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20. Ambarawa

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the pride of the museum, in front of the station (taken from behind the fence)

The story of a closed railway museum in Ambarawa and a simple lunch in an institution in Magelang.

The only reason to come to Ambarawa, a not particularly attractive town on the busy Semarang-Yogyakarta road, is to visit the railway museum here. I am not a particularly keen railway enthusiast, but I do appreciate train travel, and the charm of old railway stations, which in Ambarawa is the Koning Willem I station of 1873 and happens to be the center of the museum around which the ancient rolling stock has been set out. And since we were in Bandungan, very close to Ambarawa – no, we didn’t come specifically for the museum – we decided to give it a try.

tutup means closed…

Three ankhots further, having negotiated the main through-road twice, we arrived at the museum, to find it closed for renovation. But, eh, the rolling stock – an impressive collection of railway engines – is outside, visible on the other side of the fence, and the station is an open building. Having walked all around the fence, we found the weak part; in fact a lady showed where we could climb in, which we did. Once again, illegally! Only to be spotted within five minutes, by the security guard, who threw us out again. At least he did so through the main entrance. Arguing that my grandfather had been the station master in Ambarawa, and we had come all the way from Holland to see the place, didn’t help. If we wanted to visit, we should write a letter to the head office in Semarang, and patiently wait for their response. And that was it.

rolling stock outside

the Koning Willem I station

some of the rolling stock look somewhat weird

the train tracks pass right through the kampung

The good thing was that, to recover from our mild disappointment, we ended up in the restaurant of Pak Edi, who also has a car rental agency – he has a car, and he rents it out with himself as the driver. As we were heading for Yogyakarta that afternoon, this was an opportunity not to be missed, avoiding the ankhots and the busses, especially the changes. And best of all was that Pak Edi also took us for lunch in Magelang, a place about halfway, where he insisted on the Pelopor restaurant. Obviously an institution, along the main road through town, an ever so simple warung as there are so many all over Indonesia, but this one was packed, cars and motorbikes blocking part of the road and all of the pavement outside, every table fully occupied. One dish only, Tahu Kupat, which is fried tofu with lonton – sticky rice – and bean sprouts, swimming in peanut sauce. Comes in three varieties, spicy, medium spicy or non-spicy. And is absolutely fabulous!

next: back to Yogyakarta

the front of the restaurant, an institution

the inside, not different from any other warung, except that it is full

the staff, at work

and this is what a plate of Tahu Kupat looks like

19. Bandungan

Blog entries

Gunung Sumbing, well over 3000m

Another developed tourist spot around Hindu temples, but with the most amazing volcano views.

Bandungan was, and I suppose still is, a hill station away from simmering Semarang, at the north coast of Java. We came from the other side, of course, from Wonosobo, so never made it to the real heat of the coast. The place is teeming with hotels, but many a little seedy. Interestingly, when we booked our room, via the booking site Agoda, only one hotel showed up, which turned out to be an almost empty government-type of hotel. Eerie atmosphere of abandonment; large pool, with water, but only one deck chair, half broken. Karaoke is on offer everywhere – except our hotel – and as it was a public holiday, we were treated from afternoon to late night.

sweet potatos in the Bandungan market

bananas

and what they call stinking green beans, officially petai beans

The village itself is somewhat chaotic; a permanent traffic jam around a market that spilled onto the road – which thus caused at least part of the traffic jam.

one of the temples, in a beautiful setting

the entrance of one of the temples

the slopes in between the temples are used for agriculture

We had come here to visit Gedong Songo, which means ‘nine buildings’ in the local language. The buildings refer to a series of small temples – in fact quite a few more than nine, but nine is an auspicious number – located up the lower slopes of a mountain range, Gunung Ungaran. We decided to go early, to best appreciate the views, so early that there didn’t seem to be any ankhots – mini busses – yet, but luckily a very nice man with a pick up stopped, and gave us a lift. He proudly told us he had participated in the karaoke, last night, after which I thought him a lot less nice, but he dropped us at the entry gate of the temple complex. Once again the description, of steep mountain paths, and a trail leading down to hot sulphur springs, turned out to be more adventurous than the reality. Like the Dieng Plateau, this place is also utterly developed. The mountain path and the trail are actually well laid out stone paths, including steps where it becomes steeper, and the hot sulphur spring is a well-developed pool, with changing rooms and showers, where spring water is collected. The pool was closed, although a group of Indonesian punks had managed to get in – we didn’t, we didn’t try.

