Wonosobo, a Cool Country Town

Wonosobo lies 772 metres or 2,316 feet above sea level. It's surrounded by a range of mountains among them, Sindoro and Sumbing, as though forming a natural gate at the east entrance of Wonosobo.
This country town which is about 119 kms southwest of Semarang, the capital city of Central Java province, has a cool climate with an average temperature of 25 degree C. It gets down to 12 to 15 degree C in July and August.
The town's name comes from Javanese words: ''Wono'' mean ''forest'' or ''a certain resort in the country'' and ''Sobo'' stands for ''to visit.'' Thus, we many say that Wonosobo is a country resort which attracts people to come and visit.

Where to Go and What to See

Dieng Plateau
Dieng is 26 km north of Wonosobo and more than 6000 feet or 2,093 metres above sea level, so, it is cool, even cold. The temperature ranges between 15 and 20 dgree C the day time and can be 10 degree C at night, or even zero with frost on the ground in the morning. The people of Dieng called it bun upas meaning poisonous dew, for it damages their potatoes which is the main crop of the area.
The name Dieng, according to its legend, comes from Javanese word: adi meaning ''beautiful'' and aeng meaning amazing, so, we may surmise Dieng is a beautiful and amazing highland.
In this plateau you can see the Hindu temples, an expression of the Hindu-Javanese culture of those times.
At the beginning there were 19 temples but as time went by through the centuries, eleven of those nineteen were completely ruined. Now eight remain. The temples were built between the beginning to the 8th century and the 13th century.
As you are enter the plateau, the fist sight is of the five temples standing on the plain. Those temples are named after the famous characters of the Mahabarata epic and the Wayang stories.
They are Semar, Arjuna, Srikandi, Sembodro and Puntadewa. They are also known by the name of Candi Pendawa Lima or Pendawa Lima temples.
The other three? They are standing apart from those five, that is Gatotkaca, Bima and Dwarawati.

Kawah Sikidang (The Sikidang Crater)
Beside those temples, you can also see a round bowl-shaped crater of a volcano which is one of the natural wonders existing on the plateau. Visitors can see it from a very close distance.
The crater bubbles with hot water and mud, accompanied by white smoke and sulphurous fumes which would sting the nose with its smell. The people of Dieng called it ''Si-ki-d-a-n-g'', for the bubbling crater is much like that of a frolicking deer.

Telaga Warna (Lake Different Hues)
South about 400 metres the road branches to a plateau, and a lake called Telaga Warna or the Coloured Lake. A crater lake, it has various bright colours, reflection from the different mineral substances and sculphur at the bottom.

Gua Semar (The Semar Cave)
A stone cave, the space underneath the composite stones form an access several meters long in. Because of this, th epeople of Dieng regard it as a cave and have named it Semar, a wayang figure who is so admired by the Javanese for his great characteristics. The cave is used by the people as a place of meditation.

Tuk Bima Lukar
Actually a spring, people believe that it has a special virtue to make a person young forever.
According to its legend, once upon a time there was a very beautiful young lady taking a bath at this spring. Without her knowing a man named Bima was watching her bathing. He was amazed and suddenly called out. ''S-I-r-o-a-y-u…!'', meaning ''A wonderful woman!''
Therefore people believe that whosoever takes a bath or washes his or her face with the lake's water, he or she will stay young. Believe it or not.

The Kalianget (Hot Water Bath)
This is a natural hot water spring. The water, contains an appropriate degree of sulphur that has healing powers to cure skin disease. It's also able to dissolve all weariness after a long walk or a long tiring journey.
It is 3 km north of the town of Wonosobo. To get there, take a horsecart that costs Rp 2000. Enjoy the beautiful nature along the way.

The ''Gembel'' Hair of the Children
Dieng is not only popular for its natural beauty, but it is wellknown for its rambut gembel. Rambut gembel is tangled hair that belongs to children under 7. The impression is initially of dirty hair which has never been washed.
The people of Dieng have a strong belief in the existence of a supernatural ruler whom they believe existed and had power over them. They named him Kyai Kolodete. The word ''Kyai'' means a religious leader.
It's said that Kyai Kolodete had so much trouble with his tangled hair. So one day he said to his offspring: ''I feel this gembel hair of mine has got me into so much trouble. I can't bear it any longer. So I have to leave ''it'' with you. Please help me with this, oh my children''. So the story goes.
A son or daughter of almost every home in Dieng suffers from tangled hair. The rambut gembel will stop growing, they say, only after it is cut during a hair cutting rite upon the request of the child.
For more information, contact the Central Java Tourism Office at Jl. Madukoro Blok BB/1d Semarang. Phone (62-24) 7608570 and Fax (62-24) 7608573 or Wonosobo Regency Tourist Office at Jl. Kartini 3, Wonosobo, Phone (62-286) 21194 and Fax (62-286) 21183.