Wikimania 2013 bids/Surakarta

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Wikimania 2013 candidate cities:

Final Candidate Cities: Hong Kong | London

Other Candidate Cities: Surakarta | Bristol | Naples


Introduction

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About Surakarta

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Day view of Surakarta


Surakarta, official candidate of the Wikimania 2013 host.


Surakarta on Wikipedia: ace:Surakarta af:Soerakarta bjn:Surakarta map-bms:Kota Surakarta bg:Суракарта bug:Surakarta ca:Surakarta de:Surakarta en:Surakarta es:Surakarta eo:Surakarta fi:Surakarta fr:Surakarta id:Kota Surakarta ja:スラカルタ jv:Kutha Surakarta ko:수라카르타 mr:सुरकर्ता ms:Kota Surakarta nl:Surakarta no:Surakarta pl:Surakarta pt:Surakarta ro:Surakarta ru:Суракарта su:Kota Surakarta sv:Surakarta vi:Surakarta war:Surakarta zh:梭罗市 zh-min-nan:Surakarta

 
Collage of Solo

Surakarta, also called Solo (pronounced /so lo/) or Sala (pronounced /sɔ lɔ/) by local people, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people (2009). The 44 km2 lies on the west of the longest and the most fertile river in Indonesia, Bengawan Solo (Solo River), and between the twin peaks of Merapi and Merbabu on the North and Lawu on the east. The city is the seat of Surakarta Sunanate kraton (palace/court). Together with Yogyakarta, Surakarta is the heir of the Mataram Kingdom that was split into two kingdoms in 1755.

Surakarta is also widely known by the name "Solo". "Surakarta" is used in formal and official contexts. The city has a similar name to the neighboring district of "Kartasura," where the previous capital of Mataram was located.

Solo lies some 100 kilometers south of Semarang (capitol of Central Java province) and some 60 kilometers east of Yogyakarta special province. As the 'twin' sister of Yogyakarta, this city looks much like the later. But because Solo is not a provincial capital, this city has preserved much of its Javanese character. This also means that Solo is less touristy than Yogyakarta. Historically, Solo is a former Royal city and home to two Royal enclaves; that of the Kasunanan Kingdom and the Mangkunegaran Principality. However unlike Yogya, due to political reasons, after independence the two kingdoms lost their autonomy and rule over the city. Today's Solo is a bustling economic centre of some 800,000 inhabitants (with the suburbs).

 
Wayang performance

Cradle of Javanese culture: The town is a centre of art and education, offers many good shopping and has some range of tourist facilities.

It has preserved the art of making batik for generations. Sometimes Solo is called the Capital City of Batik. Many events and architecture clearly reflect this heritage. Every year Solo holds the famous Solo Batik Carnival on its main street

Solo is very well known of its charming and soft-spoken people. It is said as the least westernised city in Central Java.

Technologically and environment friendly city: The local government strongly support online communities such as Wikipedia. It also built Solo Techno Park recently to accommodate young tech entrepreneurs. On December 2011 it held for the first time Solo Cyber Day where thousands of people and dozens of online communities, including Wikipedia, gathered together at Solo Car Free Day, a weekly event aimed to reduce the usage of motorized vehicle in the city.

Traditionally, Solo also a big proponent of using plastic alternatives made from natural materials. The government also bans smoking inside the buildings.

World Heritage Sites: It is in close proximity to the temples of Borobudur Temple Complex and Prambanan Temple Complex (only two hours away), both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and also a couple of hours away from Mount Merapi, the most active volcano in Indonesia that only recently erupted (25 October 2010).

It is also the site of Indonesian famous museums, such as Radya Pustaka (the nation's first), Batik Museum, Pers (Press) Museum of Indonesia, and each palace of Surakarta also has their own museums. Solo is home of the Homo soloensis or Solo Man, Pithecanthropus erectus or Java Man, and Meganthropus palaeojavanicus and there's a World Heritage Museum just outside of Solo displaying these items.

Travellers with extra time on their schedule should also visit Bali, Komodo Islands (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Ujung Kulon Natural Reserve (UNESCO World Heritage Site), and other famous places in the Indonesian archipelago.

Traditional food culinary : While international food chains can be seen in this city (McD, Pizza Hut, A&W, to name a few), Solo's traditional food culinary are famous for its diverse influence of many cuisine tradition (Javanese, Chinese, Dutch, American), and it's 24 hours of culinary life. Some people also call Solo the Culinary City of Indonesia.

Being a Moslem-majority nation, most food sold here, as in the rest of Indonesia, follows the halal dietary rule. Solo's cuisine is also friendly to vegans as some of the city's signature foods are vegetables only. The city is also host of plethora of snacks, tropical drinks, bakery selections, all of which reflects the fusion of the aforementioned culinary traditions. Alcoholic beverages, nonetheless, are hard to find, and only a few licensed places sell them.

Handicap friendly city: Solo has a long history of supporting handicapped people, inasmuch it was designated as the host of ASEAN Paralympic Games 2011. It also has handicap friendly bus stop and walkways, something rare in Indonesia. It used to be the model handicap-friendly-city in Asia-Pacific and right now it is the home of Dr. Soeharso Hospital (Rehabilitation Center), which traced its roots on the work of Dr. Soeharso, an orthopedic surgeon during the war of independence (1945-49). In 1983 this hospital became the center for Training on Rehabilitation for the Physically Handicaped Person's, Program TCDC (Technical Cooperation Among Development Countries), which is the cooperation between Indonesian Social Department and UNDP/ILO.

Local Information

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The logo of Wikimania Surakarta set in Javanese script with wayang as its background

The currency used in Indonesia is the IDR - Indonesian Rupiah (Rp). There are currency changing offices in Airport, banks, and authorized money exchange counters near the venue. Stores accept credit cards such as Visa and Master Card.

Because of its large denomination, don't be suprised if some not so expensive items could cost hundreds of thousand rupiah to million of rupiah. The trailing three zeros are often abbreviated with rb (ribu, thousand) or even dropped completely, and for more expensive items you will often even see jt (juta, million). The largest banknote is the red Rp 100,000, which may only be US$10 but is still inconveniently large for most purchases. Next in the series are Rp 50,000 (blue), Rp 20,000 (green), Rp 10,000 (purple), Rp 5,000 (brown), Rp 2,000 (gray) and finally Rp 1,000.

US dollars will be accepted, but are typically used as an investment and for larger purchases, not for buying a bowl of noodles on the street. Many hotels quote rates in dollars, but all accept payment in rupiah. If you pay any bill in Indonesia with a credit card it will be charged to your account in rupiah, regardless of the currency you were quoted. Money exchangers are very picky about bill condition, and pre-1999 dollars or any imperfect bills or (ripped, wrinkled, stained, etc) will often be rejected. Banks in general won't change any 1996 dollars. Be very careful dealing with moneychangers, who are very adept at distracting your attention during the counting process and short-changing you as a result. As a precaution, consider bringing a friend along to watch over the transaction very carefully. Be aware of moneychangers who offer great rates. They will quote you one price, and start counting stacks of Rp.20,000 notes, and ask you to count along with them. This is a ploy to confuse and shortchange you. If they realize you are onto them, they will tell you that they have to subtract 6-8% for "commission" or "taxes". Be careful when using credit cards, as cloning and fraud are a major problem in Indonesia. Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted, but American Express can be problematic. At smaller operations, surcharges of 2-5% over cash are common. Living cost in Indonesia is cheap, Rp 10,000 (about $1.11) will get you a meal or a packet of cigarettes or three kilometers in a taxi or two bottles of water. But as a foreigner who didn't speak Indonesian, it is often necessary to haggle and negotiate a minimum of 50%-70% off an initial asking price[2]

While most commercial places close on Sunday in the West, it does not apply in Indonesia, being a Muslim majority country. Most of them even have the largest visitors in Sunday (and national holidays) and shopping malls often become VERY crowded on Sunday. So if you plan to go to Indonesian malls and shopping centres, weekdays (Monday to Friday) is the best time to visit. Shopping malls and commercials open at around 10 am, and street shops (and traditional markets) open as early as 6 am, and close at around 8 to 9 pm. There are couple twenty-four hours convenience stores in Solo.

