Up (again!) & Sliding All The Way Down (Mt Rinjani - Day 3)

9th June 2010

Nudge. Nudge.

Bugger.. time to wake up already? I forced open my heavy eyes and found his sleepy face gazing down at mine. Yes, we were both still sleepy but nonetheless very much looking forward to the rest of the day. Inching closer to him, I rested my head against his shoulder. Staying huddled for a few minutes, we hear her grunting close by. And by her, I mean the majestic lil' volcano on Anak Segara Lake. I felt truly thrilled to be here.

"We should get up. I can hear Jian Wen and Cindy packing already."

True. I got to my feet and quickly got my personal things packed. While he managed the rest, I got hold of my camera and dashed out of the tent to the lakeside. I sucked my breath in at what laid before me. Gorgeous.

Gazing Up

I heard voices calling out for me in the far distance. I glanced at my watch. Crap. What was supposed to be a 5 minute dash to the lakeside ended up being 20 minutes! Time appeared to have stood still with the awe before me. As I jogged my way back to the campsite, the smell of Lombok coffee got my stomach juices going. A quick gobble of banana jaffle, egg sandwich, pineapple and Lombok coffee, we were all ready to set off. There was a long journey ahead of us today. Long, long one.  


One of the porter packing our sleeping bags

The plan was to head up (again!) to Senaru Crater Rim (2641m) before making our final descend down to Senaru Village. I wasn't really looking forward to another climb but the amazing sights around us more than make up for my reluctance. I shudder at nature's beauty.

He took a sh*t while I took this shot :p

See the lil' white poof somewhere near the base of the mountain... smokin' hot all day long!

It was a long and ardous task as we mentally cojured strength to place our aching feet one step ahead of the other. I could hear my thighs and my gluts muscles screaming as each step up got more difficult than before.

One step at a time..

Sigh.. more to go..

Steep!

Watch out! Falling rocks!



3 hours later, we were at the rim. We found our group of porters already resting, and ready to set forth again despite leaving the campsite a good 30 minutes after us. Throwing down our bags, we took a rest.

Senaru Crater Rim

Porters well rested

"We'll rest here for awhile. We lunch at Pos 2 on the way down, boleh?"

You're the boss, pak! As like all other Asian travellers, what do we do when we have idle time? More photos! :p

Monkeys!

Someone certainly had some fun :p

Busy with self-portrait

There's always time to keep yourself well groomed!

While goofing around, Adi was having a good time catching up with his mates.

Yes, there's reception!

Happily rested

About 30 minutes later, we made our descend. Having bade farewell to the barren rocks, the path down offers a different view. Vastly open, it was nice change. And boy, do we love going down! We rocked the hills!

"By golly, team Malaysia may not be able to climb fast but they sure can run down!"
Hehehe... yeap, true Mr Swiss guy. For once, he had no time to wait up for us. Instead, he was practically running down to keep up with us. Go, team Malaysia!

Vast Open Land



Paving downwards



Well, the journey down would have been a lot more pleasant if the weather was kinder. As we progressed downwards, the tropical weather started to hit. Rain... oh the rain!! It poured and it stopped. Poured. Stopped. Poured. Stopped. You get the idea... grrr....

It didn't bode well with me. I was shivering cold with the insane weather that kept getting me wet again and again. Putting on and off the raincoat was getting my energy drained further. As though that's not bad enough, my raincoat actually tore the 2nd time round I was putting it on. I was at the verged of frustration.

"Here, use mine." 

"Then, what about you?"

"I don't need la. It's too hot for me in the raincoat anyway. I have my cap to shelter my head and that'll be enough." 

I gladly too his and can't help but feel much loved with his protectiveness. At times like this, I fully condone on *macho* man ;)

A little further on, and we finally arrived at our next pos for lunch! No surprising, it was pouring then too. Wet lunch it was...

Indomee goreng - best!

 But with our hunger, the weather did not dampened the appetite. And seriously, it tasted darn good! Complete with keropok and chicken wings too!

Not allowing our body to warm down completely, we continued our journey down shortly after finishing our last meal on the mountain.

The last part was very much like any other hike in the tropical region. We knew we were back to civilization when chickens and cows greeted us along the way.

Puck puck puck..

Hello cow!

 And finally, we were all back on sea level, feeling very victorious and happy indeed.

Team Malaysia

Having slept most of the journey back to Senggigi, I was slightly energized by the time we checked into the hotel. Enough strength to shower that is! Oh, there was nothing like the feeling of free flowing fresh clean water on the tired and aching body! I found myself showering twice... psychologically, it helped that I was cleaner after 3 days of no shower.

Drifting off to bed that night, again I count myself blessed to have the opportunity and strength to experience this magnificent journey. And this chance wouldn't have existed without the big boy next to me. His care and support throughout has seen me through this safe and sound, and made this hike another unforgettable one. For sure, this would be one of those experiences that will stay etched in our memories for a very long time.