The Puncak Pass

Leaving the house, we drive along the windy mountainous road called the Puncak Pass on our way to Pangrango National Park. The stalls that line this road are identical and block the view of the valley down below, forcing motorists to stop and buy a snack at a stall in order to enjoy the view. This is much to the complaint of those who remember what the road used to be like with “free” views. These stalls were started by villagers in the area, and soon by villagers from other areas, to cash in on the numerous motor vehicles traveling through the Puncak Pass, especially on weekends and holidays. Soon the supply outweighed the demand, so many of these stalls now stand vacant and, as Dr. Ko exclaims as we pass, “unsightly!”

(view from Puncak Pass - haha, no i can't take a pic this good, found it)

However, the car soon stops at one of these stalls and we get out to enjoy some warm spiced tea and some of the area’s well-known food. The shop owner brings us a plate of thin pancakes and another sweet doughy desert, apparently the Dutch did leave some legacy in the food. Picking up the phone Dr. Ko calls a friend, and below us maybe a hundred meters a lanky man dressed in a blue collared shirt and a flat styled cap comes out of his house, cell phone still pressed to his ear, and waves up. This is Yoen Wachyoe, a professional hotel manager. Born in Indonesia, he grew up in Baltimore, and then moved around the world during a 25 year career for Hyatt. He now manages hotels of his choosing back in Indonesia. With a cigarette pressed to his lips, he and Dr. Ko commiserate on how tourism is losing its soul, and how many in the business are forgetting about their own culture as they try to gain short term profits from tourism. Maintenance, they decide, is one of the biggest issues facing a tourism location’s long term outlook. Even the most sustainable tourism plans often go astray due to lack of education for the locals who are involved in the area’s upkeep and maintenance. By not allocating enough money to continual worker training and development, community education, and facilities upgrading the long term potential of even the most responsible programs disappears quickly.

Recentlly, Yoen has been developing approaches to make the Puncak Pass Resort better, environmentally, socially, and economically. The resort is just down the road, so he invites us to take a tour. Originally built by the Dutch in 1928, the owners have kept this old world Dutch theme and marketed the place as a heritage hotel. Pointing towards the back of the resort, he talks about purchasing some local animals like goats, deer, and turkeys to help expose the city kids to a more rustic environment. We move through the garden, and he shows us the fresh herb garden he started. Instead of importing spices from McCormick, the kitchen staff now uses the fresh herbs. He also trained the kitchen crew on the plants upkeep and encouraged workers to take snippings to start their own spice gardens at home. A management training program is in the works with the Buena Vista center to provide additional training to wait staff in order to improve their skills training. In an attempt to engender a sense of native pride, framed Batik cloth are used as decoration and a soft melody of traditional Sundanese music is played in the dining area. He also has it set up so that almost 2/3rds of the waste generated is then absorbed in the upkeep of the hotel. The way he talks, shows his passion for this work. Yoen describes it as trying to make the place “holistically” improved.

While the Pangrango National Park ended up being closed, I still had a very enjoyable time listening to these intuitive discussions on tourism. In addition, we were still able to visit the stunning Cibodas botanical gardens branch located next to the National Park.