The language primarily spoken in Surakarta is Javanese language and Indonesian language. Public signs are written in Indonesian language, occassionally with English, and occassionally with Javanese script. Indonesian alphabet consist of 26 letters exactly like English alphabet. Written phonetically with the Latin alphabet and with a fairly logical grammar, Indonesian is generally regarded as one of the easiest languages to learn, and A.M. Almatsier's The Easy Way to Master the Indonesian Language, a 200 page small paperback, is an excellent starting point. It can be found in any Indonesian bookstore for less than US$3.

English is generally not widely spoken. That being said, hotel and airline staff generally speak an acceptable level of English.

The weather during July-August is hot and humid. The temperature ranges from 21-33 degree Celcius. Humidity level is normally between 75% and 100%. Wear light clothing and if necessary wear hat and sunglasses. Even though predominantly Muslim population, Indonesia, and Surakarta in particular, didn't have any clothing restriction, so you can wear anything you want modestly.

The cuisine of Surakarta often sweet and spicy, partly due to its history as the sugar plantation center of Indonesia, and Indonesia as the spice nation back in the colonial era. Vegans need not worry because vegetable based food are plenty. Even though the staple food of Indonesian people is rice, but slowly bread, noodles, pastas are entering Indonesian people's diet and such restaurant can be found anywhere from foodstalls to malls. Most food are certified halal according to Muslim dietary laws, and food product bought in supermarkets often has this label too. See further information in our Catering breakdown

The electrical outlets in Indonesia use two round receptacles: CEE 7/4 (German "Schuko"), compatible with CEE 7/5 (French), CEE 7/7, and CEE 7/17 (Europlugs). It supplies up to 16 A/220 V.

The major modes of mobile telecommunications include GSM and CDMA, and phone number could be bought at a nominal value on multitude of places. The country code of Indonesia is 62 and the local code of Surakarta is 271. From within Indonesia, you can dial (0271) followed by the telephone number you wish to dial.

The time zone of Surakarta is the same as Jakarta, which is Waktu Indonesia Barat (WIB) or Western Indonesia Timezone (UTC+7).

Tap water is not drinkable in Indonesia. Water or ice served to you in restaurants may have been purified and/or boiled, but do ask. Bottled water, usually known as Aqua after the best-known brand, is cheap and available everywhere, but check that the seal is intact. Most hotels do provide free bottled water. Also beware of ice which may not have been prepared with potable water or kept in hygienic conditions. If you have weak stomach, better not order beverages with ice cubes from not very visibly popular establishments.

Cuisine of Solo

About Solo's cuisine

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A small rijsttafel at a private party in the Netherlands
 
Fried chicken, fried tempeh, fried tofu, fried fish, fried banana, and everything in between
 
Gudeg

In general, the cuisine of Solo is a combination of fried, coconut-milk based, and sweet-savory. Many of the dishes caters to vegan, and especially for Moslems (i.e. halal foods). Solo's culinary life is 24 hours, with some foodstalls starting to open at 2 a.m. and already closed at 5 a.m. We will try to inclue most of the culinary in the conference's meals, but if some of the food listed here isn't served at the conference, you should ask the meal that you'd like to try to your host for dinner.

National
The national dishes of Indonesia includes fried rice, gado-gado, satay, and soto (chicken/beef soup) which varies in taste from city to city, and many of them have become common across South East Asia and beyond. As many as the dishes are the types of sambal (chilis), kerupuk (crackers), beverages, (sweet) soy sauce, and side dishes (like soy-based tempe and tofu). Rice is omnipresent in many forms (such as lontong, ketupat, porridge, etc), as well as tea and coffee. The drinks are usually sweet, but you can ask the drink to be sugarless, and you can choose between cold (ice cubed) or warm beverages. Some Indonesian fruit and vegetable dishes such as fruit rujak, gado-gado, karedok, pecel, lalab, capcay, tofu and tempeh are known as healthy foods with low fat and high fiber.
International influence
Other than traditional Javanese food, Surakarta's restaurants offers plethora of cuisines from around the world, thanks from hundreds of years of exposure from Indian, Chinese, and Western food, ranging from Indian currys (gulai and opor) and murtabaks, Chinese noodles, meatballs and its diverse cuisine, Spanish/Portuguese rissole and pastel, to Dutch poffertjes, pannekoek, spekkoek, rissole, kaastangel, klappertaart, and stroopwafels.
Outward, Indonesia contributed a lot to global cuisine, mainly due to the Spice Islands fame during the Europe' Age of Exploration. Cloves, nutmegs, and other spices from the Moluccas islands have become staple spices in global cuisine. In Europe, and in particular in the Netherlands, the Indonesian cuisine also had influenced Dutch cuisine. Rijsttafel invented during colonial era are the example of Indonesian feast that still popular in the Netherlands and its colonies.
Traditional
The authentic traditional Indonesian home cooking is freshly made and consumed daily with minimal or no processed, canned or preserved foods, which means there are minimal amount of preservatives. Most ingredients are bought fresh early in the morning from local traditional markets, cooked around late morning and consumed mainly for lunch. The leftovers are stored in the cupboard in room temperature to be heated and consumed again for dinner. Traditionally, Indonesian dishes are rarely stored for long periods of time, thus most of these dishes are cooked and consumed in the same day or at most the following day.
Beverages
Solo's beverages mostly sweet and combines the richness of natural tropical fruits with coconut water or coconut milk, and other local ingredients. Because of Islamic dietary laws, most dining place do not offer alcoholic beverages, and only few licensed hotels and restaurants carry them. Other than national and international brand of beers, alcoholic beverage native to Solo is called ciu, which is a local adaptation of Chinese wine.
Fruits
Solo's markets abound with many types of tropical fruit. These are an important part of the Indonesian diet, either eaten freshly, or made into juices like avocado juice, desserts like es teler, processed in savoury and spicy dishes like rujak, fried like fried banana, cooked into cakes bika ambon, sweetened or salted and preserved such as manisan buah, or processed into crispy chips as snacks like jackfruit chips. Many of these fruits such as mangosteen, rambutan, jackfruit, durian, and banana, are indigenous to Indonesian archipelago; while others have been imported from other tropical countries. Today, strawberry, melon, apple and dragonfruit are introduced and grown in cooler highlands near Solo such as Tawangmangu, to mimic their native subtropics habitat.
 
