where we sat down, do the gaze and feel it all

It is clearly the most annoying rooster who woke me up at 5 in the morning. My body is still in very weak condition and I need sleep so much that my eyes wont open even for a blink, but I can feel the presence of the rooster just like it is literally behind my ears. Am I hallucinating? Because the last thing I know before fall aslept is stepping into the bus. Later, I found that some farmer put a pack of roosters right beside my seat in that 10-hours-drive- bus which delivers me back home after my journey in the last 3 days to Ranu Kumbolo, the highest lake in Indonesia. It is located in middle of the hiking track to Mt. Semeru, the highest mountain in Java Island, Indonesia.

So, here is my story:

It was not any ordinary natural exploration. The route are the longest, the peak are the highest and the temperature are the coldest. Even so, I am preparing nothing, not even little physical training, and that makes me ask to took a rest after the first 30 minutes. Both of my travel mates are girls and they seems cool with it, but I can hear their laugh somehow. I know that I must be ashamed, but shame is not the feeling that this journey required. It needs courage, honesty, solidarity and unrivaled motivation. In that journey found my mantra: if you can't conquer this journey, you can't conquer anything.

Thanks to the rain, we were wet, cold and tired. Magically, it suddenly become warm when I saw campfire reflected at some water and that water is Ranu Kumbolo. We reached Ranu Kumbolo after 8 hours of foot work, couple times almost fell to the cliffs, 2 boxes of energy jelly, and tens of break time that always requested by me. I sense nothing when I got inside the tent and slept.

After 2 hours of sleep, I feel like I have to pee so I stepped outside. At that dawn time, no one stays up. When looking for toilet spot, I look above and I see the most memorable thing; millions of stars in the dark blue sky after the rain. They really are glowing. That is the scenery that I never seen in my life and makes all of this journey worth it.

Subjectively, I can say that I'll never forget the day that I finally reach that site and having the urge to pee. Objectively, no one can.