Even though Indonesians have every single right to assign each day of the year to one particular grudge against Dutch or Japanese colonizers (without repeating themselves), they followed the Christian principle of forgiving and are happy to welcome any of them in their country, as well as have a Visa free (or at least, a simplified) entry, too.
Back in Jakarta during the walking tour, I met a Dutch solo traveller, Cas. We kind of aligned on our desire to travel east to Bandung, where I headed out to my hostel, conveniently located right at the train station, and Cas grabbed to DD hostel – a place not so conveniently located, but definitely more alive with backpackers.
Therefore, no wonder we (well, Cas) met Lucas – a Brit guy whose British I could actually understand – and instead of paying 750,000 rupiahs for a south Bandung scooter tour, we rented two scooters (me and Cas shared one) and set out on something absolutely epic. After a truly exhausting 2-hour journey through Bandung traffic, we stopped by to have our 25,000-rupiah meals at a nearby restaurant, where the owner lady recommended a place to add to our itinerary.
The first stop was the White Crater – the place where life seemed to be put on pause since the prehistoric times. I almost expected to see a T Rex, roaring somewhere from a cliff. If it was not for the people chatting and the noise of tires from the shuttle bus transporting visitors, the egg-stinking turquoise lake would be absolutely silent. Dead quiet. No birds or crickets, just the unreal blue surface of the lake and still yellow shore waters.
The tea plantations deserve a separate mention – covering the hills like fluffy green cushions, I almost felt like lying down on them, should I be a giant. I remember on our way back, they were covered in a mystical fog, which reminded me of some taro milk tea. With trees sticking out here and there, it was so beautiful I felt in a dream – just the next moment I will wake up, open my eyes and see the dull, white ceiling of my room.
Dropped by a deer farm – which was such a downgrade from Nara, Japan. I kind of hoped it would be a park full of deer, but it was just a mid-sized fenced area like a petting zoo. 60,000 rupiahs – nothing to regret, but also was not worth it.
We also visited the hot springs at Cibuni Rengganis Crater – less of the smell, and definitely more life. Clean hot water of different temperatures across several basins, and a small waterfall where you could swim and relax. Google Maps tricked us into going along a very picturesque tea field road which was just pure cobblestone and needed something more serious than two leisure scooters. Especially for the rider at the back (me), it felt even bumpier and scarier, to the point when we just stopped on the spot of the even surface and giggled hysterically, before continuing our way. It turned out we had to enter from a totally different side, where we would also get a ticket to enter the zipline and the bridge over the abyss, which connected the two sides of the hot spring valley.
Next day we all rented a separate scooter – my cheap ass lost a fight with my love for driving – and set out to see the in South Bandung. I rented an amazing Yamaha scooter in great condition – best I have rented, ever. Great tires, working brakes, easy to control – not even in the same league to compare it to the shitty Hondas I got previously.
Two other girls joined us (one of them was Emily, the other girl’s name I forgot, or never heard properly in the first place), and a Ukrainian-Polish-British guy Arthur. And yes, it was a pleasure to speak Ukrainian after so many years. I didn’t forget much Ukrainian, proud to say.
We drove for about an hour to set on the most beautiful hike in my life – across rice fields, into the mountains, through rich green sea of tall grass, almost drowning in warm sunshine. 3-kilometer hike of such breathtaking beauty it felt like a casual 15-minute walk. We ended up at our destination – the mesmerizing waterfall, water falling down with refreshing breeze from a steep, high cliff. Why am I even describing it? Just see the pictures for yourself and keep in mind the camera took away 10 times the magnificent view. You are never able to capture the ful “wow” effect with man-made lenses. Your eyes and memory are the only ways to fully absorb and at least try to preserve the beauty.
The day ended with some drinking (of course, eye roll…), beer, vodka, and whiskey. The night ended with me and toilet spending it together. I totally forgot how to drink, ngl.
I enjoyed the day so much that I extended for one more day in Bandung, sacrificing my itinerary in Yogyakarta. A very, very good decision, but I will keep the intrigue till the next blog.
Cheers,
Sam
romashos.blog 