Water Rafting

Salam to all

Water rafting is an extreme sport...but wait till you experience the fun..That was what happened to me..I was sort of having a dreadful feeling when the group decided to venture water rafting instead of drenching under the sun on an island beach.

Ye..what to do I told myself just follow...

Near a rapid then off you "boom"..you would scream at the top of your voice..luckily the monkeys and other tropical animals were accustomed to the pitching voices of human beings that echoed through their serene environment.. After three falls you might start having a feeling ahah..fun ye...then you want the thrill again and again and of course the rapid now not that high ...So we experienced the fourth and third level of water rafting...The fifth level is reserved for the highly skilled adventurers. All the men said we had made a right choice..and at the end I agreed..haha

PUZIAH
31 July 2009/9 Syaabaan 1430H

P/s Songa (sungai)
Kali Bokong (this is a local custom which is hard to digest...doing bathroom bisness along the river especially early morning and evening..men particularly elderly people ... wearing nothing..we had to endure the scene while going up the mountain of Songa adventure.. Along the river, there are many madrasah and pansentren..privately operated..look very organised...I guess some spices to be added to our value system...I mean Malaysian way of looking at things (?)

Views of Panajakan and Mt.Bromo - Places of tourist's attraction

Salam to all

Alhamdulillah we are blessed with the months of Rejab, Syaaban and Ramadhan. The weather outside is not that conducive for outdoor activities. Hazy weather looks to be a norm for us but the downpour last night could cleanse some polluted air. Anyhow..the posting this time is not from tourism board of cuti-cuti Indonesia. It is just a form of sharing views and experiences. Mt.Bromo and Panajakan are two places of surety to be promoted by normal guides in Surabaya. The locations are in Probolinngo area, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours from Surabaya. Another place that seems to be interesting is Indonesia Safari park 2...


Sea of sand..near Bromo..stranded here for more than 1 hour due to a mechanical failure of the red four wheel ..


At first I declined to be on this pony..but the constant persuasion
of "ibu saya memerlukan wang...naiklah..ibu pun tak penat..", I accepted the offer of parting with RP45000..that was the charge. The other two guys also "cair"..the rest of the macho men proceeded by walking...



The background is Mt.Panabalikan


The crater of Mt.Bromo








Urgh...200 steps to the top of Mt.Bromo after 7 hrs of walking from Mt.Kalimati to Ranupanie the night before...not easily done weh..


The structure at the background..is the Hindu pura..the Temple for Hindus ala ala Balinese garden





Ye..Indonesia is really unique..at certain location you feel er..so many people living on a small portion of land..but at the same time there are hardly people seen around ..like on this part of earth..Subhanallah..the mountainous areas are really assests especially for nature lovers..Allah's gifts to all of us

Puziah
29 Rejab 1430H...Celeberate the month of Rejab with more amal ibadah..InsyaAllah...

Endurance and preseverance

Salam again to all,

Mountain climbing is a test of endurance and preseverance.. Look at the pictures, showing the struggle they had to endure..anything can happen..like this one when someone in the group had a mishap. The spirit of a team must be there..be ready to help your teamate whenever it arises. The picture showed a rescue mission when Hj Ali fell and trapped in volcanic sand...






Going down the mountain not walking but 'sliding' and 'skiing' using your legs, body, hand and hips....they said it was fun..but not everyone's cup of tea hah..


A group photo of a successful mission minus me....'beristirehat' at the base and observing them from the bottom...


Moral of the story...a good exercise for a team building and personal development...

PUZIAH
13thJuly/20Rejab1430H

Ranu Kumbolo-Mt. Kalimati-Semeru

Salam to all

I hope it is not a boring posting for you ..Anyhow I continued my journey around 2.30p.m from the Lake Kumbolo ..walking uphill and downhill..then suddenly on a different terrain already. Trees were sparsely scaterred with beautiful wild flowers. The highland bushes were not thick anymore. A beautiful terrain and undulating landscapes, views which could compensate the physical tiredness of which I was experiencing. The locals called it "savannah"...So much so while enjoying the views and trying to keep up with the others..opps I fell down..due to unforseen slippery track..I knew it did not hurt now but latter..because I landed on the hip that hurt me before ( I fell on it twice before)...



Savannah and wild flowers..time to stop for photos



Almost there about 1/2 hour to arrive Mt.Kalimathi..not long before maghrib time



Anyhow we arrived at the base around 5.30p.m just maghrib time after 15 km of walking.. The rest of the groups with guides were there..enjoying tea and goreng pisang.

The rest of the pictures were taken on the Semeru Mountain. By the way the license and insurance would only cover till Mt.Kalimathi..not till Mt.Semeru. After some thoughts I did not continue the last 2.5 km trip up to Semeru..due to my leg injury...The brave counterparts including my hubby and Nornaimah (the other female) proceeded to Semeru at 2.00 a.m after some rest at the camps..

The pictures below and after this depicted their struggle and ardous journey to the top..Even the guides stopped halfway to Semeru....sleeping I guessed while waited for them. The porters (local Tangere..4 of them) did even attempt to follow the groups...They waited and rested like me at the base..together with 4 others from Probolinggo Catholic Church. The group only sent 3 pastors to join our group...So in summary the fittest of all only proceeded to the top....




Ab Hakim and Sufian almost there..after 4-41/2 hours of climbing on volcanic sand..we were told every three steps forward, you would fall one step backward..That's why it took long hours even though only 2.5km...





Ab Hakim with the Probolinggo pastors



The first four to arrive to the top


More pictures of their struggle later....

Till then
Puziah
4th July2009/10 Rejab 1430H

Ranupani - Ranu Kombolo

Mount Semeru or Mahameru from far

Salam again

The distance from Ranupani to Ranu Kombolo is about 9.5 km. We started the journey around 8.30 a.m after breakfast with rice, fried chicken, pecal and without fail tauhu and tempe..Oh ye, we recited doas and seek Allah's blessings before entering the hilly highland jungle.The track from Ranupani resort to post 1 and post 2 was clear with asphalts in place. Semeru area was closed for more than two months due to its dormant state but normally active with small eruptions once in about 15 minute interval time. The authority closed the area for fear that it would erupt suddenly. It was opened about two weeks before we arrived. Due to that the tract was camouflaged by highland bushes..as for me that was the cause of my extra caution and the result I was left behind. Never mind because safety was more important. The track was sometimes very close to the mountain's ridge and valley. Hiking from post 2 to post 3 was really tiring since it was a long distance with ups and downs..."santai je ye..ibu nak rehat"..the normal statement I gave to the guides when I saw a post because surely I would take 10-15 minutes break and sometimes tried to slot a nap..



Mahameru from post 3..



Approaching Ranu Kombolo..Looks very near but still almost 2 km to reach there...by pass post 4..we did not stop since it was going downhill..


Just arrived around 1 0'clock local time, they snapped the picture with a word of encouragement "tak pe perlahan sampai juga".
I just kept quiet knowing that some of them already took a nap....showing how fast and strong they were....
The breeze near the lake was really refreshing..I felt like camping here..as the locals said "buka tender je ye bu"


Solat time, coffee break and lunch..then off again to Mount Kalimati, the base of Semeru..well about 5 km to go before night time approaching...With the waning energy and looking up a steep hill infront of me ....I talked to myself " Puziah boleh ke nie"...That's what many people told me ....endurance of mental strength not only physical per se..I just continued walking...


Wassallam
Next post...Mt Kalimati and Semeru...