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Coffee, crater lakes — and the Lio way

  • Indonesia
  • East Nusa Tenggara
  • 22 Jan 2020

Kelimutu is more than its famed crater lakes. Travel with RMC Detusoko and immerse yourself in the agricultural heritage of Flores’ Ende-Lio highlands, and its role in the founding of modern Indonesia. 

MEET THE LIO PEOPLE

“The house is our mother. The mother has an esteemed position in our society,” says Aloysius Leta, a Wologai village elder, as he shows me into his traditional house in the village.

Known for its traditional houses with its distinctive thatched roofs, Wologai is one of the oldest Lio villages in Flores’s Ende-Lio highlands. Lio people profess to be descendants of one mother and one father from Mount Lepembusu, and the Lio traditional house reflects this “one mother” narrative. 

Though predominantly Catholic, much of the Lio people’s daily life are still governed by their pre-Christian customs. As such, rituals such as agricultural ceremonies, prayer offerings to ancestors, and the annual Kelimutu festival honouring ancestors are commonplace. 

An invitation to enter a traditional Lio house is a sacred and intimate gesture. The veranda through which guests enter symbolises the mother’s open hands and heart, says Aloysius. 

Next to the entrance is a carving of a pair of female breasts, which guests are to touch with quiet reverence upon entering. The interior of the house symbolises the mother’s womb and a communion of brotherhood.

Striking as they are, all of Wologai’s houses are reproductions of the originals — fires are a recurrent plague, and Aloysius has witnessed four Wologai fires in his lifetime. The last one in 2012 took just 15 minutes to consume every single house in the village. 

“Despite these trials, we don’t run away. We remain here to guard our mother,” says Aloysius. 

And it is this sense of pride and guardianship over Lio heritage that Ferdinandus “Nando” Watu seeks to preserve and share with the world through RMC Detusoko.  

ONE HEARTH, ONE MOTHER, ONE HOUSE 

RMC Detusoko is a collective founded by Nando and a group of young Lio farmers from Detusoko district, which encompasses Wologai, as well as Detusoko Barat, Nando’s village. 

Deeply grounded in their agricultural and spiritual traditions but aware of the need to tap economic opportunities beyond their home, RMC develops the capacity of local farmers for ventures into hospitality and artisan food production — fields beyond traditional farming, but within reach with the proper support.

In 2017, RMC founded Decotourism to manage RMC’s travel venture, taking advantage of the Lio villages’ proximity to one of Ende regency’s prime attractions: Mount Kelimutu and its famed tri-coloured lakes. 

With Decotourism, you take in not only the wonder of the lakes, but also the diverse ways in which young Lio farmers interpret the spirit of Kelimutu.

Revered as the final resting place of Lio ancestors, Kelimutu was once restricted as a Lio prayer ground. In the 1930s, an exiled Sukarno (also spelled Soekarno) —  who later became Indonesia’s first president — used to trek here to meditate. During his exile in Ende, Sukarno became influenced by Lio philosophy, which he tapped for his vision of a decolonised, multicultural republic. 

“Our Lio identity can be summed up as lika, iné and oné: we are a people of one hearth, one mother and one house.”

Nando Watu, founder, RMC Detusoko

Our visit began at 4am, where, dressed in layers to ward off the chill, we set off on a drive in pitch dark for our Kelimutu sunrise walk. Halfway through, our car pulls over. Nando steps out with a cigarette and a preparation of areca nuts, betel peppers and ground limestone. 

But this isn’t a cigarette break; we are at Kelimutu’s ritual gate, the Konde Ratu prayer rock. Presenting these offerings to his ancestors, Nando prays for our travels.

We then commenced the 30-minute light trek. Initially, I needed a headlamp to light my way. But soon, the first glimmers of daylight came piercing through the velvety violet skies, and the cold receded. 

 

A Kelimutu sunrise is like watching nature’s orchestra — the wind conducts blankets of clouds in waves over the three lakes as the landscapes change colours, accompanied by a choir of rare garugiwa, the Bahasa Indonesia name for the bare-throated whistler.

