Garut: Taking the waters in West Java

Hera Diani , The Jakarta Post/Garut, West Java

------------------------------ Cradled in a ring of mountains with water, water everywhere, the cool climes of Garut made it West Java's answer to the Swiss alps for Dutch colonists. While much has changed since way back when, Cipanas subdistrict offers a sedate Sundanese respite at a hot- springs resort. ---------------------------------

What does it mean to be an ethnic Sundanese?

Living in the melting pot of Jakarta, there is not much left to remind me of my ethnic background, except the better ignored off-color jokes and unfavorable stereotype of mojang Priangan (West Javanese women).

Unfortunately, the latter was the first thing that came to mind when visiting Kampung Sumber Alam natural hot-springs resort in Cipanas subdistrict in Garut, West Java, recently.

The resort's near Olympic sized swimming pool, with piping-hot water straight from a natural hot spring, was crowded with young people frolicking at poolside.

The young women's choice of bathing attire was a tank top and bicycle pants; if the accent was supposed to be on demure, it did not work, actually accentuating their curves.

Later that night, during a barbecue in the garden, two dancers performed the traditional Sundanese dance Jaipong, notorious for its gyrations long before there was Inul Daratista steaming up TV screens.

In traditional cloth and kebaya blouse, the dancers' gyrations were graceful but seductive, supremely sensual without exposing any skin.

Aside from acknowledging once again the exotic allure of Sundanese women -- unfortunately lacking in me -- the visit to Kampung Sumber Alam was like a nostalgic trip back to my childhood.

Occupying 1.2 hectares, it is a rustic Sundanese village experience, its wooden villas on stilts, topped with woven bamboo and sago palm roofs, standing in fish ponds.

It's nature way everywhere, with glorious mountain views, the cool weather and a stream of hot water leading through the villas into the bathroom.

"The basis of this place's design is indeed the longing for a Sundanese kampong, by exploring the elements of water, bamboo and rocks," said the resort's director Rahmat "Ukun" Syukur Masakawan.

It's an attempt to preserve a corner of the traditional kampong and ecosystem of Cipanas, now mostly vanished in a rather chaotic small town.

The resort was established in 1971 by Ukun's father, a medical doctor named Maskawan Mustafa. With only eight rooms available, it was initially a physiotherapy clinic for people to take the waters.

Research shows that the water contains magnesium sulfate, which reportedly has curative powers to soothe tense or ailing muscles. Fortunately absent is that biting smell of sulfur found at other hot-springs resorts.

At Cipanas (meaning "hot water" in Sundanese), the water is heated by passing over hot beds of rocks.

It was not until 1993 that the resort changed its name from Hotel Sumber Alam Village to Kampung Sumber Alam, in acknowledgement of its back-to-the-kampong theme.

"In terms of the tourism business, places with a cultural theme will be more competitive, especially if we are targeting foreign tourists," Ukun said.

It proved a fortuitous approach to take; unlike at least 12 other hotels in West Java, the resort has survived the economic crisis of the late 1990s.

Kampung Sumber Alam has 30 bungalows and 10 regular hotel rooms, with 70 percent of its guests from Jakarta. In a plan to draw more tourists, it has embarked on an expansion plan, with completion expected in December.

The Sundanese kampong concept is being enhanced at every corner, and there will be 28 additional rooms.

The expanded area will include a tegal pangulinan (children's playground), complete with traditional child games, lumbung padi (rice barn) where locals pound rice, as well as a spa.

Nature's way has always been the Sundanese way, said Djadjat Daradjat, a geologist and Sundanese culture specialist recruited as a consultant by the resort.

The ancestral tradition was practical, modest and environmentally friendly. The word Sunda itself is an acronym of ingsun lan daha, which means "God and I".

"Sundanese ancestors always looked up to and respected nature. They planted bamboo as a housing material, for instance, instead of wood because bamboo grows faster. They never cut down trees. The inspiration for arts was also drawn from nature, such as batik with clouds or flower motifs," he said.

Comments like his are enough to help us forget those nagging stereotypes. And taking a deep look at one's roots, in an environment that pays homage to its traditions, certainly helps build greater appreciation of one's cultural identity.

--------------------------- Kampung Sumber Alam Jl. Raya Cipanas No. 122 Garut - West Java Tel. (0262) 237700/238000 Fax. (0262) 232569 E-mail: guestofficer@kampungsumberalam.com www.kampungsumberalam.com