We managed to escape the chaos of Jakarta and Bogor for a day in nature. A hike and picnic amongst waterfalls was like a mini vacation.
My legs are sore, but I’m thankful to have worked them as next weekend we take a ferry to Sumatra and hike Krakatau! So excited!
Only about 30 minutes from Bogor, lies the base of Mount Salak and a ton of beautiful waterfalls. We trekked for another 30 minutes to find this little pool and fall. The water was cold and refreshing, and the physical reaction to it was fun to experience. As soon as you’re submerged, or under the fall, your breath quickens uncontrollably. The second you step out, your breath is back to normal.
It was really nice to get out of Bogor for the day. The goal is to trek and be surrounded by nature, but in Indonesia, that means you’re also surrounded by a ton of other adventure-seekers and warungs along the path. After a while you get used to it, and maybe even succumb to the tempting fruit tea along the way.
These treks are every where and what you get to experience is so much more than a hike through Forest Park. There are trumpet flowers as big as your head, monkeys running up and down the hillside, and give it 3..2…1… you have an instant friend wanting to take your picture and contact you on Facebook.
We’re celebrities. And you can call me J-Roo. We’ve finally accepted this practice [of getting our picture taken by random people] and have begun to play with it. Some guy from Jakarta has a picture of me with a giant carrot hanging out of my mouth and my arms flexing like Popeye.
Only in Indonesia.
We just returned (and took a hot shower) from camping in Kintamani with friends who live in the village we stayed in. Their village was having an annual party, with particular significance, in a new temple. We got to join in the festivities by Seth helping with the sacrifice of the cow (more on that later), lots of carrying of offerings and participating rituals.
Between rituals we got to explore the beautiful lake and area by visiting a hot springs, biking around the lake, hiking to a waterfall (and drinking from a leaf, Bear would be so proud), and jumping in the lake to “shower”. Native style.
The past 36 hours have been a fantastic challenge to me. I know I’ll be sore from all the biking and climbing, not to mention carrying of the offerings. Seth feels similar and may tell his own story soon (he’s still riding back with Dan in the motorbike). Ellie got to play with her friends the whole time, so she was in heaven. And she was obviously oblivious to how amazing her surroundings were. I am constantly wondering what will stick with her later in life. Will she bike and think of the hills around the lake? Will she smell incense and get a flashback of praying in the temple with hundreds of others? Will she require rice with every meal from now on because of this experience? Who knows. I suppose that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?
Bali or Bust 