#MyItchyFeet " Diving Trip to Tanjung Putus and Pagaran. Lampung, Indonesia

Again...I have to confess how I miss diving...
I dunno how many time I have said it again and again in my blog.
But that's exactly what I feel whenever I saw my underwater photos :D.
I certainly hope I don't sound like a broken record....

By the waaay.....It's been a while since my last trip and finally, during xmas break last 2013, I finally had a chance to join my friends and DM, Pak Sinek, to have another diving trip in my homeland...

This time, we started our journey in a relaxing mood. Itas 11 of us in total, including my DM. Usually, the trip starts at 7 am, but as everyone was in jolly xmas mood (although I didn't celebrate it :D), we arrived at 9 am at Ketapang Port, in Hanura, Lampung.
After packing, getting all the logistics and taking a few shots, we were good to go..yaaay...

Destination: Tanjung Putus and Pagaran spots.

It took around 40 minutes to go to Tanjung Putus. I have written our snorkeling and islands hop-on-hop-off day trip before (feel free to check it here, Kampungku Lampung - Tanjung Putus ), but his time we'll try the diving spot.

Pagaran is even a bit further than Tanjung Putus, almost heading to Balak Island or in Lampungnese, means Big Island.






After around 40 minutes ride on our boat, we arrived on the spot and swiftly getting ready...Don't wanna miss more time as it was precious!


I decided to use my new 'toys', Canon G15 with Fantasea underwater casing. Well, as this is my maiden voyage with this new camera, I was still struggling to get my hands on it. Most photos were either blurred or unsaturated...so pale, or just simply blue :D..I used to have Canon D20, a point-and-shoot compact, which I loved soo much. But it was gone in Bali and I had this new baby from my last trip to NY. It was quite a bargain, as I bought them bundled with underwater flashlight as a bonus. Not bad :D!

First dive was so refreshing...after being out-of-deep-blue-sea for quite some times, I found my world again down here. Took a while to find my balance again, but it all felt like riding your bike, you'll never forget it :D.




So, down in Pagaran. we faced a deep wall with some weird 'boiling water spring' in around 10 metres deep. But the visibility was not that good, so I only managed to dive around and saw healthy corals here and there. 

my buddy near the wall at Pagaran...

Of course, there were so many fish, but I was struggling with my new handset and decided to let it go this time. Maybe I got luck on the second dive :D.

Balak Island, where we had our lunch :D...

Karena judulnya memang santai dan ngg ngoyo, jadi kami hanya sempat melakukan 2 dives, instead of 3..

Dan untuk makan siang, kami mampir ke Pulau Balak...Bahagianyaa...tidur-tiduran di pasir putih, sambil melihat langit biru yang luar biasa indah, dan mendengar suara ombak yang sayup-sayup...Syahdu!
Dan ini yang buat diving jadi nyandu...

underwater floral set...

One hour interval, we were ready to rumble again....This time, I asked my buddy's assistance on the camera settings. Well, apparently I got better luck this time...We started from the beach and headed to Tanjung Putus dock....better visibility this time, although I still have so 




Check out some of the patterns I found down there..Most of them are alive, and clapping :D...I was soooo fascinated by the groups of frond oysters flocking around the poles under the dock in Tanjung Putus. It was dominated by pale sandy color and red! I just loveeee them...

frond oysters, flocking on the dock's pole...captivating!

looks like a perfect set for an underwater pre-wed to me :D..

when you get near them, they are closed :D...

He prefers to stick around here I guess...

Then, we managed to go around the area...swam a bit further and simply enjoyed the surroundings. 

It felt so peaceful.... and my eyes! They feasted on the beauty of underwater world. Rich in colors and shapes ...I felt sooo grateful that God allows me to witness all this beauty!

Finally, I checked my oxygen thank and it was almost empty..

time to get up and call it a day, sadly...

On my last round, I managed to catch this....

On our way back, Allah SWT masih terus memanjakan kami dengan keindahan ciptaan-Nya. Semburat jingga menutup perjalanan kami kali ini. Subhanallah, luar biasa indahnya!

See you sooon.....

Well, I can never get enough of it...Semoga Tuhan YME berkenan memberikan kesempatan, kesehatan dan rezeki untuk terus menikmati dan mensyukuri nikmat keindahan ini....Amiiin..

Cheers from Lampung Bay.....

A lil' note on Kiluan, Lampung's hidden paradise...#4 - More tips...

Don't get bored...this will be the last piece :D

Still on KILUAN...

So perhaps, more little tips for you, first and foremost....make sure your car is in top condition…

sedan is indeed a big NO-NO and 4-wheel drive is the best. 

Well, front-wheel drive cars like ours (Nissan Livina) can make it, but it will be quite challenging… We were lucky it was not raining, but I couldn’t imagine if we were trapped in the roads raining cats and dogs. As the roads are curvy and some of them are steep with loose rocks and big holes, better get yourself prepared :D..

 

There are many choices of accommodation there..

ranging traditional cottage rated RP 350.000,- (USD 40) per night with 1 bedroom and perhaps enough for 6 adults, to better accommodations which sold pack-and-parcel with the trip…

small cottage..Rp 350.000 per nights...

bigger cottage...

I guess the package starts from Rp 380.000,- (USD 42) per person for accommodations, meals, dolphin et Kiluan island trip. You can easily google it (Kiluan dolphin is the keyword) or contact Pak Solihin (0811369997831) for the eco-tourism package. 

