Tanjung Karang: A Paradise at the Horizon

After months of planning, finally my colleagues and I set foot at Sulawesi. This time, we visit the island for pure recreational purpose at Tanjung Karang and Tanjung Bira, and not business trip as usually assigned by my office. So, we pay every dime of this tour around Sulawesi. Believe me, it’s much more satisfying and most rewarding experience!

Arriving at Mutiara airport an hour late, - thanks to the delayed flight due to technical problem--Gee, at least it was identified before we took off - we were welcomed by dozens of Lion Air passengers who crowded the baggage claim area. It was packed with many people and the air was super hot and suffocating. Shuffling our way to get our baggage, beats of sweats drenched our clothes.

The new airport building next to the old building is still under construction. So, we still rely heavily on the small existing airport.  I hope it will soon be open as the old one is so small and inadequate to accommodate growing visitors of the island.

Getting out, we were welcomed by Bapak Sarimin who has been patiently waiting. He is the driver who frequently picked up and dropped guests for the hotel we have reserved months ahead, Prince John Dive Resort, some 37 km northwest from Palu.

The secluded resort was located at Donggala region, once the hub city before its port was moved to Palu.

“It now becomes abandoned and deserted. Like a dead city.” Our driver said gloomily.

The ride took almost an hour. Along the road, our eyes were greeted by pristine sea waters. It was so clear and blue, almost perfect; except for the massive mining of sea sand and pebbles that really spoiled the beauty. Half of the hillsides was chopped and mangled. It was a sad sight, reminded me of what happened to the hills around Bantimurung area, Makassar. How could the local government always give permit for mining companies that ruined the land? No wonder Pak Sarimin was so upset!

Annoyed, I drove the thought away. “Gee, I am here for vacation! Not brooding around over the environmental destruction!” I sighed heavily.

Arriving at the hotel, two staffs were waiting to escort us to our classic bungalow. It’s the cheapest with rate Rp. 700.000,-/night. The price includes 2 meals and a tea-break snack.

The unpaved path took us by surprise. We carried big luggage instead of backpack (typical Indonesian tourist..lol). There’s no way we could drag our luggage through the graveled path. Thank God, the staffs were so helpful.

The hotel consists of altogether 15 bungalows. Most bungalows are sequentially renovated. Each bungalow has a balcony with a great sea view. The hotel is in a hillside location, which is totally awesome!

Prince John Dive Resort is not a star resort where you could live in comfort and luxury. It’s like an adventurous cottage, especially our classic bungalow because it isn’t yet renovated. The bedroom looks dusty, yet very modest, fitted with mosquito nets and thatched roofs made from the leaf of the sago palm.

The bathroom is pretty basic and the water run only during morning. It has a toilet, a mirror and an open water tank of sorts. There’s no TV, Ac, telephone, refrigerator or any other facilities you usually find in a hotel. In case you need some internet connection they provide a good wifi that’s reachable near the bar and dive center.

Save energy and water! That’s the motto. Please keep in mind that you could only indulge with fresh water during morning. Make sure, you save enough water for your afternoon necessities including for bath. Electric Wizardity is also available during 6 p.m to 6 a.m due to the frequent black out around the district.

Despite these hurdles, I found the place tolerable as it reminded me of living in my grandma’s village. The classic bungalow is a small wooden hut with lovely views to the bay. The other newly renovated, comfortable varnished-wood bungalows with large bathrooms have higher price.

Our classic one was a little bit aged; some parts were damaged by termites, but comfortable and tolerable enough. We immediately felt at ease. The bungalow was simple, but very comfortable with a beautiful view of the bay. However be prepared to encounter geckos and some insects. They could be very naughty sometimes as if they disliked some intruders in their habitat. The mosquitoes were the worst! And the cricket was the naughtiest! It ruined one of my outfits.

The cottages were high above the cliff right above the seas. I loved the constant sound of the splashing waves, the gushing strong wind that made the wood creaked and tweaked. The cacophony of nigh insects jumped in amid the sounds that made me sleep as if I was in the wild wild wild nature. It was just perfect.

