Roaring 21

A record for my ascension—————————-
i had my day-off on July 29th 2008, i knew this thing in advanced so that i arranged my self to join an ascension to the one of active volcanoe, the mount located in The West Java, it is Papandayan Mount, round 2262 meters above the ocean surface. well, along with three of my friends, we left Jakarta in the night of July 28th, after work-hour, by getting in the Office’s Bus. i am so happy to attire as a boulevardier, jacket and cap, that i felt as the real hitchhiker. we were dropped by in the freeway, then we had a general-vehicle take us to the terminal, from where we would start leaving Jakarta to West Java and we prayed first before did that.
i had my own reason to do this unusual thing, i just feel in boredom to rely on someone else, meanwhile i realized that i cannot live that way. nothing to help me, but my hands and head. it is just like an indirectly evidence to myself that i can leave away behind all my dependencies and live on my own.i am just on my thought that i need to be arround to grow. and then something came up. that was my journey to Papandayan. it is not a written-detestation to those surrounding me, even i owed a threat to them a lot,it is just my decision to come as i am, as my thought and as my mindset, nothing more.
we reached Terminal of Garut at 02.00 AM and had a little stop-over about a half hour.we continued going by taking a little bus which would take us to the entrance gate to the Papandayan’s area. it took us about 120 minutes to complete then we had been already in a Masjid to have a nap while waiting for Adzan for Sholat Shubuh. it was so cold to be in the dawn there that i was jerky and shivered. i wore three layers of apparels but it didn’t work to protect me from the cold. i kept folding both of my hands before my chest. arrived there at 04.00 AM, we didn’t want to miss the sunrise moment soon we called several ojeks to take us to the valley of the mount, then i lo and behold when the sun arose from the West and it was getting higher and higher untill became invisible to see. i smiled at the world before me and said that it might be the same sun i am going to see when i study abroad someday.
that was at 07.30 AM then we decided to start climbing, i was in euforia indeed. i couldn’t wait being in the summit of the mount’s hill. i breathed tediously because it was tiresome verily. but my entushiasm defeted it, i left my group several meters behind and stepped the rock hill with bravity i had. i could see my friends in the smallest size in my sight. and i had to slant my eyes to see them. from the rock i saw a verdure inviting me to come, not too long i was already on my way to get it then within several minutes i almost got it, but i got stuck because the thing i saw as something amazing, actually it was a just the slabs of big mountain grass with all manners of died branches and twigs.another thing attracted me to see was,when i viewed from the far,white fog came up from the hill since i didn’t know what it was at first, and i looked at my friends then i witnessed that they had been there and saw what the thing coming up within the hill, i turned my direction to reach there but on the way i made, i was stumbled by debris of rocks and i was wounded, but it is ok.
afterward, i saw it, actually it was a crater of sulfure and because of its heat, it released it in from of fog. round of 3 meters next to me was a boiling mud, i could feel the heat from several meters before it. now i know the mud worried by the people in Sidoarjo. it was so terrible that it became impossible for them to live close to the mud.we continued walking and we grabbed a pleasure spot to take a rest and it was just within round 5 minutes i closed my eyes then i got sleep, may be because of the air, it was so fresh that led one to sleep, including me.
i looked forward to possessing more nap but i couldn’t. we were still at the steep that was still quite far from the summit of the mount. i awaked to go for the peak along with my friends, but one of us chose to stay at the valley, he didn’t make any effort to climb as we did. it seemed to be impossible because of his weight.well, step by step we walked while throwing our glance to the nature before us, in a spot i perfomed my bow to ALLAH.SWT for the blessing
taking me to the life i had untill now. the scenery was great, cool and dazzling especially at the ascending route to the peak, it had its edge so close with the canyon that i stood at it with great feeling, i shouted my name and i heard its echo. also there, i said to my self that insyaALLAH, i could be accepted in STAN D3 Khusus next year, study abroad someday and be a leader in my working environment in the future,amin.
my adrenaline was challenged when i was faced with a hard track to pass in order to reach the top of the mount. it was in perpendicularity and there was no ground, but the rocks. wasn’t it amazing?i kept focusing to reach the summit,it made me to regardless of the obstacles encountering me.about 3 hours later i completed the hard track and already at the peak. along i threw my glance was a deserted dessert.a natural park was laid before me indeed. a rare species of flower grew there, with gorgeous flower and impressive leaves.that was the Daisy. i picked some stems up and kept them into my bag.i took them home :), it was just like a vandalism, but i am very sorry for that.the deserted dessert was inhabited by Pig, i guessed it from the trace formed on the sand i watched, very long and long untill disappeared into the bush. i perpetuated that moment by taking some photos evolving as the model.i had no fearness when i was alone abandoned by my friends since i was very sleepy meanwhile they wondered to have a look arround that summit, i just let them go and fell asleep.
we wouldn’t be in a long time to be on the top, we need to descend soon, if we didn’t want to be darkened by the smog in the afternoon, many climbers lost because the smog covered their way.we didn’t want to be that way. well to descend was just much easier that ascend, but we must be more carefull and more patient stumbled by the stobeacuse if we are in hurry we will be nes or the sands. in the middle of the descending we stopped for a moment in a river with a little drift and waterfall.i soaked my hand into the pure-stagnant water and i was jerky, it was very cold but fresh. then i watered my face, my head to get a new freshness. so did my friends. then we left it to continue descending. but i seemed to become further left my friends behind, and my friends just were on their leisure to take some photos about sulfure lake.
round of 100 meters behind me were a young guy carrying a basket and as the time went he was getting closer to me and finally we were in the same point. i greeted him first and he replied and told me that his name was Wawan, he was 25 years old and he worked as a farmer in a farming-land. he asked where i lived, i said that i lived in Jakarta and to be here for my vacation, suddenly he asked me if i lived close to the PRJ, because he told me that once in a year he went to Jakarta, just to see PRJ at Kemayoran, The Central Jakarta. i was proud of him when he told me that everyday he worked to the farming-land, planted with potato, carrot and cabbage,and the area was far from his home, it took him about 3 hours on foot to get there, meaning that he had to get up at 5 o’clock AM every morning if he expected to be there at 8 o’clock AM. and he had to leave his farm at 3 o’clock PM if he wanted to be at home at 6 o’clock PM.one of the real hardworkers ever.
Alhamdulillah i reached the shelter, the place where we had our rest when we had just arrived,i laid my body in a long desk and i had several snacks to eat, good for healing my starvation from the peak. when i walked arround the shelter i saw a little boy playing alone with no friend, then i approached him but he was scared at me, he just ran toward to his father, we smiled at one another, the his father introduced himself then i nodded as an acknowledge sign. i asked his son, who his name was, but he was just petrified. then his father said that his name was Ro’is, he also briefed what its mean, it meant Leader, because Ro’is means Leader, well, i just prayed for him, hope someday Ro’is his son, can be a leader as he expected to.
so how about me? Erikson Wijaya, well in short it means that my parents want to say "My son, Erik, Hope one day you will be a wealth, prosperous and a leader like Raden Wijaya, a king from Majapahit Kingdom" and i amin to that indeed, because i do believe that there is a pray within our own name given by our folks.
not long after that all of us were ready to go back to Jakarta, then i got home at 01.00 AM and afterward i started writing this. and be the thing you read right now.ok then i thank you all. just keep making efforts and praying,
amin.
Erikson