The three lakes in Kelimutu’s craters are known for changing colours, possibly due to the chemical reactions between the minerals and volcanic gases. Locals believe changes in the lakes’ colours present certain omens, and that each lake is designated different spirits: the spirits of those who died young, those who died in old age, or those who used supernatural powers for evil when they were living.

These spiritual landscapes are the foundation of RMC’s work: drawing on the philosophies of Lio identity to develop opportunities relevant to today’s world.  

A FUTURE AT STAKE 

DECO_RicePaddies_03_AndraFembriarto_2019

A former journalist, Nando had long been interested in developing the Ende highlands’ tourism potential. In 2014, he was awarded a scholarship to an ecotourism management study programme in the United States. 

On his return home, he worked as a facilitator for community-based tourism and solid waste management projects in the Ende highlands. One of his projects was Waturaka village, which won a national award in 2017 for Best Rural Ecotourism in Indonesia. 

Drawing on his lessons with Waturaka, Nando, who was recently elected village head of Detusoko Barat, hopes that RMC can persuade young locals to stay home instead of venturing abroad for jobs. 

“Indonesia loses up to a million farmers each year because young adults shun the farm. Although it’s good that farmers’ kids are getting higher education, it is a problem when parents establish the mindset that farmers are a low social class not worth joining.” says Nando, who is in his 30s.

“Our farmers are now typically over 45 years old, and we wonder why we’re suffering labour shortages for harvesting our otherwise profitable cloves, cocoa, rice and coffee,” he adds. 

RMC seeks to show young Ende-Lio highlanders the kind of future in store for them if they choose home. 

Its achievements include a partnership with Javara, a premium indigenous artisanal food brand, and participation in the British Council’s Active Citizens programme, the annual Kelimutu Festival, and exhibitions in Thailand and South Korea. 

It also provides scholarship opportunities ranging from half-year tourism programmes in Bali to bachelor degrees in agriculture. 

Decotourism now  sees steady bookings from around the world, as well as support from Wonderful Indonesia — the state tourism authority — for participating homestays.  

During our trip, we visit Waturaka, where we meet one of its ecotourism pioneers, Blasius “Sius” Leta Oja, a farmer who owns Sius Homestay. The homestay is also the rehearsal space for Nuwa Nai, a music group that handcrafts Lio instruments similar to the mandolin, flute, and violin.

Nuwa Nai performs a Lio song about the spirits of Kelimutu and for the community to stay united in a changing world, moving our driver Igen to tears. 

“We are proud to preserve our culture,” says Sius. He adds that economic opportunities from performances and tour packages at Nuwa Nai keep young Waturakans home, who otherwise would migrate to work in East Malaysia’s oil palm fields.

FROM FARM TO TABLE

Back in Detusoko, we go on a scenic half-day hike, consisting of an uphill walk through vast swathes of rice fields, panoramic views at farmers’ resting huts, and moments of peaceful silence at megalithic gravesites. 

The destination is Nando’s coffee plantation, where Igen and a crew of interning university students have prepared a picnic over the bonfire. After lunch, we picked ripe robusta coffee cherries and drive back with Igen.  

At Nando’s house, RMC members are busy sorting the harvest with members of Universitas Flores’ agricultural faculty. Sorting is a social event filled with chatter and hot drinks, during which I learn about the different grades of robusta coffee.

Later, we taste the coffee in RMC’s Lepa Lio café, a hangout spot for Decotourism guests decorated with classic Flores details such as bamboo furnishings and palm leaf weavings. 

Lepa Lio is also the production hub for RMC’s house brand, From the Fernandos’ Family Farm. Products — developed in collaboration with Javara’s food artisan academy — include peanut butter, marmalade, koro degalai (Lio for chilli-tomato relish), coffee, black rice, and sorghum.

Imelda Ndimbu, one of Lepa Lio’s employees, demonstrates how to create peanut butter — roasting the peanuts to perfection, weighing the right amounts of other locally-sourced ingredients such as sea salt and virgin coconut oil, and sterilising the jars in a hot bath. 

Naturally, I bought all the jars of peanut butter we made, and then some.

Nando also makes it a point to bring his guests to shop at other social enterprises in the Ende-Lio highlands, including the Wologai coffee shop and the Sokoria farmers’ collective. 

