KISAH LUBANG JEPANG DI BUKITTINGGI

Terowongan sepanjang 4 km berliku di perut Kota Wisata Bukittinggi – peninggalan zaman penjajahan Jepang, terbuka untuk kaum pelancong. Petunjuk tentang apa yang ada di dalamnya, sejauh ini baru sebatas catatan di gerbang gua.

ATTENTION…! Untuk kepuasan dan kenyamanan anda, para pengunjung Taman Panorama dan Lobang Jepang, kami menyediakan jasa pemandu yang berlisensi. Begitulah gaya pengumuman di kertas lusuh yang ditempel di dinding tebing, beberapa langkah dari gerbang Lobang Jepang di Ngarai Bukittinggi, Sumatera Barat.

Lalu di bawahnya, ada selembar kertas lagi berisi tulisan: Pengunjung yang terhormat. Nikmatilah keunikan serta keindahan Lobang Jepang ini !!! Mohon jangan melakukan aktivitas yang melanggar aturan serta perbuatan asusila !!! Semua aktivitas and termonitor pada kamera kami…Terimakasih atas perhatiannyaa, ttd…Penanggung Jawab. Di sbelahnya – masih pada dinding yang sama, ada panil denah terowongan di perut Kota Bukittinggi ini. Di situ tertulis petunjuk apa saja yang ada di dalam gua tersebut. Yaitu, ada mini teater, lorong maket geologi dan tatakota, lorong patung akrilik, lorong museum geologi, lorong pameran lukisan dan foto-foto, kafe, lorong duduk & istirahat, mushala wanita, mushala pria, toilet wanita dan toilet pria.

Kemudian, begitu lewat mulut gua segera kita menuruni perut bumi. Seluruhnya 132 undakan atau anak tangga, sampailah kita di dasar gua. Atau pada kedalaman 40 meter dari mermukaan tanah. Panjang terowongan total 4 km. Dengan satu pintu masuk dari arah Panorama, jika jalan langsung kea rah pintu di ujungya hanya sekitar sekilo. Ada tiga pintu keluar di bagian darat Bukit Apit. Tapi Cuma dua yang berfungsi. Satu persis di bawah tebing gardu Panorama, telanjur ditutupi sampah.

Ada penerangan listrik. Lantai gua dilapisi semen. Juga dinding serta langit-langitnya. Menurut Azwarman – Kepala Seksi Sarana Prasarana Kantor Pariwisata Bukittinggi, pemolesan dinding serta langit-langit gua ini dilakukan tahun 1974. Ketika terjadi gempa hebat beberapa waktu lampau, ada bagian terowongan yang retak. Tapi hanya lapisan konstruksi tanah di bawah Kota Bukittinggi ini. Sebab bagian lain yang merupakan tebing kota ini ada yang runtuh. Longsor parah terjadi di tebing seberang, bagian dari kampong Kotagadang. Pengumuman pada panil di gerbang gua, tinggal sebatas cacatan di atas kertas, rupanya. Sepanjang lorong yang dilewati, masih berupa lubang asli buatan Jepang. Ada ruang amunisi, yang diberi pintu terali besi. Di bagian kiri kanan dinding menjelang mulut gua untuk keluar, ada mushala masing-masing untuk pria dan wanita. Juga toilet sendiri-sendiri, yang kini masih terkunci. Belum ada air masuk ke sini. “Bak airnya sudah lama dibikin diatas,” kata Arwarman. “Tapi sampai sekarang belum juga disambungkan pipa ke sini”.

Menarik dicatat adalah lokasi yang dituliskan sebagai Ruang Romusha alias pekerja paksa (lihat juga : Tak Ada Kerja Paksa). Tampaknya untuk membuat “Lobang Jepang” sebagai objek wisata, perlu dilengkapi dengan riset yang akurat datanya. Sehingga penyuguhan aneka materi tontonan lain – sebagaimana tercantum pada panil di gerbang, memang memperkaya khazanah pengetahuan public secara sahih.

Sedikit tambahan, para petinggi Kota Bukittinggi mungkin pernah ke Mesir. Tentu sempat menyaksiksan piramida peninggalan zaman Fir’aun tempo dulu. Ini sudah lama dijadikan tontonan khas di waktu malam. Puluhan lampu sorot bermain di padang pasir dihiasi suara, terkenal sebagai sonne et lumiere alias suara dan cahaya.

