The Beautiful of The Ajanta and The Ellora Caves in India

Surprisingly carved into the rocky hillside in the middle of nowhere are the Ajanta and Ellora caves. Both are important UNESCO World Heritage sites. There are 34 caves at Ellora dating from between the 6th and 11th centuries AD, and 29 caves at Ajanta dating back to between the 2nd century BC and the 6th century AD. The caves at Ajanta are all Buddhist, while the caves at Ellora are a mix of Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains. Funds for the construction of the cave were provided by various rulers.

The extraordinary Kailasa Temple (also known as the Kailash Temple), which forms part of the 16 caves in Ellora, is undoubtedly the most famous attraction. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and his holy abode on Mount Kailash. Its massive size covers twice the area of ​​the Pantheon in Athens and is one and a half times as tall. The size of a highlight elephant statue. The most incomprehensible thing about the Ajanta and Ellora caves is that they are made by hand, with just a hammer and chisel. The Ajanta caves have some of the most sophisticated paintings in ancient India. The Ellora caves are renowned for their outstanding architecture.

It is located in Northern Maharashtra, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Mumbai. The nearest railway station is in Aurangabad, 45 minutes away from Ellora caves and 1.5 hours away from Ajanta caves. The travel time from Mumbai to Aurangabad is 6-7 hours by train. There is also an airport in Aurangabad, so it is also possible to fly from various cities in India. From Aurangabad, you will find it easy to get a taxi and drive between the two cave locations. It takes about 2 hours to get from Ellora to Ajanta.

The best time to visit the caves is from November to March, when it is very cold and dry. Ellora Cave is open from sunrise to sunset (around 5:30 am) every day, except Tuesdays. The Ajanta cave is open from 9 am to 5 pm every day except Monday. Both caves are open on national holidays. Visiting Ajanta caves and Ellora caves is expensive for foreigners. Each site requires a separate ticket and the price increased to 600 rupees in August 2018. India only pays 40 rupees per ticket at each site. However, in both places, it is free for children who are less than 15 years old.

Two new visitor centers opened in Ajanta and Ellora in 2013. The visitor centers provide information about the two heritage sites using audiovisual media. The Ajanta Visitor Center has five museum rooms with replicas of the four main caves (1, 2,16, and 17). The Ellora Visitor Center has a replica of the Kailasa Temple. The two visitor centers also have restaurants, amphitheaters and auditoriums, shops, exhibition halls, and parking.

There are several inns, one of which is the Kailas Hotel, which is located on the right side of the Ellora cave. It is relaxing, quiet, with stone walls and beautiful views, although the accommodation is simply furnished. The rates are 2,300 rupees for non-AC, 3,500 rupees for air-conditioned huts, and 4,000 rupees for cave-facing AC cottages. The hotel has many facilities for guests, including a restaurant, internet access, a library, and games. You can also go paragliding. Quality accommodation in Ajanta is limited, so if you need to stay in the area, we recommend the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation Ajanta Tourist Junction Guest House (2,000 rupees per night) or the Ajanta Tourist Resort near Fardapur (1,700 rupees per night). If you prefer to stay in Aurangabad, Hotel Panchavati is a good choice and is also closer to the train and bus stations.

Takachiho, Miyazaki in Japan

Takachiho is a city in Miyazaki prefecture, Kyushu, Japan, which is famous for the story of Japanese mythology. This place is said to be the place of origin of the Shinto religion in Japan.  The most famous mythological story is the story about the legend of the goddess Amaterasu hiding in a cave because of her sister's disrespectful behavior.

The Goddess Amaterasu or Amaterasu Okami is the sun goddess and is the most important goddess in Shintoism in Japan. According to legend, the Japanese emperor is a descendant of the goddess Amaterasu. There are several tourist attractions that you can visit in Takachiho. The first is the Takachiho Gorge. Takachicho gorge is the most famous place in Miyazaki prefecture and is located on the banks of the Gokase river.  Takachiho Gorge was formed by the eruption of the Aso volcano about 120 million years ago.

This place was made a national monument in Japan because of its natural beauty. Here you can enjoy the view of one of the top 100 most beautiful waterfalls in Japan, called the Manai waterfall. You can rent a boat and go around Takachiho Gorge from under the cliff by boat.  You can enjoy the view from below, where you can see the high cliffs and enjoy the waterfall from below. There are also ducks to feed, and the ducks here are friendly to humans. You can buy duck food at a boat rental place. The boat rental fee is JPY 2000 per boat for a 30 minute journey and one boat can be boarded by up to three people.

