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.
