•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   

It was only 9 a.m., but sweat was already trickling down my face as I arrived at Depati Amir airport in Pangkal Pinang, on the island of Bangka. I could smell the salt in the humid air, rising up from the sea.

Like many other tourists to the island province of Bangka-Belitung, my urge to visit was sparked by the success of the 2008 film “Laskar Pelangi” (“The Rainbow Troops”), based on the novel by Andrea Hirata, which used the province’s stunning landscapes as its backdrop.

When my friends invited me to join them on a three-day tour of the province, I didn’t hesitate to take them up on their offer. I was thrilled at the thought of being able to see the picturesque locations that I’d seen in the movie: pristine beaches, lush forests and sweeping plains.

As it turned out, the province had even more to offer than that.

The first destination on our tour was the Dewi Kwan Im Vihara, a Buddhist monastery in the village of Jelitik, about an hour away by car from Pangkal Pinang. On the way to the monastery, I noticed mosques and Buddhist temples scattered just about everywhere, suggesting a happy coexistence of different beliefs. Located on one and a half hectares of land, the monastery was an impressive sight. Not only was there a large Buddhist temple shaped like a sailing vessel set on a pond filled with lotus flowers, but there was also a church and a mosque.

The whole complex was surrounded by trees bearing durians, tangerines and other fruit and shading visitors from the scorching heat.

Hermanto Wijaya, the caretaker of the complex, said he single-handedly built the church and the mosque with the money he saved while working as a Mandarin teacher at an international school in Jakarta.

“God wants me to make sure that everybody, no matter what their religion is, has a place in this area,” he said.

He added that visitors of all religious backgrounds often came to the monastery to drink from the well, which reportedly contains water with healing powers.

“Believe it or not, countless people have claimed that their diseases have been cured by drinking this miraculous water,” he said.

From the monastery, we headed to Pantai Tikus (Mouse Beach), a 20-minute drive from Jelitik.

The beach was quiet, sheltered from mountain minds by thick bushes. We stayed overnight before leaving Bangka island for its sibling, Belitung, known to the locals as “Negeri Laskar Pelangi” (The Land of the Rainbow Troops).

We took a jetfoil speedboat for the four and a half hour trip, at Rp 175,000 ($20) per passenger. Arriving at Tanjung Pandan, Belitung’s capital, it was clear to see the locals had embraced the publicity brought to their island by the popular film.

Banners everywhere welcomed visitors to the land of “Laskar Pelangi.”

“Since the movie was released, people have been flocking to Belitung,” said Edina Sapta, our tour guide. “It’s good for us. The whole town has been cleaned up. Now we even have a famous fast-food joint.”

Despite the rapid development in the island’s capital, there is still no public transport system. Most locals use private cars or motorbikes to get around, while tourists must rent a car to tour the island, costing around Rp 450,000 to Rp 600,000 per day.

Our destination for the day was Tanjung Tinggi beach, featured in many “Laskar Pelangi” scenes and a 30-minute drive from Tanjung Pandan.

As soon as we arrived, I kicked off my shoes and started to run around barefoot. It was one of the most picturesque places I had ever seen. The numerous gigantic granite boulders were spread out over the water and sloped down into a crystal blue lagoon.

I saw none of the pollution people had complained about since the film made the beach a popular destination.

Fascinated by the landscape, I spent hours exploring each granite rock, slipping between cracks of the cliff face and admiring the beauty of the beach. When the sun began to set, I sat back with satisfaction to watch the magnificent natural spectacle of the light playing on the water.

The next day we drove over to Tanjung Kelayang beach, which is set to become the starting point for the Sail Belitung event later this month. From there, we began our trip to Lengkuas Island, one of the 200 miniature atolls surrounding Belitung.

Our speedboat skipped across the aqua blue water, set among gray granite rocks and flocks of snow-white seagulls.

Lengkuas Island was the perfect island paradise, complete with sandy beaches, green water, colorful boats and fantastic coral reefs. It is also famous for its legendary 18-story lighthouse, built in 1882. I braced myself to climb the spiral staircase all the way to the top. I arrived out of breath, but the view was worth every step.

As I stood in the sea breeze at the top of the lighthouse, watching my friends splash about on the beach below, Jakarta and all its problems seemed a distant memory. All I could think about was how magnificent Indonesia was.

I climbed down to join my friends in the water, spending hours playing with the starfish and coral until it was time to go home.

“It’s too bad you only have time to see one island today, Belitung has dozens of other pristine beaches like this,” Edina told me as we headed back across the water. “Next time, perhaps.”

Definitely next time. I headed back to Jakarta that evening with a content heart, and I was already making plans in my head to come back and explore each island in Belitung.

I’ll be back soon. That’s a promise.