The Beautiful Karimunjawa

Unschooled makes me unbound by the rules. One of them is a threat for absent students, especially ditch. So many times to fill with visiting many places. My newest stopover was a popular archipelago, wanted by hundred people. No wonder that when it`s not a holiday season, it`s not making impossible that many tourists did stopover here. And when the holiday season is coming, don`t ask again. Domestic tourist and foreigner find a worth chance to enjoy the beauty of this archipelago: Karimunjawa. 

Karimunjawa, it is located in the sea of Java, and includes Jepara regency. Jepara Regency is located in Central Java, the province where i live. Karimunjawa has developed into a marine park. A good site for traveling. Karimunjawa is also a good idea for education-traveling. There are more than twenty five small islands in Karimunjawa, that you can visit by crossing the sea with a sopek boat.

So, it was a surprise for me. I woke up lately, and a surprise suddenly came, a surprise that i`ve been waiting a two years ago. When i was a fifth grader, my father said that we can arrange the time to visit Karimunjawa. That time, we also offered our friend, my classmate. But until i left the primary school, the chance wasn`t coming, until my father suddenly told us that we`d go to Karimunjawa on Wednesday. Actually, the program was a reef-checking. Because i couldn`t diving, i would do snorkeling. 

Yes, but we didn`t go on Wednesday, the time was not so match on Wednesday. So we went there on Friday. I was super enthusiast to know this. I arranged everything, i was packing and bought a new swimmingsuit. After my father told me that we would learn snorkeling, my mom bought me a swimmingsuit with a for-diving-model. 

I prepared everything but i couldn`t sleep that night. My mom already said that we should`ve got up on three AM. I slept on midnight, but i could get up on time. That`s the coolness. So, i was only sleeping for less than five hours. Almost a sleepless night. Because momma told me, today we`d have myard of activities, included snorkeling, and my father with his friends, did diving. 

Our car was starting to go on three AM. It was so quite, no wonder if we arrived at Jepara fastly, we were only taking two hours. After i fell asleep in my car, i got up when it was five AM. We arrived at Kartini harbour, Jepara. I loved to see the sky over Kartini harbour at dawn, purple, blue... Cars and youths were making it noisy in the parking lot. They have the same purpose with me, waiting ship for a trip to Karimunjawa. 

Suddenly i heard the Subuh Azan. My father drove the car to a mosque near the harbor. And when we`ve gone back to the harbor, the sky became brighter. We weren`t waiting too long, the ship was gonna start to go, crossing the sea, crashing the wave...

We ordered the ticket for VIP room. This room includes passenger seats, and a big screen for playing music video or movies. That`s why it called VIP, the passengers could enjoy this. In the executive passenger room, the passengers can`t watch movie or music video. Plus there are more passengers in a room.

Waiting in the waiting room

We need two hours for crossing the sea, i fell asleep again in here, and woke up when we arrived. From the ship window, i saw tourists one by one walking, left the ship and ready to enjoy Karimunjawa. Most of them carried backpack, that is more effective than carrying suitcase. 

Now, it`s time to put our stuffs at the homestay, we had our room. It`s simple. But this room included two beds, a bathroom, a mirror, a short plastic table, and of course, an air conditioner. But on the bed, i didn`t see bolsters. Actually tonight would be a little annoying for sleeping without bolsters. But, who wouldn`t survive, they`re making bothered of themselves.

I was just laying down on the bed when my father called me to see something outside. My father`s friends are doing something i don`t understand. But my father explained to me. They`re preparing for reef-checking this afternoon. Too bad i couldn`t join them, because i`m too young and i couldn`t diving. 

Just a minute before we were ready to crash the wave (by the way it has no big wave :P). By taking the car, we`re going to the dock. I saw my father and his friends prepared the diving properties. And then, when the boat was ready, we all got onto the boat. The wind blew the fresh air. The panorama`s really beautiful, i enjoyed this. 

In the time of waiting us to arrive, my father gave me a pair of reef-shoes. Because i would swim, i should wear this to prevent my legs become scrapped by the reef. 

