Legacy of charm in Central Java's coffee estates
<p>Legacy of charm in Central Java's coffee estates</p><p>By Ridlo Aryanto and Bambang M</p><p> SALATIGA, Central Java: What did the Dutch leave behind as the
legacy of their 3.5 centuries of colonial rule in Indonesia? The
answer may vary: mills, highways, bridges and railways, to
mention but a few. For Windiari, the director of a regional
estate company, the legacy is charm and exoticism.</p><p>Mbak Windi, as she is known to colleagues, said the charm of
nature-related tourism was found in estates formerly owned by the
Dutch. In Central Java, there are 415 hectares of these estates
now under her charge, made up of 97 hectares of a coffee
plantation, 64 hectares of a clove plantation 233 hectares of a
rubber forest area plus a processing site and the estate
administrator's office.</p><p>"The Dutch made the right choice for the estates, the sloping
areas at the foot of Mount Merbabu and at the edge of Rawa
Pening. Thanks to this location, the estate areas, some 700
meters above sea level, are not only good for the crops but also
offer the exotic charm of nature," Mbak Windi said.</p><p>Prior to 1995, the Central Java provincial administration was
content with the annual 90 tons of robusta and arabica coffee and
about the same quantity of rubber from the estates. In 1995, all
the clove plants died but the provincial administration
maintained its earnings target at Rp 500 million annually.</p><p>This made Mbak Windi to rack her brains for some additional
sources of income. An idea struck her: make use of the estates
formerly owned by Tlogo Maastchapij Amsterdam and established in
1856 and turn them into an agro resort open to the public. In
October 1999 this tourist resort was officially opened.</p><p>Unlike other sites for agro-tourism in other parts of
Indonesia, Tlogo Agrotourism Resort provides a complete range of
attractions for tourists. Tourists can help pick coffee beans or
watch how rubber resin is tapped. These activities take place
every day from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.</p><p>The tourist can also join trekking around the hills behind the
resort, and maybe spot a few birds or see a nice sunrise above
Rawa Pening.</p><p>If you wish to see more of the area, you can spend the night
at the resort, which is a five-star facility. If you spend the
night, there are some other tour packages, for example a visit to
the railway museum in Ambarawa or to the mountain tourism resort
of Bandungan. Or, you may visit Gedong Songo Temple, or Kopeng, a
mountain resort. All of these places are only about an hour's
drive from Tlogo.</p><p>Tlogo resort consists of small houses in the midst of the
coffee plantation and fruit trees.</p><p>The houses have the Javanese architectural style known as
joglo, and measure five-meters-by-nine-meters. Each house has a
bedroom and bathroom. To give visitors a rustic feeling, there
are open-air baths in the rear veranda of the resort. This
veranda is an open space with a stone fence surrounding it. The
water for bathing comes from a pipe and the floor is made of
gravel.</p><p>"I got the idea from the bathing place of the princess of Solo
Palace. In this way tourists will feel they are really in a free
open space," Mbak Windi said.</p><p>Tlogo resort is home to 16 buildings designed to accommodate
tourists. "We can also prepare international-standard tents,"
said Windi. "The rates depend on the facilities and services,"
she added.</p><p>She said that some of the tourists were from travel agents
while others were individual families wishing to spend weekends
at the resort. In the case of the latter, advanced booking is
required.</p><p>A visitor, Ralph Barney, a professor at a university in the
United States, and his companion Maria, a reporter and 1992
Pulitzer Prize winner, said they felt at home in Tlogo resort
when they stayed there in early June.</p><p>"Everything is very natural: the scenery, the clean cool air
and the food. I wish I could stay here for a week instead of just
two or three days," he said chuckling.</p><p>"I found the food to my liking. It was really unforgettable
for me to eat grilled gurami as I caught it myself on the
estate," said Maria, adding that it was also a pleasant
experience to watch how coffee beans and rubber were processed.</p><p>Tlogo resort offers only local food to guests. Visitors can
enjoy grilled gurami, nila or catfish in a small hut at the edge
of the pool.</p><p>Some of the facilities available at the Tlogo resort are a
swimming pool, conference hall, an outbound activity site and
plantation area.</p><p>"Swimming in a pool in the middle of a coffee plantation is
like taking a bath in a rural river," said Adib Irkhani, a
tourist from Surakarta.</p><p>The Tlogo Agrotourism Resort is located in the heart of
Central Java, to be exact in the middle of the Surakarta-Semarang
highway. The resort area is to the south of Tuntang River,
Salatiga, which is some 80 kilometers to the north of Yogyakarta
and 60 km to the north of Surakarta. The area is only 40 km to
the south of Semarang, the capital of Central Java.</p><p>As it is located near the Surakarta-Semarang highway, it is
