Godly living in the beautiful and tranquil Ciater resort

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".