Month: May 2019

Description 

Tour Guides offer company and information to individuals or groups of travelers. They are knowledgeable and savvy about the places they show to tourists. On tours that include sightseeing historical buildings, sites, and locations, Tour Guides must be able to provide travelers with all the information they should know about the place they’re visiting. Most Tour Guides work on a pre-established route and visit a selected list of locations. They are usually employed by tour operators, hotels, resorts, and other establishments such as museums or historical landmarks. However, some Tour Guides work independently or are self-employed.

Tour Guides are expected to provide tourists with information regarding the place they’re visiting, answer questions they may have, and adhere to a pre-designed route to avoid getting lost.

Some Tour Guides work with city sightseeing companies that take tourists around a city and show them the main landmarks. A few of these tours are performed from a bus, while others are on foot. Tour groups may vary in age, from teenagers to senior citizens, and country of origin. Tour Guides can be limited to specific establishments such as museums, parks, or historical places, while others take people on adventure trips in the wilderness, like in a safari; these are known as Adventure Tour Guides and they must have some extra qualifications due to the nature of their work field.

Primary Responsibilities

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of common tasks Tour Guides are required to complete.

• Attending briefing meetings with the Tour Manager about important information about the tour group (e.g. age group, interests, and special needs).

• Greeting tourists before starting the tour:
• Learning their names;
• memorizing their faces; and
• checking the number of people in the group.
• Explaining emergency procedures to the group and making sure they understand them.
• Distributing promotional material about the trip to the tourists.

• Escorting individuals or groups on sightseeing trips:
• Providing information about the history and culture of the places they visit;
• describing points of interests; and
• answering questions tourists may have.

• Managing groups of up to thirty people:
• Being able to keep the group focused;
• making sure no one gets lost or left behind; and
• making sure the group is safe.
• Driving a motorized vehicle like a bus or a boat when necessary.
• Making sure that the group adheres and follows local laws, regulations, or rules of specific destinations.

• Responding to emergency situations:
• Providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or first aid to tourists if needed;
• remaining calm during stressful situations; and
• handling a group of panicking people.
• Assisting tourists with special needs like senior citizens, people with disabilities, and people with small babies.  

Daily Tasks 

• Pre-briefing about the group.
• Meeting the group.
• Going over emergency procedures with the group.
• Explaining points of interest during the trip.
• Answering questions about the tour.
• Distributing promotional material.
• Making sure the group stays together and is safe until the end of the tour.

Salary

$38,246

The average Tour Guide salary is $38,246 per year or $20 per hour. This is around 1.2 times more than the Median wage of the country. Entry level positions start at $27,000 while most experienced workers make up to $54,000. These results are based on 137 salaries extracted from job descriptions.

$38,246

$54,000

$27,000

Pay difference by location

• Toronto$34,082
• MontrealN/A
• Vancouver$71,957
• OttawaN/A
• CalgaryN/A
• MississaugaN/A

Deductions

Gross Salary34,081.67 $

CPP- 1,513.76 $

EI- 640.74 $

Federal Tax- 2,918.13 $

Provincial Tax- 1,414.28 $

Total Tax- 6,486.91 $

Net Pay*27,59A4.76 $

In Ontario, Canada, if you make 34,081.67 $ a year, you will be taxed 6,486.91 $. That means that your take home pay will be 27,594.76 $ per year, or 2,299.56 $ per month. Your average tax rate is 19.03% and your marginal tax rate is 25.50%.

* Deductions are calculated based on the tables of Ontario, Canada income tax

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills:
• Communicating clearly with tourists in order to explain safety regulations and procedures;
• explaining points of interest in a loud and clear manner;
• being empathetic and able to inspire trust; and
• having a friendly and engaging personality and being able to handle large groups of people.

• Passion for customer service:
• Being able to tend to the needs of tourists and answer any questions or complaints they may have.

• High organizational skills:
• Being able to adhere to a time schedule;
• being able to organize and watch over a large group of people; and
• being able to follow a pre-designed route.

