Cibeureum, The three beautifull waterfalls

Avoiding the weekend walkers to the three beautifull waterfalls at Cibeureum a short way up the track leading to the summits of the Gede Pangrango, he took a less well-trodden route first along a scraggly golf course and then upwards. Behind it rose the sharp-angled, steep foothills of the legendary mountains. Lovely vegetable gardens spilling down to various rocky streams, and the ever present forests stretching widely upwards. Did he write: less well-trodden? more accurately: not much of a path at all. And quite a climb, espesially coming downwards again. sheltered by enormous tree ferns, palm trees, great giants of the jungle. Everywhere the purpleand white delights of impatiens platypetala.Not much sweat for the day was pleasantly cool and the narrow, sheer canyon sheltered from the hot sun. on the way down there was suddenly this pretty waterfalls emptying into a nice pool. yes! Throwing off his clothes he bathed, and stretched out under a fern tree splashed by warm sun rays. and dreamed...

Of his naturalist heroes. of Heinrich Kuhl (1797-1821) and johan conrad van hasselt (1797-1832), one time students of Professor van Swinderen at Groningen. They are said by the great Reinwardt, founder of the Kebun Raya at Bogor, to be the first Europeans to have reached the top of Pangrango. Great naturalists both, they collected many specimens until then unknown. (For a frog its of note that they were experts on amphibians and reptiles, too) Both men succumbed too young to tropical diseases and are commemorated on the same grave marker at the little burial ground for Europeans in the Bogor Garden.
Their resting place is right next to the Taman Teijsmann. A few years after Van Hasselt's death, their Pangrango climb - as often happens with mountaneering exploits - became a matter of great controversy. Junghuhn - yes, the same - claimed thet he himself was the first white man to master the mountain. As his proof he put forward the fact that the young naturalist had made no mention of a plant which occured only at the top of the mountain. and he, of course had seen it. Reinwardt and Teijsmann ardently deferended Kuhl and Van Hasselt's claim. The issue has not been resolved until today and probably never will be.
Here the dreamer waoke for his cheek was being ligthly brushed. Opening his eyes he beheld a fluttering of twenty-some butterflies (Papillio paris), some settled on his chest and others on the sun-spotted waterfall-moist soil and moss. Their dark-garden mossy wings with blur 'tails' and great orange and black eye-spots were a wonder to behold. Enough to forget all naturalist controversy.....