Sate buntel (wrapped satay)
 
Tasty durians
 
Hairy rambutan
 
Javanese Yellow Rice

Below are some of the famous dishes and snacks, and the appropriate time to eat them:

  • Tahu kupat (breakfast or lunch): fried tofu, pressed rice pieces, noodles and roasted nuts
  • fresh jackfruit (fruit)
  • Nasi liwet (all day): Solonese style coconut rice with green papaya and stringy chicken. Because it is perisable food, foodstalls didn't open all day. Some open during the day, some only operates at night, and several even only open at dawn (2 a.m. onwards)
  • Nasi gudeg (lunch or breakfast): chicken cooked with young jackfruits in coconut milk, served with eggs and cecek, and you can add chicken feet also
  • chicken sate with lontong rice
  • sate buntel: mutton sate wrapped in mutton fat
  • rice with chilli eggplant, and tofu stewed in red curry
  • fried tempe (side dish)
  • serabi (snack): Solo pancakes made of coconut milk, mixed with a little rice flour as thickener. Srabi can be served plain, or with toppings such as sliced banana, chopped jackfruit, chocolate sprinkle (muisjes), or cheese.
  • kue putu (snack): milled rice steamed with Javanese sugar and coconut in a bamboo tube
  • javanese fried noodle
  • Solonese meatball soup
  • Solonese salad (selat): an adaptation of European cuisine into Javanese cuisine and taste. Beef, potato, carrot, lettuce, cucumber, onion, green bean, boiled egg, tomato with mustard served in thin soup made of sweet soy sauce and worcester sauce soup, topped with potato chips.
  • fresh durian (fruit)
  • Timlo: Solonese specialty chicken soup, with Solonese sausage (sosis), egg, and chicken innards side order
  • Oxtail soup (breakfast, lunch): As the name said
  • Sweetened quail eggs (side dish)
  • Rendang (all day): Javanese curry dish
  • Rawon (all day): diced beef in pitch-black soup
  • Martabak (snack): Javanese murtabak
  • Soto (all day): Chicken in spicy yellow turmeric soup, with rice vermicelli, egg, rice/lontong, vegetables, tomato, leeks and fried shallot.
  • Tongseng (lunch) : a Javanese spicy and rather sweet goat (mutton) meat soup; a strongly-spiced curry of bone-in mutton, which is quickly stir-fried at the point of sale with vegetables added.
  • Tengkleng (lunch): Another type of Javanese (innard) mutton soup, curry-style
  • Nasi Tumpeng (a.k.a Nasi Kuning): uniquely Javanese cone-shaped yellow rice mound, served with dozens of side dishes.
  • Sayur asem: Javanese-style vegetables in tamarind-flavored soup. Can be served hot or cold.
  • Pecel ndeso (breakfast): an all vegetables food served with (sweet or chili) peanut sauce; a salad of boiled vegetables, dressed in a peanut-based spicy sauce. It is usually served as an accompaniment to rice. A peanut or dried fish/shrimp cracker (rempeyek) is served on the side
  • Bakmi ketoprak:
  • Cabuk rambak
  • rujak
  • Karak: Javanese crackers
  • Gado-gado: akin to pecel, gado-gado means "mixed vegetables"; Similar to pecel, but includes different vegetables as well as boiled egg slices and a garnish of fish/shrimp crackers and emping (Gnetum gnemon L. nut, flattened, dried, and fried into small thin crackers) and also uses peanut sauce
  • Bubur sambel goreng
  • Swikee: Frogs' legs cooked in fermented soybean (tauco) soup.; Chinese-Javanese fusion cuisine
  • Sayur Lodeh: assorted vegetable, stewed in coconut milk.
  • Roti bakar: grilled bread: European-Javanese fusion cuisine
  • Semur: from Dutch smoor
  • (Bubur) Ketan hitam: black rice congee
  • Bubur kacang hijau: mung beans porridge
  • Bubur sumsum
  • Lemper: glutinous rice with chicken meat inside, covered with banana leaf
  • pastel: Pastry with (usually chicken or meat) casserole dish baked in a pie crust.
  • Telur asin: Salted duck eggs
  • Perkedel kentang: fried mashed potatoes
  • Perkedel jagung: fried mashed corn
  • Jagung bakar: grilled whole corn
  • Mandarin cake: specialty layered cake from Solo, the most famous food gift from Solo
  • Rempeyek
 
Es teler
 
Iced young coconut water with honey
 
Kembang tahu

Special beverages and dessert:

  • sweet Sumatran kopi susu (milk tea): an Indonesian version of Café au lait.
  • kopi tubruk: coffee mixed with sugar and hot water and poured straight in the glass without separating out the coffee residue
  • bajigur and bandrek: coconut milk or coconut sugar (gula jawa) based hot drinks, mixed with other spices
  • Sekoteng: a ginger based hot drink which includes peanuts, diced bread, and pacar cina
  • wedang jahe: hot ginger tea
  • wedang ronde: A hot Javanese dessert containing glutinous rice balls stuffed with peanut paste, floating in a hot and sweet ginger and lemongrass tea.
  • Angsle (warm drink): A hot soupy dessert of sago pearls, pre-cooked glutinous rice and mung beans, putu mayang (brightly-colored, noodle-shaped flour cakes), fried peanuts all drowned in hot, sweet coconut milk.
  • Kembang tahu: a dessert made of tofu and ginger syrup
  • Fruit juices (jus): orange (jus jeruk), guava (jus jambu), mango (jus mangga), soursop (jus sirsak) and avocado (jus alpokat), the last of these being commonly served with condensed milk and chocolate syrup as a dessert-like treat.
  • es durian: durian based ice cream
  • es kelapa muda: young coconut on ice
  • es cincau: grass jelly
  • es dawet
  • es teler: avocado, jackfruit and coconut with shreded ice and condensed milk
  • es kacang merah: red kidney beans
  • es blewah: musk melon
  • es rumput laut: seaweed
  • herbal jamu

While most Indonesian grocery products and food served in mid to upperscale eating establishments maintain food hygiene standard ranges from good to acceptable, some warung traditional foodstalls and street vendors might have poor hygiene. The tropical microbes also might contribute to food poisoning cases, especially among foreigners during their stay in Indonesia. It is advisable to drink bottled or boiled drinking water, or choose cooked hot food instead of uncooked room temperatured one sold by street vendors. For example, when consuming food sold by street vendors, consuming hot cooked mi ayam or soto is much safer than having gado-gado or fruit rujak.

Wikipedia articles
External links
Food and beverages that can be found in Solo
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Add Indonesia to the list!
 
You could have (near) unlimited amount of stroopwafels, thanks to the Dutch influence in Indonesia for 350 years, if you ask very nicely! (And of course if Solo is chosen as Wikimania 2013 host!)
 
So, no more picture like this!

About Java Island

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View of Mount Bromo
 
Richness of Indonesia: wayang kulit depicting Arjuna, Garuda Pancasila Indonesian national emblem, Kris blade from Java, map of Indonesian archipelago, Borobudur Buddhist temple, Papuan dance, Baturrahman Mosque of Banda Aceh, Rumah Gadang Minangkabau traditional house, Torajan wooden carving as background, Satay one of Indonesian national dish, Angklung bamboo music from Sundanese West Java, Balinese Pendet dancer, Tumpeng cone shaped rice dish from Java, Gamelan, Batik and Songket textiles as background.

Java (Javanese: Jawa) is the most fertile, the most productive, and the most populous island in the world. Java is "Island of Eden in the Tropics"[3], with imposing volcanic peaks piercing upwards, resulting in an exceedingly complex topography. Seasoned with year long sunshine and moonsonal rains, these fertile soils in former times supported the most luxuriant tropical foliage the world has ever seen. Many foreigners who sojourned here -- ancient Chinese Buddhist monks as well as later Arab and European traders -- were awed by the lofty mountains, tangled upland valleys, and gently sloping alluvial plains. Everywhere the landscapes are dominated by soaring volcanoes, balding on top, forested in the middle, and blanketed by rice terraces below. Indeed, one could say volcanoes are the very essence of Java.

