I saw the clouds in Dieng

Through my time in Yogyakarta, Dieng is one of the places that people mention. Sure, it is not in the same breath of Borobudur or Prambanan but it has its unique mountain charm which eludes most travellers given the long journey needed and off the usual tourist track. Even though there is no pictures on postcards for motivation, the thought of 2000 metres above sea level and being surrounded by series of mountains in the heart of Central Java was enough. If one would have seen Dennis (my neighbour at MMUGM) and myself on his motorcycle with a 70 litres backpack on my back, we would have been easily mistaken as Lonely Planet style travellers. The truth is not far from that.


Postcard or reality ?


Overloading is not an issue.

From Yogyakarta, we rode our way to Magelang, a town north of Yogyakarta. We should have anticipated the lebaran traffic that was leading to Semarang, one of the major cities on the Northern coast of Java. After a brief stop over at Magelang, we headed for Temanggung, one of the smaller towns, and eventually to Wonosobo, the main gateway to Dieng. By that time, we were starting to freeze our asses off since Wonosobo is 900 metres above sea level.


Entering Wonosobo.



The afternoon mist rolling in

The journey from Wonosobo to Dieng was something that could be taken out of Lonely Planet. Imagine running low on bensin, two tired travellers wearing bermudas and t-shirts, trying to get to the top of Dieng by overworking the engine and trying not to fall off the incredibly steep incline. Yes, the 26 km journey seemed to take forever after series of circling roads and incredible scenery. After 7 hours and about 200km, the sign of Dieng greeted us.


Friendly villagers on the way to Dieng

The thought of seeing a small mountain town with its quiet charms was quickly replaced by the bustling traffic at the entrance of the village with its only T junction with buses plying along the side of the main road, touting for passengers to Wonosobo and neighbouring towns. Bypassing Losmen Bu Djono, which we would return for meals, we headed to the most 'upmarket' hotel in Dieng, Hotel Gunung Mas. To our dismay (or relief), we suffered a flat tire just when we entered into Dieng which was pointed out to us by a ojek driver. Perhaps, we were just lucky it did not happen halfway up to Dieng.





The reasons why we came to Dieng

I was rather prepared for the rooms at Gunung Mas (Tel No. 02863342017 and ask for Pak. Rohmat) after experiencing less than ideal rooms in Bandung and Solo. We opted for a room without hot water for 100,000 Rp. per night after being informed that the rooms with hot water were fully occupied by families from Jakarta. Determined not to waste time, we headed to the main temples (Arjuna Complex) located in front of the hotel. Not very stunning although some have been partially restored with families gathering to take pictures at the foot of the temples. Having said that, the temples are not considered the main attraction of Dieng but its beautiful landscape and its natural attractions of lakes, craters and hot springs.


Picure of a picture


One of the temples at Arjuna Complex


More temples


Hot springs tapped for geothermal energy

Swiss Rosti at Losmen Bu Djono was not what we expected how the Swiss serves it but excellent nevertheless. Home grown fried potatoes, vegetables and eggs was the Indonesian interpretation. In fact, potatoes and cabbages are the main agricultural produce of Dieng. As explained by the locals, it appears that potatoes are the most suitable for the soil in the mountainous region. Indonesian potatoes ? That is something new to me. At 20,000 Rp. (expensive by local standards), it certainly filled my stomach. On the way back, the occasional 'Hello Mister' to Dennis and the prayers from nearby mosques was prelude to a long night ahead.


Potatoes ready for export

And yes, we were woken up by the morning prayers at 0430 on both nights from the nearby mosques. In fact, I counted that there were 10 mosques within this mountain town with villages having its individual mosque. Reading from Lonely Planet that the Dieng area sends a considerate number pilgrims for Mecca each year, I wonder if there was a connection to the Middle Eastern architecture of the mosques. Starting the day by paying 40,000 Rp. for an (almost) all access pass to the major attractions on Dieng, we started from Telaga Warna and the nearby Telaga Pengilon also known as the Coloured Lakes. Sembungan, possibly the highest village in Java, was the next stop with Gunung Sikunir was the main focus where I felt literally the closest I had ever been to the top of the world. The view from Sembungan was just incredible.


Telaga Warna


On top of the world (almost)


Incredible view, right ?

Kawah Skidang, a volcanic crater with bubbling mud was the last stop before lunch back at Losmen Bu Djono again. Well, it would be unjust to these main attractions sum up what Dieng has to offer but the surrounding scenery really offers so much more. It feels as like you have escaped from the stress and pollution of urban life to paradise central where nature surrounds you. The sites, west to Dieng, are a little far off the track. Telaga Merada was just forgettable with the local guide trying to pull off a fast one on us by charging for parking charges which did not exist.


The life of a farmer


Kawah Skidang

On the last day (Wednesday), we made our way to Kawah Sileri (not covered in the all access pass, 3000 Rp. per person) and attempted to find the waterfalls which was not mentioned in the guide by on the painted maps of the various hotels / home stays. After our legs, clad in slippers (the most unsuitable footwear for trekking) suffered an hour of uneven stone paths and taking the detour, a local offered to take us to the waterfall.


Sunrise at Dieng

When Indonesians say 'lewat' and point in the general direction , take it with a pinch of salt. Walking along the terraced potato fields and off the main track down the mountain where one wrong step sends you falling to your death, it would not be exaggerating that we were risking our lives to see the waterfalls but the view was worth the retirement of my slippers and the numerous panic attacks on the way down.


Is this picture worth all the risk ?

To cap off the trip, our impromptu guide invited us to his home in the village to 'istirahat dan santai' (rest and relax) where hot teh manis (really sweet) was constantly refilled by his mother. It really reflects the warmth and hospitality of Indonesians shown to visitors, be it in governor office of West Java in Bandung or a mountain village in Dieng.


The kitchen in the home of our guide

A note of caution: Walking to the various attractions are not advisable even if Lonely Planet claims the distance to be walk able. The best option is to ride a motorbike and enjoy helmet less rides through the empty roads and enjoy your surroundings.

Returning to Gunung Mas, it was time to bid farewell to Dieng. The ride down Dieng to Wonosobo was rather uneventful except of taking a wrong detour heading towards Purwokerto (towards West Java) instead of Purworejo. From the latter, it was route one through the Kledung Pass which offers an excellent view of the lush jungles of Central Java. Taking a rest stop on a bench somewhere along the Pass beside some locals repairing a motorbike is nothing short of Lonely Planet.


The view of Central Java from Kledung Pass

From Purworejo, following the western train route, the next stop was Wates and finally, Yogyakarta. Short of dangerous is probably the best expression to describe the last portion of the journey. After 5 hours on the road and 30 minutes of rest, Wisma MMUGM finally appeared in sight. Even though it was a short and cheap (400,000 Rp. all expenses inclusive for twin sharing) road trip with war scars to show for, it was all worth it.



Cost of the trip: 400, 000 Rp.
Cost of flat tire: 35, 000 Rp.
The experience of the road trip: Priceless