Getting to Karimunjawa
Many of the best places we’ve been have also been a bit arduous to get to, and arriving to Java’s off-the-beaten path northern isle of Karimunjawa was certainly no exception. But, after five hours by train, three hours by bus, and two hours by ferry, we arrived to find a glittering aquamarine paradise awaiting us in the middle of the Java Sea. Oh yes, we’re definitely moving again…
To get started, we arrived to the Surabaya Pasar Turi train station by $1 Grab ride with a pre-purchased ticket from 12GoAsia’s app. It didn’t take long to realize that the rail infrastructure on Java is quite impressive and the network spans the entire island. And, with a population of 156.4 million people, aka the most populous island on earth, the station was bustling.
While waiting, we observed a mom and her kids wait for the (on time!) train to pull in and noticed the water machines. All in all, throughout our travels, we were quite happy to see the efforts the environmental efforts Indonesia is making on reducing plastic consumption including plastic bags bans, and a plethora of refillable water stations.
For our two train tickets totaling $6.68 from Surabaya to Semarang, we were greeted with economy seats that brought back memories of childhood days on the school bus. They were very upright, very vinyl, (which means sticky and hot), and very cozy, as you knocked knees with your neighbor directly across from you. Not exactly a cushy five hour journey!
However, we made up for it with our lounge-o-bus from Semarang to Jepara, through the luxury shuttle line Kencana Travel Semarang. It took us on the next leg for about $5/each and allowed us to stretch out our now aching bodies in lazy-boy recliners.
By the way, you do need to book these in advance, which no one told us on the text we had made the day before. We almost had to wait an additional four hours at the agency, but fortunately the universe smiled on us and provided a last minute cancellation.
Passing another mosque which, with its crayola-peaked minarets look like Islam meets Disney. The mosques are amazingly vibrant here and because of this, remind us of the churches we’ve seen in Colombia.
Three hours later, we were elated to be slurping down watermelon juice in the seaside city known for teak-wood carving of Jepara. Greg chose Nasi Goreng for his first meal, which is a national staple of Indonesia, and is a fried rice dish served with vegetables and meat, and topped with a fried egg. Mandy, craving vegetables, ordered a chak jay soup. Both meals were delicious and, with the juice, cost $7.38.
We stayed at “Homestay 89” for $10, which was perfect for a quick overnight and a 15-minute walk from the ferry terminal. It had the necessities including a (quite drippy) hot water shower, air conditioning, a comfortable bed and the ambience of an American roadside motel (without the sketchy semi drivers and Frito-Lay laden vending machines.)
The next morning, after a delectable cup of coffee grounds, we walked about 15 minutes to the ferry terminal where we were promised all kinds of breakfast options. Greg attempted to decipher the menu at the only restaurant/coffee shop, and after pointing seven times to different items and receiving a head shake, finally decided on chocolate roti…the only available item. For the records, Roti in Indonesia is not the same as in India. Its is basically buttered toast with chocolate palm oil (Nutella) stuffed in the middle.
Knowing full well that wasn’t enough food to sustain our grouchy stomachs, Mandy wandered off and found these two ladies selling…more new options, although we knew the words for nasi (rice), ayam (chicken) and telur (egg.) So, using the old-fashioned point and grunt method, Mandy ordered this concoction, which included a sambal, spicy egg, chicken, tofu and winter melon in a peanut sauce. And for $1.25, our first Indonesian street food was actually pretty tasty!
And then we walked in the ferry terminal. Fortunately, we already had our tickets in hand thanks to our accommodation because they were completely sold out on that Saturday morning. Evidently, this happens often on the weekends because Karimunjawa is a popular tourist destination for the locals.
As we waited, we watched two guys gettin ciggy wit it. Next to the no smoking sign. Yeah, Indonesia is a bit behind the times in this department.
Heading out for our 11:00 am ferry! ($12/each one way) and…only two more hours on what would be a very choppy ride to go!! One of us will be taking Dramamine for the return. 🤢
Time for a dose of Vitamin Sea.