The glorious civilization of ancient Java -- producer of masterpieces such as Borobudur and Prambanan -- was founded in this tropical island of superlatives. The first humans to reach Java were Homo erectus, whose fossilized remains have been found near the Solo River. These older remains are popularly referred as "Java Man", which is indeed were among the very first pieces of fossil to support Darwin's evolutionary theories. By the 14th century, the illustrious East Javanese empire of Majapahit could indeed claim to rule an area larger than present-day Indonesia.

Spectacular population growth has occured since 1800 and today it is home to 136 million people in an area the size of England or New York State, with Javanese people and Javanese language become predominate in this island. Found here is every imaginable landscape, amidst an unimaginable human warmth.

About Indonesia

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Indonesia, officially Republic of Indonesia is the fourth largest nation, the most ethnically and linguistically diverse country (719 living languages[4]), and the most populous Muslim country in the world. Located at South East Asia, it is the largest archipelago nation on earth, with 5 major islands: Sumatera, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Jawa, and Papua, and more than 17 thousand islands and 400 volcanoes (the most in the world) -- more than 100 of them are still active -- that straddles the archipelago.

Indonesia has numerous ethnic group and diverse language group, from Malay, Chinese, Javanese, Batak, Sundanese, to Papuans. Because of that, virtually almost all Indonesian are bilingual and united by common language and identity, which is Indonesian language.

In the long history of the archipelago states, there were Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms, Muslim sultanates, and animistic tribes that once existed within the border of Indonesia. The island of Java, in particular, has seen the succession of Hindu-Buddhist civilization (as seen in the Prambanan and Borobudur temple complex) to Muslim civilization, and the whole nation was colonized by the Netherlands for 3 and half century before briefly occupied by Japan during the Second World War and finally declared her independence at 1945. The culture of Indonesia, therefore, is a unique blend of Indian Hindu-Buddhism, Arabic Moslem, and Western modernization, while each ethnic also preserves their own unique culture, making Indonesia truly a melting pot of various indigenous and non-indigenous cultures. Indonesian cuisine, literature and arts are also affected by this exposure to various major civilization of the world. Indonesia is also home of some of the world's best beaches.

Technologically, Indonesia in recent (2010) BBC survery is regarded as the most entrepreneur-friendly country in the world, above US, Canada, India, and Australia.[5][6] Thousands of startups have sprung here in the past decade. It has the third largest base of Facebook user and the largest base of Twitter user (one of every five internet users in Indonesia is using Twitter)[7], yet Wikipedia has fairly low penetration. This trend was helped heavily by free promotions of both services by mobile vendors, and there's a lot of room for Wikipedia to enter and tap the pool of technologist and Wikipedian-to-bes that is growing in number here.

Venues

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Conference venue

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For the conference venue, we're planning to use Solo Convention Centre (SCC). The venue features 3 850 m2 of a two storey building. It fits with the need of an event such as Wikimania.

SCC located at the center of the city, right in the middle of the street that divides the southern Sultanate Palace and Mangkunegaran Palace (our closing venue) on the north. It's close to multitude of hotels, fine dinings, shopping malls, and other object of interest, such as museums, batik gallery, antique market where one find exquisite objects d'art, and the two palaces themselves. Religious/worship centers, hospitals, police station, tourist information center, and money changers are also within the reach of the venue. Because of its strategic location, the Wikimania event would be at the center of the whole city's attention.

SCC was build around 1990s as a place for international meetings and events. Today, the venue is used for various kind of events, starting from wedding receptions, seminars, exhibitions, and based on the team member's previous experience, their service were professional. Transportation to the venue and from the venue back to the hotels are also easy. There's a bus from the Solo Adisumarmo Airport (SOC) to the venue, and the same bus would take people who get off from the train at Purwosari train station. Still the same bus route would take the attendees back to most of their hotels. Taxis are aplenty and other modes of transportation are readily available, from renting bicycles, becaks (Indonesian rickshaw), to motorcycles. If you're lucky, your hotels would be within walking distance from the venue.

Main hall
can hold more than 1000 sitting guests, 1664 sqm, or 2252 sqm if connected with lobby. It has 24 Austrian chandeliers
Seminar rooms
there are six rooms that can hold about 20-80 people each
Lounge facilities
already included are sound system and projectors
Other rooms (organisation, staff, speakers, interviews/press, storage)
lounge, including a restaurant, and it also has its own hotel nearby. Suitable for VIPs.
  • The capacity and the hours at which they are opened/closed: TBAdded
  • Contacts with conference venue (emails, price quotes etc.): the venue has been contacted by the local team, and the price is well within the budget. By working together with the mayor's office, we expect
  • Technical facilities
    • Existing technical installations
    • Audio-visual available
    • Air-conditioned rooms, important since mid-day the temperature outside can rise up very high
    • Wireless Network implementation:to be built. Need to work with Communication Department of Surakarta. Past experiences include installing Wi-Fi internet alongside the Slamet Riyadi road, the main road of Solo, to give free internet access to the people along the 6km long road.
  • Close to hotels (in fact, most of the hotels are on the same street: Slamet Riyadi). One of them (Diamond Hotel) are on the same building complex (under the same management), two are on the other side of the road (Riyadi Palace and HAP - Hotel Anugerah Palace)
Location Dimension (m)
(length x width x height)
Area (m2) Capacity (seats)
Main Hall (1st floor) 52 X 32 X 8 1 664 1 400
Pre-function Lobby (1st floor) 49 X 12 X 3 588 700
Pre-function Lobby (2nd floor) 49 X 12 X 3 588 700

VIP rooms

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SCC has six VIP rooms with varying sizes and capacities. Four rooms are 44 sqm that can hold 20-40 people. Two rooms are 88 sqm that can hold 50-80 people. There is also a lounge in the middle of the VIP rooms that offers guests a choice of environment to socialize. Outside of the VIP Rooms is another pre-function lobby at the capacity of 540 sqm.

Opening venue

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Opening reception/party will be held in the main hall of the SCC.

Closing venue

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Pura Mangkunegaran

Currently we're on talk with the Princedom of Mangkunegaran to use the Mangkunegaran Palace, a royal palace of about 3500 m2, as the host of closing party/ceremony. The Grand Hall of the palace (pictured) is surrounded by cool open air grassfields and is next to the palace museum (1000 m2)

Additional venues

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VIP Party/press conference: the planning is to use the Dalem Wuryaningratan (House of Wuryaningrat -- a royal member of Surakarta Kingdom). The building is a combination of Javanese and European architecture. It can hold a standing party to about 200 people and on the same complex with the House of Danar Hadi, also known as the Danar Hadi Batik Museum, which holds the largest collection of batik (according to Indonesian Record Museum - MURI), including Dutch batik collection.

 

Map of the venues

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The map of the venues are available on Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=213801459399461031586.0004bbebf8c1734321263

 
Green is the Solo Convention Center. The blue straight line is the aforementioned street that divide the city, it also serves as the arterial road. Airport is on the northwest.

Accommodation

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The city has numerous budget hotels as well as three to five-star hotels. Since the city is only 44 km2 (17 mile2) big and the terrain is flat, no matter where the hotel is, it can be reached within 15 minutes from the venue. The price published here are reasonably low, and still can go lower (up to 50% in some cases) that makes it truly affordable. We would not recommend anything below 3 star other than some boutique/heritage hotels that offer limited rooms with rich Javanese setting. Breakfast is provided almost in all of the hotels surveyed below, and most hotels are close to other diner establishments.

