Godly living in the beautiful and tranquil Ciater resort
By Kafil Yamin
CIATER, West Java (JP): Not many tourist destinations are truly natural. While numerous resorts have come to life after the land was converted, the environment changed and a large amount of investment poured in, Ciater is different. It was created by nature to indulge and spoil those who desire natural comfort.
Every day, 360-cubic-meters of water from a hot spring flows into the area through canals, rivers and pools which are naturally designed for people's enjoyment. Visitors can come here and dip their feet and hands in the 43-degree Celsius hot spring. And if they really want to relax, they can completely submerge themselves in the water.
For travelers coming from a distance, various hotels -- non- star and star-rated ones alike -- abound. The largest and most popular resort is the Sari Ater Hotel and Recreation, covering 42 hectares of land, including canals, rivers, pools and fountains from the hot spring.
The hotel boasts a total of 198 rooms and bungalows in the style of a Sundanese village. The walls are made of bamboo and the rooftops are made of palm fibers and wood.
Guests can simply walk out of their rooms and sink into the hot spring pools provided for each of the bungalows. The peak time for such relaxation is from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
"The best time for bathing is when the temperature is cool," said a guest from Jakarta, "and it is cooler during the late evening and early morning".
Another part of the Sari Ater compound is a public recreational park. Every weekend, visitors can enjoy various Sundanese folk art performances, including the reog, jaipongan and ketuk tilu dances.
Families can rent several rugs, lay them on the ground and enjoy a picnic. Some guests can be seen reading and laying on the rugs for hours at a time.
Ciater's natural beauty has been coupled with favorable temperatures, which hover between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius during the night and 17 and 23 degrees Celsius during the day. There is no extreme coldness and there is no extreme heat. All you will find here is moderation and ease.
Located in the hills of Tangkuban Parahu volcano at 1,500 meters above sea level, Ciater features a refreshing environment of lush forests and vast tea plantations.
The hot spring, which flows from the volcano, is widely believed to be able to cure a number of illnesses, including rheumatism, nerve and bone diseases and skin diseases.
Formerly, the area was merely a place for people from the villages of Palasari and Nagrak to have a hot bath. Then a Dutch medical scientist named Hack Bessel proclaimed that the hot springs could heal certain diseases, inducing crowds of people to flock to the springs for treatment.
Ciater is about a three-hour trip from Jakarta. If you take your own car, there are two routes you can choose after exiting the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road. You can head north from Purwakarta and travel directly to Subang. The distance may be a little longer, but the road is smoother because the route is not used by trucks, intercity buses and cargo vehicles. Once you reach Subang, it will take another 10 minutes to reach the hot springs.
If you are coming from Bandung, take the Padalarang-Cileunyi highway and after five minutes you turn right onto Pastur, which will take you to Lembang. Ciater is just fifteen minutes from Lembang.
Those who prefer to take public transportation from Jakarta can take the train or bus to Bandung, a trip which takes about two and a half hours. Bus fare will run you about Rp 10,000, while a train ticket is Rp 20,000 for business class and Rp 32,000 for executive class. From Bandung, you can take a taxi to Ciater. But beware of the notorious Bandung taxis. They do not use their meters, so you will have to bargain. The taxi fare from Bandung to Ciater can cost you five times more than the bus or train fare from Jakarta to Bandung.
If you arrive in Bandung in the evening, however, you will have no other choice but to take a taxi. If you want to save money, arrive earlier in the day when other forms of public transportation are available -- minibuses, vans or angkot. However, you will have to change bus or van three times before reaching Ciater.
The trip from Bandung to Ciater offers its own form of excitement. Imagine cutting through a pine forest, tea plantations and misty paths. You just sit back in the car and take in the view across the thickly forested valley and up the slopes of Tangkuban Parahu, over fields of corn, sweet potatoes and peanuts. These are the Parahyangan highlands, roughly translated as the "abode of gods".
Travelers are usually tempted to stop in Lembang, which is famed as a highland market area. Aside from the plentiful fruits, vegetables, flowers and dairy products found in the market, its primary attraction is a refreshing, but brisk climate that is not kind to those who have left their sweaters behind.
"When God was smiling, Pasundan (the land of the Sundanese) was born," goes a song lyric by Bimbo, a popular music group from Bandung. And you'll have no reason to frown in the "abode of gods".