Garut
The Limbangan Regency, which has now become the Garut Regency, was founded by Lieutenant-Governor Stamford Raffles on 16 February 1813. RAA. Adiwijaya, who governed from the 1813 until 1821, was the 1st Regent of the Garut Regency. He was well known as Dalem Cipeujueh. The town of Suci was originally the capital of the new Limbangan Regency. However it was thought that Suci didn't meet the requirements of a capital because the area was crowded and quite narrow.When the site was 1st found, there was a spring nearby that was said to have been surrounded by a small pond closed off by thorny scrub. According to local stories, one person in the group had his hands badly scratched by the thorns. A European in the team asked about the bleeding and was told that the problem was "kakarut!" The answer was misheard by the European visitor as "gagarut" rather than "kakarut". Team members of the committee thus named the thorny plant "Ki Garut" and the pond was named "Ci Garut". The area around the pond was named "Garut". The name of "Garut" was approved by Regent Limbangan Adipati Adiwijaya to be made the Capital of the Limbangan Regency.
Garut was well known before World War II, being a hill station for the Dutch elite of the region. The legendary film star Charlie Chaplin is said to have visited Garut twice. He is reported to have visited in 1927 and 1935, staying at the Grand Hotel Ngamplang in Ciwalu region, a hilly resort around 3.4 kilometers from the city center.
Garut has many traditional foods. The most famous local food is dodol. Dodol is made from rice flour, glutinous rice flour, brown sugar, and coconut milk. Dodol, which is popular because it is sweet and sticky, is prepared with many different fruit flavours.
Dorokdok. Dorokdok is usually made from dried Water Buffalo's skin. The only way to make it is to fry the dried skin. Dorokdok is popular because it is crunchy and salty.
Burayot made of Brown Sugar and Chosen rice flour. The ingredients and taste are same as that found in other versions of the regional specialty known as "Ali Agrem" but because burayot is round and wrinkled it called burayot. Burayot is produced in the region around the small township of Leles to the north of Garut because the ingredients are easily available in the area.
Garut is in a valley surrounded by various volcanoes. The most well known is Mount Galunggung which experienced a major eruption in 1982. Following the eruption, over 60 people died and much damage was done to the agricultural sector and infrastructure in the region. Other nearby volcanoes are Mount Talagabodas, Mount Guntur (around 2,250 meters), and Mount Cikurai (over 2,800 meters).
At the south of Garut there are more than 10 beaches. The most well known beaches are Santolo Beach at Cikelet district and Sayang Heulang Beach, the others are Cilauteureun, Rancabuaya, Taman Manalusu, Cijayana, Karang Paranje, Sancang, Gunung Geder, Pantai Cijeruk Indah, Karang Tepas or Sodong parat. They are located 94 kilometers from Garut and spread along 72 kilometers of south coast. Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn in the colonial era plotted the beaches. Now, since 2006 Gunung Geder Beach is boosted by the Indonesian government to be a new tourist site. Gunung Geder Beach with 7 kilometers of beach has white sand near the sea and brownish sand far the sea. Some people said that Gunung Geder beach is more beautiful than Kuta Beach in Bali. Alternative route except through Garut is through Ciwidey and Rancabali.
Related Sites for Garut
- Danau Dariza - Hotel & Resort read Garut
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- Garut Tourism - Travel to Indonesia : Maps - Hotels and Resort ... read Garut
