Mt Rinjani / Lombok

The three day and two nights started with a 6.30 am breakfast (banana pancake and coffee) at John’s Adventures in Senaru before meeting our guide Sar and our porters (Amel, Amed and Ari). A pick-up truck was loaded up with lots of baskets, equipment, food, water and our backpack (pic 1). We were seated in the car and drove off through a very bendy and hilly country side to the starting point of the track. After we registered at the office (they need to know who’s in the park and you’re required to pay a fee) we started trekking from Sembalun Lawang. I was only carrying my camera and Teemu a small day pack with water, snacks and raincoats so we could focus on walking without any extra weight. The porters were carrying our rucksack, tents, chairs, food and water for the three days track. We started walking at 7.30 am with green hills and rice fields as views, slowly we got higher and had some climbing to do but before I knew Sar our guide said that we’ve reached Pos 1 at 1300metrers where the porters were preparing a lunch for us in a small concrete cabana. Within 5 minutes we had a warm cup of tea in our hands and were requested to sit and watch the four men prepare a lunch. I could see that they’ve done this many times as it was a clockwork operation with chopping wood for fire, chopping vegetables and cooking rice. They do cheat a bit with a camping gas stove to boil the rice but after half an hour I was presented with a big meal of noodle/vegetable soup and rice followed by a whole pineapple as dessert. Unfortunately, this was only for us and not for the porters and guide, they had rice and a bit of chicken so I felt immediately guilty but also knew that I needed the energy to climb the remaining 1372 metres in height for that day. Meanwhile, the clouds and drizzle came in so the next three hours we had to climb heavily which made me realize that this was not going to be easy. Sometimes I only could walk 10 steps and had to wait to catch my breath before taking the next 10 steps. The combination of humidity, height and climbing was really challenging but encouraged by guide Sar and Teemu that we were doing extremely well kept me going. We finally reached pos 3 at 1800 metres in clouds and completely soaked –more from sweat than rain- and only saw the amazing view of the crater later when the sky opened briefly (pic 2). It made me so happy to see this and it gave me the needed energy to walk the remaining half hour to our camp at Sembulan crater rim / 2679 metres (pic 3). Now we could see the benefits of excellent and experienced porters as they’ve arrived ahead of us (with 30 kg of luggage) to secure the better spots in the camp. We had a small spot with the view of the crater lake in front of us and not based at the big patch with many others and less privacy. Within 5 minutes I had a warm cup of tea in my hands and could take a seat in one of the camping chairs while they put up our tent. Dinner was again a massive meal but I had no problem in finishing it after my long day of trekking. By 8pm I was ready for bed as we would be woken up at 2.30am for our 3 hours climb to the summit the next morning…..

