Ended work early on 8th Aug 2012 Wed. I could smell freedom in the air as i stepped out of my office building. Finally i could take a respite from work- no more 12 hour work days and no more emails to reply. It was time to clear my mind of all work related thoughts and focus on my trip instead. Rinjani was going to be my first outdoor camping trip and i wanted to make sure that i was well prepared. First up - to drop by the doctor's near my office to get altitude sickness pills.
At the doctor's, I explained to him that i was going for a 3 day 2 night trek up to Mount Rinjani and wanted to get a prescription for altitude sickness pills. I had tried to buy the pills over the counter at the pharmacy earlier, but was rejected and the pharmacist needed the doctor's prescription. The doctor looked at me and asked more questions, like which mountain i was going, and how long i would be there for. I asked him more questions, like the side effects of the medicine, the quantity needed, etc. Alas, he looked at me blankly and turned around to google on his laptop. He found a wikipedia page explaining the information and read off the website. Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness I felt rather uncomfortable to have visited this doctor who did not know his stuff. On the other hand, i suppose it was forgivable since there was no mountain in Singapore so it was unlikely that he would have treated anyone for altitude sickness here. He gave me a prescription and wished me a safe trip. As expected, he did not stock up the altitude sickness pills in his clinic so i had to go back to the pharmacist to get it. I went back to the pharmacist who dispensed : Acetazolamide 250mg to me. Luckily, this pharmacist was much more knowledgeable. I was advised to consume 1/2 a tablet twice a day, after food. The tablet had to be taken one day before the start of my trek and to stop one day after i descend from the summit. The main takeaway i had for the side effects was that you would need to go toilet more often. I began to have doubts on whether i should take the medicine as the thought of having to pee in the wild wasn't too attractive to me.
Next, i headed home and started packing for my trip.
It was going to be a 3 days 2 night hike, so the clothings that i packed included:
3 sets of hiking clothes (lightweight dri-fit t-shirts and long pants)
1 set of sleepwear
a thick pullover
a waterproof windbreaker
a set of thermal wear
3 pairs of thick hiking socks (so that i had fresh socks everyday)
3 sets of undergarments
a pair of slippers
a pair of hiking shoes
To keep myself clean, i stocked up:
a bottle of waterless wash for my hair
Powder
lots of baby wipes and wet tissues
Avene rinseless facial cleanser
Towel
To protect myself against the sun, i brought:
LA ROCHE-POSAY Sunblock for my face (SPF 50)
LA ROCHE-POSAY Sunblock for my body (SPF 30)
Sunproof Arm Sleeves
Cap
Other hiking essentials included:
Snacks to munch - Energy bars, gummy bears, instant noodles and instant milo packets
Hiking Stick
Gloves
Poncho
Headlight
Waterbag
Insect Repellent
Medication
Sleeping bag cover
Light fleece blanket
Yeah i know, I brought way too much stuff. It is common practice for hikers to pack light but to me, all of these were considered as the basic essentials that i could not do without. I was determined to make this trip enjoyable. I was going glamping - (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/glamping?s=t), and certainly wasn't going to have to suffer by re-wearing dirty and smelly clothes / socks.
All of these were packed in ziplock bags and stuffed into my 40L huge outgear backpack.
Next, i had another problem to resolve. (Yes i know- i am a noob and a worrywart!!)
It was my first time checking in my backpack and i was worried that the straps of the backpack would get stuck in the conveyor belt or mishandled by the baggage handlers. Well, you couldn't blame me. During my last trip to Switzerland, the baggage handlers damaged the lock of my hardcase luggage so badly that the case couldn't close properly. With this in mind, i wanted to ensure that my backpack was safe and sound for my trek. What would i do if i arrived in Lombok with broken straps on my backpack?
After hunting around my house, i found a really huge duffel bag that could contain my backpack. I stuffed my backpack inside, locked up the duffel bag and was ready for my trip!
Day 1
We met at the Singapore Changi Airport at around 1 pm to check in our baggages. Our hiking sticks were considered as "dangerous items" and were not allowed to be brought as part of our carry-on luggage. Instead, they labelled the sticks as fragile items and checked them in together with the rest of our backpacks.
