People said, “if you want to know the real person, ask for traveling”. 

That was why I asked my boyfriend (at that time) to travel. It was about four years ago. We decided to go Kawah Putih in Bandung because it was near from Jakarta, our home. Plus, he had a relative in Bandung.

We decided to use public transportation. It was not difficult to use public transportation to go there, said internet. From Jakarta, we went to Bandung and stayed a night.

We almost did not go there because his cousin said, it was not really good at all. It was just an ordinary crater with the strong odor of brimstone. However, I was really curious because many movies and FTVs used Kawah Putih as one of their setting. So, we sticked to the plan.

In the next (very) early morning, we were determined to go to Kawah Putih. First, we went to Leuwi Panjang Terminal, Bandung. Then, we took a mini bus (local said L 300) to Ciwidey Terminal. It was really crowded. The driver entered as many as passangers to his car until we can sleep in a sitting position without falling.

In the Ciwidey Terminal, we looked for a yellow public car (angkot). The direction was Ciwidey-Situ Patenggeng. I was warned from the internet, that the people in the terminal will know if we wanted to go to Kawah Putih. Therefore, they might be asked more money.

For the first time, I did not believe. I tried to be positive. We sat in the car and waited until the car was full with passangers. It took a long time. Almost an hour we waited and the car was still empty, just us. My boyfriend suggested to walk because it was not far anymore. However, I did not agree because we were stranger and it was our first time to come there.  

I started to watch carefully. When I saw locals wanted to enter our car, the driver forbade and directed to other cars. It was the same color and the same direction. Therefore, my boyfriend asked the driver and offered more money. They asked IDR 100 thousands for each of us, but we bargained IDR 100 thousands for two.

Finally, they agreed. Then our car started to fill with other passengers. We sat in the front next the driver. I was noted that other passengers only pay 5000 or less. Was it unfair? I thought so for the first time. However, as we went further, the area was toughed. It was winding road just like mountainous road. No wonder they asked more. It also was far and I was glad we did not decide to walk from the terminal.

Fortunately, we can ask to stop in front of Kawah Putih Gate. The air was fresh and cold. The sky was not really clear because there was a little mist. Kawah Putih was located in Patuha Mountain, West Java. The height was 2.386 m. The crater was famous as Kawah Putih (White Crater) because the land and the water were white. Around the area was forest with many big green trees.

From the gate to the crater, we can use a shuttle bus called ontang-anting (back and forth, because it will take and pick up the visitors). You can walk if you want to. But, I prefer to use ontang anting.

The journey was so long. I can not wait to see Kawah Putih. After getting off the shuttle bus, we walk to the crater. There was a musician played a siter. He sat in a hut and played it beautifully. What a perfect combination, the air and the music.

Then we walked down to the crater. There were stairs to go the crater. When I started to see the crater from the stair, I was stopped walking. Wow, it was really breath taking. I just want to run and dancing when I remember the struggle to get here.

The crater just like a big lake. The color was amazing. It mixed from tosca, green, yellow, white, or whatsoever. I can not describe what color it was. It reminded me of the beautiful sea. Once again, I was glad that we insisted to come here and did not listen his cousin.

However, the smell of the brimstones was really strong. The closer we came to the crater, the stronger the odor. That was why there was a warning board that we should not stay in this area more than 10 minutes. Since you might be get dizzy, sickness, or something that was not comfortable to your body because we smelt the brimstone.

Though it was look like ocean, you can not soak your feet in the water. It was dangerous.  Even, the plant in the edge was merely dead without any leaves in their branches. There were also many big rocks. It was so mysterious yet sophisticated. No wonder it was one of the favorite spot for pre wedding photography.

We walked around and we found a cave. The gate of the cave was closed by warning boards. It stated “Dangerous, Do Not Stand Too Long In Front Of The Cave”. We can not enter the cave. It was a brimstone cave, the center of brimestone gas. Formerly it was a brimestone fabric which was held by Netherlands and continued by Japan.

We wanted to stay longer in the area, but after 15 minutes, it was hard to catch our breath. The sky also was darker because the mist became thick. Therefore, we went up again. We should not ignore the warning board. After that, we decided to go home. Thanks God, our back journey was smooth without any drama.

This journey was my wonderful experience with my boyfriend. I was more comfortable with him and I think we can get more journeys in life. I can not guarantee that our relationship will be always successful as this journey. What I was learnt that we can reach our purpose together.

So, if you misdoubt your partner, go pack your bag and travel. 

My wowtravel is your wow travel story.