Lengkuas Island Belitung

January 15, 2012

A trip to Belitong would not be complete without a trip to Pulau Lengkuas (Lengkuas Island). And it would be a shame if we don’t go islands hopping too! Fortunately the weather on the second day was friendly; neither rainy nor cloudy. We anxiously hoped to be able to go islands hopping because in the last several days there were no boats willing to go due to the inclement weather and big waves. 🙁

In the morning we went to Bukit Berahu and Tanjung Binga and we could see how the waves smashed hard against the rocks; which made us even more worried that we might not be able to go to the islands. But the show must go on, a traveler gotta do what a traveler gotta do (whatever that means.. hihihi), so we went a head to Tanjung Kelayang, where there were fishermen who could take us islands hopping. It was quiet there, barely no one was available. But after some times, we found some fishermen and asked them to take us around. Even though it was just the two of us (which meant the price could be several times more expensive), we were impressed by the captain of the boat, Bang Iwan, because he requested a fair price of 400,000 rupiah (around $32). I asked him whether he could bring it down to 350,000 rupiah (around $28) but he said no. Bang Iwan finally said that if we managed to get to Lengkuas Island, we have to pay them 400,000 rupiah, but if not (because of the waves) then 350,000 rupiah was enough. Fair enough! Let’s go!

We changed our clothes and pants and then went on a boat. Half way to the islands, we passed a boat turning back and signaled us that there were big waves ahead. I thought nothing of it and I just waved at them. Hihihi. As we went further, the waves indeed were bigger and the front part of the boat repeatedly rose about 2 meters high and then slammed hard against the waves. No theme park could have topped that! Dufan in Jakarta? PASSED!! 😛 I’ve been through worse than that (remember Lombok? Hellow!) so I tried to enjoy the waves. And I succeeded, I didn’t feel nauseated at all!

We finally arrived at Lengkuas Island. We played among the huge boulders, climbed on top of them (okay I was terrible at this – I was afraid of going up so high! Hehehe), we also went up to the 18-story lighthouse and saw some ah-mazing view!

Woohoo!!

For the entire day we toured the area, thank God the sun shone brightly and not a drop of rain fell to the ground. 😀 My evening prayer came true. Hihiy. Thank you, God.

After we left Lengkuas Island, we went snorkeling. Since it was not a good season, the visibility was very low. But Bang Didi, who accompanied us snorkeling, brought some breadcrumbs and the fish went up to eat the crumbs. They were not afraid of us! We had so much fun swimming around, playing with the fish, until I felt very dizzy. I swam towards the boat with what was left of my energy and it was very difficult. Why? Because the way towards the boat was against the current. And remember how high the waves were? I was repeatedly dragged backwards after I paddled forward. I finally reached the boat and was completely nauseated. Huhuhu. I bet my face looked terribly pale.

When we got to the second island Burung Island (burung = bird) I decided to lie down on the beach for a bit to calm myself down. It did not work at all. I finally ran to the water and fully intended to vomit to get some relief. Just when I was about to throw up, lo and behold, there was a FISH!!! A tiny transparent yellow-white-black fish swam around my feet on its own. The little guy lost its way!! I laughed and tried to shoo the fish away. Hihihi. I ended up not throwing up. Hahaha.

We took a quick walk around the beach, drank some coconut water, and headed to the next island. I was completely refreshed at that time. Thanks to the tiny fish that lost its way! 😀

After we left Burung Island, we went to Babi Island (Babi = Pig) and then went back to Tanjung Kelayang. Islands hopping is the charm of Belitong. Sadly, we came in the wrong month. Bang Iwan said the good season to visit is September-October. We didn’t come in the good season yet the water was already clear, blue, green, and awesome. Can you imagine how it would be like in the good season? Must be transparent, sparkly and shiny like glass. Awesome to the max!

As we arrived in Tanjung Kelayang, I told Abang that I wanted to get something to eat because my stomach was already rumbling. We decided to eat by the beach and chatted about many things. And you know what’s the best part?

Best part was in the evening when we were getting ready for bed, I suddenly remembered and asked to Abang, “Bang, have we paid the noodles that we ate after we snorkeled?”

The reply was, “Shit!! No we haven’t!!!”

Hahahaha..

So in the morning I texted Bang Iwan and asked him to pay first and we would pay him back later.*in my defense, it was Abang’s fault, he was the treasurer for this trip..hihihi..*

Smile! 🙂

Contact: Bang Iwan – boat captain: +62819-7787-6748. Just tell him you know him from Bulan. The boat fee (as of January 2012) was 350,000 to 400,000 rupiah per boat. One boat can carry up to 12 people. If you want to bargain hard, please don’t tell him you know him from me. I’ll feel bad for him and be embarrassed as well. Hehehe.

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Written by: Bulan

Translated by: Silka from Pulau Lengkuas Belitong..

Final edit by: Bulan

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