May 10, 2011 - Bandung

DATE: Tuesday, May 10, 2011

LOCATION: Bandung

AUTHOR: Dan Coughlin

At 8:15 we were picked up at the bus terminal and taken to City Hall. We arrived at 8:45. We were taken into the Conference Hall and all 21 of our people plus our Bandung hosts were seated along with 8–10 assistants and interpreters. Needless to say, a box of food and water were immediately given to us. The Mayor was unable to meet us so the First Assistant Mayor spoke to us about the happenings of the city. After the speech we were all given presents from the city and taken out front for a group photo. MANY pictures were taken. Was this when we made the two camera rule? :)



Government officials, Bandung hosts and nearly all the ambassadors --
who was missing today?

After the picture taking we left on a three-hour ride on a large bus for the tea plantation which is set in the mountains and is comprised of 1350 (3375 acres) hectors of tea trees.

The tea plantation -- in this area, the plantings looked
more like bushes than trees, but these were mature
plantings where hand-picking was being done.

We were taken to the home of the man who originally founded this plantation, Karl Rudolph, Bossch. This home is approximately 110 years old and is set on top of a hill and preserved as it has always been. We had a little talk about the history of the plantation, how the trees had been brought from Africa to start the plantation and how, after the Indonesians took over the plantation from the Dutch in 1950, the government took over the management of the plantation. From the porch of the house, we could look to the top of the hill and see Mr. Bossch’s mausoleum and where he is buried. Around the side of the house, there are visitors’ rooms for people who wish to come and stay there. The prices are reasonable and the rooms are nicely furnished. We then left the home to drive through the plantation stopping where the original tea trees were planted.  We were shown how the new trees were created from grafting.

We then visited the tea factory. We saw how the leaves come in, are sorted by size, and dried, tested, and graded. There are seven types of teas from white tea to black tea. The tea is then put into 100 pound white sacks and stored to be sold. Ten per cent of the tea is sold in Indonesia and the rest is exported, making this a large export commodity for the country.

Bags and bags and bags of tea leaves.



After another three hour trip in heavy traffic, we arrived back in Bandung.



We were picked up at the bus station at 5:00 and taken home to spend the evening with our hosts.

It was a delightful day, a pleasant ride in the country and very informative.