Kemaro Island and a love story

Kemaro Island is an island in the River Musi. The island locates at a distance of around 5 km downstream from the Ampera Bridge in Palembang. The island locates close to the north bank of River Musi. For a long time, the island is a famous tourist destination for locals and even for foreigners visiting Palembang.

The island is easy to reach by so-called speedboats. The speedboats for cruising on River Musi are available all along the river banks. The name is true, they are very fast on the river. That makes me some headaches using a boat. Above all, Musi is a waterway and on the river cruising big ships as well. I was scared a little to use a speedboat.

The mystic of legends is everywhere in Indonesia so even here. The legend is about a wonderful love story between a Chinese prince and a Srivijaya princess. Their graveyard is in front of the Chinese temple.

Every time the little boat passes a big ship, the boat jumps over big wake waves. After that, I feel like cruising in a nutshell on the ocean. The speed is really fast. The boat jumped from wave to wave with a loud bang. The skipper had fun doing this and apparently amused about my scared face. However, the ride takes 15 minutes and I’m happy to arrive on the island.

The icon of Kemaro island is the pagoda. The pagoda is already visible from far. However, the pagoda is even a landmark for Palembang as well. The island is the home of a Chinese and a Buddhist temple.

The walk in the shadow of the trees is pleasant, especially as it’s already quite hot. After a rest, some coconut water and sticky rice, it’s time for the return ride.