Juga di Thailand. Ingat, ada film yang dibintangi Alec Guines bernama bridge on the River kwai. Nah, jempabatan ini menghubungkan bagian daerah Thailand dengan Burma. Drama sekitar jembatan itu, kini merupakan bahan tontonan malam – menggunkaan pola suara dan cahaya pula. Konsep serupa tampaknya bisa diterapkan untuk atraksi khas Lubang Jepang di Bukittinggi.

TAK ADA KERJA PAKSA

ADALAH Hirotada Honjyo, lahir 1 januari 1908, di kota kecil Iizuka, Provinsi Fukuoka, Kepulauan Kyushu, Jepang Selatan. Tamatan Fakultas Hukum, Hosei University, Tokyo, penggemar olahrga rugby ini, bekerja diperusahaan tambang batu bara, Asou Koggyo. Ia beroleh pengetahuan dasar tentang pertambangan dan terowongan. Berikut ini penuturannya yang ditulis tanggal 17 april 1997, dan ia meninggal tahun 2001.

Honjyo-san harus membuat “lubang perlindungan” di Ngarai Bukittinggi, atas instruksi Panglima Divisi ke-25 Angkatan Darat Bala Tentara Jepang, Letjen Moritake Tanabe. Waktu itu, ia berpangkat Kapten Angkatan Darat, perwira staf keuangan, sebagai jurubayar, untuk merencanakan, membuat dan mengawasi pelaksanaan sebuah “lubang perlindungan”.

Semua berkas mengenai rencana, gambar, spesifikasi dan anggarannya, sudah tidak ada lagi. Semua dibakar saat balatentara jepang kalah, tanggal 15 Agustus 1945, sesuai perintah Panglima Letjen Moritake Tanabe. “Walaupun telah lewat 50 tahun lebih, saya masih ingat menggambarkan dan menyatakan perencanaan pelaksanaan lubang perlindungan tersebut,” kata Honjyo-san.

Konstruksinya mulai dikerjakan bulan Maret 1944, dan selesai pada awal Juni 1944. “Hal ini tidak bisa saya lupakan, karena sampai sekarang ada album kenang-kenangan yang saya simpan,” katanya. Pembuatan terowongan dikerjakan dibawah pimpinan tiga ahli tambang batubara, dikirim dari perusahaan Hokkaido – Tanko Kisen Co. Perusahaan tambang batu bara terkenal di Hokkido ini selama pendudukan balatentara Jepang, juga mengerjakan tambang batubara Ombilin.

Ketiga ahli terowongan itu adalah (1) Ir. Toshihiko Kubota, sebagai ketua, (2) ir. Ichizo Kudo (3) Ir. Uhei Koasa. Mereka sudah meninggal. Selain dari orang-orang Jepang, ada juga beberapa orang Indonesia yang bekerja di tambang baubara Ombilin diperbantukan mengerjakan “lubang perlindungan” ini.

Konstruksi lubang perlindungan tersebut dijalankan menurut pembagian peranan keahlian, dengan contoh “sakiyama” membuat tambang batubara yang digali, kemudian diteruskan dengan “atoyama” atau mengambil galian “sakiyama” tersebut. Jadi “atoyama” dikerjakan sesudah pelaksanaan “sakiyama.” Urusan “sakiyama” dikerjakan oleh ahli-ahli bangsa Jepang, kemudian secara “atoyama” dikerjakan orang-orang Indonesia dan buruh-buruh harian.

Mereka yang menggali dan membuat dinding kayu untuk menahan reruntuhan. Lubang dibuat sempit, dapat dilalui seorang dengan membawa alat-alat pengebor, sehingga tidak dapat dikerjakan oleh banyak orang. Tiap hari rata-rata memerlukan tenaga kerja 50 atau 100 orang. Para pekerja ini didatangkan dan disediakan oleh Kantor Kotapraja Bukittinggi, yang terdaftar dan dibayar sebagai buruh harian. Mereka membawa bekal makanan sendiri untuk makan siang. “Saya adalah seorang perwira staf keuangan, sebagai ahli jurubayar dan selama bertugas tidak menggunakan kekuasaan tentara dan fasilitas lainnya, “kata Hanjyo-san. “Kepada saya diperbantukan seorang sersan dari Markas Besar Panglima dan beberapa lori untuk keperluan angkutan kerja”.