We took the silkair flight bound for Lombok and departed at about 3+ pm in the afternoon.
Surprisingly, the flight was full and filled with Caucasians. I had no idea that Lombok was such a popular destination for them. Asians / Singaporeans were actually a minority on the flight, despite the fact that the flight departed from Singapore.
We landed at Lombok at ard 6+ pm in the evening. It was dusk when our plane touched down at the Lombok Airport and during our landing, we caught a magnificent view of Mt Rinjani among the clouds and the beautiful sunset. Alas, as I didn't take the window seat and also didn't have my camera on hand, I wasn't able to capture the beautiful sight. All i could do was to capture the beautiful sight visually and leave it ingrained in my memory. Point to note: Ask for the window seat on the left side of the plane on the way to lombok and the window seat on the right side of the plane if you are departing from Lombok.
The first fact that i learnt about Lombok was that the sky turned pitch dark really early. It didn't help that there wasn't much street lamps along the roads either. By the time we collected our luggages (my duffel bag and hiking stick arrived safe and sound luckily) and met up with our tour coordinator Mr Asmuni, the sky outside was already turning dark despite it being only 7+pm. Mr Asmuni informed us that the journey to Sembalun was going to take us about 2.5 hours. We were going to bunk at the Sembalun for the first night, before starting our 3 days 2 nights trek early next morning. We requested for him to drop us along the way to pick up some essentials, including water for the night and stocked up local snacks (e.g.: Chitato potato chips- tasted really good!). Next, it was a long 2.5 hours journey in the dark with the occasional street lamps. Being someone who suffers from night blindness, i was amazed that the locals could survive with minimal lighting. This really made me reflect on my life back in Singapore, where i consider lights to be a basic essential whereas the locals here could survive without it. Made a note in my head to reduce my usage of lights whenever possible when i go back to Singapore. All of us fell asleep on the bus, but woke up when the bus starting ascending. The road was really dangerous, it was pitch dark so the driver was relying on his headlights to maneuver up the slope. When i looked out of the window, I could literally see the cliff at the edge of the road. I knew that there was no point worrying, so i closed my eyes and went back to sleep, hoping that the driver was experienced enough to bring us there. The weather also started to turn chilly, i had no idea if it was the climate change outside, or it was just the air-con in the bus.
Finally, we reached our destination- Lembah Rinjani. We were greeted by the cold wind when we stepped out of the van. I felt so silly to be wearing my shorts and only had a windbreaker to protect myself from the cold. Quickly, we were brought to our allocated cottages where we were going to stay for the night. It was a really basic and simple hut, but to my dismay, there was no hot shower. How am i going to bathe in cold water when i am already freezing in this cold weather? We headed to the canteen for a quick dinner and was introduced to our guide - Abdul. We checked with him if there was any hot shower available, but unfortunately only the superior rooms had hot shower, not ours. Mental note: to book the superior rooms with hot shower next time. After our dinner, we returned to our respective cottages to rest for our hike tomorrow. Back in my room, i contemplated. Should I : 1. Not bathe at all, since i already bathed that morning, since the water is so cold. 2. Bathe in cold water- this was the next best "luxury" i could enjoy for the next few days, at least i could start my trek clean and refreshed. Yes, if you know me, it should be easy to guess which choice i picked. I clenched my teeth and took a quick bath. Throughout the cold experience, i only had 2 thoughts. First, was that i would appreciate my hot shower baths more when i go back to Singapore, next is that whatever doesn't kill me will make me stronger. Yes, i endured the cold shower bath and emerged stronger, cleaner, and with a new appreciation of having hot shower baths at home.
Day 2
Early next morning, we gathered at the canteen for breakfast before embarking on our hike. I filled up my waterbag with 1.5 litres worth of water and passed my heavy backpack to the porter. We had 10 porters in total for the 6 of us. They helped to carry our heavy backpacks, food, cooking equipment, tents, sleeping bags, toilet tent, water supplies, etc. The guide and the tour coordinator were both happy that we hired 3 additional porters, as it was a form of job creation for them. The porters only earned about SGD $20 a day and the cost of the 3 additional porters were fully affordable when we divided the cost among the 6 of us. I did not fully appreciate the porters until much later during my trip when i experienced the care they provided.
