Mount Gede

Jogging? Done.

Tennis? Done.

Swimming? Done.

Volley? Done.

Cycling? Done.

Badminton? Done.

Table tennis? Done.

Well I'm not trying to be a pro on every type of sport, but at least I have tried to do all of them. But hiking? Man, I have never tried that before. I hiked Mount Ijen, a small mountain in East Java, with a 2,799 m of elevation, but that was many years ago, maybe when I was 10 or eleven. Hiking plus camping? Hell, yes! So when my dad offer me a chance to hike Mount Gede and camping for two days, I immediately said yes.

Few facts about Mount Gede, the peak is about 2,958 m above sea level, and it is one of the twin volcanoes that located near Bogor. Its twin, Pangrango, is a bit higher than Gede, and both of the peak is connected by a high saddle, known as Kandang Badak, which is our first camping site. While hiking you can enjoy thermal springs, Alun-alun Suryakencana, a 50-hectare meadow covered with Edelweiss flowers, 50-meter tall Cibeureum waterfall, mount Putri which is a perfect camping site for a large pack of campers. 

So here is the plan: we start hiking from Cibodas, then enjoy the magnificent view of Cibeureum Waterfall, crossed the thermal springs, and end our first day by camping in Kandang Badak. Next, we reach the peak, then continue our way down to Alun-alun Suryakencana, camp there, then finish our journey walking down Mount Putri.

Zero experience on camping and hiking, I had no idea what to bring, and my dad said bring anything that you need if you want to withstand freezing wind and cold temperature. So I packed my winter clothes (Have never guessed in my life that I will need those bulky clothes in Indonesia!), and some chocolates, two bottles of water, wind-stopper jacket, long sport trousers, my cycling bandana, anything that I think I will need there. The result is, my bag is unfortunately big and well, I thought my dad would say, you're going camping or taking a vacation in Antarctica? Yet his reaction was plain and when I saw his bag, it was the same size as mine. He told me not to worry, we will hire porters there to bring our bags. Relieved sigh.

H-day, we departed from Jakarta to Cibodas after meeting with the group in Kelapa Gading Sport Club to Cibodas, where we introduced to our porters. 13 hikers, 17 porters. Seems like we decided to move an entire hotel up to the mountain. BTW do you know how much weight the porters have to hike with? Approximately 20 to 30 kg one person, including our drinking water, big-sized tents (precisely how big? You will know after you see the photos :D), food, etc. A VVIP hiking program lol.

After a short hike, we finally arrived in our first hike, Cibeureum Waterfall. The water is cool and invigorating, you can feel the splash if you stand near enough the waterfall. The pack rested in the Gazebo while eating lemper, a traditional Indonesian dish made with glutinous rice filled with meat (sometimes chicken or beef) and invincible chilis. lol, kidding, but some lempers were indeed spicy.

Cibeureum Waterfall

The smaller waterfall

There were 9 of us who continued to reach the peak, so we said goodbye to the others and continue our way. I hiked... I hiked... and I hiked... I wasn't entirely tired, but I was bored, you have to keep your focus on the road and keep hiking, just like Dory in Finding Nemo, "Just keep hiking, just keep hiking, just keep hiking, hiking, hiking..."

Half day of hiking, we finally reached the hot thermal spring, and we had to pass a tiny hot thermal waterfall by walking on these rocks:

The rocks were so freaking wet and slippery. On your left hand side, the hot water kept rushing down while you were carefully stepping on these rocks. On the right, you can see the beautiful scenery of the jungle colored by the steam, and... the cliff. One step mistaken you will be going on a trip down the road of death. But I couldn't see. Why? My glasses were blurred because of the steam. Exhilarating.

Our team crossing the waterfall of death

Arrived at Kandang Badak at maybe 3 or 4 pm, our first camping site exhausted, we were glad to see the porters already set up the tents. I was amazed. It never crossed my mind that this camp can be so luxurious. Imagine this, large sized tents, enough for 5 of us to squeeze together, a living room (sort of), and our personal kitchen with chefs-wanna-be already prepared.

Kampung Badak

Is this real life? Is it just fantasy?

Army's sleeping bag, and inflatable pillow (not mine)

Settled down very fast, started unpacking the bags, changed our smelly clothes, and just the time for dinner. We brought rendang, a spicy meat dish originated from Padang and heated them up. For dinner: vegetable soup, rendang, rice, and some salted fish. Tasted very good, couldn't ask for more when you're hiking far on the mountain. One lesson, you should eat a lot for dinner, cause it get so cold at night, and if you're hungry in the middle of the night, say good bye to your beauty sleep.

As the night had fallen, the camping site got colder and colder. Wearing my thick jacket and wool hat, I sat beside my companions, watching the flames dancing in the dark. Until I decided to end my first day, by sliding in the sleeping bag and tried to sleep.