Selama tiga bulan bertugas, katanya, tidak ada terjadi insiden atau kecelakaan. Dan selama bertugas tidak menggunakan senjata, baik senjata berupa pedang samurai maupun senjata api lainnya.

“Lubang perlindungan Jepang” itu tidak merupakan benteng pertahanan. Tapi hanyalah lubang untuk melindungi diri. Supaya terhindar dari serangan bahaya udara. Instruksi Panglima Devisi ke-25 Angkatan Darat Balatentara Jepang itu penyebutkan lagi: (1) membuat sebuah lubang perlindungan yang bisa menahan getaran letusan bom sekuat 500kg. (2) membuat lubang perlindungan yang dilengkapi dengan ruangan-ruangan untuk keperluan Markas Besar, ruang kantor dan fasilitas-fasilitas lainnya untuk keperluan Divisi ke-25 Angkatan Darat.

Konstruksi lubang perlindungan tersbut tidak rahasia dan tidak ada yang perlu dijaga. Untuk bisa menahan getaran letusan bom di atas 500kg, perlu penggalian sedalam 40-m dari permukaan bumi atau 20-m dari ujung penggalian jurang tebing. Untuk menguatkan dan kokohnya dinding lubang, dibuat bentuk “torii-gumi” – menyerupai pintu depan lambing agama Shinto. Yaitu bagian bawah lebih besar daripada bagian atas.

Lubang perlindungan ini terbagi dua. Satu blok khusus untuk keperluan Markas Besar Divisi ke-25 Angkatan Darat. Satu blok lagi yang lebih aman terhindar dari serangan bahaya udara, dapat melindungi dan menyembunyikan diri. Tiap ruangan dihubungkan dengan jalan udara dari ujung jurang tebing yang agak besar sampai ke ujung yang lebih leluasa berlalu-lintas di dalamnya.

Kapasitaas lubang tersebut direncanakan untuk 500 orang. Ditambah dengan pegawai kantor bisa mencapai 1000 orang dalam keadaan darurat. Di dalam lubang perlindungan tersebut tidak ada dapur. Sebab kalau memasak, akan mengurangi zat asam, mengeluarkan asap yang mengusik oksigen. Dengan kata lain, rancangan membuat kafe di dalamnya nanti perlu dipertimbangkan masak-masak.

LAMBAH PALUPUH

Sejuk dan damai di Lambah Palupuh. Oleh-oleh dari perjalanan melewati Kenagarian Pagadih, Kecamatan Palupuh, Kabupaten Agam, Sumatera Barat. By; Makhfudz

Pangandaran

Tourism object, which is the most wanted beach in West Java in located at Pananjung village with + 92 KMS from Ciamis to south. Owning many specialties such: sunrise and sunset at the same spot are visible, sloping beach with clear water and the gap between tide and ebb relative long so enable for peoples to swimming safely shore with nature preserve, white sand, beach tourism rescue team, etcetera are available.

TANGKUBAN PRAHU

Located in West Java at , 30 km from Bandung and 9 km from Lembang the Tangkuban Prahu volcano is still active but very quiet and no major eruption took place recently.

" Prahu" means boat and "tangkuban" means upside down.

It is supposed that few thousands years ago (between 2000 and 6000 years) multiple eruptions took place in Tangkuban Perahu.

Lava, mud, ash and rock generated by the volcano blocked the Padalarang valley. first Bandung basin began to fill and became a lake of 700 km2. Then the newly fertile Bandung plain did not appear immediately as it took time to dry through the new course of the Citarum river.

About 150 yeras ago the lake was still quite large, and wild animals including benteng, rhinos, and tigers were abundant and even now the southern part of the plain is prone to flooding.

The legend about the volcano tells the story of a prince who loves a queen who didn't return his feelings. But after a while she agreed to marry him on the following condition.

The prince would have to build a dam and a huge boat in one night. The prince worked very hard, and as the night wore on, it looked like he would actually accomplish his task! Seeing this, the queen convinced the gods to make the sun rise early. Hearing the cocks crow as the sun rose, the angry prince turned his almost-completed boat over. Tangkuban Prahu is the boat.

Pasupati bridge flyover in Bandung.

'Pasupati' stands for (between) "Pasteur" and "Surapati", i.e. names of two streets connected by this bridge

PLACES OF INTEREST LOMBOK ISLAND

Kute Beach
On the ruggedly beautiful south coast, lies the impressive white sandy expanse of Kuta beach. The beach is perpect place to wonder, at low tide,
among a plethora of shell, coral and other marine life. Accommodation within the mind range bracket to luxuarious is found here, many of witch
line the main beach.

