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Sekongkang
is a small village split
into two sections: Sekongkang Bawah (Lower Sekongkang) and Sekongkang
Atas (Upper Sekongkang). The regional government lists the population
of Sekongkang as 6,561 people living on 305 square kilometers. That estimate
seems rather high for just Sekongkang; it seems likely that Maluk is
included in this figure. The population density is a whopping 22 
people
per square kilometer. Sekongkang Bawah has an elementary school and a
middle school. A puskesmas (public health center) was just finished and
is in operation. Sekongkang Bawah also has a small market and a variety
of small shops selling the usual things: drinks, rice, noodles, laundry
detergent, soap, cigarettes, and other daily necessities of life. Of
course, Sekongkang also has a mosque. The pace of life in Sekongkang
is slow - a 15 minute walk will take you from one end of the village
to the other. As most of the island is still developing, there is a very
rural feel to just about everywhere that you go. Horses, water buffalo,
and goats wander the road grazing here and there. There is no phone service
in Sekongkang, so cell phones (called HP - pronounced ha-pay) are necessary
if you want to get in touch with anyone in the outside world, although
there is a telephone kiosk in Sekongkang Atas where you can make a call.
Sekongkang has electricity although it is subject to frequent outages.
The
big mining company, Newmont, has a gold and copper mine
down in the southwestern corner of the island. Their presence has speeded
up the development process. A lot of construction is going on in Sekongkang
and the surrounding areas. We are just one of the many families building
new houses here. There are now four hotels in the Sekongkang area that
run from the upscale Hotel Tropical to Yoyo's
which
is cheaper but still too pricey for most surfers and backpackers to Rantung
just down the road from Yoyo which is cheaper but doesn't offer much
other than being directly on the beach to Hotel Mega Arafah which is
in the village about five minutes from the beach and has cheap rooms
and a pleasant atmosphere. As far as the local expats go, Hotel Tropical
is their hangout outside of townsite. A few drop over at Yoyo's for drink
ocassionally. Surfers tend to come for a few days and then move on to
another beach down here always looking for the best waves. The local
elementary school, SD1, is not bad. My children seem to enjoy school
for the most part and are doing better than the did in their private
school in Bali. There are about 100 students in SD1. Just across the
road from the elementary school is a new middle school which Newmont
had a large part in building.
Sekongkang is the kind of place that you can get to like if you are fond of small town life. If you like excitement, a variety of entertainment and shopping opportunities, Sekongkang is going to get old very quickly. I find it quite enjoyable.
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