57 km east of Garut; or Rp800 by minibus from Bandung. Tasikmalaya is the center of rattan and pandanus woven goods, and a special batik style (batik tasik) with mostly a red background. If buying quantity buy here: purses, trays, handbags, floormats (medong), bowls, strawhats, paper umbrellas. For even cheaper prices and more unusual purchases try Rajapolah village 12 km north where the weavers actually work. Stay: Hotel Merdeka, JI. Siliwangi 54, four minutes walk from the train station, Rp750 single or double; an OK place. Hotel Tasik, JI. Komala Sari 18 (a back street), is Rp1200 per room with mandi,- clean. Hotel Selamat, JI. Empang 26; Rp900 for single, Rpl500 for three, clean and central. The cheapest is Hotel Pusaka, JI. Yuda Negara 32, Rp500, Rp750 double, 3 people for Rp1000. eat: Banda Pulai, right across the street from Hotel Kencana, has nasi padang. Many good warungs on JI. Pemuda; ayam goreng, Rp150 for a drumstick.

Restoran Hobby and Rumah Makan Combinasi are further down, near Hotel Tasik. Rumah Makan Saderhana, JI. Mesjid 16, has gado2, gu/e, mie telor, sop bun tut, etc. all well prepared. Resmi, next door, is good too. At Tasik, JI. Mustafa 35, see live pythons in the kitchen, excellent snake soup.crafts: Check Kandaga Art Shop, JI. Dr. Suharjo, near Bioskop Garuda. Batik Bordil, Kotaresik, JI. Seladarnia, Tel. 335, sells batik tulis for Rp2-7000. The GKBI (Batik Cooperative) is on JI. R.E. Marta Dinata (taller building). Try also Miss Herna Sarbini's, JI. Gudang Jero 11/17. Or Toko Batik, JI. Cihideung. vicinity of Tasik: Good pottery pasar at Majelang. Gede Lake is 3 km from Tasik, and Panjalu Lake is 25 km from Tasik. Papandayan Crater is fantastic but it's only accessible by foot.