Our mobile phone alarms were ringing, one after another. It was before daybreak when we woke up hurriedly, fighting our drowsiness after our tea plantation tour.
By
MOHAMMAD HILMI FAIQ
·6 minutes read
Our mobile phone alarms were ringing, one after another. It was before daybreak when we woke up hurriedly, fighting our drowsiness after our tea plantation tour. Bathing was unnecessary. At the Malabar tea estate in Pengalengan, Bandung regency, where the temperature was 11 degrees Celsius at dawn, bathing would be suicide.
We were headed to Nini Hill, accompanied by Ade Hermawan, a security officer. The hill was only around a kilometer from our lodgings, close to the home of Karel Albert Rudolf Bosscha in the tea plantation. The complex is managed as an agro-tourism destination by the PTPN VIII state estate company.
However, a special guide was needed because the road through the plantation was dark. The road was winding and steep. Thanks to the guide, it took only about 30 minutes to reach the top of Nini Hill.
An orange light began to appear in the east. We readied our cameras to take a photo of the sunrise. But this was not easy, because the area was colder than at our lodgings. The jackets, scarves, caps and gloves we wore made it difficult to move, especially in operating our cameras.
After the cameras were set up as desired, we gazed at the orange horizon. It grew colder as we stayed still. I took out a thermos with hot tea and several paper cups. The half-liter of white tea was finished in minutes.
It was growing brighter. Gradually, the sun’s rays penetrated the mist above the tea plantation, revealing a fascinating view of the hilly scenery. We headed to a structure that functioned as an observation post. From this point, visitors could enjoy a panoramic view of the Malabar tea estate. A green expanse seemed to extend endlessly, as far as the eye could see. On the eastern edge of the horizon, Mount Guntur was silhouetted against the rays of the sun.
The mist moved as in a dance as the sunlight cleared it. Meanwhile, the residual mist fell as a curtain, creating a mystical and magical view, like millions of arrows shooting from the eastern horizon towards earth.
To the south, Lake Cileunca started glittering as it was exposed to sunlight. Several motorcycles could be seen passing the nearby village road. The lake was formed when the Dutch built a dam on the Cileunca River, and was later used to operate a hydropower plant.
Upstream of the Citarum to the southeast, Mt. Wayang soared. Its silhouette overlapped that of Mt. Papandayan in Garut, from which a column of smoke rose. The glimmering crater could be seen now and again as the clouds dispersed. Its western flank was brightly lit, but the eastern side looked cloudy.
Everyone at the Nini Hill observation post could easily view the expanse of the PTPN VIII Malabar tea plantation. The landscape was no less attractive during dusk. This was apparently why Karel Albert Rudolf Bosscha relished his quiet moments on Nini Hill.
Tranquility
Bosscha, better known as the name of the observatory in Lembang, was an administrator of the Malabar tea plantation known for making many improvements, including various facilities to support the welfare of the plantation workers.
One of his favorite pastimes was stay on Nini Hill. “He brought his binoculars and monitored the tea pickers from here. So, they were all under his supervision,” said Ade, who had heard this from his father, also an estate security officer.
It is this allure that is PTPN VIII’s primary asset in developing agro-tourism using the Agro-tourism N8 brand name.
It is this allure that is PTPN VIII’s primary asset in developing agro-tourism using the Agro-tourism N8 brand name. There are six agro-tourism spots within the area of the tea plantation: Gunung Mas in Puncak, West Java, Rancabali in Ciwidey, Bandung regency, Malabar in Pengalengan, Bandung regency, Ciater in Subang, Sukawana in Lembang, West Bandung, and Tenjo Resmi in Sukabumi.
Aside from promoting its natural beauty, Malabar’s historical value is also promoted. This is where Bosscha’s residence and grave still stand. Tourists usually visit Bosscha’s house to become immersed in its atmosphere. Although the house is not offered as accomodation, tourists can visit it and even look at Bosscha’s room.
Near Bosscha’s house are seven wooden houses, one of which we stayed in. In addition, there are also 11 standard rooms. The local lodgings can accommodate 200 guests. Located some 40 kilometers from Bandung municipality, they are most conveniently reached by private car, since no public transportation are available as yet.
Despite its double attraction, the Malabar agro-tourism site is not as crowded as Gunung Mas, Puncak. Gunung Mas, only a stone’s throw from the main Bogor-Puncak road, is a magnet for tourists. It offers seven types of accommodation from bamboo houses to wooden houses and to bungalows, which can accommodate up to 328 guests.
It also has a greater variety of recreational facilities, including a rabbit hutch, a batik gallery and all-terrain vehicles (ATV) for renting to tour the tea plantation. Located only about 4 kilometers from the Safari Park, visitors tend to stay longer there to enjoy other attractions.
Agro-tourism is another means through which PTPN VIII is seeking income amid the declining price of tea. However, it does not yet generate significant revenue from agro-tourism.
PTPN VIII agro-tourism business manager Hikmat Eka Karyadi said that agro-tourism generated an income of Rp 2.5 billion from around 50,000 visitors in a month, contributing 3 percent to the management company’s total income.
Sadly, these tourist sites do not offer a narrative on the tea business as part of their featured attractions. Let’s say, apart from enjoying scenery, visitors could also tour the factories to watch fresh tea leaves processed into powdered or dried tea.
“Obtaining the license for a factory visit to watch the tea production process is not simple. People are reluctant to deal with difficult licensing procedures. The result is that knowledge about tea is growing increasingly distant from the public,” said Ridwan Hutagalung, who founded the Aleut Community of historical tourism activists.
Ridwan hoped that PTPN VIII would innovate by involving those conversant with history in a historical tourism package.
It would certainly be exciting if, after enjoying the dawn air on Nini Hill, visitors were taken to pick tea in the plantation and to tour the factory. It would be even more interesting with competent guides who could explain every aspect of tea production. This would be extraordinarily appealing.
The tea plantation’s many attractions made me realize that it is no wonder Bosscha felt at home here.