Day two started at 2.30am with a wake-up call with hot tea and jam sandwiches from our porters. After a quick check we went with guide Sar on our way to reach the summit for sunrise at 6am. It was dark, cold and after an hour the rain came in so not the best circumstances to climb. It also got harder and harder by the minute so I was really struggling at some point but cheered up when Sar said that we were doing really well that at some point we had to wait somewhere for half an hour otherwise we would arrive to early at the summit where it would be freezing could. It got busier and busier with people climbing and I never will forget the last half an hour that I had to climb which was sand so it was three steps up, rest, three steps up and rest…. Finally, Sar said the words I wanted to hear “we are here” so the remaining climb was so liberating to reach Mt. Rinjani Summit at 3726 metres! Unfortunately, the clouds made it impossible to have the wanted views (pic 4,5,6) of the surrounding area but it was the personal achievement which counted for me.  After half an hour at the freezing summit we made our way down which is a lot easier! You can ‘ski’ down the sand and run parts of the rest of the track so 2 hours later we were enjoying the banana pancakes, spring rolls and fruit salad breakfast. I was ready for a rest but there was no rest for the wicked as Sar said it was time to decent to the lake. The porters will break up camp and join us later so there we went down a very rocky path down from 2679 metres to the lake for our lunch time break. It took us three hours to get to the lake and I was exhausted and feeling my legs who worked overtime but the thought that I only had to walk for 1,5 hrs. after lunch kept me cheerful. Of course during our decent we were taken over by our three porters so they were waiting for us with lunch at the lake but we had one more stop before that and that was the hot springs. What a treat to strip down to your swimwear and sit in hot water for half an hour and relax…… After this treat I enjoyed the lake view and lunch which was Gado Gado with fried tempeh. After lunch I was planning a little nap before our 1,5hrs trip to our camp for the night but Sar had other plans and said “better to leave early and have more time there to rest” So off we went again and my tempo was clearly a lot slower as my legs were complaining and not happy with all this exercise. After we left the lake behind us I could only see a very high wall in front of us and I started to fear the worst. I started to ask questions to Sar and Teemu but they just said keep on walking one step at the time. After two hours I knew that it was going to take a lot longer than the 1,5hrs to get to the top of the crater rim and my mood dropped by 1000 metres. My two men said that I just had to take it easy and one step at the time but in the end we had to reach camp at some point and it should be worth it. When we climbed higher and higher we could see stunning views of Mt Rinjani, the lake and the mini volcano in the middle of the lake. That gave me spirit and energy and you could clearly see the route we’ve already achieved that day. After 4,5 hrs. I could see the end of the hell of a trek and my camping chair waiting for me. With clear skies and sun we reached the Senaru Crater rim at 2641 metres and again we had a top spot with one of the best views of the lake, Mt Rinjani and the second volcano in the lake. I was so tired and couldn’t move my legs but felt amazing as it was a hell of a day/trek but so worth it. We had dinner by sunset with views to the lake but also to the Gili Islands and Bali; it was just stunning (pic 7). My body and mind were clearly tired and after sunset it was freezing cold so it was time to warm up in the tent and my sleeping bag.

Day three after a long but cold sleep I had breakfast and sunrise from my chair before our final trek all the way down to Senaru village. My legs hadn’t recovered overnight so I was prepared for this when we started our trip at 7.30am.  The decent was a mix of rocks, sand, jungle paths and climbs but with some stops and lunch at pos 2 (1300 metres) we finally reached the final destination where a car was waiting for us to take us back to the village. In a way I wasn’t tired but more excited of the three day track but my body was in need of a lot of rest for the next couple of days.

I could kiss the ground the porters walked on as I have total respect for these guys who walk this track in their flip flops, shorts and t-shirts and 30-40 kg of weights on their shoulders. The two baskets are attached to each other by a bamboo stick which they support on one or both of their shoulders. I couldn’t walk 2 metres with it but they walked or better to say ran as mountain goats up and down the track as it was a piece of cake. Most of these guys start when they’re 16 yrs old and say that they cry the first time but they are told to get on with it and after a couple of times you just get used to it. When I’ve asked them how many times they’ve walked this route they couldn’t tell me as it could be hundreds of times. Some of the porters become guides after a couple of years so they lose the weight but not the climbing! If you ever follow my footsteps you will understand what I’m talking about and agree that this is a hard job and in my opinion totally under appreciated by travel agents and tourists. Amed, Amel and Ari (pic 8) thank you so much for all the lovely food prepared with big smiles and while having fun, motivating us during the trek and entertaining me in the evening with your care and stories but most of all for carrying my backpack as that made it a lot easier to climb this damn mountain !

our luggage for 3 days........

at 1800 metres

view from basecamp 

Mt Rinjani summit

View from Rinjani summit

View from camp at lake crater rim

Dropbox links to pictures of my travel adventures!

Below a couple of links to my dropbox account with photo albums of various adventures of my last 7 months of traveling...............

Elephants

In Laos I did a three day Elephant mahout training with my lovely elephant Sophie...

www.dropbox.com/sh/7ssr1rqr0f1q7ky/8ztqjsBA2o

Orphanage

In Cambodia I helped out at an orphange for 3 weeks as a volunteer to entertain the children and teach them some basic English. It was a great experience and the children are just amazing...

www.dropbox.com/sh/be6udh6mw81wcqw/tOLYqx1dNp

Gunung BROMO

This mountain has always been one of Indonesian most breath-taking sights, Bromo is the Javanese translation for Hindu God of creation.

