Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine May 2019 | Page 101

Travel / Tasikmalaya
3
1. From downtown Tasikmalaya,
it takes around one hour to drive
to the lush beauty of the Taraju
Tea Estate.
2. A local casts his net at
Situ Gede Lake.
3. The village chief of Parentas
serves Arabica coffee from
his estate.
4. The children of Cibuniasih
village are very cheerful.
4
 e fog slowly lifts, revealing
Th
the green crater and a black-sand island.
A waterfall tumbles into the crater
from the edge.
2
morning air from the opposite
side. The sun is quite high when
the fog slowly lifts, revealing the
green crater and
a black-sand island. A waterfall
tumbles into the crater from
the edge. I feel like going down
to get closer to the crater – there
is no smoke or sulphurous smell
– but for safety reasons, visitors
are not permitted to get any
nearer. I am content to sit
quietly, enjoying the warmth
of the morning sun and
the spectacular view.
Since the advent of social
media, the type of tourism
that has been on the rise in
Tasikmalaya is ‘curug tourism’;
curug means ‘waterfall’ in the
Sundanese language. “There
are dozens of Instagrammable
waterfalls in Tasik,” explains
Suci, my millennial guide. “My
favourite is Ciparay waterfall.”
Naturally, the waterfall is the next
stop – but it is no easy
feat getting there. Situated near
Parentas village, 30km from
Tasikmalaya City, our destination
takes over two hours to reach
because the final 6km leg of the
uphill road is in terrible condition.
However, the journey is well
worth it. From the top of the hill,
Ciparay waterfall – also called
Curug Kembar (Twins waterfall)
because there are two flows –
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