After the success of the 2009 WILTA Tour to Sumatra, the 2005 Workshops in Bali, and the 2001 tour to East Java/Bali, we are seeking expressions of interest to join us in a tour to Tana Toraja in either the July or October school holidays, 2011. Sulawesi Selatan is a unique place and has some of the most stunning scenery in Indonesia (read more about SulSel at the Lonely Planet website). This proposed tour will take place in two extremely contrasting locations: The coastal floodplains of the Bugis Makassan people (famous for their pinisi ship building and centuries of sea-faring) and the central highlands of Toraja. Most of our time will be spent in Tana Toraja, an otherworldly place of unique traditions that blend Christian and animistic beliefs (read more about Tana Toraja here). Participants will then have the option of continuing on to Pantai Birra, famed for snorkeling and diving (and a chance to relax!). Others may choose to leave the tour after our visit to Tana Toraja.
SulSel is simply stunning, and visiting will be an experience you'll never forget. Here's some photos from Kate Reitzenstein to whet your appetite (and imagination).
Proposed Itinerary
Makassar-Toraja experience
Maximum cost $700AUD (per person, twin share); 7 Nights
Monday
Arrival day. Participants have the day to explore Makassar at their own leisure with a 5pm group meeting followed by a group dinner.
Tuesday
TeachMeet Unconference. A chance to network and learn with local teachers and members of the Balai Bahasa of Makassar. A "TeachMeet" or "Un-conference" is a facilitated, participant-driven conference, often with a set plenary keynote but with flexible workshop/presentation sessions. Both WILTA members and local teachers will be encouraged to present/facilitate.
Wednesday
Travel day to Tana Toraja by coach (departing early morning).
Thursday
Tana Toraja touring (see inclusions)
Friday
Tana Toraja touring (see inclusions)
Saturday
Tana Toraja touring (see inclusions)
Sunday
Travel day return to Makassar (arriving in the evening)
Monday
Departure day after group breakfast.
Optional Pantai Birra experience
Maximum cost +$200 (per person, twin share); +3 Nights
Monday
Travel day to Pantai Birra
Tuesday
Visit to nearby island and snorkeling/water sport activities
Wednesday
Travel day return to Makassar via pinisi ship building region of Bulukumba
Thursday
Departure day.
Inclusions:
Pre-departure materials.
Makassar-based tour coordinator services
Accommodation. We intend on staying at Hotel Pantai Gapura in Makassar. While it is quite expensive, it will be a welcome oasis from hot and dusty Makassar! Accommodation in Tana Traja will be of 3 star standard in Rantepao. For those that continue onto Pantia Birra, accommodation will be very basic, losmen style, directly overlooking the ocean.
TeachMeet Unconference registration and catering.
Transport: A combination of coach and Kijang.
Tour guides in Tana Toraja. Their knowledge and expertise will be essential to attend and participate in funerals and other ceremonies. Tours in Tana Toraja will be conducted in small groups to allow for maximum flexibility.
All breakfasts and pre-arranged group dinners.
Tips and gratuities
Exclusions:
Entry fees into tourist sites in Tana Toraja (this is usually only Rp 10,000 per person - it would be a logistical nightmare to include these fees in the tour).
Lunch and dinner. Budgeting for $5/lunch and $10/dinner is a good rough estimate. Alcoholic drinks can be expensive in Makassar but are reasonable elsewhere.
Travel insurance. http://www.travelinsurancedirect.com.au offers good deals and there are often discount vouchers/codes available.
Visas.
Flights to and from Sulawesi Selatan. There are many options for travel to and from Makassar - common routes include going via Denpasar, Jakarta, or Kuala Lumpur from Australia. Garuda Indonesia, AirAsia, LionAir and others fly to Makassar daily.
Things to consider:
These prices are estimates only and subject to changes. Once we gain enough expressions of interests we will get a firm quote. Hotel accommodation in Makassar is expensive, and this accounts for much of the estimated package cost. Single supplement will be available.
This tour is land only so you are responsible for arranging your own transport to and from the meeting and end point (probably Hotel Pantai Gapura in Makassar).
