Last week, my friends and I went to Belitung Island for vacation. Actually, the vacation was arranged accidently. Here this the story. A couple weeks ago, I bought a traveling magazine and read one of its article saying about five affordable island holidays. I decided to pick one of them for I would have 2 weeks off before involving seriously in a real study for my master that will be started on August 10.
I decided to have Belitung Island for my vacation, but I was confused about whether I went with companions or went alone. After browsing from the Internet about Belitung, I decided to look for companions since Belitung is not like Bali, a place that I am quite familiar with. Though it is a small island that available to be exlored in a short time, its facilities are not quite good. Hotels, and restourants are only few and simple. Moreover, Belitung has a rare and unconvinient public transportation so I have to rent a car and a boat for exploring Belitung Island. It meant that it would be expensive for going there alone for I am a student... :-p. Therefore, I looked for companions afterwards.
I got Lia and Indah as my companions, the ones whom I never had traveling with before. Uupsssttt.... I just noticed that there always different companions for each of my travelings and I don't feel bothered with it. It may be because I am a kind of easy going person. Having fun with new person while learning about others' personalities. hehehe....
All have been prepared before we departed: flight ticket returns have been bought, hotel has been booked, a car and a boat have been rented including its quides. We're ready!!!
Belitung Island is located in South China Ocean. According to the website that I read before I went there, Belitung has beautiful beaches, even they claim that the beaches are more beautiful than Bali has. wow, sound interesting!!! I said to myself, 'Let's prove it!'. The day has come! On July 31, we went to Belitung by Batavia Airlines, departed from Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Jakarta and it on ly takes 40 menutes away, shorter than Jakarta - Bali flight that takes about one hour.
Arrived at Hananjoedin Airport, Tanjung Pandan, Belitung, a driver named Pak Itho who is also a guide, picked us up. He is a nice and funny guy, so he mingled easily with the three of us. After check-in to the hotel named Wisma Aditia, located in Jl. Diponegoro, we went directly to Tanjung Tinggi (directly meant that we didn't put our luggage-carrier to the hotel's room first since each of us only brought a bag).
Tanjung Tinggi
Tanjung Tinggi beach is also well known as Laskar Pelangi Beach since it used to shoot some scenes of the Laskar Pelangi Movie. One characteristic of Belitung beaches is there alway irrigular big-stones that beautify the beach.
A blue-green sea water color is also quite different from any other beaches. Furthermore, the type of sand is quite different from any other beaches. Definitely beautiful beach!! In Tanjung Tinggi beach, we were swimming while enjoying the sunset. Fortunately, when we were there, we got a perfect sunset because there were no clouds.
Tanjung Kelayang
After Tanjung Tinggi, we went to Tanjung Kelayang, other beautiful beach with awesome-stone-arrangement. We met Pak Rusdy there, the one who would guide us to the islands tomorrow morning. We had lunch there. Enjoying seafoods while the sea wind blows over our faces is astoning. The food cooked by Pak Rusdy's wife was testy and yummy. Hemmm.... Tanjung Kelayang scenery is awesome!
At the night, we hunted for durian. Since I am a durian maniac, I was so excited. We got some but not the best ones for the durian season in Belitung is almost over. It all was in the first day.
In the second day, we went to islands guided by Pak Rusdy and accompanied by Pak Itho. O ya... Belitung is surrounded by about 189 small islands. Some of them are inhibited islands such as Mendanau Island, Seliu Island, Nadu Island and Batu Dinding Island. We departed from Tanjung Kelayang. The first island we visited was Gusong Island. It is an island that only appears in the morning because in the afternoon the water sea level increases and covers the island. Though the island consists of white sand only, it is very beautiful for it surrounded by a blue-green ocean. I was speechless. Awesome Gusong Island!
The next visit was to Batu Belayar. It is a kind of island that consist of many big stones. I wonder how God creates those amazing place. O ya... since I was accompanied by two photographic-maniac and two awesome guides, we took many pictures everywhere with any kind styles-even the odd ones. Hehehe...
Next visit was Burung Island. Different from the former islands, Burung island is an island with many threes and longer cost-line. There is a group of big stones named Batu Menceko stand firmly in the beach. Awesome stones! The white-sand beach is also beautiful.
After visiting Burung Island, we went to Lengkuas Island, an island which is well known with its lightouse. The lightouse was built in 1880, colonialism era, and have been operating for 127 years. There were two man take care of this tower. Arrived at this island, Pak Rusdy cooked lunch for us. The menu were shrimp and poulp. After lunch, we took a rest for awhile and then went up to the lightouse. It has 18 floors and every windows in every floor has different awesome view of the sea. W-O-Wwww.... awesome...views.... In the top of lightouse, I almost cried for I saw beautiful scenery. I was amaze for God created Indonesia uniquely and beautifully. I said to is myself, wow and wow, repeteadly... God is great! God is great!!
After went down from the top of lightouse, we changed our dress-code and went for snorkling. Lengkuas Island has various diversities of corals. About 45 menutes we were snorkling, we went to Babi island afterwards to see sunset, another beautiful sunset. After sunset, we went back to Tanjung Kelayang, had dinner at Mie Belitung, Tanjung Pandan and went back to the hotel for taking a rest. Though tiring, it was awesome day.
In the third day, Pak Itho picked us up on 6 am because we asked him to deliver us to East Belitung, a quite away from Tanjung Pandan, while there was limited time. We checked out from the hotel and went directly to East Belitung. We went to Vihara Kwan Im, Toko Abadi, SD Muhammadiyah Ex-Shooting Laskar Pelangi and Pece Dam. On 10.30 am we have reaced Airport and ready to went back to Jakarta.
Mfyuuughhh.... what can I say about this vacation. Three words: AWESOME, EXOTIC, and SATISFIED !!! Belitung is very very beautiful. One thing for sure, the more I know Indonesia, the more I love it. I think that I have to visit it again one day. I'll schedule it!
So... guys, if you haven't visit Belitung, I suggest you to visit it or you will regret. Sure!
