Indonesia - The Gunung Rinjani Trek

Tuesday 17th April - Hasta Luego Melbourne

After a perfect final night in Melbourne at The Northcote Social Club I slept until noon.  A much needed long sleep after an action packed six weeks in Melbourne and a weekend visit to Sydney.  I woke at about 9 a.m. to say my final goodbye to Paul but passed out right away again.

Needing some food, Matt and I headed to my favourite Clifton Hill coffee shop for a final pie and sausage roll before heading back to their place to pack.  For once I wasn’t ready to lift-and-shift immediately.  After Gus had called round to say goodbye, myself and Matt headed off to the airport.  Always a sad occasion for me in Melbourne.  But at least I know I’m going to be back soon enough – if all goes to plan – and it better!

I was too early for check-in to be open so after relaxing and contemplating the next leg of my trip, I made my way through security.  I handed over my passport to get scanned and the woman immediately gave me a look that told me something was up.  She said, ‘It has shown a ‘Risk’ status.  Please step over to this other desk’.  Here we go again.  While I stood at the second desk, another woman scanned my passport.  After this, another immigration officer appeared, scanned my passport and intently read the screen.  Eventually I was handed my passport and allowed to proceed.  The explanation – ‘It wouldn’t scan properly’.  One of these days I just wish someone would arrest me so I could get to the bottom of my international danger status because right now it’s a mystery.

After this it was straight forward and time to board.  On the plane I was sitting at the very back which I hate as it’s always that little bit bumpier.  Sitting beside was a guy called Dave, originally from Philip Island near Melbourne but now working as a paramedic in Mission Beach, Queensland.  An interesting guy with lots of stories which helped pass the six hour flight quickly.  He insisted on buying me a drink, something I didn’t need after the previous six weeks, but how could I refuse.

Once we reached Denpasar all went to plan – kind of.  My bag wasn’t on the carrousel but I spotted it lying with a pile of other bags nearby.  As soon as I went to lift it a ‘porter’ tried to stop me and grab it himself.  It took a few firm words to tell him to put it down.  These guys just want money for doing basically nothing except moving it a few metres.  Once that was sorted I got my visa.  I was hoping I could get a 60 day visa but only got a 30 day one.  This is going to be a problem as I certainly need more that 30 days in Indonesia.  It’s volcano heaven and there’s so much I want to do.

My next worry was whether my arranged hotel pick up would be there.  After my previous experiences I was not sure but thankfully he was and took me straight to my hotel, Sindu Guest House in Sanur, Bali.  It was 11.30 p.m. and when I arrived there was no one to be seen.  Eventually the owner, Dave, from England, popped out from the back and showed me my room.  Basic but good.  I crashed right away, exhausted after my long day travelling and manic six weeks in Australia.

Wednesday 18th April – What Next? Who Knows

Happy Birthday Laura!!

Sleeping in this heat is impossible.  It doesn’t get below 25^oC and the fan in my room struggled.  Luckily I had an excellent book given to me by Koo to pass away the sleepless hours.  It’s called Marching Powder and addictive.  I eventually slept and got up about 11 a.m. and went to the small courtyard to have a chat with Dave, the guesthouse owner.  He gave me some advice on places to eat and how to get my visa extended but that news wasn’t good.  It’s my main worry at the minute and it seems like it takes six days to get the whole process completed.  I’m raging at myself for not getting this sorted before I came to Indonesia but have only myself to blame.

The other main thought in my head at the minute is whether I want to keep travelling.  I know it is going to take a little while for me to get back into the swing of things again but right now I’m not sure what I want to do.  So today I spent a lot of time making plans and trying to make decisions.

After a stroll down to the beautiful beach front and stopping off for lunch I spent all day reading the Lonely Planet to see what my next move would be.  There is so much to do in but my mind is racing about what to do and worrying about my visa.  Finally after heading out for dinner at the Street Café I decided I’d head to another island, Lombok, starting with a trip to Pandang Bai for one night to get the ferry from there.