We expect to receive the help from the city Tourism Board and the Tourism Association to further reduce the cost of the accommodation. In total, five nights will cost about $200 per room (bed and breakfast), which can be divided by two person ea. $100.

Image Name Location Published Price (USD per room, w/ breakfast)
(expect the final price to be 50% of Published Price)
Lor In (5 star) Jl.Adi Sucipto 47 $55
Novotel (4 star) Jl.Slamet Riyadi 272 $75
Best Western Premier (4 star) Jl.Slamet Riyadi No.6 $60
The Sunan (4 star) Jl.A.Yani No. 40 $70
Sahid Jaya (Sahid Raya) (4 star) Jl.Gajah Mada 82 $60
Sahid Kusuma (3 star) Jl.Sugiyopranoto $55
Ibis (3 stars) Jl.Gajah Mada No.32 $55
Indah Palace (3 stars) Jl.Veteran 284 $55
Agas (3 stars) JL.DR.Muwardi 44 Solo $50
  Riyadi Palace (3 stars) Jl.Slamet Riyadi 335 $45
  Diamond Hotel (for VIP guests) Jl.Slamet Riyadi 392 $0

For VIP guests we would recommend Diamond Hotel (designed for importance guests for the event held in Solo Convention Center) because of the close distance and expected to be part of the venue deal, or Best Western Premier Hotel because of its location and prominence, or .


Boutique hotels are also numerous and offer different staying experience
Rumah Turi - $67
  de Solo
Omah Sinten - $70
Roemahkoe
Budget lodgings/guesthouses/losmen
Name Price (USD) # of rooms
Paradiso $7 9
Cakra $12 19
Rumah Teras $35

Staying in Solo is relatively cheap compared to Yogyakarta, Bali, or Jakarta, but often with better staying experience. Hotel Cakra, for example, provided swimming pool for mere $12 per night.

Travel and transportation

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Getting to Surakarta

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Solo International Airport Exterior
 
Solo International Airport Interior

Surakarta has its own international airport which which serves flight from/to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, as well as multiple local destinations. If you plan to arrive by plane, then you could take a direct flight from Jakarta (1-hour trip, 8 flights per day), or Kuala Lumpur (2-hour trip, daily), or Singapore (2-hour trip every Tuesday, Thursday, and twice on Saturday).

The venue is located about 10 kilometers from the airport, and only 800 meters from the train station. From either the airport or train station, one could take a taxi, or a bus line (Batik Solo Trans) that stop at the front of the venue.

Travel cost estimates

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Transfer at Jakarta
Round trip to Jakarta; best price on Orbitz for August 1 to 7, 2013 as of Dec 12, 2011
From Price (USD) Airline
London 1295 Lufthansa
San Fransisco 1399 China Airlines
Beijing 664 Korean Air
Johannesburg 785 Emirates
Istanbul 812 Emirates
Mumbai 694 Malaysia Airlines
Melbourne 1035 China Southern Airlines

Connecting flight from Jakarta to Surakarta costs around Rp 500.000 (about $60), there are 8 flights per day (Garuda Indonesia 4 flights, Sriwijaya Air 3 flights, Lion Air 2 flights, Batavia Air 1 flight)

Transfer at Kuala Lumpur

From KL to Surakarta choose AirAsia for the best price

Transfer at Singapore

From Singapore you can go directly to Surakarta (Silk Air, every Tuesday, Thurday and twice on Saturday), or you can go to Yogyakarta first (AirAsia), then take the train to Surakarta (every hour, about $1, beautiful scenery). The transfer from plane to train in Yogyakarta is very convenient as the airport (Adi Sucipto/Adisucipto) and the train station (Maguwo) are located next to each other, so you only need to walk via the underpass to reach the train station and board the Prambanan Express (Pramex) train to Solo.

Alternatively, you can also take a straight flight from Singapore to Surakarta using Silk Air, but the schedule is not as often as AirAsia, and the total money spent would be much lower if you go via Yogyakarta.

From other hub

Recently Surabaya-Surakarta and Bandung-Surakarta route is opened (Sky Aviation). Hitherto, there's no connecting flight to/from Bali.

Using other method other than air

First you have to arrive at Java island, either Jakarta (largest city, west hub) or Surabaya (second largest city, east hub). Surakarta is almost in the middle of those two cities. Then you can either take train (6-8 hours) or bus (up to 12 hours) to Surakarta. Surakarta is landlocked, so there's no water transportation option.

If you arrive at Yogyakarta (south hub), you can then take the train to Surakarta (leaves every hour or so, cost about $1, beautiful scenery of paddy fields along the track), or taking taxi, or taking a bus. (approx. 2 hours)

If you arrive at Semarang (north hub), you can then take the bus or taking taxi to Surakarta. (approx. 6 hours)

If you take the train, then you should stop at Stasiun Balapan (Balapan Station). If you take the bus, then you should stop at Terminal Tirtonadi (Tirtonadi Terminal). The station and the bus terminal located within the same vicinity, although not on adjacent to each other.

In-city transportation

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Blue coloured Batik Solo Trans, the only scheduled bus that serves the inner city. It goes to and from the airport and travels along the Slamet Riyadi street, where the main conference will be held.

Because of it's small size (44 km2 or 17 mile2), travelling is easy within the city. Other than private cars or motorcycles, local people also travels with angkots (minibuses), ojeks (motorcycles "taxis"), bicycles, becaks (Indonesian rickshaws, tourist friendly), and some horse-drawn carts can still be seen roaming in the city. Public transportation includes taxis (include SUV-taxis), foreigner-friendly bus (currently serves from airport to the downtown and vica-versa), all of them for a very reasonable price (bus from airport to downtown are Rp 7.000 or less than US$ 1, with air conditioner and scheduled stops, taxi's minimum charge is Rp 15.000 or less than US$ 2). Car or motorcycles (or even bicycles) rental can also be arranged, as some hotels are also renting their own bicycles, albeit limited in number. Antique horse-drawn carts or a retro double-decker bus or an antique two-freights steam train can also be rented for group tours, with or without tour guides and/or onboard live entertainment (for bus and train).

Rent a car
To drive a car yourself, an International Driver Permit is required in addition to your home country issued drivers licence. Consider renting a car with a driver, the additional cost is quite low and the Indonesian driving habits are not the best in the world. Traffic is required to move on the left in Indonesia.
By becak
Becak ("BEH-chuck") is a tricycle (pedicab) transportation mode for short distances such as residential areas in Solo. The driver is sitting at the back of the passenger and pedaling the becak. It is one of the remaining human powered public transportation in Indonesia. Good communication skills is integral to prevent getting overcharged on these rides. Often, sly drivers try to get some more money out of you after you've reached your destination, so be sure that you know how much it costs beforehand. Overall, becak's fares are reasonably low, and the experience is comparable to none. As is everything in Solo, you should haggle for the best price.

Taxis are available on the airport and train stations. If you need a taxi from any other place, you can call their phone numbers:

  • Kosti Solo Telp. 856300
  • Solo Sentral Telp. 728728
  • Bengawan Telp. 734666
  • Gelora Telp. 7004999
  • Sakura Telp. 644194
  • Angkasa Telp. 781315
  • Mahkota Ratu Telp. 655666

Social opportunities

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Numerous diners are within walking distance from the main venue, from the American franchise such as Pizza Hut, A&W, KFC, to local eateries and fine dinings. Two nearby shopping mall also offers multitude of choices. Bakeries are also abound near the venue and in the malls. The street is literally full of eating place.

