7:20 S   108:21  E

  Ciamis, West Java

 

 

Verdy said this town is really off the tourist trail but the drive was long, and driving in the dark is pretty alarming, so we stopped.  By now it was accepted that we would choose our own hotels, so we stopped at the first one we saw, which was dark and empty looking, walked in and were told it was full.  On to the next one, which was big, fancy, dark and empty looking.  Same answer.  The third one was big, dark, empty looking and not at all fancy, and they gave us, and Verdy, a room. The pictures dont do justice to this hotel, it was in reality the most dismal unimaginative place, its amazing what a flash photo will do. The cheaper hotels make extensive use of mothballs, presumably to deter cockroaches, and in this one the pong was overwhelming.  But to compens the 8 or 9 underemployed young kids behind the reception desk were wonderfully smily.

 

We found a rumah makan (rumah means house, makan means food). Over dinner Verdy told us he was sure we were turned away because we dont look muslim, a new experience for us.