My plans for one weekend in early October were canceled at the last minute and I heard that some friends of a friend were getting together a group of people to go to a beach on Sempu Island so I joined the expedition along with my colleagues Chris and John.
We showed up at the train station at 10pm to meet our new friends with their chartered bus. By the time everyone arrived, it was around 11:30 or so when we got underway. It was a musical and friendly crew so they filled the journey with singing and chatter but I'm sorry to say that I dozed through most of the trip.
Beachhead and Ferry: We arrived at a beach around 4:30 or 5am and spread a big blanket on the sand to await the next leg of our journey. After some traditional Indonesian breakfast food (fried chicken and rice) and more wonderful singing (even some old songs that I knew and could join in on), it began to rain. We waited out the weather in the bus, or by strolling over to get a cup of coffee.
Finally it was time to catch a charming little wooden ferry over to Sempu Island. We jumped on board and motored across. We passed kayaks, fishing boats, mangroves, and other lovely scenic sights. The water was a lovely blue-green.
At arrival, a trailhead declared that it was a 3 km walk to the lagoon. That sounded like a nice little walk since I routinely go that far or further each morning. I couldn't have been more wrong! Due to that morning's rain and all the other unseasonable rains we've had lately, the trail was awash in mud. The thick, slippery mud swallowed my legs to the knee in places. The many hills were difficult to climb without sliding. We needed to seek carefully for a foothold, and grabbed onto tree branches and vines to steady ourselves. And don't forget that this is a tropical jungle. There were huge insects: mosquitos of course, but also big flies and some anonymous things in the mud occasionally that bit my feet. And when I reached down to swat them, they bit my hand. Grrr.
Even during the hard walk, though, there were moments of astonishing and uplifting beauty. At one point as I was sitting on a log and resting, a huge butterfly was flitting around in a patch of sunlight nearby. It looked like it was as big as my hand. I also saw some orange mushrooms which were so brilliantly colored and shiny that they looked like plastic toys.
About halfway, I gave in to reality and begged someone else to carry my bag for me as I was wearing out. Even with that relief, it took four and a half hours to reach the lagoon. Covered in mud from head to toe, I emerged from the jungle looking like a reality show contestant.
The lagoon at the end of the trail was an astonishing and lovely reward for the hard journey. A little rocky area allowed occasional waves to splash in from the ocean but the rest was completely enclosed by land and shone like an aquamarine jewel in the sun. A white sandy beach gave plenty of soft sand to rest our weary bones.
Another small group of adventurers had beat us in but there was plenty of room and we enjoyed splashing in the sunwarmed waters, sunning, and snorkelling (John and I had just purchased masks, snorkels, and fins). Amazingly, others in my group had carried in complete supplies for a picnic: big pails of rice, charcoal and a grill, fish and tempeh for grilling, sambal (hot sauce), and watermelons. I was sooo grateful for their hard work as I enjoyed our delicious lunch.
It was Chris' birthday that day so he posed on the beach, using fingers to show his new age of 26. Happy birthday - this one should be hard to forget!
All too soon, Chris and I realized that it was time to head back. Already it was likely we'd be traveling in the dark. The journey back was more of the same - jungle survivor all the way with, of course, the added obstacle of waning light. To add to the ambience, monkeys were calling and rustling in the trees above us.
By the time I reached the end, I was stumbling and falling regularly since my legs barely held me up and I could barely see the path. I was exceedingly glad I'd left when I did - we were the first to leave but were passed on the way by most of the rest of the group. Five others were behind us and the last ones took hours more to get out of the jungle. There was a bit more rain as we awaited their safe arrival - thank goodness our cell phones worked so we could stay in touch and know they were still on their way!
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