Lembar/ Gerung
Lembar, Lombok' Main Port, links the island to neighbouring Bali. This port also used as a departure point for those wishing to visit
the smaller islet of Gili Nanggu, Gili Sudak and Gili Tangkong.

Gili Nanggu
On the southeast coast of Lombok. Gili Nanggu is a beautiful islet sandwhices between Gili Sudak and Gili Tangkong. Is a great place to canoe and sail
and can be reached by boat from Lembartaking about twenty minutes from Tawun.

Senggigi
Situated ten kilometers north of Mataram, Senggigi is Lomboks' oldest and most famous Resort area. A Perpect place to relax, Sengigi boats a series
of while sandy beaches and a safe swimming area, which also provides some good wayes ffor surfers as well being home to a colourful reef which
provides shelter to a variety old marine file and exquisitely shaped coral a perfect place to snorkel. Sengigi caters for all wallets.
Expansive restaurant and small cafe, line the main street accommodation ranging from 5-start luxury hotel small, comfortable bungalows is available.

Gili Poh
This small island is home to a traditional Sasak Village and is and island on which traditional fishing technique are still employed.

DIENG

Penetrating The Depths of Imagination

Everyone who lays their eyes on it will surely click their tongue in amazement. It makes you unable to move your sight to other directions. Such alluring natural sketch is spreading out before you. Oh, Dieng…you are surely able to lift our imagination into a magical astonishment.

Even since my first sight, the splendor of Dieng panorama had already amazed me. The fatigue i suffered from the trip on public transportion where I had so sit with my leg folded along the way would then subdue, changed by the freshness I felt when entering the area of Dieng.
The lines of mountains and green field area spreading out. The crawling thin mist left me awed. Indeed, the beautiful image of Dieng is too tempting to be missed.
The sensation of dieng does match its name. The word of Dieng can be traced from various sources. In ancient Javanese language, the name Dieng comes from dihyang which means "kahyangan" ( abode of the Gods). In ancient Sundanese, the word dieng is the acronym of two words
namely di and Hyang. Di means " a high place or mountains, while Hyang means Gods, So Dieng means the mountains abode of the Gods. But some people believe that the word Dieng is derived from the words adi and aeng whereas adi means beautiful and aeng means astonishing.
As a whole, those two words would mean the beautiful and astonishing abode of the Gods. One thing is for sure, the word Dieng refers to an absolute beauty and charm.
Dieng is a plateau located at about 26 km north of Wonosobo and 55 km northeast of Banjarnegara, Central Java. The area is about 619.846 hectares wide. It is surrounded by a group of maountains, namely among others Mount Sumbing (3,377 m), Mount Sindoro (3,151 m), Mount Perahu
(2,565 m), Mount Bismo (2,365 m), and Mount Rogojembangan (2,365 m). It lies on 2,093 m above sea level. It has a fresh almost cold temperature, ranging from 15 Celcius Degries in the afternoon and 10 Celcius Degries at night.
"In the morning of July and August, the temperature can reach 0 Celcius Degries. We even sometimes can have a pouring thin snow, "says Rohmat, a local resident.
The locals call such extreme temperature as bun upas which means 'poisonous dew' since it could damage the agricultural crops.


IN OUT

I started my journey going around Dieng before the sunrise. Accompanied by a guide, I first stopped at Sikunir hill to see the sun rose. Wow, I couldn't help but holding my breath to see how the sun "was born" in the east. That amazing view had erased my sleepiness and brought all
my sense back. The next charm was the lakes. Dieng has somes beautiful lakes. One of them is Telaga Warna (colorful lake) which truly has three colors. The sulfur content brings the greenish color, the red algae creates red color while its clear water reflects the blue color of sky.
With that uniqueness,, and the back ground of Mount Simboro and Mount Sumbing, Telaga Warna really does look elegantly attractive.

