HIDDEN GEM OF JAVA ISLAND

Brought to an unknown location in Java Island, the name Banyuwangi (meaning Sweet Water) sounded exotic in the most rural backwater sense. Placed just across the strait from Bali, Banyuwangi has quietly existed under the shadow of its tourist-saturated island-cousin. I set to task in uncovering what the region has been keeping from outsiders.

Carl Jung, famous Swiss psychologist and psychoanalyst spoke about the ‘Hero’s Journey’ and I certainly apprehended the call to adventure as we were briefed about climbing a mountain ridden with sulphuric fumes originating from a crater. Deep inside the crater is a mysterious blue flame that only occurs before dawn to which the mountain is most famously characterised. In my mind, it is as it were Sisyphus pushing the boulder to the top only to find that Hades was waiting for him at the peak; and into Hades I went.

During my ascension to the top, I took several breathers as I gazed upwards, across the largest window to the universe and apprehended the countless stars occupied the night sky. For the first time in my life, I saw a shooting star for just a split second; the pure elusive beauty of the moonlight and grandiose stars made me realise that we must be somewhat conditionally-alienated from our natural essences that we no longer crave to live and walk under the cosmic wilderness.

At night, the volcanic crater looked like the surface of a distant planet, the landscape though in the dead of night, was illuminated by the moonlight and the glowing blue flame that burned in the core of a huge cloud of sulphuric gas that permeated throughout the moonscape. As dawn approached, the blue flame began to fade away; a large veil was then lifted across the mysterious terrain, and magnificent crags, cliffs and a large lake were revealed all around the crater. As we ascended back up to the peak for our descent, the revelation of the surroundings lands was not short of a truly remarkable sight.

Just as unique and interesting is the Ananthaboga Temple nestled in the jungles of pine trees in Glenmore (previously a Scottish settlement). Although it sounded like a typical Hindu-Buddhist temple, it is (surprisingly) a place of worship for people from all five religions: Muslims, Hindus, Protestants, Catholics and Buddhists. In a grand effort to build a seemingly archaic temple to harmonise and unite the five communities of religious worshippers, different deities have been built on the site. As a visitor enters the temple, they are a greeted by a serene lake for the Hindu ritual of cleansing, and then towards the back of the premise, deities like the Guanyin, Jesus and the Virgin Mary make a guest appearance!

One of the other destinations of significance is also an Indonesian natural wonder: the Alas Purwo National Park. A pure expanse of reserved natural forest as well as a savannah emulating the African landscape that consists of wild peacocks, buffalo, and deer. Adventurous travellers have the option to trek into the forest with the guidance of a park ranger; with ancient temples and caves dotting throughout the forests, these mysterious sites have not seen many visitors owing to its limited accessibility while at the same time, it is said that some still remain largely undiscovered. With wild panthers still roaming the forests, the Alas Purwo National Park is truly a natural gem albeit being relatively dangerous, but what is an adventure without a little danger?

It is often that when we walk on the path between order and chaos, that we find ourselves pursuing the most meaningful things in life. ‘The Middle Path’ as spiritually practiced by the Buddhist, or the ‘Yin-Yang’ by the Daoists, to be moderate in our pursuits is to be oriented perfectly in life towards the Highest Good, perhaps the Christians call it ‘the Kingdom of God’. Nevertheless, if one were to adopt such a philosophy in life then Banyuwangi, offers that balance; the balance that only a beautiful exotic region that is a relative greenhorn to commercial tourism can offer. A balance like this reaps excitement; its untrodden paths beckon.