Karimun Jawa, The Islands of Crystal Clear Sea Water

Swimming in Karimun Jawa is just like swimming in big giant pool. The tide is very low and the water is so clear. This is the most delightful experience I ever have. Whether you trust me or not, I never swam at the sea before. It was because I was not allowed by my parents. So, when I went to Karimunjawa this May, this was like the premiere of me swimming at the sea. Okay quite exaggerated, actually.

Karimunjawa are islands located in the north part of Java islands. We can reach there from two places, Jepara and Semarang. There are two ways, which are by fast boats and also ferry. I recommend fast boat because the ferry which is going there is only once a day, therefore, it is always crowded and it takes a longer time, which is 6 hours. Meanwhile, if you're on fast boat, you can save 3 hours. When I got there what I amazed was that the island is so clean and the people there seem quite have a good economic life. The houses are well-built. Most of them offer their house as home stay for tourists. The promotion of Karimun Jawa as tourist destination started from 2005. The government employed the young people to organize tours. That's basically the source of the income of the people. However, the visitors coming there are mostly from domestic tourists. Rarely we saw foreigners joined the tour. Perhaps, it would need more support to promote this place in a larger scale.

Here, the activities were all playing water, of course. We were taken for islands hopping. There are some islands there, such as Pulau Geleang, Pulau Menjangan, Pulau Cemara, Pulau Kecil, Pulau Tengah, Tanjung Gelang, and many others. We snorkeled in those spots and did some swimming. The coral reef were all wonderful. They were all well preserved. There is such an agreement that if one of the tourist steps on a coral reef and destroys it, the tour must be canceled. So, all the guide are very concerned and firm with these rules. We were also not allowed to take anything from the sea and threw any rubbish in every island. They guide would directly warn us if we did so.

Nature is our valuable treasure. That's what I learn from Karimun Jawa people. If we destroy our nature, it means that we can also destroy our life. The Karimun Jawa people preserve their nature in order to preserve their income too. That's the true symbiotic mutualism between human and nature.