On my way, I passed paddy fields which reached as far as the sea. When I walked past, bent figures stretched themselves: "Where are you going?" It is not a question, it is a greeting. "Jalan, jalan," was my answer--going for a stroll. The palm trees were softly rustling in the wind. A sun-dappled path was in front of me. A gentle breeze rippled the surface of the sea. White pieces of coral were washed ashore. Shells glistened in the bright sun. Crabs were running fast across the wet sand and disappeared.

A sudden gust of wind made me shiver. White-crested, pounding waves, the sea claiming more land. The waiter brings coffee and points at the sea: "Nyai Loro Kudul’s realm."
"The Queen of the South Seas?"

He nods.

A little later he accompanies me to room number 308. Soft light streams in through the windows. The room is pleasantly cool. In the wardrobe robes, green robes, her robes. A dressing table with half empty bottle of shampoo, scent, yellow flowers. The bed cover is green. Offerings on a low table and above it her portrait.

"D’you know her story?" I shake my head. "She was King Siliwangi and Queen Kardita’s daughter. Mother and daughter were very beautiful. King Siliwangi’s other wives could not stand this and cursed them. They were bereft of their beauty and the king banned them from his palace. Mother and daughter were wandering about, the mother dies of hardship and Nyai Loro Kudul arrived here in Pelabuhanratu. She could hear the beautiful singing of the sea nymphs and was enchanted."
He steps on to the balcony. "Can you see those rocks? That’s where she jumped into the sea."
"She wanted to die," I said. He nods. "But she didn’t die, she became the Queen of the South Seas. She drags everyone down, to her watery realm. Green is her favorite colour. Don’t wear green." I think about the sudden gust of wind and look at my green T-shirt.

"Don’t challenge her. Wear no green. She rules the ocean."

I had heard stories about the Queen of the South Seas and had been told that many people, also foreigners, had drowned when swimming in the ocean. I had dismissed the "drowning stories" and thought to myself, "inexperience swimmers." Now that I have seen her room and heard her story, I can imagine why people fear her.

Ask the receptionist to show you room 308. You pay a fee and you wait 15–20 minutes as the room must be prepared. Offerings are put down in front of her painting and the air conditioning is switched. Once the room is at a pleasant temperature, you are escorted to her room. You can stay as long as you like and take as many photos as you wish.