(Wikimania usually does not offer dinner. What are the surroundings of the location like? Lots of restaurants and places to hang out? What is the local transportation like?)

Visa requirements

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Immigration authority will provide Free Tourist Visas (Free Visas for Short Visit) for a period of 30 days to nationals from 12 countries only on the basis of reciprocity.

Visa on arrival ($25[8] -- could be attained on Solo Adisumarmo Aiport or Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport) valid for 30 days (and could be extended) is available to the citizens of 62 countries and one region:

Attendees from the country not mentioned above would need a visa to enter Indonesia. They should seek the visa from the Indonesian Embassy in their home country, or the nearest Indonesian Embassy if there is no Indonesian Embassy in their country.

Free Visa (30 Days) Visa on Arrival (30 Days) Visa required
  • Asia
    •   Brunei
    •   Hong Kong
    •   Macau
    •   Malaysia
    •   the Philippines
    •   Singapore
    •   Thailand
    •   Vietnam
  • Africa
    •   Morocco
  • America
  • Asia
    •   Bahrain
    •   Cambodia
    •   India
    •   Iran
    •   Japan
    •   Kuwait
    •   Laos PDR
    •   Maldives
    •   Oman
    •   the People's Republic of China
    •   Qatar
    •   Saudi Arabia
    •   South Korea
    •   Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)
    •   East Timor (Timor Leste)
    •   Turkey
    •   United Arab Emirates (UAE)
  • Africa
    •   Algeria
    •   Egypt
    •   Libya
    •   South Africa
    •   Tunisia
  • Australia and Pacific
    •   Australia
    •   Fiji
    •   New Zealand
  • America
    •   Argentina
    •   Brazil
    •   Canada
    •   Mexico
    •   Panama
    •   Suriname
    •   United States (US)
  • Europe
    •   Austria
    •   Belgium
    •   Bulgaria
    •   Cyprus
    •   the Czech Republic
    •   Denmark
    •   Estonia
    •   Finland
    •   France
    •   Germany
    •   Greece
    •   Hungary
    •   Iceland
    •   Ireland
    •   Italy
    •   Latvia
    •   Liechtenstein
    •   Lithuania
    •   Luxembourg
    •   Malta
    •   Monaco
    •   Netherlands
    •   Norway
    •   Poland
    •   Portugal
    •   Romania
    •   Russia
    •   Slovakia
    •   Slovenia
    •   Spain
    •   Sweden
    •   Switzerland
    •   United Kingdom
  • The rest of the countries

Notes: [9]

  1. Visa-free entries are only permitted via the following airports of entry:
    • Adi Sumarmo (Solo, Central Java), Soekarno-Hatta (Jakarta), Adisutjipto (Yogyakarta, Java), Juanda (Surabaya, East Java), Achmad Yani (Semarang, Central Java), El Tari (Kupang, West Timor), Hang Nadim (Batam, Riau Islands), Hasanuddin (Makassar, South Sulawesi), Husein Sastranegara (Bandung, West Java), Ngurah Rai (Denpasar, Bali), Polonia (Medan, North Sumatra), Sam Ratulangi (Manado, North Sulawesi), Selaparang (Mataram, Lombok), Sepinggan (Balikpapan, East Kalimantan), Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II (Palembang, South Sumatera), Sultan Syarif Kasim II or Simpang Tiga (Pekanbaru, Riau), Supadio (Pontianak, West Kalimantan) and Minangkabau (Padang, West Sumatera).
  2. All visitors entering Indonesia by way of visa-on-arrival (VOA) must have a return ticket out of the country on their person when passing through immigration into the country (E-tickets are acceptable). This is checked fairly often, and visitors without one may be deported — although more commonly the problem can be solved with a suitable "fine". However, obtaining a visa from an Indonesian embassy or consulate before traveling is also possible and will allow you to go through the immigration channel for visa holders rather than the sometimes congested VOA and Visa waiver channels at the immigration check-points. How to get visa on arrival? At the above airports/seaports, the following procedure should be followed to get your visa on arrival.
    • Before arriving, fill in the arrival/departure card. This card will be your visa application form.
    • When you arrive, go to the bank counter and pay the required amount for your visa. You will be issued a bar-coded receipt.
    • Take the receipt to the Visa on Arrival counter where your arrival/departure card, passport and receipt will be recorded by the officer. A visa sticker will be issued and stuck in your passport.
    • Proceed to the immigration counter for your passport to be stamped.
    • As always, there may be variations to this layout, especially at the smaller points of entry. Bank and visa counters may be placed together. Anyhow, your visa must be applied for before you reach the immigration counter.
  3. Nationals of countries not listed above are required to apply for visas through the nearest Indonesian Embassy or consulate. Single-entry visas are valid for 60 days and fairly routine if pricy at US$50-100 depending on the individual country and prevailing exchange rates. Multiple entry visas are also available but, as the issuance policy varies in different embassies and is occasionally changed, it is best to inquire at your nation's embassy well in advance of departure. Normally, Indonesian embassies and consulates stipulate 3 clear working days for processing; however, applications may take at least one week to be processed.
    • The citizens of 17 countries need to obtain an approval from the immigration services head office, the Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi in Jakarta. The 17 countries are:   Afghanistan,   Albania,   Angola,   Bangladesh,   Cameroon,   Cuba,   Ethiopia,   Ghana,   Iraq,   Israel,   Nigeria,   North Korea,   Pakistan,   Somalia,   Sri Lanka,   Tanzania,   Tonga. Those affected must have a sponsor in Indonesia, either personal or company. The sponsor must go in person to the Immigration Head Office in South Jakarta (Jakarta Selatan) and must produce a photocopy of applicant's passport, a supporting letter and the applicant's photograph. When it is approved, the Immigration Head Office will send a copy of approval letter to the applicant.
 
Please leave a note in the talk page if you know there's inaccuracies in the picture
Also, refer to en:Visa policy of Indonesia and en:List of diplomatic missions of Indonesia for more information
click here for official tourism ministry FAQ