Gunung Merbabu, and probably Merpati behind it

Gunung Sumbing, once again

The temples are not very impressive, although they are nicely enough set against the mountain slopes. The real reason to come, and to come early, is the view: volcanoes galore, I don’t think I have ever seen so many at the same time. Two individual perfectly shaped strato-volcanos rise up to the west and south-west, Gunung Sindoro (the one we saw also from Wonosobo) and Gunung Sunbing. Right in front, to the south, is the more complex Gunung Merbabu, and perhaps – I am not sure – Gunung Merapi, one of the most active volcanos of Central Java, behind it. Then there is another volcano, very far in the distance, just the outline visible, which must be – incredibly, 70 km or more away! – Gunung Lawu. And that makes it all well worth the effort, again. Fascinating!

next: to the railway museum in Ambawara

and both, Gunung Sumbing to the left and Gunung Sindoro to the right

18. Dieng Plateau

Blog entries

just a pretty picture of dew on a leave, to start this entry with

Perhaps it wasn’t our day, but the Dieng Plateau was not as spectacular as we had expected, in fact, it was hugely over-developed.

The expectations were high for the Dieng Plateau, reason that we went out of our way to get here. Various sites and guidebooks speak lofty about “spectacular landscapes” and “beautiful settings”, and the promise of bubbling mud pools, craters with steaming sulphur smoke, emerald green lakes and some of the oldest Buddhist temples in Java must be enough to draw the most skeptical tourist to this volcanic plateau. Well, maybe. Apparently, the plateau used to be riddles with temples, more than 400 of them, all 8^th and 9^th Century, but there are only eight left. And they are rather humble constructions, so to speak, on par with the one we encountered near Garut, rather than with the Borobudur. But that still leaves emerald green lakes and steaming craters.

I had thought, from the descriptions, that we would be walking across the plateau, finding a path here, a track there, to reach the sites. And when the bus driver – the bus that had picked us up at the Wonosobo bus stop! – offered to interrupt his schedule, and drive us around to visit the sites, I thought he was confused. Or somehow our communication in Bahasa Indonesia had broken down. You couldn’t drive to the sites! I was wrong, it was me who was ignorant and naive. All the sites are actually connected by tarmac roads, and well sign-posted. Any site that has a tarmac road going to it, means that cars and motorbikes – and busses – can easily reach it, and thus that Indonesians can easily flock to it. Which turns the site into a tourist trap, complete with horses to sit on to have your picture taken; funnily dressed people, in warrior costume, angry bird costume or other totally irrelevant dress-up, to enlighten your photographs, too; and lots of Indonesian youths who at the sight of a bule – a foreigner – instantly loose interest in the reason they came here for, and cannot think of anything funnier than shout “hello mister” and “what’s your name” in between uncontrollable giggles – the larger the group, the worse.

the lake, Telaga Warna

another view of the lake, picture-perfect and peaceful…

At first it didn’t seem too bad. We arrived at the famous lake, but the gate was closed – every site is developed to the extent that it has been fenced off, and you only get in through a formal entrance, with ticket booth. Well, mostly, since this one was closed we actually managed to squeeze in between fence and wall, and entered the compound, illegally! The lake lay in front of us, and admittedly was very beautiful. So we walked around, and around a second lake, a peaceful half an hour stroll without meeting anybody except the odd farmer – and the odd motorbike -, only to find that the official entrance had been further down the road – where is was indeed teeming with Indonesian youths in a radius of five minutes-walk from the entrance.