The area was very quiet and serene. It was definitely a very nice getaway. We choose Thursday to Friday staying there as during weekend the beach would be swarming and crowded with people. We want an unspoiled vacation and privacy.

Anyway, we were the only locals in the hotel. The guests were mostly older tourists. They spoke Dutch or German, only few conversed in English. We did not see a lot of young groups of people because it was very quiet and you practically did not have anywhere else to go to. It was definitely not for romance.

There's no other nice place around except for the beautiful underwater view along the reef. Nothing interesting you could do outside the coastal area, diving or snorkeling. So, yes it is a perfect place for divers or those who wanted a taste of adventure for the first time.
Next morning, I woke up and went to the cottage's terrace. My heart skipped a beat to see the dawn broke. Slowly, the golden orb emerged, spreading its soft tendrils around, and boom, you can see the coral reefs in the beach below, just a few meters away! It was just so heavenly made!

From the internet, Prince John Dive Resort, is probably the most established resort in the area. Their dive center is the only dive center in the radius 500 km. A friendly German couple, Alex and Gaby run the place. So, yes most guests are Germans.

Sadly, we went there for snorkeling. I still haven’t dared to venture into diving. Ehm..perhaps I should expand my playing field…lol.

Taking a stroll, my eyes immediately fell on the white sand beaches that adorn the lips. The sand was perfectly white and soft. I was stunned by the crystal clear blue sea water, a reflection of the sky. This beach is known as the paradise of divers and snorkeling enthusiasts. In front of the resort, we could snorkel and dive, but beware of the strong currents.

There is a gently sloping beach with white sand with shallow water. In contrast, there are high cliffs with sea deep enough. These sections became a magnet for divers and snorkeling enthusiasts.

The corals in front of Prince John were great to begin with. We went snorkeling to see the beautiful corals, fish, and marine creatures which are not that far from the shore. We didn’t need to bother to dive to the bottom and swim up to the middle of the ocean. We just have to walk three meters from the beach to see the various collections of pristine coral reefs. I swam rather away sometimes. It was always hard to resist a beauty! We tested our underwater pocket camera and had a great time. Sadly, my colleague forgot to bring its charger.

The next day, we rented snorkeling gears for Rp.95.000,-/ set for all day long from the hotel. As the resort didn’t provide boat for snorkeling (they only provide complete package for diving), we chartered a taxi boat for Rp 100.000,-/ hour. You could haggle the price but please don’t be too mean with the locals. 

The snorkeling was a real experience with a great nearby reef with the boat within a short distance. The coral reefs were very intriguing. Beautiful and amazing! There were various colorful species of fish, giant moray, other morays, schools of a fish that swam with a big open mouth (can't remember the name now, sorry!!!), crocodile fish and so forth.

I even had an amazing encounter with a group of clown fish, Dory the Blue Tang, Tad the Butterfly Fish, blue and grey starfish as if I was a character in Finding Nemo movie. It was totally awesome to swim around undisturbed among these beautiful marine corals and fish.

It was a gateway to paradise indeed. God’s creation always gives us many surprises.
It was a fantastic experience. It was expensive, but worth every penny.

The Politics of Religious Slaughter: Much Ado about Not Much

Suddenly, I find myself in the middle of the storm. Only recently, my colleagues and families at loggerheads on who would be best to lead the nation in the next five years. Then, my Facebook newsfeed had recently flooded with such politically charged memes and messages, which were inflammatory in nature, making me snapped in annoyance and utter disgust. In the end, I had to remove those who posted character assassination from my friend list so I have once again a control over the peace atmosphere of my virtual world. Spread love and wisdom, instead of hatred and idiocy.

The most ridiculous link I received was the article covering the Bandung-based group of Muslim clerics called the Indonesian People’s Ulama Forum (FUUI) which issued it was ‘haram’ (forbidden) to give vote for certain presidential candidate pair. I rolled my eyes in disbelief.

“C’mon you can’t be serious!” 

It’s so nauseating see how easy those who claim to a pious religious leader issue silly baseless ‘fatwa’ (religious verdict) to serve their own agenda. They believe they speak for God and therefore they must infallible. They cling to their own interpretations of scripture and refuse to look at any ideas that go beyond their beliefs. 

