More Idyllic Days on Pasir Panjang

Tahiti. Bora Bora. Cook Islands. Fiji. Hawaii. Puerto Rico. Virgin Islands. Bermuda. La Riviera Maya. Cabo San Lucas.

I've been lucky enough to visit all of these islands in the past few years, always in search of paradise. Here in this isolated corner of Indonesia, I may have found the best of them all. As I spent a few more nights on the marvelous beaches of the Kei Islands, I realized that Pasir Panjang pretty much had it all. The incredibly fine, powder soft white sand stretched for miles, going from a decent width for walking at high tide to 40 or 50 yards wide at low tide, offering plenty of beach for relaxing. The crystal clear water was slightly tinted with shades of light blue and green, and the warm water lapped gently against the sand, creating the hypnotic rhythm perfect for warm afternoon naps under the shade of the never-ending rows of tall palm trees or within the thatched huts scattered along the edge of the beach, mostly unused during the weekdays. Of all the idyllic places that I've visited, I was beginning to think that this may be the best beach of them all, offering the beauty and isolation of a prototypical island paradise.

As I was lulled into my lazy daily routine by the heat and tranquility of the island, the days began to blend together, and I was loving every moment of it. It had taken a bit of effort to get to the Kei Islands, so I had decided that I'd spend eight days there before even seeing the place, and I was really glad that I did. In a typical day, I'd wake up about 6 am to hear Johnny, Mr. Beny's young son yelling about something to his older sister, then I'd fall back asleep until 8 and wake up to the smells of my fresh breakfast, waiting outside on the table for me. Breakfast was usually some bread and jelly along with a plate or two of fruits or vegetables, often with fried sweet potatoes and, towards the end of the week, fried slices of banana with a crispy batter that was amazing. I'd then head down the walkway through a few trees and the row of palms to my hut overlooking the beach, settling in within the small square shelter, either laying out with my towel as a pillow on the flat pondok or opting for the one next to it that had a bamboo bench installed on the back wall, allowing me to sit up and read or mostly just stare off into the ocean. A few fishermen and a few locals would pass by over the next few hours, and then I'd know it was around 12:30 or so when I'd hear Beny calling my name, telling me to come get lunch.

Lunch varied day to day, but it was usually a few pieces of fresh fish from the market, accompanied with some various chili sauces, along with rice and a few side dishes such as green beans and tempeh (a sort of peanut brittle but much better and not so hard), fruit slices, eggs or a few other random ingredients. After gorging myself, I'd head back out to the shady palms, sometimes taking a quick dip in the warm water and then watching the hours pass by from my own personal hut. I walked up and down the beach a few more times, just to see what was going on, but I always found it just as before - wonderful and nearly untouched. There were a few days where I really couldn't believe how few people (locals and foreigners) were on such a perfect stretch of beach. (Though on Indonesian independence day and the last day before Ramadan started, there were a few more people than normal.)

I'd finish off the day by watching the sun set and the sky change colors, heading back to my dinner with the last few bits of remaining light. Dinner was similar to lunch, another feast of fish, rice, eggs, instant noodles and a few other random things. I'm not usually a big fan of seafood, but after a few days on this diet, I actually really liked some of the dishes, particularly with the flavorful chili sauce that was almost always accompanying the fish. I'd then talk to Beny for a little while before reading a book, listening to some music and heading off to bed, ready to start another day in paradise. This really was the life.

(Me and one of my pondoks just before sunset. The beach was so empty that it was easier for me to find a stick and make a tripod to take this picture than to wait for someone to come by.)

(The sand was incredibly soft, and there was certainly plenty of it.)

(This is actually Beny's boat, much nicer than the one Edos and I used for our island adventure.)

(The karaoke house is on the left, and my guesthouse is on the right. Though there were three tiny rooms, I was the only one staying there. I had all my meals at a tiny table on the right side of that wrap-around porch, and the beach was just about 100 yards down the dirt path in the front of the picture.)

(A typical lunch courtesy of Beny's wife. Chili sauce (there were many different variations of the hot sauce), bananas, two whole fish, rice and some sort of squash covered in a wonderful, dark peanut sauce.)

(Another fabulous day in paradise.)

(Beny's boat again, looking sleek.)

(I did have a few tiny bits of rain and occasional clouds, but for the most part, I had pretty great weather to go with the great scenery.)

(Look closely to spot the rows of pondoks.)

(Similar view, different day. This was a place where time could stand still, and you really wouldn't notice...or care.)

(Everywhere I looked seemed like a perfect picture.)

(Near the South end, the beach narrows at high tide, but the huge palm trees make up for it.)