BENGKULU

Smoking volcanoes
Destination: Indonesia, Your Travel Planner. 1997.
Hongkong: Ismay Publication, Ltd.

Bengkulu became a province of Indonesia in 1968. The capital city has the same name as the province, Bengkulu. This province was the first door to Indonesia for British colonials under Raffles in 1818. The province has 767,980 people, 98 percent of whom are Muslims.
Bengkulu was also the place where Sukarno (the first president of Indonesia) was exiled by the Dutch in 1938 until the arrival of Japanese in 1941. Sukarno designed the Mesjid (Mosque) Jamik.
One special event is the Tabot Carnival. It is known as the festival of fifty colorful towers (tabots), which are made of bamboo and decorated with colored paper. This carnival attributes the heroism of Hassan and Hussein, grandsons of the Prophet Mohammed. Other attractions are a small boat harbor, Pantai Panjang and a small beautiful lake, Danau Dendam Tak Sudah.