• Safety conscious:
• Being able to go over security checklists, to identify possible security threats, and to react accordingly; and
• remaining calm in emergency situations.
• High levels of initiative, resourcefulness, flexibility, patience, and compromise.
• Must be able to work with people from different cultures, ages, and walks of life .

Tour Guides can work in all sorts of locations. They are usually hired by tour operators, hotels, resorts, wildlife parks, cities, museums, or historical sites. Their main task remains essentially the same regardless of their work environment, to guide and show people around their designated locations. Depending on where they work, Tour Guides, will be required to meet certain qualifications. Most employers only require the minimum working age of the area they are in and a high-school diploma. Some establishments such as museums or wildlife parks will prefer to hire people with a university degree in an area related to the field of the tour. For example, an arts museum would prefer to hire guides with a degree in Arts, whereas a wildlife park would rather choose someone with a degree in Zoology or a Veterinarian.^[1]

While there are some schools and institutes that offer special courses and training for Tour Guides, most employers offer their own in-house training for the people they hire.^[2] A large part of the training involves learning the necessary information pertinent to the tour, such as the history and background of the exhibits in a museum or the landmarks in a city sightseeing tour. The other part of the training is focused mostly on group management. Trainees are taught to handle large groups of people, engaging techniques, dealing with people of all ages and special needs, and managing groups in emergency situations.

Tour Guides also frequently use microphones, megaphones, video cameras, maps, guide books, or may display pictures or videos to the tourists. They are also often expected to memorize large scripts regarding the tour and they may use annotations and other tools to help them remember what they’re supposed to say.

Tourists may come from all over the word, therefore many tour operators and companies prefer hiring Tour Guides that are proficient in at least two languages. The most demanded are English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Japanese, and Arabic.

Depending on the type of tour and routes, some Tour Guides might be required to drive a motorized vehicle or operate heavy machinery. In these cases it is preferred that applicants have pre-existing experience with such machines, although training is often available to those who don’t possess said experience.

Job Offers

There are currently 1385 available job offers for the Tour Guide position on neuvoo.ca. Below is a list of available jobs, based on Canada’s most populated metropolitan areas.

Related Jobs 

Deck Officer, Flight Attendant, Ticket Agent, Travel Agent

Mendengarkan musik yang disukai tidak hanya membuat Anda terhibur. Menurut hasil penelitian, manfaat mendengarkan musik secara tidak sadar dapat merubah mood bahkan juga membantu Anda lebih berkonsentrasi. Manfaat musik juga dapat memberikan efek pada beberapa bagian otak, yang bertanggung jawab terkait memori dan penglihatan.

“Sebagai contoh, sebuah penelitian terbaru di Kanada menunjukkan bahwa ada hubungan kausal antara musik dan bagian inti dari otak yang bereaksi terhadap rangsangan (makanan, cahaya, dan seks),” kata Dr Victoria Williamson, dosen psikologi dari Goldsmith College London.

Manfaat Mendengarkan Musik yang Menakjubkan

Selain menghibur dan menyenangkan, berikut adalah manfaat menakjubkan yang terbukti secara ilmiah dari mendengarkan musik.

1. Meningkatkan suasana hati (mood)

Reaksi orang ketika mendengarkan musik umumnya berbeda-beda. Tetapi, apapun pilihan musik Anda, sebuah penelitian 2011 di Kanada, yang diterbitkan jurnal Nature Neuroscience menunjukkan bahwa mendengar musik favorit Anda dapat membantu mencairkan suasana hati yang buruk.

Penelitian di McGill University Montreal menunjukkan bahwa manfaat mendengarkan musik dapat memicu pelepasan hormon dopamin

“Otak sangat rumit – ada banyak unsur yang terlibat dalam menciptakan perasaan senang – tidak mengherankan jika ada penelitian yang menunjukkan bahwa pelepasan dopamin berhubungan dengan perasaan senang,” kata Bridget O’Connell, kepala informasi dari Mental Health Charity Mind.

