The Twilight in Teluk Harapan Village
Written by : Afrizal Ma’arif
Maratua Island, an exquisite small island with beautiful beaches and also magnificent underwater scenery that would make everyone falls in love with. Located in East Borneo Province, Maratua is the part of Derawan Island Coastal Parks (Taman Kepulauan Pulau Derawan). Today, Maratua has become a leading tourism destination in Borneo and even in Indonesia. To reach Maratua Island, tourist could travel using speed boat from Tanjung Redeb Port, or Tanjung Batu Port in Berau.
Our stories in Maratua started with the ride on a speed boat from Tanjung Redeb Port. We were very lucky since the weather at the moment was very friendly. It was sunny day with warm sunlight and calm waves all along our journey. Before arriving in Maratua, we decided to look around to other small islands. We visited Derawan, Sangalaki and Kakaban Island to enjoy some sceneries. And finally, after hours of cruise, we arrived in a pretty small island called Maratua.
We landed for the first time in Maratua in Teluk Harapan Village. Teluk Harapan Village is the capital of Maratua Island which has dense population, and various public facilities could also be found here. In the village, tourist could stay in the homestay which is operated by the locals. Since the popularity of tourism in Maratua is increasing time by time, a lot of the locals set their houses for homestay as it is a promising business.
The Sunset in Teluk Harapan Village
Photo by: Afrizal Ma’arif
When we landed in Teluk Harapan Village, the twilight is coming. Our arrival was welcomed warmly by the beautiful evening skies. The scratch of the skylines in the end of horizon, wrapped up with the blue skies, white clouds, the sunset and also combined by the calm sea of Maratua had made it all a perfect time to enjoy the day. It was my first day in Maratua and I was very impressed by lovely natural scene. To enjoy beautiful moment like this, it wasn’t very difficult. We could just sit and relax in the jetty of Teluk Harapan and just enjoy the twilight atmosphere. For me, the best time to enjoy the sunset in Maratua is by sitting in the jetty from 6.00 PM until the sun finally comes down. When I was sitting on the jetty, I could see the local children smiling and waving their hands as they swimming in the clear sea water of Maratua Island. That evening in Teluk Harapan was obviously a great time for me. Sitting on the jetty and enjoying the sunset of Maratua was probably one of the best way to find peace in Maratua Island. (cal)
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