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)