An unforgettable trip to Bidadari and Damar islands

An unforgettable trip to Bidadari and Damar islands

By Michael Upton

JAKARTA (JP): Although Bidadari and Damar islands cannot beat
the fine snorkeling and scuba available on some of the more
distant islands in Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands), the bay
itself can offer a good day out, particularly if you are
interested in the area's history.

Our boat left early from Angke, North Jakarta. To get to the
wharf, you have to pass through part of Pluit. The dusty road was
busy with vendors, handcarts, becak, people selling mangoes,
rambutan, bananas, vegetables -- and the congestion was
aggravated by long handcarts stacked with blue plastic cans that
seemed to be everywhere. The cans were full of water, for this
area has no running water supply -- residents have to buy it.

It seems particularly cruel that these Jakartans also suffer
the smells that drift up from the nearby branch of the Ciliwung
River that twists through the area carrying large quantities of
untreated effluent down to the sea. The presence of a two-meter-
high brick wall running alongside this mephitic watercourse shows
a keen determination on the part of the authorities to keep the
problem hidden rather than solve it. The "problem" -- thousands
of gallons an hour of it -- simply pours out through sluice gates
into the waiting ocean.

And it was at the wharf right by these gates that our boat was
waiting, within sight of enormous luxury houses. If it had not
been for today's boat trip, we would never have seen this part of
Jakarta and the conditions its inhabitants suffer -- a filthy
watercourse and no running water. In the new era of reform, what
will the authorities do to improve life for these people? And
when?

Bidadari island

The island of Bidadari (meaning fairy or nymph) is one of the
closest to Jakarta, lying near to Onrust only a few miles
offshore. Though it is not far enough out for the water to be
swimmable, you can have a pleasant day out there, or enjoy a walk
around the island on your way to one of the other islands.

Most of the island has reverted to jungle, but during the last
century Bidadari (or Pulau Sakit, the Sick island, as it was
earlier known when it was a leper colony) formed an integral part
of the Batavia's defenses. And there is an interesting relic of
these times. Hidden among the trees stand the ruins of an old
"Martello Tower". These military buildings were actually
introduced by the French during the late 18th century, but this
Dutch version dates from rather later, probably around 1850.
Over 20 meter in diameter, the massive outside walls of this
circular brick pile stand almost two stories high, and some of
the interior rooms are still intact. You can identify the
ammunition store and the water tank. Watch out for bats in some
of the rooms.

The tower was relieved of active duty in 1876 and was used as
a storage depot until it was abandoned completely in 1908. The
official brochure notes that "all such building surfaces had been
covered by ruins and planted by some big trees and coarse
grasses". Now that Bidadari is trying to attract visitors, the
area around the tower has been tidied up. There are beach
shelters and cabins where you can stay if you want to spend a
night there, and unlike Pluit, there is a fresh water supply.

Damar

Further out, about 17 kilometers from shore and right in the
center of the semicircle described by Jakarta Bay, lies Damar
Besar island. Known by the Dutch as Edam, the island takes its
current name from the fact that a lighthouse stands on it: damar
means torch and is also the name of the combustible resin that
oozes from certain tropical trees. The lighthouse currently
standing at one end of the island was built from a standard kit
of iron parts shipped out from the Netherlands. This one was
assembled in 1879 and there is an identical one at Anyer on
Java's west coast of about the same age.

The lighthouse keeper will happily let visitors climb to the
top of the tower (225 steps) in exchange for some lunch money.
(Not that there is anywhere to buy lunch -- you have to take your
own.) From the tiny iron walkway at the top of the lighthouse,
you look down over a dense canopy of secondary forest, from which
the calls of birds and cicadas drift up. The boat at the landing
stage lies far below. Unfortunately, it was not a clear day and
the blue-green sea receded into a gray haze past the skeletal
fish traps and scores of fishing boats.

Most of the island is occupied by dense secondary forest, but
this was not always the case. If you wander around the paths
between the trees, you will come across two Japanese gun
emplacements from World War II. One assumes the forest was
cleared at that time for visibility. Now, the humid silence of
the jungle shrouds these solemn reminders of past conflict.

There is also a group of graves, one holding the remains of
Ratu Syarifa Fatima, the wife of Banten sultan who died on the
island in 1751, having been ousted by the people of the historic
port city west of Jakarta. At that time a splendid mansion stood
on Damar, built by Dutch governor-general Camphuijs. It is said
the foundations still remain but you will have to search for
them. The English did a pretty good job of destroying the house
in 1800.

Decades ago, there was a "resocialization center" on Damar.
It seems the idea was to get criminals and other undesirable
elements of society together and try to teach them better ways.
To us today, it sounds more like a "send-them-offshore-and-let's-
forget-about-them center". These ruins still remain: tall rooms
stand ceilingless, cement rots slowly and the jungle steadily
asserts its grip.

After a look around Damar, it is highly recommended to take
the boat out a little way and dive in. The water on the day we
went was crystal iridescent turquoise. Irresistible.