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Dalam bayangan orang gunung sering dianggap memiliki hutan yang lebat dan dihuni oleh berbagai satwa liar. Namun dalam kenyataannya tidak semua gunung memiliki hutan, terutama gunung-gunung di Jawa Tengah, puncaknya sudah gundul dan di lerengnya sering terjadi kebakaran hutan. Hutan-hutan di kaki gunung sudah berubah menjadi ladang sayuran atau perkebunan Monyet yang dahulu banyak dijumpai di daerah pedesaan yang masih berhutan sehingga dianggap sebagai hama tanaman, kini bahkan sudah jarang sekali dapat ditemukan di hutan-hutan di gunung. Burung-burung yang dulu suka menyerbu persawahan penduduk, sehingga mudah di temukan di pedesaan bahkan di perkotaan, kini juga sangat langka bisa dijumpai di hutan-hutan di gunung. Babi hutan yang sering mengganggu tanaman penduduk di pedesaan sudah jarang bisa ditemukan. Yang lebih mengherankan lagi ternyata kita tidak menemukan satwa-satwa ketika mendaki gunung. Kemana gerangan hilangnya satwa-satwa yang seharusnya mudah ditemukan karena dahulu populasinya sangat banyak sehingga menjadi hama tanaman penduduk. Mungkinkah suatu saat nanti binatang yang dahulu dianggap hama, bisa menjadi satwa langka? Bagaimana dengan nasib satwa-satwa yang lain seperti rusa yang semakin langka bisa dijumpai di hutan di gunung. Burung Merak dan Ayam hutan juga sudah langka bisa ditemukan di hutan. Macan tutul pun sudah hampir punah mengikuti saudaranya yakni harimau jawa dan harimau bali yang sudah punah terlebih dahulu. Indonesia is the sleeping giant of Southeast Asia. With 18,110 islands, 6,000 of them inhabited, it is the largest archipelago in the world. With well over 230 million people, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world — after China, India and the USA — and by far the largest in Southeast Asia. Indonesia also has the largest Muslim population in the world. Indonesia markets itself as the ultimate in diversity, and the slogan is quite true, although not necessarily always in good ways. Indonesia's tropical forests are the second-largest in the world after Brazil, and are being logged and cut down at the same alarming speed. While the rich shop and party in Jakarta and Bali, after decades of economic mismanagement, 53% of the population earns less than US$2/day. Infrastructure in much of the country remains rudimentary, and travelers off the beaten track (pretty much anywhere outside Bali) will need some patience and flexibility. The cost of flying to Indonesia from within the Southeast Asia and Pacific region has gone down a lot with the advent of low cost carriers or LCC. A similar and important development has been the offering of reasonably priced one-way fares departing Indonesia and the development of online booking and payment systems. The acceptance of non-Indonesian issued credit cards by the online booking systems of Garuda and Lion air only occurred as recently as the beginning of 2011. Among the LCC carriers providing services to Indonesia are AirAsia, which has excellent coverage of Indonesia from its hubs in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta (Indonesia Air Asia), as well as Singaporean competitors Tiger Airways, Jetstar Asia/Valuair and SilkAir. SilkAir is actually a full-service, full-fare regional airline, but they often have very good promotions if you book in advance. Indonesian carrier LionAir provides a link between Singapore and Jakarta, and is often the cheapest option (cheaper than AirAsia and others) if you need to travel really soon or even on the same day. Australia and New Zealand are also serviced by LCC airlines including Jetstar sharing the Jetstar Asia network, Virgin Blue, Indonesia AIr Asia and a new low cost but full service entrant Strategic airlines, based in Australia. Limited regional international services are also provided by other Indonesian LCC domestic carriers Merpati Airlines and Batavia airlines. Batavia is steadily growing a limited regional international route system and Merpati services routes to Kuala Lumpur and Dili in East Timor. It is worthy of note that Lion Air has engaged in a massive fleet upgrade program buying a large number of Boeing 739-900ER series and ATR72-500 series turbo props. The steady replacement of their previously rather clunky old fleet of very well used Boeing and MD aircraft is revitalising Indonesia's 2nd largest carrier. Lion air currently operate 45 new 737-900ERs with 134 more on order.