After a quick stop at the office to register, we began our 3 day 2 night hiking adventure proper. The hike began with a leisure stroll up and gentle slopes and we were able to see Mt Rinjani from a distance. The mountain didn't look that daunting to me. It was surrounded by acres of green fields and provided plenty of phototaking opportunities for us. We passed a herd of cows who swarmed past us. The cows were roaming free on the mountains, grazing on grass and of course, poo-ing along the route. We had to watch our steps to avoid stepping on the poos. It was a surreal experience with the cows - definitely something that you won't experience in SG! I was amazed that none of them attacked us and just avoided us while making their way past us.
After hiking for sometime we were getting hot and sweaty because of the sun (it was late morning by then).
There was a resting post in sight and our guide suggested for us to take a break. We were glad for the short respite against the blazing sun. Amazingly, one of our porters took out a watermelon from his backpack, cut it up and shared it with all of us. Eating that watermelon was a real treat. It quenched my thirst and also provided cool relief from the sun at the same time. I was really amazed and grateful to our porter who was so thoughtful to provide such treats for us. This was the first of the many treats that we had along the way.
After our quick break, refreshed from the watermelon treat, we carried on with our hike. Along the way we saw many different groups of hikers, there was a group of middle aged koreans, all decked out in branded and professional hiking gear. We were impressed at how fit they were, compared to our parents who were probably too unfit to even climb Bukit Timah Hill back in SG. There was also many groups of Caucasians, some of them were decked like they were going for a run. In fact, throughout my climb i think i met more Caucasians than Asians.
Before long, we reached a bridge where there were some hikers sitting on director's chairs.They looked really comfortable while enjoying their cooked lunch that their porters made. Their tour package must be considered as the high-end ones, we thought to ourselves. Mental note to self: check if field chairs are provided for our next hiking adventure. Our guide led us to an open space for lunch where a picnic mat was already laid out for us. Our lunch was ready to be served by the time we got there as the porter made their way there earlier for preparation. We heard that 2 of our porters had already made their way to the base camp at the crater rim in order to get a good spot for us to setup camp tonight. Lunch was simple but we were starved so everything tasted good.
After lunch, our endurance was tested as there were 7 hills to be conquered in order to reach the crater rim. Some hills were easy, some were tough and the route seemed to be never- ending. Gradually, we could feel the change in the atmosphere around us. Soon we were surrounded by mist and it felt a bit chilly. Sometimes we felt droplets of water- condensation from the mist, our guide explained, and not raindrops. With frequent small breaks in between, we managed to conquer the 7 hills together. Eventually, we were rewarded with an awesome view of the top of Mt Rinjani and the surroundings. We have reached our campsite for the night and it was time to rest, unpack and take plenty of pictures.
Watching the sunset from the crater rim campsite was another surreal experience. We were so busy trying to pose and capture the dusk scenery and before long, the sky turned dark really quickly. Without the sunlight, coupled with huge gusts of wind, we were all freezing cold and had to wear our thick pullovers to keep warm. Our very thoughtful porters setup a campfire by our dinner mat for us to keep warm. Sitting by the campfire to have my dinner, listening to the music that the guide played from his cellphone (we requested for him to sing but he was too shy) and just enjoying the warmth from the campfire was really satisfying. It has been a long time since i enjoyed a real campfire. We just lacked marshmallows to roast over the fire. As we had to wake up in the wee hours for a night climb to the summit the next day, we turned in really early.
