Ever giving a thought to travel with a bunch of strangers? Scared? Too shy? Or having less courage to do such crazy thing? Well...you might give it a new perspective to think over again. Who knows you might find some fun and acquire new friendship.
To feel the taste of such feeling, I decided to join the backpacking community that offered 2 days adventure in Karimun Jawa. The temptation to take a wild ride in this renowned icon was impossible to resist. Without thinking too much, I joined the pack despite my poor experience in backpacking. To be honest, it was my first time to travel with the community
The budget was minimal as it was arranged for backpacking style. You just have to brace yourself not to get a luxury in terms of accommodation nor transport. Yet, the experience far exceeded the inconveniences. It cost me only around Rp. 850,000.
The meeting point was at Senin Station. We boarded on the economic train to Semarang at 10 p.m. The ticket now cost at around Rp. 80,000. There were around 33 other backpackers joining the trip to this now famous haven for snorkeling from Jakarta, Salatiga, Kediri, Surabaya and other areas in Java. Some met us at Jepara port.
Arriving in Semarang at 7 a.m, we headed to Jepara by three minivans provided by the travel agent. It took four hours to get to Jepara (including a stop at local restaurant and Friday Pray). We reached Jepara port at around 1.15 p.m. After a few minutes, we continued our journey by Cantika Express Boat in economic class at 2 p.m. The ticket cost only Rp 80,000.
We were lucky the sea was a bit calm. The boat cut through the ocean in one swift graceful dance. All passenger seats were taken. Many tourists (probably Europeans as some conversed in French) were among these exciting travelers, hungry to feel the taste of a thrilling adventure.
We arrived at Karimun Jawa at 4.05 p.m. Our local guides escorted our group to the home stays for our two nights excursion. One modest tiny room cost around Rp 60,000. If you wanted an upgrade into a cozier room with AC, you had to pay extra Rp 20,000 up to 30,000.
According to the local fisherman I met the following morning, Karimunjawa archipelago consists of 27 islands scattered along the Java Sea. Five of them; Karimunjawa, Kemujan, Parang, Nyamuk and Genting, are inhabited while other smaller islands are vacant. Most of these islands are untouched and beautiful, where visitors can indulge in diving, fishing and sunbathing in pristine white sand.
Some islands are formed by coral reefs and covered with a sand layer. The coast is mostly overgrown with mangrove and other marine plants. The ecosystems, consists of five types: coral reef, sea grass and seaweed, mangrove forest, coastal forest and low land tropical rain forest, offering maritime tourism object and natural adventure. Due to its unique and natural marine life, the islands are conserved and declared as a National Marine Park.
Ibu Nurul, the one whom we rented our room from said PLN still hasn't functioned fully there. Electricity services in Karimunjawa are supplied by local community generator. Power cuts in the electrical supply during the day are their daily routine. Water is still abundance as each home mostly has its own artesian well. The local government also provided such man-made well for the community located right in front of Bu Nurul's home.
Ibu Nurul use artesian well that is perfectly safe to drink after cooked. Water in some areas still tastes pleasant and fresh as they are close to the hill of National Park. Bu Nurul's home is located in an area where the water isn't taste particularly pleasant. She used mineral water for cooking and filtered water for washing dishes and bathing. They have a black out from 6 a.m until 6 p.m regularly due to power shortage. She said the company promised it would be able to fully support the area by 2014.
It never had occurred to my mind that life in that island was a bit better than those in kepulauan seribu especially in Tidung Island. I saw Puskesmas, Bank BRI, ATM, police station, mini shops, street vendors, other governmental offices even TNI post were neatly adorned the small island. I thought it would be something out of nowhere. I was wrong. From my observation the island is pretty well-advanced.
The people were amazing. They were friendly, helpful, and honest and have dignity. Being a Javanese myself, I felt like home. Bu Nurul told me about how life was like in that island. It was just life in any other parts of Javanese villages except that the main bread and butter of the villagers came from fishing. At least until 2005 they were mostly fishermen.
Then, the virgin and lustrous landscape of its beaches was discovered at 2005. Tourism helped to boost other economic opportunities for them ranging from home stays business, rented boats, guides, etc. For domestic visitors, we chose these home stays since they were affordable. The kura-kura resort in Menyawakan is definitely too expensive for us.
The voyage to the snorkeling spots was thrilling. To rent fisherman boat to explore the wealth of these islands' marine life, you would have to pay only Rp. 350,000 per boat. The boat could accommodate 15 to 20 people. We rented two boats. The more, the cheaper.
