Friday, August 8, 2008

Mount Patuha and Kawah Putih

Mount Patuha is located southwest of Bandung, Kawah Putih is a lake on this mountains is sometimes pale turquoise, or as it's name says white. The direction is drive to Ciwidey. Kawah Putih can easy be reached by car all the way to the rim and then it is a 100 metre walk to the lake it self. It is a very nice colorful lake. Far to the south of Bandung, the hill becomes greener. The fresh air flows through the bamboo trees marching along the way. Kawah Putih, The White Crater, is waiting for who want to contemplate there.

Two craters adorn the summit of Patuha Volcano. The dry crater of Kawah Patuha lies 600 meters northwest of Kawah Putih, a crater lake with approximately 8 meters of water depth. Kawah Putih Crater Lake represents a relatively stable volcanic system, with no records of magmatic or phreatic activity since A.D. 1600. Surrounded by the tea plantation, Kawah Putih is a very prospectors tourist's destination in West Java - Indonesia. Located at about 30 km to the south of Bandung, Kawah putih is relatively easy to be reached. But, driving bu your own car is recommended, it's convenience because along the way, you can stop by to just take a rest, or buy strawberry, which can be easily found in this area. Fresh and considerably cheap.

Ciater Hot Spring

location: Subang

Ciater Hot Spring is a nice park with small pools in which we can sit or swim. The streams and pools are fed by warm mineral springs, which are created by the heat from nearby volcanoes. About 30 minutes from Tangkuban Perahu crater. Ciater is pretty little place in the middle of huge tea estate. Its main attraction is the Sari Ater Hot Spring Resort; the pools are probably the best of all the hot springs around Bandung. We can enjoy swimming in warm sulfurous water pools that can heal rheumatism and skin problems. Here we can swim in warm mineral water pools, good for healing skin problems. Ciater hot spring is one stop place for entertainment and relaxation. Ciater is located in Lembang, a green, lush place. The water contains iodium and sulfur, well for curing skin ailments and rheumatism. Equipped with tennis courts, restaurants, and camping area, Ciater is a good way to retreat from every day's life.

Ciater is another area with tea plantations and hot springs, eight km northeast of Tangkuban Perahu. The place also has a tea factory. Ciater is a good starting point for hiking, and has some accommodation.

Jatiluhur DAM

LOcation: Purwakarta

Purwakarta is a part of West Java, a small district with its beautiful scenery of Jatiluhur Dam. It is located 9 kilometers from Purwakarta, is known as Juanda Dam, which could accommodate 3 billion cubic of water from Citarum River. Situated halfway between Jakarta and Bandung, this dam was originally built with French technical assistance in the 1950's to generate electrical power for the region. It is the first multipurpose dam in Indonesia. It now provides irrigation to the surrounding Arabic land and a fishery industry has been developed as well. It is now being developed for tourism and provides convenient facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, a camping ground, and speedboats for water skiing and cottages. The reservoir is huge, the scenery tropical, the air crisp and cool.

In the dam, there are six turbine units with installed capacity of 187 megawatts and could generate electricity of 1,000 million kilowatt ours per year. Besides, the dam functions to feed water to irrigation channel of 242,000 hectares of farming land provide raw water for drinking water, as fishery and as flood control.



Grama Tirta is a place where we can enjoy our holiday doing various kinds of outdoor sporting activities. Enjoy a morning walk at Jatiluhur Dam, inhaling the crisp fresh air. Let the cool morning dew on the grass and melodious songs of bird greet in each morning. Catch a glimpse of our Morning Glory and its breathtaking beauty will inspire us to new heights.

For those who love water sports and recreation, 8,300 hectares dam with its year round crystal clear waters, will be difficult to resist. Climb into a paddleboat to explore the Jatiluhur Dam, or just sit back and relax in a motorboat to experience the great outdoors. And if speed and challenge are what we are looking for, the fleet of jet skis will propel the tourists to all corners of the lake.

