I found this legend of Bandung in a tourism site, definitely add the colour and mystic to this beautiful city.
In the kingdom of Priangan Land, lived a happy family, a father in form of dog (Tumang), a mother (Dayang Sumbi), and a child call Sangkuriang. One day, Dayang Sumbi asked her son to go hunting as she wanted some deer liver or venison. So Sangkuriang went hunting with Tumang. After hunting all day empty-handed, Sangkuriang began to worried and finally decided to kill the dog, took its liver liver or flesh and bring them home for Dayang Sumbi. Dayang Sumbi later found out that Sangkuriang lied to her. She knew Sangkuriang had killed Tumang. So, she got angry and hit Sangkuriang head. Sangkuriang got wounded and ran away from their home. Years passed, Sangkuriang had travel many places and one day, he arrived at a village which used to be his home. He met a beautiful woman whom actually is his mother and felt in love with her. Their love grew naturally and one day, when they were discussing their wedding plans, Dayang Sumbi suddenly realised that the profile of Sangkuriang's head matched that of her only son's who had left twenty years earlier. How could she marry her own son? But she did not wish to dissappoint him by canceling the wedding. So, although she agreed to marry Sangkuriang, she would do so only on the condition that he provide her with a lake and a boat with which they could sail on the dawn of their wedding day. Sangkuriang accepted this condition and built a lake by damming the Citarum river. With the dawn just moment away and the boat almost complete, Dayang Sumbi realised that Sangkuriang could fulfill the condition she had set. With a wave of her supernatural shawl, she lit up the eastern horizon with flashes of light. Deceived by false dawn, the cock crowed and farmers rose for the new day. With his work not yet complete, Sangkuriang realised that his endeavor were lost. With all his anger, he kicked the boat that he himself had built. The boat fell over and, in so doing become the mountain TANGKUBAN PARAHU (in Sundanese, TANGKUBAN means upturned or upside down, and PARAHU means boat). With the dam torn asunder, the water drained from the lake becoming a wide plain and has now became a city called BANDUNG (from the word BENDUNG, which means Dam).
Far fetched story? That's why they called it legend right? Anyway, coming back to Gunung Tangkuban Parahu, after we left there, we stop by a nice hot spring resort called 'Ciater Hot Spring', which is still located in the Lembang district. As we have no idea that we're going there, we're obviously not dressed to enjoy the hot spring. Boon just fold his pants to soak his tired feet from the volcano hiking. I reckon you can spend half a day to one day here but we only stopped for 30 mins or so. What a waste!
So, anyway in short if you asked me, I'll recommend to spend at least 3 days here. Location: Bandung, Indonesia
Date of travel : Aug 2007