Kawah Sibentang, the crater

Next on the circuit was a temple, which was closed because it was being restored, and then the steaming crater with bubbling mud pools was awaiting us. Here no funnily dressed people, no, to enlighten your photos you can rent a motorbike, drive to the crater and have some of your friends take a picture of you, with steam behind you. And drive around, and again, and again. And the noise! Mind you, the small crater is real enough, the sulphur steam, and its smell, omnipresent, the mud is bubbling – around the many plastic bottles that have been thrown in the mud pool. It is just that the setting, the entourage, isn’t what one would expect – nothing like Papandayan, for instance.

violently bubbling mud pool in the center of the crater

and the inevitable rubbish – plastic bottles- in the mud pool

one of the smaller temples, Candi Gatutkaca

and the main temple in the Candi Arjuna complex

pipes and geothermal installations dominate much of the landscape

We walked on to a couple of temples, part of the tourist route, and then we tried some other roads, to get away from the standard circuit and finally enjoy some of that spectacular landscape. Which wasn’t that spectacular, really, and was dominated by large pipes that tap geothermal energy from some of the other craters. The weather was closing in. Time to head back. An illusion poorer, but an experience richer.

next: more temples and volcanos in Bandungan

one of the plateau inhabitants has seen it all before

17. Wonosobo

Blog entries

market stall in Wonosobo

Wonosobo is not only a good base from which to approach the Dieng Plateau, it is a very nice town in its own right, with lots of novel initiatives.

The reason one comes to Wonosobo, is to visit the nearby Dieng Plateau. It is just that Wonosobo has much better facilities than the small village of Dieng, worth the one hour commute up to the plateau in the morning, and back again later.

But Wonosobo has much more. Having been encouraged by our bus trip to Borobudur, we had once again opted for the bus, which worked pretty well, including transfer, and we arrived not too much later than we had been told we would arrive. But we arrived in the pouring rain. How to get to our guest house, the one we booked the day before? Oh, just take a taxi. A taxi? Wonosobo has radio taxis, equipped with meters and with GPS! So somebody just radioed a taxi for us. Right, but in the pouring rain? In London or New York, that would be a 45 minute wait if you are lucky. Not so in Wonosobo, within two minutes the taxi was there, the taxi driver even got out – in the still pouring rain – to get our bags (try that in London or New York), and another five minutes later we arrived in our guest house.

a real bus stop!

How to get to the Dieng Plateau, the next morning? Oh, just take the bus on the corner, from the bus stop. Bus stop? You must be joking. But no, Wonosobo has a bus stop! That doesn’t mean that the bus does not stop anywhere else, of course, but still, a real bus stop, we hadn’t seen that yet, not in Indonesia, and not in many comparable countries we traveled to, the last 25 years.

garbage bins, encouraging people to separate organic waste from the rest

more chicken for sale

the coffee palace, front porch entirely hung with coffee sachets

the Wonosobo fuel station

In fact, Wonosobo is one of those really pleasant provincial towns. Exceedingly friendly people, again, and lots of initiatives. A parking garage in the centre, for motorbikes – that still doesn’t mean that bikes are not also stalled on the pavement, too, but less so. A waste separation system at the main square, with bins for “organik” and “anorganik” – that doesn’t mean that rubbish is not thrown all over town, too, but less so; it neither means that waste is separated, but from what we have seen the past two weeks, such initiative needs to be encouraged, Indonesia has to get to grips with its waste problem.

Alas, the market is still outside, but that makes for pretty pictures, again.

next: the Dieng Plateau

Gunung Sindoro dominates the view from Wonosobo

16. Borobudur

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Borobudur, near the top (courtesy one haphazard, accompanying tourist)

Borobudur is the most preeminent tourist site in Indonesia, a Buddhist temple of impressive size and architecture as well as a gallery in stone of some exquisite bas-reliefs.

It’s somewhat ironic that the two biggest tourist attractions in Indonesia – the largest Muslim nation in the world – must be a Buddhist temple, and the beach paradise of Bali, thanks to its Hindu culture about the only place where as a woman you can get into the sea in a swimsuit. Bali we won’t do, averse as we are to tourists, but Borobudur is a must-see.

About an hour’s drive from Yogyakarta, this was perhaps a good moment to try the bus again. And it was indeed. After an uncomfortably long wait at the bus station, where luxury touring car after luxury touring car passed through, but none with destination Borobudur, our bus finally pulled in. An old, battered, non-AC vehicle which, despite significantly speeding wherever possible, took almost two hours to reach Borobudur, thanks to all the people that want to get in and get off outside the regular bus stations. To cushion the blow a bit, we had booked ourselves into a really nice hotel.

