GOASIAPLUS October 2018

TRAVEL
4 5
1 Overview of Piugus Island
2 Underwater table coral 3 A
blue starfish 4 The Temburun
Waterfall 5 Boy with a freshly
caught fish in Jemaja Island 6
The town of Terempa, Siantan
Island 7 Houses on stilts in
Terempa 8 The Napoleon fish
9 Bawah Island
6
The view from the villa are truly captivating with a
clear sight of corals, little fishes and at times, turtles
teeming on the sea.
Coincidentally, I arrived in Anambas Islands at the
time when the local community were celebrating its
10th anniversary of Anambas Islands as a regency in
the Riau Islands Province under the Law No. 33 (2008).
Count myself lucky. I witnessed the festival
concert, showcasing traditional song, dance and the
best of all, a parade of dancers in colourful costumes
akin to the cosplay of Japanese anime–from fishes to
octopuses and seahorses.
ISLAND HOPPING
Apart from enjoying a taste of local culture, the best
thing to do in Anambas Islands is certainly island
hopping. It let me experience more than just sun, sea
and sand but the differences of the islands. Whether it
is Bawah Island, Jemaja Island, Siantan Island, Matak
Island or Penjalin Island, these islands are unique in
their own way.
My favourite island is definitely Penjalin Island.
This island is blessed with white sandy beaches with
sand as soft and delicate as flour. There are granite
rocks piling up on the beach, providing a perfect
panoramic view of this pristine island. I had a
splashing time taking selfie, carving my name on the
carpet of sand, dipping into the crystal clear water
and letting the little fishes surround my feet.
My next island hopping adventure is Bawah
Island. This is the most popular island of Anambas
which offers 3 naturally protected lagoons, 5 primeval
forests and best of all, 13 beaches which you don’t
have to share with the crowd. The alluring landscape
still remains as in 10,000 years ago although there is
currently a luxury resort–Bawah Reserve–with rooms
priced as high as USD1,780 and above per night.
For me, Bawah Island is a perfect natural, idyllic
island getaway. In fact, it is Bawah Island that lends
it's charms for Anambas Islands to be named as Asia’s
Best Tropical Island Paradise by CNN.
Another enchanting stop is Jemaja Island. I made
a quick visit to Padang Melang Beach, renowned for
having the longest coastline, as long as 8km in the
province of Riau Islands. I was told that the annual
Padang Melang Festival was held here with 3-day of
merry-making like folk games, music, dances, boat
races and culinary fair.
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