Maritime expedition retraces RI-African link

Indonesians have for many centuries been renowned as daring seafarers, roaming the globe to faraway places.

To reconstruct its past glory, Indonesia has organized two major sea voyages using replicas of famous old phinisi ships in the past two decades.

The first expedition, called the Phinisi Nusantara, ended at the Vancouver World Expo in 1986. The second, aboard a phinisi ship called the Amanna Gappa, ended in disaster when it sank in the waters off Africa in November 1991 after leaving Madagascar.

Other, lesser expeditions, have used modern tall ships, such as the Navy training ships the Dewa Ruci and Arung Samudra.

Now organizers are making final preparations for another major expedition, with a ship built based on reliefs at the ancient Borobudur Temple in Central Java.

The Borobudur Ship Expedition, as it is called, will feature a 25-meter-long ship with rectangular sails and equipped with double outriggers.

Briton Philip Beale, a former member of the Royal Navy, saw the reliefs after conducting research on Tami trading canoes in Papua New Guinea. He wanted to reconstruct a ship based on the reliefs and use it travel to Madagascar.

As a researcher, Beale believes that Indonesian sailors played an important role in the so-called Cinnamon Route, which brought cinnamon from the Indonesian archipelago to East Africa and then Egypt and Europe.

"The Indonesians did it in the first millennium -- much, much earlier than the Vikings finding North America or the Spanish and Portuguese armadas," Beale told The Jakarta Post.

Beale will soon see the ship from the relief come to life. A group of shipbuilders launched the "Borobudur ship" on the last week of May near Pagerungan island off Bali.

The ship was built on Beale's initiative, and the shipbuilders used techniques that date back to the 8th century.

For example, they used coconut fibers instead of nails to bind parts. The ship was built under the guidance of a well-known Australian maritime adviser, Nick Burningham, and under the supervision of a seasoned traditional shipbuilder, Assad.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri is scheduled see off the expedition members in Jakarta on Aug. 15, when they leave for Madagascar, which they hope to reach in October. The next stop after that is Cape Town, and the voyage will then continue along the western coast of Africa to its final destination, Ghana, in December.

"This expedition should be good for Indonesia's profile and tourism in this difficult time, by sailing the boat from here to Africa like a cultural celebration," Beale said.

Trade between Indonesia and Madagascar started between the fourth and eight centuries, bringing the influence of Indonesia to Africa.

"The expedition should bring about the profile of Indonesia as a maritime nation and should help raise the profile of Indonesia, the skill and heritage of that time," Beale said.

He said the expedition and shipbuilding would cost up to œ200,000 (US$320,000), with most of the initial funding coming from the organizers, Tanya Alwi of Indonesia, Beale, Berningham and the state ministry of culture and tourism.

The expedition's executive director, Tanya Alwi, described the expedition as a "big project".
"The ship will be manned by a crew of 12 or 13, and six of them will be Indonesians while the rest will be an international crew.

"We have put out an advertisement seeking interested individuals to become crew members. The selection process will be handled by the Indonesian Navy," she said.

Tanya said a seasoned Indonesian Navy officer would serve as the ship's skipper.

The ship will be equipped with modern navigation equipment, such as GPS (global positioning system). A couple of small engines have been included to facilitate the ship's entrance and exit from ports.

"This is a sailing expedition and we want to reenact the ancient voyage, so we won't just turn the engine on and whizzz ..," Biele said.

While the boat is already afloat, the masts and outriggers will be added later this month.
"Then we will test the ship in June and sail it to Jakarta sometime in July. So we have about one month of testing," said Beale.

Tanya said the organizers would welcome interested anthropologists or marine biologists on board. Recruits from the Boy Scouts are also being sought.

The organizer of the expedition plans to hold a seminar on July 3 in Jakarta.

"It will cover such issues as how people built ships in the 8th century, the cultural relations between Indonesia and Madagascar, why, how and when we went there, how to have maritime character building, how we package cultural heritage for tourism.

"We also want to have the seminar in Madagascar, Cape Town and the Maldives. The idea is to highlight cultural and trade missions in the expedition," Tanya said.

Beale will donate the ship to Indonesia after the expedition, she said.

Additional information on the expedition can be found at www.borobudurshipexpedition.com.

Published on The Jakarta Post on Saturday, June 14, 2003

Swimming with sharks on undisturbed Karimun

A convoy of vehicles, from cars to becak (pedicabs), disturbed a sedate Saturday afternoon on Karimun Jawa Island.

They took up position on the jetty in anticipation of the arrival of the Muria ferry from Jepara, part of the twice weekly service connecting the island and the Java mainland.

Karimun Jawa and 26 other islands are a district of Central Java's Jepara regency, divided into three subdistricts with a total population of some 4,000 families. Most are fishermen.

Located north of Jepara, Karimun Jawa is the main inhabited island, but there are also settlements on nearby Kemojan as well as Parang and Nyamuk islands.

Public facilities are limited, with only one junior high school (most students continue their education in Jepara).

Telephone service is limited to Karimun Jawa, with cellular phone access a goal for the future.
But part of the islands' potential tourist attraction is this remote, undisturbed quality, a relatively short distance from Java, one of the world's most crowded islands.

There are many diving sites around the islands, including shipwrecks.

Just across from the Karimun Jawa harbor, there is also a shark nursery on Menjangan Besar Island, which currently houses 10 black sharks.

"It is quite easy to take care of these baby sharks," said Mrs. Sum who is responsible for the nursery.

"We only need to feed them 3-4 times a week, with 10 kilograms of fish at each feeding time."
She added that Jakarta's Seaworld had acquired two white sharks from the nursery for its collection.