approach to the temple

To get up at 4.30 in the morning, or not to get up at 4.30, that was the question. The reason to get up early, is to see the sun rise, obviously, but when we arrived late afternoon, it was raining, and the weather forecast didn’t promise much better weather ahead. In the end we didn’t get up at 4.30, but at 7, which was great, because by the time we got to the temple complex, all the early groups were leaving, and the bus tours from Yogyakarta had not yet arrived. Perfect timing, we had the complex, although not entirely, pretty much for ourselves.

near the temple, stupa on the top, and note the bas-reliefs on the lower levels

statue, still with head

one of the upper galleries

The temple complex is in fact just one temple, with nine levels, reputedly built from 2 million blocks. At the top are a number of stupas, surrounding a bigger central stupa, but the nicest part is actually walking the lower levels, with extensive stone carvings telling the story of man’s path to enlightenment; the top level, with the stupas, represents the ultimate goal, nirvana. To be honest, I am not a specialist in Buddhist teachings, but many of the carvings are esthetically and artistically of high quality, a pleasure to look at even without understanding the larger context. Faces of many of the women are executed with nice, soft expressions, warriors look really menacing. The carving of a boat shows how far developed shipping in Asia had already been at the end of the 8^th Century, when these reliefs were created.

bas-relief of three women

bas-relief of old men

bas-relief of foot soldiers

bas-relief of a ship

bas-relief of two novice monks

bas-relief of a warrior

Parts of the temple have been restored; after all, it is already remarkable that such a monument still stands in Indonesia, with its many earthquakes and volcanoes. I suspect vandalism will have taken its toll, too, many of the sculptures are missing their heads. Add to that bomb attacks, such as the one in 1985 by an anti-Suharto group, and one starts to appreciate the solidity of 8^th Century construction! Except that the foundations proved to be rather shaky. The main restoration phase in the 1970’s and early 1980’s saw the temple being taken down almost stone by stone, and build up again after concrete foundation had been put in place. Yet, and intriguingly, when one visits the museum, on the way out, there are still hundreds of stones set out in the museum garden, like pieces of a giant puzzle that haven’t been fit yet…

next: to Wonosobo

random stones in the garden of the museum, one big jigsaw puzzle

15. Yogyakarta (1)

Blog entries

the transport of choice in central Yogya

A very pleasant train ride to what is reputed to be one of Indonesia’s nicest cities; touristic it is, but not disturbingly so, and different modes of transport are endless.

view from the train

Not yet having regained our faith in the public busses, and being offered the opportunity, we took a train from Tasikmalaya to Yogyakarta. And with a train I mean a train, this is how long distance travel was always supposed to be. The Lodaya Pagi, business and executive class only, connecting Jakarta in the west with Surabaya in the east of Java, took just under five hours from Tasik to Yogya, without traffic jams, without the noise of motorbikes, without narrow seats where you need to fold your legs over your shoulders. Large comfortable Pullman wagons, reclining chairs, warm lunch served around noon. Landscape of hills, palm trees, padis, more palm trees, volcanoes, more palm trees, villages and the occasional town, and more palm trees, slowly passing by. This is how travel was meant to be.

We had so far not met many foreign tourists, but Yogyakarta changed that. Close to Borobudur and other temples, and an attractive city in itself, this is where the tourists congregate. It also changes the way people treat you, with more indifference than we had experienced elsewhere. In a way, that was a welcome change, like not so often hearing the “hello, mister” and not so often being asked to pose in the photograph. But it also erodes the spontaneity from the average Indonesian somewhat, everything becomes much more business-like, from restaurant waiter to becak driver, they have all seen it before. Still, we met plenty of very friendly people, too, from the market seller who makes me try his spicy krupuk to the head of the tourist information office, in whose restaurant we happened to eat.

the motorbike is still transportation number one, of course

Remarkably, we met hardly any hard sellers in batik, something Yogya is famous for (hard sellers as well as batik), and most of the touts outside the monuments quickly backed off once they realized we were not interested in bamboo flutes, hats, sun glasses or books. We have had that different, in the past!

