Semakin Basah, semakin...Basah

Hujan. Basah. Seminggu di Lombok, tiada hari tanpa hujan pas liburan dengan trio A: Agus, Ayu, Acionk. Tapi, semangat kita tidak luntur disapu hujan.

Pertama kali buatku liburan di pulau ini. Aku suka pesisirnya yang berteluk-teluk. Cekung-cekung itu memberi tempat untuk pantai-pantai yang indah. Kita naik motor dan menyusuri jalan-jalannya yang penuh tantangan—terutama buat Agus (dia bonceng aku, that explains...) Selain itu, kita sering mengalami “intervensi hewani” karena banyak ayam, anjing, sapi, kambing, dan kerbau turun ke jalan....

Oh ya, bolehlah aku memakai istilah “intervensi ilahi” untuk menyebut jeda terang di musim penghujan. Kita tetap bisa menikmati libur walau awan gelap menggantung di atas kepala.

Empat hari di pulau utama, kita pergi ke Tanjung Aan, Senggigi, Kuta, dan sebuah teluk yang permai betul. Hari itu, kita menuju Blongas. Jalannya, wah, menantang, menukik, menanjak, dan…rusak. Kita sangat terguncang—dalam makna sebenarnya.

Akhirnya, jalanan mulus juga. Di satu puncak bukit, kita terpesona melihat sebuah teluk yang indah. Pantainya pasir putih dan ada sand bank-nya dan petak-petak rumput laut. Kita bermain-main di situ. Seru betul.

Setelah bertahun baru di Kuta, kita ke Gili Trawangan. Pulau cukup luas dan punya bukit. Seru walau sangat modern. Banyak toko keperluan dan mesin ATM! Ketika masuk air, kulihat banyak ikan. Terumbu karangnya banyak, namun tidak sedikit pula yang rusak. Menariknya, di pulau ini, kapal dilarang buang jangkar dan orang mulai menanam koral sebagai usaha konservasi.

Teman-teman semua bilang, mereka melihat penyu di laut. Sementara aku? Tak seekor pun! Ke mana penyu-penyu? Akhirnya kusimpulkan, hanya kaum beriman yang bisa melihat penyu di sini….

Kita suka tempat-tempat nongkrong di pualau ini. Tidak sedikit yang kemahalan, tapi kita menemukan juga tempat-tempat yang sajikan menu enak sesuai harga.

Pagi terakhir di Gili, Agus ajak aku masuk ke air. Sebenarnya, aku malas, apalagi telapak kakiku baru saja disengat lebah! Kayaknya, sudah bertahun-tahun lalu sejak pertama kali disengat! Setelah mencungkil sengatnya, aku ambil peralatan dan masuk ke air. Gila, airnya dingin dan arus kencang betul!

Waktu timbul ide untuk naik ke pantai saja, tiba-tiba, Agus memanggil. Dia menunjuk ke bawah. Apa itu? Wow, penyu sisik! Besar pun! Penyu itu sedang mengayuh perlahan ke permukaan dari kedalaman 3 meter. Indah betul penyu dan gerakannya. Aku mempehatikannya sampai dia hilang dari pandangan…. Berbahagialah mereka yang melihat dan percaya!

Ah, akhirnya aku bisa melihat penyu…. Sekarang, bolehlah aku menganggap diri sebagai bagian dari golongan orang beriman!

Wide Eyed Adventure

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(photos by Diah R. Sulistiowati)

You come in the wrong time. That’s what people said to me, MbakDiah and MbakTeja. We came to Alor when the west monsoon came. The sky was grey all the time and the dark clouds kept sending heavy rain. The sea was welling up albeit remaining calm.

I could have drown in sadness and regret, but I just forgot to do so. Every thing I saw was quite new and I love the scenery. I indeed said to myself that it must be more beautiful to see them when it is not raining. But strangely enough, I just forgot to feel resentment.

All things bright and beautiful, even in bad weather.