As we had rough waves during the excursion, some suffered a sea sickness. I thought myself was tough but my stomach revolted. My head got fuzzy along with the harsh swing of the boat. We were like boarding on a paper boat rocked back and forth in the middle of the vast sea. We screamed, laughed, and then threw up. I was glad I could make it in one piece.
The snorkeling itself was amazing. I found it much more alluring than Kepulauan Seribu. We were shepherded to Menjangan Kecil, Pulau Cemara Besar, and Pulau Kecil that gave us a breathtaking under sea views. These islands offered more diverse fisheries, coral reef, sea plants and other marine creatures. During your diving time, you'll be accompanying by amazing 240 or more variety of fish. Their various color and size will give you a kind of feeling that you're living in giant aquarium. Unfortunately, too many snorkelers sometimes drove these beautiful marine fish away.
The water around this resort island is pristine and the reef is clearly visible from the surface. The light green color is visible around the beaches. Further away, the color turned into darker blue. I was mystified to see the abundant of colorful coral reef, coral fishes and other underwater species live here. Imagine you are able to dance and play hide and seek among the wonderful corals underwater.
At a closer look, my eyes caught a glimpse of Sea-Urchin (Echinoidea) or bulu babi. This marine animal has round shape, prickly thorns, and black in color. They hide underneath the coral. The guide warned us these creatures have various color like black, green, brown, purple, and red. A single prick of its sharp thorn, can results into an instantaneous throbbing pain to its victim. We were rescued from such minor disaster.
Nonetheless, one of the participants got the taste of the fire coral. Her arm got one long nasty red scratch. It caused burning and itching sensation, redness and swelling where the contact was made. She was ok...just a bit stingy, she said.
If diving and snorkeling are not enough for you, swimming with sharks will give you more adrenalin rush. Our guide took us to shark's captivity near the Rumah Apung resort. With numbers of various sharks swam around the conservation, their keepers kept ensuring the visitors that it was OK to swim near them as long as you didn't any blood-leaking wound. That's the reason why I got disappointed not being able to have the adrenalin pumped up to the highest level. I definitely envied those who dared jumping to the spot!
Most of these backpackers are way my juniors in terms of age. But they had far more experience in backpacking. I felt intimidated and far too old for backpacking..lol. They are working already but still pursuing their college education. I found it hard to mingle with them. I was having this kind of introvert gist while they were extroverts. I enjoyed sometimes their bantering and jokes but I always had the urge to be alone and just watched the beauty of the underwater.
Overall, it was totally awesome experience. I would forever cherish this adventure.
To feel the taste of such feeling, I decided to join the backpacking community that offered 2 days adventure in Karimun Jawa. The temptation to take a wild ride in this renowned icon was impossible to resist. Without thinking too much, I joined the pack despite my poor experience in backpacking. To be honest, it was my first time to travel with the community
The budget was minimal as it was arranged for backpacking style. You just have to brace yourself not to get a luxury in terms of accommodation nor transport. Yet, the experience far exceeded the inconveniences. It cost me only around Rp. 850,000.
The meeting point was at Senin Station. We boarded on the economic train to Semarang at 10 p.m. The ticket now cost at around Rp. 80,000. There were around 33 other backpackers joining the trip to this now famous haven for snorkeling from Jakarta, Salatiga, Kediri, Surabaya and other areas in Java. Some met us at Jepara port.
Arriving in Semarang at 7 a.m, we headed to Jepara by three minivans provided by the travel agent. It took four hours to get to Jepara (including a stop at local restaurant and Friday Pray). We reached Jepara port at around 1.15 p.m. After a few minutes, we continued our journey by Cantika Express Boat in economic class at 2 p.m. The ticket cost only Rp 80,000.
We arrived at Karimun Jawa at 4.05 p.m. Our local guides escorted our group to the home stays for our two nights excursion. One modest tiny room cost around Rp 60,000. If you wanted an upgrade into a cozier room with AC, you had to pay extra Rp 20,000 up to 30,000.
According to the local fisherman I met the following morning, Karimunjawa archipelago consists of 27 islands scattered along the Java Sea. Five of them; Karimunjawa, Kemujan, Parang, Nyamuk and Genting, are inhabited while other smaller islands are vacant. Most of these islands are untouched and beautiful, where visitors can indulge in diving, fishing and sunbathing in pristine white sand.
