We shall never forget, to change our way... ( Sempu Story)

I'm Gonna Make A Change, For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good, Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .
I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change
(Lyric taken from : Michael Jackson “Man in the Mirror”)

Lets go To the beach…
Ini mungkin tema paling cocok untuk saya dalam beberapa bulan terakhir ini. Dimana tempat main saya berubah dari gunung ke pantai. Setelah bermesraan dengan Ujung Kulon saya diberi kesempatan untuk bercengkrama dengan indahnya Pulau Sempu yang disebut2 sebagai The beach-nya Indonesia. Mau Gunung, pantai, atau apapun saya akan sangat menikmati setiap perjalanan saya baik yang menyenangkan ataupun tidak.
Di dalam perjalanan yang saya lakukan saya selalu mencoba menemukan sesuatu yang baru baik dari diri saya, teman seperjalanan saya maupun dari tempat-tempat serta orang-orang yang saya temui. Semuanya adalah bagian dari perjalanan itu sendiri.
Kali ini saya dan teman-teman berkesempatan mengunjungi Cagar alam Pulau Sempu yang terletak di Kabupaten Malang bagian selatan. Saya, 2 orang teman saya dari Komunitas 1001buku, 1 orang teman SMA, dan 1 orang adik teman SMA saya yang menggantikan kakaknya berangkat naik Batavia Air sekitar jam 12 siang (terlambat 1 jam dari jadwal) dari Bandara Cengkareng. Tim cewek-cewek gagah jelita ini ditambah tim guide dari Malang yaitu mas Andi (pengelola Baung Camp di Purwodadi), mas Sigit (Bp. Guru di Malang yg juga penggiat kegiatan alam terbuka) berangkat dari Malang sekitar pukul 2 siang. Kita langsung menuju Sendang Biru yang merupakan pintu masuk ke Cagar Alam Pulau Sempu. Setelah melakukan registrasi dan melepas lelah serta melakukan kewajiban2 lainnya kami berangkat sehabis maghrib dengan menggunakan perahu nelayan. Karena keadaan sekekliling yang sudah gelap gulita, kami hanya bisa menikmati lampu2 di bagan & perahu nelayan serta bintang2 di langit malam. Perjalanan sekitar 15-20 menit dan kami sudah merapat di Pulau Sempu. Keadaan pantai sedang surut sehingga kami haru berjalan pelan-pelan menyusuri pantai memasuki hutan menuju Danau Segara Anakan tempat kami akan kemping malam ini.
Perjalanan cukup melelahkan karena dilakukan di waktu malam, tapi kami tetap melaluinya dengan hati yang riang. Untungnya teman- teman perjalanan kali ini sangat positif dan menyenangkan sehingga trekking selama hampir tiga jam bisa dilalui dengan baik. Memang sempat terjadi kejadian-kejadian yang cukup menghambat, tetapi kami semua dapat mengatasinya dengan tetap positif dan niat yang baik.
Malam itu kita lewati dengan memasang tenda, makan malam dan mengistirahatkan tubuh yang cukup lelah. Kami juga disuguhi dengan pemandangan langit yang penuh bintang yang sudah tidak bisa dinikmati di Jakarta.
Paginya, barulah kita bisa melihat keindahan segara anakan. Ini betul-betul another “piece of paradise” yang pernah ku kunjungi. Pantai pasir putih dengan kejernihan airnya yang kehijauan terlindung dari kegananasan ombak pantai selatan oleh dinding karang yang memutarinya. Airnya berasal dari karang bolong yang tak henti-hentinya menghempaskan air ke dalam danau segara anakan. Makin siang air makin pasang dan Danau Segara Anakan makin indah untuk dinikmati. Saya dan teman-teman pun tak segan menikmati semua keindahan ini sepuasnya.
Namun, ada yang membuat saya dan teman-teman sangat sedih. Danau segara anakan memiliki lahan camping yang tidak begitu besar. Hanya cukup menampung sekitar 6-10 tenda berukuran sedang. Tapi, karena akses yang sangat mudah berakibat sulitnya mengontrol keluar masuknya pengunjung disana. Dan juga kurangnya sosialisasi Pulau sempu sebagai Cagar Alam membuat pengunjung yang datang memperlakukan Pulau sempu sebagai tempat wisata biasa, bukan berarti kita bisa seenaknya di tempat-tempat wisata. Yah, semua memang kembali kepada pribadi manusianya masing-masing.
Hal-hal yang patut disayangkan saya temukan disana, seperti; timbunan sampah bekas pengunjung yang menyebabkan (perkiraan saya) berkembang biaknya sejenis serangga seperti anak kecoa kecil2 dan menjijikkan. Serangga seperti ini tidak pernah saya temukan di pantai-pantai yang relative bersih. Penuhnya pengunjung yang datang pada satu waktu membuat tidak nyaman dan kurang bisa menikmati alam dengan lebih tenang. Walaupun ada batas quota 20 orang tiap sekali kunjungan tetapi rupanya pada kenyataannya hal ini tidak dapat terealisasi.
Saya mengajak semua para penikmat alam untuk lebih peduli dan memperhatikan kesinambungan alam kita. Kita mungkin masih cukup beruntung bisa menikmatinya saat ini, tetapi akan sampai kapan keasrian dan keindahan alam kita akan bertahan? Kalau kita tidak mau peduli.
Seperti bait lagu yang dibawakan oleh King of Pop kita yang berjudul “man in the mirror” diatas….
Kita lah yang harus bertindak dan harus sekarang!!!

