Going Back to our Roots - Sugar Factory - Banyumas / Klampok area

We are hunting down some family history~

Today our only day in the Banyumas/Purwokerto area - we hired a taxi-rental with driver to drive us around for about 6 hrs - trying to find out where my father might of lived when growing up.  He was born in Bandung - but grew up here in this area (at Middle School age he was sent to The Hague Holland for his education) at the age of 13.  In his young years with his parents, sister's Tante (aunt) Lidy, Tante Evie and younger brother Oom (uncle) Eddy - on a sugar plantation in the area of Banyumas and Klampok.  

We actually had to do some hunting - because of course this is history pre-war and during the 300+ yrs  Dutch colonial era - before the ending of the war in 1945. 

We first went to Banyumas where Nick also remembers his mother was born.  So we took pictures of the town.

 We stepped out of the car in the center of town just to take some pictures and then we saw

 this school letting out the kids~ From a window there were MANY smiling faces to and kids waving!
Then the whole classroom came out and the teacher called us over!

The children were so cute!  They lined up one by one..and each shook our hands and many took our hand and bowed their faces to our hand...in a gesture of kindness...my! 

 The teacher was so friendly and I think she wanted her students to chat with us!  So we did!

                    They are often shy and giggle and laugh a lot!  They so want to try their English on us!

 The teacher encouraged this one boy to come forward and say something to me.....and he finally did with much coaching from his teacher:  "what is your name?" he asked.  "My name is Ellen!" I said.  They all laughed because he got an answer to his question!  Then I asked him - ask Nico too...but then the little boy could not come out of his words - having to speak to Nico.

 He could not say it again....to Nick.....well he did pretty good the first time around!

They all wanted a picture with all of us together!  

My cousin in Holland - Edward had told me that there was a  town called Purwareja and then in that area

 2 km  north of it was Klampok - so off we went to look if the sugar factory was there?

 So we drove a little further and came into the town of Klampok and I was really really excited!

 Our driver got out of the car and sat down there with a elderly becak driver - he asked:... do you know of the old Dutch sugar factory from long ago?

Argus our driver - sat down to inquire~ the man said Yes! He directed Argos to it! But it seemed to be further out and away from Klampok - 

Just seeing the name on the sign's "Klampok" was already exciting for me!  

We crossed a river - named Kali Serajoe and I wondered if Papa had played in the water as a boy.

 So pretty - could it be?

And there was the fabriek - the factory .......

We were told there was one.... PG Kalibaigor - could this be it? 

P is Pabrik (factory) G is Gula (sugar) 

in Dutch it would be Kalibaigor Zuiker Fabriek - 

"Tante Evie could this be where you lived in those first years with the family?"

 Old houses across the street - possibly where the staff lived?

We saw many homes - all dilapidated - 

I did some research on the computer - and found this picture from the past~

You see #139? there is the name Klampok~  

Well... with many emotional feelings & good memories of my father and his family - Opa (I never meant-but saw his grave in Cimahi) & Oma Moes (who I do remember meeting as a little girl in Holland, before we immigrated to the US in Dec 1956) Baidenmann -

Papa had shared his great love for Indonesia and how he loved his childhood on the plantation as a little boy - ALL THESE MEMORIES made it so very special today!  Oh my goodness~ how fortunate & blessed I am to be here and be able to experience this ~


...........Very moving!

 Argus our driver - stopped so we could buy some Indonesian snacks - he was very helpful and could speak English well enough to communicate with us!  He is from this immediate area.

We bought some pisang - banana's for s snack in the car - and Lumpur that Argos knew to ask for!

We had a little time left over - so we decided to go see a popular area in the mountain range -

Look at this little guy sleeping in mother's arms as father steers the motorcycle! Cute!

We headed up the mountain range to Baturraden - a place many tourists come to - and there is a cave to view there. But the scenery - oh my goodness...what beauty!!! Here are some beautiful sights to share with you ~

This one is my favorite shot!

Gosh just look at that little valley!!!!! Beautiful huh all those levels the farmers cultivate with rice - so pretty!
It seems most every spot is used - wherever they can work the land the people have!

 As we climb higher - it looks a bit cloudy in the distance -rain? It does seem to happen often towards the later part of the day.

We came to the little town Baturraden and came across a park with some figures in the entry - 

Come on now Nick - let's have a picture with your buddies!

There is Nick & Argus in the distance - below ~

There was some staircases to climb up to see the view below - so up I went!

When I got down below again on the parking Lot - Nick & Argus were chatting with some students -and then when I arrived - they so wanted to snuggle up and take pictures with me!  Nick says they just don't see tall women with light colored hair!

 Oh the girls were having a good time - and each wanted a turn!

 ...and I was having lots of fun too!

 Many smart phones were passed around -

It is so fun to talk with the students - they so want to speak and try their English lessons - and we are glad to help out.
They were from a Catholic school ~

Well it was time to head back to the hotel - we had a wonderful time driving around in the Banyumas providence and were ever so pleased to do it with Argus our driver - he was so helpful and it was the way to do it!

We will leave this area with good memories - Maralin & Ronnie - it was special huh?

Papa would of been so pleased to know that we have been here - !!!!

Tomorrow we go back to the Train Station in Krayo and continue to travel south to the town of Yogyakarta - a town in Central Java known for its silver and also batik ~