This rings true to the Lio philosophy of equal opportunity and interdependency in business; good fortune is shared with the folks of one hearth.

We end our trip with a tour of Ende city, visiting the historic sites where Sukarno drew influence from Catholic priests and Ende-Lio communities for the nation he would later found in 1945 — Indonesia. 

Months later, I am still processing and learning from the memories of this eclectic trip. What lingers is the sincerity of the relationships that make the Lio identity, how these relationships promise a bright future for its young farmers, and how, not too long ago, they served as inspiration for the nation I call home.

“Come as a guest, leave as family.”

Nando Watu, founder, RMC Detusoko

THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE

Travelling with Decotourism supports sustainable livelihoods for young Lio highlanders who choose farming at home over careers in cities. Retaining well-educated, productive youth in the village promotes economic growth, cultural resilience and indigenous stewardship in the Ende-Lio highlands.

By including in your itinerary visits to cultural heritage sites such as Wologai, and activities such as the Nuwa Nai performance, you help keep alive the sacred spaces where Lio highlanders share their cultural memories.

Proceeds from Decotourism also help RMC invest in its members through higher education and career opportunities, in fields previously beyond locals’ reach, such as hospitality, artisanal food production, and enterprise. 

RMC members are selected through an interview process and assigned to suitable business units. It retains 10 per cent of the rates paid for these jobs, to cover operational costs.

Let's travel...in pictures. Tap on our photo gallery to see what your next holiday could look like.

Article contributors
Writer
Grace Tan-Johannes
Photography and Video
Andra Fembriarto

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  • Kelimutu
  • Detusoko
  • Mountain highs
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Rural adventures go virtual in a lockdown

  • Indonesia
  • East Nusa Tenggara
  • 18 Dec 2019
A note from OBW section insert

At the time of publishing this story, COVID-19 cases globally continue to rise, and international travel — even domestic travel in some cases — has been restricted for public health reasons. During this time, consider exploring the world differently: discover new ways you can support communities in your favourite destinations, and bookmark them for future trips when borders reopen.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism was emerging as a boon to rural communities seeking to supplement their incomes while preserving their way of life. With little tourism to rely on as the coronavirus rages on, two rural communities in Indonesia are finding other ways to cope. 

Virtual voyages: Lakoat.Kujawas 

Can the magic of a revered water source in the Mollo highlands be felt across a virtual video tour?

Perhaps not as much as Dicky Senda would like. But with the COVID-19 pandemic shutting his hometown off from tourism revenue, such experiments provide a way  to bring the sights and sounds of his hometown into people’s homes and a means to sustain his community’s way of life. 

Just a little more than a year ago, Dicky had debuted the M’nahat Fe’u Heritage Trail and was looking forward to welcoming guests regularly in 2020. Run as a monthly day trip in Taiftob, South Central Timor by local collective Lakoat.Kujawas, the guided tour introduces guests to Mollo ecosystems, cuisine and narratives. Like its namesake, the Mollo Timorese m’nahat fe’u ritual, it celebrates the harvest season by serving new food.

Produce from smallholder farms showcased on the M’nahat Fe’u Heritage Trail. Photo by Andre Fembriarto

Produce from smallholder farms showcased on the M’nahat Fe’u Heritage Trail. Photo by Andre Fembriarto

But the COVID-19 pandemic ground the heritage trail, as well as the many livelihoods it created, to a halt. While Lakoat.Kujawas cooperative members are mostly farmers who could continue with agriculture, they lost the valuable supplementary income they earned as guides and cooks for travellers. The revenue from these endeavours had also been intended to go into a collective savings programme to fund critical needs of members’ children. 

Sales for their produce such as coffee, condiments and jagung bose (puffed maize for porridge) also declined, as these were sold mainly on the heritage trail.  Without these sales, the farmers are vulnerable to middlemen who set prices so unfairly low that farmers often leave produce unsold — a system that creates the poverty and hunger common throughout Indonesian Timor. 

“Economically we are impacted,” admits Dicky, co-founder of Lakoat.Kujawas, citing logistical problems such as closures of the postal services and sporadic operations of shuttles leaving Taiftob for the provincial capital Kupang. At one point, it took a fortnight for a package to reach Jakarta.