Flights to and from Makassar are frequently delayed due to weather. Keep this in mind when arranging connecting flights (it is recommended to 'book through' using one carrier. Else, make sure your travel insurance covers weather delays).
July vs October holidays: July is THE funeral season in Tana Toraja and the weather is optimal for travel and touring. However, it is also the busiest season for international and domestic tourism. Prices will be at a premium and patience will be required! School visits will not be possible due to the Indonesian school holidays although we will be able to network with teachers at our TeachMeet Unconference in Makassar. Alternatively, October marks the end of the dry season and the first monsoonal rains could strike. The vegetation is quite dry and scenery is nowhere near as stunning as in July. Participating in funerals and ceremonies is also subject to chance (but there is usually something happening). Prices will be more favourable in October and we will have the town to ourselves! School visits will be very easy to arrange.
A spirit of intrepid travel is needed when going to Sulawesi. The island has extraordinary infrastructure to handle international tourism (such as a very impressive new airport in Makassar!) but the economic crisis in the 1990's halted a lot of development and many places seem worn and dated. We see this as part of SulSel's charm, and locals are often overwhelmed (positively!) when meeting Indonesian-speaking tourists.
Some of the traditional rites and ceremonies in Tana Toraja can be confronting to some individuals, e.g. animal sacrifice and burial practices. You will be able to make decisions to visit or not to participate beforehand.
Although this is a 'tour,' the goal is to provide a professional learning opportunity for teachers of Indonesian. There will be ample opportunity to practice your bahasa Indonesia skills and some small group tours in Tana Toraja will be conducted entirely in Indonesian. The TeachMeet Unconference will be a chance to network with local teachers, and to engage in workshops and presentations highly relevant to the teaching and learning of Indonesian. Partners are welcome, and may choose their level of participation in the included activities
Salam sejahtera dari Indonesia! Saya sedang menulis surat ini di Yogyakarta, perhentian yang terakhir dalam kunjungan siswa-siswa Guildford Grammar School ke Indonesia 2010. Sulit sekali menggambarkan pengalaman luar biasa yang diberikan kepada rombongan kami, karena sungguh-sungguh mengesankan dan bervariasi.
Antara kegiatan-kegiatan yang lain, anak-anak GGS ini sudah bisa tinggal seminggu di asrama Kolese Santo Yusup di Malang, naik becak, naik gunung Bromo, bertemu dengan Menteri Pertanian WA Terry Redman, makan siang bersama Dubes Australia Bill Farmer, memberi sambutan kepada Bapak Walikota Surabaya (Pak Bambang), dilaporkan di koran-koran Jawa dan Jawa Timur dan ikut serta acara live TV di stasiun televisi SBO di Surabaya.
Yes it really is true - I've been able to take a group of year 9-12 students to East and Central Java over the Easter holidays, and what an amazing, magnifi- cent time we've had. As one of the few Australian school groups to visit Indonesia for some years, and the first Australian exchange group under the BRIDGE program (the first Indonesian group being from SMAN 5 Surabaya who recently visited Tranby College), we have received a staggering amount of publicity in Indonesia. Whatever you may have read in the press about negative Indonesian per- ceptions of Australians, they are simply not true. We have been treated like film stars by peo- ple of all faiths and the boys have added dozens, if not hundreds of new friends to their Facebook pages!
I guess the most fortunate factor for me was that my school administration allowed the trip to go ahead. This is by far the biggest hurdle to over- come. We agreed to be upfront to parents about the travel advisory, and the key thing here was demonstrating that we were in fact following the advice given in it. It is not, of course, a ban, but instead advises on procedures to follow should travel be deemed to be "essential". (To my mind, giving our young people opportunities to meet their Indonesian peers in their own cultural envi- ronment must be classified "essential"!). These procedures include avoiding large gatherings of foreigners and places frequented mainly by West- ern tourists - not a problem in East or Central Java where the economy is less dependent on foreign tourism - or for that matter, in northern, eastern or western Bali.
