Tangkuban Parahu

Another quinessential Bandung trip is up the dormant volcano known as Tangkuban Parahu, the "Inverted Boat-shape" volcano, which is about 30km north of Bandung. It's a nice spot to spend a few hours, despite the hordes of tourists, and is certainly worth the long journey to get there (at least an hour to drive, more on angkot/colt/ojek).

Here's the legend behind the unusual shape of the volcano: There was once a god who, unbeknownst to himself, fell in love with his mother. He proposes to her and she, for some reason, accepts. I guess this was before the story of Oedipus got into wide circulation. Later she realises this is a terrible idea (as you would) and tries to dissuade him, though not, apparently, by telling him that she's his mother. Instead she opts to ask him to create an enormous lake and a canoe with which to cross it, all in one night. As he's a god this turns out to be difficult, but not impossible. So it's getting towards dawn and she realises, damn, he's going to make it, and so sneaky as you like, she starts making cockerel noises to suggest that dawn is sooner than he thinks. Luckily, this god turns out to be fairly slow-witted, and thinking his task is doomed to failure, he kicks the nearly completed canoe, which lands upside-down on a local mountain ridge (handy, that). Then he goes away and is never heard of again, apparently.

Two creation stories in one: The lake basin in which Bandung is held, and the weird boat-shaped volcano that overlooks it. But I digress.

The entrance fee is the good old-fashioned two-tier price: 50,000 rupiah for foreigners, and about 7,000 rupiah for locals. You have to pay to take a car in, too. The road winds up, past turnings for the "son" and "daughter" craters which are nearby. At one of these (I forget which), you can take an egg to boil in the hot springs, but eating it is not recommended unless you like the taste of sulphur. If you're in a coach you have to get off about halfway up and walk the rest of the way, or take either a minibus or ojek to the lip of the volcano.

At the top there's a fantastic view over the whole crater, at which you can park your car if you get there early enough. One lookout point gives you another great view of the volcano, whilst on the other side above the mosque there's an alright view over Lembang and Bandung in the distance (visible only on those rare clear days). There are also lots of facilities here should you need them: Tourist information, toilets, food stalls, people selling funny hats, angklungs...

The crater itself is quite impressive. There's a stupidly toxic-looking lake at one end and lots of steam at the other end, making a terrific noise as it jets out of the earth. Stumpy-looking trees and shrubs cling to life at the edge of the caldera, and there's a generally noxious, sulphurous smell in the air (probably sulphur). You're supposed to not stand in one place for more than 15 minutes, though how this ruling is applied to the vendors I've no idea.

Walk along around the lip of the volcano for more cool views of the place. There are, typically, a whole load of people selling all kinds of stuff, from angklung and gamelan, through rice bowls and spoons, to obligatory volcano ninjas (don't ask). There are also some more interesting local specialities: Bags of powdered sulphur and knobbly twigs which when brewed are reputedly good for rheumatism. Of course there's food, and fried corn is particularly prevalent. Not sure how I'd feeling about eating it though.

Apparently there are a few weeks of the year when you can actually go inside the crater itself, but this sounds kind of terrifying. Having said that, it's kind of comforting to think that if the volcano did again erupt, you'd be polished off quicker up at the volcano than down in Bandung. And, with all the traffic you'd have to battle with to get out of the way of the lava, you would be polished off.

On the way back down from the volcano, keep an eye out for the massive government tea plantations just off the main road. You can head into the rolling hills and, if you turn your back to the road, you can't see civilization anymore. There's still a little bit of untamed forest at the top of some of these hills, which makes for an amazing contrast with the regular patterns of the tea plantations.

Heading back towards Bandung,you can also see some of the traditional markets that Lembang and nearby towns are famous for. The area, with all its volcanic soil, is very fertile, and is famous for fruit, vegetables, milk and rabbits, all of which you can buy at the roadside.

Finally, if you're like me, you'll want to buy a hammock, which you can also find at the side of the road towards the volcano. The woods here are a well-established camping spot, and apparently "the hammock's the thing." I still have no idea how we shall fit it in our bags.

Sacrifice Day

Also known as “Sacrifice Day”, Eid-al-Adha is a Muslim festival commemorating the close call Isaac had with his father Abraham. It’s also a national holiday in most Arabic countries, including Indonesia, so if you’re in Bandung or Jakarta for this time, expect a nice bonus bank holiday. It’s always held on a Friday, but because its part of the Muslim calendar, the precise date varies from year to year.

The sacrifice most Indonesians will (genuinely, it seems) make is either a sheep, worth one person, or a cow, worth seven people. You’ll see the sheep for sale all around the city in the days leading up to the sacrifice. Apparently the sheep must be old enough to have lost its two teeth (although which two I’m not sure), so Pepen’s standard joke is that you should be afraid if someone asks to look at your teeth. I never saw many cows, but there were a few in the backs of trucks, replete with grass to chew on whilst they wait for death. The price of livestock gradually increases throughout the week, up to apparently USD1500 on the Thursday. A large number of farmers grow livestock specifically for this festival. Consider this: There are eight million people in Bandung alone. That’s at the very least 1.1 million cows that need to be sacrificed, and at the most 8 million sheep.

Most Indonesians will travel to see their elders at this time, so naturally the roads will be extra busy, not to mention full of livestock. It’s quite a good time to visit ITB, though, as it’ll be totally devoid of people. A good deal of Indonesians will fast for the three days before the Sacrifice, so be culturally sensitive and understanding. The night before the festival all the mosques seemingly go nuts, as there’ll be singing from the minarets for until the wee hours of the morning. The hotel also played the same holy chant non-stop, which at least made a change from the normal CD. On the Friday all the hotel staff wear lovely batik formal wear as it’s a special occasion (service is as good as ever, which is perhaps a shame).

One thing Indonesians seem to get excited about is ketupat, a traditional dish in South-East Asia served at Eid and comprising of rice steam in little packages made of banana leaves. Typically Javanese women weave the cases (a lot more difficult than it sounds, just check the YouTube videos) from a single split banana leaf. If you want one, they are 6.000 rupiah for 10 (possibly 600 for a single casing). This is pretty cheap considering they take perhaps 5 minutes to weave. They are then half-filled with rice and then steamed over water. Once the casing is removed, which seems such a shame considering how pretty they are, the resulting rice cake is cut into cubes and served with chicken stew, fried onions, sate, spicy sauce, liver and onions and other delicious Indonesian classics. Our driver collaborated with the chef at the training house to create a wonderful meal for us all, which was really special.

I don’t know if it’s actually possible to attend a sacrifice or not, but we couldn’t locate one – they might be small family affairs, after all. Apparently hunks of raw meat are handed round as a token gesture (I’m sure you’re not actually expected to eat them) to those present. But whatever you get up to around Eid-al-Adha, there’s definitely a different atmosphere around at the time, one of festival and general hospitality. Be sure to greet whoever offers you such kindness with a warm Eid Mubarak – have a good Eid!