Sementaa itu, sebuah penelitian di Belanda menemukan bahwa mendengarkan musik dapat secara positif memengaruhi suasana hati saat mengemudi, yang dapat mengarah pada perilaku yang lebih aman daripada tidak mendengarkan musik. Bila merasa frustrasi karena lalu lintas macet, putarlah musik untuk meningkatkan kondisi pikiran Anda. Cara ini tidak akan merusak kinerja mengemudi Anda – bahkan dapat membantu mengemudi lebih aman.

2. Mengurangi rasa sakit

Manfaat musik dapat mengurangi rasa sakit, melalui pelepasan endorfin (hormon penghilang rasa sakit). Dengan mendengarkan lagu kesukaan, Anda dapat mengalihkan perhatian dari rasa sakit dan melakukan relaksasi.

3. Meningkatkan stamina saat olahraga

Musik bisa pengaruhi mood Anda, khususnya saat sedang berolahraga. Jika Anda memainkan musik dengan tempo lambat, secara otomatis juga akan memengaruhi stamina, tempo dan kecepatan Anda saat berolahraga. Untuk itu, pilihlah lagu dengan tempo yang agak cepat dan bersemangat sehingga kalori pun semakin banyak terbakar karena tubuh akan otomatis bergerak lebih cepat.

Mendengarkan musik sambil olahraga akan memberikan efek metronomik pada tubuh, sehingga memungkinkan Anda untuk berolahraga lebih lama.

Mendengarkan musik tertentu sebenarnya bisa membantu Anda berlari lebih cepat. Sebuah studi di Brunel University, London Barat telah menunjukkan bahwa manfaat musik dapat membantu meningkatkan daya tahan tubuh sebesar 15 persen, meningkatkan semangat dan efisiensi energi sekitar 1-2 persen.

4. Mendengarkan musik bantu kurangi stres

Manfaat lagu bisa membantu menghilangkan stres dan kecemasan, menurut data dari Asosiasi Terapi Musik di Amerika. Penelitian di Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Yale menemukan, pasien yang mendengarkan musik favorit mereka selama 30 menit sebelum melakukan prosedur operasi, tingkat stresnya berkurang dan lebih santai.

Terapi musik juga bisa membantu untuk menenangkan sel dan menormalkan denyut jantung. Untuk itu, dengarkan sedikit musik favorit sebelum menghadapi momen-momen menegangkan dalam hidup Anda.

5. Meningkatkan kinerja

Musik instrumental akan membantu Anda fokus melakukan pekerjaan di kantor. Namun beberapa lagu yang sangat emosional bagi Anda, baik yang sangat atau bahkan tidak Anda sukai, justru akan menghilangkan fokus kerja Anda.

Sebuah penelitian menunjukkan bahwa manfaat musik dengan beat cepat dapat merangsang gelombang otak untuk beresonansi selaras dengan irama. Alhasil, otak menjadi lebih mudah berkonsentrasi dan berpikir dengan tajam.

6. Mendengarkan musik bikin tidur lebih nyenyak

Manfaat mendengar musik membuat tubuh jadi rileks dan lebih tenang. Putarlah musik dengan ritme lambat yang lembut dan memberi ketenangan untuk tubuh dan pikiran. Tanpa sadar, Anda akan tertidur dengan pulas.

Walaupun musik memiliki banyak potensi untuk memengaruhi mood, namun menyalakannya dengan volume yang sangat kencang bukanlah ide yang baik. Bisa-bisa Anda malah terkena gangguan pendengaran, seperti dalam studi yang dilakukan National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Disebutkan, bahwa suara keras sampai 85 desibel bisa menyebabkan kerusakan pendengaran permanen.

Jika Anda biasa menghidupkan iPod sampai volume maksimal, Anda berisiko memecahkan gendang telinga Anda dengan lebih dari 100 desibel. Untuk itu, jika teman sebelah dapat mendengar lagu yang didengarkan dari earphone Anda, sebaiknya mulai kecilkan volumenya.

