Southern Seashore, a Great Deal of Traveling By Sony Farid Maulana Translated by Denny Rachmat Traveling from Bandung the capital city of West Java to the seashore of Rancabuaya through Pangalengan was a little bit adventurous for any common vehicles, especially on this rainy season, like today. Because the road was narrow and slippery, most of vehicles were not easy to drive on. From Pangalengan to Cisewu we found there are twenty-one land slide zones. At the same time, there were electrician workers who were erecting some electric lines fallen crossed the road because of erosion. In addition, we saw some spots from Cisewu to Rancabuaya at least there were ten erosion land zones. Knowing road surface was in bad condition along this route, how do we prepare to welcome the free trade tourism market? How can West Java get any profit from an inconvenience tourist destination along Southern sea shore? It is impossible. Because, something called tourism, first, as Michel Picard (a France researcher) said is develop monetary economy; marketing of scenery; and reproducing of human culture; and then changing environment into a tourism product. Along this route, when we were entering Pangalengan, then we would already spoiled by some beautiful scenery such as long green fertile mountain ranges, cool breeze fresh air, green spread tea plantations, one of the Dutch heritages, and there was also the clean fresh water of silence wide lake Situ Cileunca. Back to Michel Picard, he said that tourism is marketing scenery, trading cultural, and selling human products. So, what can Southern West Java sale for Rancabuaya seashore? We should not only depend on amazing scenery. Without seriously managing its environment, seashore will ignore. The seaside on Rancabuaya is danger for swimming; the wave is wild highly stream. Sometimes the anglers could not net any fish; the effect was some restaurant there could not serve any seafood. “Fishermen couldn’t sail far away because their boat and fishnet equipment is poor and sadly simple,” said Uwa Gondrong, a local angler. Knowing this condition, what kind of human product can be sale out for Rancabuaya? It seems that Rancabuaya needs a draft on the way to improve local cultural richness, such as performing art from Southern Garut creatice people, which added the value of tourism destination. The same idea has to recognize by Southern Cianjur government, which owned Cidaun seashore area. The landscape scenery of Cidaun seashore is still nature. Government of West Java Province seems does not ready receiving the free trade world tourism although southern seashore area has a great nature value. Traveling along southern seashore route from Cidaun (Cianjur) through Sayangheulang (Pameungpeuk, Garut) actually drove on a long and windy nice road, developed by the era of West Java Governor HR Nuriana. Along this road, instead of enjoying beautiful seashore scenery with exotic blue ocean wave, the green land scenery forest and its rainy green land plantation area also offered us. Maybe because of having a great deal potent of tourism, the green land area along Cidaun through Sayangheulang was not belong to the local people any more. The rich property owner of Bandung or Jakarta businesspersons owned the area. On the area of Karangsari seashore, for instance, the price of a land there has almost reached one or two million rupiahs per unit. The land that is especially opposite the ocean has become a competitive fighting area among the new property owners. “The land was a rainy plantation. When dry season comes, it becomes dull. No wonder if many old landlords chose to sell it and moved to Bandung or Jakarta,” said a local people at peak cave Puncak Guha so called bat cave Guha Lalay. At the bat cave peak, Puncak Guha Lalay the seashore panoramic was extremely wonderful. Getting to this area, we should pass through a corn plantation. If this place had a good management, it should have a wooden inn and the other traveler facilities that they will be more enjoy spending their holiday and local people getting a better profit feed back. “To me, the natural beauty of Southern seashore area had some tourism potentials as same as Pataya Beach of Bangkok, or Pangandaran Beach regency. Now, the importance thing is the real serious competence of West Javanes government to begin,” said Juniarso Ridwan, a poet, who once visited this area. Another beautiful place is Karangsari seashore, where the color of the beach is not white but deep dark. When sun shines the beach, the black sand beach twinkling like emerald seed spread on the beach surface. The color of the beach is very different from the sand beaches of Rancamaya, Santolo, or even Sayangheulang. They are white sandy beach there. These seashore are still natural, remote, no boat, and rare of people. There was not only clear quiet delta, a great deal of water fresh fishes, a cute scenery those Karangsari offered, but also a strong stream and gentle wave that illustrated its green and blue environment. When the evening comes, the birds whistle between ramble and breeze of wave, an exotic nightlife is just an unforgettable experience we had enjoyed. (“PR” 16/2/2010)***
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 01:54:07 +0000
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