Don’t forget to bring Flashlight (no electricity yet, generator starts from 6pm to 6am…but they say starting Desember the electricity is on..we saw the poles already :D), mosquitoes repellent lotion, food and water, especially clean water, swimming gears et snorkeling/diving gear (I haven’t tried diving here, so I dunno). 

What else…

hmm, sarong might be a good idea, either for sleeping or taking a bath :D..

and of courseee....Camera….

yuuup, to capture all those happy moments in Kiluan… i guess I don't have to remind you on that :D..

So, hope it helps and have fuuun in Kiluan...

A lil' note on Kiluan, Lampung's hidden paradise...#3 - Little tip

Kiluan is certainly a place worth a visit..

It's pristine natural landscape is promising.. .

However, it's good to be well-prepared for your trip there....

It takes approximately 3 to 4 hours from Bandar Lampung, the capital of Lampung Province, to Kiluan. Located in Tanggamus district, - although many assume that it is part of Pesawaran district, half of the roads are not fully developed. We left at 9.30am and arrived in Kiluan at around 1pm. It was quite a journey, considering that it was only 65km-ish from Bandar Lampung :D.

My scratchy notes reminded me of some of the villages we’ve passed along the way. To those who are familiar with Lampung, - or even if you are not :D, the route starts in Bandar Lampung, heading to Teluk Betung – Lempasing – Hanura – Ketapang – Padang Cermin – Piabung (well-developed area, headquarter of Indonesian  Infante ry, and full cellphone signals :D) – Durian village – Banjaran  Village- Punduh Pidada – Sukamaju Village – Pekon Ampar (you will see some traditional “panggung” houses here…beautiful) -  Batu Punduh Village– off to Kiluan Bay. Find Bandung Jaya Village, after passing a Balinese village which unfortunately, I forgot the name. There, you will see some cottages and start choosing :D. 

one of the rumah panggungs...

from the moving car.....

Well, a lot to see, rite :D…  Anyway, feel  free to correct me if I was wrong in noting those places… 

On the road itself, it was quite a mixed feeling. After Ketapang heading to Padang Cermin, the road was okay…meaning it was enough for two cars, curvy roads, but manageable, not that bumpy…You might find some speeding local cars and motorbikes, but watch for the road, as here and there the road might be patchy…

From Padang Cermin to Kiluan..that’s when the ‘adventure’ began…

With 32km left, we spent almost 2 hours to get to Kiluan..The roads were patchy, some of them weren’t even developed or they were starting to develop it (the proof was the piles of stones and sand on the sides of the roads with no one working yet :D). One of the worst parts was right in front of the Camat’s office :D..

Once we found the gate of Kiluan Bay (with lovely view of the Bay from the top), then another steep road was welcoming us…steep is one thing, but holes and loose rocks are the bonus…then otw to Bandung Jaya, there are some narrow bridges..one of them is quite high and I think we scratched our car :p (sorry, Udi..) ..

Anyway, once you arrived, all those grudges along the way were paid off ….

it’s stunning indeed…

A lil' note on Kiluan, Lampung's hidden paradise...#2

Where were we on Kiluan?

Hmm...

First day, that is...

Next on my note is...our second day of course :D...

...................continued...................

After such a lovely afternoon in Kiluan island, great dinner and deep sleep, we were getting ready for the next itinerary, watching the dolphins...

And the morning came majestically…

morning in front of our cottage...

woke up at 5, trying to take some pictures it was cloudy…

but the sea was calm, so we got ourselves ready and prepared the kids…at 6.20 am we were on Jukung, Indonesian traditional wooden canoe, ready to hit the water…

Jukung, the Indonesian traditional wooden canoe...

It was a bumpy ride, I’d say…everybody was wearing life vest, camera on dry bags and supplies were ready…40 minutes ride to the open sea with cloudy sky was quite an experience :D…waves coming et going, really giving you the feeling of riding a horse..
I instantly remembered  gangnam style :p…

ready to hit the water....

on the way to open water in the morniiiing....

peeping group of dolphins :D....

Well, it didn’t take long to meet those beautiful creatures…









we managed to see some groups, happily strolling for breakfast :D…although we didn’t always got the best shot as they were pretty fast, but at least we have experienced it “D…

going solo....

another boat with 2 ladies were sailing round us as well…so, we  were not alone, just in case :D…












After the dolphin session, we had a tour to the surrounding islands and rocks....pretty fascinating indeed to see big waves hitting the rocks....

Batu Candi, if I'm not mistaken..

Then, off we went to another part of Kiluan Bay, spending time on beach swimming, playing with the sand ...building castles, digging up holes and simply enjoying the lovely sandy beach...

 Here as some of our photos while enjoying the beach... 

busy baby :D...

leyeeeh leyeeeh :D

Then, next on our agenda is snorkeliiing…
yup, here comes my favorite, underwater world…

niceeeeee, as you can see on my photos…:D..

Well, unfortunately, all the good things have to end as well…

we needed to go back to Bandar Lampung before 3pm and the sky was increasingly darker, promising heavy-pouring rain…

So, we packed our stuff, headed back to the Bay, showered and had another wonderful lunch…home-made salted fish with steamed vegetables, sambel terasi, et crackers…Mengan pai, as Lampungnese would say….


Then we kissed Kiluan goodbye and promised to come back…

Well, that’s our story in Kiluan…what’s yours? :D