Asides from its function as hydro power plant, Jatiluhur dam also has a number of recreation facilities including hotels, bungalow, bar and restaurant, tennis court, billiard, camping site, swimming pool, meeting room, water sport recreation center, playground etc. Water sport recreation center includes rowing, surfing, water ski, boating and shipping. In Jatiluhur dam, there is a Ikan Keramba Jaring Apung or Keramba Fish Floating Net activity, that could become a distinguished activity in the dam. In the daylight or at night, we can fish with peace and eat roasted fishes.

Maribaya

Location: North Bandung

Maribaya is well known for its hot springs, the sulfur-laden water, a comfortable place for swimming and enjoying the scenery of a 25-meter waterfall set against a steep mountain cliff. Maribaya warm springs emerge from near the fault trace of the almost east west trending Lembang Fault which is downthrown to the north. The uplifted southern block consists of older andesitic volcanic products from Tangkuban Perahu and other old eruptive centers to the east while on the north the outcrop is mainly of younger Tangkuban Perahu pyroclastics. The main Tangkuban Perahu craters are 9 km to the NW of Maribaya and Bandung city is about 11 km to the SW. Maribaya, which lies 9 km southeast of Tangkuban Perahu at the foot of an east-west scarp which may be associated with Lembang fault. The springs flow from the banks of a stream where it flows over two waterfalls created by basaltic lava flows. The waters have temperatures ranging between 38° and 47°C, an 8-9 and are slightly turbid and yellowish in color. Where they emerge from the rocks they are often associated with carbonate and argyle deposits.

The 30-minute trip from Bandung to Maribaya passes through some lovely mountain scenery. Renowned for its hot springs, the sulfur-laden water is comfort, able for swimming or soaking. Lie back and relax while enjoying the view of a 25-meter waterfall set against a steep mountain cliff. The mountain air is cool and the sulfur-laden water just comfortably hot enough for swimming as and soaking in. Part of the scenery is a 25 m high waterfall set against a steep mountain cliff. This is tiny waterfall.

Pelabuhan Ratu Beach

Location: Sukabumi

Pelabuhan Ratu is a lovely holiday resort, visited by holidaymakers from Jakarta and Bandung. The site is only three-hour drive from either city through cool mountain villages with picturesque sceneries. Pelabuhan Ratu - Cisolok is a 15 km stretch of breathtaking beauty with hills, mountains and very wide sandy beaches everywhere around, set against the deep blue Indian Ocean. Right next to stretches of white beaches, visitors will find thick tropical forests on rolling hills. Taking walks uphill enables the visitor to look down on the horseshoe shape of the bay's coastline, whereas at night hundreds of fishermen's boat-lamps are seemingly competing with the star-studded sky above, which is both enchanting and romantic. There is one four-star hotel, Samudera Beach, about 6 km from Pelabuhan Ratu, but several other smaller hotel and cottages are available at moderate rates.

At this virgin stage, this area represents unspoiled beauty in a typically tropical setting with hospitable inhabitants. Because of its proximity to Jakarta, more tourists visit this area from the capital than those from Bandung. Moreover, the highways to and from Pelabuhan Ratu have recently been greatly improved to assure the visitor of a smooth ride to enjoy the sceneries that pass even well. Good for taste, swimming, sun bathing and surfing.

The picturesque fishery village, more than 50 kilometers southwest of Sukabumi, is home to the mysterious goddess of the South Sea, Nyai Roro Kidul. The legend tells that the sea in Karanghawu would have taken her, 14 kilometers to the west. Pelabuhan Ratu ('seaport of the queen') is located in a wide bay, which has had the name 'Wijnkoopsbaai'. During the weekends this village is overloaded with visitors from Jakarta. It's not advised to take a bath in the domain of the goddess, and especially not in green clothes. Green is the favorite color of Nyai Roro Kidul and wearing it is an invitation for her to take that person to the depths of the ocean.

