Forgotten Paradise
At the coast of West Java, Carita is located, a small village with a view over Anak Krakatau, one of Indonesia’s active volcanoes. A home to many fisherman but also a place with lots of hotels and resorts which reveal Carita’s touristic past.
Calling it Carita’s touristic past because hotels and resorts are empty. Carita’s story is about the sadness of the disappeared happiness. Bits are left of what once was a paradise for people all over the world, as well as for the locals who pray to bring back those vivid times. As in many places in Indonesia, Carita had its own culture and traditions. Houses made from wood and people walking around in traditional clothing. They made their own instruments like the karinding, made from bamboo and palm tree. The boys did martial arts while the girls practiced their traditional dance. All this took place in between the wilderness of jungle and ocean. With, in the distance, the sounds of the humming Anak Krakatau.
Fascinated by this volcano, a German geologist named Dr. Axel Ridder came to Carita. During the 70’s he build the Krakatau Beach Hotel. The beginning of the flow of tourists who wanted to spend their holiday in this tropical town. The opening of Krakatau Beach Hotel also caused a new source of income for the locals. Dr. Axel Ridder hired around 150 people. Everyday new tourists came and stayed for days to explore Carita’s culture, traditions and untouched nature. Also Indonesians from other areas saw their chance to move here and start their business.
Carita got bigger and started to develop with new hotels, resorts and other touristic attractions. But during the 90’s this paradise changed when an economic crisis did hit Indonesia. A big company bought Krakatau Beach Hotel and replaced it for a one kilometers long hotel along Carita’s beach. It destroyed the beautiful nature and the traditional looks this village once had.
Until now only local tourists from the big cities close by spend their weekends at Carita beach. The hotels and resorts once so busy, are now empty. Some places are totally abandoned or not taken care off. Hidden between the houses, working locals and busy roads you find ruins of old buildings, sometimes overgrown with plants.
A new generation is putting lots of effort in bringing Carita’s tourism back to life. With their ideas and creativity, they hope Carita can go back to how it was before.