Kemarau Island

Yesterday, we decided to go to Kemarau Island. This is a small island where people flock to during the last two days of Chinese New Year to pray. That was last Wednesday and Thursday but I didn't want to join the crowds. Supposedly, people from as far as Singapore would make the pilgrimage to this place. There is a temple there dedicated to Toa Pek Kong. He is a minor Taoist deity in charge of looking after households, villages and rural lands.

We hopped on a little 'speedboat' to get to the island. The trip lasted about 2 mins and it cost us IDR50,000 (USD 5.45).

I sat in the middle of the boat. Here's the view looking in front:


And here's the boatman behind me:


The alters were all locked up so we couldn't get a closer look and other than the temple, there was only the new pagoda that is still under construction. The island itself was full of shady trees so it would have been pleasant to walk around if it wasn't for the rain that started when we were there.


My favorite part of the excursion was this sign at the base of the pagoda that was under construction.

Translation:
1. It is prohibited to go up. (Probably just while still under construction.)
2. It is prohibited to take photos on top of the dragon. (Two large dragons lined the stairs leading up to the pagoda)
3. It is prohibited to 'go on a date' in the pagoda.
4. It is prohibited to deface the pagoda.
5. Beware of 'Garong' cats. I can't find 'Garong' in the dictionary but it definitely doesn't refer to any type of feline. From what I have gathered, it refers to either perverts or people who supposedly try to seduce strangers. I'm not sure if they are flashers or not. I wish my Indonesian was better so I could have a better understanding of this type of words that no dictionary is going to define.