Pangandaran Beach

Location: Ciamis

Small mainland peninsula with a national park with beaches and stunning scenery to rival the beaches of Bali on the south coast of Java. Pangandaran is one of Java's best-kept secrets as far as international tourists are concerned, but has been extremely popular with locals for along, long time. A small fishing town, it possesses one of Java's finest beaches and Pangandaran Nature Reserve teems with wild buffalo, barking deer and monkeys. The people are very friendly, this combined with the idealize surroundings make this a great place to spend a few days relaxing island-style. Pangandaran is halfway between Bandung and Yogya, about 5 hours by bus from Bandung and 8 hours from Jakarta.

This is the second beach resort area on the Indian Ocean after Pelabuhan Ratu. The site is 223 from Bandung and 400km from Jakarta. The trip by car or bus is recommendable because the road conditions are good. However, if we prefer to take the train, get into Bandung-Yogyakarta Express train and get off at the Banjar railroad station about 4 hours later. From here it will be another 50 km by bus to Pangandaran. The beach is called Penanjung, where most of the cottages and hotels are located, however, of modest ratings. Nothing luxurious should be expected. Pangandaran is especially of interest to nature lovers, as there is a wildlife reserve in the vicinity where wild birds and other indigenous animals live about freely to be enjoyed by visitors. In Pangandaran visitors will like fine white beaches, blue ocean and fine seafood. Twelve kilometers before arriving at Pangandaran visitors will see a huge rock on the beach, which is called Karang Nini.

Another place of special interest for nature lovers is a forest Conservation Park, close to the camping ground, which has basic facilities suitable for the younger set. Somewhat further out, west of Pangandaran, driving 23 km on the way to Parigi, lays Batu Hiu, meaning Shark's Rock, a coastal rock that has the shark shape.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Bogor Botanic Garden



Location: Bogor



A bit further away from Bandung about 4,5 hours drive is Bogor, also called the city of rain. Previously known as "Buitenzorg" (Sans soucis or Without worries), during the Dutch colonial era, Bogor actually lies closer to Jakarta (50 km) than it does to Bandung (120 km). Appropriately named by the Dutch as a town "without worries", they chose Bogor to be the site for constructing the first palace of the Dutch Governor General way back in 1745. Later restored in 1832, the palace still stands solid and elegant today with its stretched out gardens where deer roam freely on the green grass under majestically tall old trees.

The inhabitants of Bogor work in agriculture, forestry, industry, as civil are Christians, Catholics, Hindus and Buddhists. From a historical point of view, the Bogor Regency still has a close relationship with the history of the Pakuan Padjajaran Kingdom, which was built between the 13th - 15th centuries. This is supported by some historical objects in the form of inscriptions as old manuscript written by some historians, which were found in the area.

Bogor, is famous with its botanical garden. This botanical garden and in the garden is the palace "Buitenzorg" On a not so busy day on the road a visit to Bogor and Taman Safari can be done on the same day. The world-famous Bogor Botanical Garden borders the Palace Grounds, covering an area of 87 hectares with thousands of species of plant life from all over the world. There are over 15,000 species of trees and plants, 400 varieties of palms alone. The orchid houses contain over 3000 orchid varieties. We don't have to be a horticulturalist to enjoy the gardens, it is a masterpiece of design and a wonderful place to just stroll and enjoy the company of family and friends. See the original "Havea Brazilliensis" rubber tree, formerly imported from Brazil, and world's largest flower, the Rafflesia, a foul smelling and stem less as well as leafless plant. When visiting this Garden, arrange for a permit to visit the neighboring Presidential Palace, which belonged to the Dutch Governor General before Indonesia's independence. Doing this may be a daylong visit by leaving Jakarta in the morning and spend the night in Puncak mountainous region on the way to Bandung the next day. Here again, the whole car trip will be memorable, as scenic tropical beauty all around is really astonishing. We will also pass by another smaller Presidential Palace at Cipanas, the setting of which is in a colorful and flowery vast garden around this wooden but stylish palace.



Kantor Pariwisata Seni dan Budaya Kota Bogor

Jl. Paledang No. 35, Bogor

0251 332775

bogorcity@westjava-indonesia.com

Tourism Information Network

Bandung

022 70697177

webmaster@visitwestjava.com

www.visitwestjava.com



Raflessia Arnoldi:



Bogor Palace: