are in Indonesian. May be it is better if you are familiar with Indonesian words, such as: Good morning: Selamat pagi; Good afternoon: Selamat siang; Good night: Selamat malam; Buka: open; Tutup: closed; Masuk: enter; Keluar: exit; WC/Toilet: washroom; Wanita: ladies; Pria: gents; Kanan: right; Kiri: left; Pesan: order; Terima kasih: thank you; Makan: to eat; Minum: to drink; Air: water.

11. Lastly, do not forget to take note of these emergency phone number:
Police department: 110
Fire department: 113
Ambulance/ medical emergency: 118/119
Phone directory: 108

Well, those are all tips that I think may be useful for your trip to Indonesia. Even that the public facilities are not as good as you have in your home country; visiting and exploring Indonesia’s natural landscape and culture would broaden your horizon ... because everything here is just different and unique ...

Welcome to Indonesia!!

The Twelve Apostles

Welcome to the Twelve Apostles

The Twelve Apostles is an icon of Victoria state, Australia. The Twelve Apostles are a collection of huge natural limestone rocks in the Port Campbell National Park, Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia. I went there when I was in Melbourne. I joined a guided tour to visit the rocks. I had not searched or read any information about this place at that time, so when I heard the name, Twelve Apostles, I expected to see something in total of 12.


The natural limestone rocks...

In the past, this place was known as the Sow and Piglets. I was told that the Sow was an island (Muttonbird Island) and the piglets were the surrounding rocks. It was, then, named the Twelve Apostles in 1950. The new name was aimed to captivate more tourists to visit this place. The rocks are the remaining parts of the limestone cliffs of the mainland that underwent million of years of continuous erosion by wind and waves. The rocks have different height and thickness.

So, then, I expected to see 12 rocks. You will not find 12 rocks. Even it has been named as The Twelve Apostles in 1950, there were only 9 rocks left at that time. Moreover, there was one more rock collapsed in 2005 due to waves erosion and only 8 rocks left since then. It is estimated that the rate of erosion at the base of the rocks is 2 cm every year. So, more rocks being collapsed and new rocks being formed can be expected.

Oh, one more thing, the best views at the Twelve apostles are during sunrise and sunset. You can see the Twelve Apostles change from dark in shadow to yellowish.