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