Out of the city, into the woods

Out of the city, into the woods

Despite the gorgeous views, most urban dwellers would probably
find themselves feeling out of place in a remote forest far from
the madding crowd.

Last week, a group of journalists from Jakarta found
themselves in just that situation. Invited to try out the Sony
DVD handycam DCR-DVD201, which was used to take the photographs
on this page, they headed to secluded Citalahab hamlet in Mt.
Halimun National Park in Sukabumi, West Java.

A five-hour drive from Jakarta, along unpaved roads only
passable by two-wheel drive vehicles, brought them to the hamlet,
home to about 50 people. Most work in the tea plantations
although the teenagers work as tourist guides.

Consisting of 40,000 hectares and with plans to increase it to
more than 113,000 hectares, the densely forested park is home to
some of the rarest animals in Java, including the Javan gibbon,
Javan eagle, clouded leopard and muntjac deer.

Japanese and Indonesian researchers built a 100-meter-long
canopy trail snaking through the jungle, which has become a
favorite of tourists from here and abroad. It is hoped that their
presence will help preserve one of the few remaining forested
areas on the island of Java.

-- Text and photos by R. Berto Wedhatama