The misuse of religion for purely political ends is really sickening to my stomach. I recoil I horror. I am a muslim and I am against such move. RELIGION IS NOT FOR SALE!

Religion is a force for good but its “manipulation” caused divisions and even violence. It can be misused to promote inequality and injustice. Misusing religious teaching to justify treating others as inferior and defective is simply wrong. We know full well how uniquely harmful it is for a vital of one’s very being to be subjected to religious stamp of disapproval solely due to prejudice and misleading facts.

I remember a story on how Islam protects and promotes justice to all regardless of their ethnicity and religion. Once some Muslims dispossessed a Jew of a plot of land and built a mosque on the site. Upon learning this, Caliph Umar Bin Khattab sent a warning to the Governor of Egypt to provide justice to the man. A directive then was issued to demolish the mosque and the land returned to the owner. 

So many good examples have been laid out bare in our religious teachings, yet it is such political moves and blind fanatics who give religion a bad name. These people twisted and abused religious conviction to serve their own purposes. They are the monsters hiding in the cloak of religious authority. Instead of spreading good and tolerance, they spread harms, violence and division.

It is frustrating to see all this appalling acrobatic political movements by parties and authorities who hide behind the shield of a religion, trying to secure as much votes for their presidential hopeful candidates. It’s like watching a bunch of monkeys fighting for bananas while their mouth are already full with peanuts. 

It saddens me to see these few weeks before Presidential election; this nation is drowning in the new cults of bouquets and brickbats. They throw slander, libel or any other scurrilous attacks on each other, feeding the society with daily doses of hatred, extreme prejudice and bigotry. Horizontal conflicts are looming closely and clashes among groups pose greater risks for the unity of the nation.

Leaders regardless of their political tendency have the obligation to educate the public, the ordinary people for a dignified and fair competition. They should provide plaudits and good examples instead of vulgarly throwing brickbats and smear campaigns.

Law enforcers should arrest and bring whoever responsible to ignite horizontal conflicts and clashes into a fair trial. Vandalism and violence should not go unpunished. The Indonesian Military and law enforcers should safeguard and maintain their neutrality. Leaders from all groups should restraint their followers and constituents to resort in violence and negative campaigns to woo voters.

After all, we are not a bunch of savages but civilized humans with brain and conscience to know which is right and which is wrong. Acting like a brainless beast will bring us lower than animals.

I personally abhor the heated war of words which have no meaning at all, especially directed for character assassination. I just wish the 9 July is coming soon and all these debacles will soon recede. 

May the best candidate wins. May the winner promotes tolerance, justice, and equality.

Hidden Blue Lagoon_Pulau Sempu (Sempu Island)_Malang, East Java-Indonesia

Want a hideaway from the frenzied-hectic busy life in big cities? A secluded lagoon with your lover? An isolated land with your family without any disturbances of phone calls, PC, or modern gadgets and games? What's more, how about an adventure little game to reach this hidden paradise? 

Well, Sempu Island might be your best answer to combine serenity, physical exercises and adventure in one fluid motion!

Sempu Island is a small island located in Malang Region, South of East Java Province. It is currently a natural heritage region protected by the government and declared as national conservation and natural reservation.it takes three hours driving to the harbor near the island, Sendang Biru. From this harbor, visitors can rent a boat for 15 minutes trip to the island's bay, and please don't forget to arrange your return time with the boat owner. Get his mobile number, ok! Dial when you arrive at the bay because in the island, you will not get any signal!

To enter the island we need to get permit called “Simaksi” a permit letter to enter the conservation zone issued under ministry of forestry and environment.We have to fill the administration form and pay for IDR 35,000 (well... if it is not yet increased, lol). Since the path is treacherous and challenging, we need a guide to conquer the trekking line full of gnarled trees and mud due to the rain.

We have to pay for another IDR 100,000 for the boat and another IDR 100,000 to pay our guide. After all settled, we boarded on the small boat carrying up to 15 persons.

The island is isolated with no trace of any inhabitants (people) except for the various birds, monkeys, and other forest creatures. We can not find any drinking water source, electricity, or any comforts offered by modern world. It is besieged by the deep blue Hindia Ocean. The loud crashing sounds of its waves are natural resource  of white noise, ideal for blocking out environmental noises and distractions. 