Nevertheless, with the help of friends, Dicky found opportunities to reinvent the heritage trail. 

Enter Pasar M’nahat Fe’u (“new food market”), one of Lakoat.Kujawas’ digital initiatives. Via its social media channels, anyone in South Central Timor can now pre-order lunch boxes containing healthy, traditional Timorese dishes normally served on the heritage trail, prepared and delivered by collective members. “Our open orders promote no MSG, no palm oil, only local coconut oil, traditional dishes and recipes, and a plastic-free lunch packaged in banana leaves,” said Dicky.

Lakoat.Kujawas also debuted a digital version of the M’nahat Fe’u Heritage Trail as part of the Virtual Heritage series on the travel platform Traval.co. The free pilot was sponsored by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism; currently it is still available for free, but participants are encouraged to "pay-as-you-wish”.

The Lakoat.Kujawas’ virtual team that worked to bring its signature M’nahat Fe’u experience to an online audience, in the absence of physical travel. Photo courtesy of Lakoat.Kujawas
The Lakoat.Kujawas’ virtual team that worked to bring its signature M’nahat Fe’u experience to an online audience, in the absence of physical travel. Photo courtesy of Lakoat.Kujawas

Featuring singer and activist Rara Sekar as a special guest, the virtual tour, in Bahasa Indonesia only, recreates much of the M’nahat Fe’u experience in a part-live two-hour Zoom Meeting format. Explaining the need to pre-record some portions of the tour, Dicky elaborated, “Patchy internet is a challenge: nudge your phone and you lose the signal.  It’s impossible to broadcast live from the wellspring, Napjam Rock, etc.” 

In the virtual format, Lakoat.Kujawas has also introduced new seasonal elements, such as a tour inside an ume kbubu traditional house, a demonstration of how jagung bose is made, and a showcase of new preserved products such as sayur asin (pickled mustard greens), guava wine, ginger beer, and roselle jam.  Husband-and-wife team Willybrodus Oematan (guide) and Marlinda Nau (head cook) also presented segments of the virtual tour.

Local demand for Lakoat.Kujawas’ digital initiatives remains modest in the South Central Timor region. “But at least there is demand and it helps,” added Dicky, mentioning plans to open a Lakoat.Kujawas shop in Kupang where hot lunches can be prepared on-site and gluten-free sourdough bread and preserved goods can be sold.  

In the meantime, community empowerment remains Lakoat.Kujawas’ priority. In July 2020 it restarted its Skol Tamolok learning initiative for locals, after a forced hiatus due to the pandemic. It currently offers workshops on food fermentation and preservation, documenting the local dialect, video filming and editing, and traditional music and dance.

Post-pandemic preparation: Decotourism

Nando Watu, co-founder of RMC Detusoko, has spent COVID-19 on capacity-building projects for his community. Photo by Andra Fembriarto

Nando Watu, co-founder of RMC Detusoko, has spent COVID-19 on capacity-building projects for his community. Photo by Andra Fembriarto

Meanwhile in Flores, RMC Detusoko is planning for a post-pandemic comeback of Decotourism, with co-founder Nando Watu confident that tourism will recover.

RMC Detusoko is a farmers’ collective that creates opportunities for young  farmers through ecotourism ventures like homestays and artisan food production, to help them diversify their livelihoods while staying grounded in their agricultural and spiritual traditions. COVID-19, however, has dampened those efforts. 

“Tourism revenues are in trouble, but then tourism is a supplementary income rather than a main income for us,” says Nando, who has started serving as Head of Village Government in Detusoko Barat Village.  “We are focusing on things we can do now: developing village products, creating jobs related to infrastructure, and distributing help for those who need it.”  

In collaboration with the Department of Tourism and Universitas Flores, Nando is investing in capacity-building for homestay owners, guides, farmers, and other professionals so that Decotourism is ready when travellers return. 

The government is also funding jobs in local infrastructure improvements such as for roads, irrigation, pools for hot springs, and villages displaying traditional homes, while providing social security to many of the villagers during the pandemic. 

Nando also still occasionally handles a trickle of guests for Mount Kelimutu National Park, which currently allows a quota of 200 visitors per day with strict COVID-19 protocols, and regularly schedules fortnight-long closings for clean-ups and disinfection of indoor spaces.

