A day in the Kei Islands

Tifa Asrianti, The Jakarta Post, Kei Islands, Maluku | Sun, 08/08/2010 11:04 AM | Travel

As the small airplane flew above Kei Islands in Maluku, passengers saw green hills and crystal-clear blue water — a perfect holiday destination.

Ngurbloat beach or Pasir Panjang beach in Ngilng
of village.

Located directly under the “bird head” of Papua, the Kei Islands encompass a number of small islands with Kei Besar and Kei Kecil (big and small) being the biggest islands in the group. Kei Besar may be bigger in size but it is the Kei Kecil that has a larger population.

Our plane landed at Dumatubun Air Force Base on Kei Island. A commercial airport is currently under construction and is expected to be ready by 2012.

The island is known for its white sandy beaches. One of these beaches worth visiting is Ngurbloat Beach in Ngilngof village. Local natives call this beach “Pasir Panjang” or the long sandy beach.

On a recent sunny Sunday, I had the opportunity to visit this beach. The white sand felt as soft as baby powder beneath my feet as I walked along the coastline. Wearing sunglasses is strongly recommended as the white sand of the beach reflects the sunlight strongly.

So clear was the sea that people on the beach could see the gradation in the seawater’s colors, from crystal clear to aquamarine and then to stronger hues of blue as it goes deeper.

On the weekends, the beach bustles with locals relaxing after a week of work. Some people swim in the shallow waters while others strolled.

Despite being remote, life at Ngurbloat is not as modest as we assume. In fact, there was a family who enjoyed its fast ride on a jet ski.

Thanks to the beauty of nature, Ngurbloat has big potential to be developed into a world-class resort, but for the time being, only locals manage the area. In their modest ways, these people erected gazebos and small food stalls along a pathway flanked with coconut palms and other vegetation.

Traditional snacks and beverages are offered at the stalls, including thinly-sliced fried bananas served with sambal and coconuts the vendor picks directly from the tree after an order is placed.

If you prefer to go for a pristine beach, you might find Ngur Sarnadan Beach more to your liking. Located in Ohoililir village, Ngur Sarnadan is not far from a fishing village.

At Ngur Sarnadan there are long rows of bamboo tables onto which fishermen usually place their catch.

No, not fish, but seaweed. While I stood there waiting for the sunset, one fisherman was cleaning a long rope he used at his seaweed farm.

With a road system almost encircling the island, it’s not difficult to explore and find a favorite beach. My favorite beach was the thickly vegetated crescent-shaped beach in Madwaer village. It is a perfect getaway for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. And the good thing is that there isn’t any cell phone signal in this area.

After a swim in the sea, you can clean up at Goa Hawang, a freshwater cave in Letvuan village. A guide told me that this cave is around 100 meters long and people can explore only by putting on a mask and snorkel. In local language Hawang means ghost so prepare yourselves for the unexpected. Another legend surrounding the Kei Islands is that of Ken Dedes, a Singosari princess who sought refuge to in the islands to escape from the invading Majapahit soldiers. Locals believe the tomb of Ken Dedes is on Kei Kecil.

Local also believe Dedes had a daughter named Nen Dit Sak Mas, who became a queen and codified a new set of law Larvul Ngabal. This law has seven articles concerning treatment of criminals, respect of women and civil law.

The Larvul Ngabal law continues to have an important role in the Kei Islands, having prevented a religious conflict affecting the entire Maluku in 1999. One of the truisms in the law that help prevent the conflict is that Kei people come from the same chicken egg and breathe with the same gills.

Muslims and Christians share the Kei Islands as their home, although the latter is larger in number.

Mosques and churches stands next to each other, and women wearing the Muslim headscarf could be seen sitting next to women wearing a cross.

Goa Hawang, a freshwater cave in
Letvuan village.

Christianity entered Kei Islands in the early 1900s, and recently several villages celebrated the religion’s centennial anniversary in the islands. Wab village celebrated this milestone in 2007.

At the highest point of Kei Kecil, there is the Cross Path and a statue of Jesus Christ opening his arms towards the sea. Locals are extremely friendly. Once I bumped into a group of schoolchildren walking home, and every one of them greeted me with a smile and said “Good afternoon” to me.

For food lovers, the Kei Islands is known for its seafood, mostly served fried or grilled. For vegetarians, sautéed papaya flower is another specialty and while the staple food of Kei people is rice, they also consum sago and enbal (made from cassava).

The best way to enjoy sago and enbal is to dip them into hot water and wait a few minutes before eating them. You can also replace hot water with tea, coffee, milk or soup, as long as it is hot.

For whatever reason you finally go to the Kei Islands, for business or pleasure, you will certainly leave them with the wish to return.

Tips

• Currently, only three airlines fly to Kei Islands, Wings Air, the subsidiary of Lion Air (www2.lionair.co.id), Express Air (www.expressair.biz) and Trigana Air (www.trigana-air.com).
• If you are flying to the Kei Islands from Jakarta or other cities in Indonesia’s western time zone, you’d better take enough rest before the flight given the two-hour time difference.
• You can find public minivans serving long routes across the island. But for your own convenience, better rent a car or a motorcycle from locals, as almost public minivan drivers have an inexplicable penchant for turning up the volume of their car stereo.
• If you want to remain connected, consider switching to Simpati, Indosat’s Mentari or IM3 provided by Telkomsel as those three GSM services are currently available in the area. However, not all areas on the islands are covered.
• While the Kei Islands is supposed to be in its dry season in July, torrential rains often hit the islands without warning. Sunglasses, blockout and a waterproof hooded jacket are essential.

— Photos by JP/Tifa Asrianti