Those traveling to Bali by land passing trough Java, enjoy the common sight seen from the bus such as coastal views of Java, fisherman at work and coastal cultures, especially the ritual to show gratitude to the God of the sea – petik laut. Indonesia is an archipelago, so it has a lot of coastal areas. Ketapang at banywangi – East Java is the departure gate and Gilimanuk in the regency of jembrana is the entrance gate to Bali. The coastal area in Banyuwangi is the heaven for fishermen.
The people of Muncar annually carry out the ceremony of petik laut with offerings and sacrifices put in traditional boats. Before going to the sea, they hold a carnival around the village followed by folk dance – Gandrung. The Banyuwangi Tourism Authority has published the annual event on its calendar of events. The venue of celebration is above the bali strait, between Sembulungan peninsula and the coastal area in Jembrana – west Bali. The Tradition has been carried out since the Blambangan kingdom.
Jembrana regency is the neighboring region to Banyuwangi. It has a lot of fishing villages above its coastal area stretching from west to east, from Gilimanuk to the eastern village of Pengeragoan about 85 km. The beaches are divided into 2 parts: eastern and western where Ijo Gading river acts as the border. Fisherman living in the villages of Pengambengan, Pebuahan, Cupel, Candikusuma and Gilimanuk hold their ceremonies for giving thanks to the God of the sea in the traditional javanese way because most of them come from Banyuwangi and Madura, as well as from Sulawesi. Those living above the eastern coast, especilly people of Perancak, carry out the tradition in a Balinese way. They perform balinese dance and play gamelan on the beach. All of the ceremonies are held anually during the month of August. But the unique cultural event has not yet been published in the calendar of events by the Jembrana administration.
The fishing villages are interesting for tourists, especially fishing markets that are opened early in the morning. The fishermen use traditional boats – perahu or sampan – canoe at the night time, leaving behind their beloved wives and family members, and returning home early the following morning. When they are not at work, their perahus are parked on the beach. For the ceremony, they repair and paint the boats with contrasting colors and beautiful characters such as the goddess of the south sea locally known as Nyi Loro Kidul.
The fishermen bring back fish, crab, shrimmp or lobster, and sell them at the public markets in the town, or to restaurants who serve seafood, and to the fish canning industry. In Gilimanuk and other towns, it is easy for tourists to find sea food stalls. On the beach of Pebuahan for in stance, there are many sea food stalls, resembling Jimbaran by in the regency of Badung.
Tourist Objects on the beachs in Jembrana regency are: Penyeragoan, Gumbrih, Pekutatan, Medewi, Rambut Siwi, Delodberawah, Perancak, Rening, Candikusuma and Gilimanuk. In some places, tourists and fisherman are in one pot. For instance, tourists staying at Puri Dajuma cottage at the beach of Pangkung Jukung often get greeted “selamat pagi” by the fisherman when walking around their hotel in the morning. Completing the tourist attraction on fishing villages, a turtle sanctuary was founded at Perancak beach by the World Wild Life Fund in 1997. The regional research of south East Asia for marine life was founded a few years ago on the same beach supporting the life of fishery. The institution provides information on the pollution, impact of global warming or the recent problems of red tide which can kill many fish.
Due the fact that life in the fishing villages is interesting for the tourist industry, a few years ago, the former chariman of Bali Hotel & Restaurant Association, (PHRI) Gede Wirata, who is from a village in Jembrana, had a dream to construct a floating market above the Perancak river, but these plans have yet to be actualized. “alluring tourists to west Bali with focuses of interest in fishing attractions, we must build a floating market”, he said.

News by International Bali Post

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