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Published: September 6th 2013
Gunung Merapi
On the ascent around the 5:45 am sunrise.The Always Smoking Country is Indonesia, home to dozens of active volcanoes regularly spewing noxious ash clouds into the environment. Indonesia is also home to dozens of millions of men regularly spewing noxious ash clouds into the environment and it is this factor for which I give Indonesia its moniker. That's really one of the only few downsides to traveling in Indonesia which, with the exception of Bali and even there mostly Kuta, is practically devoid of travelers on the
Banana Pancake Trail compared to other more crowded destinations such as Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. My second trip through Indonesia this year (first in Sumatra back in May and June) started in Pontianak, Kalimantan (a.k.a., Indonesian Borneo). I ended up bolting from Kalimantan 3 weeks ago much earlier than I planned and have since been chilling in Yogyakarta (pronounced and occasionally spelled Jogjakarta) on Java.
Trekking to the summit of Gunung Merbabu was definitely not chilling. I went with the 2 owners of Venezia Garden, a French expat, and another Frenchman. I was the only non-smoker. It took ages to navigate Yogya's traffic and we arrived in Selo at the base of the mountain around 5:30 or 6:00 pm last Saturday evening. I
Sunrise
Gunung Lawu in the distance. Had designs on summiting this volcano until Merbabu wrecked my lower extremities. thought we were going to snooze for a bit then go for the summit in one shot without camping but that was not the plan much to my chagrin. We left Selo around 7:00 pm with a couple of porter/guides, overnight gear, and the Indonesian equivalent of ramen noodles. About an hour out of Selo we found ourselves in the middle of a cloud layer and proceeded to get soaked. The trail was insanely steep but not muddy which would have made the ascent nearly impossible. After 3½ hours we reached the first potential campsite but after a short rest forged on for another 30 minutes to the next spot. Sleep was not possible for me due to the altitude and noisy groups passing through. Since it was a Saturday, many locals from Yogya were also on the summit.
After missing our prescribed departure time of 4:30 am, we left camp at 5:00 am, reaching the summit around 7:00 am. There were amazing views of Gunung Merapi directly south and several other volcanoes to the east and west. It was very sunny and not at all windy so we were able to enjoy the 3,145 meter (10,318 feet) summit
Still Ascending After Sunrise
Summit just behind the grassy knoll. for a while before descending back to camp which took a little more than an hour. A power nap was definitely in order then we packed up and left by 11:00 am and 3 hours later were back in Selo. Upon return to the village, the omnipresent banana pancake was served to the foreigners for a late breakfast while the Indonesians chowed on
nasi goreng (fried rice). I love Indonesian food but fried rice or noodles is a bit rough for me for breakfast. Breakfast aside, about 90%!o(MISSING)f my meals in Indonesia have been local food where it is difficult to spend much more than $1.50 for a substantial spicy meal. Cha-ching! There's a great Italian place nearby in Yogya where I went for decent pizza for an inexpensive indulgence the day after we returned from the volcano. The restaurant is called Aglio and the first time I tried to go with a few other backpackers we were denied entry because we did not have reservations. Better to go for lunch when it is not at all crowded, reservations are not required, and service is prompt.
Not sure my body is ready for another volcano climb so next
Looking at Merapi from Merbabu's Summit
"Api" means fire and the "mer" prefix makes it a verb. So Gunung Merapi is the mountain that makes fire and did so with a serious eruption in 2010. Still open for climbing, however. How convenient... up is Bali from where I am flying to Cairns, Australia on September 18.
Ciao, chicos.
Jon
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William Reinhardt
non-member comment
Great to see those (active!) volcanoes, John
My family and I lived on Java in 1954-1955...it was quite dangerous to tour the country 'without your own militia,' so we only saw real countryside around Djakarta, Bandung, Djokdjarta, and of course all over Bali...where many of the indigenous folk looked forward to being (at least metaphoircly) to being caught in an eruption...as that would give hope of fertile soil for their progeny well into the future...All the Best, Bill R from Chemistry. Certainly of note is how the spellings have changed in the past 60 years. Keep well, and will we see you "soon," or simply you in evermore expanding travel?