Dieng Plateu Theater

Tak lengkap rasanya mengunjungi Dataran Tinggi Dieng tanpa mampir di Dieng Plateu Theater (DPT). Sebuah theater mini yang menayangkan film dokumenter Dataran Tinggi Dieng. Lokasinya di atas bukit dekat Telaga Warna. Kalau sudah sampai Telaga Warna tinggal menapaki tangga di bukit untuk sampai di DPT ini. Atau kalau memang tidak sedang mampir ke Telaga Warna tapi ingin main ke DPT tinggal mengikuti jalan dari pintu masuk Telaga Warna, lalu belok ke kiri, nanti akan kelihatan bangunan DPT di atas bukit.
Dari kawasan DPT tampak Kawah Sikidang di kejauhan, kawasan Candi Arjuna juga cukup terlihat, namun sayangnya tampak pula hutan yang mulai terkikis yang memiriskan hati. Di seberang DPT adalah area milik PT Geo Dipa Energi unit Dieng, sebuah perusahaan pembangkit energi listrik tenaga panas bumi. Di sekeliling DPT adalah ladang kentang milik masyarakat. Selain penjual makanan ada juga penjual syal dan souvenir di area ini. DPT diresmikan oleh Presiden SBY pada tahun 2006. Filmnya berkisah tentang asal-usul Dataran Tinggi Dieng dan letusan Kawah Sinila pada tahun 70-an yang tragis. Mulai dari arti nama Dieng, proses terbentuknya Dataran Tinggi Dieng, sampai budaya masyarakat Dieng juga dibeberkan di sini. Durasi filmnya tidak terlalu lama, mungkin sekitar 45 menit.

Carica : Dieng Plateau Area Fruit

That is a carica. Have you ever heard it? This fruit only grow in a place with 2000 m above the sea level, and only seen in Dieng Plateau Area and Brazil. There is a story about this fruit, a carica seed which plant not in plateau will grow as a papaya, and if a papaya seed plant in Dieng Plateau will grown as a carica.
This fruit has a scientific name Carica pubescens or Carica candamarcensis, and known as “gandul Dieng” or Mountain Papaya. The different between this two fruit is a papaya well grown as tropical plants which need lot sunshine, in contrary a carica only well grown in plateau with a low temperature and a lot of rain. That is a Dieng Plateau Area climate. This fruit is easy to grow and can be planted with another crops. This fruit also not a seasonal plant so this fruit not damage the land.
The carica have a long age, until 20 year or more. After 1 year planted, it can be harvest, and resulted good fruit. If the quality is decreased, the farmer cut that tree so it will produce a new bud. The fruit is like papaya, but smaller in size. The carica is also can’t eat directionally, because they contain a sap, so the taste is quite bitter. We can enjoy this fruit by cut it half and take the stone of fruit or they seed. This seed is an important material of carica syrup making. This carica also used as a sweet drink, a candy, jelly, and jam material, or as an addition in curry.
The example product of carica is carica in syrup, carica juice, carica syrup, carica jam, and carica candy. This product is a special product from Dieng and always searched by a tourist as a gift. The price of carica in syrup is ± Rp.10.000 (1US$=±Rp. 8.500) per bottle. The tastes are rubbery, sweet, and delicious, and also have a special aroma sell. If you eat it in Dieng, you can drink it immediately, but if you take it home you can add some ice on it. Enjoy!

Telaga Warna in Dieng Plateau Area

Telaga Warna is a small lake which is the famous icon of Dieng Plateau Area and also the famous tourist site in Dieng Plateau Area. The name is coming from the color of its surface. When another lake generally have only one color on its surface, the Telaga Warna have many colors, such as blue, green, and gray, so it is Telaga = Lake; Warna = Color. The location of this small lake is in Dieng village, Banjarnegara regency. It is near from Dieng Plateau Theater, Sikidang Crater’s, and also Dieng Temple Site.
To get there, we can choose many different ways, such as through official gate, through Dieng Plateau Theater (DPT) and through Jojogan village. The official gate can be reached from the T-intersection of Dieng road; you just need to turn left. Through that road you can see several inns and also there’s a pretty mosque which is the architecture is like a Moscow building in Russia. On the right side of road you can see Dieng Temple Site too. And finally the officially gate is in the left side of the road.
The second way is through DPT which is can be reached when you follow the road after the gate of Telaga Warna. DPT building is in above hill, the architecture is pretty unique. Across the DPT building we can see an area belong to PT Geo Dipa Energy Dieng, a power plant company which uses a geothermal energy. In DPT you can also watch a documenter movie about Dieng Plateau Area. But don’t forget to visit Telaga Warna by a lane behind the DPT building which down the hill. The lane is a downstairs, so don’t worry to get tired.
The last way is the most personal way, because it’s a village footpath. Jojogan village is a village which is on the northeast of Telaga Warna. When you get confused to this footpath, you can ask the villagers. And always take care because the wind sometime makes a tree which surrounding lake falls down. There’s a lot of fell tree on the side of lake. But it’s make a lake more beautiful, it’s the most favorite place to get a picture. Prove it please.