I was surprised to find that even this old grey brain played a tune to the trip. I didn’t give command to open the file. It just played John Rutter’s song over and over: Look at the world, everything all around you. Look at the world and marvel every day…

Dive and Jive

 

 Photo by Dwi Ariyogagautama  

I am so overjoyed having ever dipped in Alor waters. It was a rainy day, with big waves and strong current yet my friends and I endured them all and enjoyed it. Welcome to west monsoon, said Yoga. Indeed. I only dived once but it is one of my best experience albeit brief. Definitely look forward to dive in Alor again.

A Curious Thing

Wanted to observe this creature closer but the drift carried me away....
Nusa Lembongan, Bali.

“Almost an Island” & Nobody’s an Island

This is not an island. Pseudo-island!, I said to Mamet, Hamok, n Ricka. As fas as eyes can see, Pulau Santolo is an unlikely island. it is like a large piece of land cut off from the mainland. It is about 5 meters away from the mainland. You can cross the river by swimming or 30 seconds boat trip! But who wouldve known that the island later revealed itself in its own way.

So after a long journey that produced a pain in the ass (for sitting for 8 hrs), we arrived at Pulau Santolo. Relieved, we hung the hammocks. The sea breeze lulled us to a deep daydreaming… I gazed to the roaring south sea, and thought, phew, a tsunami hit this area not long ago.

I put the terrifying thought to sleep and later off I went to the nearby hut-cum-resto and ordered coffee. I continued reading Nigel Barley’s shallow yet entertaining travel book, titled In the Footsteps of Stamford Raffles. I like it. I have read it through years ago and still find some chapters entertaining. Had Raffles been here to Garut anyway? Apparently no.

That afternoon after rain, we found a bale whose owners are very friendly. They din overprice the food. So we ordered 1 kg grilled ikan baronang, ½ kg grilled squid, ½ kg deep sea dwelling crabs aka rajungan, and ½ kg rice. A feast it was! I havent eaten any rajungan for decades! All tasted well and sooo delicious. A feast by the sea indeed.

At 22.00, nightmare began. The wind blew so strong it scattered anything. We woke up frightened. The wind literally screamed! We rushed ourselves to the nearby hut. The minute the hut owners shut their hut, I really began to panic. I felt I was left, exposed to the harsh wind. While we moved things, I saw friends looked so calm and I wondered how they did so. Have they been in this situation before?

Oh Lord, what if a tsunami happens?

The hut to which we moved ("salmon hut") was covered only on one side. The wind slapped the plastic spread like crazy. I tried hard to fix it. Hamok came to rescue and we were half wet. It rained, too!

I couldn’t sleep. I felt so tiny, dwarfed by the big storm…. I began to call on God’s names....I felt so exhausted that I fell asleep...

We woke up at 05.00. the sea was particularly calm. what a relief.

I thanked the island. How did i thank it? I said to it, how beautiful your rocks are! 

The island is a huge piece of solid rock. It has a natural "extension" of rock-beach about the size of 2 football fields. The wave will crash on to the rocky surface. That explained why we, despite the strong wind, stayed safe all the night.

Oh Baby!

poor baby sharks, sold at $3 each, Garut

An Itchy Adventure (“Buy 1 Get 1” Trip)

We were so itchy to dive again. Our last dip was last November. That's why we quickly nod to make trip to Ujung Kulon, ironically for….snorkeling. people change. So do budgets!

For whatever reason I till today don’t (want to) know, we almost cancelled this trip. But it’s said, when you say a wish, the universe will speak back to you. We said our wish and it replied. It speaks in language we dont understand, anyway.

We packed things into Sena’s car. Sena, empty navigator’s seat. Rian, moi. Ocha, Ricka. We pick Audy who was still hanging out with her friends, watching Mark Ronson DJ-ing. And then off we went. It was almost 23.30.