Welcome to Karimunjawa!!
Exploring Karimunjawa by Motorbike
It’s hard to find an island more ripe for exploration by motorbike than Karimunjawa. It’s lazy, making traffic a non-issue; it’s small, meaning you can cross the whole island in less than an hour; and it’s loaded with pantais, or beaches, each competing for paradise as their nicknames. Also, renting a scooter was easy and cheap, costing about $5 for the rental and a liter of gas, which lasted the whole day. Our stops included several picturesque beaches, including a fabulous seaside fish lunch for ~$7 total, a free “trek” mangrove forest, and a sunset happy hour.
Our journey took us east first out of the “city,” which hysterically the biggest village of ____ is called on the island. Emerald mini mosques, which seem to be a theme on Java, continued to dot the surroundings.
Greg gassing up like it’s 1974…for $.74.
On that Sunday, the first glorious beach we went to, “Pantai Bobby” was packed with locals in red shirts clearly having a private event. Rather than targeting ourselves as beach crashers, we moved along, although this beach looks well worth the jaunt, and is only about a 10-minute ride from the main village.
We then discovered another perfectly lovely beach near Pantai Bobby and passed by a string of political ads, which are far from just an American phenomenon. Prescription drug ads, on the other hand, are.
From this point, we veered toward the middle of the island where lies a mangrove swamp with a raised walking path encompassing its perimeter. The price on the sign says it costs foreigners a steep $7 to enter, which honestly wouldn’t be worth it. But for free, because no one was there to collect, we give it two bug spray covered thumbs up. Which yes, it’s necessary!
The “trek” (yes, the sign says this🤣), is about 1k in length on a wooden platform and takes you to a three story lookout tower rising to a dazzling view of the tucked away mangrove-strewn bay leading to the open sea.
When we returned to our scooter, we encountered one of many felines we would help throughout our stay on the island. The poor spindly creature, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, tossed himself tenderly at Mandy’s feet. And when that happens, game over…we have to help. Unfortunately at that time, we had nothing to offer but water. However, we returned with tuna leftovers after lunch and let the feasting begin. By the way, if you come to Karimunjawa, please bring cat food! We couldn’t find it anywhere and some are very malnourished. 🙁
Speaking of lunch, Bunga Jabe is where we stopped for a break. This restaurant, is also beachfront accommodations in the north part of the island, and looks very enticing. This family house in the foreground was $27/night, and the two person huts even cheaper.
Not bad for this view…
When we were kids, we remember being sold on the book, “101 ways to save the earth.” We’re happy to see Indonesia has its own version of this with signs that illustrate how long it takes various items to decompose. They are also making a notable effort to have recycling bins scattered throughout their cities.
Our meal was to die for and included a slab of grilled tuna with a spicy salsa, a side of smoked banana lotus flowers, and a side of fried tempeh/tofu in a sweet and sticky honey-fused oyster sauce. Each meal was $3.71 and more than enough food to share with the aforementioned kitty! Not to mention, the staff was very bubbly and kind.
After lunch, we had the option to do two things: settled into a post-lunch siesta spot. Or, if you’d rather (we wouldn’t), a tropical workout. Who needs expensive things like a stupid gym when you have bamboo and concrete….? Or, toys when you have shoes?!
After our workout (uh, I mean nap), we crossed back through the swampy part of the island, and into the golden rice fields.
We soon arrived to the most picturesque beach we’ve seen in years…Pantai Alano, clearly designed for a movie set. Soaring palm trees, powder sand and aquamarine, bathtub-like and trash-free waters. Yep, just another shitty day in paradise, says the postcard. Have we mentioned the temperatures on Karimunjawa were an idyllic 28C/83F making those waters still seem refreshing?
