Cendrawasih, Indonesia

Cendrawasih is more commonly known as Bird-Of-Paradise, and is native to the island of New Guinea - western half of which is known as Papua and is part of the Republic of Indonesia. Birds are fascinating creatures and I am contemplating a new collection...native bird species. 

Thank you Arry for this card; great stamps too! I have noticed less people from Indonesia swapping postcards these days...possibly a remnant of the previous restrictions..?

Titan Arum Flower, Indonesia

Amorphophallus Titanium or the Titan Arum is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. Due to its odour, which is like the smell of a rotting corpse, it is characterised as a carrion flower and also goes by the name of corpse plant. I must say I am very intrigued by this and would love to see/smell it myself...once in a lifetime would be enough I'm guessing..!

The stamp shows a creature I have never heard of before, or rather I thought so far Cuscus is only something you eat heh. But here it is, or more precisely a Black-Spotted Cuscus, which is sadly critically endangered...and difficult to spot in the wild, which resulted in this very stamp being the only image of it on Wikipedia. And that's a second C for this week's Sunday Stamps' A-Z challenge :)

Sunset At Borobudur Temple, Indonesia

And more of SE Asia sunsets, didn't realise this connection before the actual posting heh. This time the sender is dewi, many thanks :)

I have posted a Borobudur Temple card before as part of my UNESCO collection, but have failed to mentioned there it is indeed the world's largest Buddhist temple. This is an absolutely amazing view. I really hope to visit Indonesia one day...The way things are going now, this may be in a farther future only.

Balinese Dancers, Indonesia

Beautiful Balinese dancers whose attire is inspired by the ancient hindu princesses, with a great set of stamps, one of them matching. Many thanks to Maya :)

Surabaya Mangrove Forest, Indonesia

Another summery postcard...Surabaya is the capital of Jawa Timur (East Java), located on northeastern Java island and along the edge of the Madura Strait and the second-largest-city in Indonesia. The surrounding area is known for mangrove tourism, there being two forests with organised tours: Kelurahan Wonorejo and Kelurahan Gunung Anyar. Which one this is its hard to tell. The colours are lovely though. Thanks to Andrea :)

UNESCO - Sangiran Early Man Site, Indonesia

Sangiran Early Man Site is situated about 15 kilometers in the north of Solo town in Central Java, Indonesia, covering an area of 5,600 hectares. It became famous after the discovery of Homo erectus remains and associated stone artifacts (well-known as Sangiran flake industry) in the 1930s. There is a very significant geological sequence from the upper Pliocene until the end of Middle Pleistocene by depicting the human, faunal, and cultural evolutions within the last 2.4 million years.

Thanks goes to Shinta, who even included matching stamps and cancellation, and to Dionisus, great additions guys :)

 

On The Way To Green Canyon, Indonesia

This looks fantastic, a boat ride on the Indonesian island of Java (of course we are ignoring the probable millions of mosquitos and other insects ;)) ' Boats buzz up the jungle-fringed, emerald river from a small marina to a waterfall and a beautiful canyon...' 

The stamp thief was active a year ago...

Thank you Cheni :)

 

Lizard In Komodo NP

Wasn't quite sure how to title this one! I have swapped for this purely because its a lizard card, luckily I already have a Komodo NP card...if I am not mistaken this on the photo is an iguana? Which is native to the Americas. Still, a handsome individual ;)

Wayang Shadow Puppet Theatre, Indonesia

UNESCO designated wayang kulit, a shadow puppet theatre and the best known of the Indonesian wayang, as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on 7 November 2003. In return for the acknowledgment, UNESCO required Indonesians to preserve their heritage.

Wayang kulit is a unique form of theatre employing light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen. The plays are invariably based on romantic tales, especially adaptations of the classic Indian epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Some of the plays are also based on local happening or other local secular stories. It is up to the conductor or dalang (puppeteer) to decide his direction.

