Journey to the West (Part 2)

First of all, I did say I was going to put the day 2 review soon, right? Well, sorry for the lateness. I was absolutely busy this month. And spending 2 weeks in Sulawesi with poor internet connectivity (Mostly due to Indosat M2 having poor signal in where I work) doesn't help. But now, I got time, and here's what happened on day two.

Day two, our plan is to go to the Sempu Island. It's a wildlife preservation area in in the south of Java, around 2 hours ride from Malang.


The Island from Across the Strait.

The target of the journey is not the island itself, but the lagoon located in the middle of the island. It's said to be absolutely amazing. Well, we'll find out soon enough. But the walk wasn't easy.


The Road

Well, the road, as can be seen here (not too clearly though), is muddy due to the morning rain. It's so muddy that we took off our sandals so we can have better grip. I should've worn my shoes, but well... It's not too bad really. It took us more than 3 hours to traverse the forest. Shouldn't been that long, according to our guide, but the slippery road makes our journey longer than usual.


Between the Leaves


Blue Water Blue Sky

It took us 3 hours, but when the sunlight broke through the trees and we saw the lagoon... Boy, It's really beautiful. It's not too large, roughly circular, and surrounded by trees and cliffs, giving the place a peaceful aura.



The Lagoon.

Too bad we didn't take many pictures there. I have some better ones, maybe I'll put them up. But I'll just tell you that the pictures don't do this place justice. The smooth white sand, the clear water, and the trees surrounding it, gives it a feel that you should feel in person.

Some people thought so too, apparently, for there are like four other groups other than us there. Mostly they are camping, spending the night there to come back the next day, or even the day after. Some of them are foreigners, too. Quite a good info they got.


After the Walk

Well, that's us. Looks quite tired, eh? Well, it's because it IS tiring. The walk itself is not that bad. I've walked farther and longer than that (roughly 3 kilometers walk). It's the mud and slippery slopes that saps our strength. Well, actually, I'm quite fine after a little rest... If only we had brought flashlights.

You see.. We estimated that we could reach the place in one hour and a half, which would leave us around two hours to play around in the place, and then come back out before dark. The slippery trail ruined all that. When we got there, it's already late afternoon. We only got less than half an hour to rest, take pictures, and head back out before dark. And we got no flashlights.

Traversing the slippery slope once again is not that hard, but when the sun goes down, things aren't that easy. When the sun went down, we had to rely on moonlight and sometimes, a lighter to see the way. And well... I'm blind as a bat when the sun is down. Only, bats have ultrasonic waves.

Well, thanks to our guide and my friends, especially Flo (thanks a bunch, flowie :D) , I did manage to go the whole way. Around 2/3 way there, we managed to contact our pickup boat to send some people with flashlights to guide us back. After they arrived, it's much easier. Doesn't stop us from collapsing on the beach due to tiredness, though.

Suffice to say that we slept VERY soundly that night.

Lessons learned :
One, bring flashlights when you're traversing a forest.

Two, If you're going to Sempu, do leave early in the morning, like 4 AM, or bring atent to spend the night. The place is just too beautiful, and the walk too long for you to enjoy to your satisfaction otherwise.