Thursday 19th April – Padang Bai

Being adventurous I decided I would walk to the bus stop this morning to get the bus to Padang Bai at 10.30 a.m.  What I didn’t take into account was the heat even at this early hour.  I got up early enough so that I had time to head down to the beach for breakfast.  Then it was back to the guesthouse and time for the walk.  To be honest I had no idea where I was going just a general direction and somehow ended up at the beach.  Not quite sure that was the route I should be taking so I started to get flustered and confused with the clock ticking quickly towards 1030 a.m.  Too many times I had guys on the street shouting ‘Transport? Transport?’ but not knowing prices and not wanting to get ripped off I ignored them until one of them asked me where I was headed.  It was at this point I realised that people here are actually really helpful.  After I told him I needed to get to the Perama Office for a bus he said, ‘It’s just there’ pointing me in the right direction.  He could have convinced me it was faraway and bundled me into his taxi but I liked his honesty.

After only a 30 minute walk I was drenched in sweat and couldn’t even fill in my details on the ticket without it smudging all over the place.  The girl at the desk stood her distance laughing nervously.  I think she thought I had contracted some tropical disease and all my body parts were slowly liquefying.  I couldn’t blame her..  After this it was a straight forward two-and-a-half hour bus ride to Padang Bai which cost 60,000 Rp – plus the tip I had to give some local for lifting my bag off the bus and leaning it against a wall one metre away.  It’s ridiculous.

I had no accommodation booked, but not long after stepping off the bus I was approached by a guy offering a room in Parta Inn Homestay.  After checking the room and agreeing a price which was a bit too high (150,000 Rp including breakfast) he brought me a cup of coffee and very quickly became my travel agent for the day.

Lombok contains Indonesia’s second highest volcano, Gunung Rinjani at a height of 3726m.  The volcano’s caldera is 6km wide containing a lake called Segara Anak (Child of the Sea).  Growing out of the lake is another volcanic cone called Gunung Barujari which has seen eruptions as recently at 2010.  This is my main reason for going to Lombok – my next volcano climb.

Once my host discovered that I wanted to do the trek he set to organising it for me.  I didn’t realise but there was a travel agency in the homestay as well.  Within an hour I had booked and paid for my trek which included my transport to Senggigi on Lombok and my transfer to the Gili Islands off Lombok after the three day trek.  It all came to a cost of 2,100,000 Rp.  With all that settled I took a walk around Pandang Bai to see the beach, stopped off at Topi Café and had dinner in The Ozone Bar.

Friday 20th April – It’s All So Strange

Up at 7 a.m. I readied myself to get the ferry across to Lombok and after my breakfast of rock hard toast my host said he would take me to the ferry.  I knew we only had to go a short distance, but he insisted on going on his motorbike.  This I was not comfortable with.  I have never in life been on a motorbike never mind my first occasion being with a huge rucksack and a big day pack.  After struggling and failing to balance my big rucksack on the bike it was decided I would wear it.  This was about to be a very interesting initial bike ride.  Precariously balanced on the back of his bike we eventually got moving – thankfully at snail’s pace, but every corner was a nightmare and I swore we would capsize at any minute but we made it unharmed to the Perama office to get the boat, my heart still in my mouth.

Once we boarded the ferry for the four hour trip to Lembar on Lombok we were directed towards the open air upper deck.  It started to rain but it wasn’t long before the skies cleared and we were being attacked by an unforgiving sun.  Being so close to the equator the sun was directly overhead and there was no escape from the stifling heat.  It was even impossible to put your hands or feet on the floor as it was made of metal and burning hot.  The four hours passed quickly though.  I was talking to Julie from the States who had just been to Melbourne and also to a Swiss couple who had come through South America, doing a very similar route to me and a lot of the treks I did.  It was good to swap stories and find out our different experiences.  Then I got talking to a couple from the UK, Dom and Sinead, who were planning to do the Rinjani trek, starting in a few days and using a guide they found recommended on Trip Advisor.