not every becak driver is always busy

Yogya is also good for food – a wide variety of kitchens, with so many foreigners to satisfy -, and for various forms of transport. The central part where everything is happening is relatively compact – I say relatively, because in the end everything is always much further than you think it is -, relatively compact, thus, meaning that some of the slower forms of transport are perfectly acceptable here. We tried the becak, a push bike with a double seat in the front, and with sun roof (well, double seat for Indonesian people, we Westerners are in fact too big to fit the two of us; also, with a sun roof, that needs to be folded away, as we Westerners are too tall), and the motorized becak, same thing but with a small moped engine, so much faster, and much less guild feeling. Then there is the andong, a horse-drawn cart, which picks up and drops off passengers as the driver sees fit, but as a foreigner you are generally expected to charter the whole thing. Which is all still perfectly affordable, with or without bargaining. What all of this does to the traffic of Yogyakarta, especially in the narrow streets of its centre, is easy to imagine, yet, most people seem to take it lightly. In fact, traffic here seems to be much better than in Jakarta or Bandung. I tell you more, Yogya is actually a very pleasant town to walk around in.

choice of andongs, horse-drawn carts

our andong driver, you wouldn’t imagine him on a motorbike

More about the sites later. But first, to the Borududur.

See here for our hotel choice, an absolute gem.

Yogya street view from the andong

14. the bamboo raft

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the bamboo raft

Another thing we did around Garut was visiting a little 8^th Century temple, called Candi Cangkuang (candi means temple). Admittedly, we didn’t go for the temple, which is indeed very small, and not very special, but for the setting, on a small island inside a lake, and the transport to the island, on bamboo rafts. You may have noticed that, as a side issue, we have taken an interest in the various ways of transport In Indonesia, and a bamboo raft, that needs to be tried.

the raft has a re-inforced walkway from front to back, and a little shelter for passengers

the boat man, punting

if you come to visit the island and can’t take your motorbike, what do you do with your helmet? Right, you keep it on!

In fact, as so many things in West Java, the crossing is extremely well organized. The bamboo raft is not the unstable contraption of yesteryear – of which I had seen pictures -, but a large, well-constructed raft, with a reinforced walkway from front to back, which passes a small hut where passengers can sit in the shade. And the distance to the island is such, that if you would put five or six of these rafts length-wise together, you could walk. There are many more than five or six rafts, and they continuously go up and down, punted by the boat man.

the approach to the temple

and the temple itself, really small

Yet the experience was what counted. We were the only bule – Indonesian for white man, or foreigner -, which as usual is good for a lot of giggling among the local youth. Also as usual, we ended up in a lot of photographs: when I offered two girls who were taking photos of each other in front of the temple to take a picture of them both, with their telephone, they said, no, no, we want a picture with you in it. And they quickly found somebody else to take it. And once the ice was broken, everybody else also wanted in the picture.

a large part of the island is used as a cemetery

fishing in the lake, surrounding the temple island

We managed to slip away, and walk around the island, which in fact was mostly the local cemetery. Away from the crowds, a very peaceful place.

And then we got back on the bamboo raft, of course.

next: our first stop in Yogyakarta

and the view from the raft, quintessential Javanese

13. Kampung Naga

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Kampung Naga, down in the valley

An original Sunda village in between picture-perfect rice padis.

What we know as Indonesia, is in fact a collection of different groups thrown together in an ethnic melting pot. The original West Javanese culture is that of the Sunda, one of the biggest population groups, who have historically occupied the highlands. Of course, cultural differences, also in Indonesia, are increasingly disappearing with ever further integration, but there are pockets of Sundanese that remain proud of their heritage.

banana stall along the road

picture-perfect rice padis

One such pocket in Kampung Naga, a typical Sundanese village between the provincial towns of Garut and Tasikmalaya. The village, situated in between picture-perfect rice padis at a riverbank down a steep valley, consists entirely of original Sundanese houses, tightly packed together. All the houses have been made from bamboo mats, forming the walls, and thatched roofs, and they look well maintained. The villagers, obviously proud of their village, do not allow any modern construction, like corrugated iron or concrete walls. Some recent improvements, like concrete washing basins and stone paths, have been added, but even these have been neatly integrated into the village – rather unusual, I would say, as in most places I have come across, modernity has crept into villages as an ugly, but convenient and cost-efficient replacement of original materials, with little regard for the esthetic consequences. Not so in Kampung Naga, where people have clearly gone out of their way to maintain the original character of their village.

all original houses, built close together

and the houses are well-maintained

local musical instruments on display – no, we didn’t make an offer, and we are not carrying them home

one of the villagers

and another one fishing, and oblivious of the visitors around him

There is an eerie atmosphere around the place. Obviously a touristic attraction, there is no entry fee, and the village only seems to benefit through some souvenir production, bamboo baskets and bags and the lot, and perhaps selling some drinks – especially on the way back up, to the car park, a steep climb! Visitors, foreign and Indonesian alike, walking in between their houses doesn’t seem to disturb the villagers, who keep going about their business, largely ignoring the outsiders – but ever friendly, and ready for a chat if you show interest. A bit unreal, altogether. And I don’t get the business model. But a nice enough excursion it was.

