Staying and eating in Garut

Garut is an old Dutch hill station surrounded by mountains, volcanoes, and crystal clear lakes, so it  attracts the adventure-lovers. For those who're looking for a nice place to stay after a hard day of hiking, Kampung Sumber Alam might just fit the bill.

As we were assigned a bungalow near the entrance, we did not realise how impressive it is until we went looking for the breakfast venue which is tucked away in a corner of the sprawling estate.

The bungalows are built in traditional Sudanese architectural style, so they look rustic and natural. Located at the foot of Mt Guntur, some rooms even come with a private pool with natural sulphurous hot spring water from the volcano. The hotel also boasts of many other facilities which we didn't use during our stay.

 

We had a mediocre dinner at our hotel on the first night. The next day, Irwan brought us to Kampung Sampireun Resort & Spa for lunch.

This resort, with its wooden bungalows over water, looks uncanningly similar to Sumber Alam. We had to walk past lots of hungry fishes in the pond before we could reach the restaurant.

The restaurant is also tucked away amongst lush greenery. We were ushered to a wooden hut where the meal is served.

We ordered an array of Sudanese dishes. The fried banana dessert (below) was covered in a thick layer of grated cheese. Apparently the locally produced cheese is widely eaten by the people here which is not surprisingly as Garut is an old Dutch hill station.

That same night, Irwan brought us to the local night market (pasar malam). While it was a fascinating experience for us, we were careful to navigate our way through the crowded alleys without getting run over by speeding bikes.

 

 We found something familiar - peanut pancake! Here, they add a dollop of butter just before serving which makes it really rich and tasty!