But hope in physical travel does not mean not using technology to innovate. Since the pandemic, RMC has been marketing local produce to customers in Ende and Maumere via WhatsApp. 

The village administration also runs a Decotourism online shop where guests can book tours in Detusoko and Kelimutu, and buy coffee and condiments. Launched in late 2020, the online shop is primarily designed for Indonesian consumers, but an English site enabling payment via major credit cards and PayPal is in the works.

Not everything in the Decotourism store is suitable for shopping; perhaps a testament to the fact that some things can only be experienced in person. And both Decotourism and Lakoat.Kujuwas stand posted to receive guests, when borders open once more.

THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE

By signing up for a Lakoat.Kujawas virtual tour, you can support the sharing and archiving of Mollo Timorese knowledge in agriculture and food preservation, as well as the continuation of their practices. This will put Lakoat.Kujawas on steadier footing to bring back community-owned sustainable tourism when leisure travel resumes. 

Shopping on Decotourism’s online store would support the economic empowerment of rural communities around Mount Kelimutu, and help RMC Detusoko further its mission to dispel the stereotype that there are no sustainable economic prospects in village life.

Article contributors
Writer
Grace Tan-Johannes

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  • Mollo
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  • Mountain highs
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A Kelimutu getaway that lifts a community

RMC Detusoko

Kelimutu is more than its famed crater lakes; immerse yourself in the rich heritage of the Ende-Lio highlands, and its role in the founding of modern Indonesia.

THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE

Travelling with Decotourism supports sustainable livelihoods for young Lio highlanders who choose farming at home over careers in cities. Retaining well-educated, productive youth in the village promotes economic growth, cultural resilience and indigenous stewardship in the Ende-Lio highlands.

By including in your itinerary visits to cultural heritage sites such as Wologai, and activities such as the Nuwa Nai performance, you help keep alive the sacred spaces where Lio highlanders share their cultural memories.

Proceeds from Decotourism also help RMC invest in its members through higher education and career opportunities, in fields previously beyond locals’ reach, such as hospitality, artisanal food production, and enterprise. 

RMC members are selected through an interview process and assigned to suitable business units. It retains 10 per cent of the rates paid for these jobs, to cover operational costs.

Getting there

Detusoko is an hour’s drive away from Ende, the second largest city on Flores island.

Hasan Aroeboesman airport in Ende is 31km away, and has incoming flights from Denpasar (Bali), Labuan Bajo (West Flores), Kupang (West Timor) and Tambolaka (West Sumba). If you are coming from or going to Jakarta, transit via Denpasar or Labuan Bajo.

Notable sites en route from Maumere include Wologai village, Koka beach, St Ignatius Loyola Church (Gereja Tua Sikka), Bikon Blewut Museum of Sikkanese archaeology, and the Maumere Fish Market.

RMC can also arrange for homestays in Detusoko and transportation for Decotourism guests.

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Alternatively, you can contact [email protected] to make enquiries and travel arrangements in English.A

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About the host

For this trip, we stayed with Nando’s neighbour and relative Yasinta “Mama Ida” Ere, and our meals were prepared by Nando’s wife Nayn. 

Mama Ida and her husband Marselinus “Bapa Linus” Pati live with their school-aged daughter and son, and may be hosting small study groups for their children’s classmates in the evening. They have a dog called Der Hund (German for “the dog”). 

Mama Ida and Bapa Linus leave early in the morning for the farm. They do not speak English (nor German), but gifts of sirih-pinang (Bahasa Indonesia for areca nut and betel peppers) and small souvenirs from your hometown would be a great icebreaker.

The room in Mama Ida’s house has a comfortable four-poster queen bed. Space for storing your things might be tight, so try to travel light and keep your things organised in your backpack/suitcase. Lio sarongs can be borrowed for your visits to sacred sites or the hot springs, or last-minute wedding invitations. The bathroom is shared with the rest of the family.

Nando and Nayn live in the Suku Rini clan house with their young daughter and Nando’s mother. The clan house may also accommodate university students from Ende City  who are doing their rural area internships as part of their course requirements.

