Wikimania 2013 bids/Surakarta
Surakarta, also known as Solo, located at the heart of Java Island of Indonesia, is the cultural capital of Java. It is famous for its refined, highly polished aesthetic, and sophisticated Javanese art. The city is vibrant with cultural as well as technological activities.
Wikipedia Indonesia is located at the Malay-speaking world, global south, which will benefited greatly of having Wikimania held in this area. There are seven editions of Wikipedia in the languages (not dialect) of Indonesia, each having a huge basis of speakers, and representing each of the major islands of Indonesia: Javanese (85M speakers) and Sundanese Wikipedia (34M speakers) from Java island, Buginese Wikipedia from Sulawesi (3,5M), Banjarese from Kalimantan/Borneo (3.5M), Acehnese from Sumatera (3.5M), and Malay from Sumatera/Malaysia -- not counting other editions of Wikipedias within the SE Asia region (Philipine Wikipedias, Thai, Burmese) and Wikipedias in Incubator that are waiting to be hatched (Madurese-14M, Minang-5,5M, Balinese-3,3M).
We recognize that Wikimania is not about meeting with people who already have the access to the free knowledge provided by Wikipedia, but also an opportunity to share the knowledge to the huge part of the world which still didn't realize the wealth of knowledge that are available on their fingertips. Therefore the 2013 Wikimania in Surakarta would be the most suitable place with regards to the Wikimedia's strategic planning to focus on Global South.[1]
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Introduction
editAbout Surakarta
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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
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).
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 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 cuisineedit   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.
    Below are some of the famous dishes and snacks, and the appropriate time to eat them:
   Special beverages and dessert:
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.
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
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About Java Island
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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
editIndonesia, 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
editConference venue
editFor 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
editSCC 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
editOpening reception/party will be held in the main hall of the SCC.
Closing venue
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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
editThe map of the venues are available on Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=213801459399461031586.0004bbebf8c1734321263
Accommodation
editThe 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 .
| Rumah Turi - $67 | |
|
de Solo |
| Omah Sinten - $70 | |
| Roemahkoe |
| 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
editGetting to Surakarta
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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
edit- Transfer at Jakarta
| 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 $1, beautiful scenery of paddy fields along the track), or taking taxi, or taking a bus. (approx. 2 hours)
If you arrive at Semarang (north hub), you can then take the bus or taking taxi to Surakarta. (approx. 6 hours)
If you take the train, then you should stop at Stasiun Balapan (Balapan Station). If you take the bus, then you should stop at Terminal Tirtonadi (Tirtonadi Terminal). The station and the bus terminal located within the same vicinity, although not on adjacent to each other.
In-city transportation
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Because of it's small size (44 km2 or 17 mile2), travelling is easy within the city. Other than private cars or motorcycles, local people also travels with angkots (minibuses), ojeks (motorcycles "taxis"), bicycles, becaks (Indonesian rickshaws, tourist friendly), and some horse-drawn carts can still be seen roaming in the city. Public transportation includes taxis (include SUV-taxis), foreigner-friendly bus (currently serves from airport to the downtown and vica-versa), all of them for a very reasonable price (bus from airport to downtown are Rp 7.000 or less than US$ 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
editNumerous 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
editImmigration 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Notes: [9]
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
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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
edit- Monday
- VIP lunch and press conference at the Mayor's residence.
- Tuesday-Wednesday
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 18.30-21.00 Go to Prambanan to watch Ramayana Dance in open ampitheatre, then go back to Solo to rest.
Tour opportunities
editBorobudur
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- Borobudur Temple Compounds
-
The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The temple is made from about 55,000 cubic metres of andhesite stones over the 123×123 metres of the temple base area. These stones stick one to another forming a huge temple without using cement -
Approximately 86 kilometres (53 mi) west of Solo, Borobudur is located in an elevated area between two twin volcanoes, Sundoro-Sumbing and Merbabu-Merapi, and two rivers, the Progo and the Elo. Seen here in the background is the Merapi mountain -
According to local myth, the area known as Kedu Plain is a Javanese 'sacred' place and has been dubbed 'the garden of Java' due to its high agricultural fertility. -
Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction. -
The monument guides pilgrims through an extensive system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the walls and the balustrades.
-
Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. -
The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path around the monument which ascends to the top through three levels symbolic of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kamadhatu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). -
Borobudur was heavily affected by the eruption of Mount Merapi in October and November 2010. The temple complex was closed from 5 to 9 November to clean up the ashfall. More than 55,000 stone blocks comprising the temple's structure were dismantled to restore the drainage system, which had been clogged by slurry after the rain. It was finished in November 2011.
