Lampung is Calling! Up Close and Personal with the Treasure of Sumatera

Lampung Familiarization Trip 2021
Lampung Familiarization Trip 2021


It was 10.30 in the morning.

The smell of roasting coffee welcomed me as I stepped into the towering entry gate of Els Coffee Roastery. I instantly smiled. 

This is home.

Welcome back, Indah

***

I have just arrived in Lampung the day before, early in the morning arriving from Bandung. I am weary, but super excited at the same time.

My visit to Lampung this time is special. 

Well, every visit is, but this time I come with a special mission, to join series of event for Lampung Krakatau Festival 2021. The 30th time of all, the first time after the pandemic.

Since COVID-19 rummaged the world, the tourism world were frozen, if not stumbling down. The same goes to the tourism sector in Lampung and many parts of Indonesia. Nevertheless, long story short, after tireless and determined efforts to beat the pandemic and rejuvenate the dying tourism sector, the CHSE (Cleanliness, Health, Safety and Environmentally Sustainable) Standard has been applied by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Industry in Indonesia towards all relevant sectors in tourism. This is conducted in order to ensure all visitors, from Indonesia and all over the world, can continue enjoying their visit to Indonesia without fear, hesitation and doubt towards their own safety and comfort. With that spirit, the tourism board of Lampung is holding the legendary Lampung Krakatau Festival again in 2021. To tell the world that Lampung, the treasure of Sumatera, is once again ready to welcome you all!

Lampung Krakatau Festival is back!

What makes Lampung Krakatau Festival 2021 special is because for the first time, there is Lampung Familiarization Trip as well. No less than 30 bloggers, vloggers, influencers, and content creators coming from different parts of Indonesia, including from Lampung, joined the trip. In 3 days, starting from November 4th to November 6th, we were scheduled to explore the beauty of Lampung, from its amazing landscapes, incredible culinary experience, unique cultural dimensions, and beyond. Super excited indeed!

The trip started on November 4th, where we had groups coming from  Jakarta, Bekasi, Banjarnegara, Sumedang, Bogor and different cities flying to Lampung. Meanwhile, those based in Lampung and Baturaja, South Sumatera, waited in Batiqa Hotel, where all the participants stayed.

First stop, Els Coffee Roastery in Bandar Lampung. This place is indeed a must visit cafe and roastery when you are in the area. Here, after fulfiling the health protocol like washing hands, checking temperature and checking in using Peduli Lindungi app, we witnessed the roasting process of Lampungnese coffee live from the spot. Moreover, we also enjoyed free tea and the latte art, presented by the home baristas. Moreover, we also had presentations, introduction session with the Head of Lampungnese Tourism Board, Bapak Endarwan, as well as Elky, the owner of Els Coffee Roastery, followed by lunch break. We certainly had some games and lots of giveaways are being given, with some questions given by our MC as well as .our organizer, Ari Tomat. It was fun indeed! 


Lampung Familiarization Trip 2021
cute swan and a lovely heart

I wrote more about this place here: Els Coffee Roastery Lampung, More Than Just a Coffee Shop. And for sure, you can check it out in my live report at my YouTube channel as well here.


Right after that, we were heading to Lambang Gedung Kuning, where we were warmly welcomed in traditional Lampungnese way. Hosted by Dang Ike Edwin, our visit to the cultural house was indeed packed with interesting story about Lampung and its colorful cultures a place, complete with a 'palace' tour with historic memorabilias, artifacts and more. Being a true-blue Lampungnese family who has royal bloodline from one of the sultanate in Lampung, Dang Ike Edwin 


Welcome by Siger Penguten dance at Lamban Gedung Kuning, Lampung

We enjoyed the graceful Lampungnese dances being performed. They welcomed us with Tari Bedana or Siger Penguten which symbolizes the welcoming of dignitaries. Later they performed another dance which was used in gathering of the youth because it is so playful.


We even had durian competition, which brought so many participants to eat as many durian as possible, courtesy of the host. All winners (which are all the participants) brought home packages and goodie bags from the local produce and souvenirs. 

Lampung Familiarization Trip 2021
the duriaaaan...

For sure, we also had photo sessions here and there while enjoying the details of Lamban Gedung Kuning as well as the private collections of Dang Ike Edwin, coming from different parts of Indonesia and the world as well.


The four of us,- Amel, Aip, Uni Rai and me, posing in Lamban Gedung Kuning

Done with all those durian and memorable session in Lamban Gedung Kuning, we headed to Batiqa Hotel, where all the participants were staying, to taste some of their signature menus and new food, while at the same time enjoying a little break before joining Pesona Kemilau Lampungthe ceremony of the Lampung Krakatau Festival 2021. 

Lampung Familiarization Trip 2021
Cheers from all of us after Pesona Kemilau Lampung event

That night, we rushed to Novotel Lampung, the venue of Pesona Kemilau Lampung to enjoy our dinner and the soirée. We certainly had so much fun that night, with wonderful food to enjoy, new friends to meet, and melangé of Lampungnese sparkling cultures and arts beautifully performed to enjoy. We saw different dances from many parts of Lampung, like tari  Bedana and  Tari Nenemo from Tulang Bawang Barat, one of the regents in Lampung provinceTruly an amazing and enjoyable showcase of cultures, wrapped in beautiful costumes, graceful movements and joyful music! 