Dangerously Beautiful Ujung Kulon by Fishing

Pada tanggal 29-31 Mei & 5-7 Juni, saya mendapat keberuntungan untuk mengunjungi salah satu suaka margasatwa di Pulau Jawa yang juga merupakan salah satu World Heritage. Perjalanan yang pertama saya diajak oleh MK Fishing Tour yang dimotori oleh Om Gino 7 mas Anto. Mereka adalah para pemancing yang memiliki obsesi di masa pensiunnya memilih untuk mancing dan mancing dan mancing, hehehehe... oleh karena itu mereka telah merintis dan membesarkan usaha sebagai operator wisata mancing yang masih sangat jarang di Indonesia.
It was my first time visiting Ujung Kulon and also my first to go Fishing, especially sport fishing. My fishing experience only happen in my childhood fishing small mujaer at small river at my mom's hometown.
We arrive at Sumur (last village at Ujung Kulon) by dawn and refresh ourselves while the crew loading all stuff and equipment to the boat that will take us enjoy Ujung Kulon for two days and one night. At six in the morning we all aboard the boat and headed to the sea with the morning breeze and the sunrise. We go fishing directly along the way to Pulau Peucang as we will spend the night there. We go to Tj. Senini, Tj. Layar, Karang Copong, etc to do Popping (one of the sport fishing technic). This sport fishing things was new for me, though my boyfriend already give me a bundance story and photo and video about this, but actually doing it was my first. And after awhile I actually enjoy it. It was nothing like fishing I’ve known before. It's a sport alright because you have to throw the rod and reel over & over and it was quite heavy and I have to train my selves over and over to do it right.
They also introduce me with Catch & Release in the world of Fishing. The idea was to release the fish after we catch it. It's related to have a sustainable Fishing Tourism and to protect the fish from over fishing. I definitely like the idea, as I also not really like to have this 50cm length fish on my dish. It's just not my kind of cuisine.
After having lunch on board with ABK cooking meals that really taste Delicious. It's not just because the scenery and the place and the fact that I was starving. The meals is really was delicious. Two thumbs up for the cook (this actually becoming an issue for me, as my boyfriend give the credit for the cook more than he give for me, hahaha...), well, that's fine as I'm not much of a cook my selves). Well, after having lunch we docking by noon at Peucang Island to have the night rest. Our bodies were aching after having so much throwing at Popping but our hearts were content. We can't wait the morning to give our best at all the GT (giant trevally fish) at Ujung Kulon.
The first journey at the end of May was MK internal Fishing Training. It was more personal and I really enjoy the whole trip. I also have the chance to visit Kr. Jajar, the favorite spot to do Popping. The wave is high enough for me. I barely could stand on my feet. The funny part is all my friends are calmly doing popping as I try my best just to stand on my feet. It was iritating for me... But, the view is spectacular as I saw line of magnificent rocks along the strait. It has hypnotic effect for me.
The Second trip was My company trip with few clients. It was a bit crowded but still enjoyable for me.
Ujung kulon adalah salah satu tempat yang sudah lama ingin aku datangi, tetapi masih belum mendapatkan kesempatan. Ketika kesempatan itu datang tidak hanya sekali tapi langsung 2 kali berturut-turut. Wow!! Betapa beruntungnya aku.
Ujung Kulon bukan hanya tempat untuk Wisata Mancing tetapi sebetulnya dia sudah sangat dikenal untuk Wisata ekologi nya dimana disinilah tempat Badak yang paling dilindungi di dunia yaitu Badak Bercula satu berada. Kita bisa trekking, swimming, snorkling, diving dan aktivitas lainnya yang dapat kita lakukan. Aku tidak habis-habisnya mengucapkan syukur bahwa Ujung Kulon masih bisa bertahan dan terawat relatif baik dibanding tempat-tempat wisata alam lainnya yang banyak sekali tidak bis abertahan karena ketidak pedulian manusia.
Saya mendengar bahwa ikan di perairan Ujung Kulon tidak lagi sebanyak 5-10 tahun yang lalu. Semoga menjadi tanggung jawab kita semua untuk tetap menjaganya. Karena saya dan pasti kita semua ingin agar anak cucu kita masih dapat menikmatinya seperti kita. It was definitely dangerously beautiful Ujung kulon, a piece of paradise at the western end of Java.