In contrast to white sharks, black ones are more passive and calm. A snorkling session with them proved that they are indeed retiring creatures.

In fact, they swam away.

There are also barracuda and carp in the nursery.

"These fish are for guests who are staying in the cottages," she said.

The cottages are simple and cheap, costing only Rp 45,000 (US$5.48) per night.

Karimun Jawa is home to the Kura-Kura Hotel and Hotel Wisata. Kura-Kura Hotel is owned by the Central Java provincial administration and managed by Kura-Kura Resort. Hotel Wisata is owned and managed by the Jepara regency administration.

A Kura-Kura Hotel staff member, Syaiful, told The Jakarta Post that the local administration should focus on developing the area to draw tourists.

"Providing hotels alone is not enough and the authorities must also improve the access here," he said.

"I heard that they will operate a fast ferry next year which only takes three hours instead of eight."

The local fishermen also rent out their boats for visitors to cruise around the islands, with fares ranging from Rp 100,000 to Rp 200,000 depending on the length of the ride.

Promotions are needed to get the word out to prospective visitors.

For those who do make it to these parts, there are not many souvenirs to choose from. There are handicrafts made of seashells, such as key chains, pins and boxes, but the quality needs to be improved.

The island is also known for Dewa Daru wood which is believed to have powers as an amulet.

The problem is the wood is believed to be so sacred that no ships or planes will carry it on board.
A special ceremony is mandated to ask permission from the spirits who are said to guard the island and the wood.

With or without tempting souvenirs, a visit to this pristine island is worth all the hassle of getting there.

Published on The Jakarta Post on Sunday, June 1, 2003. Co-authored by Agustina Wayansari

Escaping from it all in Central Java

We drank in the beautiful view as the Kura-Kura Aviation Cessna 402 approached Karimun Jawa, the string of islets set in a clear turquoise sea.

Not to mention the sight of the pristine white sandy beach.

We were enjoying the last moments of a 30-minute flight from Semarang to Kura-Kura Resort on Menyawakan Island, one of 27 islands comprising Karimun Jawa islands in Central Java's Jepara regency.

The aircraft passed over Karimun Jawa Island, the main island in the group, and landed at Dewa Daru airstrip on nearby Kemojan Island. These two islands, separated by a narrow strait, are linked by a bridge.

The airstrip's humble terminal was deserted as Kura-Kura Aviation is the only regular visitor.

From the airfield, we took a short walk to a simple pier where a speed boat was waiting to take us to Menyawakan.

There are 15 bungalows available at Kura-Kura Resort, each with a commanding view to the west to catch the glorious sunset.

The resort's diving master, Magnus Muhli, said there were more than 30 dive sites across Karimun Jawa Marine National Park, which were suitable for all levels of divers, from those testing the waters to experienced ones.

"There are shallow dive sites with no or weak currents for beginners, as well as deep ones with strong currents for more advanced divers," he said.

"Interested divers can also explore several shipwrecks."

Beginner divers can try Hawksbill Point, Gosong Cemara or the wreck of Biblis, while intermediate divers would probably find the wreck of the Mitra or Karang Kapal points quite interesting and testing.

Most of the diving points for advanced divers include shipwrecks, such as at Taka Menyawakan and Torpedo Reef.

"It is indeed a beautiful place because there are so many diving sites available for everyone," visitor Henrik Dahl told The Jakarta Post.

Henrik, who spent several days at the resort along with three friends, said they were looking to return.

"Four days is simply not enough to explore the entire area. We will definitely come back," he said.

Kura-Kura Resort can be a fun-filled escape even if you do not dive. That is as long as you can swim, of course.

Menyawakan itself is a good place for snorkeling, ringed by a beautiful coral reef like the other islands in Karimun Jawa.

The water is so clear the reef was visible as we took a jetski ride. As we circled the island three times, we stopped several times to take a closer look at the beautiful reef.

"It was such an awesome experience snorkeling around the island. We just floated and the current carried us around," said Dini, who was visiting with her partner Erick.

The island itself is encircled by a magnificent natural coral reef wall.

"We even had to break the coral line to make way for vessels entering our pier," said one of the resort staff, Eko.

Walking along the reef wall, we were able to differentiate the blue of the sea, which is a clear blue near the shore but a darker hue outside.

Muhli said everybody was welcome to visit the diving points as long as they respected the environment.

"We do not own the points because it is a marine national park. We just bring people there," he said.

"But we have good cooperation with the marine national park authorities to preserve the park."

The resort management is even trying to play a part in ensuring that the park is not spoiled. It has suggested to the park authorities to work with local fishermen on more sustainable fishing practices.

"We have suggested that the park authorities divide the park into fishing and restricted zones to provide a more conducive environment for fish to breed and regenerate," Muhli said.

"After a certain period, we can rotate the zones. In this way, the fishermen will always have fish to catch. Without such a rotation, there will be overfishing and there will be nothing left."

Although the plan has yet to be implemented, Muhli said the resort would continue to give its support.

The management also pays attention to other environmental issues, Eko said, including having all laundry done in Jepara to avoid run-off into the sea.

"We also ship trash like bottles and cans to Jepara and burn what we can can," he added.

And for those in search of kura-kura (turtles), the resort said they came ashore to lay their eggs.

It's a stunning, unspoiled piece of paradise, but there is one drawback.

There is only radio communication from the resort to the rest of the world, with telephone service only available on Karimun Jawa Island.

To make things worse -- or better for those seeking a complete escape from it all -- there is no cellular phone coverage at all.

But then who needs contact with the bustling, frenzied pace of modern life when you can indulge yourself in a hassle-free stay amid such beauty?

Published on The Jakarta Post on Sunday, June 1, 2003. Co-authored with Agustina Wayansari