Day 3
Our guide woke us up at 1.30am in the early morning the next day to get us ready for the hike up. Our dear porters have already woken up and prepared hot Cocoa and toasted bread with jam for us as breakfast. I have heard stories from all my friends about how daunting the summit was- stories about how they would slid back down after making their way up, how one friend did not manage to make it to the summit before the sunrise, and of how another friend (a fitter hiker than me) did not make it to the summit altogether. Honestly, I did not harbour much hopes in reaching the summit. However, i knew that i had to at least attempt the trek for myself to experience firsthand the "toughness" that everyone described. As it was pitch dark, We had to rely on our headlights to make our way up. We were one of the first teams to start off, as it was my first time climbing in the dark, i was feeling very nervous. The first part of the hike was still fine, until we hit the slopes with very loose fine stones and sand. It was like climbing a slope with sand! I had to rely on my hiking stick and arm strength to pull myself up and got tired really quickly. When i turned back, i saw hundreds of headlights in a straight line behind me. It felt like all of us were going for a pilgrimage. I felt bad as my progress was really slow and it seemed like i was hampering the progress of the others. As we were going higher up in altitude, i could feel the air thinning, making it harder to breathe normally with every step. Eventually i stopped for a break and allowed others to go past. The speed of the other hikers were amazing. I saw the bunch of professional Koreans swarm past me, as if it was so easy, i saw another group of Caucasians who were empty-handed and were dressed in really thin clothing. I could feel my morale level decreasing. After several rounds of climbing and resting, my guide decided to give me a hand (literally). Holding hands, we starting "running" up the slope together. It was so much easier to go up with his help. There was momentum by running up the slope, and his tight grip on my hand prevented me from slipping backwards. Quickly and easily, i managed to complete that 1/3 of the summit with his help. At that point, i was really grateful for the help that my guide provided. He was much smaller in size than me, but yet he was strong enough to pull me up and get me up the cliff.
The second part of the summit hike was a long treacherous road, subjecting you to very harsh conditions. I was walking on a narrow path, where both sides were cliffs that i could fall to my death. I had to take small steps carefully. On top of the thin air, there were huge gusts of wind that was blowing. I was freezing cold, chattering, and could literally feel myself being blown away while walking. My lips were dry and exposed to the cold wind as i had forgotten to put on lip balm to protect them before setting off. Two of my teammates were far ahead of me. I was impressed by their endurance. I took frequent breaks behind the rocks in order to hide from the wind and to keep warm. Despite wearing thermal wear, pullover, long sleeve shirt and a windbreaker, i was still freezing cold. My toes felt like stones and i remember fearing that i had frostbites and that my toes would drop off. I took a really long time to walk along the cliff, and i knew that there was no way i could reach the summit. The third part of the summit was supposedly the hardest and i knew that i could not make it up before daybreak. As dawn approached, our guide led us to an area with several huge rocks to rest and watch the sunrise. Over there, a few more hikers joined us at the hideout, including 2 fellow Singaporeans. Despite not being at the summit, watching the sunrise from my hideout was equally satisfying. Indeed, not making it up to the summit will remain as a regret for me, but i can proudly say that i did try my best. Seeing the sun rise against the beautiful twilight sky, the white clouds beneath, the shadow of Mt Rinjani that was cast, the Mt Agung and Gili Islands faraway and the beautiful lake, I forgot about the hard time i had getting to that point. It made everything worthwhile and I would endure the harsh climb all over again. I guess that was the beauty of mountain climbing and why i love it. The process may be tough, but when you are at the summit (or near the summit this time), the rewards that you get - the view, the sense of accomplishments, all these are incredible. Mountain climbing is indeed an addiction.
Our guide proposed that we made our way down before the crowd came along from the summit. I agreed, as i knew that my speed would be slow and did not want to block the way of the crowd that would be coming along soon. With proper sunlight, I could see my way clearly and could walk much faster this time round. The cliff road did not seem to be as dangerous as i perceived in the dark, and i could complete it pretty quickly. Then, i got back to the slope where my guide gave me a hand. Going down the slope felt like i was skiing. Alas, i have a terrible sense of balance and fell several times, despite having a hiking stick to stabilize myself. I saw many Caucasians running down the slope, surpassing me while i was inching forward precariously, step by step. Are they born risk takers? I wondered to myself. It seemed that none of them were worried about falling or slipping. They managed to balance themselves perfectly while sliding down the sandy slopes, just like graceful skiers. Comparatively, I was worrying about each step i took, ensuring that i had a stable and firm step before moving forward. Once again, despite having a headstart on the descend, i took a long time to finally reach back to the campsite.
