Exploring The Gorgeous Mount Merbabu

by: Hana Elleonora

exploring your adventure in nature

Everybody loves nature, right? The peaceful sound of bird chirp playing in your head releases all your stress. The breathtaking scenery along the way will make you amazed the God's creation. One of the way to enjoy your adventure in nature is by climbing the mountain.

Climbing mount Merbabu is somewhat treacherous. From the distance it looks very easy and not steep at all to climb up. There are three official route to climb the mount Merbabu. I choose Wekas route to hike up and Selo route as the way back. Where Wekas is located in Wekas village, Magelang and the other one is in Boyolali, both located in East Java. It takes about eight hours to reach the top of Merbabu through the shortest ' yet toughest and steepest- track called the Wekas route.

As Selo village is also the starting point for climbing mount Merapi, my team had a big deal to climb mount Merapi just after we had enough rest after all the exhausting days to climb mount Merbabu.

At the first glance it looks also as the path now would be wider, but it's not. It's continuously covered with weed and still wetting the pants. Crossing a reed field one comes out to a small plain where it's possible to walk for a short distance easily. That's followed by a first very steep slope. Steps are made in the clayground. The Merapi is to see again in it's full glory.

After reaching the first peak, one realizes that it's not the final one, but it's continuing over another short plain. Behind that there is another very steep slope, leading to another peak. That is a dangerous way up, for the steepness and the fact, that there is nothing to hold on. A wrong step or slippery could easily cause a long downfall for dozens of meters. That's advanced difficulty level. Later, on the way back I found out that there is another, much easier and far less dangerous way to go up.

Well, one is thinking now, that this peak is finally the last and highest one, but it's still not. After making it up there another plain appears, a few smaller peaks to the right and now, in the very background, the final, main peak of Mount Merbabu. Surprisingly still much, much higher to climb, still far away. So, one walks over the plain and passes a small forest of a kind of mountain trees I have never seen before.

After a final, very steep climb upwards one reaches finally the real peak of Mount Merbabu. It's a great view from here over parts of cental Java, like out of a plane. Neighbouring Mount Merapi looks small from here. Merbabu (3142 m) is 231 meters higher than it's smoking neighbour. Besides there are several more mountains to see around, some of them are active volcanos, other non-active former volcanos. That's what Java really shaped.

the gorgeous mount Merbabu

Thus, exploring your adventure in nature especially climbing mount Merbabu is extremely magnificent experience you will never forget in your lifetime because you can release your stress by enjoying the beauty of nature.

Emen, The Positive and Kind Seller

Emen, The Positive and Kind Seller

by Faris Hardiyan

Emen, it was the nickname he got when he decided to start selling fried rice in a no longer used public telephone area near the security post at a crowded housing complex called Jatiagung. He forgot why the resident started to call him “emen”, but he is okay with that. 

Emen was selling fried rice to the resident since 1996. At first he was moving around the complex offering his cuisine. Until 2000 he finally can opened his own food stall. He did everything for his food stall by his own. He prepared everything, and also cooked the cuisine by his own. 

Eventhough he sell his cuisine in a housing complex, he lives on a house with only two rooms and a lavatory at the outter area of the complex. He live with his wife, his children already got married and move to another place. For about one kilo meter from his house, live his brother that also sell fried rice for living. 

He is happy with his life. “I love my life. Living in a poor area doesn’t mean that I have to feel sad and regret my own life.” He said. 

The complex resident was happy with him. He is a nice person, and he likes to help other when there is some trouble with them. The funny and also a ironic part is he knows the resident better than the resident itself. He open his food stall from six pm to one or two am in the midnight, then about 8 to 9 pm, some elder men start to hanging out and gossiping on his stall or playing card on the security post. He said, “I even know this complex resident even better than the resident itself from the talk of those elder men. They like to gossiping other resident, just like elder woman.” That is why he likes to help others when they have some trouble. 

