Bandung: Trekking in Lembang

It’s been thirty minutes since we started walking. The trek was getting uphill, the path was getting more slippery, and the bamboo bridges were getting more worn out while the river below was getting fiercer. I lost my balance and slipped, left some cuts on my right foot. I shouted at my darling little cousin who responsible for this entire journey: ‘I can’t swim!!’, and she just shouted back: ‘me neither!!’

Friday night, my sister and I hopped on the last train. Bandung. That’s our next destination. This time, along with our cousins we would explore Lembang and the upper Bandung. Our baby cousin who had lived there for the last six years would be our guide.

Kawah Ratu of Mount Tangkuban Prahu

Early the next morning, we headed to Mount Tangkuban Prahu. It’s not that we were going to climb the Mountain, there’s already a smooth highway up to the Kawah Ratu or Queen of the Craters on the very peak of it. Mount Tangkuban Prahu is 1,830 metres high. Legend has it, this mount was a boat built by a boy named Sangkuriang, as a gift to a woman he loved Dayang Sumbi. But she refused him because in fact Sangkuriang is her son. The angry Sangkuriang then kicked the unfinished boat, and it became Mount Tangkuban Prahu or “upturned boat”.

The weather up there was very nice that time, with morning sun, clear blue sky and very refreshing air. It was still so quiet and there were only a few tourists there that morning. The crater is so big with grayish, greenish and yellowish color, and it’s not very deep, maybe less than a hundred meters down. 

There is a narrow path surrounding the crater along with a wood fence for safeguarding the tourists. We walked along this path and enjoyed the view of the crater, then hiked up to the hill in one side of the crater in which trees with dark and artistic branches grow beautifully. The morning in the mountain was very beautiful with blinding sunshine reflected by the limestones, and we’re fortunate to come so early and have all this beauty by ourselves. By the time we climb back down to the parking lot, a great bunch of tourists just started pouring in.

De’Ranch

Our next destination that morning was De’Ranch, my cousin’s sanctuary where she visits every time she feels down. De’Ranch is country style family resort in Lembang and it’s literally a ranch, where they breed cows and horses under a Wild West nuance. Entering the main gate, tourist should pay Rp. 5,000 for the tickets and get a free cup of fresh milk bonus. I should point here that the milk was indeed DELICIOUS!! 

This place has so many facilities and attraction. In front of the main restaurant there’s a large field and a path separating 2 other field, one for the horses and one for practicing horse riding. Those fields and the path are so green and decorated with colorful flowers. On that Saturday morning, again we’re lucky to be among the first visitors. We sat at the wood bench watching the horse riding practice. The distant sound of the galloping horses and the command from the trainer along with the green scenery in front of us was really refreshing, no wonder my cousin dubbed this place as her refuge. 

Besides horse riding, visitors can also ride a horse-drawn carriage that runs surrounding the area. That’s actually an interesting thing to do. But we’ve been familiar with that experience back home, so we decided to skip that treat. Other interesting thing I found there was a miniature of a gold mine including the running water. It’s just too cute!

After took another cup of fresh milk and a basket of ‘tempe mendoan’ (fried tempe), now we’re ready for the next destination.

Maribaya Waterfall

the waterfall and the first bridge, from second bridge

I can’t remember if it was cloudy or foggy but I felt that the air was a bit gloomy when we left for Maribaya waterfall. Actually it is part of the greater “Taman Hutan Raya Ir. H. Djuanda”. I don’t know who he is, but his Great-Forest-Park consists of at least 2 waterfalls, 2 historical caves, a monument of himself and a management office, so I guess he must be a big persona.

To reach the waterfall we have to walk up and downhill via a narrow path. Later, we’d realize that it’s a good thing this park is an established one and has a good cemented path. After some hundred meters, we finally saw the river. There are two bridges crossing the river and path that circling them. The first bridge was built right over the waterfall. From this bridge we could see how a river turns into a waterfall. What an interesting point of view to see a waterfall from up above, from the very beginning than the usual view from the bottom of the downpour. 

cactuses sold in Maribaya

We then took a downhill path to the second bridge. The scenery from this bridge is quite breathtaking: a big waterfall right in front of our noses! Such great force! From where we stood, we could feel the drizzle from the waterfall. And suddenly all I could see was a grey waterfall and green hills. So hypnotizing. No wonder the management built a very high fence on the bridge, in case some visitors tempted to jump right to this heaven. 

After some time, we reluctantly climb back up to a park above the waterfall. We sat in the park, stretched our legs and saw a bunch of kids teasing a couple of monkeys. The (presumed) male monkey got angry and run after those now frightening kids. The moral of the story is, monkey and human could live happily in one place, as long as we keep our kids away.

Curug Tilu

After a huge lunch (my cousin said we need extra energy for the next trek), we headed a bit farther to the Ciwangun Indah Camp complex. It’s an outbond compound, with so many facilities for outdoor activities. But we skipped those activities and went straight to Curug Tilu, a triple waterfall back to back on the three sides a hill. 

The second bamboo bridge, I stopped counting after the third

To get to the waterfalls, we had to walk down the stairs to the river. I didn’t count how many stairs there is, but it seems endless. Crossing the river, I was a bit startled by the path in front of us, or by the unavailability of it. It was just a water installation, with a dam and pipes. We walked on the dam, once again cross the river, and followed the wet trails along the river. 

It’s three o’clock in the afternoon. We already crossed several bamboo bridges with fierce river below. Along the way, there’s only our panting breath and that sound of rainforest. Halfway, we met a bunch of teenagers. But that was the only time we encounter human being in along the trek. I launched a nervous joke about meeting animals like lion or tiger, but apparently that was not a good timing because none of them are laughing. 

my cousin with the waterfall

Five minutes’ walk and one badly ruined bamboo bridge later, finally there it was, one of the waterfall! I sat of a stone in front of the waterfall and stretched my tired legs. It’s so comforting to finally being here and has this waterfall in front of me, all by myself. I should admit, I was a bit disappointed because the waterfall is not so big, although it’s high. My cousin said if we got here at rainy season, the waterfall will be so big and reached where we sat. 

We just took some pictures in the waterfall and headed back to the camp, because we left one of my cousins there. She’s afraid of walking on the dam and those worn bridges so she decided to stay behind. Actually my cousin and my sister were a bit dragging me from the waterfall. Really I still wanted to stay there for some half an hour, and remembering the track back just made me more reluctant to leave. 

Tracking back the non-existent path, it’s my sister who slipped and broke her sandals. But the rest of the journey was uneventful. We met with our other cousin and climbed up those endless stairs before we reach our car. 

Bandung on Saturday evening is always too crowded. It was five minutes to 7 p.m. when we reached the bus station. I have to run for my 7 p.m. bus to get me back to Bogor, while my sister and my cousin will take an 8 p.m. bus to Jakarta. Fortunately I still made it. It’s such a great day, and an adventure I never experience before. Just like my sister said: “It’s sad that we finally enjoy travelling after we’re this old”. But we’re not THAT old, and it’s always better late than never. So, I’m ready to embrace other adventures.