We had a long time to rest and pack at the campsite, as one of my teammate took a long time to return from the summit. Kudos to him, as it was indeed a test of your endurance which he rose up to. Despite not being able to reach the summit before daybreak, he still inched forward step by step which explained why he took such a long time. When he finally got back, we had lunch and thereafter, set off for our next campsite for the day which would be at the lake. We were all looking forward to the hot springs by the lake, where we could freshen up after being covered with 2 days worth of sweat, grime, dust and dirt. The hike towards the lake was much easier compared to what we endured in the morning. We were going downhill, and just had to watch our steps while balancing on the rocks. Enroute, we saw several climbers on their way up, and they panting and covered in sweat. We were glad that we were going down instead of up as their climb would require much more arm strength. The porters were amazing. They were balancing huge baskets with a bamboo pole on their shoulders, and with their slippers-clad feet, they could walk faster than us in both directions, either climbing up the rocks or going down. Impressive!
We finally reached the beautiful lake just before sunset, and quickly headed to the hot springs to freshen up before the sky turned dark.The 5 min walk to the hot spring turned to be at 15 min short climb and we were totally unprepared as we had already changed to our slippers instead of our hiking shoes. I guess the guide had yet to gauge our speed against the usual speed of other groups. (this was something that we constantly reminded him of over the next day). The Hot Springs had huge rocks covered in algae that was really slippery. As i soaked myself, i could feel my muscles relaxing from the hot water. It felt really good to feel clean again. Unfortunately, we could not enjoy ourselves much as the sky was turning dark quickly and we had to make our way back. We were not quick enough and the sky had turned pitch dark again. Luckily, some of us brought headlights so we tried to make our way back slowly. Very fortunately, one of the porters came along to fetch us with his strong headlight. I was really touched by how thoughtful he was. He knew that we would have a hard time getting back so he came to look for us and to provide the lighting needed. With his help, we made our way back as a group slowly, and managed to get back to the campsite safely.
This was yet another example of how thoughtful the porters are.
We had a quick dinner and turned in early again, being worn out from the early morning summit hike.
Day 4
Today would be the last day of our hike. The plan was to get to the crater rim, and go back down to Senaru from there. We explored the lake a little after breakfast before setting off. There were 2 other groups of Singaporeans camping near us and we took a group photo together. Team Singapore! One of them gave our guide a Singapore flag which he stuck on his head throughout the rest of the day. It made it really easy for us to recognize him from afar. We hiked around the lake and captured beautiful views. It was then time to make our way up by rock climbing. Although it was a tough climb hard where you had to rely on your arms to pull yourself up, you could see the beautiful volcano and lake each time u turned around. The beautiful view kept us motivated and we were also distracted by taking and posing for many photos. As we went up higher, the view turned even better. It made all the hard work worth it. The scenery was so breathtaking and everything felt peaceful and calm. Gone was all the stress and worries. I wanted to remember the moment - where i could hear my own breathing and apart from that, there was nothing. Nothing in my mind, total peace and it was just me, tiny little me, standing among the rocks, looking out to the fiery volcano in the middle of the sea-green lake with the mountain backdrop, together with the blue sky, white clouds and tall trees. The picture perfect moment of nature at its best, simply loving the calmness of it all. Interestingly, this very moment that i took in and remembered, served to help me later on. I was back at work a few days later, embroiled in stress, piles of work and tons of email to clear. One angry BM came up to me and started ranting rudely to me about how he didn't like the way things were done, and how he has escalated things to my bosses and that i need to be in control of how this and that gets done. I stared at him, nodding my head, pretending to be understanding, but in my mind, i was totally zen and back at my moment of calm. All i could think of was how big the world was, and how beautiful the world was outside. In face of this huge beautiful world, no matter how important this silly guy thinks of himself, we are really all equally tiny. His size and words didn't scare me anymore. I guess this moment of calm can also pretty much be applied for everything else in life. When face with failures, sadness, disappointments, etc., just think of how beautiful and huge the world is, and how insignificant those feelings are. Those negative feelings will pass and be forgotten as long as you focus on the positive. There is a huge world out there, that is just brimming with opportunities for us to pick ourselves up and try again.
