Hotel Augusta is where we're at and its lovely, clean large room, modern bathroom with hot water (whoop whoop) and a swimming pool. We've even got a lovely balcony with a beautiful view.
We spend an afternoon in the company of Amelia and Edry Pohan, they live in Jakarta and are here on a day trip. They take us to a beautiful little temple across a lake which we cross on bamboo rafts which are punted across. It's a beautiful place and one we wouldn't have found without them.
Located just above the town are hot water springs. A lot of the hot water in the town is fed from these springs. There is an area just like Matlock Bath, where there are swimming pools where Indonesians visit to swim. The water is filtered somehow and retains its heat but loses the sulphur smell. In our hotel when you run the tap you can smell the sulphur for a short time.
We also take the opportunity to visit Papandayan, a volcano some 40km away from Cipanas. It last erupted in 2002 but is very active, one of the most active on Java. Two buses and a motorbike ride find us at the top of the volcano about a 30 minute walk from the crater. In the crater itself there is lots of smoke and many geysers spewing forth steam. The feeling of immense underground power here is quite overwhelming. It feels like the whole thing could go bang at any moment.
There is a small village behind the hotel, there are no cars here, only motorcycles, it is a maze of narrow alleyways between houses. The children are absolutely fascinated by us and we soon look like the pied piper with a group of children following us, shouting "I love you" - their only English. In the village we come across signs for the route of evacuation in case of volcanic eruption - a scary thought. This way my party...
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