The volcano is still active which its last eruption in 2011 and its expected to continue for some time to come. I climbed this to view the sunrise followed by a motorbike trip to the viewpoint to see Bromo (through thick clouds).

www.dropbox.com/sc/pnv0hcw5znejj8k/140VVH2IxV

GUNUNG BATUR

This is one of the volcanoes in Bali which you can climb and to get the best views it is suggested to do this by sunrise. However if the clouds are taking over the view you will see the following:www.dropbox.com/sc/x695fn6qqzejady/ZXqH1ZBH1H

TEGAL

I went to my dad’s birthplace in Java/Indonesia to see where my roots come from. It was an emotional but exciting experience but also recognizable for myself and my dads background. I planted a small bush in the communial park to remember him, I was welcomed by the locals with their big smiles and inquizivative personality. When I left I felt a bit sad as it was saying goodbye to family. The pictures show views from the town and my meeting with the locals (mainly kids) and a daytrip in the area with views Gunung Slemat.

 www.dropbox.com/sc/5n4xoqrw0eyz73h/N7iq1Ww4t2

UBUD ceremony

In Ubud/Bali I stayed at a lovey homestay and the family was very welcoming.

The mother of the owner (Nyoman) passed away two weeks prior to my visit and as a tradition a ceremony should take place to purify the house with her and evil spirits before the divine powers are addressed. This is done by offerings, holy water and hand gestures. The pictures give a view of the ceremony, the monkey forest sanctuary and Ubud surroundings like rice paddies and temples.

 www.dropbox.com/sc/b5pxbv4ytnqk53m/92RmO1qqbm

Gili Air: 

This is one of the Gili Islands between Bali and Lombok. The Island is beautiful with white beaches and blue water. The corals, snorkling and diving must have been amazing ten years ago as I only spotted dead coral along the beaches. A lot of dead coral ends up on the beach but gets recycled for buildings (kind of pebbledash), decorations; key holders, curtains or in the gardens.

You can view the pictures from the Island:

www.dropbox.com/sc/r1a3ikqrbmdehao/9v2sDau0PA

Ubud

In Ubud I stayed in a homestay with a lovely family.  Here you could see a traditional Balinese family who lives together in a house with its own temple. The buildings are in a beautiful Balinese style with colourful painted doors and the walls have typical Balinese carvings in the outside walls. There is an entrance to an outdoor temple which is used for ceremonies and I as lucky to experience one when I stayed there.
The mother of the owner (Nyoman) passed away two weeks prior to my visit and as a tradition a ceremony should take place to purify the house with her and evil spirits before the divine powers are addressed. This is done by offerings, holy water and hand gestures. Prior to the day of the ceremony the family members were busy with preparations which mainly is making offerings from coconut leaves, these would vary from small square boxes to umbrella shaped versions with creative sized attachments to house the offerings (rice, flowers, sweets). The whole family including the young girls were busy with this.
On the day of the ceremony I was woken up by females singing / chanting and when I looked outside my window they were in the temple area, than walked around the whole building complex from offering area to offering area. This was to connect with the spirits and greet them, one female would put some flowers at the area and sprinkle some alcohol on it too. The smell of the incense has the purpose to make you feel happy, this works for both for the spirits and for us.
The offering area was a big cross shaped pile of flowers, coconut leaf offerings which were filled with flowers, food and as my hosts explained it has a meaning: NORTH facing is associated with the color red and the highest hierarchy which is the duck with number 88 SOUTH; black and has the lowest level the dog with number 8, WEST; is the color yellow with and EAST; is the colour white with the chicken. Each area had a coconut decorated with the colour and the years in Chinese coins.
I’ve met the dog Bobo who was a young puppy and was killed that morning to be offered to the gods as it would re-incarnate as a human.
The process of the women went on for a while till they felt the spirits were satisfied and by waving the incense smoke upwards they were guiding the spirits out of the house. The final was a procession of loud noise and chanting to finally ‘clear’ the offering areas and literality brushing the spirits away with a brush and a bunch of burning incense. Suddenly, everyone started clearing the offering areas and the coconut leaf and flowers were all put into bags for burning at the sea. Within 10 minutes the place looked tidy and the next stage would start which as that the priest would go round and give his blessing to the whole area and finish at the temple where a praying ceremony would take place. All family members gathered into the temple as they had to be ‘cleaned’ too with water and rice and when this was done the ceremony was finished and we enjoyed a traditional Balinese meal of rice, jackfruit curry, chicken and pork packages of banana leaves.
The cremation would take place in September with another family member that passed away so till then the bodies are kept in a special place till the ceremony in the sea.

