Bondowoso
Encyclopedia
Bondowoso is a small provincial town and regency in East Java
East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...

, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

. The common languages are Madurese
Madurese language
Madurese is a language of the Madurese people of Madura Island and eastern Java, Indonesia; it is also spoken on the neighbouring small Kangean Islands and Sapudi Islands, as well as from migrants to other parts of Indonesia, namely the Tapal Kuda area comprising Pasuruan, Surabaya, Malang until...

 and Javanese
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...

, although Madurese is the majority. The nearest largest city is Surabaya
Surabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...

, approximately five hours' drive away. Common in most provincial towns is a park in the city center, called "Alun-Alun". Bondowoso is no exception. In the backdrop of the park is a magnificent view of a mountain ("gunung").

Tourist spots include Kawah Ijen, a crater lake. For hiking enthusiasts and those game to view natural sceneries, the climb to the crater is around 1.5 to 3 hours (depending on one's fitness). Other spots are Gunung Merapi and waterfalls.

Bondowoso is known for its dessert, "tape" , to the extent that it is fondly named "Tape city". Essentially, tape is tapioca added with a special kind of flour that acts as a preservative. Medium-sized slices of tape is wrapped in banana leaves, kept in a light container for 5 days to be fermented. Once opened, the rich intoxicating aroma of the tape giddies the senses. And they are now ready to be consumed.

Furthermore, Bondowoso involves many cultures from different nations. There is a big Arabic community living there for long time, since before the Dutch occupation. They live in a place called "Kampung Arab" (Arabs Compound) on Imam Bonjol Street.
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