The boat was drove and taking us to Large Menjangan Island. In Menjangan Island, i don`t see any house or living-place. Yes, Menjangan is the one of islands which have no human population. Beside Large, there are other twenty-one islands which have no human population. Let me mention some of them: Small Menjangan, Large Cemara, Small Cemara, Geleyang, Burung, Bengkoang, Kembar, Katang, Large and Small Krakal and etc. 

And Karimunjawa has five human population-lived islands. They`re Kemujan, Karimunjawa, Nyamuk, Parang and Genting (i visited Kemujan to see the sun sets!).

It was totally hot here. My mom just saw from far, sat on the white sand, saved our properties. For preventing dehydration, of course we had our mineral water: because salt water is not good for your digestive. 

My father teached me snorkeling. I remembered a few years ago, when i was ten or eleven, my father teached me snorkeling. But too bad, that time i wasn`t doing it like today. I was learning so fast. Although sometimes the water sneaked into my snorkeling mask, that`s the only problem. Beside that, i have no big problem but a little doubting the fishes that swam around me. But fastly, i 'became friends' with the low side of the water, also with the populations. 

Well, not really, because they didn`t like to know themself were in my camera, they hated to be photographed. I gave up, continued to swim and looked for another underwater cool view. 

My father left me, he`s taking the boat with his friends, to do diving in the deeper water. I`m doing snorkeling myself and walked back to the edge, to the beach, took some foods to fill my stomach. Now i felt hungry...

Wow, a great time! Suddenly the divers swam to the low sea. They asked me to get there, to take some pictures. After that, my father`s friend (also did diving) instructed me to wear the diving-properties. Yes, the oxygen tube was totally heavy. But, i could lift it up on my back with standing up. That was really cool! And then, i followed his instruction to do diving. This was the first time i learned diving. Sometimes the oxygen tube bothers me. But i always learn to handle it. 

The sun had done its job today, shining the earth. And now, it is  its time to take a rest. Not just the sun, but us too. The divers and me finished putting the properties onto the boat again. I could see the beautiful view of the sun when it is going to another side of the world which is needing the sunshine. Slowly, it`s gone from my eyes...

We`re at the dock. Then, the car take us and our properties going back to the homestay. I cleaned myself, the water made the sands dropped one by one. I was feeling absolutely tired. But now i`m not gonna grip anything. With laying on the bed, do nothing, it made me feel better. But the yummy dinner was outside, who wants to resist?

Fishes are interesting. They grilled fishes for us. You can taste the difference of trying grilled-fish at an archipelago and when you`re in town. Grilled-fishes in here were catched today and still fresh. And it is a factor of your fish taste. The dinner was really different, and delicious. The cook also served us a big bowl of soup. This soup included octopus. I tried the octopus, it`s nice, too bad it`s spicy, i hate spicy. 

Everybody was back to their room. Tonight, no more activities, we`d continue tomorrow. There would be another fatigue. I slept, slept without dream. I fell asleep after listening to some songs from my phone. And tomorrow would be awesome!

On the next day... (second day)

My mom woke me up. I woke up with a huge tiredness in my legs and back. But don`t worry, because my mom always can handle it. After i felt better, i prayed. Nobody wants to be left. So i didn`t waiting to take a bath. But my stomach felt that hunger. I`m going outside to pour hot water into my cereal plastic bowl. So today i did not want rice, cereal was enough.

We`re gonna dive again today. But, the place wasn`t Large Menjangan, but Small Menjangan. I didn`t know where is it. 

In the time of waiting, my mom suggested me to see the market. We weren`t knowing where was the market located. Two pupils walked together. I read the text on their sport uniform: SD Negeri Karimunjawa. Because they lived in Karimunjawa, surely they know the market location. Actually it was very near from our homestay. I spent my days with walking... It`s good right?

There were no big noise in the market. Plus they sold few kinds of things only. I understand, it`s not easy to sell something in here. 

We wouldn`t waste the time. The boat`s drove again to Small Menjangan. And compared with yesterday, the were more tourists i saw. 

