Misadventure in the shadow of Krakatau<\/p>\n
By Listiana Operananta<\/p>\n
KALIANDA, Lampung (JP): Our appetite for adventure was whetted
\nby seductive TV and newspaper commercials touting a weekend
\nadventure on the tip of Sumatra, near the legendary Krakatau and
\na beautiful white sandy beach.<\/p>\n
So began the 1997 Krakatau Festival and Fantastic Adventures.<\/p>\n
The Rp 265,000 (US$98) fee sounded reasonable for two nights
\nand three days in a four-star hotel, inclusive of a seven-hour
\nbus ride from Jakarta to Bandar Lampung via the Sunda Strait
\nconnecting Merak and Bakauheni harbor.<\/p>\n
The travel agent, which shall remain nameless, was selected by
\nthe festival organizer in its promotion of a new beach resort in
\nKalianda. The agent also arranges bookings for the Awani Dream
\ncruise, bus and airplane trips.<\/p>\n
Unlike traveling by Awani, an option chosen by most, we opted
\nfor the land trip as it seemed to offer more sightseeing
\nopportunities.<\/p>\n
The itinerary: leave from Jakarta's Sahid Jaya Hotel on Friday
\nafternoon to spend a leisurely Saturday at Kalianda beach. On
\nSunday, we head for Way Kambas Elephant School, two hours from
\nBandar Lampung, returning to Jakarta by 5 p.m.<\/p>\n
The reality: we returned at 3 a.m. Monday, a bedraggled,
\nsleepless group.<\/p>\n
A revelation at Sunday midnight had brought our weekend
\ntravails into clearer focus. In the darkness of what we guessed
\nwas a forest, with punctured tires, a disoriented bus driver and
\nwild pigs ramming the vehicle, the tour guide leader disclosed
\nthis was a first-run experience for the agency on the route.<\/p>\n
But back to the beginning.<\/p>\n
The risky business began in trying to reach Lampung via Merak
\nharbor.<\/p>\n
It was 9 p.m. when the bus reached Merak but passengers had to
\nwait for ages to board the ferry. The bus only made it on after
\nmuch haggling between ticket scalpers and our guide, who we will
\ncall Rini.<\/p>\n
Rini said the bribery was nothing new. \"This is a common
\npractice in harbors, we often have to pay twice as much as the
\nfixed price to ensure good service.\"<\/p>\n
By the time the bus reached Kalianda beach it was too late to
\nregister for the advertised \"Coconut He-Man\" and the \"Obstacle
\nCourse\", which was limited to a few groups.<\/p>\n
The promised aerochute and jet-ski were nowhere to be seen.<\/p>\n
We were told we could pay Rp 20,000 ($7) to enter the beach, a
\nfee including lunch. Tickets costing Rp 1,000 were also
\navailable, but locals who opted to take a longer route paid Rp
\n1,000 to be able to spread out their mats and eat home-prepared
\nlunches.<\/p>\n
The latter looked increasingly appetizing as we searched in
\nvain for the information booth for the Krakatau trip.<\/p>\n
Argument<\/p>\n
Three of us got our hands on the Rp 95,000 per person tickets
\nfor the jet foil trip to Krakatau, but then had to argue with
\ncommittee members.<\/p>\n
\"Come back tomorrow,\" one said, adding we would have to wait
\nuntil after the VIPs had finished their lunch.<\/p>\n
Which reminded us that our purchase of the beach tickets had
\nbeen for nothing in getting some sustenance. The lavish buffet in
\nthe main entrance of the makeshift Kalianda Resort office was
\nmeant only for those deemed important.<\/p>\n
We were told to buy a ticket for lunch, but where? After an
\nhour of vague explanations, we got tired and started to take out
\nour frustration on passing VIPs in their fancy T-shirts.<\/p>\n
Complaints aside, the scenery was stunningly beautiful.<\/p>\n
Ridges of beautiful rocks fringe the beach, and you can see
\nyour image in the clear blue waters.<\/p>\n
Kalianda, about an hour from Bandar Lampung, is not yet on the
\ntourist track, and the deficient public transportation may be one
\nreason.<\/p>\n
Private or rented cars would be preferable to reach Kalianda
\nalong a hot, bumpy road some 10 kilometers from the Lampung
\nhighway, and another two kilometers to the beach from the
\nvillage.<\/p>\n
The organizers provided free bus rides. But there was at least
\na two-hour wait before the ride home, standing all the way in a
\ncrammed bus for another two hours.<\/p>\n
The bus only went as far as the Bandar Lampung terminal, about
\n10 minutes from the closest hotel, Sahid Krakatau Lampung, and
\nabout 30 minutes from the Panjang Harbor where the Awani Dream
\nboat was anchored.<\/p>\n
Desperate times call for desperate measures: some bus
\npassengers tried to sneak onto the bus going to the cruise ship.<\/p>\n
There were some upbeat moments. Festival shows and games were
\ngood, although such adventures could also be found at Ancol in
\nJakarta or Bali.<\/p>\n
The international kite festival was also entertaining, with
\nplenty of colorful large and small kites.<\/p>\n
The driver got lost twice but, when we eventually found it,
\nWay Kambas Elephant School was fun.<\/p>\n
But then the driver got lost again on the way back and
\npassengers found themselves stranded far from anywhere. There
\nwere two punctures, but only one spare.<\/p>\n
The driver and his assistant were still working at fixing the
\ntires when the pigs found the bus offered its own curious
\ndiversion. Nobody got a wink of sleep as they harassed us until
\nthe wee hours.<\/p>\n
It was comparatively better on the ferry. We managed to get an
\nair-conditioned room, paying an extra Rp 500 to avoid the dirty
\ndeck and the unmistakable clinging odors.<\/p>\n
Some guests appropriated musical instruments from the VVIP
\nroom, and soon everybody was singing and dancing to pop,
\nkeroncong and dangdut music.<\/p>\n
Kicking back with the music provided some solace after all our
\nweekend of misadventure. A little more organization, and the trip
\nwould have left many happy memories.<\/p>",
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