Chasing the Rainbow
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Belitung once shone brightly during the heyday of its rich tin mining industry. Then, the island lay all but forgotten as its tin reserves ran dry. But thanks to the Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warriors) trilogy which takes place in Belitung, and to the popular film from which it is based, the island and its stunning beaches is on the map once again. Today tourists arrive in droves, giving its art and culture a chance to reactivate. And even some of the tin has not quite vanished, as traditional miners try their luck at mining the ore for a living. Tempo reporter Nunuy Nurhayati and photographer Dwianto Wibowo travelled throughout the island last November to report on a land reawakened by a tale of a rainbow warrior.
arsip tempo : 173245436472.
THE dawn prayer call had just resounded. But the bustle of life in Manggar, a small town in the center of East Belitung regency, the Province of Bangka-Belitung Islands, had begun. At coffee stalls, some men were sitting sipping coffee. “It’s customary for people here to drop by before going to work,” said Atet, the owner of Atet coffee shop on the corner of Jalan Sudirman, Manggar, around 87 kilometers from Tanjung Pandan, western Belitung
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