A TRIP TO KALIURANG

Yesterday, I had more than enough sleep and home study. So, today I want to do better activity than just sleeping and home studying. Because the lessons in my faculty only 4 days; from Monday to Thursday, I can spend the other days of the week to do something as I like. It’s not as tight as the school days.

Saturday morning the sun looks so clear, its warm light greets people friendly. I get up happily to see the nice day. I take my towel to take a bath. It’s an early bath I do. On other days I prefer taking a bath when the sun light is a bit warmer, especially in weekend or vacation. But today I want to do it earlier.

A housemate says nice comment for my early bath when I hang my towel on the laundry wire. We usually dry up our laundry on the wire to let the sun heat it. I respond her comment with a smile. I know she has waited for me to take a bath too. She goes into the bathroom afterward.

When I get dressed, I think about refreshment I can do today. Then, I contact Lyn to ask a possibility for going sightseeing. She knows more about this city because she has been living in this city for two years. She can take me to recreation places if she is not busy. Fortunately, She is free today and she agrees to take me to Kaliurang, a mountainous area which is popular for its beautiful view and fresh air.

I inform my plan to my housemates, and Wendy wants to go with me, So, I give a ride to her to go to Kaliurang and Lyn tells me that she rides a motorbike with her friend Dree. Four of us ride motorbikes to go there because Lyn says it’s only about 25 miles form my boarding house.

Along the way to Kaliurang, I keep riding my bike behing Lyn’s because she knows the way to go there. And I keep my distance close to her bike in order not to get lost the way. If Wendy starts chatting and I respond her, I am left far behind Lyn’s bike. Therefore I decide to talk a little on the way.

About 10 miles from Kaliurang, we start to see the top of the mountain. It’s beautiful, and the cool air starts to touch our skin. Wendy and I yell cheerfully to feel the cool fresh air. Yeeepppyyyy …!! She takes a picture with her camera cell phone through my shoulder. I am so excited to get there as soon as possible.

We have to pay for the entrance ticket of the recreation place, and it has some entrance gates, so we have to pay for some time too. However, the payment is very cheap; only 2000 to 5000 rupiahs for each ticket. After that, we arrive at the parking lot. The beautiful view is around us, fascinating !

The first thing I need to find there is the toilet, I need to piss, before going hiking. It is down the hill, I also find the

Musholla nearby. I am so happy to feel the mountain water touch my skin, so clear and fresh.

Three of us pray Dzuhur there, Lyn waits for us at the edge of a small lake, busy taking pictures.

There is a warung behind the musholla, an old woman sells pecel and water plus wajik and jadah, traditional Javanese food. The vegetable for the pecel looks delicious, and I want to try the food, I invite all my friends to join me eating, but Lyn and Dree refuse politely. They prefer eating a kind of meatball sold by another vendor. There are so many vendors in the area. Wendy and I have the pecel. It is delicious but the peanut sauce has to much chili in it. The hot taste touches our tongues sharply. We complain to the mama vendor about the chili, but she says that all of the peanut sauce has the same taste.

The four of us start hiking, Lyn shows us the route. We pass many warungs selling delicious food which is so inviting, but I’m still full. I try to ignore the food’s invitation. We go up the rock stairs between the warungs. Then we go up and up. We come to the mountainous area. Rock is everywhere. My God ! It’s a rocky mountain ! I can see the huge rock around us. And the amazing thing is ; all the trees grow on the rock ! I praise God for the wonderful thing. I can’t stop thinking how big trees can grow well on the rock. But this fact has proved me that nothing is impossible when God has His will.

Lyn warns us about some monkeys which might follow us. I’m a bit surprised to it. Because I thought only Kalimantan has monkeys. So, we are alert for their appearance. We step up the stony pathway till we get to the water fall. I feel funny to see how Dree and Ly act like models on the catwalk when each of them take their pictures in turn with their camera cell phones. They look professional in their action, unfortunately they’re not models. Well, at least they’ve been models in their cell phones…  He he..

A small monkey appears. My friends start worried, but I try to be calm. I look into its eyes, they remind me of my pet cats in my hometown. I say hi to it. This female monkey is tame. She wants the wajik and jadah I bought from mama vendor behind musholla. Lyn tells that if I gives it the food, it will always follow us wherever we go. So, I tell her that I will give the food to the monkey on the way home. Then, a bigger one appears. It sounds something, trying to take the food from my hand. I hold the food tighter. The male monkey shows a gesture using his hand, similar to a little beggar when asking some money from people. I almost give him some food as a reward for his ability to show the gesture but then I remember what Lyn has warned me. So I delays the gift till the way home.

We are busy taking pictures in front of the water fall, together with some other visitors. I ask Wendy to take my picture with the water fall behind. When I am taking action, the male monkey takes all of the food out of my hand. I try to stop it, but it’s useless. The monkey moves so fast, getting away from me. I can only sigh unhappily because there’s no food left for the female one. It’s funny to see how the big monkey eat the food greedily meanwhile the small one can only watch him. I wish I gave it to the female one earlier.

Some visitors hike to the top of the mountain. I ask my friends to do the same thing, however Lyn and Dree decide to wait for us near the waterfall. Wendy and I hike further, following some teenage hikers. They move fast and turn to the other part of the slope, leaving us behind, exhausted. Wendy’s face looks pale and my step gets heavier. We decide to sit on the pathway up. We see view below us, Wendy takes some pictures. Lyn and Dree look small from where we are. I sit right under a big tree which its roots can be seen clearly attach firmly on the rock around the mountain slope like hundreds of rope. Fantastic !

A teenage couple go up and come toward us. I ask them how long more to reach the summit. The boy tells me that it’s only about 15 minutes and go down to the other side of the mountain, to the musholla where we prayed few minutes ago. We want to follow them, but we know that it won’t be this time because our energy won’t be enough. Both of us decide to back down.

We get together again, four of us. It’s late afternoon, we move down, preparing to go home. Lyn informs us that on the other part of the mountain, there is a old cave, a place where Japanese soldiers used to hide themselves after they lost in the second world war. I’m quite interested to go there but I tell her that it is time for us to go home. We agree to be back someday.

We see two unique teenage couples, the boys are foreigners and the girls are Javanese. Dree expresses her opinion to us. She says that similar couples she has observes for two years, show her that foreign boys mostly date with Javanese girls who have dark skin, not the bright-skinned ones. I’m surprised with it. I asked her if her thesis is about the thing. She says the thing is just opinion. She observes other thing for her thesis.

On the way home, we pass other area which suits for family recreation place. It is like a playground, completed with slides, glides, see-saw and others. What a fun place !

The fresh air of Kaliurang gradually disappears because we move away from it, back to our homes. It, however, gives nice impression to us, university students who need refreshment which is inexpensive. I’m sure I’ll go there again to see places I haven’t seen yet.

( Written by: Sumaronly, finished on July 30, 2010 )