TEMPO.CO, Garut - A wonderful panoramic view of Tegal Panjang from around 2,000-meter height was the worthy reward after a whole day of cycling around the waist of Mount Papandayan in Garut, West Java.
“Being here is like turning the clock backward. It’s quietness, clear sky, and fresh air is like a ballad of the nature praising the Mighty God,” I thought.
The idea for cycling and camping in this open space came up just like that between chatters with my friends. And so, five of us kicked start our pedals from parking area of Kawah Mas of Mount Papandayan on one morning of May.
After a light pedaling for 500 meters, the track started to get rocky, forcing us to dismount from our bicycle sometimes. Luckily, the flat tracks were accessible with light gear.
We arrived at Lawang Angin after two hours rolling on crater track. The area is a flat land with four-way intersection. The straight road leads to Cibatarua, the left road leads to Pondok Saladah, while the right road leads to Tegal Panjang, our camping destination.
It was late in the afternoon when we rolled along narrow path toward the valley with Papandayan crater on our right side. When we looked to the horizon, the view of moon appearing on the blue sky gave us feeling that words can not describe.
However, we had to walk and push our bicycle in 70 percent of our journey along the road to Tegal Panjang because there are many bushes and thorned plantations. It is recommended to wear long pants and boots to go through these bushes.
Three hours later, we were out of the dense forest and were welcomed by vast savanna that looked shiny from the moonlight. The air was cold, probably around 16 to 21 Celcius degree. There is narrow river with clear water nearby, a sign that the area was once filled with lava from Mount Papandayan eruption.
We continued to kick the pedal until we reach the border of the forest in Tegal Panjang. Here, we unloaded our logistics, erected tents, and made fireplace to cook our dinner. Kang Jojo reminded us not to cook meat to avoid attracting the king of the jungle Panthera pardus to our tent.
There were only five of us camping in the location that day. The quietness put us to deep sleep until the dawn came. The sunrise revealed panoramic view that stretch before our eyes. As beauty as the playground of the angels.
After finishing our breakfast, we returned to our bicycle heading home. We kicked the pedal for hours and seemed like we got lost. Even after mid-day, we could not find the nearest village of Cibatarua, Pengalengan.
We decided to have some lunch before continuing the journey. The decision came out right because we were heading towards rough tracks where we had to push and even carried our bicycle to get through.
Around 17:30 local time, we followed a narrow path toward Drajat, Bayongbong, Garut. We finally set foot on Mekarjaya Village at almost 22:00 local time. That night, we stayed over at residents houses before pedaling for more toward Garut bus terminal the next day.But of course, we wouldn’t get lost on our way to the bus station.
KORAN TEMPO
