Bondowoso

Bondowoso Regency is a regency in East Java, Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,525.97 km2, and had a population of 736,772 at the 2010 Census; the latest official estimate (as at January 2014) is 757,468. The most common languages are Madurese and Javanese, although Madurese is the majority. The nearest large city is Surabaya, approximately five hours' drive away.The administrative centre of the regency is the small provincial town of Bondowoso, after which the regency in named. 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. Kawah Ijen is managed jointly by two local governments, Bondowoso Regency and Banyuwangi Regency. In addition to the crater, other tourist destinations in Bondowoso are Tancak Kembar in Pakem and Air Terjun Belawan Sempol. For hiking enthusiasts and those game to view natural scenery, 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 town is known for its dessert, "tape" (pronounced "tah-peh"), to the extent that it is fondly named "Tape city". Essentially, tape is tapioca with a special kind of flour added that acts as a preservative. Medium-sized slices of tape are wrapped in banana leaves and kept in a light container for five days to be fermented. Once opened, the rich intoxicating aroma of the tape giddies the senses. And they are now ready to be consumed.