Sena drove like pro in the dark of the night. Opa Rian was our occasional navigator (as he often fell asleep). The rest of us slept like babies. We reached Sumur at 06.00.

Sena drove like pro in the daylight, on the bumpy road (most of the road was as ugly as in April 2009, when I went there). Three ungodly hours later, finally, we made it to Andre’s place.

It is situated in a bay. a long long white beach, trimmed with coconut trees. When the first time I passed the area was in April 2009, I thought, it’d be lovely to spend some time here. And now here we were, at the very bay. By the sea. at the foot of a green hill.

We ate fried bananas and dough-with-vegetables (bakwan sayur, sans the bak of course) and drank tea too sweet. It was a good breakfast and little did we know that the real breakfast was served in the kitchen table. Anyway there's always room for the real meal. So we ate a load before going to the beach.

Soon as we reached the snorkeling spot near Pulau (?), we plunged. Only Andre and Rian plunged deeper. They dove. Andre acted as buddy divemaster. Rian was “the traitor” for only he, this time, had more money for diving!

It took less than half a minute to know we—snorkelers—were unwelcomed. We were stung by unknown creatures. All over our bare skin! What is it? Hey, did you get stung?

Visible to eyes were millions of mini jellyfish-like creatures. It is slightly bigger the size of a mung bean, transparent and has butterfly-like wings. We at first tried to ignore the attack as the underwater reefs are beautiful and in good shape. The fishes are big and beautiful and seemingly edible. But we were stung mercilessly. Only Ricka was safe because she wore wetsuit. Oh itchy itchy itchy!

I could have ignored them if they din sting my lips! At last we gave up, waving crazily to the boatmen to pick us up.

Minutes later the divers surfaced. We then ate lunch and some delicacies. The latter were soft, apricot and poppy seeds infused cheese from Australia with biscuit imported from Norway. A good tasty yummy combination. The baked good was labeled Buy 1 Get 1!  Did I happen to mention that there was no expiry date on the biscuit’s packaging? Perhaps it was expired. But, being 10 miles away from the mainland, who cares?

Across, we saw a boat doing a mysterious thing. Its men jumped into the sea, wearing masks and handing hoses in hands. Some others operated an ugly looking machine. They're poisoning reefs to harvest fish, said Andre. We approached the boat and Andre spoke to them softly and they left.

While divers were having their second dip, we dipped to the second spot, hoping it is a sting free spot. it was. Some corals have been broken, supposedly from bombings. Some colonies showed signs of bleaching. It is a sad sight but fortunately, some shows recovery. I spotted a big trevally, swimming alone. I guess it is taking a leave of swimming in school. I chased it until it disappeared in to the dark blue water.

We surfaced, crawling to the white beach of Pulau (?), a tiny island that shows major signs of abrasion. There were only plastic rubbish, a leguminous tree, many trailing plants and some mangrove. Then we swam back to the boat.

We returned to the mainland and ran for shelter because the sun was mercilessly hot. We ate much and being, exhausted, fell asleep quickly only to wake up and eat dinner. Yay! life's good at the beach.

We later had some talk and tea on the front porch, asking silly questions like, what do young people here do on Saturday night? What do they regard as entertainment? How they date? How can they, far from anywhere, manage to live happily? Young people here take 3 hrs motor ride to Sumur to watch (mostly) dangdut concerts and to buy DVDs.

It was a nice weather and we went walking on the beach, asking whether turtles still lay eggs here on the beach. they replied no. after some nice sitting on the sand, we went back because it rained. We then slept well.

In the morning we woke up and took a walk to the beach again, only further. I regretted we din wake up earlier to hike up the hill to see a waterfall. On the beach, we saw these two big trees, standing sturdy and thriving in the water. Those must have been a kind of false mangroves. We then rushed back because we had to--eat breakfast and pack things.

We ate fragrant rice, fried noodle, braised eggs, fried sambal, and kerupuk. We then packed and bid farewell to Andre, the boatmen, and the hosts.

