YY III: From Sulphur to Ciggies

Breakfast @ Surya
Swiped from williamnyk.

Our day started early again. We had a long drive ahead of us to the Dieng Plateau, so Pak Gadot urged that we start early. On the day before there was news that the mountain pass was closed due to a collapsed bridge (alarm bells!), but luckily it was reopened. To be quick, we sat ourselves at the coffee shop at 6:00am sharp. Had some toast and chicken porridge before journeying off. The roads to Dieng was not unlike Cameron Highlands. But truth be told, the scenery was better. As we neared the main market, the roads were super-jammed with cars. Just a single lane each for uphill and downhill traffic ad people still wanna park by the roadside! To add to the chaos, there was a Halal-Bihalal (a mutual begging of pardon that is distinct to Indonesia) ceremony going on nearby. Not a total loss, it gave us the opportunity to observe the people there. The highland people there have a distinctive look. The mosey up and down the steep roads at a leisurely pace with basket in hand or a pesticide dispenser on their backs. Usually in a sweater or a sarong around their bodies to keep the cold out. Some of their children sport the distinctive rastafarian dreadlocks that is locally known as rambut gimbel.



The first POI was Telaga Warna. The literal translation is "Well of Colours". But it was a lake lah-- a sulhur lake with special colouration. On that day, it looked green. According to the travel info, the colour will change depending on your vantage point, the depth of the lake and the sun's rays. Around the lake was a small path, but we did not walk the whole length. It was littered with rubbish, but I did not find any condoms on the forest floor. The next attraction's also related to volcanic activity-- a crater lake. Basically a giant hole in the ground emitting the horrible smell of rotten eggs * 1,000,000. Even Pak Gadot was not keen to go near, but we ignored the warning signs anyway and just tread carefully (to avoid the bubbling at certain spots) towards the crater. The boiling water below was just cordoned off by a flimsy bamboo fence. For the sake of our alveoli, we did not linger there so off we went to a small market nearby. The bestseller there seems to be Edelweiss. The locals collect the mountain flower, preserve them, colour them, and create kitschy faux tree miniatures. It is said that the flower can last a long time and be subject to harsh treatment, hence marketed as the symbol of undying love. :S. KH wanted to buy one for me... I declined. :P.





Moving on, Pak Gadot drove us to the Kailasa Museum, named after the mythical home of Shiva. The museum houses artifacts from the Hindu temples that were found on the Dieng Plateau. From there, we crossed to the temple complex opposite the road. The only noteworthy structure there's Candi Arjuna. Many of the locals farm nearby and charge tourists money for taking photos of them! Ouch. On our way back to the car, we took the super scenic route, trekking across fields, trampling in mud and most probably killing some crops in the process. Quite exhilarating really. The road less-travelled. Luckily we were not labeled as trespassers and chased out by irate, sickle-swinging farmers. More temples ahead, namely Candi Bima that is famed for the kudu carvings on its roof. I was quite hapy to leave behind the temples as I think I had an overdose already. On our way down, we passed by a long troupe of students trudging uphill in full brass band regalia. Dieng never fails to surprise.



Lunch was Kledung Pass. The lava-kissed lands are very suitable for tobacco and so at every roadside one can see farmers drying tobacco leaves in the sun. According to Pak Gadot, the tobacco industry brings much wealth to the people there, but the planting of tobacco is also a high stakes gamble as inclement weather can ruin a whole season's crop. Salak Pondoh also thrives there. We had a simple meal of nasi rames-- basically Indonesian mixed rice. The only difference is that the people here like their dishes sweet! Having filled our bellies, Pak Gadot drove us to an out of the way village in Pacung to see the local horn handicraft market. He made a few wrong turns before managing to find the place. We did not get to see the manufacturing process as they were still in Lebaran mode, but they were nice enough to invite us in to view their collection. Even Pak Gadot had a whale of a time eating kuih raya and chatting with the a couple of patriachs while we shopped next door. Quite amazing what one can do with buffalo horn-- dishes, bangles, boxes, combs, decorative sculptures. And they were all very decently-priced, although the horn's actually imported from Australia. Surprising.



From there, it was a four-hour drive back to Jogjakarta. Upon arrival, it rained again. Pak Gadot dropped us at Dagadu Djokdja, a local clothing manufacturer that employs youths as their graphic designers, resulting in very nifty designs that are chock full of local flavour and pop culture. I filled up a questionaire and was presented with two button badges:

"Kapan ke Jogja lagi?"

It basically means, "When are you coming back to Jogjakarta?". A good question. Haha. And when the staff further asked me where I had been earlier in the day, my mind drew a blank. Wakakaka. Holiday mood lah katakan! A last change of hotel. This time's Duta Garden, hand-picked by POD himself. Nestled inside a residential area, away from the hustle and bustle of the busy streets, but still walking distance to all the makan places. Just eighteen units inside a garden-style setting, complete with pool, koi pond and WIFI. Dinner was at an adjacent street, at a joint called Via Via Cafe. Packed with caucasians. Apparently it has many branches around the world, sells fair trade items, organizes yoga and cooking classes even. I bought a wooden toy car for Cyan there and a lerak fruit (sad to say that it's too mild to completely clean my silver Marc Jacobs chain). Also found customer-written travel guides hastily scribbled in scrapbooks. Interesting. The food was quite good (I had fried mihun and es dawet), but POD did not like it one bit. Back at the hotel, watched a bit of "Spiderwick Chronicles" and fell asleep...