Dieng Temple Site

The famous icon of Dieng Plateau Area is the Dieng Temple Site which placed in Dieng Wetan village, in Banjarnegara regency. This place abutted on Dieng Kulon village, in Wonosobo regency. This site is prominent and seen from the main road, and it is easy to find, insurable to not get lost. The scenery is pretty, as long as road we can see a tree and a yellow flower. This place also cleans and even the grass is put right.

First time of course you can see Arjuna Temple Site. This site last have restoration at July 28, 2008 and legitimated by Minister of Culture and Tourism at that time Ir. Jero Wacik , SE. This temple site has a temple on east site that is Arjuna-Srikandi Temple, Puntadewa Temple, and Sembrada Temple, and west site that is Semar Temple and Arjuna Temple itself. Except that, that is another temple but unfortunately not in fit condition. This Dieng Temple Site is a Hindus temple, tall and slight, remembering us with another Hindus temple such as Prambanan Temple.
Beside that is Bima Temple and Gatotkaca Temple. Those two temples have a location near Dieng Temple Site. Gatotkaca Temple located in above hill and from here we can see Balekambang small lake. This small lake surrounded by potato field villagers, and likely not become a tourism object. Bima Temple located in near an open gate of Sikidang Crater’s. This temple still in a good condition and the area surrounding is also clean and beautiful. Beside a temple, this site also has a museum, so you can have a lot of temple knowledge.
And when you like to visit Sikidang Crater’s, you just walk through a gate near Bima Temple. In that road you can see a huge pipes belonged to PT Geo Dipa Energy unit Dieng, a power plant company that use geothermal energy. And better get ready because the distance from the open gate until the centre of crater is quite far. So that is the Dieng Temple Site and another place to visit nears that site. Enjoy please.

An Exotic Dieng

Dieng Plateau Area is an area surrounded by mountains. It seems this area is an eruption mountain area that make mountain can be a place to stay. The people in this area have a profession as a farmer, especially a potato farmer. Dieng Plateau Area is including in Wonosobo and Banjarnegara district. From Wonosobo to Dieng we can use a public transportation with charge ±Rp.6.000 (1US$=±Rp.9.500). The distance is about 27 km, through the slope of mountain, the street is twist and turn, zigzag adapt with the slope of mountain. If you choose to use personal vehicle, you must assured that you have an execelent experience in mountain driving.
The centre of tourism is in Dieng village which have a ±2500m height above the sea level. The weather is always cold, especially in July and August; it can be down until 10? Celsius. This plateau have a many place to visit, too many if you just come for a day. To make it easy, you can visit Arjuna Temple first. After that, you can go to Sikidang Crater, Color Lake, Pengilon Lake, and Dieng Plateau Theater (DPT). These places have a near distance one to another. In Arjuna Temple you can see a numerous Hindu temple in such beautiful garden. In Sikidang Crater you get an experience a sensation of sulfide crater. In Color Lake you will see beautiful scenery of blue green lake surrounded by trees and mountain. In Pengilon Lake you can eat some wild raspberry near lake. In here you can see a Semar Cave which position is in the middle of Color Lake and Pengilon Lake. And finally, in DPT you can watch some documenter movie about the plateau and its origin.
Besides that, you can also visit Sirawe Fall near Sileri Crater. And you can visit Sumur Jalatunda and Candradimuka Crater too; those places are in Banjarnegara district. Or you can chase a sunrise from Sembungan village which have a highest height from other village in this plateau. Sembungan also have a small lake, called Cebong Lake.
That is only a part of beauty and exotics of Dieng Plateau Area. Enjoy please!