Landscape Palms of Bandung, Indonesia

[iwan]

The next stop was Bandung, in western Java for my sister-in-laws wedding.  Needless to say, not a lot of time for palm hunting in the two days I was there.  Again, very few attempts at identification will be made.  Identifications welcome!

Hotel Gucci.  Gucci is one Indonesian word for pot, and they lived up to the name with potted palms everywhere.  This was a modest hotel.

Nice branching palm (dypsis?)

Probably the healthiest Dypsis decaryi I saw my entire trip (not at the hotel).

All the decaryi's I saw had this black mold

[iwan]

Another branching (dypsis?)

Beautiful white trunk (different palm from the one above)

A whole row of them

[iwan]

Poolside palms

Wodyetia (?) in foreground

[iwan]

I know people love color!

Last one from the hotel.  Interesting trunk taper

[iwan]

On the way back to Jakarta, we headed up to the mountains to look at houses, plant nurseries, and have lunch.

Cycads at a very upscale housing development (more expensive than most US houses).

Some plumeria and some of the new houses in the background

Dypsis lutescens (?) at the project office.  They had quite a stock of palm specimens ready to deploy around the development also.

[iwan]

We had lunch further up in the mountains.  This style of dining is called "lesehan".  Basicly, it means eating while sitting (usually on the ground/floor) outdoors.  Kind of like a picnic, but it is a restaurant.

Phoenix

Odd trunk base and arial roots for the Phoenix above

Some of the dining huts

[iwan]

Nothing says tropics like dining surrounded by rice paddies and Cocos nucifera!  The pine tree kind of ruins the feeling though.  This was probably around 700m ASL and they even farmed strawberries there.  This is a famous nursery area because of the moderate tropical climate.

That wraps up Bandung and environs.  Next stop Yogyakarta (central Java).

[iwan]

I forgot.  The rest of the pictures, if anyone is interested are at:

Landscape Palms of Bandung, Indonesia

[paulgila]

great photos again! i love the palem merah!

[paulgila]

iwan we should start importing those bales!they are so cool!

[Kris]

Dear Iwan  

all your pictures are fantastic and those

that made me spellbound are post no.6

last picture & post no.7 still.

those are the best places to go & relax !

thanks for sharing those lovely pictures.

love,

Kris(India).

[iwan]

(pohonkelapa @ Oct. 19 2006,00:55)

QUOTE

iwan we should start importing those bales!they are so cool!

PK, I looked into importing some once.  The biggest problem with them is they crack, warp etc. coming into our low humidity climates.  I have an importer friend in the SF area (reasonably humid) that brought in an 1880's teak Javanese pendopo (bale), gazebo in english and spent weeks trying to get all the mortise and tennon joints to fit back together again.  

Even if you could get the builder to kiln dry the wood before manufacture, I suspect that after construction time, remember usually hand crafted (no power tools) and a couple months in a cargo container, their will have sucked up a substantial amount of moisture again.

[Neofolis]

Great pics, what a wonderful location.  Can't wait for the pictures from your next stop.

That whole area is abundant with very talented cabinet makers and joiners.  They make some of the best hand-crafted furniture in the world and have the ideal timbers from which to produce it, right on their doorstep.  Some of their antique reproduction, particularly carving detail, is extremely impressive and the prices are ridiculously low.

[Jeff Searle]

Thanks for posting pictures from what will be a memorable trip always.  I must get over there soon!

[SubTropicRay]

Very nice photos!

[Al in Kona]

I always enjoy seeing pics with palms from tropical countries around the world.  Great photos.  Makes me want to travel again even tho' I just got back from the Dominican Republic, which by the way was a great experience and fun time - attended the IPS Biennial.

[iwan]

Thanks for all the comments.  

Al, Costa Rica has been on my visit list for a long time.  The next biennial may just be the incentive I need to finally make the trip.