We got our man to sort us out the necessary travel arrangements rather than trying to sort things out for ourselves (sometimes it’s just a lot easier to do this, even though it may cost a little more). Our journey consisted of a couple of hours in a taxi, then 5 hours on a ferry across to Lombok, then another couple of hours in a taxi through the mountains and jungle of west Lombok and then a short boat ride across to Gilli Air. The journey itself was fairly forgettable in the main with the exception of the drive through the mountains and jungle, and obviously the short boat ride where we could see the tropical paradise inching closer and closer. The scenery, views, vegetation and roadside monkey clans gave us plenty to marvel at!
We rocked up on the beach and the girls and Dan went off to find us lodgings while Angus, Jamie and I sat drinking a well deserved beer!
One of the M’s plans was to do a trek up the volcano on Lombok Called Gunung Rinjani, which we can see from Gilli Air and is a couple of hours drive north from the port on Lombok itself. Now those of you who know me know that I don’t do walking, but in the spirit of everyone spending time together I agreed to go on the trek (not that it was all hanging on a decision from me of course). So after a couple of days on the island chilling, we were off to the Volcano to embark on what was to be an epic trip!
When these clouds are not there you can see the top of the volcano which is at about the same hight as the highest bit of cloud you can see here.
Now, we should run through what we had laying ahead of us. We would spend a night at a guest house in Senaru which is a small town at the base of the volcano. We would then start at the base camp and spend the next 7 or 8 hours basically walking UP through mainly jungle and part grass lands. We would then camp for the night near the rim of the outer crater of the Volcano. The next day we would go up to the outer rim of the volcano and then down to the Crater Lake and hot springs. That same day we would then climb back out of the outer rim and back to the camp for another night of camping before heading back down the way we came.
After a pleasant evening of eating and merriment we awoke early on day 1 and munched away on our breakfast whilst poor Dan was being sick in his room! We managed to get ourselves together and into the Bemo (Taxi thingy) for the short journey up to the base camp where we ran through a couple of bits and pieces prior to setting off. It is worth noting that we had a guide and also porters to carry a lot of the essentials up the Volcano but we also had a pack each with all our clothes and personals inside.
By the time we had got to the jungle Dan had been sick several times and despite his brave efforts the decision was taken for Angus and him to return to Gilli Air as he was just too sick to carry on! So it was left to the girls, Jamie and I to tackle the Volcano. (We really felt for Angus and Dan as they really wanted to do this trek, especially Angus). Anyway, on we soldiered. Now in a nutshell the ascent was, physically, the toughest thing I have ever done and would ever want to do! We all found it very tough going as the track was not a simple one with its many tree roots and steep inclines along the way.
This is one of the stops where we would rest for a short while.
The final sting in the tail was a real bitch of a section up to the camp which was very steep and the track was gravel and mud dust.
You can see here the porters who were (as they say in NZ) bloody legends! They do this trip twice weekly, each time carrying up a heavy load (consisting of a large piece of bamboo, with stuff tied to the ends)which is basically then put across their shoulders! Proper fit guys and very strong!! They also do this in just flip flops, no proper walking shoes for these boys!
It doesn’t sound like much but that day we had climbed something like 1950m in altitude over 6 miles which was simply crushing! We all had to really push ourselves. We reached the camp site and the tents got pegged out and we were all looking forward to a good nights’ sleep. We spent the next couple of hours chilling, drinking tea and checking out the views and watching the stunning sunset.
We climbed inside our tents and tried to settle down for the night. What with the ground being rock hard and the wild dogs prowling outside the tents it was difficult to settle (and that’s putting it politely). One incident that in hindsight gave us a bit of a giggle as well as a fright was poor Jamie being woken from a deep sleep with dogs fighting outside the tent. He instantly thought the dogs were inside the tent and went completely ballistic! It sounded like someone was being attacked and it wasn’t until we heard Bernie saying “Jamie, it’s ok!” that we had some idea of what was going on. The porters and guides all rushed to their assistance with sticks and when the dust finally settled Bernie started to crack up which set us off too. With our hearts racing and our minds thankful that everyone was ok we tried to get to sleep again. It was a long and very uncomfortable night which didn’t really set us up for the next day!
