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. Our knowledgeable guide, Harry, explained to us the curative powers of the sulfur enriched mud (used in soap, medicine and cosmetics) when applied to the skin. 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.
Below are photographs from our visit to Papandayan Volcano.
