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All smiles before walking..
yes..it was cold!
looking at the map and studying the Dos and Don'ts of
climbing Mt Lawu
And so I climbed..and I walked...and I huffed and puffed my way up to the mountain! Noo..it wasn't planned for this mountain 'walk' of ours. You can say that we were somewhat tricked to do it :P Jan, our music director is an avid 'walker', and he has the training and stamina for such an activity . The walk really took a toll on a few of us . Going up was still o-k-a-y, but coming down really takes the cake off the icing. The so call 'trail' wasn't a proper one. Mostly made up of stones, branches, roots and muddy grounds. Plus the 'steps' were pretty steep..so going down really takes more effort. It's no joke putting all our weight on our feet, it hurts, especially the knees. With all that said, it was an eye opener to most of us as we are the non- sporty kinda people xpt for Alicia :P Even so, it proved to be a tough job for her as well..
I am quite pleased with myself for being able to ascend to the height that we were at :P
waving goodbye to us as we leave for
our climb :p
they decided not to join
our climb :p
they decided not to join
All smiles before walking..
yes..it was cold!
looking at the map and studying the Dos and Don'ts of
climbing Mt Lawu
After being briefed by the not very cooperative native guide ( really..it was a very brief briefing )
we were send off to the dark wilderness. Armed with a few torch lights, water, chocolates and biscuits.. we fumbled our way up. It was fairly easy for starters...but after 30 mins, we realised it wasn't easy peasy as it seemed. Some people were not shining the torch properly, some were walking too fast, while others lag behind. So you can hear '' hey stop stop..can't see..'' or '' hey guys in front..slow down''. Those in front would warn the rest of slippery paths, logs in the way, or steep moments. Alot of coordination and cooperation is needed.
I dunno to say that I am lucky or not, the guide was pulling me up most of the time as firstly, I do not have the torch and also was lagging behind. So in the end, I was all the way in front. Soon, we arrived at some pit stop, took a break and we all look up into the sky... and wow. It was truly a breath taking moment. Stars glittering up above. I mean yes, such sights can be witness in some parts of M'sia as well..and doesn't have to take one to go all the way to the mountains to see it. It was pitch black around us as we were surrounded by the forestation and stuck in the middle of nowhere ..
We couldn't stay long at the pit stop, so we marched forth again. It seems like never ending , but we persevered on.
Finally! We reached a clearing and guess what! A glimpse of dawn ~! It was 4.45am or so and the day is breaking... we were delighted with the view that greeted us . The sound of prayer was also heard in the air. It was a good spot for picture taking so quite a few of us lingered at the clearing for pictures as well as taking in the awesome view
we were send off to the dark wilderness. Armed with a few torch lights, water, chocolates and biscuits.. we fumbled our way up. It was fairly easy for starters...but after 30 mins, we realised it wasn't easy peasy as it seemed. Some people were not shining the torch properly, some were walking too fast, while others lag behind. So you can hear '' hey stop stop..can't see..'' or '' hey guys in front..slow down''. Those in front would warn the rest of slippery paths, logs in the way, or steep moments. Alot of coordination and cooperation is needed.
I dunno to say that I am lucky or not, the guide was pulling me up most of the time as firstly, I do not have the torch and also was lagging behind. So in the end, I was all the way in front. Soon, we arrived at some pit stop, took a break and we all look up into the sky... and wow. It was truly a breath taking moment. Stars glittering up above. I mean yes, such sights can be witness in some parts of M'sia as well..and doesn't have to take one to go all the way to the mountains to see it. It was pitch black around us as we were surrounded by the forestation and stuck in the middle of nowhere ..
We couldn't stay long at the pit stop, so we marched forth again. It seems like never ending , but we persevered on.
Finally! We reached a clearing and guess what! A glimpse of dawn ~! It was 4.45am or so and the day is breaking... we were delighted with the view that greeted us . The sound of prayer was also heard in the air. It was a good spot for picture taking so quite a few of us lingered at the clearing for pictures as well as taking in the awesome view
Alas, it was also at this junction that our group got separated. Two of our friends, Jan and Nico decided to venture on (the lousy guide went off too with them ) , as we said we would catch up after photo taking and some breather. As they moved on, Alicia and Nassar decided to tail them ( only later did we found out that they didn't managed to catch up with the guys ) . So the rest of us just take it slow and made our way up, thinking that it wouldn't take us long before reaching the peak.
Boy were we so wrong! Bend after bend, we were disappointed.. it was more climbing.. and some of us really had no energy and nor motivation left to continue. We realised it was quite impossible to catch up with them anymore. Not long after deciding not to go on further, we heard Nassar's voice calling out to one of us ..only then we found out that our group of 9 have been divided in to 3 groups. We were pretty disappointed that Jan did not wait for us but proceeded on. We got quite emotional when we caught up with Alica and Nassar. It was just a relive seeing them. We were wondering if we were ever gonna make our way out of the mountains. Of course by t his time it was already day break so we though getting down shouldn't be too difficult..but of coz , it was the going down that was the toughest.
So yes, we gave up on the peak and decided to make our way down . By then my toes were already pretty swollen * given my bunion situtation, it only made it worst* Anyway, I think I am getting really long winded with this post.. * can't help it... we had such an adventure!* So to cut the story short, it was excruitating pain with every step I take and I was feeling really light headed as we descend ..why so? Like I mentioned, it wasn't a smooth trail, it was made up of stones, muddy and slippery grounds , not to mention roots of trees in our way. So it was really necessary to look down as you walk. I slipped countless times and a pal kinda helped me along the way, supporting me as we walked . Thanks to this bunch of friends for making the walk fun and interesting. After a horrible 5 odd hours, we finally heard sounds of motorcycles and I tell you it was pure joy to know that we have once again returned to civilization.
Have you walked 12 hours without sleep and proper food before? I have..
Breathtaking sights along the way
Boy were we so wrong! Bend after bend, we were disappointed.. it was more climbing.. and some of us really had no energy and nor motivation left to continue. We realised it was quite impossible to catch up with them anymore. Not long after deciding not to go on further, we heard Nassar's voice calling out to one of us ..only then we found out that our group of 9 have been divided in to 3 groups. We were pretty disappointed that Jan did not wait for us but proceeded on. We got quite emotional when we caught up with Alica and Nassar. It was just a relive seeing them. We were wondering if we were ever gonna make our way out of the mountains. Of course by t his time it was already day break so we though getting down shouldn't be too difficult..but of coz , it was the going down that was the toughest.
So yes, we gave up on the peak and decided to make our way down . By then my toes were already pretty swollen * given my bunion situtation, it only made it worst* Anyway, I think I am getting really long winded with this post.. * can't help it... we had such an adventure!* So to cut the story short, it was excruitating pain with every step I take and I was feeling really light headed as we descend ..why so? Like I mentioned, it wasn't a smooth trail, it was made up of stones, muddy and slippery grounds , not to mention roots of trees in our way. So it was really necessary to look down as you walk. I slipped countless times and a pal kinda helped me along the way, supporting me as we walked . Thanks to this bunch of friends for making the walk fun and interesting. After a horrible 5 odd hours, we finally heard sounds of motorcycles and I tell you it was pure joy to know that we have once again returned to civilization.
Have you walked 12 hours without sleep and proper food before? I have..
Breathtaking sights along the way
1 comment:
Makes the victory all the more sweeter! ;) *hugs*
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