Taking in the stunning panorama of Mount Merapi<\/p>\n
By Ahmad Solikan<\/p>\n
BOYOLALI, Central Java (JP): Thin layers of fog carried on the
\nwind penetrated the darkness slowly enveloping the villages
\nclinging to the slopes of Mount Merapi in Central Java. In the
\nyard of an old house built in the traditional Javanese style with
\nplaited bamboo walls, a number of foreign tourists stepped off a
\nwhite minibus and were warmly welcomed by four guides who had
\nbeen on standby since the afternoon.<\/p>\n
The guests were served hot coffee and boiled cassava, and led
\ninto a room to rest on a bamboo plaited sofa covered with a
\npandanus mat. The room was illuminated by a petromax (kerosene
\npressure lantern) and was only equipped with wooden chairs and a
\nsofa. But the tourists paid little heed, their loud laughs
\nbreaking the silence of the night.<\/p>\n
Supomo, 29, one of the guides, looked at this watch. It was
\n11:30 p.m. He told the tourists to prepare their equipment for
\ntheir trek to the top of Mount Merapi. He told them to wear their
\njackets and shoes, to take snacks and a bit of alcohol to cope
\nwith the cold air. He also told them to bring flashlights.<\/p>\n
The group of eight tourists from the United States,
\nSwitzerland, France and Australia, plus the guides, left the
\nhouse exactly at midnight. Two guides led them along the eight-
\nkilometer footpath to the top of the mountain. The higher they
\nclimbed the thicker the fog and the further the temperature fell,
\nsettling at a bone-chilling zero degrees centigrade.<\/p>\n
It took the group four and a half hours to get to the top of
\nMount Merapi, which is covered in fine sand containing sulfur.
\nThe magma in the Merapi crater smoldered and exuded a thick white
\nsmoke. Meanwhile, the first rays of sunlight began to hit the
\neastern side of the mountain, enhancing the perfection of
\nnature's beauty in the eyes of everyone on the mountain.<\/p>\n
But the fiercely blowing wind, stirring up the fine sand,
\ncaused the group to retreat from the top of the mountain and
\nbegin their descent. Blossoming accasia trees grew amid nature's
\nbeauty and gray-coated monkeys, a pest to local farmers, were
\nseen hanging from the trees being serenaded by a chorus of birds.<\/p>\n
At the foot of the mountain herders were taking their cows out
\nto graze. Farmers were occupied harvesting carrots, potatoes,
\ncelery, mustard greens and cabbage. On the way down the mountain,
\nmany farmers were carrying their vegetables to the nearest
\nmarket. The trekkers returned to the house at about 9 a.m., where
\nthey were greeted with a breakfast of sugared tea, fried rice and
\nfruit.<\/p>\n
The kind and impressive reception extended by the guides and
\ntheir hosts will not easily be forgotten by the tourists.<\/p>\n
Michael Freeland, 24, an American, said he was satisfied with
\nhis visit to Mount Merapi and the beautiful surrounding nature.
\nThe residents were friendly, ready to smile, matching the warm
\nreception of the guides. But he was disappointed by the sight of
\ngarbage strewn about the forest. Nobody seemed to care enough to
\npick up the garbage, and plastic waste materials can destroy the
\nfertility of soil and turn the area into barren land.<\/p>\n
Michael obtained information on the Mount Merapi tour from a
\ntravel agency in the Sosrowijayan area of Yogyakarta. The cost of
\nthe tour was Rp 50,000 for accommodations and guide. He said this
\nkind of tour was very cheap, but was aware there was no insurance
\nagainst accidents.<\/p>\n
"I have not had enough of the beautiful sunrise on Mount
\nMerapi. I may return another time," he said.<\/p>\n
Pasri alias Bugel, 29, one of the guides, earns Rp 300,000 a
\nmonth. In the holiday season from July to September his income
\nincreases to Rp 600,000 a month. This father of one started
\nguiding tourists up Mount Merapi nine years ago. While not
\nserving as a guide, he is a vegetables farmer. "I get Rp 5,000
\nfrom each tourist in the tour," said Bugel, a high school
\ngraduate.<\/p>\n
A veteran guide, Parto Dinemo, 66, said he discovered the
\nfootpath to the top of the mountain around 1955 when he was
\nlooking for firewood. Ten years later foreign tourists started
\narriving to the area, but their numbers were limited. Those who
\ntrek to the top of Mount Merapi are generally nature lovers,
\nalthough on the eve of Indonesia's Aug. 17 Independence Day a
\ndifferent sort of group is attracted to the mountain. This group
\ntreks to the top of the mountain, where they hold a ceremony and
\nraise the Indonesian flag.<\/p>\n
Foreign tourists became aware of tours to the top of Mount
\nMerapi in the 1970s, but the number of people coming to the area
\nremained small and infrequent. Only in the early 1980s did the
\nnumber of trekkers increase. As Dinemo found he was no longer
\nable to cope with the increasing number of tourists, he invited
\nlocals to join him in guiding these visitors to the top of the
\nmountain.<\/p>\n
After taking a crash course in English, these guides were able
\nto lead foreign tourists independently. Dinemo now coordinates 22
\nguides, who can work up to twice a week. The guides pay a
\ncompulsory contribution of Rp 500 into a fund as protection
\nagainst sickness and accidents. "I am aware they do not have life
\ninsurance," Dinemo said.<\/p>\n
Dinemo cooperates with a number of hotels and travel agencies
\nin Yogyakarta to inform tourists about the Mount Merapi tour.
\nTourists resting in Dinemo's house are charged Rp 5,000 for food
\nand drinks. An average of 150 tourists hike to the top of Mount
\nMerapi each month. During the peak period between July and
\nSeptember this number doubles. "I can gross about Rp 650,000 a
\nmonth," Dinemo said.<\/p>\n
Mount Merapi is an active volcano and often creates somewhat
\nof a controversy among volcanologists. The explosion of lava from
\nthe Mount Merapi is hard to detect and the frequency cannot be
\npredicted. Nearly every month Mount Merapi demands attention and
\noften claims victims among the villages huddled at its foot.<\/p>\n
However, if Mount Merapi is not active a climbing tour from
\nSelo hill, Boyolali, to enjoy the beautiful panorama of nature is
\nan exceedingly enjoyable pastime. It is not too taxing to cover
\neight kilometers in four and a half hours to see the hot lava in
\nMerapi's crater. The slopes on the east side of Mount Merapi are
\nless steep than those on the Kaliurang side. The vertical slopes
\nof the mountain on this side make hiking an exhausting exercise.<\/p>\n
Coordinating the tours to the top of Mount Merapi demand as
\nmuch special attention as all forms of nature tourism. There is a
\nneed for coordination among hotels, travel agencies, guides,
\nnature lovers and the local government. All related parties must
\nalso work together to maintain the environment so discarded
\nplastic and cans can be cleaned up and the destruction of rare
\nflora and fauna can be prevented. All this must be done for the
\npreservation of the environment.<\/p>",
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