Karimunjawa - Indonesia

Karimunjawa, I only heard of it during my travel preparations. Another gem, seemingly a yet undiscovered beauty, one more of Indonesia's 17,500 islands.

As I read about it, it quickly became clear that I had to go there as well. So, at the very end of my trip this year, I took the fast ferry to get there. Currently, the only option, besides a flight in a small propeller plane with six seats from Semarang with Susi Air, is this fast ferry from Jepara. Another option is a large Pelni ferry, but it runs rarely and irregularly.

The fast ferry had hardly left the harbor waters when it headed into rough seas for the next 100 minutes, immediately reminding me of the rainy season. So, I had to find a point of reference and breathe deeply. Memories of the last sailing trip came to mind. I had survived it and was immediately confronted with two more things. Firstly, the Karimunjawa National Park fee of 150,000 IDR; Indonesians pay only 10,000 IDR. Secondly, my taxi driver with his offer, saying he knows 'Bunga Jabe Resort' for 350,000 IDR; I offered 200,000 IDR, and off we went.

When I set out on foot on the first evening to find something nutritious, I immediately realized: This isn't going to work. Either due to the rainy season and off-peak season, or because time here seems to tick a little differently. In any case, for the next 2 km, everything that was supposed to be there according to Google Maps was closed or simply didn't exist anymore. Luckily, there was still one Warung, where I got the quickly prepared sate skewers cooked over a small charcoal grill with rice, of course, with rice; nothing goes here without rice.

I stayed on the island for five days, and it was simply incredibly beautiful once again. The activities included small walks, a little scooter tour, snorkeling, and of course, chilling, relaxing, and just hanging out to recharge. I spent hours gazing at the mirror-like sea.

Already on the first night, I was puzzled by a constant chugging sound; I was confused about why a boat with a loud motor had to keep circling around. I got an explanation on the second day near the nearby fishing port. A large generator, which supplies the island with electricity around the clock, powered by diesel.

As I write these lines, I am sitting in Bandar Udara Jenderal Ahmad Yani – the airport of Semarang, and my flight is showing a delay. This is already the second on my journey while I continuously praise the punctual departures in Indonesia. The journey here today was mostly straightforward. I took a taxi to the harbor in Karimunjawa, the fast ferry, today in calm seas to Jepara, and from there again in a minibus towards Semarang. At the end, I was supposed to get off somewhere and call a Grab to the airport. It seemed too far to me; however, it would have saved my nerves. From then on, he drove haphazardly through Semarang, from one traffic jam to the next; I was puzzled and mentally torn. The planned departure should happen in 120 minutes, with a distance of 15 km to the airport, at least 30 minutes given the traffic. At some point, he turned back in the opposite direction, so it was time for me to get out and now take a Grab to the airport. I was afraid that I might miss the check-in due to my delayed arrival. In the end, it was all unfounded; off to Jakarta!

Tomorrow I'll be heading home. Many thanks to everyone who has followed me here in the last few weeks. As always, after the trip is before the trip. Let's see where we go next time.

Terima Kasih ;-) and how about you... Sama Sama!