In an area of about 40 ha, Kaliandra Sejati provides lodging facilities from a dorm style up to a grand suite in a European style mansion. It also has a wellness center some massages and this weird treatment called enzyme therapy, a gym, 2 swimming pools, and outbound arena for flying fox and wall climbing. They run some in-house activities like batik and clay-making classes, gamelan and Javanese dances classes and also outdoors ones such as trekking and cycling. It's safe to say that it has something for everyone and once you are in the complex, you're in for a treat.
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| Put your Zen mode on |
I came in through Malang and you can either charter a taxi from the airport for Rp. 320,000 or go the cheapskate way which is go to Arjosari bus station (taxi of Rp. 65.000), take the Surabaya bound bus (it's comfortable with AC, at Rp. 25.000), tell the driver that you are getting off at Pasar Palang, and take an ojek (Rp. 20,000) to Kaliandra. The bus will drop you off at an intersection of Jalan Pasar Palang and right there is already where the ojek drivers are.
When I arrived I was greeted with the usual Indonesian friendliness that I always know. After checking in, I set course for a tour to the organic farming that Kaliandra manages. It is a certified organic farm, where farmers from nearby villages gets 2 or 3 greenhouse plots to manage. Kaliandra provides the infrastructure, seed, composting facilities, training, and markets the product as well. The farmers will sell to Kaliandra at a price set to offset all the farming costs.
I was taken around by Mas Aji, who explained to me that most people know organic farming as just not using chemical fertilisers and pesticides. But in actuality it's much more than that. Not only the product is organic, but the process is also organic, meaning that farmers need to make sure that the biological function of the soil remains (which may not be achieved through using pots) and make sure that other animals/plants are not killed in the process of saving the produce. In using natural ways of avoiding pests, he explained that there are 3 principles: smell, taste, and colour/light. Some pests would not go near lavender for example for the smell, or would be attracted to lights and therefore move away from the plants.
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| One of the farmers showing some TLC |
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| Almost ready for harvest. So fresh, I feel like pouring Caesar dressing then and there. |
I asked why organic produce is much more expensive when farmers don't need to buy chemicals. I could see his face filled up with passion, "Of course it's more expensive... there's a lot more hours put into it by the farmers..." Turns up, in a nut shell, the difference is in the TLC, touch love and care, given by growers. For a regular farmer, when he/she knows there are pests around, he/she will spray on the pesticides, leave it a night, and find the plants pest-free the next day. For an organic farmer, he/she has to really know what kind of pests, in which plant, is it already spreading, and monitor it closely day by day. We're paying for his/her hours; fair enough.
After visiting the farm, I walked around the other side of the area to Villa Leduk, an orange mansion with European architecture where the founder, Atamdja Tjiptobiantoro, stays at from time to time. He used to be a successful businessman and when retired he sold his companies to his brother and decided to do something that is meaningful. When I asked several staff what he's like, they all said that he is soft spoken and super nice. He would hold meetings with the different departments when he's around; it takes around 200 employees to run this place. Villa Leduk can be enjoyed from the outside, but can be opened to use for occasions such as pre-wed. It is also the location used in the movie "Tenggelamnya Kapan Van Der Wick" which I would want to watch after this.
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| The front view of Villa Leduk |
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| The view from Hastinapura area |
The day after, in the morning, I walked around another side of the Kaliandra called the Hastinapura area where the cottages are. Those are for fancier rooms or bungalow with 2 or 3 rooms, which would be perfect for family holidays. The area is higher up so the view is nicer. Somewhere on the way to Hastinapura is the gym and pool. The gym is quite small but it has all the basic gym equipment, and can also hold a yoga class by request for a minimum of 5 people. I decided to do a bit of running on the treadmill for some sweat before I treat myself for a relaxing massage.
I've booked an hour long massage, actually not really expecting much. They probably employ ibu-ibu from around the area who have massage experience before. Boy, I was wrong. For an eco-resort in the middle of (almost) nowhere, they really run their wellness centre professionally and whole-heartedly. The massage bed was a real massage bed (I don't know why I'm so impressed given it's what it's supposed to have, but I am!!), and Mbak Windra who was my masseuse got a real massage training and I can tell you that she's really good.
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| There are about 40 peacocks, 15 deers, and 15 turkeys in the area. Mount Arjuna on the background, providing 60% of water in the East Java province. |
It was a short stay of 2 days 1 night, but it's definitely a good, relaxing one, surrounded by peacocks, deers, and of course friendly people. And I absolutely love what the place does for the people around it. As an nation depending so much on rural economy, we should support our agriculture in any way that we can. Be attentive to what you buy and eat, explore other parts of Indonesia outside the malls, and understand how nature provides great things for us.
OK, I am sounding more like a yogi by the second. But, I guess, it's because for a Jakartan like me, nature can become either a luxury or something totally irrelevant. For me, I choose the first.
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For more information, visit: www.kaliandrasejati.org
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