Prambanan
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- Prambanan Temple Complex
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Beside the three largest temples, there are many smaller temples, Buddhist and Hindu, around Prambanan -
Not far to the north are found the ruins of Bubrah temple, Lumbung temple, and Sewu temple. Further east are found Plaosan temple (pictured). To the west are found Kalasan temple and Sari temple, further to the west are Sambisari temple. While to the south the Ratu Boko compounds on higher ground. -
The architectural model of Prambanan temple compounds. The model depicted whole reconstructed temples within Prambanan temple complex. -
Shiva Temple -
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). -
Every other night, there are performance of Sendratari Ramayana. -
This dance-drama is a marvelous visualization of legendary epos, Ramayana. Performed in an open stage, Ramayana ballet tells the story in a set of typical Javanese dance accompanied by gamelan music. -
Lara Jonggrang Temple -
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Sukuh and Ceto
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- Sukuh Temple
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The mountainous view from the entrance -
The Mayan-pyramid shape of Sukuh Temple (back) -
Lingga and yoni (male and female genitalia) relief that made this temple famous -
From different angle -
Relief at Sukuh -
Another odd shaped relief -
A statue at Sukuh -
Another statue -
One of the twin turtle table in front of the stairs -
Bride having pre-wed pictures taken at Sukuh -
Statue shaped wall -
The skies are blue, in Sukuh at Mount Lawu -
As luck has it, I came at the same time a group of Hindunese worship at this temple -
I don't know where they came from, but probably from Bali -
The offerings that they left at the top of the temple
- Ceto Temple
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Some Javanese spiritualist performed some kind of ritual in the fog. -
The temple is located just a few kilometers from Sukuh -
Its architecture is quite different than that of Sukuh -
Its more like Balinese temples -
From the side
Mangkunegaran Palace and Surakarta Palace
edit -cropped.jpg) |
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Sangiran Early Man Site
edit  |
- Sangiran Early Man Museum
-
On Sangiran, lies a museum to display fossils of early humans, ancient animals, and other ancient relics. -
The ancient relics is displayed in a modern, attractive, and interactive way. Items on display accompanied by any of the information in Indonesian language and English. Thus, while seeing the display of ancient fossils, tourists can also learn the history behind of the prehistoric life. -
In 1996, Sangiran has recognized by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as one of World Heritage Sites. -
To date, 100 individuals of Homo Erectus fossils had been found in Sangiran. This amount represents more than half the population of Homo Erectus fossils in the world. -
Sangiran Museum was built on the land aged 1.8 million years old. This land was formerly the lava from the eruptions of ancient Mount Lawu anyway. -
Homo Erectus is the world’s major ancient human explorers. The species is capable of spreading across the world and able to adapt well in the climate of Pleistocene. -
Megantropus Palaeojavanicus, Pithecanthropus Erectus, Robustus Pithecanthropus, and Pithecanthropus Soloensis are now included in one category, Homo Erectus. -
Homo Erectus itself is the missing link of human evolution between ape-like human to modern human.
Around Solo
edit
- Surakarta
-
Surakarta City Hall -
Chinese New Year Celebration -
University of Surakarta -
Bicycle community in Solo -
Solo Batik Carnival, an annual summer carnaval -
Solo Batik Fashion, an annual open air fashion show -
Grojogan Sewu waterfall in Tawangmangu
While in Indonesia
editDo 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
editBudget
editAssuming 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
|
| 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
editAssuming 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
editOur 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
edit
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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
edit- TA TV
- Joglosemar Newspaper
- Suara Pembaruan Newspaper
- Solopos Newspaper
- Suara Merdeka Newspaper
- Radar Solo Newspaper
- Koran Tempo Newspaper
- Timlo.net News portal
Bidding team
editAdd your name here if you're interested to help, either as local team or as online team
- User:Bennylin - bid organizer, local team organizer
- User:WL10Fanny - survey & local team organizer
- User:BlackKnight - local team
- User:Pitics - online team
- User:Mimihitam - online team
- User:Aldo samulo - online team
- User:SpartacksCompatriot - online team
Self-evaluation
edit- Strengths of the proposed location
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
edit- ↑ Further reading: http://strategy.wikimedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asia
- ↑ http://wikitravel.org/en/Indonesia#Changing_money
- ↑ Periplus Editions: Java (1991, Singapore)
- ↑ http://www.ethnologue.org/show_country.asp?name=ID
- ↑ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13547505
- ↑ Full report (PDF): http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/btglobalizationtradera/687.php
- ↑ http://www.billhartzer.com/pages/comscore-twitter-latin-america-usage/
- ↑ As of November 2011 -- http://wikitravel.org/en/Indonesia#Visa_waiver
- ↑ http://wikitravel.org/en/Indonesia#Visa_waiver
Badge
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Put this on your user page to support Wikimania Surakarta 2013
| Wikimania Surakarta 2013 | |
|---|---|
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Saya mendukung Surakarta sebagai kandidat tuan rumah Wikimania 2013.
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I supported the bid of Surakarta as the host city of Wikimania 2013.
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Links
edit - Maps and pictures
- Google Map with all the places mentioned (and not mentioned) in this bidding page.
- Flickr gallery of Solo
- Another gallery from Flickr
- Panoramio pictures of Solo
- Travel pictures of Solo
- Google Images query on "Food of Solo"
- Two galleries of Solo (I and II) from PBase
- Travel and tourism
- Lonely Planet entry on Solo
- Travel information from Lonely Planet (airplane info is outdated)
- Wikitravel entry on Solo
- A visitor's journal in Solo, describing the process of batik making, gamelan making, and visiting places mentioned in this bidding page: Merapi, Borobudur, and Prambanan
- Official ministry of tourism entry on Solo, Borobudur, Sangiran, Tawangmangu, Karimunjawa, and Dieng Plateau
- More travel experience about Sangiran, Borobudur Temple, Sukuh Temple and about Solo itself (extra: Ngarsopuro antique market in Solo)
- Solo from expats' eyes