6.30 am and we were awoken by our porter with a cup of tea.
(Above you can see what our view was when we awoke. You can see Bali's volcano in the distance and the three gilli isle just vehind the hills in the foreground. Nice!)
We had our breakfast and contemplated the day ahead. What was surprising was that our legs seemed to be in good shape considering the abuse they got the previous day, so all was not bad. Jamie wasn’t keen on doing any more upwards stuff so it was agreed that he would chill at the camp for the day whilst Bernie, Dipi and I would carry on up to the rim and onwards to the lake and hot springs. The steep ascent to the rim was a bit of a shock to the system at 7 o’clock in the morning, but thankfully it was only for half an hour. After this short but tiring clamber we eventually reached the outer rim of the volcano (2641m above sea level), and what a sight it was!!!
The Summit of Rinjani.
The lake and the new Crater within the outer rim. Amazing!! (The lake is 6km long by the way. It looks small here because we are 700m above it!) The last time this volcano erupted was 1994.
Us!
The lake itself was a further 700m lower in altitude than where we were sat on the rim, so we had quite a descent to make. This was made quite quickly mind you, but it did put the fear of god into us for the return trip as it was mostly very steep indeed! We even had to hold on to ropes and poles at some points whilst rock climbing to stop us falling! Plus the sun would be burning down on us on our way back.
It was pretty hairy in places!
Us by the lake.
Local Carpers! (the lake was full of carp!)
One of the attractions near the lake was a hot spring. We spent a bit of time there bathing our sore legs in preperation for the climb up the outer rim!
The dreaded clamber back up to the rim was not as bad as we thought it would be, but still tough going. It was such a relief to reach the rim once more and know that the only way is down baby!
The toughest part was now over and all we had to do was endure another uncomfortable nights’ sleep and then start the descent in the morning. We were so excited to be heading back to the Gilli islands the next day!
We awoke again in much the same way as the day before except that this time all our legs were aching quite badly from the trek down to the lake the day before. We got ready pretty quickly and set off before the porters and guide as we were so keen to get back. It must be said that Bernie set the pace for the first part, she was on a mission!!! The trek down was much easier than on the way up (obvious you would think, but some people actually find it harder).
It was pretty uneventful, but we were in much better spirits so that was really good. I decided to run down for probably the last (say) 35% of the trek just to test myself. It was a killer and my legs felt like complete jelly for the last kilometre, I even had to resort to walking backwards for a small section in order to work different muscle groups as my legs were completely gone! The girls looked as they were in a lot of pain when they finally reached the finish too and could barely stand up let alone walk another step! We were all so pleased to see the base camp and to say you get a massive sense of relief is an understatement! Thank god that is over! I quickly ordered a large bottle of water and a beer as I waited for the rest to get there. We all felt very proud of ourselves that we got through it physically and mentally. We all gave ourselves a pat on the back as we gleefully jumped into our transport and headed back to the port!!!
As I write, we are sat right on the beach in the bar of the place we are staying at on Gilli Air. The sun is shining, the sea is crystal blue and the volcano is in the distance. As we nurse our VERY sore legs we sit her thanking our lucky stars that we are where we are right now! No more trekking for a bit methinks.
This time you can jus about see the top of the mountain!
We can’t end this chapter without a little mention for Rambo, the dog that adopted us at the first stop off on the way up (maybe it was the biscuits I gave him). He followed us for the remainder of the trek. All the way to the hot springs and back! Even when he was called back for food at the lake he still ended up catching us up and staying with us, which was quite cool. We left him in the same spot he found us and no doubt he would sit there until someone else fed him and he was onto a good thing (or a soft touch) once again.