6. Musik mengurangi nafsu makan (cocok untuk diet)

Penelitian di Georgia Tech University menunjukkan bahwa menyalakan lampu dengan cahaya yang redup dan mendengarkan musik saat makan, membuat seseorang mengonsumsi lebih sedikit kalori dan lebih menikmati makanan mereka. Jika Anda mencari cara untuk mengurangi nafsu makan, cobalah meredupkan lampu dan mendengarkan musik lembut saat makan.

9. Musik membuat pasien rileks sebelum atau setelah operasi

Para peneliti menemukan bahwa manfaat mendengar musik yang menenangkan sebelum operasi dapat mengurangi kecemasan. Bahkan mendengarkan musik lebih efektif daripada obat Midazolam yang diberikan secara oral, obat yang sering digunakan untuk membantu pasien pra-operasi merasa mengantuk yang juga memiliki efek samping parah seperti batuk dan muntah.

Studi lain menunjukkan bahwa manfaat mendengarkan lagu yang menenangkan sambil beristirahat di tempat tidur setelah operasi dapat meningkatkan relaksasi.

Secara global, 234 juta operasi besar dilakukan setiap tahun. Jika Anda atau seseorang yang Anda kenal akan menjalani operasi, pastikan untuk membawa beberapa lagu yang menenangkan untuk mengurangi kecemasan. Cara ini mungkin sangat bermanfaat, dan tentu saja akan memiliki lebih sedikit efek samping yang merugikan, daripada obat-obatan yang mereka konsumsi.

10 Musik bantu pasien Alzheimer mengingat memori

Sebuah organisasi nirlaba bernama Music & Memory membantu orang dengan Penyakit Alzheimer dan demensia untuk mengingat siapa mereka dengan meminta mereka mendengarkan lagu-lagu tersayangnya. Kebangkitan seringkali dramatis. Misalnya, setelah seseorang mendengarkan musik dari jamannya, penderita demensia yang menggunakan kursi roda dan hampir tidak bisa berbicara menyanyikan lagu-lagu favorit dan dengan gembira mengenang kembali kehidupannya.

Laura Mosqueda, Direktur Geriatrics di University of California di Irvine School of Medicine, menjelaskan bahwa karena musik memengaruhi begitu banyak area otak, ia merangsang jalur yang mungkin masih sehat.

Satu dari tiga manula meninggal karena Penyakit Alzheimer atau demensia, jadi jika Anda mengenal seseorang yang mengidap penyakit ini. Untuk terhubung dengan orang-orang terkasih yang menderita demensia terkait usia, cobalah memainkan beberapa musik yang paling mereka sukai.

11. Musik bantu pemulihan pasien stroke

Manfaat musik bagi kesehatan menurut penelitian di Universitas Helsinki menunjukkan bahwa pasien stroke yang mendengarkan musik yang mereka pilih sendiri selama dua jam sehari, telah secara signifikan meningkatkan pemulihan fungsi kognitif dibandingkan dengan mereka yang mendengarkan buku audio atau tidak diberi bahan mendengarkan.

Sebagian besar musik berisi lirik, yang menunjukkan bahwa itu adalah kombinasi musik dan suara yang mendukung memori auditori dan verbal pasien.

Stroke adalah penyebab kematian nomor 5 di Amerika Serikat. Jika Anda mengenal seseorang yang menderita stroke, putarlah lagu favorit mereka sesegera mungkin. Manfaat mendengarkan lagu secara signifikan dapat meningkatkan pemulihan pasien stroke.

13. Musik meningkatkan kecerdasan verbal

Setelah mengikuti pelajaran musik selama satu bulan (dalam ritme, nada, melodi dan suara), sebuah penelitian di York University menunjukkan bahwa 90% anak-anak antara usia 4 dan 6 memiliki peningkatan kecerdasan verbal yang signifikan. Peneliti Sylvain Moreno menyarankan bahwa pelatihan musik memiliki “efek transfer” yang meningkatkan kemampuan anak-anak untuk memahami kata-kata dan menjelaskan artinya.