Just a stone's throw away, we can find Telaga Pengilon. This lake is also called cermin Lake (Mirror Lake) due to its mirror like glittering. The biggest lake in Dieng is Telaga Merdada with 25 hectares wide and two to ten meters depth.
Another one is Sumur Jalatunda (Jalatunda well). It is not a lake tough it looks like a lake. This well is the crater of a volcano with the diameter of 200 m and 100 m depth. It has one special characteristic. Its water volume has never stayed the same. It has never been dried or overflowed
in any kind of weather.
The post-volcanism and geothermal symptom can also be found in Dieng since is still has some craters. One of the craters is Kawah Sikidang, a volcanic crater whose mouth can be seen from its lip with a verry strong smell of sulfur. It lies 1 km from Telaga Warna. This crater was once
only a small crater. But it began to increase in number as if it jumped out so then the locals call it Si Kidang (A kind of deer).
There is one crater which became the location of Ruwatan 1 Syuro ceremony that is Kawah candradimuka. Here, we can find the solfatara in the form of white smoke. I was also amazed by Kawah Sileri, the widest one (about 2 hectares) in Dieng plateau which was still active. It is called
Sileri because its boiling and bubbling water looks "leri" (rice water). Not far from it we can also enjoy the beauty of Air Panas Bitingan (Bitingan hot water) and Curug si Rawe. We can also see Tuk Bimolukar, a water spring with olden stone shower.
Dieng has agro tourism too, namely Tambi Tea plantation, located on the slope of Mount Sindoro, arround 800-1.800 m above sea level. it is called black tea due to its black color. You can feel its sensation when you have it warm in the freezing morning with the singing birds around you.

As a metter of fact the natural resources of Dieng can be found not only the surface buy also in the deep down of the earth. Its geothermal content can be utilized as the power plant.
another uniqueness of Dieng is that you can feel its mythical nuance. There are several caves which are often used as the famous one is Gua Semar (Semar Cave). It is 4 meters long with stone wall. Next to it are Gua Sumur and Gua Jaran. Inside of Gua Sumur, we can find the source of
holy water named Tirta Prawitasari. At this place the Hindu people witt usually hold their religious ritual, muspe or mubaki. Besides all that, Dieng has a various fascinating flora. The Pine trees can be seen from distance, erecting to the sky. The Potato and cabbage field looks so nice,
strawberry and edelweiss as well. Not to mention the rare plants like carrica and Purwaceng which you can hardly find in other areas. Even the wasabi, the imported plant from Japan are grown well here.


HUMAN CREATION
In Dieng you can see not only the natural beauty, but also the masterpiece of human race. There is flourishing set of temples here, which are believed to be the mark of the beginning of Hindu culture in Java at around 8th century.
The temples were named after the main characters of the Puppet of legendary Mahabrata Epic. Candi Pendawa Lima consists of feive temples lying in two rows. Four of them, Candi Puntadewa, Sembadra, Srikandi and Arjuna, are facing west. Right in front of Candi Arjuna, there is a smaller
temple named Candi semar. Apart from them, there is Candi Gatotkaca in the west of the group of Candi Pendawa Lima. It is located on the foot of Pangonan Hill while Candi Bima is located around 1 km from Candi Gatotkaca. In the far north, in Bukit Perahu, we can see Candi Dwarawati.

It gives you such a thrilling sensation to step on the front yard of those temples as if you were in the fantasy place. The white mist will soon ambush you even when you are still in the foot of the temples. Not to mention the freezing air. All of them will give an unforgettable exotic memory.

An Archaeological museum can also be found in Dieng which you can see directly if you stand in Candi Bima. It has hundreds of statues, relief, building components and prasasti (historic inscription written on stone)

From Gardu Pandang Tieng, aroung 1.800 m above the sea level, you can see the whole landscape of Dieng. That not was not the end of my journey in Dieng. My last stop was Dieng Plateau Theatre (DPT). It is the centre of information about the natural resources and culture of Dieng. Here,
visitors can see the 20 minutes semi conductor film about Dieng Plateau. It is located on the slope of Sikendil Hill, not far from Colorful lake.

The locals' houses are also something worth seeing. The locals paint their houses black! It is the color of tar which is used to coat the roof and the wall to prevent them from being rusty. It is also able to absorb the heat at noon. That way, the temperature inside of the house remains warm.


HARMONY

Last but not least, In Dieng I can stell feel the existence of the getting hardly ever heard sensation, namely harmony. "The people are very friendly," says Arens, a German tourist. And he is absolutely right. The courtesy of Dieng people can warm your deepest heart. "Please come over for lunch
and dinner "or" please don't hesitate to see us when you happen to visit Dieng later again" are the common expressions from the locals for the visitors.

Finally, my four days journey in Dieng has ended. But its memory will stay in my heart. Its alluring charm has really amazed me and penetrated the depths of my romantic imagination.