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.