The Island is famous for its blue lagoon , usually referred as  “Segara anakan” with its stretched white sand, turquoise water, and huge coral rock formation encircling the lagoon. The coal black coral reef formation is towering high as if a massive fortress to shield the hidden treasure, chasing away the unwanted visitors. The lagoon is so beautiful in its ethereal surroundings, inciting poets and writers to weave words of inspiration about eternal love and natural goddess.

To reach the lagoon, we have to climb a steeply muddy path with many intertwined and interlaced tropical trees' roots. If not careful, you could easily have a free falling, stumbling on one the giant roots and fallen big branches.

Entering the dense tropical forest in the small island, we departed on an adventure that drain our energy. Due to heavy downpours the day earlier, we had to struggle in the muddy steep path in its every nook and corner. We often had to hang on the big cascading root to cross over a difficult path.

The journey was for the most part unbearable. I had to let my imagination roam free to cast away my fatigue. There's some moment, we wanted to turn around and just headed back to our boat. But imagining the rare treat of a rare beauty kept me going.

Watch your step also while trekking and keep on the existing track, or you will get lost and have to double your journey's time! Don't roam around yourself, or you get lost and walk in a circle with no end until patrol officers find you!

I just tried to picture my self as a small hobbit, a friend of Frodo (lol), who traveled amid dangers and perils on a noble sacred mission. Indeed, the small woods reminded me of the forest the hobbits trampled on their journey across Middle Earth.

Our young guide told us before entering the forest that we should mind our heart and language during the quest. "The wood is sometimes enchanted," he told us with a mean-business like tone. "Follow my instructions, and you'll be safely arrive at the lagoon. Ignore my warning, you'll pay the price." He added.

It took almost two hours to reach the lagoon. My feet were sore and swollen as I had to fight infection I got from my previous snorkeling. I could barely stand at all during the journey as the road was so slippery that we had to lean on the hanging branches, or the trees' trunk.

After two hours of ordeal, our voyage came to an end at last. Stretched naked and bare before our eyes is the enchanting blue lagoon. Seeing the beautiful landscape, all pain was lost. It was so majestic amid the scorching heat. The air was fresh and the surrounding trees and coral barriers were enchanting.

Some youths apparently had built their camps last night, and now just lazing around in the lake. Some were busy to dethrone their camps, ready to pack for home.

Sadly, we did not have much time to enjoy the lustrous landscape. We started at 11.00 a.m with a wet track and arrived at the lagoon at 1 p.m. We only spend 45 minutes on the scene and another 2 hours trekking of going back to the bay. We did not want to miss our last boat and waited another night without any camping gears.

So, guys, before travelling to this beautiful lagoon, you better prepare for some of these stuffs:

1. Bring your own drinking water and food. There are no food vendors whatsoever in this conservative forest!
2. Use comfortable trekking sandals or shoes
3. Bring your extended charger or double battery for your camera and hand-phone because no electricity available.
4. If you decide to camp for the night, well bring your own camping gears!
5. Sun block if you are too concern with your sensitive skin
6. Please please please keep the island clean and bring your rubbish with you on your way back and dump them in the bin, ok!
7. Beware of the coral rock when you swim, it is sharp and dangerous
8. Bring your own medical kits aids!

http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/784/sempu-island-nature-reserve-and-the-beautiful-segara-anakan-secret-lagoon

When Political Queen Bee is on the Show

“God, this is so annoying,” my colleague gasped out as she flopped back against the chair. Her amusement abated as she switched off the TV, her eyebrows raised slightly in annoyance. “Aren’t we entitled a right to get balanced media coverage regarding the two presidential pairs?”

I just chuckled. Her exasperation rings true. It doesn’t take a genius or media expert to know that neutrality in running stories on the presidential candidates is lame and cheesy presently. Anytime a certain TV channel   is on, each presidential pair is paraded in their own unique signature, throwing promises and slogans with their flashing million-dollar smile.