We went to the nearest neighboring village that surprisingly has a very smooth road. We went to a local crafts workshop, managed by WWF, and bought these rhino figurines.

A holiday too short, we sighed. But it was fun. And now we’re already itchy to go back again.

Come what May (June and July and so on)

This is to summarize that May is full of happiness. First, I let myself free of Jl-Antasari-n-Fatmawati traffic jam and then this is the month in which I made trip the most to Kepulauan Seribu.

First I went to Pulau Bidadari (and Pulau Kelor), Pulau Macan (and Macan Gundul and Pulau Kayu Angin Bira), and then Pulau Pramuka (and Pulau Semak Daun and Pulau Bandeng).

That’s what I call island life. I love it. And if gratitude is in the details, here it is:


Pulau Pramuka
The first time I went here was May 2007. It was when only a handful of 120 high school students graduated from Ujian Nasional. One can imagine how grim the air was. It was also dull. It rained the whole weekend.

Now I went back. The sun was smiling and the air was cheerful. This time with The Nature Detectives and Cupliz who co-organized the trip. The Nature Detectives are a group of high school students who has their eyes on environmental issues. They are clever, chatty, and eager to learn. It was wonderful trip: observing the mangroves, the turtles, the sea grass, and the corals. Not to mention the bandengs, the neners, the sharks, and the barramundi. I was so thrilled to spot the latter. They’re big, muscled and look very edible! Also when snorkeling, I spotted a large school of cuttlefish. Very cute creatures. Speaking of the cephalopods, I tried Cupliz’s squid-like fins, and I thought my feet smiled broadly. My legs rejoiced (I must sell my pair of ugly fins immediately!) and I am happy I made acquaintances too!

My Nabire Diary: Day 5

06.00. Pagi ini asrama sepi. anak-anak banyak yg masih tidur. Hari ini libur. Libur apa, aku tanya. "Ini hari Injil Masuk tanah Papua, kaka." kata salah satu yg sudah bangun

Lucunya, pagi itu pas baca The Malay Archipelago sambil minum kopi, aku baca Wallace menulis tentang pelayarannya ke Papua. Dia mendarat dan diundang makan oleh Otto dan Geissler, dua misionaris yg datang ke Papua tahun 1855. wow, it's a coincidence!

Seperti Wallace, hari itu, aku pun berlayar... kali ini island hopping!

Nunggu kapal isi bensin lama bgt... 1 jam lebih! Untuk isi waktu, aku lihat-lihat sekeliling. Ada liveaboard nganggur di pantai. "Punya pemda," kata pemilik kapal. (Suatu hari, aku bakal keliling Papua naik liveaboard!) Teman-teman ada yg lagi asyik kumpulin benda-benda menarik di pantai. wow, ini pemandangan Stones and Sea: In the beginning, i was counting the stones on a seashore, looking for the precious things...

Saul the boxer nunjukin sesuatu yang bikin aku takjub. Dia pecahkan buah ketapang dan di dalamnya ada semacam kacang, seperti pistachio. "Coba makan," katanya. Hmmm...enak! kok bisa ya?

Aku pun coba mecahkan sendiri ketapang dan makan lagi bijinya. aaah enak! serasa pistachio goreng tanpa minyak!

Belum mecah ketapang ketiga, kapal datang. semua naik. aye aye captain!

Perjalanan 1,5 jam. Pulau Ahe di depan mata, tapi kapal belok ke pulau lain. pemandangannya indah. lagi-lagi kulihat pepohonan kelapa menjulang di antara pohon-pohon lainnya. gak kulihat tanda-tanda ada bakau, tapi tak apa.

gugusan kepulauan ini bagus banget. ada beberapa pulau kecil yang tampaknya spt limestone, ditumbuhi semak-semak dan pohon kelapa. apa mungkin ini mirip Raja Ampat? pantai-pantainya pasir putih, kontras dengan pantai di mainland yg warna hitam. 


