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Puncak
Get Away
by
: Mehru Jaffer
Next time when the
husband waves yet another business class air ticket to where ever, do
not despair. Forget the flying. Concentrate on the advantages of
having the feet firm and forever on the ground. The plan is to spend a
restful weekend with the family. But come Monday morning get the
rusting alarm clock to roll you out of bed before the cock
doodles-a-do and then meet up with that gang of soul mates before you
breeze into Puncak. Been there? Done that? No, not at the newly opened
Melrimba Garden, you can not have. Agreed that much of Puncak is
nothing but a ride on the beaten track but there are some treasure
spots still to be discovered. Melrimba Garden is one of them.
Exactly an hour's drive
from Jakarta, the Garden stands 1400 metres above sea level. On
arrival at 7 am the temperature is fresh around 15 degrees and the dew
still sparkling. A boon is the sprawling parking place inside the
premises of Jalan Raya Puncak 87, that seems capable of accommodating
not just your own but all the cars of the entire neighbourhood. The
very first to welcome here is the wandering mist and there are hugs
galore from the fog. A steaming cup of tea brewed from home grown
lemon grass helps to loosen those stiff joints in preparation for the
long walk along the undulating contours of paradise that is a
combination of flower, rock, water and herb garden.
A guide will keep
company but only on request into the dense, decadent beauty and is
happy to explain how the mossy parts got so dark, what that patch of
green is about and who exactly those luminous flowers are? It is also
possible to get the birdsong translated or if you so wish to keep the
long silence further suspended for a second or two more, at least till
the first rays of the sun decide to fling away their cloudy covers and
to kiss the cheeks a very good morning. Once the walk is over it is
best to get back to the feet of the Gunung Masigit (Mountain Mosque)
where you can choose a sumptuous breakfast from 11food stalls. However
the best thing to do is to inform Melani Rimba about the meal of your
choice from Jakarta itself so that the appetite made so ravenous by
the combination of mountain air and scenery is not put to further
trials.
Talking to Melani over
a cup of cappuccino at the Sendok Garpu, the barrack like structure
converted into a restaurant, it was difficult to believe that this
picturesque spot of such beauty, repose and seclusion was once a
pharmaceutical factory! When her husband, a partner in the factory
moved all his machines to Bogor, Melani refused to part with this
property. For a few years she came here from Jakarta to relax. What
eventually filled her with great anticipation was gardening. She
was content to clear the weeds from around ancient trees and in
cultivating fruits and herbs. She tamed the ferocious forces of water
from a nearby spring into streams and ponds and released fish of every
hue and colour which can be admired from quaint little bridges made
from wood over the water. She imported flowers from Holland and
Australia and when the surroundings began to display an attractive
blend of contrasting colours and forms she wanted to share all this
beauty with the others.
The chairperson of the
Indonesian Association of Flowers, Melani now looks forward to
visitors who will also participate in flower arrangement and bonsai
breeding sessions organised by her. "For all those interested we
provide cooking tips and demonstrations in different cuisine from
across the archipelago," says Melani who has beautified the
pencil-long, front portion of the factory and converted it into a cozy
restaurant with open arches and a souvenir shop. Apart from Indonesian
cuisine, Italian, Japanese and Chinese food is also served here.
The Garden employs
about 130 people from the nearby villages making Ace,35 happy at being
able to earn a living in his beloved Sunda highlands itself. "I
cannot bear to be in Jakarta for more than a couple of hours,"
says Ace, gardener-in-chief and graduate from Bogor's university of
agriculture in a refreshing contrast to thousands of other able bodied
young people who are abandoning their villages and flocking to cities
like Jakarta in search of work.
Ace loves working on
the land and proudly shows off the Bunga, the well stocked shop
adjoining the Garden that sells potted plants, tools and other
accessories for the garden. It is possible to spend an entire
afternoon here admiring the wide range of decorative plants and
flowers to herbal bushes from Indonesia as well as abroad. Also
spotted at the shop are other items to further beautify the garden
like lamps, statues and pots so pretty. Like all Sundanese, Ace
recommends plenty of greens on the plate and he is able to tell which
herb is able to cure what ailment and how soothing to the soul which
leaf is.
Opened to the public in
December 1998, another service offered at the Garden are tricks on
professional landscaping as well as technical advice on gardening in
your own home. But Melani's dream remains to provide nature lovers
with overnight accommodation on the premises so that each moment from
dawn to dusk that is spent in the lap of the luscious landscape is
experienced personally and not merely told to you by writers like this
one.
The Garden is open
seven days a week between 9 am and 10 pm on week days and between 8 am
and 11 pm on weekends and holidays. But the advantage of a visit on a
week day prevents one from wading through the oceanic traffic jams
flooding the main road at Puncak on holidays. Just remember to inform
the Garden of your early morning date with the lark at telephone
numbers 0263 523 204, 523 205 or 523 206 so that the
preparations made are indeed fit for a princess.
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