This has been a simply stunning experience. We have felt almost like pioneers, except that the destination is far from unknown. Instead it is filled with friendly, welcoming people who have done everything in their power to make our stay a fantastic experience. They want us to come - and lots more of us. Be assured that they are waiting for your school group too and will give you a fabulous time.
Being in Indonesia has meant that I haven't had a chance to preview this term's Warta WILTA so I leave a space here for Kerry to do the honours!
Thanks Sue! The Term 2 of Warta WILTA has a special cover, drawn by my friend Adam Smith. It goes hand-in- hand with some information I have included discussing the use of Palm Oil and how it affects the survival of the beautiful Sumatran Orang Utan. There are also some fantastic articles written by some of the Language Assistants for this year, an overview by Angela McCoy about the Margaret River SHS’s visit by their Indonesian sister school, and another great article by budding writer and Indonesia enthu- siast Natha Middlemas!
Please enjoy and don't hesitate to email me (
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
) if you would like to contribute anything to next term’s issue.
You are invited to attend the KIPBIPA VII Conference to be held in Jakarta at the Universitas Indonesia on 29-31 July. For more information, please see the brochure below. The KIPBIPA conference is a great opportunity to hear from a great variety of speakers on the issues surrounding learning and teaching bahasa Indonesia as a second language, and to network with Indonesian teachers from around the world.
Karen Bailey, Chairperson of the Balai Bahasa Indonesia Perth ex-WILTA President and Lifetime WILTA Member will be giving a plenary presentation. Selamat, Karen!
To read a Warta WILTA article on the 2001 WILTA Tour and KIPBIPA conference (a great one in the WILTA archives!) click here.
WILTA is once again seeking expressions of interest from members who wish to have an Indonesia Australia Language Foundation (IALF) Bali teacher as a short term language assistant in their classroom for a week at the start of Term 2 2010. Preference will be given to applicants who are also able to host Bapak/Ibu guru in their home during their time in Western Australia.
The focus of the visit will be to work in Indonesian language classes across all phases of learning, as a classroom assistant. The RTV teacher will also be working with WILTA members in providing a professional development session at our May Weekend Workshop. In return, a WILTA teacher will visit the IALF Bali in January 2011. Application information will be available shortly.
The RTV to Perth will occur during Weeks 1 to 5 of Term 2, 2010.
If you are interested in hosting the RTV teacher for a few days (up to one week) please complete the following expression of interest form below or print a copy and and return to:
WILTA
RTV Coordinator
Dani Darudana
PO Box 50
LEEDERVILLE WA 6902
or via email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Before the end of Term 1, 2010 – i.e.Thursday 1 April 2010.
NB: Country members as well as city members are encouraged to submit an expression of interest. Country members are also encouraged to form a “cluster” of more than one school to make the most of the travelling time involved for the RTV teacher.
In the past few years the RTV teachers from Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali have greatly enjoyed their opportunities to visit and teach in places such as Bunbury, Busselton, Capel, Binnu, Pinjarra, Albany, Jurien Bay, Geraldton and Northampton, as well as both Government and Private schools in Perth.
WILTA supports (and encourages people to attend!) professional learning workshops offered by AISWA as part of the Australian Government Quality Teacher Program.
23 Things! for Languages 2010
The Australia-Indonesia Institute (AII) invites applications from young people willing to represent Australia for two months in Indonesia during December 2010 and January 2011. Click here for further information.
Balai Bahasa Indonesia Perth
The Balai Bahasa Indonesia Perth was established in 2008. WILTA is a proud supporter of BBIP.
The WILTA Committee is made up of a team of volunteers who strive to support, represent and advocate for Indonesian Language teachers in Western Australia. Read More
WILTA Privacy Policy
WILTA takes members' privacy seriously. If you wish something to be removed from this website, please contact webmaster@wilta.org. You can read our privacy policy here. Read More
Contact WILTA
We welcome your queries, suggestions, feedback and comments. If you wish to contact WILTA please email wilta@wilta.org or follow the link below to access further contact information. Read More
Rekan-rekan yang saya hormati,
The Balai Bahasa Indonesia Perth was established in 2008. WILTA is a proud supporter of BBIP.