This is Small Menjangan. It`s beautiful, and i think it`s more safe than Large Menjangan. The divers drove the boat to the deeper sea. They`ve done the diving test. I`m waiting and snorkeling. I thought, i saw more kind of fishes here. Oh yeah, today i also learned diving for the second. I`ve done this better. But sometimes water sneaks into my mask, because i wore veil, it`s the constraints. 

Our next stopover in Karimunjawa is the shark and turtle captivity. I am a person who likes to try new things, swim with shark is the one of them, new things should`ve tried. Despite i was nervous, i turned into the water where the sharks and turtles swam in it. I knew the sharks are tame. But, risk can happen anytime. To make it better, i prayed... Yes, nothing happened except i was in the water with these animals. 

Everybody knows, shark is a carnivore, wild. It`s the fastest animal in the sea. Same like the lion in the savanna, the king: in the ocean, shark is the king. Shark doesn`t have 'air bag' to make them float or sink. If they stopped swimming, they would sink. So, they must swim all the time to keep floating. Other fishes have air bag (the air bag principal is used in the ballast tanks in the submarine).

 Our water adventure today was ended. This afternoon, we`d visit Kemujan hill. There, we would see the sunset. Many people wanted to see sun sets beautifully. Yes, it`s beautiful. The sky would be orange, blue, purple, yellow, started to dark. And the sky asked us to say "hallo" to the night...

Before we enjoy the sunset, the car took us to see the Edor snake. People said, Edor is more venomous than the king cobra. It`s a nocturnal. This Edor was found sleeping, yes, they are active at night. 
On Kemujan Hill, Dewandaru trees are abundant, and it`s easy to find cashew here. My father was enthusiast for the cashews. They said it tastes different, better!

This is the best place for watching sunset... Luckily, i could take their beautiful photos... And i saw two youths, "ahh damn!" one of them said. Yes, the came lately and poor them, the sun has been finishing to set... My advice is, don`t go when the time is closing the sunset time. Because: Kemujan hill is far, you need an hour from Karimunjawa to arrive. If you`re coming too afternoon, you`d be unlucky not to see the sun sets. 

Tonight, my dinner would be the best fish ever in the world. We had our dinner in the night fair. Tourists were also having dinner here. Of course the sellers sold seafood. But, you can get cashew in this night fair. When we`re waiting the food served, my mom and i bought some souvenir for my cousins. And right there when we`re back (just talking for a while), the foods came with their tempting aroma... A grilled fish made me satisfied! (y)

The third day...
It`s the last day we stayed in Karimunjawa. We should go back with the ship to Jepara on nine AM. Last night i was pacting all of my stuffs. And the ticket was really important. I ate cereal today, and cereal was enough. I realized, some of the rooms had new tourists stayed in there. That time, i talked to collegers. Three collegers from Malang, and one from Deutschland, eh? Germany. We were speaking English. And yes, how worth is a chance, i practiced some Deutsch to that colleger from Germany, his name is Simon. Well, i only explained that i am twelve and i`m homeschooled (in Deutsch language) and a little more, i forgot. Heheh, i confessed to him, that imma beginner, it`s okay :p Now, i prefer speaking English :v 
I also asked to Simon, "Will you do snorkeling?" he said yes. Of course snorkeling! Most of foreigners liked snorkeling. Different with the domestic tourists, most of them liked to take pictures and selfies. And i told that they should try to swim with the sharks in the shark captivity. One of the girl (colleger from Malang) joked her friend "yes, so you have to swim with the sharks! hahaha!" and the other one replied, "no, we also have to! hahaha" 
"If the boat stopped at the captivity, we would try it." she said. 
Shortly thereafter, they told me they have to go. And me too, i also have to find some snacks. 

It`s gonna be nine AM, we shouldn`t be late. Now, the tourists looked ready to go back to Jepara. I rode a fast ship. It crashed the wave again, and the wave was more than two meters height. I already said goodbye to Karimunjawa. And two hours (or more) later, i would say "i`m back Semarang!"