1. JUMP 1x30

1. JUMP 1x30

Youths risks life, limb to survive

A group of youths in colorful shorts wave frantically for attention from the top of a hill at the Baturaden tourist resort. They yell loudly to be heard over the roaring noise of the waterfall cascading down from the top of the hill, hoping that the tourists crowding the site some 20 meters below will turn their heads.

Once they catch a visitor's eye, they hold up one or two fingers for the visitor's approval. No, this is not an extreme sport attraction -- rather the youths are offering to dive from the hilltop into the river about 25 meters below in return for a small payment.

One finger stands for Rp 1,000 (US$ 11 cents) while two fingers signify Rp 2,000. For Rp 2,000, they will dive from the hilltop. For Rp 1,000, however, they will only dive from halfway up the hill.

Their dives are greeted by long and loud applause from the spectators. The youths always start off by counting to slowly to three so that the tourists will have time to get their cameras ready.

Sometimes the divers show off a bit, performing somersaults like professional divers, with the waterfall as a backdrop.

"There are around 25 divers here. However, we only perform as a team on Sundays," said one of the divers, Suwanto, 17, of Karangmangu, Baturaden.

After diving, the intrepid young men surface from the river and approach the tourists to collect their money. Then, they climb up the hill again waiting for more offers until the crowd thins out by sunset.

The youths have to earn money by diving as their families are very poor.

Suwanto, who lives about a kilometer away from the waterfall, said he had been working as a diver for approximately three years. Throughout these years, he had managed to pay his own school fees, thus relieving the burden on his parents, who are very poor.

"I can earn an average of Rp 20,000 a day but I only work on Sundays. I cannot dive on weekdays as I have to study. But sometimes I work in the afternoon when I feel OK and am not too tired," he said.

He pointed out that most of the youths worked as divers to pay for their education, or that of their brothers and sisters.

"Only a few of us spend the money on having a good time," he said

Radimin, 20, who has been a diver for five years, said that the money he made was enough to pay for his younger brother's education. While risking his life at the waterfall for relatively small amounts of money, Radimin has also had the pleasure of seeing his brother complete elementary school. He is now continuing his studies.

Radimin said that he earned up to Rp 10,000 every weekday, and up to Rp 25,000 per day at weekends.

"Though I work every day, I usually earn good money only on Sundays or holidays," he said.

Radimin, who is the most senior diver, said it took a lot of nerve to become a good diver. Once a person decided to try his luck, he would have to bear all the risks involved.

"Therefore, if you have doubts about whether you can jump safely, I would suggest you quit. The risks are too great. It could even cost you your life," he said.

As the water is extremely cold, unexperienced divers could experience cramps in their legs. Many divers experienced such cramps or injured themselves by slipping on wet rocks, Radimin said.

There had never been any fatalities, however.

"You might as well wish us luck so that nothing bad will happen to us," he said.

In order to ensure that everyone gets his fair share, the divers have agreed to take turns at diving.

"In this way, each of us gets the same opportunity to earn money," said Radimin.

2. CARVE 2x22

Carved ceiba tree, a new symbol for Semarang

Woodworking is a popular craft in Indonesia. But the carving of an entire living tree has only been done once in the country -- in Semarang, the capital of Central Java.

The tree involved is a 200-year-old randu alas, or ceiba, tree on Jl. Diponegoro, some two kilometers away from the famous Simpang Lima intersection. The tree is 13 meters high, and is now decorated with colorful carvings along almost the entire length of its trunk.

The idea of decorating the tree, and thus strengthening its role as a city landmark, came from the management of the Vina House restaurant, which is located about 20 meters away from the tree. Sanggar Gedong Songo, an art club from the nearby town of Ungaran, emerged as the winner of a design competition, and was given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put its mark on the tree.

The tree is now listed by the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) as the first living tree to be carved in the country. The award was conferred last month in conjunction with the official inauguration of the carving by Semarang's deputy mayor, Muchatif Adi Subrata, at the Vina House restaurant.

Awards were also presented to the Vina House as the initiator of the project, PT Piranti Pro as the organizer of the project, and Sanggar Gedong Songo for doing the carving work.

According to MURI manager Paulus Pangka, the tree carving has been listed as the 1,146th record in the unique and rare category.

"This is the first carving of a living tree in the country. We consider it an environmental conservation effort and a work of art," Pangka explained.

The tree was cut back following a fatal accident last February, when another ceiba tree fell on a car during a storm. The driver of the car was killed in the accident. As a result, the local authority was afraid that other trees in the city could cause similar accidents.

The record-breaking tree no longer has leaves. As a result of being cut back, it is now only 13 meters in height. The Semarang authorities argued that the tree, whose trunk is 225 centimeters in diameter, had long been the pride of the residents of Siranda Hill, and so should be spared from being cut down.

The Vina House management realized that the decoration of the tree would serve to promote the city's identity. The management then invited PT Piranto Pro, a construction consultant, to organize a design competition.

Piranto Pro director Noesantoro told The Jakarta Post that 18 individuals and arts groups took part in the competition, with the Sanggar Gedong Songo art club emerging as the eventual winner.

"We required the artist to let the tree live and carve it in a way that would best illustrate the social and cultural life of Central Java people, especially the people of Semarang," Noesantoro explained, adding that the Sanggar Gedong Songo's design satisfied all these requirements.

There has, however, been controversy surrounding the project, with many fearing that the carving would kill the tree. Noesantoro reiterated that the organizer had made every effort to ensure that the tree survived. He noted that new leaves had began to sprout on many parts of the trunk, showing that the tree was none the worse for the project.

The carving took five days, and was undertaken by eight carvers, including Sutikno. The other local carvers involved were Kasdi, Haryadi, Joko, Budi, Yahya, Rudi and Purwadi.

"Lucky for us, the wood was soft, which made it easier and let us finish the carvings more quickly," Haryadi revealed.

The carvings illustrate the sources of livelihood of the Javanese in Semarang: farmers, fisherman, religious figures and artists. They are accompanied by carvings of places of worship: a mosque, church, temple and stupa.

There is also a depiction of farmers cultivating their rice fields and dancers performing the traditional Kuda Lumping dance.

Also carved on the tree is the face of the founder of the city, Kyai Pandanaran, and his wife. Pandanaran was the first Semarang regent, who commenced his rule in 1447. The coat of arms of the city also appears on the tree.