At this stage I am just hoping my planned trek comes off.  In hindsight, there’s something that just doesn’t sit right with me about the way I booked it.  All I can hope is that my arranged pick up in Senggigi is there when I arrive.  Once off the boat in Lembar we all jumped straight onto a bus to Senggigi.  This was a fun bus ride with all the other guys on the bus and I passed on a few tips about Melbourne to Sinead and Dom as they are going to be there for a few months later in the year. 

When we finally reached Senggigi my arranged pick up was there – but not with the plan I had been told.  I was under the impression I was going to be staying in Senggigi for a night but he was insisting on taking me to Senaru as that is where the trek starts from tomorrow.  After a quick phone call and me venting my frustration (as the last thing I wanted now was another two hour journey) I agreed to go.  The other thing annoying me was that I was hoping to hang out with the guys who were in the bus over a few drinks tonight, but now that’s not possible.

Before going anywhere I insisted on getting food.  After that we made the two hour trip to Senaru almost killing 10 dogs and narrowly avoided countless collisions with motorbikes.  The driving here is insane.   I arrived at Emy’s Café and Guesthouse at about 7 p.m. and this is when things got a little bit odd.

After being shown to my room they invited me to have dinner.  Curious about the trek I asked where my guide was as I was supposed to get a briefing.  I was told he’d be along later as he was with the other people doing the trek.  So I asked where the other people were staying.  They pointed and said ‘Down there’.  This was very vague.  Confused I headed back to my room before dinner and tried to work all this out – and started to get concerned.  The fact that I had Care Bears as my bedding didn’t help.  Time to get clarity on the details.  I asked the exact same questions and got different answers.  The guide would be here tomorrow and the other people were coming from the Gili Islands.  Now my concerns grew.  I was starting to think I had either been kidnapped or ripped off – with kidnapping being my main thought.

Trying to put these thoughts out of head I had dinner – a very tasty chicken curry – and after I sat and had a few drinks with the guys working in the guesthouse.  One in particular, Abdul, who ran the guesthouse and who I had been speaking to most, had very good English.  As the night went by more people (I have no idea who they all were only that they were locals from the village) called by and left.  Half way through a conversation with Abdul he said something very strange at me and not in English.  I stared blankly at him.  He repeated it.  I stared blankly.  He burst out laughing and said, ‘Do you not understand my English?  Sometimes it’s not good.’  I said, ‘Sorry I don’t know what you said’.  Not long after this I decided it was time for bed not knowing what the morning would bring.  Having serious concerns about this whole situation I checked the Lonely Planet and in it was a review of Emy’s Café.  Phew!  That put my mind at ease a bit.

Feeling a little more content I got ready for tomorrow before going to bed.  Just as I was about to settle myself I heard a thump above my room.  Then more thumps and things moving about.  I checked outside and there was no room above me - just the attic.  What is going on?  Is that where they are preparing my prison?  At times the thumps were so strong and loud I thought the roof was going to come crashing through.  After intently listening to this I worked out that it was an animal.  But that didn’t give me much piece of mind.  After yet more listening I realised it was a cat playing with a mouse.  Great.  When I’m sleeping I’m going to have a cat crashing through the roof on top of me with a mouse hanging from its mouth.

Eventually I feel asleep.

Saturday 21st April – Rinjani Trek – Day 1 – I Hope

I got up at 6 a.m. and walked onto my balcony – glad not only to be alive but also not to be tied to some chair in an attic along with a fighting cat and mouse.  The scene from the balcony was beautiful.  A perfectly clear morning with great views around the area.  Once I had my freezing cold shower I headed down for breakfast – banana pancakes with Lombok coffee.  Both tasted so good, especially the coffee.