After shelling out $.31 to enter, which we happily paid to keep the beach “clean and tidy,” we got full access to more beach swings, which seems to be Karimunjawa’s Instagram prop of choice. Sure beats the heart frames in Vietnam.
The driver takes a break. Getting bored two minutes later, he goes for a swing, while Mandy embraced the cloudless view towering above her.
Everywhere you looked, this beach was a postcards in training. Soon, it was Mandy’s turn for a dangle. Naturally, she chose the swing that was wonky.
Our next and final stop of the day would take us for a 5:30 pm sunset at adequately named, Sunset Beach. Surprise. You will find more swings here!
And more importantly, they had drinks. Mandy got to imbibe for happy hour while the DD slurped on an ice cold coconut. Like in Malaysia, alcohol is not cheap on Karimunjawa, and a can will set you back about $3. As we settled into puff-a-lump bean bag chairs to watch nature’s work, it was only fitting to emit a sigh as we watched the orange ball drop into the sea.
Snorkeling on Karimunjawa
There are 17,000 islands in the nation of Indonesia and the majority of tourists set foot on just one of them. While we did visit the less crowded part of Bali, coming to the stunning archipelago of Karimunjawa, even during high season, was undoubtedly a decision well worth the hassle of getting there. And while it’s certainly not crowd-free, the vibe and pace is leisurely, laidback and immersive with the local people, and only a handful of foreign independent travelers. We loved it.
We chose to stay four nights on the only inhabited island out of 27, which for us felt like the right amount of time. We spent one day on a snorkeling tour, one exploring the island by motorbike, and the last, mostly just relaxing and exploring.
For our snorkeling and island hopping trip, we went with the agency Dunia Bintang Tour and Travel. For a reasonable $15/each, we received a whole day trip with two snorkeling stops, two island stops, a fish lunch and water. What great value!
Getting ready to drop anchor for our first snorkel stop. One of us was very ready.
The snorkeling was unparalleled with a lush rainbow-hued reef and vibrant marine life to accompany it. Unforunately, we don’t have a go pro anymore, and those stupid little water bags for your phone suck, so we don’t have many pictures to share with you on the underworld.
However, our tour company did take and share this photo of some of the techni-color wonder we experienced, including the cutest little Nemo clownfish we found. P.S. did you know that clownfish have the ability to change sexes?
We were able to capture the hundreds of fish peeping out near the crystal clear surface, as well as another creature peeping out.
Most of the people in our group were western couples around our age or younger, or families. There was also one older couple who, when not bitching about something, ironically were the ones on their phones the whole time. 🤣
This is Cemara Island, which would become our lunch destination. It sure beat Monday lunches of the past in work cafeterias with corn soup and peanut butter and jelly. We also took a photo of a similar sister tour boat paused with us for lunch hour on the protected Cemara Island. Its status meant we had to pay an additional 5000 Rupiahs or about $.31 to enter which goes to clean up efforts to keep it pristine.
We’re happy we got to enjoy that price, and this untouched beauty, while it lasted. Unfortunately, they are planning to develop Cemara Island into overwater bungalows.
While the guides slaved over our lunch, we had nothing to do but play on our phones….or flop ourselves on these hideous beaches ringing the island.
From this distance, you could get a full vantage point of the mountainous landscape of the main island of Karimunjawa. It was a view quite reminiscent of Hawaii, with a significantly reduced price tag.
Fifty shades of blue and utterly pristine. We feel so grateful to get to see this place.
The water was way too shallow for proper swimming, but was perfect for wading in instagrammy dresses.
Lunch is served!! Yellowtail fish grilled over an open flame, tempeh/tofu bites smothered in a spicy peanut sauce, sambal, veggies, yellow watermelon, and shrimp chips. Yum.
Our fish was grilled over an open flame on these pallets.
One of the kids in the group found all these sand dollars. If they were real dollars, they’d be rich because they were everywhere! We learned from a follower that these darker ones are still alive. Had we known, we would have said some something.
#instaswings were also everywhere for the big and little kids!
