HAVING successfully managed the black sandy Bulungdaya Beach tourist attraction, now the Antap Delod Sema Customary Village, Antap, Selemadeg, has opened another beach-style object, namely the Yeh Matan Beach. The location is approximately 800 meters to the east of Bulungdaya Beach.
The beach attraction was officially opened right on Galungan Day (June 08) and marked off with offering jukung ride attraction to local people and visitors.
What’s unique about it?
Geographically, the stretch of coastline is directly related to the estuaries of Yeh Matan and Pangkung Celagi. If the estuary water is blocked due to natural factors such as wave conditions or high tides, this area has the potential to be used for riding traditional boat or jukung. Uniquely, this estuary is also like a point that connects three areas, namely that of Antap Delod Sema, Bebali and Klecung.
On the other hand, on each of these beaches there is also a jukung base belonging to local fishermen. Well, the Antap Delod Sema Customary Village then takes advantage of its fishing potential by offering attractions to ride a jukung on Yeh Matan Beach (west part) heading for along the waters of Celagi Creek.
According to I Ketut Yudana, Fundraising Section Head and also a jukung operator, the length of the sailable track is about 1 kilometer and after that the waters are shallow. With a groove width of about 7-8 meters, only one outrigger jukung can pass.
This jukung ride attracts quite a lot of public fans because the same thing was ever offered in the 90s. So by riding this jukung, they seem to be able to reminisce and feel the sensation of sailing like in the past. Passengers don’t have to worry about getting seasick because here there are no waves. The water was so calm that the speed of the boat does not shake.
Throughout the journey, the jukung passengers will be treated to views of the typical vegetation of the estuary such as mangrove trees, nipa palm and others. Because it is traveling at a low speed, the scenery on the left and right could be seen at a leisurely pace.
Chief of Customary Village, I Made Budiastawa, who took part in the exhibition voyage, explained that it is the first step in managing assets owned by customary village that are aligned with environmental conservation programs. In the future, such an attraction will continue to be promoted and developed even though at this stage it only operates during holidays such as Galungan, Umanis Galungan and Kuningan. While arranging the area in stages, his party will seek to make selfie spots, walking trails in the cape area above the jukung base according to their abilities.
Other potential
Yeh Matan estuary also has a large potential for fish or shrimp. The local community or fishermen take advantage of it, especially during the dry season, because the estuary water is blocked by sand thanks to the natural factor of the waves. When the shrimp are grown in the stagnant estuary water, every night many people catch them by making small grooves towards the sea. The crowd make the atmosphere like a night market because they all carry lights.