I asked Abdul again about the guide and the other trekkers and he said they would be a little late as they had to come from the Gili Islands.  These questions I asked every 30 minutes as it was long past 7.00 a.m. when we were supposed to leave and depending on who I asked I got different answers.  Four more people were on my trek.  Two more people were on my trek.  They would be here at 7.30 a.m.  They would be here in an hour.  But as time went by I sat and had a good chat with Abdul.  He’s a very funny guy to talk with and I had a lot of fun.  He told me all about Rinjani and the trek and what the mountain meant to the local people.  He was a guide in the past.  They believed some of the hot springs had healing powers and that it granted wishes.  He had done the climb over 100 times which is incredible.  He has very good English but doesn’t believe he does.  The longer we talked the more my ideas of being ripped off melted away.  He keep feeding me more and more coffee as he knew I loved it.  I really liked Abdul and would recommend anyone going to Senaru to stay at Emy’s.  Their cook also does amazing food.

Finally at about 8.30 a.m. a car pulled into the guesthouse driveway.  The other trekkers had arrived and who was it – Dom and Sinead!  Excellent.  I was so pleased to see them.  I had only been talking with them for a few hours but they seemed like a really nice couple and should be good to do the trek with.  They had to get up at 4 a.m. to get to Senaru on time but got delayed as they were waiting on a German couple coming from Gili who never arrived.  Now I’m glad I made the trip last night.

We finally set off on our trek at 9.30 a.m.  After about 20 minutes we had to sign in at the RTC office.  The officer informed of a few dangerous points on the trek on the second day which Abdul had told me about too.  We were told an Australian broke his leg a few days ago.  That doesn’t sound good.

The start of the trek was easy enough, except for the heat.  It was through forest but the shade of trees didn’t help.  Then it started to rain – heavy rain.  Luckily we were close to our first stop which we reached at 11.30 a.m.  So far we were either soaked with sweat or soaked with rain.  Our guide, Madil, decided it was best to stop here for lunch until the rain eased.  We met another few trekkers going in the opposite direction who said it was the first rain they had in three days so hopefully the next few days will not be as wet.  I was starting to have nightmares about having a repeat of my El Misti trek.

Two hours later and after lunch, we started walking again.  The rain had cleared and we were roasting again.  After two-and-a-half hours of more trekking it started to rain heavily.  Again we were very lucky that the next rest point was close.  We reached this at about 4.30 p.m.  This was not supposed to be our camp for the night but with the rain causing the ground to become slippery and our late start Madil decided that we should camp here and start earlier tomorrow morning which was good with us.  Another group had also decided to camp here.

After dinner we chilled out and talked with the guys in the other group who were mostly Canadian.  It was a lot fun with a lot of bad jokes being told.  As night fell the sky cleared and we had a beautiful view of the stars.  Then it was time for sleep.  A 5.00 a.m. start to make up for lost time.

Sunday 22nd April – Rinjani Trek – Day 2

Sleeping last night was a struggle.  All our camping equipment was supplied so I did not bring my sleeping bag but I wish I had.  The one provided is so thin it is useless.  We camped the night at an altitude of 2000m and the cold was biting and no matter how hard I tried I could not get warm enough to sleep.  I think I managed a few hours but certainly not enough.

So much for an early start.  Dom, Sinead and I were all up and ready on time waiting for our breakfast to arrive when finally at 5.30 a.m. Madil comes over and tells us he slept in because he set his alarm wrong.  The other group were up after us but left way ahead of us.

We eventually left at about 7 a.m. to make the climb to the crater rim at 2600m.  It took just over one hour.  Once we reached the rim and peered into the crater the view was incredible.  The huge caldera filled in with the lake and the new volcanic cone growing up from the lake.  If I had any doubts about whether I wanted to keep travelling our not they were washed away immediately upon seeing Rinjani in all its glory.   This is what it is all about and at this stage we hadn’t even reached the summit – that would happen tomorrow morning.  From our viewpoint we could see the summit we would ascend to and it looked very high.

We rested here for about 30 minutes before beginning our decent into the caldera.  This was a steep climb down over rough tracks and also the point where the dangerous tracks were.  We came to an area where the path was very broken due to a landslide a few months ago.  But it wasn’t as dangerous as they had made it out to be.  What was dangerous were the metal fences they had put in place in some spots to help you on your way.  They gave a false sense of security as many of these were not attached to the ground.  When you grabbed them to get balance they would just swing in mid-air causing you to lose your balance.  At one point I decided not using them was safer unless I really had to.

