For travel agents, Merapi accessible

For travel agents, Merapi accessible

MAGELANG Central Java: Recent reports of volcanic activity on
the 2,911-meter Mt. Merapi have left many here wondering if the
top of the mountain is still accessible.

Many residents of Yogyakarta and the surrounding towns claim
that the mountain is inaccessible. However, a number of travel
agencies arrange nightly trips to Selo village at the foot of the
volcano and a guide to lead the more adventurous to the top of
Merapi, the "Fire Mountain."

Despite their claims that the mountain is accessible, travel
agencies admit that they don't have complete information about
the conditions on the top as the situation changes every day.
Those who embark on the four-and-a-half-hour climb from Selo have
to first stop at Merapi's plateau, an hour's climb from the
summit.

Only there can the guides determine the intensity of the
sulfurous evaporations and the accessibility of the peak. As of
last week, this was the procedure followed by the local guides
every night.

Merapi last erupted in 1994 when mud slides and fires killed
70 people and forced 4,000 families to evacuate to safer ground.
Last week the mountain and the very top were still accessible and
people in Selo did not seem overly concerned.

One of the most recent reports about the volcano's increased
activity came in mid-April, when it spewed hot ash toward the
Boyong River. Atje Purbawinata of the Yogyakarta-based
Directorate of Geology said then that although the volcanic
activity is considered "normal-active", residents should stay on
the alert. (mak)