Ampera Bridge

The Ampera Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge in the city of Palembang, Indonesia. The Ampera Bridge is the landmark of the city and use for connecting two regions of the city. It connects Seberang Ulu and Seberang Ilir that was separated by Musi River. For a few years after it was opened, the center span could be lifted at a speed of approximately 10 meters per minute to allow ships of up to 44.5m in height to pass underneath with a mechanical system and 500 tons ballast weights. However this only occurred a few times, and after 1970 it could no longer be opened. The official reason for this was that the 30 minutes needed to raise the bridge is too long for a delay. Now, only a 9 m ship that can pass under the bridge. However, according to architect Wiratman, who acted as a consultant before the construction, the design of the bridge was flawed from the outset because of the soft mud on which it was built. He maintains that his concerns were ignored for political reasons, and that as the towers' foundations shifted, the bridge deformed to the extent that it could no longer be opened. The ballast weights needed to balance the wight of the bridge were removed in 1990 to prevent possible accidents were they to fall.

It lengths for 1.117 m (the center is 71,90 m) and 22 m widths. It was the longest bridge in Southeast Asia in 1965.  It height is 11,5 m tall above sea level or 63 m above ground level. The distance between the two towers is 75 m. And it weight is 944 tons.The bridge was planned during the era of Indonesia's first president, who wanted a bridge that could open and be a match for London's Tower Bridge. The funds for the construction came from Japanese war reparations, with the Fuji Car Manufacturing Co. Ltd being given responsibility for design and construction. It was cost for about USD 4.500.000 at that time. However, at the time, Japan had no bridges of this type, and Fuji Car had no bridge-building experience. The official opening was carried out by Minister/Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Ahmad Yani. At first, the bridge was known as the Bung Karno Bridge, after the president. It was renamed the Ampera Bridge. Now the bridge is one of the tourists destination for photo, it has some colourful lights and look beautiful with the Musi River in the night and they also come to eat many traditional foods located near the bridge.  

Source:Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ampera_Bridge

https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jembatan_Ampera 

Experience at Megantara, SMA Negeri 3 Bandung Festival Culture

On Saturday, 10th September 2016 I went to Megantara. Megantara is an acronym for Mega and Nusantara. It is a cultural festival for everyone to enjoy. I went to Lapangan Bali at 7:30 AM to participate in the parade before the event. I wore pangsi, a traditional Sundanese clothes. There were a lot people join the parade, we went from Bali Street to Belitung Street, Sumatera Street, Merdeka Street, Jawa Street, then back to Bali Street promoting Megantara. After the parade, my friend and I went to school to change our clothes. After changing our clothes we waited for dzuhur prayer in our school before going to Megantara. After dzuhur prayer, at 12:30 AM we went to Lapangan Bali. It was the place for Megantara, then my friends and I gave our tickets and went in. We got a drink at the entrance, then we walked in. The places were divided by many sections and a large stage, the sections is named after Indonesia Islands. The places were decorated with a lot of  traditional patterns. Each section represented their traditional cultures such as traditional food. Then I went to the food stand and bought fried rice for my lunch, it tasted really good and the size is big. Then I went near the stage to watch the traditional groups performed. They were Kelompok Paduan Angklung 3 (an angklung orchestra from my school), Jaipong Dancers, Bali Dancers, and many more. Then, I bought some foods and drinks. I met a lot of my friends when I was in Junior High School. They also wanted to see the festival themselves. In the afternoon the people started to come flooding the place, around 4:00 PM. When the stage was empty, I went for ashar prayer then went back to saw the performances. There was traditional fashion show that was done by SMAN 3 grade 10 students, wearing traditional clothes from each provinces. After that, there were speech from Bandung mayor Mr. Ridwan Kamil and wayang performance. After that, my school theater performed with a cultural theme. The performance was unique and funny. Then, I did Maghrib prayer and went home by myself