The bad news was, my place was in the side of the tent, and I could feel the slant part of the tent right above my head, and I felt so... claustrophobic. Like you don't get enough space to sleep, plus your sleeping bag provide not much sleeping positions, and I found it hard to sleep. Not to mention the snoring orchestra by all the men (FYI, I was the only girl in the group). I could determine who belongs to tenor, soprano, bass, etc. lol.

I woke up just in time, when the sky was starting to lighten up, I grabbed my wet tissues and plastic, and tried to find a spot to... well, doing my morning dump routine. Found a perfect spot, I dug a hole, not too big yet not too small, and when I lowered my trousers, I feel the cold breeze blowing on my ass. Imagine how you can concentrate on a condition like that. 

Frying krupuk in the middle of nowhere 

Some fun I had while hiking: found these ❤ shaped leaves, 'touching' the peak of Mount Pangrango, and devil climb. Why devil? Because of its steepness slope, and you have to climb it by using ropes. Very challenging actually, my eyes were shining with excitement as I tried to climb, and surprisingly, it was quite easy, even for a beginner like me. You should try it, really.

The rest of the journey to the peak wasn't as tiring as the first day, and about two hours of hiking, we finally reached the top. From stone pavement, to no roads at all, just rocks. You have to find your own way to reach the top (ceilehhhhhh). Sometimes ones chosen way can be different from the other, I preferred rocks with smaller elevation which allow me to save more energy, worked well for me anyway. How about you?

Majestic as hell

Panoramic view before the peak

Finally, we almost reached the peak. The roads are slippery with small pebbles, so watch where you step. Beside watching where you step, you should turn your head around and watch those clouds slowly flying along the wind. We could see the clouds forming a sea, along with the blue sky as their background. So beautiful. Oh, and don't forget to use your sunblock here, the sun was shining very bright. Don't bother to use sunblock on the first day, the trees are so dense, almost no ray of sunlight can touch your skin.

Sea of clouds

Rocky, slippery road

After few more minutes of sunbathing and wind-blowing, we finally reached the peak. If you look carefully, you can see the crater of Mount Gede, with the yellow-ish color and the smell of sulfur. Rested a bit on the peak while eating some cakes, I realized it was noon, lunch time, yet I didn't feel any hunger.

Mission accomplished!

The crater

Ready to continue again, we waved our hands goodbye to those tiring climbs, yet never had guessed what lies upon us: downhills. I thought going down is far more relaxing and not as tiring as climbing a mountain, but, boy, I was SO wrong. The journey travelling down the mountain was terrible, but once you get hold to it, you can move very fast. Fast, I meant for the rocky road, not for the sandy or the one with many pebbles, which was very slippery. Imagine I hopped from one rock to other while holding on the small trees or big branches, the ones which are strong enough to hold my weight :D

After hopping down thousands of rocks, we finally reached the meadow, erm... probably more like savana, but of course no carnivores. Full of yellowish weeds, you can also enjoy the view of Edelweiss flowers in the both sides. Funny story about Edelweiss: that was my very first time to see an Edelweiss flower, and I thought it would be white like the ones in the picture of my old story book. The flowers turn yellow depends on the season. And one of my new friend, he hiked Mount Gede for the second time, and he told me the sensation of taking a dump surrounded with the beautiful Edelweiss flower. Well, not right next to the bush, of course, as it would pollute the plant. Then I blamed him for turning the flowers into yellow. LOL

Walking in these weeds made me feel like I was in the Lord of the Rings trilogy

Edelweiß, Edelweiß, Du grüßt mich jeden Morgen

We spent the last night camping in the meadow, but it was rather scary: the wind was howling all night, and our tent made some weird noises, like the sound of the tent's zip opening and closing. I knew it was the tent to blame, I felt a bit claustrophobic (again), and had to go outside to get some fresh air.

Finally, last day! After not showering for 2 days, that was the best hot shower I had ever had in my life. And I was sick for a few days after the hike LOL.

Austria: Salzburg Trip

Who in the world ride around Salzburg on a bike in winter?
Yeah, me.

I arrived in Pension Elizabeth safe and sound and decided to retire for the night. I was completely exhausted, going around Vienna in a day. The pension is clean yet a little too far from Salzburg station. But it was OK lah for me.

Personally, I like it better to go around the city with subway or U-Bahn, not a big fan of buses. There's no subway or tram in Salzburg, so I wore my gloves and hat, and rent a bike from the pension. It was freezing cold and sometimes rain a little bit. But Salzburg is a pretty small city, and the attractions were not so far from each other. Riding for a whole day was kinda tiring though, I wished I had my cycling pants.

I bought the Salzburg card for € 24, and free admission to all of the attractions.

Salzburgdom

I spend like an hour just in the Salzburgdom. It's a big Baroque Roman Catholic cathedral (YAY!), with amazing frescoes (double YAY!!), and I was just right on time for the Easter mass (triple YAY!!!). 

Hohensalzburg Fortress

Okay, to be honest, I was lost a few times to find the way to the tram for the fortress. But it was not hard to find, I was just too enjoy riding the bike around Salzburg (That's a lie!). When you board the tram, be sure to stand on the first cabin, where you can see Salzburg while slowly ascending to the fortress. 

