The volcano

During our 3 days in Bandung (see previous post), we decided that we would spend 2 days doing the big city thing, shopping and malls and restaurants and all that, but that the third day would be spent outside of the city. I suggested we should be in town Thursday and Friday, but then spend Saturday out of town, since that would be the busiest day, and the whole town is like a Best Buy on Black Friday. Everyone was agreeable, so that was our plan. We were extremely glad we did it that way, because on Saturday, the biggest  mall (which we had been at BOTH of the previous days) caught on fire and was evacuated, and then there was a bomb threat (which turned out to be a prank, copycatting 6 recent bombs in Jakarta) at the Simpang Lima (kind of the central area of town).

But for most of the day, we were blissfully unaware of what was going on in town since we were at the top of a local inactive volcano, Tangkuban Perahu.

It was overcast that day, which gave the whole thing kind of an eerie feeling. It was great fun taking pictures! Someone told us about a geyser and sulfur pools a 20 minute hike down the outside of the volcano, so we decided to go. Locals told us that our van (which had driven us to the top) could drive down and meet us right there at the sulfur pools, because there was another parking lot/tourist area further down. Since not all of us were exactly dressed for hiking (not being made aware of our plans for the day before setting out that morning), we decided that would be the best option. So we bought some eggs (for boiling in the sulfur pools, of course!) and rain ponchos (because it started raining right before we set off) and headed down the heavily forested side of the volcano.

One of the first things we spotted on the way down was a guy making carvings beside the trail. We stopped and chatted with him for a bit. We were asking about the artwork on the candleholders he was making.

But he explained to us that this is what the wood looks like naturally! He didn’t draw or paint on it at all! He only cut down the tree and used a machete to carve. I checked out the little bench he had been sitting on to carve before we approached, and sure enough...

Check out those wood chips... This stuff is legit! Hands down the coolest wood I’ve ever seen. The crazy thing is that the tree is really ugly. It looks like a mentally handicapped palm tree with a skin condition. The bark is ugly and gray and it really looks like nothing special. Just goes to show that our God is a God of surprises! And he knows what’s on the inside, even when we don’t!

As we hiked, there were some students who wanted to be way in front, and there were others who were struggling and kind of hung back. BTW, Indonesian mud is like ICE. And hiking downhill in the rain is no easy feat. Luckily, there were steps. I was quite content to allow myself to remain in between the two groups. Not all the way in the front, but also not in the back with the stragglers. For most of the foggy, drizzly hike, I was alone. And it was fun. I didn’t have to make conversation or listen to anyone complain about anything. I just got to enjoy the peace and silence – fog certainly does a good job of making one feel extra isolated – and go at my own speed and enjoy nature, something that rarely happens on the most densely populated island in the world!

Once we reached the “halfway” point (I’m skeptical about the actual distances quoted to us), we all caught up with each other. I noticed something funny with JiHyun’s rain poncho...

Me: Ji, what happened to your poncho?

Him: What are you talking about?

Me: Uhm... Like two-thirds of it is missing.

Him: Oh... THAT! When I put it on, I thought I was putting my head through the head hole, but it was ACTUALLY the arm hole, so then my head got stuck and I had to rip off the sleeve.

Me: Did you do that twice?

Him: No. The other sleeve got ripped off when I got attacked by a bear.

Me: A bear?

Him: A friendly bear.

Bahahaha... I’m pretty sure that nobody makes me laugh like JiHyun. On a near daily basis. Gotta love that kid. Anyways, to continue, from this supposed halfway point, we could see down into the sulfur pits below...

A bit foggy, so hard to see. We pressed on, and in no time (but WAY longer than the estimated 20 minutes!), we were at the bottom. The main attraction was the geyser. I’ve never seen one before!

I was the second one down, and when the rest of the group caught up, I made Vartika take a picture with me. More accustomed to the indoor pleasures of life, her only comment was, “I. AM. NEVER. HIKING. AGAIN!!!”

We spent about 30 minutes soaking our feet in the hot pools of water, boiling and eating eggs, climbing the fences labeled “No tourists beyond this point” (you can see a green one in the background above), and other general exploring.

When we were ready to leave, I asked some guys hanging out there were the parking lot was, and they pointed down a trail and said, “Oh, just right over there”. So I headed that way. Twenty minutes later, I was convinced they had given me wrong directions. Another 20 minutes, and I thought I was lost forever and began to plan how to forge a new life for myself in this sulfuric wilderness (my mind goes strange places when I have nobody to talk to). About 15 minutes after that, I smelled tempe cooking and I knew I was nearing civilization. I prayed that I had miraculously ended up in the same place as the car, because I had left my cell phone in the car that I was looking for. It was the right place. So I sat there and snacked with the lady frying up tempe and tofu until the rest of the group straggled out. Two were in tears.

I don’t care what they say. I loved every minute of that hike. Also, at lunch, I found a guy selling raspberries, and I bought two boxes for $2!

All in all, our 20 minute hike was about 4 hours. And if I had never made it out of there, I totally would have built myself a new house out of that awesome wood!