Rinjani Volcano, Lombok, Indonesia; 2,681 metres, 7.7 kilometres, on average 8 hours to the crater rim and becoming a little Mecca for tourists to Indonesia. The peace and quiet of the jungle trek soothes you into a gentle rhythm for climbing, occassionally spotting langurs and macqats as you go along, but nothing prepares you for the view at the top; breathtaking and beautiful sound so cliche but here it truly applies; the staggering drop off to the glistening lake beneath holding the smoking volcano in its midst. Truly awesome.
As you plod up through jungle with tree roots as steps you may start feeling a little proud that you are keeping pace with the guide, until you realise that you are maybe carrying 3 kilos of essentials (toothbrush, toothpaste, warm top for the evenings, sun cream for the day) whilst the guide is happily climbing with maybe 15 kilos; then, behind you the chatter in Bahasa Indonesia comes fluttering through the trees and you are caught and passed by the porters carrying maybe 20 kilos of the essentials for your stay on the mountain - tent, mattresses, sleeping bags, vegetables, eggs, plates, cutlery, cups and, outrageously, a tray on which to serve your tea! These guys are all muscle; the bionic men of Indonesia and their lot left me feeling guilty about my decadent whim to climb the volcano; its a moral dilemma though as the economic wealth from their work now means there's a school just 5 minutes away from their homes for their children, whereas they had to walk 15 kilometers to go to school as children; their super human strength may mean their children will never have to carry the loads of westerners, maybe there's a metaphor there for the wider world picture?
And then there is the environmental problem as no one is managing access to Rinjani, so many companies have got on board with the ever increasing demand. At the rim the rubbish and smell is horrid; everyone and his aunt Lavinia has relieved themselves here and in an absurdist inversion of Christmas little bits of tissue adorn every branch and twig in the surrounding area whilst the gentle breeze fans the old smell of pee and pooh; maybe it could be bottled as a new cologne for the extremist sport, outdoor enthusiast, Calvin Klein's "Pooh-Pee" for men and women of adventure seeking nasal reminiscences?
Facts and Figures:
We used
lomboktrekking@gmail.com
The trip was 3 days, 2 nights including all food The climb up to the rim takes an average of 8 hours on day 1 Down to the lake and hot pools on day 2 takes about 3 hours; back up about 3 - 4 hours The climb down on day 3 takes about 6 hours It is cold on the top! |
