www.alisyahgeologyworld.com

The idea that planted the seed leading to Geology World was my Indonesian Family’s story told to them by their great grandfather. He advised the family members not to sell their lands as that area contained “gold” and other precious stones and minerals. This warning was handed down from generation to generation and told to me by my wife Siti Aisyah. Her sister Eli asked me if I was interested in exploring the lands in the area for such treasures.

My reaction was one of a young boy who once hunted gold and gemstones in Franklin Mines, Franklin, North Carolina, “Yes” I responded enthusiastically: but, where? “The family has lands in Garut, and the surrounding areas where my great-grandfather once lived.” She responded. “I have a friend who has already found gold on the property, but he does not have the funds to mine it.” With cell phone in hand she suggested, “I can call him and set up a meeting,” Her fingers already dialing the number as she spoke.
Instantly my mind traveled back to my childhood when I dug in the North Carolina clay looking for treasures at Franklyn mine. I knew that the mine was a very successful tourist location and that it had been in operation long before I was born. The owners knew that the mine was producing gold but that it was not of a grade high enough for them to process it economically. They decided to let people come to a location near the mine and dump the stones from the mine into an area where the gold seeking tourists and locals could hunt for the treasures. The idea caught on and they are still in operation today.

 

Our first meeting with Eli’s friend was filled with suspicion.  It was only when he showed us the stones containing the gold that we began to realize this might be true. We agreed to travel to Garut and visit the land where the gold and silver had been found. I wanted to see for myself that this was not just a ploy to get us to buy the land and invest in mining of the property.
My mind was beginning to shape the scope of Geology World and it was going to be far more than the Franklyn Mines. This would be an educational experience unlike any museum, classroom course or even a field trip. Geology World would be all that I had come to experience with my father, in the field and in the classroom. It would have mining, education, recreation, treasure hunting and above all a tribute to God for all his creations. (Hyperlink to “Geology World Draft Concept Paper”)
What we found was more than I had expected. Not only did I see where the mines had been hollowed out in the mountain but identified several precious stones that were definitely marketable. (I describe the trip in greater detail in “A Trip to the Mines of Indonesia”. The owner kept referring to a beautiful waterfall in the area and pointed in the direction of location atop the mountain. Not understanding completely how we were to get to the location, we followed them up and down steep mountain paths that exhausted us beyond physical endurance. After what seemed like hours we reached the bottom of the valley where a river cut through the mountains. Much to my distress, the waterfall was up another steep incline where the party who did not hike with us would meet us with the car to take us the rest of the way. (We could have backtracked and then traveled by car rather than make the steep descent.) e did reach the waterfall and it was certainly worth the effort. This would be an excellent side trip for people (by car) who enjoy visiting and bathing under a gigantic waterfall.

We met with several geologists and miners who informed us that if we did not want to purchase the land, we could buy the ore and precious stones directly from them. This suggestion was an alternative to the high costs of exploration and the risks involved in a mining operation. We visited a government office where they displayed the various stones taken from the surrounding area and the site of the variety enhanced our quest to enter this business.

The next step, suggested by Siti Aisyah, was to contact the Department of Mining and make sure that the people who owned the land could legally sell it to us. This suggestion proved to be a caution worth its weight in gold. The land was reserved for mining of gold by Antom, one of the largest gold mining companies in South Asia. The mining officials advised us that we could buy the land; but, we could not get a license to mine the area for gold or the precious stones. They pointed out areas on their maps where studies had shown a high potential for gold, silver and precious stones and minerals and where we could conduct mining operations with a government permit.
Disappointed by this information, we told the mining official assigned to us what we wanted to do. He was excited by the idea and began to get people in his office interested in the concept of Geology World. He felt that we needed to meet Prof. Miko who is one of the leading experts in precious stones. Prof. Miko’s office was in Bandung along with his store and workshop.
The mining official accompanied us to our first meeting with Ir. H. Sujapmiko “Prof. Miko” GEM –AFIA GROUP and made the introductions. This was the opening of doors to many associations within the Bandung area. He showed us the large inventory of polished and cut precious stones and gems within his store and what appeared to me to be a fortune in raw, unprocessed stones within the confines of his property at the workshop. He had warehoused thousands of stones set in numerous piles of common categories including rubies, Jasper, quartz, etc. His business processed the stones for sale and sold the processing equipment to other entrepreneurs who hunted these treasures all over the Indonesian islands.
Prof. Miko spoke of an area he termed “Jasper Gardens” and suggested that we travel with him to see what he believed to be the largest collection of Jasper in Indonesia if not the world. Our initial thoughts were that this might be the place to locate Geology World.
Prior to our trip, Prof. Miko scheduled a meeting with geologists from throughout Bandung along with the staff of the Museum of Geology in Bandung. It was at this meeting that Prof. Miko announced the preservation program for the area, the support of the government for such conservation efforts and I introduced the Geology World concept (Draft 1). Approximately thirty officials or scientists were in attendance. The general reaction was one of support for the ideas presented at the meeting. Many of the geologists offered to join us on our quest for building the park.