Nenemo Dance from Tulang Bawang Barat

Check out my video on my YouTube channel here.



Before the night was wrapped, there was a fashion show by Mama Una and friends, who are the rising fashion designers in the area, as well as performances from the Band singing Lampungnese songs and more, including those that I learnt at school! Sweet memories indeed. And that's a wrap for the first day. 

On the second day, November 5th, we started the journey early because we were going to spend our time on the island and the beach. Yes, Pahawang and Kelagian islands, here we come!

We went to Ketapang Port to catch our boat ride. There were two boats being prepared for our group and everybody was super excited indeed. First stop is Kelagian island, where many of us took tons of photos, videos and drone footage while the others, including me, trying paddle board for the first time. 

Lampung Familiarization Trip 2021
trying the paddle board at Kelagian Island


Thanks to Restu Bumi Adventure for bringing the boards and patiently taught us how to do it! I myself tried it for the first time and although it was very tough, I loved it!

We went snorkeling as well around the area and for sure, we took some underwater photos as well here. So many to see and for sure it is always good to be back to these beautiful islands dotting around the Lampung Bay.

Snorkeling at Pahawang Island, Lampung
Ari Tomat, snorkeling at Pahawang Island

Happy snorkeling, paddle boarding and taking tons of photos and videos, we went to Bumi Pahawang Resort for our delicious lunch! We all ate together on top of banana leaves, or in bahasa Indonesia (or Javanese I guess) we called it bancakan, with space in between. We had steam rice, grilled fish, sayur asem or sweet and sour soup, sambal terasi or fresh chili sauce with shrimp paste, added with tempe and spicy krecek. Afterwards, we also had fresh water melon and pempek or the fish cake. Delicious indeed. We also got a chance to had room tour at Bumi Pahawang Resort. I would definitely go back here again.

Lampung Familiarization Trip 2021
Riungan... lunch together at Bumi Pahawang Resort


Lampung Familiarization Trip 2021
Bumi Pahawang Resort


Then, after the beautiful day on the islands and on the beach, we headed back to Bandar Lampung with our big bus. Dinner was then served in Lembah Batu Heritage. I skipped it because I was super tired but judging from the group's photos, they certainly had a blast indeed! 

Finally, on the third day, November 6th, we started the day - trip by heading to Lamban Batik Lampung  in the morning. I skipped this as well (but a couple days later, I came here and bought 6 pieces of Batik Lampung!) but I joined the group again for the visit to Madu Suhita or Suhita Bee Farm to see up close and personal this wonderful place. At the same place, we learnt about sibori or the ecoprint, beautifully presented by Kahut Siger Bori. I share more about it in my previous post: A Visit to Suhita Bee Farm and Kahut Sigerbori Lampung


Lampung Familiarization Trip 2021


It was indeed a great experience where since the very beginning, as we walked along the flowing river and greeneries, were welcomed by local kids dancing the traditional Lampungnese dance, we learnt, tried and discussed a lot regarding the conservation of the surrounding areas, the economic-generating activities in the bee farm benefitting the local communities, as well as the fun way of expressing our artistic soul in an environmentally - friendly way through eco print. My daughter, who came joining me in this visit, and I really enjoy the Sibori session and here's what we had made.

Lampung Familiarization Trip 2021
let's make Sibori tote bage

Lampung Familiarization Trip 2021
participants were ready to create the eco print bag, after listening to the instructions


We also enjoyed our lunch here, with pecel, steamed veggies with spicy peanut sauce dressing, over rice wrapped in banana leaves. Eating it in the middle of the greeneries? Heaven indeed. Not to mention trying various honey produced here, including its super healthy propolis! Lucky us!

lunch time! pecel wrapped in banana leaves


Then, all good things have to come to an end. 
We had to say goodbye to all the participants from outside of Lampung who would catch their flight back to Jakarta. We took them to the airport and bid them farewell, wishing them all a safe trip back and hopefully Lampung will forever stay in their heart.

It's been a great journey indeed and appreciation goes to Lampung Tourism Board, especially the team preparing all these trips. Shout out to Ari Tomat, Ses Mega and the whole team for their extra hard work and sleepless nights. It was awesome, guys! I also love meeting so many new friends from different parts of Indonesia. Some have been friends on social media for some times and I finally got a chance to actually meet them in persons. Yaaaay

Tabik pun.... Ikam di Lampung, yay.. lovely mural at Batiqa Hotel Lampung

Lampung indeed has a lot to offer and to those who seek never ending adventures, wrapped in amazing natural landscape, tummy-loving culinary explorations, and once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Now that I am far, far away from home, I sincerely hope I will see beautiful Lampung again. Maybe not anytime soon for me, but you, my friends, are welcomed to come and visit Lampung anytime.

See you around, Lampung!