Suggested Itinerary

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Monday
VIP lunch and press conference at the Mayor's residence.
Tuesday-Wednesday
  • Hacking Days commence on the pre-function lobby 1st floor
  • Wikimedia projects Indonesia first national meeting on the 2nd floor: editors from projects in 7 languages and dozens of cities will meet and discuss the future direction of the projects. It will be the first time a meeting of this scale is held in Indonesia
  • Other Wikimedians from Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, are also invited, and join in on the first SE Asian Wikimedians meetup.
Tuesday night
Watching the traditional Javanese dance at Taman Budaya Surakarta (Surakarta Cultural Center)
Wednesday night
Early comers party at River Hill, with panorama of vast paddy fields
Thursday
  • 09:00 - 12:00 Opening ceremony; Opening plenary, followed by coffee break and Wikimania sessions at the main Hall, and small rooms
  • 12:45 - 14:00 Lunch at the pre-function lobby
  • 14:00 - 18:00 Wikimania sessions, with coffee break in between
  • 19:00: Welcome dinner at the main hall (round tables/buffet)
Friday
  • 09:00 - 12:00 Plenary, followed by coffee break and Wikimania sessions at the main Hall, and small rooms
  • 12:45 - 14:00 Lunch at the pre-function lobby
  • 14:00 - 18:00 Wikimania sessions, with coffee break in between
Saturday
  • 09:00 - 12:00 Wikimania sessions at the main Hall, and small rooms
  • 12:45 - 14:00 Lunch at the pre-function lobby
  • 14:00 - 18:00 Wikimania sessions, followed by closing ceremony and keynote speech, Wikimania 2014 presentation, photo session
  • 19:00 Closing ceremony and dinner at the Mangkunegaran Palace
Sunday
several guided tour choice, each with their own unique shopping experience
Option 1 (Borobudur-Prambanan) -- the largest Buddhist and Hindu temple complex which located at West of Solo
  • 07.00-08.30 leaving Solo to Prambanan
  • 09.00-11.00 tour de Prambanan and surrounding temples
  • 11.30-12.30 leaving Prambanan to Borobudur, lunch at bus
  • 13.00-16.00 tour de Borobudur and surrounding temples
  • 16.30-18.00 leaving Borobudur back to Solo
Option 2 (Tour de Solo and Sangiran) -- the history and making of batik, gamelan, and wayang, and visit on both Palaces' museum, hopefully with a chance to meet and have a group photo with the King of Surakarta himself. Then the tour will continue to the Sangiran Early Man Site, North of Solo
  • 07.30-11.00 tour starts using a double-decker bus, visiting both palaces of Surakarta, and other famous landmarks in Surakarta, including the largest batik market, the antique market, the batik museum, and the first museum of Indonesia.
  • 11.30-12.30 lunch at the heritage cafe, overseeing the Mangkunegaran Palace.
  • 13.00-15.00 visiting the batik craft center, watching how batik is made, then visiting the wayang maker village and gamelan maker village.
  • 15.30-17.00 visiting the Sangiran Museum, and have a guided tour of the early man's fossil that were found near the Solo River; see the Solo Man (Pithecanthropus soloensis), Java Man (Pithecanthropus erectus), and and Meganthropus palaeojavanicus;
  • 18.00 arrive at Solo
Option 3 (Tour de Tawangmangu, Sukuh-Cetha) -- for those who haven't go to the early comers party, there's another chance to visit the beautiful mountainous scenery, plus the famous Sukuh and Cetha Hindu temples which located at East of Solo
  • 07.30-08.30 leaving Solo toward Sukuh-Cetha temple on the foot of Mount Lawu
  • 09.00-11.30 tour de Sukuh-Cetha
  • 12.00-12.30 leaving Sukuh-Cetha toward River Hill Estate, Tawangmangu
  • 12.30-13.30 lunch at River Hill
  • 13.30-14.30 going down to the river stream and up again
  • 14.30-16.30 going to Sarangan Lake, crossing the border of Central Java toward East Java (alternatively, go to Sewu Waterfalls)
  • 16.30-18.00 going back to Solo
Option 4 (tentative) Selo Pass. Twin Mounts Merapi-Merbabu or Mount Dieng (with its own temple complex), home of the oldest extant temples in Indonesia, predating Borobudur. West of Solo
Option 5 (tentative) Baron/Kukup Beach or Parangtritis Beach in Yogyakarta (a bit dangerous though, several tourists die in Parangtritis each year). South of Solo
Then, at night all will gather at Prambanan to see the majestic Ramayana Dance
  • 18.30-21.00 Go to Prambanan to watch Ramayana Dance in open ampitheatre, then go back to Solo to rest.

Tour opportunities

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Borobudur

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Borobudur Temple Compounds is a series of three Buddhist temples, most famous of them is Borobudur Temple, which is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument comprise six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.

Flickr gallery

Prambanan

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Prambanan temple complex is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia. The three largest temple is dedicated to Shiva in the centre, Brahma on the left, and Vishnu on the right. On the front of each temples are the temples of vahanas (vehicle of gods). There is originally hundreds of prevara temples.
Prambanan temple complex is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia. The three largest temple is dedicated to Shiva in the centre, Brahma on the left, and Vishnu on the right. On the front of each temples are the temples of vahanas (vehicle of gods). There is originally hundreds of prevara temples.

Flickr gallery

Sukuh and Ceto

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Sukuh temple is a Hindu temple located at the foot of Mount Lawu. Its hight altitude causes the mist (cloud) to cover it at certain times of the day.
 
Ceto temple
Sukuh and Cetho temples are Hindu temples located at the foot of Mount Lawu. Their hight altitude causes the mist (cloud) to cover them at certain times of the day.

Flickr gallery

Flickr gallery

Mangkunegaran Palace and Surakarta Palace

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Mangkunegaran Palace
 
Keraton (Palace of) Surakarta
The twin palaces of Surakarta, the younger and more modern Mangkunegaran Principality (left), and the older and more traditional Sultanate Surakarta (right)

Flickr gallery

Sangiran Early Man Site

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Sangiran Museum is newly (December 15, 2011) renovated museum, 16 kilometers north of Solo. The museum is very clean, luxurious, modern, air-conditioned, and professionally built.
Sangiran Museum is newly (December 15, 2011) renovated museum, 16 kilometers north of Solo. The museum is very clean, luxurious, modern, air-conditioned, and professionally built.

Flickr gallery

Around Solo

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The view of Tawangmangu, a mountain town near Solo. Famous for its Sukuh and Cetha temple, among other attractions.

Flickr gallery

While in Indonesia

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Do visit other places of interest in this archipelago country. Every island offers different experience.

Bali Island
needless to stay the most popular island in the world
Komodo Island
next to Bali, the second most popular island, home of the last "dinosaurs"
The Marine National Park Karimun Jawa
offers stunning dives and snorkeling trips for all sorts of divers from novice to experience
Ujung Kulon National Park
famous for its endangered one-horned (Javan) rhinos.
Bunaken in North Sulawesi and Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi
two of the best scuba diving place in the world.

Financials

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Budget

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Assuming 700 attendees, the amount of money spent is about $222.70 per attendee for the main conference (excluding airfare).

All amounts are in USD. See Budget for breakdown in Indonesian Rupiah

Revenue
Regular Registrations $11,250 225 people, $40 early, $60 late
Student & Wikimedian Registrations $14,000 400 people, $25 early, $45 late
Comped registration $0 VIPs, scholarship recipients, and conference volunteers (e.g. local university students)
Platinum Sponsorship $50,000 3 sponsor @ Rp 150 million. Naming rights to a lounge space, 5 VIP tickets, full-page ad in the program, exhibit table, name & logo prominent on conference website, promotional items in attendee bag, logo prominent on slideshow prior to start of plenary sessions
Gold Sponsorships $44,444 8 sponsors @ Rp 50 million. Naming rights to a lunch break, 3 VIP tickets, half-page ad in the program, exhibit table, name & logo prominent on conference website, promotional items in attendee bag, logo prominent on slideshow prior to start of plenary sessions
Silver Sponsorships $36,111 13 sponsors @ Rp 25 million. 2 VIP tickets, naming rights to a coffee break or breakfast, quarter-page ad in the program, exhibit table, name & logo on conference website, promotional items in attendee bag, logo on slideshow prior to start of plenary sessions
Total Revenue $25,250 (registrations) + $130,555 (sponsors) $155.806 (Rp 1.402.250.000)
Expenditures
Meals $22,940 Includes a light breakfast and lunch, as well as two coffee breaks. Since it's considerably lower than previous years, we can move the extra budget someplace else, like giving more scholarships

Here is a breakdown of the budgeted total:

