On our third morning at Karimunjawa, we got up and got ready slightly earlier, because we booked the island hopping tour to start at 9 am. While waiting for our car, we took some pictures at the resort. There were some confusion that morning on which car was supposed to take us, but in the end we all got it figured out. We shared a van with another family to get to the pier.
When we arrived at the pier, our boat was already there with the boat captain, but our guide was still on the way. It was a different boat and guide from the previous day. Our guide today, Pak Jono, doesn't speak English fluently. He is older than Wahyu and more reserved. Regardless, he was very nice and was a good guide.
Our first stop was a snorkelling spot near Menjangan Kecil Island, not too far from where we snorkelled the day before. I went in the water first this time. Well, after the guide did. Hehe...
It was an amazing spot for snorkelling. As soon as I got in the water, hundreds of fish were around me and they were not afraid. They were right in my face and after a while it was too much for me! Hahaha.... Many snorkelers bring bread or crackers to feed the fish so I guess they are used to having people around them and feed them. Some of them wanted to taste my fingers and arms, but they were not like the fish that bit me and left a wound in Tiger Island. So it was not a big problem. The corals were nice, and there were many more fish near the corals. I was quite disappointed that our underwater camera was not working anymore at this point. I think the pictures would've been very nice.
Our guide went in the water in his tank top and shorts and he moved around like a fish. Later on someone told me that Pak Jono can free dive up to 30 m deep without gears. This shell he picked up from the bottom by the corals. I took it home for Miss Kiki as souvenir but because it was already dry and stiff, the shells detached from each other.
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| Pretty shells |
DH stayed on the boat because his skin was still irritated from the day before. Later on, he tried snorkelling for a bit but the salt water was just too much for the poor skin.
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| Sooo many fish! |
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| Now I know how I got sun burnt :D |
Our stop after snorkelling was Gleyang Island. It's a bit further from the main island and the water to get there was wavy, though if you ask a local they would say that's not called a wave. Just normal sea water :D
Gleyang Island was larger than Cemara Besar Island, and when we got there it was a bit crowded. Then again, lets get the perspective correct here. We were so used to being either alone or just with a few other people on an island that 20 or so extra people felt really crowded.
Just like the day before, we had grilled snapper for lunch. Our guide grilled the fish and peeled mangoes and dragonfruits for us. He's never had a dragonfruit before so we shared ours with him. He didn't want to take it at first but we insisted. We had rice, veggies, and sauce with our fish (plus the fruits). We sat on a mat they had set for us, while the other groups gathered elsewhere sharing food between them. Our guide told me that the day prior, he came across a group of tourists whose guide didn't get enough food for them, so he shared some fish with them and they were very happy :D
After we left Geylang Island, we were supposed to snorkel again near Cemara Kecil Island but the water was too wavy we decided to skip it.
After that we went to Cemara Kecil Island. This is a smaller version of Cemara Besar Island, but unlike the larger counterpart this island is privately owned. The maintenance is somewhat lacking though, garbage can be found on and around the island. It's a real pity because the water was soooo clear and pristine.
Since the cut on my foot from the prior day still stung, and DH didn't want to dip in salt water anymore, we mostly spent time on the dry side and took lots of pictures. We figured it worked out fine. One day for fun stuff and one day for picture taking. Lol...
It started getting windy in the late afternoon and we had had enough fun in and by the water, so we decided to head back a bit early. Not because it wasn't enjoyable, but it was just enough.
On the way back to the resort, our driver suggested that we check out the Sunset Beach for sunset. It sounded nice, so we got cleaned up quickly so we could catch it. To get to sunset beach, we could have taken the motorbike provided. Well neither of us can ride comfortably, not to mention going up and down the hilly roads. So the resort called us a 'taxi' which is basically a rental car. Little did we know that that 'taxi' would cost us IDR 300 thousand!
The car arrived within 10 minutes and off we went. It was a little past 5:30 pm but the driver said it was too late to catch the nice sunset. Apparently the sun sets at 5:30 there. We still got to see a little bit of nice colours in the sky, but that was a very short visit to the beach. The driver offered to take us to the town square to look around but we didn't feel like it so we headed back to get dinner.
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| Sunset Beach |
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We ordered similar things for dinner and then retired for the day...
The next morning, I found that a little cashew fruit I had left in the bathroom had been nibbled by a creature. Bats maybe? Or mice?
DH collected more cashew fruits to take home to show Miss Kiki. She is learning about plants at school for Science so these may be interesting for her.
Aaaand... one last picture at the resort before we left...
We boarded the same Bahari Express to go back to Jepara. At the pier we saw the regular ferry that takes passengers to Karimunjawa from Jepara as well, but takes 5 hours to do so.
This time around we were already experienced so we dropped our luggages in the VIP room and then headed straight to the back of the boat. Lucky! Just enough sitting place for us. Passengers who got there after us had to take the floor or stand somewhere.
Check out the little tug boat hauling coals...
In Jepara we stopped for lunch in Djago Restaurant not too far from the pier. Their food and drink were quite good.
We then drove back to Semarang in a taxi whose driver drove like there's no tomorrow. We passed through Troso village, famous for their woven textiles. We didn't have the time to stop though.... maybe next time.
That's the end of our trip, thanks for reading!
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