Another expression of Sundanese culture we got that evening, in Tasikmalaya (where we were to catch the train to Jogjakarta the next day). In a tiny little garage Imra Nurdin had started her own business, Kampung Tasik, a Sundanese speciality restaurant. We seldom before had such good Indonesian food, so good in fact that we forgot to take a picture of the dishes before we devoured them.

next: by bamboo raft to a little island temple

12. Cipanas

Blog entries

gas plume from the Papandayan volcano

A village around a hot water spring, which is being exploited by the local hotels, and close to one of the most spectacular volcano craters of Java, Papandayan.

Cipanas means hot water. There are many Cipanases in Indonesia, this one is close to the provincial town of Garut, which lies nestled in a valley surrounded by volcanoes. Volcanoes were the main reason for coming here, but we are not averse to hot springs, of course, so we booked ourselves into a really nice hotel, not only with spring water swimming pool, but also with spring water piped directly to the bath and shower in your room. I am still trying to get rid of the sulphur smell, after an indeed invigorating bath.

Gunung Cikuray in the distance

laundry drying – this country is permanently washing cloth

old lady in the village behind our hotel

Behind our hotel, Gunung Gunther was towering above the village, and the surrounding rice paddies. A little further down the road was another volcano, Gunung Cikuray, perfectly shaped as you would expect it. But the real target was Gunung Papandayan, one of the most active volcanos on Java.

the crater of Gunung Papandayan

As with many volcanoes in Indonesia, you can drive up quite a long way, usually to within less than an hour’s walk of the crater. We had hired a car and driver for the occasion, yet the road was in such atrocious condition that I found myself wandering more than once whether walking up wouldn’t actually be quicker. In the event, having left early, we reached the parking still well before any officials, and we, and a local guide, had the mountain entirely for ourselves. Well, almost entirely: even here we were disturbed by the occasional noise of a motorbike, negotiating his way up the track to reach some unspecified location on the other side of the mountain.

and even here, motorbikes

fumes and vents where the 1976 eruption took place

the fumes play games with the sun light, creating a very spooky atmosphere

sulphur deposits

Papandayan has an ancient crater, of which about three-quarter of the rim is still intact, and in which smaller craters have formed, linked to smaller, later eruptions. The two most evocative ones are the place of a 1976 eruption, where sulphur vents and hot boiling water are still reaching the surface in several different spots, colouring the surrounding rocks orange and yellow, in a clearly very active zone with a continuous expulsion of grey smoke and an sometimes suffocating sulphur smell, and the location of the 2002 eruption, which, in contrast, consists of a serene green lake, above which just one plume of sulphur smoke reminds you that this volcano still has more in stock. Just so your forget, burned trees along the slope on the way down are another proof of the most recent activity.

and a little further, the serene green lake of the 2002 mini-crater, with plume

plenty of different colours, here a red water fall

and burnt trees on the slope down

Back in the car park, a couple of hours later, the officials had arrived, and we duly paid our entry tickets, after which the usual discussion arose about how we could be made to pay yet more. We just left, not wanting to spoil the memory of a fabulous experience.

next: Kampung Naga

11. Malabar Tea Estate

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plantation worker on the Malabar Tea Estate

The perfect retreat on West Java, away from bustling Bandung and Jakarta, except that there is little to do – and there is nobody; perhaps that is the attraction.