Heading back to the boat, we had to be careful where we stepped because the sea floor near the shore was littered with girthy tubes of sea cucumbers. We’d never seen so many of them! Tubular!
The Abandoned Nirwana Beach Lodge
When we weren’t bopping around by scooter or snorkeling, you could find us doing a little exploration on foot on the island of Karimunjawa. One such jaunt led us to a stunning beach on which the dilapidated and abandoned Nirvana Lodge is being consumed by nature. This building, clearly once very architecturally elegant, now looks like a cyclone victim. On Google Maps, you can find the lodge on the southeast corner of the island marked “Nirwana Beach”, which is only a 20 minute walk from the main village.
The deserted showpiece is perched on a ledge overlooking a gorgeous swath of beach, or it used to be. Now it seems quite neglected which is evidenced by the patches of trash sprinkled throughout.
At one point, the cobbled driveway, which is mostly succumbing to the elements, forks to the left. Follow this to get to the main entrance where you’ll begin seeing signs of the past. It’s disheartening to see it left behind like this.
As you wander in one of the elaborate entrances, proceed with caution. What remains inside is a liability nightmare in some countries.
This included billiard tables which have certainly seen more playful days. The whole interior kinda reminds you of Titanic after the ocean did its thing. The difference is, it’s only been a decade and not a hundred years under water!
According to a review on Google, “this villa would have been the villa of Belgian owners around ten years ago and then managed by Indonesians who made it a resort without warning the Belgian owners.” Unfortunately, we don’t have any insights to its history otherwise. The piles of rocks inside were curious. Perhaps a fountain?
What seems to be Indonesia’s version of a (dead) golf cart which hovered near the driveway, as well as the lights that lined the driveway were mostly intact. What a unique piece of “urban” exploration.
Life on Karinmunjawa
The shimmering archipelago of Karimunjawa was one of those places we could probably hang out a lot longer….if it had some creature comforts like apartments and supermarkets. But alas, four nights in a tiny windowless hotel room was starting to push our limits and the ferries only leave once day…if you’re lucky.
However, thanks to where we stayed, at Kalinda Homey we had palatable breakfasts. We also experienced undeniable immersion with the locals, $9 massages, several healthy and international restaurant choices, in addition to street food, and the opportunity to bring a some joy to a homely kitten we named Arnie, because she heartbreakingly resembled Arnold Schwarzenegger in the final scenes of Terminator 2.
As you can see from the photo above, the harbor of the “big city” is a cornucopia of building styles and architecture, and is accessorized by its striking green minaret, which of course, notifies the people when its time to pray five times a day, starting at 4:30 a.m. While we chose to sleep a bit longer, we were also enjoying the 5:45 a.m. sunrises rather than the nightfall til 7:00 we had in Kuala Lumpur. This village is where the majority of the archipelago’s 10,000 people live within its 27 islands, also coined a national park reserve in 1988. Long ago, it was a pirate’s lair, however, so it seems to have evolved into a different kind of hidden treasure.
The village is dotted with homestays, mostly useless shops which sell rice puffs, candy bars, and the essentials like sunscreen and bug spray, and where even the motorbikes seem to move at a more leisurely pace through its streets. There are larger and more hoity-toity hotels elsewhere on the island if you want to be more comfortable and segregated from local life. But there you might not meet six-year-old Asea, who borrowed us regularly to practice her developing English, which they learn starting in elementary school, even on Karimunjawa. She also enjoyed showing off her stylish pink set of wheels.
Our $22/night room at Kalinda Homey included a taxi pick-up from the port, private bath, A/C and mosquito net, which are really the obligatory things in this sort of locale. But, because it was windowless, we definitely felt a bit claustrophobic. Fortunately, we were quite busy on the island so we didn’t spend too much time in the room. However, because Kalinda is attached to a bakery, the included breakfasts definitely helped. Among them were avocado toast (Ha! See below) with poached eggs, cinnamon rolls, and French toast topped with dragonfruit.
