Danau Taman Hidup: Beautiful lake in the Hyang Argopuro mountains

The Hyang Argopuro Mountains are located in 3 districts, namely Probolinggo, Jember and Bondowoso districts. The Hyang Argopuro mountains are open for public climbing with two entrances via Bondowoso and Probolinggo, namely the Baderan and Bremi basecamps. My friends and I climbed the Hyang Argopuro mountains via Bremi which is located in Probolinggo Regency with a travel time of 2 days 1 night. The cost of viewing per person is Rp20,000 per day and if the motorbike taxi reaches the core limit, the fee is Rp50,000 per person.

The Argopuro mountain climbing accommodation basecamp does not have an official basecamp like Mount Semeru or other mountains in East Java. To stay overnight, we stayed at a halfway house where residents happened to have booked via WA. One of the halfway houses is the Arifin basecamp. From Malang we use motorbikes with a travel time of approximately 5.5 hours. The parking fee at the Arifin basecamp is Rp30,000 for 2 motorbikes for 4 days.

The trip started at 8 am, deliberately taking it early because we didn't use a motorbike taxi a.k.a ojek service. From the basecamp to the forest boundary takes less than 1 hour. Entering the forest, the road is still cast and there is a resin forest, which is very beautiful in my opinion, because I have never seen it before. From the resin forest to the coast boundary we find a post made of wood which is tall but sufficient for shelter.

From the coast boundary to get to the Danau Taman Hidup, you pass an incline with an elevation of almost 45 degrees. It requires stamina and physical fitness. To be honest, the Argopuro via Bremi track is very tiring. There is nothing wrong with tracking Sindoro via Kledung and Sumbing via Garung. From the cast boundary to the Danau Taman Hidup takes 3.5 hours.

After the motorbike taxi limit, the feeling of tiredness seemed to disappear. Take photos and continue to the park of life. In less than 10 minutes, the lake hut was visible. And indeed, Danau Taman Hidup is as beautiful as it is, even though the fog descends, it doesn't reduce the beauty of the living garden lake.

While walking towards the Danau Taman Hidup while recording, because you don't want to lose the precious moments until the park comes alive. After finishing taking photos and videos, I unloaded the carrier and put up the tent and continued cooking because I was hungry from tracking. After eating and cleaning yourself, return to the lake lodge to enjoy the drizzling atmosphere on the live garden lake and finally rest for tomorrow's summit.

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Bali Becomes the Second Most Popular Tourist Destination in the World

There is good news from the tourism industry in Indonesia. Bali again received a world-class award. Bali rose two places, from fourth in 2022 to second in 2023, beating London in third and Paris in fifth. 

Of course, we all know that Bali is one of the mainstay tourist destinations in Indonesia. In fact, this area is not only a mainstay for domestic tourists but also for foreign tourists. So, it has become commonplace to see foreigners in Bali. 

The tourist attractions in Bali seem endless. Not only in terms of natural attractions such as beaches, but the attractiveness of cultural arts, local wisdom, and tourist destinations that have been wrapped in a modern way are also things that make people interested in coming to Bali. As time has progressed, the development of tourism in this area has also continued to progress, and tourism managers have also made various innovations that have contributed to increasing the attractiveness of this place.

In the end, it also paid off. In fact, good news is welcome in 2023. Which is why Bali became the world's favorite tourist destination in the Travelers' Choice Award for destinations from TripAdvisor, one of the most famous travel agency sites in the world. 

Travelers' Choice Best of the Best is the highest award from Tripadvisor. The awards consider the quality and quantity of traveler reviews and ratings and rank the best accommodations, destinations, beaches, attractions, restaurants, airlines, and experiences in specific categories and geographic areas, as rated and reviewed by travelers. To be eligible for the award, a property, business, destination, or location of interest must have been listed on Tripadvisor for at least 12 months. 

They must also receive a threshold number of reviews within the award evaluation period and maintain or exceed a minimum rating on Tripadvisor. For certain sub-award categories, additional eligibility criteria may apply, such as the type of guest experience or amenities the venue has. Tripadvisor helps serve a large and diverse community of travelers from around the world. As such, Tripadvisor reserves the right to determine the eligibility of a property, business, or location of interest for an award based on additional factors that reflect Tripadvisor's corporate policies and values.

Beating tourist destination cities in Europe

In this award, Bali is under Dubai as a destination city for tourists around the world. This figure rose two ranks from the previous year, when Bali was in fourth place in the same award. 

In fact, Bali's position in 2023 beats cities in Europe that are already popular as world-class tourist destinations, such as London, Rome, and Paris. Which three cities each rank three, four, and five, respectively.

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