This place is a popular tourist spot, so you need to come early in the morning and you should avoid the golden week holidays. If not, you can wait up to 3 hours to get your turn to rent a boat.  Another way is that you can call in advance to the Machinaka Information Center to make a reservation. Take it easy, here there is a service in English.  You can access the Takachiho Gorge by taking the Takachiho Kaiyu bus from Takachiho Bus Center for about 13 minutes and getting off at Takachiho Kyo Bus Stop (Takachiho Gorge). But remember that the Takachiho Kaiyu bus only operates on weekends and public holidays.

The second tourist spot is Amano Iwato Shrine. This shrine is located 10 km from downtown Takachiho. This shrine was built near the cave where the Goddess Ameretasu was hiding. According to legend, the goddess Amaterasu hid in a cave because of her sister's disrespectful behavior, so the world could not be lit by sunlight.

If you want to see this cave, you can ask the temple administration and a Shinto priest will accompany you. You can also visit another cave where the gods gather to discuss strategies to persuade Goddess Amaretasu to come out, called Amano Yasukawara, and there is also a small shrine here. Access to the shrine is a bus that runs from Takachiho Bus Center. It takes about 15 minutes and costs 320-yen one way and each bus runs every 1-2 hours. Alternatively, you can take a taxi for a taxi ride of around 2500-yen one way.  And access to Amano Yasukawara. You can walk 15 minutes from Nishi-hongu to the Iwato river.

The last place is Takachiho Shrine, where Takachiho itself has more than 88 temples and only 88 temples that have special features compared to others. One of them is Takachiho Shrine. This shrine has been around for 1,900 years and is the main shrine. Every November to February of the following year, the shrine holds an event called Yokagura which consists of 33 series of episodes that tell about gods and goddesses.  Every night, the shortened version is displayed for tourists at Takachiho Shrine. The show consists of several story scenes with a duration of one hour. Performances are performed by traditional dancers wearing masks and accompanied by traditional Japanese musical instruments. The show is held in the Yokagura performance hall, which is a few steps from the main shrine. Takachiho Shrine can be accessed by a 15-minute walk from the Takachiho Bus Center.

The Beautiful of El Nido, Palawan Province, Philippines

 "Did you have mangoes in your bag?" asked an officer. I just shook my head and my husband replied with a friendly "No sir." Mango fruit seems like a dangerous item here. On the notice board, it even says "Plant Quarantine Service Check Point". I can't help but wonder what's with the mangoes here?

The minivan we were riding in three hours ago is back on the road with the uneven asphalt. This minivan journey starts in Puerto Princesa City, the capital city of Palawan Province, Philippines. This city can be reached by plane within one hour from Manila City. Upon landing at Puerto Princesa International Airport, several travel agents lined up to greet us with papers containing travel packages and minivan tickets to El Nido, our destination. It was getting late and the minivan finally stopped at a small market, which turned out to be the end of the journey. As soon as we got off, some pedicab drivers immediately offered their services to take us to the beach area where many inns are built. We only saw that there were stalls selling vegetables, fruit, and fish. There is no beach or inn. Finally, we agreed to their offer of a PHP 50 fee. We rode in an El Nido trishaw.

We entered a dense residential area. Residents' homes, inns, restaurants, shops, and several travel agents are integrated into this area. El Nido is located in the northernmost region of Palawan Province and is a small town flanked by cliffs and the sea. To explore the city, we only need to walk about 20-30 minutes from end to end. In addition to tourists, El Nido is also an attraction for film producers around the world. The Bourne Legacy is one of the films that take El Nido as the background story.

From Island to Island

The Secret Lagoon is a small crater surrounded by giant cliffs. We can not swim in this lagoon because it's very shallow. We chose to quickly get out of the Secret Lagoon and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding beaches. We don't wonder why film producers fell in love with El Nido. The beaches are truly beautiful and natural.

At noon, we headed to a small island full of rocks called Shimizu. Like on Seven Commandos beach, the sand on this island is so soft and white. It's just that this island is surrounded by towering karst limestone. The crew informed us that on this island we would have lunch.

While waiting for lunch to be served, we took a walk around the island. A Filipino couple explained to us the "mango secret" when we arrived yesterday. According to them, some areas in the Philippines have mango trees whose fruit is always full of insects. The El Nido government didn't want this to spread to their area, so they banned tourists from bringing mangoes.

Paradise in the Lagoon

After eating lunch consisting of rice, fish, and pork (as Muslims, of course, we only eat rice and fish), the journey continues to the Big Lagoon and the Small Lagoon. To enjoy this lagoon, we can swim or use a kayak. The road to the Big Lagoon makes us feel like we are entering a new world. We will see a knee-length calm green sea flanked by two high cliffs, like being in a canyon. The canyon will take us to a location resembling a dark turquoise lake which is also surrounded by karst limestone. Small Lagoon didn't want to lose. Although the entrance is only a narrow alley, the beauty of the lagoon also hypnotizes us.