Budgeted total

  • $ 1,150 - pre-conference
  • $ 14,100 - main conference
  • $ 4,000 - post-conference
  • $ 3,690 ($3 x ~410 for light breakfast x 3 days) - Served in lounge area
  • $ 22,940 - grand total

Detailed catering breakdown

Meeting space $12500 (tentative)
Accommodations for VIPs $2500 (tentative) 5 @ $500 . For out-of-town VIPs.
Travel for VIPs $5,000 VIPs accounted for in this line item are primarily keynote speakers and community leaders
Insurance $2500 (tentative)
Licences, taxes $2500 (tentative)
Scholarships $50,000 A "full ride" to Wikimania for someone outside the continent would be about $1500.
Technical $2500 (tentative)
Promotional materials & supplies $7500 (tentative) Includes t-shirts.
Participant gift bags $1500 (tentative) 800 bags
Attendee party $20000 (tentative)
VIP reception $10000 (tentative)
WikiExpedition $500 (tentative) Scavenger hunt/photo contest
Volunteer appreciation $500 (tentative) Comped registration and goodies for volunteering students
Conference consultant $1000 (tentative)
Total Expenditures $77,940 (scholarships, VIP travels, meals) + $62500 (tentative) $155,888 (Rp 1.402.995.000, CNY ¥981 549.369, €115 117.564)
Contingency $15,448 (11%)

Cost for Attendees

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Assuming that a person stays for 5 days in a 3-star hotel, outside the registration cost, a person would only need to spend about $100 for the room (shared with another person), complete with Indonesian/continental breakfast. Attendees who wishes to stay in reasonable cheaper accommodation could knock the price up to half of it ($50) for five days of conference, therefore the cost of attending is really at a very minimum level. Thus we expect more people from within Indonesia and the region could come to this Wikimania.

Local sponsorship opportunities

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Our team member have contact to sponsor from Indonesian national airplane that could give discount to people travelling with them. Also the same person have contact to other sponsors, from a communication provider, travel association, local business owners, and also contact to another person who have worked with international internet companies.

Support

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Support from the Mayor of Surakarta
 
 
Support from Creative Commons Indonesia
Surakarta, April 5th 2012

No. 019.6/1263

To :
The Wikimania 2013 Jury
The Wikimedia Foundation
San Fransisco

Dear Sir, 
In response to the letter from the Surakarta Wikimania Comittee concerning their request asking for Letter of Support, I strongly encourage, support, and recommend Surakarta as the host for the international conference of Wikimania that will be held in [July or] August 2013.

For your kind information, Surakarta has become successfully the host numerous international conferences such as World Heritage Cities Conference and Expo 2007, Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development 2009, International Conference on Child Friendly Asia Pacific 2010, and Asian Parliamentary Assembly 2011. Herewith I provide short description about Surakarta :
1. The accessibility to reach Solo, International direct flight from Singapore and Malaysia, a lot of domestic flight, modern and traditional local transport;
2. Fully equipped with MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Conference and Exhibition) Facilities; 
3. A lot of tourist attractions, the best tourist destination of Indonesia;
4. The best shopping tourism, where traditional and modern market are available, and;
5. Hospitality of the people to welcom participants of the event.
Upon receipt of your kind attention, we would convey our thanks and appreciation.

Sincerely Yours,


Ir. JOKO WIDODO
Mayor of Surakarta
April 4, 2012

Re:
Wikimania 2013 - Surakarta Bid


To whom it may concern,

Creative Commons Indonesia is a project under Wikimedia Indonesia in cooperation with Creative Commons International, a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works. Creative Commons Indonesia has closely worked with Creative Commons International on the translation of the Creative Commons Licenses into Bahasa Indonesia and promote the usage of Creative Commons Licenses in Indonesia. 

On behalf of Creative Commons Indonesia, I would like to express our support for the proposal for Wikimania 2013 in Surakarta, Indonesia, being submitted by Benny Lin from Wikimedia Indonesia to the jury.

Surakarta is a perfect location to hold the conference at, for participants from abroad as well as for the local communities. If Wikimania 2013 were to be held in Surakarta, we would look to take the opportunity to engage in more significant participation and leverage. Creative Commons Indonesia looks forward to contribute to an event geared at learning about wikis, collaboration, open content, free software, education, open access and free culture.

We will be glad to contribute with our knowledge, local contacts and organising experience to help making this event a great success. We fully support the Surakarta bid to host Wikimania 2013.


Yours sincerely,

 
Ari Juliano Gema
Project Director
Creative Commons Indonesia

Media partners

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  • TA TV
  • Joglosemar Newspaper
  • Suara Pembaruan Newspaper
  • Solopos Newspaper
  • Suara Merdeka Newspaper
  • Radar Solo Newspaper
  • Koran Tempo Newspaper
  • Timlo.net News portal

Bidding team

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Add your name here if you're interested to help, either as local team or as online team

Self-evaluation

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  • Strengths of the proposed location
  1. Relatively inexpensive (food, accommodation, transportation, shopping) — Surakarta is famous for its lower-than-average living cost, but with more options and many of them retain their traditional roots. While becoming a major tourist city, the shopping price for foreign tourists is still fairly reasonable and not overly bloated like other places.
  2. Close to major tourist destinations — Solo is only two hours away from Yogyakarta, Borobudur Temple/Prambanan Temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site), and Mount Merapi. And there's also opportunity for attendees to visit Bali, Komodo Islands (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Ujung Kulon Natural Reserve (UNESCO World Heritage Site), and other famous places in Indonesia. For historian and archeologist, Solo is home of the Homo soloensis or Solo Man, Pithecanthropus erectus or Java Man, and Meganthropus palaeojavanicus and there's Sangiran Early Man Site|, a World Heritage museum, just outskirt of Solo displaying these items.
  3. Strong support from the government — Solo is currently trying to rebrand its image as MICE city, therefore the government strongly supports international conferences like Wikimania.
  4. Globalises Wikimedia. Indonesia is in a part of the world that hasn't had a Wikimania for many years. For a large proportion of the world's population this will be their closest Wikimania for several years.
  5. Linguistic benefit. Unlike most other Asian languages, Indonesian language only uses the same 26-letters alphabet as English language, borrowed heavily on Dutch and English, thus the meaning of public signs (which usually doesn't offer their English terms) are relatively easy to grasp.
  • Weaknesses of the proposed location ...and how to overcome those weaknesses
  1. Far from Europe and Americas (but close to the rest of Asia: India and China) — As Indonesia is relatively far from where most of the attendees will come from (Europe and Americas), airplane tickets will be the main expenses in overall. Attendees from those region are advised to transit via major international hub like Singapore or Kuala Lumpur to get the best airplane price. But the location is a plus from the perspective of Asian, since it's close to South Asian, SE Asian, and East Asian countries, as well as Australia.
  2. Perceived difficulty in finding keynote speaker — There has never been a conference of this kind in Indonesia before, and we may need some help to find the best keynote speaker.
  3. No local Wikimedia chapter support — Even though Indonesia has a Wikimedia chapter (WMID), but it is currently based on Jakarta, and the members, mainly Jakartans or living abroad, are only a few. There is no plan yet for Wikimedia Jakarta to help organizing the event because of lack of manpower and distance. Therefore our would try to produce this event locally, with a possibility of creating another chapter like Wikimedia D.C. did in 2012.

Footnotes

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Put this on your user page to support Wikimania Surakarta 2013

Wikimania Surakarta 2013
   
Saya mendukung Surakarta sebagai kandidat tuan rumah Wikimania 2013.
I supported the bid of Surakarta as the host city of Wikimania 2013.


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