24 comments:

  1. Salah satu festival yang dari dulu pingin aku ikuti, Lampung Krakatau Festival. Selalu seru ya mbak acaranya. Beberapa kali join di ig story teman teman Blogger pas acara berlangsung

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  2. Lampung aku belum pernah kesana tapi melihat postingan di sosial media mengenai pariwisata Lampung luar biasa cakeeep apalagi Pahawang ya mbaa.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. iyaa mbaa... tur di pulau - pulau seputar Teluk lampung memang wajib hehe

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  3. OMG, it was a very nice and memorable trip, indeed.
    And read "The smell of roasting coffee" makes me even curious about Lampung.
    Hope I could visit Lampung with fams one day. Wanna try the snorkeling and taste the coffee for sure

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  4. Waah ini kata apa yang tepat menggambarkan isi tulisan ini ya ... "semarak" mungkin ya. ALhamdulillah ya Lampung Krakatau Festival 2021 terlaksana dengan baik. Semoga nanti bisa terlaksana lagi dan pariwisata di Lampung semakin membaik.

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  5. Dari tahun ke tahun, Lampung Krakatau Festival selalu mengambil tema yang membawa semangat positif!

    Jadi semangat nih buat enggak menyerah dan terus berjuang menghadapi situasi pandemi ini, mana tau bisa berwisata ke Lampung

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  6. Seru banget ya travelling ke Lampung. Penasaran aku dengan duriannya. Jadi pengen nyicip juga nih hehehe. Ditambah dengan snorkelling tentunya seru banget juga ya. Bisa liat pemandangan bawah laut, Mantap!

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  7. Pas ikut festival dulu, aku nulis tentang Jatuh hari pada lampung. Kali ini, aku nulis kembali jatuh hati. Hahaha.

    Ya gimana ya Mam, Lampung itu luar biasa bangett kekayaan alam, budaya, dan seni. Terus, masyarakat sana juga baik2 banget, ramah2 banget.

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  8. Seru banget ini mbak Indah jalan-jalan ke Lampungnya, aku jadi langsung bikin list destnasi wajib liburan setelah pandemi nih. Kalau sekarang ini beraninya yang dekat2 dulu.

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  9. Padahal Lampung kampung halaman yaa, kak Indah..
    Tapi kalau benar-benar di explore, ada banyak sekali yang dilakukan. Dari mulai wisata, culinary sampai aktivitas sehari-harinya. Ini menarik terutama bagi wisatawan.

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  10. Wow wow acaranya meriah sekali ya Mbak Indah, senang banget akhirnya ada lagi festival dan famtrip blogger, kangennya minta ampun. Waktu ke Lampung aku juga main ke Els Coffee dan kopinya memang juaraa...

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  11. Acaranya menarik banget mbak, senang sekali bisa ikutan event deh, saya ngiri mbak ahaha. Kapan ya bisa snorkeling dan menikmati keindahan Pahawang Island

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  12. Senengnya dunia pariwisata kembali menggeliat. Duh event Lampung Krakatau Festival ini bikin mupeng, apalagi ada durian competition.

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  13. Els Coffee. Kopi pertama yang aku cicipi di Lampung dan langsung bikin jatuh cinta. Lampung juga banyak banget tempat yang ingin dikunjungi. Dan belum pernah sama sekali ikut Lampung Krakatau Festival ini. I wish, next year, maybe. will join this event, Inshaallah. Miss you Mba Indah

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  14. I've never been to Lampung. Reading your experience here, what a great days in Krakatau Kemilau Festival XXX. Hopefully someday I can visit Lampung and enjoy many things there.

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  15. Eh, ternyata sebutan lain dari ecoprint tuh sibori ya mba, aku baru tahu nih, hehehe.. wah, wisata di Lampung asyik banget ya ternyata. Pengen snorkling...

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  16. Aroma kopi itu bagaikan hujan rintik rintik. Syahdu dan bikin kangen. Kopi lampung memang memiliki ciri khas rasa dan aroma

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  17. Seneng y mba bisa lihat langsung dari deket festival krakatau ini.. yg rutin diadakannya pasti bnyak cerita

    Kepingin Juga next bisa lihat langsung

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  18. Seru banget lihatnya mba, apalagi pas ke batik itu, pasti banyak belajar soal batik juga ya. Lihat teman-teman yang ke Lampung rame banget. Jadi kangen lihat seseruan begitu.

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  19. seruuu liat updatenya poto2 ama cerita pada seru ikutan festival ini. bikin mamaboobi kangen Indonesia ga ?
    semoga ada kesemptaan ikutan buat taun depan

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  20. Acara yang menarik, menampilkan potensi kesenian dan budaya dari lampung. Pasti seru sekali. Apalagi ini dikemas secara hibrid ya, jd yang ga bisa datang ke lokasi bisa menikmati secara online

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  21. Seruuuù bangeet ya bisa ikutan Krakatau Festival. Pengin menikmati wisata Lampung belum kesampaian.

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  22. aku baru sekali ke lampung dan katanya emang pantainya tuh cakep banget ya maaaak.. next kalo mampir ke lampung lagi mau mampir ke pantainya aaah

    ReplyDelete

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