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sounds bloody miles away … indeed!

(c) ukirsari

it’s a getaway. it’s an escape from the busiest city, 24 hours life never sleep: jakarta when i set foot to west java. to pangandaran beach to be exact.

the idea just spontaneous. start one day before independence day which come into weekend so the government announced 1 day off as part of its national holiday. then here i go … pack my daily backpack and heading to one of the bus terminus in the suburban area of jakarta.

and it takes 10 hours ride by mass transportation so called “intercity bus” to reach the destination. then make all of the trip within one – single day destination. so when the night fall, i am heading back to jakarta by bus.

it’s became something surprise for my own. but i am glad to make it. and celebrate indonesia’s independence day with locals. it’s fun and extraordinary, seems difficult to be found in big city

berkibarlah benderaku

i’m so proud, i’m so happy … i feel … none of the words can describes my feeling whenever see our national flag: sang saka merah putih standing tall and people start to sing our national anthem.

(c) ukirsari

nearby the beach and surrounded by coconut trees. it’s so indonesia! and brings back my memory towards my beloved dad.

a person who can say “i miss our motherland” in very simple way whenever we’re abroad. whenever one of our national hymn is in the air, then a postcard with coconut trees’ waving in front of him.

i am so proud, to standing there. in unknown beach by myself and sing together with locals. this is our land and they’re still in recovery moments after hit by tsunami quite long time ago. happy independence day, august 17th my indonesia.

the hit lists in pangandaran are:

there are several tourist attraction can be found in pangandaran and around. i did several and give points 8 out of 10 for my satisfaction rate.

- west and east coasts of pangandaran [flanked by a road called jalan kidang pananjung]
- pangandaran nature reserve [the boundary trail is nice]
- cujang taneuh [probably uncommon or sounds unfamiliar since everybody address it as green canyon, but i like to pronounce its real name. more exotic ]
- batu karas [a rocky formation beach with good waves for surfing]
- batu hiu [shark rock look-alike]
- cikembulan, cijulang and parigi countrysides

my fondest memory of pangandaran:

it’s only 0400 am when i landed at pangandaran. freezing cold in the east coast where people gather to see the sunrise.

but wait a minute, something that people might be pay less attention. behind their backs … have a look! it’s lunar eclipse about 15 minutes. and i say, “would you please to turn around?” and most of them say “ohhhh!!! lunar eclipse, we don’t know about this!”

(c) ukirsari

so do i … don’t you think? i just found along the way from jakarta to pangandaran, the moon looks so bright but it’s not yet full moon and the colour is quite different, without full aurora or halo as usually can be seen around its moon.

and the mosques sending prays … it’s not morning praying time yet! so must be something.

and it’s became a memorable moment for my pangandaran visit. within independence day and welcoming by lunar eclipse. Thank God!

things i did in pangandaran:

* nature reserve

in pangandaran peninsula, can be found a nature reserve with various plantation, caves and animals.
during my visits, can be seen:
- javan gibbons, macaques, phyton, barking deer, deer and hornbills [animals]
- stalagtites and stalagmites caves, several of them have direct alleys to the coasts. it’s nice to see how the waves comes into the caves and showering the alleys with saltwater
- rafflesia, katulampa and several kinds of rainforest trees [plantation]
one of the favourite walks here is walking along the boundary trail

* cujang taneuh or green canyon

cujang taneuh or more popular addressed as ‘green canyon’ is pangandaran’s number one’s attraction. it’s a boating activity over a green emerald river to a jungle look-alike and stop after 10 minutes sailing to hike into a gorgeous cave which is connected to the estuary.

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it’s an enchanting rocky wall surrounding a pond and just jump to have a nice swim. there’s a ‘bonus’ for the panorama: a waterfall amongst the wall.

rent per boat is idr 75,000 when i was there

* west and east coasts

the unique beach condition of pangandaran is … there are two coasts [east and west] which is flanked by a road named ‘jalan kidang pananjung’.

so, once you’re set your foot to pangandaran, you can see sunrise and sunset in the place nearby within a day. this is a bonus for me, who doesn’t pay so much time here!

* citumang river

addressed as green canyon number two, it’s a nice swim amongst the ‘dam’. but it’s not a man-made dam as usually can be found by the river. this is a natural dam. quite difficult along the way to citumang, but something rewarding once you find the place. again … green emerald water is awaiting!

* batu hiu and batu karas

batu hiu [shark rock] and batu karas are rocky coastal zones of pangandaran. in batu hiu can be seen formation shark’s nose look-alike overlooking indian ocean whilst in batu karas you can do surfing activity.

batu karas is less touristy compared to west and east coasts of pangandaran. and there are plenty of cheap accommodations.

both of these beaches are situated within 30 km perimeter from the main beach of pangandaran.

about food:

located at the southern part of java island, direct to indian ocean, pangandaran unarguably enriched with abundant fresh seafood.

amongst the most popular here are: lobster, prawn, cuttle fish or calamari, crab and kind of fish. my choice goes to prawn which looks so yummy!

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what kind of place do you want to have to enjoy seafood? it’s up to you. within a resto, seems more enjoyable. but we have to pay the service, including nice seats facing to the sunset or sunrise.

and as i am going in backpacking style, my option goes to a very simple ‘warung’ [small and basic resto].

just choose the fresh seafood and order to cook as i prefer. note: how much the seafood cost it’s already including cooking service! it’s spoil me a lot then just ask the lady who sells the seafood to put the eateries at warung and pampering myself to enjoy them under the sea breeze.

my fave are: prawn in butter sauce and prawn in sweet and sour sauce. added with deep fried calamari and steam rice. also companied by a bottle of beer that make it superb. excellent

for shopping activity:

along jalan jaga lautan at the east coast of pangandaran you can see many hawker stalls which sell kind of salty fish. their specialities are ikan jambal roti [red snapper type look-alike] and rebon or ebi [small shrimps] which are dried using salt methods.

i think this is the best you can have from shopping activity! or another option is dried seaweed to make jelly and pudding.

i would never recommend about another souvenirs just like giant turtle [oh no! it's prohibited i think and there's a conservation area nearby? ] or baby sea horse in the plastic bag! and for sea shells themselves, i am not sure about death shells which can be found along the shoreline or it’s caught for a purpose.

what to buy: definitely salty fish. it’s so crispy whenever fried at home and served with hot steam rice and chili sauce!

warnings or dangers:

tsunami hit pangandaran about 2 years ago and some people within areas still in recovery. i salute them for the positive minds and moving forward. and also pay respect towards lost souls in the tragedy.

within post tsunami, local government already put some signboard as early warning announcements. and you can read tsunami trails amongst road signs which will lead you to higher places and open fields if tsunami comes again.

transportation:

it’s a night rider [not knight rider a.k.a kitt for david hasselhoff ] journey that i choose due to visit pangandaran. economic both for valuable time and transportation side. i take a sleep on the way to pangandaran and get night sleep in the other bus after reach the destination.

so my itinerary as follows:
19.00 leaving jakarta [from bekasi bus terminus]
03.45 reach pangandaran, west coast
04.00 – 18.30 enjoy sunrise is east coast, visit nature park, traditional and fish markets, beaches, green canyon, surfing area and countrysides
19.00 leaving pangandaran [to kampung rambutan bus terminus]

for me, it’s still enjoyable since take aircon buses and there’s no cigars smokes around. and opportunity to try local food at the buses’ rest area. i bring my lovely saroong to feel like home. also one of my teddies