For the trek we were supplied with water for each day but just enough to do us.  As we descended down the path one of my boots was annoying me so I bent down to fix it and as I did so a full two litre bottle feel from my bag.  Sinead and I watched in horror as it hurtled down the hill and disappeared into the bushes.  But our horror was soon laughter as we heard a ‘splosh’ noise and saw a fountain of water emerge from a tree as the bottle burst.  Although we knew we had lost a lot of water the whole event and sight of the explosion was too funny not to laugh.  Madil did manage to find the bottle but there was little water left.  Whoops!

Once we reached the edge of the crater lake we slowly and gingerly made our way around over slippery rocks and mud.  The lake looked deep – very deep.  Finally we reached our stop for lunch.  Madil went fishing and managed to catch about six fish for our dinner later tonight.  As we rested for the next two hours we watched as the clouds rolled into the caldera and slowly cleared away again.  The view of the new volcanic cone was beautiful.  I would have loved to have been able to climb it – I’m not sure why it’s not part of the trek as it looks easy enough.  All I can think of is that it is a bit volatile.  But if that’s the case why are we sitting a few hundred metres from it?  Who knows.

After lunch we had the arduous task of trekking out of the crater again.  It took three hours and was all up hill – an ascent of 600m that took us back up to another part of the rim.  It was tough but I easier than going down.  As we approached the top we spotted a monkey.  Excitedly I grabbed my camera to get a picture and did just before he disappeared.  Little was I to know that in a few hours I’d be chasing them with sticks and stones.

Once at the top we made our way to base camp for our final night.  There was a natural spring nearby with drinkable water so we all headed there to replenish our bottles.  The water was clean, but being situated a few metres from some very horrible toilets didn’t make it that appealing at first.

Once back at camp and as we prepared for dinner the monkeys became a pest.  They were sneaking over all the time trying to steal our food and some were getting a little too close for comfort.  A few stones and shouts got rid of them but they would soon be back.  Those cute monkeys I saw on the way up had now transformed into animals I wanted far from me.  They did manage to steal our cooking oil.  I hope he took a few good gulps before he realised what he was drinking.  Mind you I would easily have given them my fish.  The ones Madil caught in the lake earlier were not to my liking at all.  The others liked then, just not me.

After watching an impressive sunset I headed to bed early at 8.00 p.m. to get a good rest for a 2.30 a.m. start tomorrow to reach the summit in time for sunrise.

Monday 23rd April – Rinjani Trek – Day 3

What a disastrous sleep.  The cold was much worse even though I slept in all my clothes inside the sleeping bag.  But that wasn’t the worst of it.  The guys in the tent beside me who our guide had asked to be quiet didn’t stop cooking, eating and talking until after 11.00 p.m.  Then once they did decide to sleep one of them was snoring so loudly I could not get to sleep myself.  I think I managed an hour or two but that was it.

Madil told us last night he would wake us for the trek.  I didn’t need to be woken and was up and ready by 2.15 a.m. with Dom and Sinead not long after me.  Our reluctant guide finally woke at 3.30 a.m.  We were not happy about this at all.  Leaving one hour late it was a major task to get to the summit for sunrise.  When we asked Madil about this he said we could see the sunrise from the rim.  I think he was missing the whole point of this trek which was to be at the summit for sunrise.

We set off in the dark with head torches to guide our way.  The first 40 minutes were horrendous and at some points I seriously thought about giving up.  We were climbing through what seemed to be narrow dried water channels and the ground beneath our feet was gravel so every step up was taxing and we were slipping and sliding all the time.  The exhaustion caused by this, the rush we are in and the lack of sleep last night made it all the more difficult.  Eventually we reached better ground and had a flatter section for about one hour.  It was pitch black and the path was narrow.  At times I shone my torch to the side to see what was there and all I could see was a massive drop into the caldera.  It was pretty daunting and as much as I was  glad not to be able to see it I couldn’t help looking every so often.  It got the adrenaline going.