I found the whole process very fascination as I could see that this is a tradition and people are following it out of respect of the spirits. It is beautiful but nothing different than other religions where people follow the founder or foundation of this religion but here it feels that is has emotions and comes from the heart without forcing outstanders to join or follow. As Nyoman (guesthouse owner) said; we are open and liberate so please join the ceremony as it is my pleasure to have you here.

In Bali they call their children the same in the following order: Child no 1; Wayan or Putu, No 2: Made or Kadet,  no3: Nyoman or Komang,  no 4 Ketut and with no 5 you start again at no 1; etc. Usually one is also given another name to identify themselves too.

The pictures give a view of the ceremony, the monkey forest sanctuary and Ubud surroundings like rice paddies and temples.

 www.dropbox.com/sc/b5pxbv4ytnqk53m/92RmO1qqbm

The offerings

The lovely Nyoman Murjana family

Borobudur and Prambanan

Borobudur and Prambanan
One of the main sites you need to visit in Java is the breath taking temple complex of Borobudur (www.borobudurpark.co.id) with its Buddhist temples which were recovered by Sir R. Raffles in 1814 but the complex is dated from the 9th century AD.
Also this temple was suggested to witness at sunrise with the mist hanging from the lush valleys and hills. So at 4am I set off with The Three Musketeers (Dutch, French and Finnish guys) on our motorbikes with Rita a local girl to travel to Punthurk Setumba hill to view the misty hills of the Borobudur surroundings. We arrived there at 5am and had a stunning view of the volcano Merapi, the Borobudur and the misty valley. We rushed back to our motorbikes to the Borobudur park as we wanted to enter this at 6am to have the privilege to see it before it opens to everyone (locals) at 6.30am
The rush was worth it as there were maybe only 50 people at this massive site so the views were almost untouched and amazing with the sun coming up from the hills. As suggested by other travellers I took my pics and started descending level by level to reach the bottom just in time for the crowds. And with this I mean the locals or students who approach you to speak English or take pictures with you. Usually I am happy to spend time with them and pose for the camera but this time I just wanted to be a tourist and enjoy the surroundings in peace so I told him “tidak, terima kasha” (no thank you).
I was enjoying my own time while I could see other tourist chatting to the students with a bit of desperation in their eyes as they were on a tour and only had 1 hr so spend at the Borobudur..
After a local breakfast with “soto ayam” (chicken, noodle soup) we climbed back onto our bikes and travelled for another 2 hrs to our next destination Prambanan, this Hindu temple complex features 50 temples which many of them suffered extensive damage in the 2006 earthquake. Some of the temples are still fenced off or you have to wear a helmet to enter it due to construction work. I must say even if this site was smaller it was far more impressive than The Borobudur and my favourite for that day. This was followed by a local lunch this time we tried the “guluh” which turned out to be a delicious beef stew with some rice. The Three Musketeers and I left Rita to return to Yogyakarta while we explored the country side on 2 bikes for a couple of hours before returning to the big smoke later that evening.
I was planning to climb Mount Merapi the next morning (1am start) but realized that this would be a bit challenging as this would mean leave Yogya at 10pm that evening. There is always something left to do for next time…………….

BROMO https://www.dropbox.com/sc/pnv0hcw5znejj8k/140VVH2IxV
GUNUNG BATUR: https://www.dropbox.com/sc/x695fn6qqzejady/ZXqH1ZBH1H

Sunrise with views of Merapi, Borobudur and hills

Borobudur

Full size Borobudur

Prambanan

Going back to my roots; the visit.

