Blogs from Rinjani, Lombok, Indonesia, Asia

Tom and I have just completed a 3 day / 2 night trek of Mt Rinjani, which is the second highest active volcano in Indonesia, the summit sits at over 3,700 metres. We booked the trip with three Canadian guys that Tom met at the surf camp and a couple of other Europeans joined our group. The first few hours started off pretty easy with a nice relaxed stroll from our base in Senaru through a forest area. After stopping for a lunch of noodles and making friends with some old guys from Jakarta who sorted us out with treats, we set off on the afternoons trek which we were told from our guide, Bas, would be a lot more difficult. A few hours later and Bas wasn't wrong, we were climbing from a starting point ... read more

After our extended, very relaxing stay on GT we decided to not be such lazy beach lay abouts and wanted to do something active. So we had this fantastic idea to climb Mount Rinjani. I wish someone had stopped us there and said, 'Hang on girls.... this is a 3,726 metre mountain you're talking about climbing!' but unfortunately we booked the 3D/2N tour without a second thought and we happily waved goodbye to our beloved bungalow on paradise island. We did not stay happy for long. The boat and bus transfer to the trek centre took a few hours. We were told that when we got there it would be no problem to rent shoes, rucksacks and jackets. Well, of course we were told that because the guy on GT who we booked our ticket with ... read more

We had booked the 3D2N(In fact, we had shortened this originally 4D3N trekking trip) Mt Rinjani trekking package with Rinjani Master (url http://www.rinjanimaster.com ). Below are our brief trekking itinenaries :- Day 1: starting form Sembalun Lawang to Creator Rim (Night 1) Day 2: Summit climb + walking down to the lake (Night 2) Day 3: From lake to the other side of creator rim then down to pos II, Pos I and finally Senaru Cost : SGD350/pax, total 9pax. This consists of 5 tents for 9 of us, 7porters who helped in the logitics(eg our tent, food, sleeping bag, etc) during the trekking journey. 1l of mineral water/pax/day. 2 guides. F&B for the trekking trip, dinner on the arrival day, and breakfast for the departure day Additional : approx SGD20/porter DAY1 We depart from Singapore ... read more

Well, I’m sitting here in a little stilted lambung with 360 degrees views of hundreds upon hundreds of vividly green rice paddies as it pours with an absolutely ear-shattering, monumental, torrential rain. I understand that Australia’s been copping a fair bit itself, but I truly don’t believe I’ve ever seen it rain quite like this before. Thankfully the locals have constructed extensive and elaborate canal systems which diverts most of it away, or else I fear to say that this village would long ago ceased to exist, a sort of Indonesian version of Atlantis. I’ve found myself in the tiny little village of Tetebatu, perched on the slopes of Gunung Rinjani where I’m apparently the only tourist in town. Indonesia’s second largest volcano at nearly 4km high, Rinjani dominates the landscape in Lombok and indeed, when ... read more

Hey everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. Unfortunately, it seems the internet connection is still too slow to upload photos to my blog, I've been trying for hours and hours. I was really looking forward to showing you some photos of all the places I've been but I do promise to set up a great slideshow that I'll be happy to show to anyone who is interested when school starts aain next year. Well, I finally managed to leave my little tropical island of Gili Air and jumped on a small boat that took me to the neighbouring land of Lombok where my adventures have continued. Lombok is the island to the east of Bali and almost two thirds of the island is one huge volcano called Gunung Rinjani. It’s really, really big – almost ... read more

Optional Essay If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application). The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size. Oliver Wendell Holmes My most recent job presented a rare opportunity for personal and professional development; however, I felt that I was approaching my maximum potential within the position and was ready for new challenges. Travel has long been one of my passions and the transition from work to graduate school provided a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the world. I have spent the past year traveling internationally and will continue to do so until shortly before attending gra... read more