Activity 2: Comparing Two Descriptive Texts

Text 1

Fort Rotterdam

(Source: http://ksmtour.com/)

    Fort Rotterdam is located in the center of Makassar city. It was originally built in the 16th century by a sultan of Gowa-Tallo for a defense against the Dutch attack and was called Jum Pandan. However, the Sultanate later fell into Dutch occupation and the fort was renovated into a bigger and stronger fort. The renovation was done using karst, limestone, and timber from nearby area. It was renamed as Fort Rotterdam, after Dutch admiral Speelman's birthplace. It was then become the center of Dutch power inSulawesi.

    Standing majestically at the western coast of Makassar, South Sulawesi, Fort Rotterdam is recognized as the city's most iconic landmark. Inside the fort, there are thirteen buildings. At thecentre of the fort is a church building. Several buildings along the north and south curtain walls still exist. Visitors can also visit a museum, called the La Galigo Museum. It is a place to store various historical objects about humans in ancient times. The buildings on the south curtain house a museum displaying local skills in silk weaving, agriculture and boatbuilding, and scale models of indigenous boats. The barracks on the eastern wall now house a small library. There are also ships' logs of VOC captains and ancient lontar manuscripts. The department of archaeology is housed in the former building of the head of administration for the VOC. The southwestern Bastion contains a prison where Prince Diponegoro was imprisoned at the end of his life.

    Currently Fort Rotterdam is still standing strong and open to public. It is now not only as a tourist attraction and becomes the icon of the city of Makassar, but also as a place to carry out various events. Today, the buildings contain the national archives, the historical and archaeological institute, conservatory of dance and music, art development services and the state museum.

(Taken from: Many Sources)

Text 2

Gunung Leuser National Park

(Source: http://www.balitourismboard.org/aceh.html)

    The Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) is one of the richest tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia. Covering up to 7,927 km2 and straddling the border of North Sumatra and Aceh Provinces. It is one of the last places on earth, where you can see the critically endangered orangutans in the wild.

    This region is also a host of other wildlife. Elephants, rhinos, tigers, leopard cats, siarhangs, Thomas leaf monkeys, macaques, gibbons are just a handful of the thousands of species found in this unique ecosystem. Together with Bukit Barisan Selatan and Kerinci Seblat National Parks, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 2004), a Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra.

    The park area reaches up to 3,404 rn to the peak of Gunung Leuser which gave the area its name and protects a wide range of ecosystems. There are river systems, volcanoes, and lakes. This rainforest is immensely biodiverse, hosting approximately 700  different species of animals - more than 175 mammals, 320 birds, 190 reptiles and amphibians. Because of the great differences in altitude and the diversity in soil, the Gunung Leuser National Park has also an enormous wealth of plant species. So, 45% of all recorded plant species in the West Indo-Malayan region are found in this area. The  flora contains approximately 10,000 plant species, including the spectacular Rafflesia arnoldii and Amorphophallus titanum, the biggest and the highest flower in the world.

    Bukit Lawang, the usual point of start of all our tours, is considered one of the best gateways unto experiencing the many marvels of the Gunung .Leuser National Park. Although no longer a centre for active rehabilitation and release, the forest surrounding Bukit Lawang still offers big opportunities to observe orangutans and a variety of other habitats of the jungle. Usually orangutans are seen near the rehabilitation centre and at the,feeding platform during the morning and afternoon feeding sessions. But the best experience is an encounter in the jungle where many semi-wild and wild animals are in the trees.

     It is not guaranteed that any animal will be seen during the booked trek. However, many visitors can see the animals on their tour. Usually orangutans, white and black gibbons, Thomas leaf monkeys, macaques and a lot of birds, reptiles or insects are very frequent along the tours. If you are really lucky, but since there are very few still alive It is very improbable. you will encounter the sumatran tiger or the sumatran rhinoceros during a long expedition.

(Source: http://sumatra-ecotravel.com/leuser_ecosystem_the_orangutans/gunung_leuser_national_park/)

Read once again both texts in Activity 1! Discuss the following questions with your friend!

What are the differences between those texts?