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CIPANAS |
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The quiet spa village of CIPANAS , at the foot of Gunung Guntur,
around two hours' journey southeast of Bandung, makes a delightful place
to witness a picture-postcard idyll of Javanese rural life. The
plentiful rice paddies are punctuated by glassy ponds, palm trees and
flowering bushes, and local villagers supplement their living with fish-rearing.
In the background looms the volcanic peaks of Gunung Guntur, Galunggung,
Papandayan and the perfect cone of Cikurai. There are walks to nearby
waterfalls and you can climb Gunung Guntur in a hard five-hour trek. To
get to Cipanas, you must first take a bus from Bandung to Garut bus
station (2hr; Rp2000), from where you should walk round to the next-door
bemo terminal and take the brown bemo #4 to Cipanas (6km; 15min; Rp500).
All accommodation here is along the road that runs into Cipanas from the
main Bandung-Garut road; every place features piped-in hot-water baths.
Kurina, at no. 131 (under $5), is the best deal in Cipanas; the similar
Pondok Melati, no. 133 (under $5), is also pleasant. Pondok Wulandari,
Jl Raya Cipanas 99 (tel 0262/234675; under $5), has good-value rooms
with fan and TV, and Tirta Merta, the first hotel on the left as you
pass through the gateway, offers reasonably upmarket rooms ($10-15).
There are a few warung on the main street.
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