Back to the climb, so we made our way up to the crater rim after an intense morning of rock climbing. It was noon by the time we reached and the sun was burning above our heads. Our guide dished out little treats again such as local chocolate snacks called Beng Beng and a cheese biscuits. Those snacks tasted heavenly, and i enjoyed them tremendously. I knew that given the same snacks back home, i would probably have not enjoyed them at all. During the hike, simple food fare tasted so good, and it did make me more appreciative of food. Isn't it hilarious that these simple food can provide the same amount of gratification as Michelin Star fine cuisine that cost so much more? Indeed, if you look at this from another perspective, it is all about your expectations, your environment and your feelings when you eat. I never thought much about food, being someone who eats to live instead of live to eat. I did make a mental note to be more appreciative of food when i get back home.
From the crater rim, we made our way down amidst the hot blazing sun to the next resting post for lunch. Despite wanting to move along faster in order to enjoy the shade, it was difficult as the terrain was a sandy, rocky and slippery slope, so it was impossible to walk fast. My guide suggested us to run, as he said running would make it easier. One of my teammates was game and starting running alongside him. I was amazed once again. There was no way i could run like them. Was i because i was too afraid of falling? Was it because I was too risk averse? Interestingly, i am a very slow and cautious climber, and my friend (that guy who ran alongside the guide) did tell me before, that i should have more faith in my trekking shoes. I was wearing an expensive pair of trekking shoes with proper grooves, but somehow, i was still too afraid. Maybe this is a reflection of me in real life. I am someone who is ultra risk-averse. I am always scared and always worrying. I do wonder when i can move on from being this worrisome self, perhaps engaging myself in more mountain trekking will help.
Lunch was gado gado with pineapple at a resting post. There were several greedy monkeys nearby and the Caucasians were fascinated by them. They were feeding them, and playing with the monkeys. We on the other hand, were just focusing on resting and eating to replenish our energy. Our guide assured us that the last part of the trek downwards would be easy, which turned out to be true. From post 3 onwards, it was a gentle descend back to Senaru through the forest and there were plenty of forest roots that served as steps. I came down with mixed feelings. On one hand, I was looking forward to having a nice clean bath at the beach resort we have booked, as well as a scrumptious seafood dinner, on the other hand, I felt sad to leave the wonderful peaceful mountain to go back to my stressful city life. As the sky was turning dark again, we walked very much faster than our usual pace, hoping to get back to the base as soon as possible. At one of the pitstops, our guide rewarded us with cans of coke. That coke felt so refreshing and gave us the energy to move on. It was such a simple treat - a coke, but it made all of us happy and satisfied. One of my teammates gave his can of coke to the porter instead, and the porter looked so happy. He didn't drink it, but kept the coke in his bag. He must be saving the coke for later. Life should be as simple as this, one can of coke - that's all it should take for us to be happy. Why doesn't it work in the real city life? That's another takeaway from my trip that i will ponder on.
As we were nearing the base, i fell and twisted my ankle. Luckily, i could still stand up and continue walking. I thought i was fine as it didn't hurt but when i went back to the hotel, i found that my entire ankle was swollen. At least I had a reason to take medical leave the next day. When we got back to the base, we gave the porters tips. We gave only about SGD$12 to each porter, but all of them were really happy. We were also glad that our small token of appreciation could make them happy. Indeed, these porters made a huge difference to our hiking experience, and i will always remember how they built a campfire for us while we were cold, came to guide us and provide light when we were trapped in the dark, and the many treats they dished out along the way. Even though they couldn't speak much English, we could feel their genuine care and concern for us through their actions and smiles.
Overall my Mt Rinjani trip was awesome. Even though i came back with a swollen ankle, swollen lips (from the sun and cold wind), sunburnt and peeling arms, it was still a trip that was well worth it, and definitely an experience that i will remember for a long time to come.
Till the next mountain or adventure.
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