Pantai Burung Mandi
A calm, shallow beach in East Belitung. The water is so shallow you can walk 50 meters out and it still only reaches your waist. Right across the road stands the magnificent Kwan Im Temple.
Pantai Burung Mandi does not have giant granite boulders or an iconic lighthouse. What it has: soft sand, warm and calm water, and waves you can barely feel. This is a beach for relaxing. For sitting on the sand with a cold young coconut. For letting children run at the waterline without worry. Locals come here every weekend, and more and more travelers are discovering that the simplest beaches are often the most enjoyable.
Half a minute's walk from the beach, there is the Kwan Im Temple. The building is large, its architecture unmistakably Chinese with red curved roofs and detailed dragon ornaments. In the front courtyard, an 18-meter white marble statue of the Goddess Kwan Im stands facing the sea. Her hand is raised in a gesture of blessing. This place is still actively used for worship, so please be respectful and keep your voice low. A beach and a temple, two different worlds, standing side by side without needing to push each other out. That is Belitung.