for detail info, check this link: www.mkfishintour.com

Between politics, faith and sex by Anand Krishna

*Anand Krishna* , Jakarta post | Tue, 05/19/2009 10:00 AM | Opinion

While reading Friday’s Jakarta Post, a visiting friend remarked we were “a
funny” country. Perhaps he was trying to use a milder term for something
else. His remark came after reading an item concerning Prosperous Justice
Party (PKS) chairperson Tifatul Sembiring’s views on Bank of Indonesia’s
Governor, Boediono, as the running mate of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for his
next term in the office as president.
The second piece of news was about another equally “funny” article about the
requirement for a female presidential candidate to avoid having sex for ten
days.

Tifatul Sembiring is not very comfortable with Governor Boediono’s faith and
says, as quoted by this paper, “Boediono has never been seen speaking to
Muslim masses.”
So, although he regularly attends Friday prayers in the mosque, he is still
considered that not sufficiently Muslim”.
What is more “funny” is that according to Sembiring’s statement, his
constituents see Boediono as a nationalist, which is not a proper
representation of Islam.
The question is; what then is the proper representation of Islam? Another
more important question is; can Muslims be not nationalists at the same
time?

What equally bothers me is whether the Christians, or Hindus, or Buddhists
have any chance to be a vice president of this country. Where is this
country leading to?
The former president of Prosperous Justice Party, Hidayat Nurwahid, who now
chairs the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), made a statement awhile
ago that he had received several SMSs saying that he was against national
unity (NKRI) and the national ideology based on the principle of Bhinneka
Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity).
Hidayat denied all these allegations. It is now high time that he makes it
clear what is his
understanding of Unity in Diversity in view of his party’s high commands
statement.

Hidayat also refused to be associated with Saudi wahabis, who according to
him were against political parties. What about the ideology of wahabis,
which places uniformity above Unity in Diversity?
Of much interest is also the reason the Depok regent decided to close down a
church, and to deny them a building permit. Interestingly, this regent
belongs to Hidayat’s party. It would be interesting to hear Hidayat to speak
on this subject.
There was another piece of news related to the sexual activities of female
presidential candidates; perhaps the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI)
chairman, Fachmi Idris, has conducted extensive research on this subject.
What he forgot to disclose was a more understandable reason behind this.
To quote the Post on this subject, “the requirement for a female candidate
to avoid having sex is
to prevent the outcome of her medical check up from showing ‘biased’
results.”

What is not mentioned is whether the so-called “biased” results are only
related to females alone, or also to the males?
The latest findings in the field of medicine have indicated that as women
have their menstruation, men also experience a similar cycle with different
symptoms. As women have menopause, men too have andropause.
Indeed, women can have xx chromosomes, men cannot have yy. Men inherit the
xx chromosomes from their mothers. We are not discussing the issue of the
superiority of men over women or vice versa. But let us talk of some
sensibilities.

In this region of the world, we have never tabooed sex. We have made
intensive studies about sexual energies. The ruins of our campuses at Sukuh
and Cetoh at Central Java are proof of this.
Sexual energy when not channeled for higher purposes to make one more
creative and innovative, will only try to find its release through
intercourse and masturbation. By the way, the passion to hold on to a
position or to fight for a position at any cost – are also prompted by
unchannelled or rather mischannelled sexual energy.
I have many questions in my mind; my friends from overseas have many
questions in their mind. What about you? The readers of The Jakarta Post. If
we do not start questioning today, then tomorrow it may be too late.
*
The writer is a spiritual activist and the author of more than 120 books.*