Penelitian lain menemukan bahwa wanita dewasa yang terlatih secara musik dan anak-anak yang terlatih secara musik dapat mengungguli mereka yang tidak memiliki pelatihan musik pada tes memori verbal.

Tidak peduli apakah Anda seorang dewasa atau anak-anak, jika ingin meningkatkan keterampilan verbal Anda, cobalah mengambil pelajaran musik!

14. Musik meningkatkan IQ dan kinerja akademik

Penelitian menunjukkan bahwa mengambil pelajaran musik memprediksi kinerja akademik dan IQ yang lebih tinggi pada anak kecil. Dalam sebuah penelitian, anak berusia 6 tahun yang mengambil pelajaran keyboard atau menyanyi dalam kelompok kecil selama 36 minggu memiliki peningkatan IQ yang lebih besar secara signifikan dan hasil tes pendidikan standar daripada anak-anak yang mengambil pelajaran drama atau tanpa pelajaran.

Untuk membantu anak-anak Anda mencapai keunggulan akademis, dorong mereka untuk bernyanyi atau belajar memainkan alat musik.

15. Musik menjaga otak tetap sehat di usia tua

Sebuah studi pada orang lanjut usia yang sehat menemukan bahwa mereka yang memiliki sepuluh tahun atau lebih pengalaman musik mendapat nilai lebih tinggi pada tes kognitif daripada musisi dengan satu hingga sembilan tahun studi musik.

Sementara non-musisi berada pada skor terendah. “Karena mempelajari instrumen membutuhkan bertahun-tahun latihan dan pembelajaran, itu mungkin menciptakan koneksi alternatif di otak yang dapat mengimbangi penurunan kognitif seiring bertambahnya usia,” kata peneliti utama Brenda Hanna-Pladdy.

Plato benar ketika dia berkata, “Musik dan ritme menemukan jalan mereka ke tempat-tempat rahasia jiwa.” Tidak peduli apakah Anda muda atau tua, sehat atau sakit, bahagia atau sedih, musik dapat meningkatkan kualitas hidup Anda dalam banyak hal. Ini mengurangi stres dan kecemasan, memperbaiki suasana hati, meningkatkan kesehatan, membantu tidur lebih baik, menghilangkan rasa sakit, dan bahkan membuat Anda lebih pintar.

Penelitian baru menunjukkan bahwa musik “dapat mengomunikasikan perasaan dasar manusia terlepas dari latar belakang budaya dan etnis pendengar.” Kami baru saja mulai memahami semua cara bahasa universal ini dapat menguntungkan dunia. Daripada memotong dana untuk program musik dan seni di sekolah, mengapa tidak berinvestasi dalam menjelajahi semua tempat rahasia yang dijangkau musik sehingga kita dapat terus memetik manfaatnya yang luar biasa?

“Musik adalah napas kehidupan yang sesungguhnya. Kami makan sehingga kami tidak akan mati kelaparan. Kami bernyanyi sehingga kami dapat mendengar diri kami secara langsung,” – Yasmina Khadra.

Karedok or keredok is a local specialty food in Indonesia. Karedok made ​​with ingredients such as raw vegetables; cucumber, bean sprouts, cabbage, green beans, basil, and eggplant. While the sauce is peanut sauce made ​​from red peppers, garlic, kencur, peanuts, tamarind water, sugar, salt, and shrimp paste.

The cuisine is very unique because of all the vegetables in a fresh state, without going through the process of cooking so that the nutrients and fiber is very dense.

Early in Karedok name, because this dish came from the village of Karedok supposedly originated from a village which is located across the river Cimanuk. This area was once a region or state bans Sumedang Mayeuti (call people at the time).