Our trip to Jasper Gardens was a lengthy one over good and poor roads. At the location we found everything that Prof. Miko had described - huge boulders of red, yellow and green Jasper all throughout the area and in particular in a line leading to the river. Small Jasper could easily be picked up all along the trail leading to the river. These were also scattered throughout the area and easily numbered in the thousands.

 

The trail led us through small houses with large boulders of Jasper sitting in the front and back yards. Two oxen were in a trench drinking water with very large Jasper boulders lining the trench’s walls. The trail was an easy one to traverse and led down the mountain to the river below. There in the river were the giant Jasper boulders all along the bank and in the river itself. Their sizes were taller than three men and wider than five men standing side-by-side. We climbed the boulders and took pictures of these beautiful formations

This was a location where a recreational park could be built; however, it did not contain the resources that we needed to entertain and educate the visitors for more than a day at best. My conclusion was that it would be a satellite location for tours to Jasper Garden where people could collect the Jasper stones, view the giant Jasper boulders and possibly camp and participate in river sports. It simply did not meet the full criteria for investing in building the park at this location.
That night as we traveled home trough the mountain roads we realized that the location was too far and too dangerous for people to travel just to see the Jaspers.
We called the department of mining office again and expressed our disappointment in not locating an area where enough resources would be available to build the park and where we could raise the profits to conduct a mining operation.
Once again our contact showed us information on an area that was developing into a tourist area. It had mining operations in place, geysers, hot spring water, a turtle preserve, close by volcanoes, beautiful beaches, gemstones, Jasper, petrified wood, beautiful hotels, and land enough to build the park. We were introduced to Assistant Dean Mega of an area university who showed us photographs and charts of the area. We could not believe that so many assets could be located within such a short commute of each other. Surely this must be the place where we could build Geology World.
The Assistant Dean was also the head of the geology department of her university. She informed us that she was in contact with several mining companies, including P.T.Antam, and would be happy to make contact with them on our behalf. The meeting concluded with a date set for our visiting the area and more officials from the Department of Mining joining our quest for the Geology World site.
By this time I had expanded the concept of Geology World to include having gold and silver laden stones transported to Geology World by a mining company and using these stones to create the areas where people would search the stones for gold and pan artificial streams for gold dust. Aisyah and I began talking about nothing but how the park could look if we found the ideal location. We were prepared to keep open minds so that as we saw the assets we would be able to expand the concept. One such concept was that the gold would be sold back to the park through the mining company and the visitors would leave the park with money earned from their treasures. How I was going to interest a mining company in this venture was not fully developed until after we made our trip to Sukabumi. (Hyperlink to “Geology World Draft Concept Paper2”)
The roads leading to Sukabumi were good and they wound through the mountains with beautiful views of waterfalls, vistas, forests, and several rivers. The sights would easily equal or surpass those of Skyline Drive in Virginia or the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina that traverses thought the Appalachian Mountains and attracts millions of tourists each year.

As we approached the city of Sukabumi, I noticed several shops selling quantities of large precious stones, petrified wood, and what appeared to be artistic tree formations similar to our drift wood sold in the US. (Examples are shown below.)

The city is a bustling mid-range urban location with numerous stores displaying artisan crafts, clothing stores, and shopping centers. This would be the size of a city similar to Richmond, Virginia. The streets were wide and organized in one-way thoroughfares making for easier travel.
Our objective was yet another half-hour away and down the mountains to the shoreline area. As we traveled downward we saw the hotels, beaches and geological industry all along the roadside. Large trucks made the climbs and descents with loads of stones. Processing plants lined the highway, processing the stones into a wide variety of construction and other products for the marketplace.
The amazing sight of rice patties extending from the base of the mountains clear to the ocean beaches was a sight I will not forget. The beaches were lined with several hotels not unlike those of Ocean City, Maryland or South Beach in Florida. There were small guest houses to large five story hotels with all the amenities a tourist would desire.

