Go Camping

2016: Sleeping outdoors only appeals to me if I can be certain there will be no creepy crawlies or man-eating animals. Who wants to wake up with a scorpion in their pants? The other problem about going camping is you often need to carry your camping gear on your own, and that includes tent, cooking equipment, food and water supply, sleeping bag...and I honestly don't know what else you are supposed to bring on a camping trip but I'm pretty sure they are all bulky and heavy. You also have to learn some basic survival skills, like starting fire from scratch, and of course, pitching a tent. It seems obvious that I'm not gonna go on a camping trip anytime soon. Unless, I could find one where everything is done for me, and I could just sit back and relax.

With our tour agent in Senggigi, Lombok

Which was what I did in Lombok Indonesia. I wouldn't really describe climbing Mount Rinjani as "sitting back and relaxing". It is after all the second highest volcano in Indonesia after Mount Semeru, and words have it that the trek is more difficult than that of Malaysia's Kinabalu. I was with a friend from work, and it was her first mountain climb. We took a 2d1n package to the crater rim, costing us Rp1.5 million per person which included transportation to and from hotel, entrance fee, a mountain guide, food, tent, sleeping bag and porter service. All we had to do was climb. Perfect.

The hike, in the mist

Except that we started getting out of breath even before reaching the front gate to the national park where the ascend was supposed to start. The guide had to find tree branches for us to use as hiking sticks. I as the one with slightly more hiking experience than my friend, had to motivate her to keep on going and help her where I could. As we began to get our momentum, it became easier but was still a test to our stamina and determination. Halfway to the crater, the path became steeper and more treacherous as there was loose sand everywhere, causing us to slip several times. It was also very cold and misty, made worse by the rain.

Our porters climbed ahead of us, and when we reached the crater rim at close to 5pm (started at 7am), our tent was ready, and they were already cooking our meals. Each meal we had up there was fit for a king, with tea/coffee, soft drinks, rice, noodles, veggie, meat, biscuits and lots of fruits. Apparently they had chosen for us the best spot to see the lake down below, but because of the mist, we couldn't see a thing. We prayed for better weather the following morning.

Our tent, just enough space for two

Notice how close we are to the edge

It was very cold that night, but thankfully, not windy. It could be dangerous otherwise, as our tent was only a few feet from the edge of the crater. We only had one layer of clothes on; the rest was soaked from the rain. The sleeping bags really helped, and I was snoring before I knew it (much to the annoyance of my partner). Some time during the night/early morning, we heard munching outside our tent. Thinking there would be no animal so high up on the mountain, we had left food outside. We peeked out and saw a dog enjoying our leftovers.

We planned to wake up at 5.30am for the sunrise, but when we did, it was still dark, and we couldn't summon the willpower to brave the cold outside, so we went back to sleep. It was only when our guides called us that we gingerly stepped out of our tent. The cold hit us immediately but for the sake of pictures, we went out anyway. The view was definitely worth it.

We had our breakfast and hot tea in the cold, and when the sun was up, we began our descent.