Kapal menuju pulau yang berpenduduk. Siang itu panas banget, leherku sudah tersengat. terlihat di pantai, penduduknya lagi duduk-duduk di dipan raksasa di pinggir pantai, ngobrol dan tertawa bahagia. laki-laki, perempuan, anak-anak, 20 orang lebih. atap-atap rumahnya seng. Menara gereja terlihat paling menjulang di antara bangunan lainnya.

"Ya, mereka sudah lama tinggal di sini. air tanahnya bagus sekali di sini," sahut Pak Ernest menjelaskan alasan mereka tinggal di pulau, bukan di mainland. "Di samping karena ikan banyak ..."

kapten turun dan bilang, akan ke ketua adat, minta izin masuk Ahe....15 menit kemudian dia balik, bawa kabar: ada bule sewa Ahe. ah well, aku sedikit kecewa.

kapal ke arah utara. "kita ke Pulau Paput saja," kata kak Yoke. Sekitar 20 menit kemudian, di depanku pulau yg berhutan lebat, dipuncaki pepohonan kelapa, tampak tak berpenduduk. pasirnya putih. kapal merapat. di bawah padang lamun, jernih, tapi lantai lautnya tiba-tiba menukik tajam ke kegelapan. berarti jangan jauh-jauh renangnya, Sem, kataku.

pasirnya empuk! jadi tiap melangkah, kakiku terbenam sampai semata kaki...

Semua langsung makan, mengingat ini jam 14.40. Nasi hangat, tumis kacang panjang, dabu-dabu dan ikan goreng. makanan terlezat di pulau itu! ;) emang enak bgt!!!!

Abis makan, istirahat 10 menit, langsung nyemplung. waaaaaa bagus bangett! langsung nemu bintang laut biru. gak lama, angelfish yang gede-gede, teripang, dan....ular laut!!

nemu tiga bintang laut lainnya yang blm pernah kulihat seumur hidup. Seperti gunung, dengan duri-duri tajam di atasnya. yang terakhir malah punya ratusan alat hisap yang menempel kuat di telapak tangan...indah banget!

Ah, maunya sa bawa pulang semua! kataku, berandai-andai.

"Jangan kaka! nanti ko undang hujan besar dan petir!" kata seorang anak kecil.

oh ya? kenapa?

Dia jelaskan kepercayaan orang lokal: kalau ambil biota, laut akan marah, mengirim hujan besar dan petir.

wow.... aku pun menyebutnya kearifan lokal...

15.30, kami pulang...singkat memang, tapi aku senang. lain kali, aku kembali!

Closely Monitor-ed (at Pulau Biawak)

One scene in Ocean movie keeps playing in my mind every time i think of the sea: lighting crashes, rain falls, it storms. one coconut tree is struck, falls into the sea. Meanwhile, a medium-sized monitor (biawak) rushed to the scene and swims to the fallen trunk, embarking on a journey to an island or a beach or ... to uncertainty.

The scene was repeated when friends and I stepped aboard a small boat on our way from Pelabuhan Karangsong, Indramayu. Destination: Pulau Biawak.

Sailing to Uncertainty

The clouds hung heavy above our heads and the wave caused headache. (To my shock, it was a tiny boat, it don't even have a cabin. here we were, all 13 of us plus two boatmen.) sleeping was the only option.

after 3 hrs, we met other boat. The boatman asked, where's the island? That way, replied the men on the other boat. and our boatmen changed the direction.


"Bon Dieu, these guys navigate by sight!" thought I. "How can they see it when all is dark blue on the horizon?" To turn back would be a defeat yet to go further seemed impossible. we were already halfway of 40 nautical miles distance.

I was reminded of the scene. I was worried we were drifting to uncertainty... It was magical that the worry din keep me sitting stiff. Instead I fell asleep again. I guess Atticus was right, It's not time to worry yet.