The Big Lagoon is at the end of our tour trip. After all, gathered on the ship, we finally returned to El Nido beach and parted with the ship's crew and tour participants.

Morotai island, Maluku, Indonesia

Morotai island Regency, also known as Morotai island, is one of the regencies in Indonesia's North Maluku Province. Morotai island Regency is a new regency that was inaugurated by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2008.

Morotai Island has good tourism potential, with a land and sea area of 4,301.53 square kilometers. The island, which is also known as the "Pearl of the Pacific Lips", is also included in the list of 10 leading national tourism destinations, with ± 80 locations for marine tourism objects and historical tourism. Talking about Morotai Island is incomplete if you don't know one of the satellite islands around it. There is an idiom that has developed among travelers which read, "Don't tell me you've been to Morotai if you haven't set foot in that paradise." When I had the opportunity to visit Morotai Island, I was also interested in proving this expression. That afternoon, by renting a motorboat belonging to a fisherman, I was accompanied by several friends to sail the sea as far as 5 miles from Daruba, the capital of Morotai Island Regency.  The motorboat that we were on was moving towards the west of Morotai Island.  Shortly after, a stretch of small islands seemed to emerge from the ocean, like pearls coming out of their shells.

It was only about 30 minutes later that one of the best pearls or slices of heaven from Morotai that was much talked about appeared before us. It is Dodola Island, a slice of heaven on earth at the tip of North Maluku. Soft white sand greeted our arrival.  The breeze that enters through the cracks of the sea pines tempts every visitor to immediately relax. The rustle of the waves also adds to the harmony of the beauty of the Dodola beach.  A luxurious, natural atmosphere, suitable as a release from the hustle and bustle of life in the city.

Dodola Island has a unique character.  The island itself actually consists of two small islands, Dodola Besar with an area of ​​948,283 square meters and Dodola Kecil with an area of ​​121,653 square meters. These two islands are separated by the sea at a distance of about 500 meters, similar to a couple in a long-distance relationship (LDR).

Surprisingly, if the seawater recedes from the afternoon until the evening, the two islands will be linked by a white sand bridge that visitors can cross. It only takes less than 10 minutes by foot from Big Dodola to Small Dodola.  The pattern of sand strokes formed by the waves also adds to the value of the beauty of the natural bridge. Apart from being a place to just bask in the sun, Dodola Island is also suitable as a location for snorkeling and diving.  The gradation of white sand color that blends with the blue sea always manages to tempt visitors' hearts to jump into the water.

Dodola is also well-known for its enthralling panoramic potential by the sea. It is noted that there are at least 13 diving and snorkeling points that can be explored by underwater sports lovers.  There, divers will meet many wrecks, jeeps, fighter planes, the remains of the allied forces that sank during World War II in the Pacific Ocean. There are at least five locations, namely Wawama, Totodaku, Mira, Buhobuho, and the sea between Dodola and Kelerai.

The distance is quite far from residential areas, making Dodola a hidden paradise.  Fishermen usually use Dodola Island as a place to rest for a while on the sidelines of fishing activities.

For visitors who want to spend the night, the local Tourism Office has now provided cottages that can be rented for IDR 400-600 thousand per night.  The huts for visitors were built in Dodola Besar, while in Dodola Kecil there was no human touch. Many local residents and foreign tourists choose to spend their weekends on Dodola Island. For transportation matters, apart from being able to rent a fishing boat, visitors can also rent a speedboat from Daruba Harbor, at a price of IDR 500 thousand to IDR 1 million, relatively negotiable.

That day, Dodola was still empty of visitors. There were only our group and a few officers guarding the island. If you are also interested in spending the night and setting up a tent on Dodola Island, there is a canteen that has opened to fulfill food needs but only sells snacks. I suggest preparing enough logistics while in Daruba, the capital of Morotai Island. Don't forget to save your phone and camera batteries because the beauty of Dodola Island is present throughout the day.

Dodola in History

On September 15, 1944, allied forces under the leadership of General Douglas Macarthur landed on the island of Morotai. The strategic location on the Pacific sea lip makes Morotai the consolidation center of the United States VII Division Forces. General MacArthur was believed to have taken care of the Japanese occupation of America from 1945 to 1955. One of the big missions was to conquer Japan through the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies. At that moment, General MacArthur had chosen Zum Zum Island, one of the Morotai satellite islands - which was also no less beautiful - to be used as a defense base for the allied forces in the Pacific. Later, in the present, the island was incorporated into the General MacArthur monument to commemorate the Great General's existence and role as a military leader. As a location involved in the Pacific War, Morotai was full of 'garbage' for the rest of the war. Residents around me often find bullets, bottles, amphibious vehicles, and airplanes, both on land and at sea. The discoveries of the last war were partly collected and included in the Morotai World War II Museum.