Also, a selection of their offerings regularly taunted Greg’s sweet tooth. In front of our homestay on the first morning, we found a barely breathing emaciated kitten, who would become known as Arnie, which quickly launched Mandy, (a proud, childfree, catless lady) into Tear Town.
Clearly having been in an accident, Arnie was undoubtedly the most pitiful creature we’ve seen in a long time, although there were hundreds of cats across the island who needed love. We tried to buy cat food in the stores, but unfortunately it didn’t exist, nor did a simple can of tuna or other protein. Thus, we ended up giving her part of our eggs every morning, as well as milk and other leftovers, which she hoovered down every time. Fortunately, she was doing much better by the time we left, and hopefully someone else will give her some love, but we were glad to make her days just a little bit brighter and see her walking around, even if she dragged around like….well, the Terminator.
Each night in the town square, one could find dozens of street food carts, even one proclaiming to be vegan, and lots of brightly colored fish, clearly caught that morning.
In Indonesia, it’s customary to order your food, and then pop a squat on brightly colored bamboo mats on the ground or sidewalk. Sometimes you have the luxury of a mini table, and other times, not…
That night Greg chose the classic, Nasi Ayam Goreng, or fried chicken rice for about $1, complete with a murdered eggs. So far, a lot of the traditional street foods are not working too well for us because of all the oils. Not exactly healthy, but moderately tasty. Needless to say, we were happy to share with more cats, looking for a handout. But there certainly are no dogs!!
Ohana Massage was a few doors down from us and Mandy got a quality one hour rub-down for about $9.
Alcohol is more expensive on Java, and Karimunjawa is even more inflated. A large Bintang beer, which we split every time because it hurt to spend so much (almost $5). Okay, okay, this wouldn’t be too terrible, except that the first ingredient was…AIR. Haha. Just to screw with us, air means water in Indonesian.
When we weren’t eating street food, our favorite restaurant in the village was called Waiki, which we patronized twice. It wasn’t because they “guaranteed” to wash all their veggies in mineral water, or because their decor was Portland Chic, but because the food was really top notch. This meal was Indonesian—gado gado, and chicken satay, but we also charged our crunch batteries with some salads. Each meal was about $4.50 (before the Air Beer), so clearly a foreigner markup as well.
A $3 vegetarian and falafel wrap, which was another meal at Bodhi Tree Hostel. You can probably glean from the name that it was clearly also “Bali-friendly.” At a later date, we met a local who openly poked fun at the foreigners who go to Bali, first and foremost raving about their avocado toast. Fair enough. Another gringo meal…a delicious pizza with satisfyingly crunchy crust from “Eat and Meet,” for about $5.
Not even a slight teetering on this tightrope, this kitten finds a comfy place to sleep!
The main road in town is fringed by another eye-catching mini mosque. With all these hues of green, it made us curious why it is the color of Islam. Apparently, it embodies themes of paradise, purity and prosperity. Also, it was supposedly Mohammed’s favorite color and he is said to have worn a green cloak and turban. Another point is that it invokes life, which is especially obvious in the arid and dusty Middle East. However, not so obvious in an oasis-draped land like Indonesia. (Slate).
We were naively hoping that all the birds in cages had something to do with the upcoming Independence Day celebrations and that they’d soon be let free, but unfortunately this is not the case. Sadly, Indonesia is much like Vietnam in this regard (maybe worse), and 13-14 million people keep songbirds, often illegally trafficked, as simple musical instruments because they like their melodies. Witnessing them bounce frustratingly around their jails, we’re definitely not fans. And this cage is significantly bigger than most.
A typical home on Karimunjawa.
Catching the sunset over the sea at the main pier, or somewhere on the island, is a mandatory daily occurrence for locals and tourists alike. What truly beautiful people. An island and experience we couldn’t recommend more. And with so much more than…avocado toast.
