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Published: November 12th 2007
freezing my bits off
exhausted and cold, at the top of Mount Merapi at 6am. You will notice there is a higher one behind. Thank God we didn't plan to climb that one!My next stop was one of Java's largest cities, Yogyakarta. On the way, I noticed that many buses and trucks had names written across their windscreens in giant adhesive letters. Apparently it is fashionable in Java to name your vehicle for all to see! Most were in Indonesian, so I had no idea what they meant. But I spotted a few in English which made me chuckle, such as a bus called "The Winner", and a truck called "Catwoman". Who on earth would name their ten-ton truck catwoman?
I arrived at Yogyakarta at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. I settled into a cheap but friendly hotel and set out in search of a tour for the next day. I wanted to climb Mount Merapi, Indonesia's most active volcano. I found a tour leaving that NIGHT, and signed up. The agency was well recommended and respected, and they assured me that Merapi was not active at the moment. Good! The last thing I wanted was to be hit on the head by flying boulders, or to be burnt to a crisp by lava. Lava is generally slow, moving between either several metres per day (the average speed of a student) or
safely back down, seven hours later
the mountain we had climbed is in the background! sometimes as fast as 10 kph, which I can probably outrun, especially if I start to roll downhill. But in reality, lava is the least of your worries. The main danger is something called "Pyroclastic Flow". As well as molten rock, volcanoes can also throw out a mixture of hot gas and rock, which travels at a speed of up to 700kph. This "pyroclastic flow" hugs the ground, and heads downhill, spreading out as it goes. As if it's fearsome speed wasn't enough, it also has a temperature of up to 1000 degrees centrigrade. Hot enough to ruin any barbeque, and will curtail your volcano climbing activities faster than you can say "chargilled Lobster Cheeks". But anyway, Merapi was behaving itself right now. This time last year though, it had been put on high alert, and had 180 tremors in a single week!
My evening began at 10pm, because it was a two-hour drive to Merapi. We started the hike at 1am, armed with torches, water and breakfast. It would take between four and five hours to reach the summit, and the plan was to be there for sunrise. I had failed to reach the summit of Cotopaxi in
caution!
this quality sign in my hotel gives you an idea of how low budget I was staying! Ecuador, three months previously. Altitude sickness had claimed me at 5,400 metres, only 400m from the top. Merapi was only 2,900m, but this still meant I had to ascend 2,000m (two kilometres) from the starting point. It was a steep and strenuous hike, and my Lobster Thighs felt like jelly after the first hour. It was a bizarre experience, hiking up a forest-clad mountainside by torchlight! The terrain soon turned from dirt to rocks, and we had to half climb, half scramble to make any progress. We didn't hear any warning rumbles from the volcano, which was good news. This was, after all, Indonesia's most active volcano. A sudden eruption could mean a toasty death for all of us.
By 4am I was physically and mentally tired. I should be tucked up in bed now, I thought, not struggling up the side of a volcano. Everyone's concentration and coordination was worsening through tiredness and exhaustion. We found overselves slipping over and loosing our footing more often. But we made it to the top, triumphantly, at 4:30am!
It was indecently cold, and a chilling wind was blowing around, almost knocking me off my feet. It was so cold, even
the grand entrance
walking towards Borobudur temple wearing three layers, that I started doing starjumps to keep warm. I didn't have enough energy to sustain this, so I curled up into a ball behind a small boulder, shivering and sheltering from the wind. We had an hour to wait until sunrise. When the sun finally awoke and got out of bed it was a crushing disappointment. Some naughty clouds had crept over the horizon, and there was no visible sunrise at all. I was as gutted as a cod at Billingsgate Fish Market. So, with very glum faces, we started our 3-hour descent, and reached home base at 9am for banana pancakes and nice cup of tea.
My next expedition upset my sleep patterns once again. I have heard a few scary theories relating sleep to memory. Apparently, some scientists say your day-to-day memories are placed in temporary storage in your brain, and when you are sleeping, these memories are transferred into your long term memory as you sleep. This is a long and error-prone process, and a regular lack of sleep can result in memory problems. Interesting, eh? And apparently, a lack of sleep can result in memory problems (did I say that already?). I
exterminate!
no, these aren't ancient Daleks, these are structures on the top level of Borobudur tend to spend my time in London constantly catching up on sleep, and my memory is terrible. So perhaps there is something in it. In fact, I used to keep a notebook where I wrote down things that I had to remember. But I kept forgetting to take the book out with me.