Waking up, it rained and wet us all. fortunately, the island was at sight. large and green. with a white lighthouse, a legacy of colonial era, towering near its pier. What a relief!

Picture Perfect Holiday
The weather wasn't our friend yet friends and I could enjoy the short holiday on the Pulau Biawak. We built three tents, snorkeled around, cooked this and that menu (almost constantly), and devoured (we being "nggragas") anything before us, sang to the half moon, chasing monitors, and climbed the lighthouse up to 60 m to the top! very exciting!

While sitting near the lamp cage on the lighthouse, I observed the island. it reminds me of Pulau Rambut in Kepulauan Seribu. Both are dense with lush carpets of mangroves and palms (conifers too!) and are birds sanctuary. big water birds like ibises, herons, and cormorants were seen here.

While snorkeling, I noticed that the reefs and the fishes aren't so colorful nor plenty. I guess it's due to 2004 oil spill. It still affects the island although I can see it recovering. Perhaps that explains why the fishes are of small sizes.

(a "hi there" look from Monsieur le Monitor, photo by friend Tetty alias 'tettyyangmotoloch')

Meanwhile the residents whose identity become the entity of the islands were rarely seen. I only spotted four. Most of them are of slender features and their skin patterns are interesting. Only one is very fat! couldn't believe it. how can a reptile grows so fat? guess that's the benefit of being the only predators on the island.

The whole journey was pleasant. Picture perfect. I even came to appreciate God's Lamps and learn to take chances. When arriving on the mainland, I texted Papi immediately, Pi, I been to Pulau Biawak (Varanus salvator), next is Pulau Komodo (Varanus komodoensis)! :)

"Menyelami Bali, Menghargai Bumi"

"Menyelami Bali, Menghargai Bumi" by SemSPurba.

I love the title. It wasn't the title I submitted to the editors. it appeared on Sunday 16 June 2010 issue of daily Media Indonesia. Now the article is online at Media Travelista or http://www.mediaindonesia.com/mediatravelista/index.php/read/2010/6/13/875/2/media_travelista_headline

want to deflate and dive deeper! :)

"For Better or Worse"

Sure there are plenty of
fish in the sea
Flocks of birds on the rise
Baby, not for me
'Cause I live in paradise
(For Better or Worse, Debbie Gibson)

When buddies and I went down to the wreck in Tulamben, I felt most happiest. I can remember every second of the descent! bubbles! here's where I remembered my silent wish: to be able to enjoy it.

and here's where the playlist changed! I used to sing in mind: What a Wonderful World. but seeing the school of jacks, my archive opened that old Debbie Gibson disc and the needle played it loud :)

(not for worse but) for better, I love it!

The Wall

an awesome trip. unthinkable. how my buddies and i got through it is a wonder and we were glad we were able to enjoy each dip.

of course it will be ungrateful of me if i din thank the Lord for it. i still want to know what was on his mind when he created the life in the wall and the floor. moreover, what was on his mind when he created the universe? it's like this: where could i go? where could i run? nothing is beyond you!



as of today (earth day), I think he is thinking, what was on my mind when i created the universe?



(photos courtesy of thedivingdugongers)

Nobody's an Island (Kepulauan Seribu)

Nobody's an island, so ayn't I.

and then so ayn't my friends.

So together with Umi, Phie, Mamet, Echi, Rudy, Toto, Tetty, Uwi, Ifan, Leo, Yudhi, Ipul, I went on island hopping at Kepulauan Seribu.

At first, I din expect much considering the mighty west wind I 'encountered' with at Tidung. I only hoped for nice weather so I could observe more species in nice environment. And.... so be it: clear sky and waters, plus mild wind and undercurrent.

At the first plung, I instantly fell in love with the corals, fishes, and echinoderms. I also joined in the exciting echinoids (bulu babi) hunt. It's surprisingly edible and tasty! Using a stainless steel tongs, I disarmed four urchins!

