Indonesia Inside

Pelabuhan Ratu is an isolated fishing village at the south coast of West Java in the Sukabumi Regency. It is about four hours’ drive from Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, whose residents love to visit the Teluk Pelabuhan Ratu Bay, once named "Wijnkoopsbaai" by the Dutch. The form is that of a large horseshoe and the first you notice are the enormous waves that can be very treacherous. The Javanese locals tell that the Indian Ocean is the home of Nyai Loro Kidul who reigns along the south-coast of all Java.

Myths tell about the legendary Queen of the South Sea, as the name of Pelabuhan Ratu means "Queen’s Harbor". Here in the bay of the harbor of the Queen the legend of Nyai Roro Kidul must have been created where drownings do regularly occur. Javanese locals who named this place "Muara Ratu" (riverside of the queen) do fear the South Sea Spirit-Queen who takes fishermen and swimmers to the dept of the ocean where the underwater palace is in her watery kingdom. So homage is paid to the Queen of the South Sea on April 6th. and in June when a garish thanksgiving festival is celebrated all along the coast.

The first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, was involved with the idea to build a hotel on the spot where the Samudra Beach Hotel is located. Here room 308 is specially prepared for the legendary Queen of the South Sea and is decorated with green furnishment which is the colour of the Queen. Outside of the balcony the top of a tree just reaches for the room and it is told this "ketapang" tree belongs to President Sukarno, because here he got a spiritual inspiration to construct the hotel. Anybody can stay in the room for a while to pray, to meditate, to ask some questions of spiritual matters. Because of all kind of strange events this room became the "Bewitched Room" …