Turning to my facebook page, it is not surprising to see such war-like propagandas infected the social media as well! The political queen bees are so busy roaming free to boil our emotions and ignite the flames. They do not run for President, but they seem much more occupied to allocate their time and energy to seal a victory (whatever victory concept is on their head!). Their eyes turn bloodshot and face so tense with a ticking bomb ready for an explosion!

Duh, what a creep!

Smear campaigns, well-known for being filled with ridiculous amounts of fluff and nonsense, has been launched by loyalists of each candidate. Thanks to the internet, space, distance and time is no longer an issue to open the black campaign. It is also a place where people under the guise of anonymity might say very stupid even downright hurtful and slanderous things out of spite, sickly prank, retaliation or just trying to give one their portion of negative publicity.

I find the most unethical and evil thing to do is attacking one in the guise of religion and ethnicity without proven facts and evidence, but solely drawing from rumors and prejudice. This is what makes us all sick to stomach because such seeds of evil has the potential to torn this nation apart.

Learning from experiences, taking the time to debate each and every charge is simply a waste of time and energy. Worse, to go all out and retaliate is twice stupid as we are no longer in grade schools! The least we should do is stooping in their level and ruin our own reputation. Instead counteract each accusation with grace by performing deeds and acts instead of throwing fiery flames of words.

The mind, the words and action are in one chords of feat. What you think and say is what you translate into action. Walking the talk is much more effective than talking the talk.

I hope the two pair presidential candidates can also learn from their experiences and stop throwing jibes and bad joke about each other or else clutching each other throat and start dance wildly in the mud wrestling under the jeering of their grassroots. It will be humiliating and shed their true self into a public spectacle.  

The media has been playing significant role in fair and free election in most countries around the world, including Indonesia. It is its sacred duty to educate the public on an ethical and laws-abiding campaign. It is its sanctified oath to uphold a democratic election that is not only free and fair but also seen to be free and fair by providing information and analysis, functioning as watchdogs, peace building and being a conduit for voters’ voices. How the media report them in an accurate, fair and balanced manner is crucial to shape the future of the nation.

Today’s Indonesia Presidential Election has seen such a dramatic change when the field has narrowed into a tight two horse race. Yeah in about seven weeks, on July 9, Indonesians will get to decide.

It is unseen in our previous direct presidential election such a magnitude of a divide in the grassroots level. The candidates have their own zealots and fanfare that will blindly do anything for victory. The July election will be the hallmark of representative democracy, allowing citizens’ regular input in choices about who will best lead the nation, yet it is also competitive processes, potential to unleash conflict and tensions. If the negative outlook is not constructively managed, it could potentially destabilize the fabric of our societies and states.

It is therefore, essential that the media play an active role in ensuring that such tensions and conflicts are minimized or eliminated.  Often referred to as the fourth pillar of democracy after the judiciary, legislative and the executive, the media can do this by sensitizing the electorate and the rest of the citizenry on the proper conduct of election.

Sadly, when media moguls taking side in politics, the information available to voters can be gravely distorted. There are rising concerns that the development of the Indonesia media’s watchdog will be stunted.

We have seen such sign in recent media coverage owned by media moguls to support their presidential candidates. We question their professional ethics in presenting the news as it seems they cannot stay clear from blatant violations of ethics such as distortion of facts, and over-emphasis on certain aspect of certain presidential candidate story.

That’s what makes me allergic to TV news coverage on the two pairs! Distortion!

Fairness and balance that is more than just a courtesy but a necessary for credible journalism in public interest become blurry and unclear. They key element that professional journalists are not supposed to favor any candidate is lost due certain vested interest of its owner.

Having said that, I personally agree should the Election Monitoring Agency (Bawaslu) along with the Indonesian Broadcasting Comission (KPI) and the Press Council to urge the media to promote peaceful and ethical campaign and to avoid smear campaigns. They could join forces to impose administrative sanctions on any television station that do not provide balanced accounts of both political pairs regardless of their owner.

We don’t want another vulgar violence take place if the public is exposed to such imbalanced news coverage. We have enough blatant slanderous words and mockery at display. We are tired of them. We want peaceful and ethical campaign.

Isn’t beautiful is the two pairs can shake hand, smile and embrace each other with grace? Sharing cakes or perhaps candies fair and square with their dazzling smile …..