HOW TO MAKE KAREDOK

Karedok Recipe Ingredients:

1. 100 grams of young bean, cut into 1/2 cm
2. 2 cabbage leaves, discard the bones leaves, thinly sliced
3. 100 grams of bean sprouts
4. 100 grams of eggplant round, split 4-8
5. 100 grams of yam, cut into 1/2 cm
6. 100 grams of cucumber, cut, cut into 1/2 cm
7. 25 grams of basil leaves
8. 50 grams of fried chips

Smooth Peanut sauce recipe Karedok:

1. 200 grams fried peanuts
2. 5 pieces chili pepper / to taste
3. 2 pieces of red chilli
4. 2 teaspoons chopped kencur
5. 1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste
6. 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar
7. 1 teaspoon salt
8. 1 tablespoon brown sugar
9. 150 ml of boiled water

How to Make Karedok:

1. Mix all ingredients raw vegetables with peanut sauce, stir well.
2. Serve with a sprinkling of fried chips.

As we all know there are four primary tastes – sweet, sour, bitter and salty – with umami (savoury) considered by some as a possible fifth. The Indonesian delicacy Ayam Geprek (crushed crispy chicken with sambal) has the potential to rewrite the list and add another type of taste – spicy.

Ayam Geprek’s popularity is so high in Indonesia that even small restaurants that would not normally have the spicy villain on their menu have honoured it with a golden seat. Sell Geprek and you are sure to attract customers. It is not unusual to find the name written in front of eateries to assure prospective customers that they do sell this hot item. The trend spread across Indonesia probably two to three years ago, and even some fast food restaurants have their own versions of Geprek, even a westernised version.

So, my first brush with Geprek was at one of those sambal-mongering outlets that have pedas (spicy) levels. The waitress asked me which level I wanted. They have level one to five, one being the lowest and five being the highest. I somehow sounded foolishly confident when ordering level three, assuming it would be heaven on my palate. The girl particularly asked, “Level three?” That gave me pause for thought, but I didn’t want to withdraw my first confident-sounding words for fear of my lack of knowledge being discovered.

The Geprek arrived, neatly placed in a bowl which had a picture of a red chicken raising its eyebrows with the name of the restaurant printed below in a threatening font. The level three box was ticked next to the picture and the name. This was not a single piece of chicken, but minced chicken pieces mixed with rice and spicy sambal bawang. After my third bite, I felt something epiphanous. My tongue was really getting harrassed by this time and slow, measured ejaculations of hu..ha..hu..ha were vainly battling a welcomed enemy. At this moment, I became conscious of my waitress sitting in a corner and watching me surreptitiously.

I had only eaten a quarter of the bowl, but by now my tears were flowing uncontrollably. I used my hands and tissues to hide them as much as possible. The waitress sensed it and chuckled to one of her fellow workers who cautiously glanced at me, unable to suppress a naughty smile.

Meanwhile, the remaining portion in the bowl was taunting me with red-tinged chicken layers that looked like burning embers. I kept drinking water, slowly filling my stomach. However, I decided to finish the meal. More tongue burn, more tears, until I saw off my opponent in not-very-convincing style. My battered tongue and swelled, reddish eyes (as red as the sambal) suggested a Pyrrhic victory.

Having experienced this once, I decided to be more cautious about this irresistible food that has won so many hearts and palates. I knew the levels by now. The next time I chose a very traditional Geprek. The chicken was fried in a conventional way (usually called Ayam Goreng or Penyet) and had a red carpet of sambal terasi over it. I couldn’t quite survive this so part of the sambal had to be abandoned on the plate as a sign of surrender and peace.

Ayam Geprek remains popular and has grown to be an inevitable item on the menus of many restaurants, whether you are in a kampung or a big city like Jakarta. It comes in various kinds – sliced chicken, chicken leg or breast or the usual crushed crispy chicken, all mixed or coated with red hot sambal. Indonesians seem to love the pedas effect so much that many of them tend to ask for extra sambal. The fiery taste seems to exude a kind of self-inflicted thrill that is followed by a cold drink. For group dining, Ayam Geprek assumes the greater role of companion, that goes along with chit chat and guffaws.