Finally we reached the last section.  I was in no way prepared for how tough this was going to be.  It was very loose scree and now with the altitude over 3500m every step was more difficult.  Taking very small steps and going on all fours was the only way.  But even with this method sometimes you would take one step forward and slide five steps back.  As we started this section we could see the light rising over the horizon.  It was a race against the sun to get to the summit in time for sunrise.  At times we all wanted to quit but we encouraged each other on, knowing it was the last push  and after three days we had to make the top.  And we did!  And it was worth it.  Every agonising step.

We reached the summit just as the sun was coming over the horizon.  The colours were amazing.  As the sun rose in the east, the summit of the volcano cast a shadow into the caldera and beyond.  What looked like another peak out in the far distance over the sea was actually the shadow of the peak we were standing on.  It was bitterly cold but it didn’t matter.  The landscape and views were enough to overcome that.  Now in the early morning light we could see the path we had come up – a ridge along the caldera.  We could see straight across to the point on the rim where we stood yesterday and first peered at the lake and new volcano.  It was beautiful.  It took three days and a final three hours of hell.  But we did it and I’ll never forget the feeling of achievement and the beauty of the volcano of what was easily my hardest climb yet.

The trek back to camp was relatively easy but it was at this point that I could feel my legs beginning to seize up.  As we approached the camp we got a bit lost and also angry again at our guide.  He charged on ahead of us and left us to find our own way back as he wanted to make the breakfast.  When we eventually worked out how to get back Madil was asleep.  After some time we were handed our breakfast.  It took me 30 minutes to eat it.  I was so drained of energy that even eating was a massive chore.

At 9.30 a.m. we began the last part of our hike - a 5-hour trek downhill.  All the other groups had left long before us.  Knowing that we had to get to Bangsal before 5.00 p.m. for our boat to the Gili Islands we went as quickly as possible, deciding only to stop for short breaks.  We made it down in 4 hours – our bodies broken.  Every step was agony and my toes felt like they were a mess inside my boots.  The trek finally ended in a small town called Sembalun.

Our transfer back to Senaru was in a small pickup truck and Dom very kindly volunteered to sit in the back while me and Sinead sat up front.  Just as we set off the heavens opened.  Sinead turned to me and said, ‘Typical it starts to rain just as we start to move’ to which I replied, ‘At least it didn’t rain while we were trekking’.  It was a few minutes before my brain finally clicked and I looked out the back window to see Dom getting drowned by the torrential rain.  And as quick as the rain started it stopped and Dom was dealing with blistering heat. He went from drowning to getting sunburnt in the course of the hour long journey to Senaru.  Once in Senaru we grabbed our bags, switched to a proper car and made our way to Bangsal to get a boat to Gili Trawangan (Gili T).  While waiting for the boat the guys from the other trekking group appeared and we all headed over together.

I could not wait to get to Gili T – a lot of relaxing was needed after the last 3 days.  On the island Dom, Sinead, Sarah (from the other group) and I headed to a hostel called Abdi and all checked in – myself and Sarah decided to share a twin room to save money.  It’s very frustrating in Indonesia that nowhere has dorm rooms.  It means as a solo traveller accommodation is almost twice the price.  Because I was sharing with Sarah this room was going to cost me 55,000 Rp – a third the price which I have paid previously in Bali for a room by myself!

Time for a very cold refreshing beer – Dom, Sinead and I headed to the night market for food and then on to Sama Sama bar where we met Andrew, Dave and Brad.  The drinks never felt more deserved.

The trek was tough but I loved it.  I especially loved the fact that I didn’t get kidnapped.  It was by far my most difficult and painful yet.  The views from the carter rim were spectacular and the sunrise at the summit I will never forget.  If my travel bug was waning it’s certainly back now.  I thought Dom and Sinead would be good trekking buddies and they sure were.  We talked about everything along the way – favourite Pixar/Disney movies, music, gigs, superpowers.  Plus our temperaments were all aligned - getting angry at the same time (mostly at the guide) and encouraging each other on all the way.

For the next week I plan on doing a lot of nothing.