The highway that ran along side the beach wound up and down the mountains located at the edge of the ocean. Large flat areas of beach shoreline could be seen from the lookout areas along the road. These were truly beautiful vistas some available from houses renting for as little as $2,000 per year.
The lead car containing the Dean and the geologists headed straight to the geyser park where we took pictures, viewed large boulders of Jasper and marveled at the beauty of this undeveloped park. The government recently removed the rickety shacks were people sold food and crafts to a location at the entrance of the park. Here they gave the people a “rent free” cement Toko in replacement of the ones destroyed. This area too needed development as parking was risky on a day when the heavy Indonesian rains bounded the earth.
The road leading to the park was narrow and could barely fit two cars passing each other using the service area as part of the road. One could see where landslides had occurred in the past, probably during the rainy season, and some of the service areas of the road had washed away and were being repaired. Trucks would have a difficult time using this road when automobile traffic was heavy. Motorcycles and small busses would be the best mode of travel as an alternative to a car or van.
The geysers are located in a stream that crosses atop a volcanic lava flow beneath it. The geysers are constant as the hot air from the lava flow hits the cool water and shoots the geyser of warm water high into the air. People were enjoying standing in the midst of the geysers all along the stream getting the hot spring water shooting above them and coming down in a constant flow. The bed of the stream was filled with Jasper, volcanic rocks, and what appeared to be other precious mineral stones.

The Dean took us on a tour of the area and pointed out huge boulders of Jasper rivaling those shown to us by Prof. Miko. She advised that a waterfall was close to the area where the stream flows over a large cravat. There is also a cave and trails leading into the forests where the tourists can search of fallen stones.
As I approached the metal bridge that traversed the geyser stream, I saw a well built gem shop located at its entrance. Here I encountered about the beautiful polished and cut gemstones displayed in the case and was handed a cup full of gems priced at less than $5.00 a stone.

Aisyah and I began talking with the owner and his wife and learned that he had procured all of the stones through his own mining. He cut and polished all of the stones displayed in his shop and he offered to work with us to train people on how to process the stones. In addition, he offered to join with us in a join venture that would place his work in the geological park. As we discussed quantity and price, I knew that we were in the right place speaking with the right people.
The assets of the area includes the following: miles of beaches; good areas for surfing; fishing camps with restaurants that sell the fish, shrimp and lobsters caught that morning; a turtle preserve where the giant green turtles come to lay their eggs and people can watch as the baby turtles venture forth into the ocean; mining companies that have agreed to let tours visit their site and help the visitors understand how geology is used in everyday life; hot springs; coral reefs that can be explored in outrigger boats using snorkeling or scuba gear; deep sea fishing boats; river fishing; white water rafting; canoeing up and down stream, a river where gold dust is panned by the locals with some success; a triple waterfall as well as the one in the geyser park and others we are still learning about.

A visitor to this area could easily occupy his or her vacation time. With the ease of procuring multicultural access to exotic foods, entertainment and serene locations, the visitors to Geology World will find a unique and enjoyable experience.
The exploration for satellite areas will continue. There are nearby volcanoes to link to the park, construction of the park itself and training the community in meeting the needs of visitors to the park.
Three days after returning from Sukabumi we enjoyed a Thanksgiving Dinner with the President of PT. JIO INDONESIA, Iman N. Soeriaatmadja, Professor Mega, officials of the Department of Mining and our executives. At this meeting we reached an initial agreement whereby JIO INDONESIA would join us as partners and supply us with not only the gold laden stones but other base minerals, some precious stones and work to expand the nuclear model concept of Geology Park throughout Indonesia and other parts of the mining world. (The website for PT JIO INDONESIA is www.jio-corporation.com.

The major task at hand now is to find the perfect site and to purchase that site for a reasonable price so construction can begin.

The websites for Geology World are being built and will be located at Alisyah Geology World.com; Alisyah Geology World.org and Alisyah Geology World.edu. We will notify everyone once the sites are online and ready for you to view far more pictures than are shown in this paper. Alisyah Geology World.org will have the actual agreements, business documents and government certifications for viewing by stockholders.

 

We sincerely hope that you will become a stockholder in this venture and help us build this geological park. With two of the largest cities in Indonesia only two hours away and television and news media already anxious to cover the story, we are sure that it will be a long-term success.
We expect to have the stock on sale through credit card purchase online at all three of the websites. We are also preparing tour packages for those of you who want to see the park first-hand. It will be a vacation of a lifetime.