At home, my wife gave it another avatar. She cooked simple chicken steak and poured some sambal bawang mixed with cashew nuts over it and served it to me with rice. We called it Steakprek. How does that sound?

If you have visited Bali Island in Indonesia, or you are planning to visit Bali, extend your vacation for more few days to visit its neighborhood, Lombok Island. It is a small area – about 4,725km2 – located just east of Bali.

You can say that once you arrive in Lombok as if you are visiting a “paradise”.  Unlike Bali, the island is much comfortable and relaxing place to stay.  There are many parts of the island you can visit.  The Lombok Island is also a gateway to the famous Gili Trawangan.

Now let start the exploration of Lombok Island:

WEST LOMBOK ISLAND

In West area you can visit Pura Lingsar.  The place is mainly for Hindus community.  The Pura Lingsar is belongs to animists beliefs of the time.  The place has spring-fed pools within the temple grounds and is home to large freshwater eels. Other temples you can find are Pura Narmada (or Narmada Temple), and Pura Suranadi.

EAST LOMBOK ISLAND

There is a place called Masbagik, it’s a small village where you can find and see the pottery being made in the small yards. Purchase the wares as souvenir for amazingly cheap prices.

CENTRAL LOMBOK ISLAND

Pringgasela, in central Lombok, offers weaving ikat. Visit the small houses and shops here to purchase traditionally woven, colorful fabrics.

Then you can go to Tetebatu, on the southern angle of Rinjani Mountain.  It is a cool mountain and is a lovely place for walking or a day trip with lunch at one of the nearby restaurants.

Roro Jonggrang was a very beautiful princess from a Javanese kingdom, Prambanan Kingdom hundred years ago. Her famous beauty was known throughout the country, and princes from far and different land and kingdoms came to propose her. However, her beauty did not make her humble, instead she grew her arrogance even more. She refused all their proposal, and sometime in harsh as well. Many returned brokenhearted.

There was a famous prince by that era, Prince Bandung Bondowoso. He was famous by his strength, power, and good looking. He owned a big kingdom with thousand of soldiers. He too heard of Roro Jonggrang’s amazing beauty that he set up to the kingdom to propose her.

Having heard that Prince Bondowoso was coming to marry her, Roro Jonggang grew worried. She disliked the idea of getting married, however, she too understood the consequence if she refused the proposal. She knew that Bondowoso had thousands of soldiers that could attack her kingdom if she disappointed him. So when Bondowoso arrived and proposed her, she was willing to accept it with one condition.

Bondowoso had to make her 1000 temples in one night time. If he failed, then Roro Jonggrang would not marry him. Now, Bondowoso was not only strong, he had thousands of men working for him, and not only men, he owned the power to control the genies as well. He agreed to fulfill Jonggrang’s wish and started to work it immediately. He used his power to call all the genies and asked them to keep on working until they completed 1000 temples by the time the rooster crowed the next morning.

The genies worked without stop any second. They would only stop by the time the rooster crowed. Soon hundreds of temples were completed. This made Roro Jonggrang restless. She could not sleep or even closed her eyes. She tried to think any way to fail Bondowoso. Finally, she got an idea. She cut paper in the shape of a circle and glued it in front of a candle holder. She lit the candle and carried it to the chicken coop where the rooster slept. When the rooster saw the candle, it thought that it was almost dawn and the sun was going to rise soon. The rooster quickly got up and in a second, it crowed.

The working genies heard the rooster and thought that the morning had come. Instantly, they stopped working and disappeared leaving the undone temples. There were 999 temples that completed. One more to be built. Bondowoso was disappointed to see this. He was very mad. When he found out that it was the work of Roro Jonggrang, he came to her and cursed her into a stone.

Until now, we can still see the statue of Princess Roro Jonggrang in one of those temples that Bondowoso built for her. The temples are now named Prambanan.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton