ANUGERAH PESONA INDONESIA 2016

My friends doing the jumping pose at Pasir Timbul Raja Ampat.

I am seriously excited about this particular blog post.

So last week I was invited to come to the press conference of *ahem* the first and upcoming ANUGERAH PESONA INDONESIA 2016.  Uh wow.

So what exactly is Anugerah Pesona Indonesia? I think the name itself has given you a brief picture of what the event is about. API 2016 is brought up to the scene by Ayo Jalan-Jalan in coordination with Indonesian Tourism � Wonderful Indonesia. The main purpose of the event is to award the most voted winners, there will be 10 categories and 34 trophies to handout to the winners.

So far there has been 150.000 impressions counted about the event, and me, as one of the voters, citizen and upcoming visitors found this somewhat a mix of both good and bad things for me. It�s good because then before deciding which one to vote, I literally googled every single one of the name on the list (except for the ones that I already visited) and somehow not only it gives me this urge to travel Indonesia even more, the bad thing about this, that I am honestly ashamed of myself for at least never heard about certain names here. Most actually.

The thing with travelling to Indonesia is that sometimes, we, or I personaly get carried away with the expensive cost, and I honestly still prefer travelling to let�s say Hong Kong, comparing to Ora island when I know the return ticket fee is like IDR 4 mil. It�s almost like having this thought:

�Oh segitu ya tiketnya? Yauda kapan-kapan aja kita ke �xxx� dulu�

But guess what? After my visit to Labuan Bajo and Raja Ampat a couple of months ago, I have really changed the way I see Indonesia, everything about our country is hidden gems waiting to be treasured. I am always a beach and sea person at heart, I enjoy looking at mountainous landscape but not so much for hiking it. I am actually planning to go to , but since there are so many I am going to start slow by exploring the east side first, I am highly influenced by my damn friend Alex and Prudence and their experience travelling to Anambas, ok Anambas next maybe? Hmm.

So the 10 categories are? Surga Tersembunyi Populer, Tujuan Wisata Populer Kebersihannya, Situs Sejarah Terpopuler, Hidangan Tradisional Terpopuler, Tempat Menyelam Terpopuler, Tempat Selancar Terpopuler, Atraksi Budaya Terpopuler, Festival Budaya Terpopuler, Dataran Tinggi Terpopuler, and Tujuan Wisata Baru Terpopuler.

In the Q&A session of the press conference, the press was super active and critical while giving the questions? Some questions even got me like �oh shit that one�s good�. The questions surround on things such as �how about the ones that didn�t even make it to the list but potentially think they deserve?�, �Is there any prize or special reward for the winners?�.

This particular statement got me stunned: �To us city people, particularly Jakarta people, a trophy is just a physical trophy, but to them, a trophy actually means something and they take it seriously!�, I kinda reflected on myself even though it's not entirely significant, because it�s kinda true, that to me recognition doesn�t mean a thing, because I never wanted to be surrounded by people telling me I am good and things, because I am just honestly it will outperform me in the way I shouldn�t.

What I am trying to say is that because winning really matters for some people, be sure to vote with your heart. I honestly thing every single one in the categories is a winner at their own quality. Take Academy Awards or such, when your favorite doesn�t win, that doesn�t mean that they suck, to be nominated is already something, at least you know they�re still winners in your heart J.

Upon voting, you�ll be requested to enter your email to register, and when finishing, an email of gratitude will be sent to you.

I personally would like to thank everyone for voting, it�s just that whatever means to my country means to me. I am a bit of a nationalist.

Here�s the voting link in case you wonder: ayojalanjalan.com/vote/

The voting will run for four months, and the winners will be announced on August. Will keep my eye and ear for that fo sho!

So any comments on the event? Share your thoughts about API 2016 on the comment below. Racist comments will be deleted!

Photos here are edited with my 1970 photoshop action with a little adjustment to each picture.

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