After great time and experiences in Sumatra I made my way by plane to Java; the next destination on my Indonesia trip. This island feels even more special to me as my dad was born in a coastal village called Tegal on this Island so I was even more curious if I would feel more at home here or drawn to this islands culture than Sumatra.
I was planning to visit my dad’s birth place not for its scenery but for its sentimental value and so the search began. I arrived in Yogyakarta to arrange my visa (read other post for the ins and outs) and visit the surrounding sites like Borobudur and Prambanan.
After almost a week in Java I took the train to head for Tegal in Central Java, after a taxi ride followed by 2 hrs bus trip I arrived at Solo Jebres Station where the train would leave. I had a couple of hours to kill so had a delicious street meal lunch and took some snacks with me for the 5 hrs train ride. It was obvious that Teemu and I were the only tourist waiting for the train but when we entered our carriage all heads turned our way and that never changed during the trip. There’s lots of entertainment in the train as locals walk up and down the aisle to sell, kopi, teh, tempeh, kroepuk, nasi, air, (coffee, tea, tempeh, crisps, rice and water) but also t-shirts, belts and survival sewing repair kits. The train conductor asked several times if we really were travelling to Tegal as it’s not a tourist destination at all. So when we almost entered the station he came over and sat with us to make sure we got off at Tegals station. After some commotion at the train station with police, becek- and taxi drivers we got to a hotel after a long day.
The next three days Tegal was our home to explore the surroundings and for me to find the earliest beginning of my dad’s and mine roots. Tegal is a coastal and business town so not much to see and no reason for a tourist to stop here hence the looks from the locals when you’re walking around. Many people come over to chat or ask for a photograph with us. The level of English is very poor so we had to up our Bahasa Indonesia and the app on our phone made overtime to help us to find our way. The first day we walked around to take in the surroundings and I planted a little tree for my dad in the local park, this again doesn’t get unnoticed so some kids and locals came over to see what was happening. I do hope that the tree will grow and who knows I will visit it again.
I’m leaving Tegal with a feeling of leaving my family, the locals here were so welcoming and nice even without being able to communicate much. Maybe it was my imagination but lots of older men looked like my dad or had similar features so this was really the start of his roots. These men had similar looks, body posture or laughs, worked in the gardens, cycled or were inquisitive just as he was. Many times men came over to see what these Westerners were doing or were just ‘hanging around us’ to see if they could have a chat or help us even with the language barrier.
We experienced priceless moments as communication was difficult but when entering a shop everyone just came over to find out what we wanted while giggling and trying to understand what we were doing. The most precious one was the older lady who helped me t plant my dad’s tree, I was struggling to make a hole in the soil but she just took a stick and ‘digged’ one within 5 minutes. We couldn’t really talk but she knew this was something special for me and she hugged me afterwards and smiled. When we left Tegal I said goodbye to her and she gave me the biggest and warmest hug which made me cry as it felt I said goodbye to a family member. I am pleased that I made the effort to travel to my dad’s birthplace and mingle for a couple of days in a non- tourist environment. Maybe it gives me a more in depth idea where I come from but maybe not. Whatever it turns out it is something what I will take with me for the rest of my life. Thank you Teemu to join and support me during this emotional trip.

More photo’s from my Tegal trip: https://www.dropbox.com/sc/5n4xoqrw0eyz73h/N7iq1Ww4t2

tree planting with lovely lady

The tree..

Local kids playing with their doves

"head, shoulders, knees.....