The longer we stayed at the Guest House of the Malabar Tea Estate, the more we got the impression of unrealized potential. The plantation is huge, tea as far as the eye can see, even after having climbed the hills. The Guest House is, in fact, the beautiful old planter’s house, probably well over a 100 years old, which has been turned into a lobby and dining room with a lot of character. Outside are a few wooden bungalows, with views over the tea-covered hills, and a block with nine modern rooms, attractively and comfortably furnished, each with a terrace in front, looking out over the lawn. Immaculately kept. Flower beds, not quite the Bogor Botanical Gardens, but impressive nevertheless.

the Malabar Guest House

the Mess Malabar (as the restaurant is called)

plenty flowers in the gardens of the Guest House

view from Gunung Nini, a nearby hill

tea bushes (1)

tea bushes (2)

And there is nothing to do. Well, you can take walks in between the tea, and onto several of the hills, and fabulous walks they are, with fabulous vistas. But there is no map of the estate, so you cannot really plan anything. We accidentally came upon the tomb of Karel Bosscha, the man who managed the estate from 1896 to his death in 1928. To get to the tea factory, you need a car, really, whilst it would be so easy – and fun to do – to rent a bicycle. Or a mountain bike, ideal for the hills around. And, whilst at it, why not lay out a mountain bike trail? Or build a pool? (Other plantations, apparently, have gone this way)

traditional houses in the Sunda village

a window in the village

As it is, the place is almost entirely undeveloped. Which has its attractions, naturally: we had the place essentially for our own, except for one other couple there were no other guests, and it didn’t sound like they were going to expect a lot of people for the weekend. But for a drink, except for a cup of tea, we had to go to the small village behind the Guest House, because there is no bar. We had to order lunch and dinner – like that, lunch and dinner, no choice of food -, and better do this well in advance, otherwise kokkie (the cook) had disappeared already. There is, in short, not much else on offer than walks around the tea plantation.

plantation worker busy picking tea leaves

collecting the tea for transport to the factory

But then, when it takes so much effort to get here, perhaps indeed very few people take the trouble. And what is really on offer, then, is a perfectly peaceful environment. Admittedly, a rare thing on Java.

next: on to Cipanas

plantation workers in between the tea

loading the truck

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first-hand travel experiences and impressions of travel destinations

20. Ambarawa

The story of a closed railway museum in Ambarawa and a simple lunch in an institution in Magelang.

19. Bandungan

Another developed tourist spot around Hindu temples, but with the most amazing volcano views.

18. Dieng Plateau

Perhaps it wasn’t our day, but the Dieng Plateau was not as spectacular as we had expected, in fact, it was hugely over-developed.

17. Wonosobo

Wonosobo is not only a good base from which to approach the Dieng Plateau, it is a very nice town in its own right, with lots of novel initiatives.

16. Borobudur

Borobudur is the most preeminent tourist site in Indonesia, a Buddhist temple of impressive size and architecture as well as a gallery in stone of some exquisite bas-reliefs.

15. Yogyakarta (1)

A very pleasant train ride to what is reputed to be one of Indonesia’s nicest cities; touristic it is, but not disturbingly so, and different modes of transport are endless.

14. the bamboo raft

13. Kampung Naga

An original Sunda village in between picture-perfect rice padis.

12. Cipanas

A village around a hot water spring, which is being exploited by the local hotels, and close to one of the most spectacular volcano craters of Java, Papandayan.

11. Malabar Tea Estate

The perfect retreat on West Java, away from bustling Bandung and Jakarta, except that there is little to do – and there is nobody; perhaps that is the attraction.

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The story of a closed railway museum in Ambarawa and a simple lunch in an institution in Magelang.

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Another developed tourist spot around Hindu temples, but with the most amazing volcano views.

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Perhaps it wasn’t our day, but the Dieng Plateau was not as spectacular as we had expected, in fact, it was hugely over-developed.

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Wonosobo is not only a good base from which to approach the Dieng Plateau, it is a very nice town in its own right, with lots of novel initiatives.

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Borobudur is the most preeminent tourist site in Indonesia, a Buddhist temple of impressive size and architecture as well as a gallery in stone of some exquisite bas-reliefs.

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A very pleasant train ride to what is reputed to be one of Indonesia’s nicest cities; touristic it is, but not disturbingly so, and different modes of transport are endless.

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An original Sunda village in between picture-perfect rice padis.

Share this:

A village around a hot water spring, which is being exploited by the local hotels, and close to one of the most spectacular volcano craters of Java, Papandayan.

Share this:

The perfect retreat on West Java, away from bustling Bandung and Jakarta, except that there is little to do – and there is nobody; perhaps that is the attraction.

Share this:

Recent Posts

Translate

The Categories