“I always try to see the good in everything. Because life isn’t that hard when I always see the good in everything and I never forget to always feel blessed and thank to God about what I have now.”

fhardiyan

The Moodbooster Coffee Shop

The Moodbooster Coffee Shop

Faris Hardiyan

            I wonder who can resist the freshness of Iced Cappucino after a long way drive home from campus or office? My mood was instantly cheered up when I put the straw to my lips and drink my Iced Cappucino at Gudang Rottie coffee shop after struggling the Jakarta’s road chaos. 

Front door of the shop

It has a perfect atmosphere for a coffee shop. The shop is quite small but cozy, they use yellow lamp as a lighting which also makes a comfortable atmosphere. The use of green color and some wooden part for the chair and the decoration was a pleasure for eyes to see.  With only about six table of four placed in the front and two tables of three placed near the kitchen provided by the shop, it makes me feel private.  For me, the perfect time to enjoy the shop’ atmosphere is after 6 pm.

  

As I entered the shop, I could smell the coffee aroma and also not-so-freshly-baked bread, which is another great addition to called this coffee shop is a perfect one. Either for doing assignment or even have a great-deep-quality-time with your friends and love one.  The waitress great me nicely then led me to my table, which make me feel appreciated as a customer.

The atmosphere of the shop.

The shop isn’t only sell coffee but they also sell bread as their main product. Eventhough I came there on the evening, I could see the well-prepared stack of various kinds of flavor of bread and also some muffin and brownies placed near the front door and cashier. There were also some cake placed neatly on the right side of the cashier.

As I enjoyed my fresh and moodboosting Iced Cappucino, I smell a freshly baked toast delivered to table next to me. Then, I Immediately ask the waitress what kind of toast was that. With a big smile and low voice she answered me, “it is a toast topped with ovomaltine, one of our champion in the menu.” Without thinking any longer, I decided to order that. For about ten minutes later, the waitress returned with another big smile saying, “The champ is coming.”

The ovomaltine toast

 I was lost for a second because of the smell of the toast. It was tempting. Then I eat my first sliced of the toast. The crunchiness of the bread blended with the chocolate from ovomaltine makes the toast taste even better. The bread is not too soft and also not too burnt. The toast instantly added to my favorite list. For about twenty thousand rupiah, it was a great deal for a-mouthwatering-and-delicious ovomaltine toast comparing with another shop that sell the same toast.

After taking a last sliced of my Toast and a last sipped of my Iced Cappucino, I was asking for the check to the waitress. She came to me with the check and a warm smile, saying “thank you,” and hoped I’d return. I definitely love to come back to this moodboosting coffee shop.

I’m Spellbound in a Natural Place, Kebun Bambu Restaurant

I’m Spellbound in a Natural Place, Kebun Bambu Restaurant

By Tiara Ristyana

 In 2013, my family and I went to hometown to meet our relatives in Comal, Central Java. Have you heard about Comal? Comal is the name of sub-districts in Pemalang, Central Java. "Comal" is the name of a river in the area of Comal. Comal is very close to Pekalongan, the famous town with Batik in Central Java or we often called it “Kota Batik”. 

It was 2 pm when the sun was so bright and the street was so crowd. We decided to park our car in the roadside near the school and traditional market. I stood in a silent for a minute and looked around. Comal...it was very different. I felt everything was so unpretentious. I saw the people who used a pedicab as their vehicle to go the traditional market and they brought a basket made of plaited bamboo. Another thing that I saw in there; most of the doors of their house were made of wood which was carved in a different motif. It became my special signal if I went to my hometown “If I see those, it means I already arrive in Java”. 

Suddenly, the sound of the horn from a big truck made me shocked in a daydream for a moment. My mother called my name for several times, she wanted to asked me to find a restaurant near the street because we were hungry and need to rest. We found a restaurant, named “Kebun Bambu”, a restaurant near the “SMA 1 Comal”. Kebun Bambu restaurant is located in Ahmad Yani Street No. 33A Comal, Central Java. When I entered the restaurant after that my step paused for a moment when I saw the natural beauty of this restaurant. The waitress approached us while she asked where we wanted to seat.  We sat under the hut, a small hut made of wood covered with the roofs. 

