10/20/13 – Dear Sandra… Karimunjawa Islands

Dear Sandra, Around this time four years ago, we took the same introductory history class on Southeast Asia with Professor Woods. It’s amazing how one class can really change the direction of one’s path. If you had told me four years ago that I would’ve ended up focusing on Southeast Asia for the rest of my college career, I would’ve never believed you. Yes, I have ancestry in the region, but there was so little I knew about the countries and cultures because we never learn about them except for the bit on the Vietnam War. And so, taking Prof. Woods’ class was refreshing. It was like learning a secret or a truth that’s been kept from me for so long. Things that I’ve noticed in my family and the Southeast Asian communities in Los Angeles began to make more sense. After the first quarter, I was hooked and fascinated by the history, and I yearned for more. Fast forward four years to today, and I now find myself in Indonesia. It’s hard to contain my excitement knowing that the things and sites I’ve studied – the takeover of Malacca by the Portuguese in 1533, Srivijaya and Palembang, Majapahit, the Japanese occupation, etc. – are so close. The things I learned on gamelan in my ethnomusicology class make so much more sense. I’m so fascinated by how Indonesia has been able to maintain itself for the past 50+ years knowing how Java-centric things are. There’s so much richness in the history and culture here. But when most people think about Indonesia, the first thing that comes to mind is Bali. I’ve yet to go to Bali – and I don’t plan to until next June for the half marathon – but I’m told that it’s very much a tourist destination. Beaches are beautiful, there are lots of temples, and the culture there is rich as well. I’m told that at least for the outdoors and natural beauty, there’s a rival and up-and-coming spot in the Karimunjawa Islands. I had a break last week, so my friends and I decided to visit the Karimunjawa Islands. It’s absolutely beautiful there. I think it’s definitely a hidden gem; there weren’t too many tourists, but I know that the government has been promoted the islands as a tourist destination which means that the number of people visiting there will increase. We were out in the waters for two days and spent a day on land. This was on top of two days of travel – one to arrive, one to return. We took a slow boat from nearby Jepara to reach the islands, and this ride took a little more than 6 hours each way. For the days we spent out at sea, we went snorkeling and visited some islands. The water here is so blue and beautiful, and there were quite a lot of sea life. My first time snorkeling was in Krabi, Thailand, and it was fun, but there wasn’t as much to see as in Karimunjawa. For the most part, the smaller islands were empty. There were a couple of times that we saw other boats and people, but that was still not very much. The most people that we encountered was at Pulau Tengah (Central Island); it’s a spot where everyone had lunch which typically consisted of an ikan bakar (grilled fish).

Boarding the slow boat in Jepara

Water’s so blue!

We spent one day on land with a motorbike ride on the main island to one site where we could trek on to the beach. I didn’t catch the name of the place, but there’s a story on the two rocks furthest out at sea. I’m not sure on the exact details but it goes something like this: A girl and boy loved each other, but they did not have their parents’ permission to marry. So, they ran away from home on separate boats and landed on this particular island. Around the vicinity of the lorong cinta (love tunnel), they meet an old man or woman, and tell him/her that they’ve run away from home to be together. The old man/woman said that to be together, they need to go meditate out at sea. However, their parents came after them, and when the girl’s mother saw them together, she was upset and asked the god(s) to turn them into stone. So, what the old man/woman said was true – they’re together, just not as humans. Interesting story – I’m sure that different groups around the world have similar stories too.

See the two rocks out there?

Then we went to a mangrove forest before resting and checking out the sunset for our last full day in Karimunjawa.

At the Mangrove Forest

More mangroves

Sunset

This trip was wonderful, but it reminded me just how much of an outdoorsy type of person I’m not. I can’t handle being out at sea for too long because I get seasick. I have a difficult time hiking and going up inclines, mostly because I’m super cautious for fear of spraining my partly-injured ankle. I still don’t know how to swim, and mosquitoes just love to bite me. I left with a couple of scrapes from corals and bruises from falling off a motorbike thrice, but I’m still fond of my experience in Karimunjawa. That said, I know that Karimunjawa will attract more tourists. The town can definitely support a greater capacity of tourists in terms of housing, and I think that eateries will naturally follow. I’m told that the residents want more tourists as it’s a way for them to increase their income. I do hope that the growth will be handled with care. I worry about gentrification and the displacement of long-time residents as land becomes more expensive. I fear environmental damage to the ecosystem and the implications to public health. I worry that access to the islands may be reduced based upon ability to pay. My friend, Neli has yet to go to the islands, and she tells me that going to Karimunjawa is too expensive for the typical Indonesian, and it saddens me that not everyone has access to this natural beauty. I suppose that it’s the case for many places around the world; it makes me more appreciative of the things that I do have access to back home. So yes, I hope that growth in Karimunjawa happens steadily so that a strong infrastructure is in place to support tourism, and that residents are not forced out because of new changes. Hope that all is well with you, Will and your work at UCLA. It must be weird to be on campus but not be a student, huh? Always smiling, Angela Arunarsirakul

Describes how I feel about Indonesia