Photo of the Day ~ Candi Prambanan- Sunrise ~ Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog

Today we have another view of Prambanan Temple.  We arrived at sunrise to capture this ancient feat of architecture in all its splendid beauty.  Here I opted for a shot without crisp focus to capture the morning aura at first light.

Candi Prambanan in Yogjakarta is considered by many to be the most beautiful Hindu Temple in the world.  Prambanan temple is located in Yogjakarta, Java.  This masterpiece was constructed in the tenth century during the reigns of two powerful kings; Rakai Pikatan and Rakai Balitung. At its tallest, the temple climbs up 48 meters (almost 160 feet, even taller than Borobudur temple).  This photo was taken on our Eco-Adventure Tour while in Yogjakarta, Java.

Prambanan temple has three main temples all facing to the East.  One for Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva.  temples.  Each of the three also has accompanying temple that faces to the west. The grounds are beautiful, complete with gardens, fountains and 224 more temples!

Copyright © 2010 Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ Michael Doliveck

Are you a photographer or just like to take pictures?  Contact us to find out about our special tours for photographers.  Take a look at the images in the gallery as they are good examples of the types of images you will be able to create on our tours.  The tours are led by Michael, a professor of art and photography as well as some very special guest teachers and pro photographers.  Contact us at photo@balifornian.com today for more information.

Have great images from your Indonesian travels you would like to share? Want to submit your photo for the Balifornian Tour and Travel Blog Photo of the Day?  Please send your JPEG, location and description to photo@balifornian.com  Files must be under 500 kb.

Happy travels!

Michael and Maryam

Photo of the Day ~ Candi Prambanan, Yogjakarta ~ Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog

Candi Prambanan in Yogjakarta is considered by many to be the most beautiful Hindu Temple in the world.  Prambanan temple is located in Yogjakarta.  This masterpiece was constructed in the tenth century during the reigns of two powerful kings; Rakai Pikatan and Rakai Balitung. At its tallest, the temple climbs up 48 meters (almost 160 feet, even taller than Borobudur temple).  This photo was taken on our Eco-Adventure Tour while in Yogjakarta, Java.

Prambanan temple has three main temples all facing to the East.  One for Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva.  temples.  Each of the three also has accompanying temple that faces to the west. The grounds are beautiful, complete with gardens, fountains and 224 more temples!

Copyright © 2010 Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ Michael Doliveck

Are you a photographer or just like to take pictures?  Contact us to find out about our special tours for photographers.  Take a look at the images in the gallery as they are good examples of the types of images you will be able to create on our tours.  The tours are led by Michael, a professor of art and photography as well as some very special guest teachers and pro photographers.  Contact us at photo@balifornian.com today for more information.

Have great images from your Indonesian travels you would like to share? Want to submit your photo for the Balifornian Tour and Travel Blog Photo of the Day?  Please send your JPEG, location and description to photo@balifornian.com  Files must be under 500 kb.

Happy travels!

Michael and Maryam

Strange Brew- Worlds Priciest Drink? Indo's Secret

By Michael Doliveck ~ Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog

It’s highly sought after and its worth its weight in silver. It’s only available from certain parts of Indonesia.  It’s the drink of choice for the ultra-wealthy.  It’s been featured in movies, Oprah swears by it, and its known as one of the most expensive coffee in the world.     What is it?  

 Well it’s called Kopi Luwak.

Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee, and Luwak is a small marsupial also known as the paradoxurus or Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). They only live on the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi in Indonesia. The Luwak is a small tree-dwelling animal that climbs among the coffee trees eating only the ripest, reddest coffee cherries. They then digest and eventually excrete the bean. The proteolytic enzymes in the cat-like animals' stomachs adds a unique flavor through fermentation during the digestion process.  Locals then collect the “processed” bean.  It is then washed, sun dried, lightly roasted and then brewed to yield an aromatic coffee with very little bitterness.

 Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world.  It sells for $100 to $700 a pound and special varieties have sold for over $3000 a pound!  It can also be purchased by the cup for up to $50.  Not to worry as Balifornian Tours can take you to authentic locations selling some of the highest quality Kopi Luwak found in the islands for a much lower price (around $4-$6 a cup)

Copyright © 2010 Mikaku ~ Michael Doliveck

Photo of the Day ~ Root Caverns ~ Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog

This increadible huge tree with its unique root system was seen on our Balifornian eco-tourism adventure tour of Indonesia.  It was photographed while we were on the island of Java outside of Jakarta.  The caverns created by its massive roots created mini-eco-systems. 

Copyright © 2010 Mikaku ~ Michael Doliveck

Are you a photographer or just like to take pictures?  Contact us to find out about our special tours for photographers.  Take a look at the images in the gallery as they are good examples of the types of images you will be able to create on our tours.  The tours are led by Michael, a professor of art and photography as well as some very special guest teachers and pro photographers.  Contact us at photo@balifornian.com today for more information.

Have great images from your Indonesian travels you would like to share? Want to submit your photo for the Balifornian Tour and Travel Blog Photo of the Day?  Please send your JPEG, location and description to photo@balifornian.com  Files must be under 500 kb.

Happy travels!

Michael and Maryam

The strangest monkey photos you have ever seen

These photos were taken on our Balifornian Eco-Adventure Tour while in heavy traffic in the heart of "The Big Durian", AKA Jakarta.  While we do not condone the poor treatment of these inteligent animals, we felt it was important to share these bizarre images.  Street peddlers will set up in high traffic areas where cars must slow to a crawl in a city plagued with dense traffic.  These poor monkeys dressed in human clothing will perform various acts such as riding small fake motorcycles, play fake instruments or sometimes forced to sit in human-like positions in an attempt to collect money from passing motorists.  Occasionally these unfortunate creatures will be bondaged to assmue these unconfortable positions.  We wanted to bring this cruel practice to light and share it with you.  We obviously encourage passers by not to donate to these inhumane practices.

All images  © 2010 Michael Doliveck http://www.balifornian.com ~ A photo essay. Bali Travel Blog