So, my next sleeping interruption was arising at 5am to visit one of Java's most spectacular temples, Borobodur. The 5am start was an attempt to beat the Indonesian tourist crowds, since it was still the post-Ramadan holiday. It didn't work. I arrived at 7am to find the first coach loads arriving, and swarming over the temple like ants. Borobodur is one of the finest temples I have ever visited. It has five levels, with a top level dominated by dozens of dome-shaped structures with spikes on top. The temple was surrounded by jungle and palm trees. Taking photos was a real challenge. There were signs everywhere saying "no climbing!", "no littering!", "no carving!". And there were a myriad of tourists wandering around. So I had to pick angles which obscured the signs and the tourists. It was very frustrating. Just as you were about to take
the outside
Borobudur temple has five levels a photo, some tourists would amble out from behind a wall and ruin the shot. Thank God there were no busloads of Japanese tourists. They tend to travel in packs of no less than thirty, and would make photography impossible. But despite the large numbers of people, it was fairly quiet and serene. No-one was making much noise, and even the kids were respectfully quiet. But then, the silence was shattered by some local fella demonstrating his new MP3 ringtone. The song was "Wind of Change" by The Scorpions, and it echoed loudly around the temple. Everyone was looking at this guy, but he was oblivious as he cheerfully held his phone out for his friend to hear. And to make things worse, I couldn't get the song out of my head for the rest of the day (sing along now - "taaaake me, to the magic of the moment on a glory night.....") Ha, hopefully that has got it in your head now for the rest of YOUR day!
Borobodur is a Buddhist temple, and was built 1,200 years ago. About 50 miles away is another temple called Prambanan built at roughly the same time, except by Hindus.
Prambanan temples
there were once 250 of these temples on this site, but many were destroyed by earthquake Considering the size of Indonesia, and of Java in particular, it's a remarkable coincidence that two of South-East Asia's most stunning temples lie so close together, and were built by two different religions. I think they were both trying to out-do each other! We visited Prambanan later that day, and it's hard to say who wins the "Best Temple" competition. Prambanan was unfortunately ravaged by a major earthquake, and only half a dozen structures remain of the original 250. Seeing the original 250 intact must have been quite a sight back in the day
In Yogyakarta, the streets are littered with becaks. The becak is a tricycle in reverse, with the two wheels supporting a passenger seat in the front. The first thing to note is the sheer number of them. Dozens line every street, awaiting a fare. It is an incredible excess, and business is so slack that most drivers spend their day sleeping on them. I would say that becaks outnumber tourists by a factor of at least 20-1, and this is no exaggeration! The other thing to note is the persistance of the drivers in trying to attract a fare. "Bechay!" they cry (this is how
another prambanan temple
the workmanship was impressive, especially considering this was built in 800 AD becak is pronounced). A chorus of bechay, bechay, bechay greets you down every street. Or "Hello mister! Transport?" Some of them leap off their becak and follow you asking "where are you going?". When I first arrived I would respond to "where are you going?"by pointing to a shop a few doors down and say "I'm going THERE". Otherwise they will not stop pestering you. But eventually the continual hassle of dealng with becak drivers on every street wore me down, and I would just march past them and ignore them. Harsh but necessary.
Another common hassle is the owners of art galleries saying their exhibits were being shipped to Hong Hong tomorrow, and today would be the last chance to buy. What a coincidence, I just HAPPEN to be nearby on the last day of the exhibit! My usual response to this would be to enquire which art gallery, and when they point it out, say "oh, THAT one. I went there yesterday". Otherwise they will keep on at you. Or, if you want to be particularly cruel, say that you are in a rush but promise to come and see it tomorrow. Then bang your head with
getting in a flap
budgies on sale at the local Bird Market in Yogyakarta your hand and say "silly me, I can't come and see it tomorrow can I? It's being shipped to Hong Kong isn't it?"
The other trick of shop owners is to show you an item and use the immortal phrase "today I can offer you a special price!" Lucky me, special price! Fancy that. Or maybe they say "I can do you a special MORNING price", as if their goods are cheaper in the morning than the afternoon. Go back later and they will offer you an equally special "afternoon price". I like to turn the tables on this. If I pass a shop and see something I want, I march up to the owner and say "hello my friend. Today's your lucky day. I want to buy that leather wallet, and I'm going to do you a special morning price. I will buy it immediately for $xxx"
One evening there was a gentleman who kept trying to sell me a blowpipe in a restaurant. "no thanks", I said.
"But I do you a special price!"
"Sorry, but I have no use for a blowpipe"
"SPECIAL price!"
"I don't mean to be rude, but even if it was
the streets of Yogyakarta
a man is grilling chicken satay outside his restaurant, and wafting the embers with a piece of card. A great way to draw in the customers! free, I don't want it"
He came back later and tried to sell it to me again "you again??" I cried "I still don't want it!"
He was a regular feature around town, and his persistant blowpipe-selling became quite humorous. He tried to sell me the blowpipe five times, and it became a running joke between us. He would amble up, hold up the item and say "blowpipe?" with a big, toothy grin. Eventually I sat him down and said "how many blowpipes have you sold this week?" He sheepishly admitted that he hadn't sold any. I bought him a beer and we had a chat. As it turns out, he has a dayjob, so thankfully isn't reliant on blowpipe sales. I politely suggested that he tried selling something else. The next night he found me and said "bicycle?". He was selling metal 4-inch high replicas of bicycles! I give up
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Martin
non-member comment
"armed with torches"
I don't surpose the torches were the solar powered type ? Saves you from having to buy batteries you know..