I saw everything in detail. Started from the table which made from a wood, the waitress, the clothes which the waitress wore, until around of this restaurant. The tables made of the thick wood which was on the edge of the tables were not mashed in order to make it looked artistic and traditional. There was also a “kentongan” (a drum made from bamboo or wood) which the function as a tool to call the waitress. 

The clothes which wore by the waitress was captured my view. They used a unique uniform. For her clothes, they wore a traditional kebaya which is often used by Javanese. They weren’t wearing pants, but they were wearing a brown batik fabric with a very beautiful motif. 

Javanese is famous with their polite behaviour and soft when they are talking with someone. This is what I saw and heard when the waitress approached my table and asked what I wanted to order. It made my heart feel surprised, astonished, and said "it turns out that there is also a restaurant that not only preserved the traditional elements but also still retains the character of Javanese".

I really enjoyed the environment at the Prima’s restaurant. On the behind where my family and I ate, it can be seen a spacious garden with green grass and beautiful flowers which were planted there. The wind blows the leaves and flowers sway and made me think how beautiful nature that God created. What a beautiful nature!

After I ordered “Kepiting Soka”, a special food in Kebun Bambu restaurant, we decided to go home. Before we left the restaurant, one of the waitresses came close and invited us to come to the Batik and Souvenir shop in this restaurant. After everything was done, we left the restaurant and the waitresses said “Thank you for coming, we hope you can come back to the Kebun Bambu Restaurant.” they said that with a smile and spoke with a heavy Java.

Finding a Pleasure in an Authentic Place

Finding a Pleasure in an Authentic Place

The wind blew and filled the room as I opened the windows in the dawn, while Adzan Subuh reverberated. I let the coldness stabbed my bones and covered my body until the sun came into the sky. Then I moved my feet to the grassy field. It was cold and wet, tickled the sole of my feet. The dew on the grassy field brought a clean redolence to my nose. I stayed still and closed my eyes, felt the warmness of the sun. Then I took a deep breath and let the pure air filled my lungs. Ah, my morning was always perfect at my grandparents’ home. 

Located in Kepanjen regency, Malang, the home of my grandparents is very peaceful. Entering the gate, the freshness of Kananga flowers and the sweetness of jasmine greet everyone who comes. Those smells mixed perfectly in the air and gave positive energy. Besides the grassy field, a glossy yellow hibiscus and red roses which planted side by side invariably captured attention. A purple orchid made the view more beautiful.

As well as flowers, many kinds of herbs and fruits also cultivated there. The biggest one that caught an eye is the four meters high of rambutan tree. The bloody red rambutans hanged attractively when it’s fructify and enacted people to take it. Close to the rambutan tree, a good smell came from a shorter tree but bigger fruit. It was jackfruit and its unbeatable strong yet sweet smell. Near the jackfruit tree, there was a fence that kept little herbs such as chili, ginger, galangal, tomato, and lime. Those seemed colorful as it’s grew, mixed beautifully with the green of the fresh grass. Therefore, the fertile soil made everything grew adequately there, so cooking was the best activity since whatever’s needed is available. 

At the back of the house, there was a little farm covered with a pebble ground. The roosters and ducks called each other; produced a beautiful melodious every single morning. The little splash of water heard from catfish pool as I stepped further. Moreover, there was a barn from bamboo, built for the hens and the quails that incubate their eggs. Completed with neon light at night, the barn seemed very warm yet unique to be seen. 

I believe that living in the village is more beautiful, and sometimes easier rather than in the city. The fresh and clean air provides the best oxygen for the lungs. The chilly atmospheres will always serene my mind and soul. Similarly, it overflows to boost my mood and energy. The fertile soil grows everything’s planted. If the saturated and exhausted of the glamorous of the city attack me, visiting village can be the main option to refresh and recover myself.

-Nugrahani-