Mirabell Garden

Augustiner Beer Garden

Just like in Bordeaux, I know I'm a little sensitive to sulfite, if it's a really rare opportunity, I will try it no matter what. So in Augustiner, you have the small and big pitcher, I think the small one is 0.3L and... I just drank half of it, and I felt so puffy in the face. 

So I spent two nights in Salzburg, but I feel like it would be better if I spend those two in Vienna. Just my thoughts.

Random pics from Salzburg

Austria: Vienna Trip

Thank you Easter for giving us a time to breath after those hectic mid-terms. Tried to study and plan a trip at the same time did not end well apparently, at least I passed all the exams, HA!

I had 4 days to plan and I decided to pay Austria a visit. Plus I wanted to save money so I bought a Eurail pass for Switzerland and Austria, which allowed me to hop in and hop off on any registered trains between Switzerland and Austria. I didn't forget to reserve a place on the train of course (reserving a seat costs you like CHF 5, but it's handy on a crowded train).

Too bad I only had 4 days, including the travel trip, so I decided only to visit Vienna and Salzburg. And I have to say something: I have a thing for churches, from Catholic to Christian, from Roman, Gothic, to Baroque (oh especially Baroque), I love it all. I'm not a devoted Catholic, I will say I'm an agnostic and I only admire the art and the style of the church. And I am very grateful that I can study in a place where all the magnificent churches reside. 

So, let's start with the journey then. The photos here were taken with my ancient Canon Kiss X2 only, none from my phone because it was lost. I took the train from Neuchatel to Zurich directly, and change to Innsbruck, and finally arrive in Wien Westbahnhof. A total of 10 hours trip. Yes, I know, it was crazy and I should've take the plane, that's what I recommend to people now if they want to go to Austria from Switzerland. 

Upon arriving, I tried to blend in with the locals (you called that blend in? LOL) and take the U-Bahn to Reumannplatz. I bought the 24-hour ticket for €7.60, and I could use it on the tram, bus, or U-Bahn. After a quick ride on the bus, I arrived in A&T Hostel, where I spent € 22 for a bed in a 4-bed shared female dormitory room. The hotel was quite nice, and it was my first stay sharing a room with other people. The location of the hostel is not that good though, a little far from the city center and you have to walk for like 10 minutes, but meh, what did you expect from a €22 accommodation. The downside of living with other people is, you share the bathroom, and when I arrived at 9 pm, they were all snoring already, and I had to use my poor night-vision eyesight to navigate myself in the room and took a shower quietly. It was hard not to make a sound especially for a girl who had to wash her hair and use the hairdryer.

Anyway, after I made the bed (yes, we had to make our own bed, put on the covers of pillow and the duvet), I went straight away to Schonbrunn Palace. Every Easter, there's an Easter market there, selling colored egg and other Easter-related decorations. Oh, and I like to explore local markets also, a trait I inherited from my father. I enjoyed a Nutella waffle, bought some beautifully colored Easter egg, and even I found vendor selling "old" parchment and feather quill pen (I'm not sure if it's really old though). 

I bought a ticket to watch a concert because I had nothing to do for the night, so I enjoyed a nice little concert of opera, ballet, and orchestra in Schonbrunn Palace. I even met a lady from Japan, and tried to chat with her in Japanese, but I'm sorry, Lee Sensei, I failed you LOL. That's what you get from learning Japanese for three years and didn't practice it at all, except from reading Naruto in Japanese. 

In the very next day, I went to the St. Stephen's cathedral first, and lost my way in the city. Well I think the best way to enjoy a city is to get lost in it, and there I was, lost in one of the most beautiful city in the world. Pictures stolen from my own Facebook, sorry for the bad quality :/

Stephansdom (St. Stephen Cathedral)

A roman and gothic catholic church, and it was so touristy and vendors offering concerts outside the church. 

Stephansdom

Roman and gothic style

Peterskirche (St. Peter Church)

Probably my favorite church in this trip. Seems like this baroque roman church plans to hide itself between the buildings. It looks nothing special from outside, but once you went inside, it will leave your jaw hanging and neck pain from looking at all the frescoes. 

Trzesniewski

I heard this restaurant from a guide in Youtube and tried to find it, and I wasn't disappointed. Serving many flavor of sandwiches, Trzesniewski also offer Pfiff or a cute pint of beer. I love the one with onion or paprika, I forgot, it's the green one. 

Kaisergruft (Imperial Crypt)

Located under Capuchin church, this is where the member of Habsburgs dynasty rested today. A bit creepy for me, but look at those decorations, so realistic. 

Haus der Musik

While enjoying the story of the greatest composers like Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart, you can also try to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. You have to compete with the children though. 

Hofburg Palace

I didn't have much time back then, because I had to catch the train to Salzburg, so I just quickly passed Hofburg Palace.