I planned to visit papandayan since I heard a friend of mine said that its facilities have been refurbished. She added, visiting papandayan would be akin to visiting mountain in Switzerland, only no snow. Kind of intrigued to see how it has been changed from last time I visited Papandayan not so long time ago aka during my high school year, I went there to check and to refurbish my heart that recently has been re-broken. 

Papandayan indeed has changed, but not so much. The beauty of it is still there and the obvious change in on the track to the crater which is now more comfortable to step on. Yet, the crater is not the main attraction, Papandayan has many to offer just like the old days. 

The Lake of Papandayan is right at the back corner of the crater. The water was brown, while some other time it can turn green or turquoise depending on the chemicals insatiate the water. Going there, we need to walk through desert(ish) savanna which used to be the crater of the old 4-times erupted mountain. As it is the old crater, some small rivers can be observed with different colors of water flows; black, white and plain, but all of them has one single similarity, they are hot. I wish I am hot too. It is safe to go to the Lake, but caution should always be on shoulder. 

From the crater, we can go to the summit of 2665mdpl which I didn't go there as I found no encouragement on google. On the other hand, Pondok Selada is the most recommended place to hike to. I went there and took the right route through Ghoberhoet. Ghoberhoet is a name of a dutchman who run sulfur mining business in Papandayan where his villa is located years ago. The villa is no longer there, but the name remains. Takes about an hour with a bit challenging track to Ghoberhoet from the crater. Some climbers found Ghoberhoet  as a good place to make tent as it offers sunrise panoramic view while greeny forest in the back of the small savanna. Yet, the wind, as it is located in the verge of a clift, is rather strong and unpredictable while the temperature can reach down to 10 degrees. Furthermore, the area is occasionally visited by flock of wild pig. You may find they are cute when you see them one in a distance, but when they are in a group, they can be brutal and can ruin you tent and meals. 

From Ghoberhoet, only takes about 15 minutes to arrive at Pondok Salada, the most favorite spot for building tent. While at Ghoberhoet a toilet is 100m away, there are few toilets available nearby the savanna of Pondok Salada where people usually build tent. Edelweis is just in the corner of the savanna. Adding to that, a small forest with strong tree trunks nearby is the perfect place to hang on a hammock while reading a romantic novel. Unfortunately, it was drizzling when I left Pondok Savana. I had no choice but put the raincoat on when the rain fell heavier. Don't get me wrong, I love rain, I am a born pluviophile. It was just the cold that reminds me of someone.

The rain backed to drizzling when we arrived at The Dead Forest, a used-to-be green forest where all the trees now become a blackened widowing trunks while the land under is the white sulfuring toxic soil. These give a mystical vibe, adding that the thick mist flowed between the trunks and limited my sight. I lost the track for a moment, but thanks God it was not so far until I found the track back. 

Going down from the Dead Forest back to the crater serves steep track. This brought me a conclusion that taking the right route from the crater is the right choice. Taking the left route that is steeply climbing to The Dead Forest first will drench out the energy too early. 

It took about a half hour to be arriving back at the base camp. A 24k steps and 5 hours track has just accomplished. It may be easy for some, that is why Papandayan is a comfort-hike for a beginner like me. Albeit the short track, my feet was screaming for help. Fortunately, not too far from the basecamp gate there is a hot spring pool to release the muscle hassle after tracking. Dipping the feet and body to the pool is not only releasing the muscle tension but also re-assemble some pieces of a broken heart. I won't tell you whose heart, part of privacy I suppose.