Many thanks Shinta :)

Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia

 

Amazing archipelago situated in Indonesia's West Papua province, just off the northwest tip of Bird's Head peninsula on the island of New Guinea...Also called Four Kings, it comprises over 1500 islets surrounding the four main islands. Must be a diver's paradise? It sure does look like paradise from birds' view :) Thank you very much Veronica ;)

P.S. - loving the flower stamp for its colour
 

UNESCO - Prambanan Temple Compounds, Indonesia

 

Situated in central Java and dating from the 9th century, Prambanan Temples are dedicated to the great three divinities - Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Only the central compound consists of the amazing number of 240 temples! Thank you Shinta for this lovely view - and great stamps as always (the top right one showing a relief from Prambanan) :))

Kecak Dance At Tanah Lot, Indonesia

 

I have discovered among my older scans a postcard with a great set of se-tenant stamps titled Forests: Nature at your service, issued in 2011. It is not specified what kind of a conifer it is, or the cute creature peeking behind it.

The postcard shows a performance of Kecak, otherwise known as Ramayana Monkey Chant, in front of a pilgrimage temple Tanah Lot in west Bali. Looks very mystical!

An Envelope Of Joy, Indonesia

At first I was puzzled to have received an envelope fron Indonesia, cos I was expecting postcards from Shinta, and she knows I like them written & stamped...and when I opened it, I couldn't but gasp in amazement, cos she sent me all three cards with stamps and cancellations! To top it all, she added a folding card that I had in my favs, and the gorgeous portrait of the happy old Javanese couple which never arrived for a tag. Shinta is such a great postcrosser, and its a shame that her postcards get lost on the way cos she puts so much love into writing them...I guess her and Ana would have to compete for the neatest handwriting :P

I dont know what the painting on the folding card shows exactly, but its colourful and vibrant and I love it :) The next two cards show the traditional farming of the Indonesian islands - transplanting rice, and picking teas. The last is a detailed Unesco view, reliefs of the Borobudur Temple.

The last item is a beautiful intricate bookmark which I will keep sealed to keep it safe :)

Thank you so much Shinta! Btw do you use fragrant pen? ;)))

UNESCO - Borobudur Temple, Indonesia

 

Borobudur is a 9th century Mahayana Buddhist monument situated in central Java. The main dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside a perforated stupa. The monument is both a shrine and a place for pilgrimage.

Beautiful card and awesome set of stamps - you are really spoiling me Shinta! xD
 

UNESCO - Komodo And Ujung Kulon National Parks, Indonesia

Two excellent Unesco cards from Indonesia - although the 1st qualifies for my lizard collection also :)

Komodos look so cool! They are the largest living species of lizard, growing up to the amazing 3 meters in length and can weigh up to 70kg (so like me, just lankier heh). They are endemic species with 'vurnebale' conservation status, living only on five Indonesian islands. There are so many interesting facts about these unique animals, but I have to stop here!

Ujung Kulon National Park is situated at the western-most tip of the Java island, including the volcanic group of islands Krakatoa and other nearby islands. The park is the last refuge of the critically endangered Javan Rhinoceros - only 35 were indentified.

It always saddens me to realise so many unique animal species are on a verge of extinction. I would like to somehow be involved in their preservation...something to look into.

Thank you shinta, you always bring a smile on my face with your lovely cards, stamps and messages! :)))

YOTD - Indonesia

A fantastic maxi-card from Indonesia comes from dear Shinta, who never fails to impress me :) The images on the stamps are simply GORGEOUS., not to mention the special cancellations. After a brief consultation with google i've also fallen in love with Indonesian YOTD mini-sheet <3

Alas i have no resources to submerge deeper into the world of philately...As postcards are my primary collection there remains little in my pocket to invest in beautiful stamps, mini-sheets & FDCs (though i love them so!). Perhaps one day when all my boxes are absolutely full of postcards i'll slowly switch to this vast area of collecting..!

BUT. I have joined a wonderful RR called Nice Cover Circuit, to get at least an occasional 'shot' lol.

I am even thinking of opening another blog dedicated to covers. We'll see!

Toraja Village, Indonesia

Dear Sekar sent me this view of a traditional Toraja village in south Sulawesi/Celebes - thank you :)

Tana Toraja Traditional Settlement is a series of 10 traditional settlements or constituents of them, such as burial or ceremonial grounds. The properties are scattered within Tana Toraja Regency in the Province of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. (tentative Unesco WHS)

Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites and the colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days. One must love the diversities of our planet..!