My Indonesian visa saga

Sometimes being organized doesn’t pay off the result you were expecting as this happened to me with my Indonesian Visa. As lovely as the country is and the people are genuine, helpful and happy the authorities are the complete opposite.
By entering the country you will only receive a tourist visa which is valid for one month and can be extended only once for a month. There were many stories going round on the web that visa are a pain in the neck and could cost you days of your trip so I decided to organise the 60 days in advance. This should be possible at foreign Indonesian Embassy with some effort (forms) but at least I could enjoy my 60 days without spending time at an Immigration office. How wrong could I be; with a lot of sweat and effort I was able to apply for a visa in Manila at the Indonesian Embassy. Only when I went through a 2hr chores to get the correct forms and payment arranged I was told that they couldn’t confirm that it would be granted a 60 days visa but at least a 30 days which I could extent during my trip. So when I collected my passport 5 days later I was (of course) very disappointed to see that it was only for 30 days. What a waste of my 2 afternoons as I could have arranged this when entering the country. 
So I parked this while traveling in The Philippines and my first 2 weeks in Indonesia but when I arrived in Yogyakarta this was the first thing on my mind to arrange. So on Friday morning I went with all the required papers to the immigration office with my travel companion who needed to do the same but I came out of the office ‘empty handed’ and very disappointed and deflated as I was told that Manila had granted me a social visa which you usually get when you want to stay for max 6 months and requires a local sponsor! I was gobsmacked as how was this possible without having a sponsor in the 1st place? I got 2 forms to be filled in by ‘the sponsor’ and could return on Monday to apply for the extension. That day I spend gathering information and looking for a sponsor but was put out of my misery by the very kind and extremely helpful guesthouse owner Tanto who called his ‘friend’ at the immigration office. The only legal way to get this sorted was to leave the country at the end of my month and enter it again to receive that well needed tourist visa which could be extended for another month. He told me that even after 20 years his German wife has many issues to extend her visa for the next five years! I was so sad, disappointed and angry that I really had to take a moment and reflect on this for the rest of the day. It felt I was betrayed by a country close to my heart (especially Java where my roots come from) but I knew I had to keep emotions and practicalities separate as the country is a paradise and the people are amazing.
I didn’t want to support or contribute to the corrupt system so trying to find a way to deal with this social visa was not going anywhere.
This meant that at the end of the 30 days I have to fly for the day to Kuala Lumpur and back to Indonesia to receive a new visa.
This was a hard lesson to learn about the Indonesian authorities and not to try to arrange to many things for my trip in advance as you never can be sure what’s around the corner or what challenge is waiting for you.

Two day Jungle trip into Taman National Gunung Leuser Park

So far I’ve done jungle treks in different countries during my trip but this one was the most exhausting and intriguing one. This jungle felt like a real jungle even if we didn’t get that ‘deep’ into the jungle for the 2 day trip. The aim was to see wildlife like Oerang Utangs, Thomas sleep monkeys, Gibbons (white and black), macaque . So I went with guide Sinar and 5 other travellers into the jungle with a small backpack and our camera’s. We started with a steep climb to enter the jungle, regularly Sinar showed us some flora like rattan, cinnamon, lemon grass or other useful plants for medication. Meanwhile we climbed or walked and he kept us entertained but we were all waiting for that moment to see our first Oerang Utang which we finally did and it was Suma with her baby.  Sinar told us that she was raised in the monkey sanctuary after she was released from a captured life with soldiers. Sinar used to work with Oerang Utangs so he knows most of them and their habits. So Suma came down from her tree and ‘posed’ for us hoping to get some food but one of rules is not to feed them anymore as they learned in the sanctuary to life an independent life. Later on we spotted Sandra in a tree and when we reached camp Jacky and her baby were there to give us some extra Oerang Utang camera shots. The camp was based on the other side of the river which we had to cross by swimming or with a tube. The camp was a patch on a corner of the river with lots of stones and some huts (kitchen and sleeping area) and our base for the night. We enjoyed a lovely Indonesian meal of vegetable curry, marinated chicken, rice, tempeh and kroepoek followed by lots of fruit, ginger tea and later on roasted peanuts. Our guide Sinar and his friend entertained us with some magician card games and he knew a lot of mind games with some matches. At 9pm he said it was time to go to bed so we all went to our hut (an area covered with plastic walls and roof) where we were positioned in a row on the floor with a sheet to cover our bodies. I slept really well and got up at 6.30am to have a tea and chat with Sinar outside and enjoy the beautiful views of the jungle.  Before we left the next day on a raft down the river we visited a waterfall on the other side of the river and had a swim followed by lunch. The journey down the river was fun but too short and not enough current to make it really exciting. 
Sinar, thank you for a great trip and showing me the Oerang Utans in their natural environment and entertaining me with your big smile and stories.

Suma

Thomas Leaf Monkey