Few clouds overcast seen hanging in the sky when Yogyakarta down a winding road in Gunung Kidul.
Aura hot and dry accompanied us all the way, the backdrop is right for the rocky hills that characterizes this district.The atmosphere suddenly changed into fresh as we passed through the entrance gates Baron Beach neighborhood, when the lineup changed dry teak trees fresh green. The sound of waves was heard calling in the distance, making us not wait to feel the fine sand beach and ferocity of the southern sea.
After passing a row of kiosks seafood tempting, we were up on the shores of stunning Baron. Turkish-shaped "U" is flanked by two rows of coral on either side, holding the southern ocean wave that continues raged endlessly. On the west side, there are streams of fresh water that appeared out of nowhere. Which is just along the river a few hundred meters of this boils down to is right on the beach, presents a unique view of the current fresh water and sea water greet each other. Dozens of boats lined up on the white sand beaches brownish, waiting for the tide comes into the sea at night.
When enjoying this sight, a question flashed to our heads: why the name Baron? This name is a little strange because Njowo not memorable at all, unlike the names of neighbors like Krakal beach, Kukup and Indrayanti. Stranger still, the word "baron" is actually derived from the lowest degree of the nobles in the various kingdoms of medieval Europe. How is it possible that so londo word became the name of a somewhat secluded beach in Gunung?
After our search, it turns londo beach name refers to the character Baron Ketoprak Sekeber. Unlike Ketoprak figures in general, the Baron is a noble Sekeber Netherlands (there is also a Spanish or Portuguese) to the science of high magic, even once against Panembahan Senopati the founder of the Sultanate of Mataram. Well, in 1930 the beach was used as a hiding place and storage of weapons by the Netherlands, but not many local residents living in the vicinity. We thought, maybe the beach is named after Baron because there are a lot of Dutch people who had lived there, then grab the legend Baron Sekeber. This beach was eventually named as Baron to commemorate the story of the Caucasians sakti (AH Farhani, 2008).
Apart from this assumption, Baron still presents a scene which we can not miss. Colour underground river water is greenish blends perfectly with greenery on it, before eventually collide with the blue sea water. The sand is not really white, but relatively beautiful when combined with two cliff towering around it. Here, we are advised not to swim because the waves of the Indian Ocean can be cruel to drag us into the sea. Do not worry, we can still enjoy the blue sea from a ship chartered for around Baron beautiful beach area.
High Above Lighthouse Reef
On top of the cliff to the east, we could see a white tower which rises near the gorge, reminiscent of Minas Tirith of the trilogy The Lord of The Ring. Out of curiosity, we went up to the tower through a rocky staircase located just to the east coast. We are required to pay Rp.2000, - / person as the maintenance costs of this ladder. After a few hundred meters, we arrived at the complex Lighthouse Cape Baron are right at the top of the cliff, just like Minas Tirith above The City of Kings. The difference is, there is no city under this lighthouse, only the vast ocean with waves that are malignant.
According to the officer lighthouse keeper, is newly built white tower in February 2014 and inaugurated in December of the same year. 40-meter high lighthouse was established to replace the old lighthouse at his side, in the form of iron tower looks very porous. In addition to replacing the old lighthouse, the tower is also set to add to the tourist attractions in Baron Beach complex. Its original function as a guide ships that pass also retained, although most vessels already have more sophisticated navigation tool.
"Sometimes the sophisticated equipment that is damaged or less accurate, well, if it were so the function of the lighthouse is so crucial to the navigation of ships," says Mr. Jacob, one of the officers who maintain the function of this Baron Cape Lighthouse. "Lighthouses be distance markers and separate every 12 nautical miles (about 22 km), all operated by the Directorate General of Sea Transportation with headquarters in Cilacap. The lights on the tower circled so easily attract the attention of sailors."
By paying Rp.5000 per person, we could enter the lighthouse and enjoy the landscape of Gunung elevation. The room inside the lighthouse is quite large, consisting of 9 floors triangular lot. Each floor is connected by a spiral staircase which is fairly steep and narrower at the top. On the floors even, there is a balcony that can be used to observe the scenery around the lighthouse. On the 7th floor, the spiral staircase was replaced by vertical ladders are slippery, so we were advised to remove footwear when it climbed the stairs. After the stairs were a bit of horror, then we can see a spectacular sight: rows of karst hills that extends to the north, in contrast to the expanse of the ocean were in the south.
From the top of the tower, the wind blows breezy reconcile fatigue felt when we climb the steep stairs. The breadth of the ocean is a fitting background to take pictures with various poses; but we still have to be careful with the strong wind that sometimes blows from the ocean. At the top of lighthouse there are also several sensitive instruments which we may not touch, such as swivel lights, batteries and solar panels that supply electricity to the rest of the lighthouse. In essence, we must be careful and keep it from being damaged buildings, considering the functions that are vital for sailors who crossed the Indian Ocean.
