Heaven Can't Be That Far

The beach, the sunset, and a lover next to you. Heaven can't be that far ...

One of the photos I took at Pangandaran beach the other day.

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Beach Monkey

Pangandaran is also the location of a small national park where a number of protected species of plants and animals live. Among them are Banteng Jawa (Javanese bull, boss Javanicus), kijang (barking deer), the endemic Javan Gibbons (hylobates moloch), the world's largest flower - the Rafflesia Arnoldii, and this common monkey (rhesus macaque) who often goes out of the forest to the nearby beach to greet beach-goers.

Beach Caves

While at Pangandaran (see my post yesterday), I also had the time to explore some beach caves and admire their beauty. This one is at Batu Hiu, a rocky beach some fourteen kilometers to the south of Pangandaran where we lodged.

The name Batu Hiu (literally: shark's rock) is derived from a piece of rock shaped like a shark located some 200 meters off the beach (see the photo below).

Grilled-Fish Party

A couple of weeks ago, my students, some colleagues and I went to Pangandaran, a beach about 250 kilometers to the southeast of Bandung (see this google map). We had a great time there. And this is one of the things I like best about the place: the fresh seafood. This grilled fish was the one we had for dinner party under the moon light the second night we were there.