easily reached by people coming from any direction traveling in
private automobiles or on public transportation.</p>
legacy of their 3.5 centuries of colonial rule in Indonesia? The
answer may vary: mills, highways, bridges and railways, to
mention but a few. For Windiari, the director of a regional
estate company, the legacy is charm and exoticism.</p><p>Mbak Windi, as she is known to colleagues, said the charm of
nature-related tourism was found in estates formerly owned by the
Dutch. In Central Java, there are 415 hectares of these estates
now under her charge, made up of 97 hectares of a coffee
plantation, 64 hectares of a clove plantation 233 hectares of a
rubber forest area plus a processing site and the estate
administrator's office.</p><p>"The Dutch made the right choice for the estates, the sloping
areas at the foot of Mount Merbabu and at the edge of Rawa
Pening. Thanks to this location, the estate areas, some 700
meters above sea level, are not only good for the crops but also
offer the exotic charm of nature," Mbak Windi said.</p><p>Prior to 1995, the Central Java provincial administration was
content with the annual 90 tons of robusta and arabica coffee and
about the same quantity of rubber from the estates. In 1995, all
the clove plants died but the provincial administration
maintained its earnings target at Rp 500 million annually.</p><p>This made Mbak Windi to rack her brains for some additional
sources of income. An idea struck her: make use of the estates
formerly owned by Tlogo Maastchapij Amsterdam and established in
1856 and turn them into an agro resort open to the public. In
October 1999 this tourist resort was officially opened.</p><p>Unlike other sites for agro-tourism in other parts of
Indonesia, Tlogo Agrotourism Resort provides a complete range of
attractions for tourists. Tourists can help pick coffee beans or
watch how rubber resin is tapped. These activities take place
every day from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.</p><p>The tourist can also join trekking around the hills behind the
resort, and maybe spot a few birds or see a nice sunrise above
Rawa Pening.</p><p>If you wish to see more of the area, you can spend the night
at the resort, which is a five-star facility. If you spend the
night, there are some other tour packages, for example a visit to
the railway museum in Ambarawa or to the mountain tourism resort
of Bandungan. Or, you may visit Gedong Songo Temple, or Kopeng, a
mountain resort. All of these places are only about an hour's
drive from Tlogo.</p><p>Tlogo resort consists of small houses in the midst of the
coffee plantation and fruit trees.</p><p>The houses have the Javanese architectural style known as
joglo, and measure five-meters-by-nine-meters. Each house has a
bedroom and bathroom. To give visitors a rustic feeling, there
are open-air baths in the rear veranda of the resort. This
veranda is an open space with a stone fence surrounding it. The
water for bathing comes from a pipe and the floor is made of
gravel.</p><p>"I got the idea from the bathing place of the princess of Solo
Palace. In this way tourists will feel they are really in a free
open space," Mbak Windi said.</p><p>Tlogo resort is home to 16 buildings designed to accommodate
tourists. "We can also prepare international-standard tents,"
said Windi. "The rates depend on the facilities and services,"
she added.</p><p>She said that some of the tourists were from travel agents
while others were individual families wishing to spend weekends
at the resort. In the case of the latter, advanced booking is
required.</p><p>A visitor, Ralph Barney, a professor at a university in the
United States, and his companion Maria, a reporter and 1992
Pulitzer Prize winner, said they felt at home in Tlogo resort
when they stayed there in early June.</p><p>"Everything is very natural: the scenery, the clean cool air
and the food. I wish I could stay here for a week instead of just
two or three days," he said chuckling.</p><p>"I found the food to my liking. It was really unforgettable
for me to eat grilled gurami as I caught it myself on the
estate," said Maria, adding that it was also a pleasant
experience to watch how coffee beans and rubber were processed.</p><p>Tlogo resort offers only local food to guests. Visitors can
enjoy grilled gurami, nila or catfish in a small hut at the edge
of the pool.</p><p>Some of the facilities available at the Tlogo resort are a
swimming pool, conference hall, an outbound activity site and
plantation area.</p><p>"Swimming in a pool in the middle of a coffee plantation is
like taking a bath in a rural river," said Adib Irkhani, a
tourist from Surakarta.</p><p>The Tlogo Agrotourism Resort is located in the heart of
Central Java, to be exact in the middle of the Surakarta-Semarang
highway. The resort area is to the south of Tuntang River,
Salatiga, which is some 80 kilometers to the north of Yogyakarta
and 60 km to the north of Surakarta. The area is only 40 km to
the south of Semarang, the capital of Central Java.</p><p>As it is located near the Surakarta-Semarang highway, it is
easily reached by people coming from any direction traveling in
private automobiles or on public transportation.</p>