A washing machine for laundry is available in the clan house. You will need to bring your own detergent and manually fill the loader with water in between washes and rinses.

TRAVELLER'S NOTES

“Come as a guest, leave as family” is Decotourism’s motto.  At homestays and during visits, be mindful that you are being invited into the personal spaces of the people making your trip happen.

An invitation into a Lio house, as illustrated by the Wologai guest entrance ritual, is a sacred milestone for your Lio hosts and should be treated as such.

Decotourism trips start in Ende and finish in Maumere, or vice versa. Confirm the start and end points of your itinerary before book your incoming and outgoing flights.

As of 2019, only low-cost carriers fly to Ende and Maumere, which means your ticket only comes with seven to 10kg of baggage allowance. Excess baggage fees cost around IDR25,000 to 35,000 (US$2 to 3) per kg.

Many Lio houses, traditional and otherwise, have a pair of deer antlers hanging from the ceiling symbolising the “heart of the house.” Do not touch without the host’s permission.

Wologai is a sacred village, so please do not roam unchaperoned. This is because the “heart of the village,” or the circular stone structure which all the houses in Wologai face, is a sacred prayer ground, and visitors may neither touch nor enter. Ask for permission before taking photographs or flying a drone.

Lio people are predominantly Catholic. However, much of their daily life and important community milestones are still governed by their pre-Christian customs. As such, rituals such as agricultural ceremonies, prayer offerings to ancestors, and the annual Kelimutu festival honouring ancestors are commonplace. In contrast, many coastal Endenese are Muslim, owing to their historical ties with the Sultanates of South Sulawesi.

A popular Endenese halal restaurant in Ende is Khalilah, near Hasan Aroeboesman Airport, which serves fish and meat dishes with a variety of rice alternatives at lunchtime. Another great halal food spot is Batu Hijau in Penggajawa Blue Stone Beach (45 minutes west of Ende en route to Bajawa), best known for their ikan kuah santan (a fish curry) and other seafood delights.

Bring a headlamp, light jacket and warm layers for the Kelimutu sunrise walk, as well as plenty of space in your bag to carry them down after the sun rises. The Lio sarong loaned by your hosts could come in handy for warding off the morning winds, and for adding a touch of local flair to your photographs.

On most days, local peddlers selling hot drinks and instant noodles are present before sunrise in Mount Kelimutu National Park. However, it is still a good idea to prepare a flask of hot tea or coffee and a box of digestive biscuits in case your hike happens on a ceremony day, in which case peddlers are bound by a taboo against selling.  

A Nuwa Nai music performance in Waturaka village costs around IDR1,200,000 (US$86) and must be booked in advance while arranging your itinerary with RMC.

Lio highlanders observe a customary taboo against weaving textiles and mats, due to a century-old pact made with weaving Lio lowlanders, who are not as agriculturally secure as the highlanders. This ensures equal opportunity in trade for all Lio communities. 

If you are interested in shopping for handwoven Lio textiles, you can do so in a traditional market in Ende, or request a visit to a Lio village not bound by the taboo, such as Ndona, which is famous for Lio ikat. Alternatively, itineraries including Maumere may include a visit to Nita village, which produces Sikkanese ikat.

If your visit coincides with a wedding, your host is culturally obligated to drop whatever they’re doing to attend the wedding, and you are going with them. Prepare a small gift of cash and place it in the gift box as you congratulate the happy couple and their parents. 

Weddings serve  pork and alcohol, and people will be happy to see you celebrate with them. If you abstain from pork and alcohol, Nayn will cook you a separate dinner before the wedding, and you can politely tell your host that you are observing a pantangan (taboo.) 

As is the case with many rural destinations in Indonesia, transactions are primarily made in cash. ATMs are available at the BRI Bank in Detusoko, but you may also draw a stash from Ende or Maumere first. 

RMC runs a community library in Detusoko and book donations are welcome. Good choices include Indonesian story books, illustrated encyclopaedias, Indonesian books concerning RMC’s industries of interest (agriculture, culinary artisanship, hospitality and brand management), and books for learning basic English.

Related topic

  • Indonesia
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  • Kelimutu
  • Detusoko
  • Mountain highs
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