Java History

Go see The Monas Tower (Obelisk). Great history of Indonesia and an awesome view of the city.

Bandung is the capital of West Java ; the very homeland of the native Sundanese people, arts, and cultures. At the lowest point 700M above sea level it has a cool and comfortable climate, and since long time ago attracts many people from all over Indonesia - and from abroad - seeking funs, fashions, delicacy, and higher education. Bandung's most notable entry in the history book was as host of the Asia-Africa Conference in 1955 which placed Bandung in the world spotlight.

Jakarta is all Indonesia rolled into one huge urban sprawl of nearly nine million people. It's earlier history is centred around port of Sunda Kelapa , in the North of the Kota District of present's Jakarta. At the beginning of 17th century both Dutch and English merchants had trading post here.

Bandung is the capital of West Java and Indonesia's fourth largest city. In keeping with the style of Indonesia's big cities, it is overcrowded and polluted but it makes for an excellent base to explore the surrounding area. Our guesthouse arranged a tour of Papandayan Volcano which also included a visist to a silk factory and West Java's oldest Hindu temple (8th century). The highlight by far was the trek up to the crater of Papandayan Volcano. It felt as if we were walking on another planet with surreal landscapes full of florescent colored vents of sulfur gasses and bubbling hot springs of brown, yellow and green creamy water. At times, when the wind would blow the sulfur gas in our direction, we were forced to cover our nose and mouth with a mask so as not to choke. The sulfur enriched mud when used in soap, medicine and cosmetics is very curative. After an amazing one hour trek around the crater, we bathed in the hot springs fed from the volcano's crater. Due to the many eruptions over the years, we were able to scoop up brilliantly colored rocks and pebbles as we bathed in the hot springs. It was a geologist's paradise with the various colors and textures of the rocks telling the history of the volcano