When the night came, life at the beach was also wonderful. The water twinkled here and there with red LED-like flickers as though someone igniting matches in the water. Amazing!

The island hopping continued to the ever famous Pulau Putri with its submarine-like 'seaquarium'. After that, they jumped to the water. the corals and the fish are colorful here and the site is vast. I felt blessed at the sight of a neon green clown fish aka nemo aka ikan guri, swimming here and fro, guarding his anemone. (It was a good beginning too for me for I swam around sans life jacket!)

In the sea of Broccoli (Tidung island)

i rolled into Methods of language Research or MPB (worth 4 credits) class back in the college years. did it simply because I wanted to .... travel.

alas, the class din go to Tidung nor Cirebon for field research.....

but years later came my time to visit this Maldives of Jakarta. Maladewa!

my heart din lie so din my face. i couldn't wait to pack things into my new 30 liters backpack and went straight to Muara Angke onboard the ship. i slept at 00.00 and woke up at 05.00. the alarm cut an ending of an exciting dream (well, i woke up smiling and eager) i couldnt remember. i was also happy for my new bag and sandals, also life vest and snorkel. and goggle

arriving at 6.45 and the engine had already been coughing constantly, I was relieved to see Marley's face, also others' which I recognised from previous trip: Rian's, Nya Nyu's, Ricka's, Titiw's, Tessa's, Anin's, Ime's, and later Nugi's. I also saw new friendly faces.

SAIL AWAY
half an hour later the boat set off and i tried to amuse myself with ever unreadable The Great Gatsby. i also tried to converse with Riri. She studied sea stars and is an avid diver. but then i yawned and yawned. the conversation was interesting but my eyes just wouldnt tolerate. so i excused myself and laid asleep for the next 2 hrs. i woke up and abt 30 min later the boat kissed the pier. i made some acquaintances and got ready for lunch and bike.

BIKE
It took a boring moment for the delivery of the bikes. i felt fatigued and wanted to do it (biking) without further ado. the bikes finally arrived and everyone got one. i took the lead. the tracks were exciting: tall grasses, masses of coconut trees and occasional sharp surprises of pandanus leaves. it was fun that i din realize the front tire has flatten!

(photo Matt Rahmat)

there i went, heading to the wooden bridge. i couldnt count how many coconut trees were "sacrificed" to make it. it's in the poor condition, some planks disappeared and it is weathered down so to speak. there were workers dragging concrete columns. they are replacing the planks with those slender pieces. the water under the bridge is crystal clear and the visibility is high. grasslike vegetations thrive in the shallow water and near the orange boat grow a cluster of broocoli like reefs. superb!

PLUNG
i plunged into the sea in the afternoon, day 1. the visibility was about 1.5 m (sun was setting) and the temperature of the water varied: warm, cold, lukewarm within meters. it was great to try my life vest for the first time.


exhausted from biking and diving (I rode with front tire entirely flat!), i ate much. the grilled tongkol (of tuna family) tasted so good. crisp outside, tender and smoky inside. and the taste of the sambal was terrific! the hostess also cooked us a huge pile of scallop (kerang darah), caramelized.

DAY 2
in the morning we rode again (i got a new bike) in search of sunny side up and its golden rays. we arrived ath the bridge at 6.00 and later we got the sunrise show, followed by a morning meal delivered to us: simple dish of rice, kerupuk, and fried egg, sambal and hot tea.

we biked to the tomb of a local warrior, the first settler of the island. it was faithfully guarded by an old man people call Engkong. he's got a big cat and clean front yard. then we walked to the beach and the bladelike grass greeted my bare leg. funny though. i combed the beach with Adrian and found some spot full of sea stars! amazing. five points and all i remember was my conversation with Riri. I spotted their eyes!

Adrian and I took some plung at the edge of the reefy beach. shallow waters with full of corals, colorful and most of them were new to my eyes. love it!

despite some bruises and cuts I loved the experience. so i raise my glass again for MPB and again for the islands!