Some islands are formed by coral reefs and covered with a sand layer. The coast is mostly overgrown with mangrove and other marine plants. The ecosystems, consists of five types: coral reef, sea grass and seaweed, mangrove forest, coastal forest and low land tropical rain forest, offering maritime tourism object and natural adventure. Due to its unique and natural marine life, the islands are conserved and declared as a National Marine Park.
Ibu Nurul, the one whom we rented our room from said PLN still hasn't functioned fully there. Electricity services in Karimunjawa are supplied by local community generator. Power cuts in the electrical supply during the day are their daily routine. Water is still abundance as each home mostly has its own artesian well. The local government also provided such man-made well for the community located right in front of Bu Nurul's home.
Ibu Nurul use artesian well that is perfectly safe to drink after cooked. Water in some areas still tastes pleasant and fresh as they are close to the hill of National Park. Bu Nurul's home is located in an area where the water isn't taste particularly pleasant. She used mineral water for cooking and filtered water for washing dishes and bathing. They have a black out from 6 a.m until 6 p.m regularly due to power shortage. She said the company promised it would be able to fully support the area by 2014.
It never had occurred to my mind that life in that island was a bit better than those in kepulauan seribu especially in Tidung Island. I saw Puskesmas, Bank BRI, ATM, police station, mini shops, street vendors, other governmental offices even TNI post were neatly adorned the small island. I thought it would be something out of nowhere. I was wrong. From my observation the island is pretty well-advanced.
The people were amazing. They were friendly, helpful, and honest and have dignity. Being a Javanese myself, I felt like home. Bu Nurul told me about how life was like in that island. It was just life in any other parts of Javanese villages except that the main bread and butter of the villagers came from fishing. At least until 2005 they were mostly fishermen.
Then, the virgin and lustrous landscape of its beaches was discovered at 2005. Tourism helped to boost other economic opportunities for them ranging from home stays business, rented boats, guides, etc. For domestic visitors, we chose these home stays since they were affordable. The kura-kura resort in Menyawakan is definitely too expensive for us.
The voyage to the snorkeling spots was thrilling. To rent fisherman boat to explore the wealth of these islands' marine life, you would have to pay only Rp. 350,000 per boat. The boat could accommodate 15 to 20 people. We rented two boats. The more, the cheaper.
As we had rough waves during the excursion, some suffered a sea sickness. I thought myself was tough but my stomach revolted. My head got fuzzy along with the harsh swing of the boat. We were like boarding on a paper boat rocked back and forth in the middle of the vast sea. We screamed, laughed, and then threw up. I was glad I could make it in one piece.
The snorkeling itself was amazing. I found it much more alluring than Kepulauan Seribu. We were shepherded to Menjangan Kecil, Pulau Cemara Besar, and Pulau Kecil that gave us a breathtaking under sea views. These islands offered more diverse fisheries, coral reef, sea plants and other marine creatures. During your diving time, you'll be accompanying by amazing 240 or more variety of fish. Their various color and size will give you a kind of feeling that you're living in giant aquarium. Unfortunately, too many snorkelers sometimes drove these beautiful marine fish away.
The water around this resort island is pristine and the reef is clearly visible from the surface. The light green color is visible around the beaches. Further away, the color turned into darker blue. I was mystified to see the abundant of colorful coral reef, coral fishes and other underwater species live here. Imagine you are able to dance and play hide and seek among the wonderful corals underwater.
At a closer look, my eyes caught a glimpse of Sea-Urchin (Echinoidea) or bulu babi. This marine animal has round shape, prickly thorns, and black in color. They hide underneath the coral. The guide warned us these creatures have various color like black, green, brown, purple, and red. A single prick of its sharp thorn, can results into an instantaneous throbbing pain to its victim. We were rescued from such minor disaster.
Nonetheless, one of the participants got the taste of the fire coral. Her arm got one long nasty red scratch. It caused burning and itching sensation, redness and swelling where the contact was made. She was ok...just a bit stingy, she said.
If diving and snorkeling are not enough for you, swimming with sharks will give you more adrenalin rush. Our guide took us to shark's captivity near the Rumah Apung resort. With numbers of various sharks swam around the conservation, their keepers kept ensuring the visitors that it was OK to swim near them as long as you didn't any blood-leaking wound. That's the reason why I got disappointed not being able to have the adrenalin pumped up to the highest level. I definitely envied those who dared jumping to the spot!
Overall, it was totally awesome experience. I would forever cherish this adventure.
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