Hi!
We were there for only two days, from Saturday to Sunday. When we got there, it was... crowded enough. It's a shame though, because we all wanted to have good times in Papandayan without a lot of people around us, he he. We took our carriers out and we bought rice and went to pray first. Before we started to climb, we had to sign ourselves up in security's post to make sure everyone who wants to climb will be back safely. All we needed to do was filling the form about ourselves.
We started to climb at 3.00 PM. The track was pretty good.
But you know... I didn't try to have any exercises before, so it was really TIRING I swore! God, all those climbs, especially when there were stairs! But, I finally made it, we made it halfway. I saw a fumarole between the cliffs. It was awesome to see it by my own eyes. I'd never seen an active sulfur smoke came out from the surface. We met a guard in the middle post and there were two tracks to go to the top. The guard explained those two tracks, the advantages and disadvantages. He recommended us to continue through the second track, the easier one. We took them because it's getting late already.
We continued to walk and climb. It was tough, as I said I didn't have any exercises before going here. It's 5.00 PM and we found a spot that was near to public toilet and some traditional stalls, it was in Gubber Hood Climbing Post. As we had arrived, the moment was sunset. It was really calming and the wind didn't try so hard to touch the trees. It was all meant to be just like that and I was grateful for it.
We looked for a comfortable spot and luckily we found one near the edge. Oh, I need to tell you something. I actually use a new rangefinder camera! He he he. It was Seagull DF-300X for body and Minolta for the lens. I was super excited because this trip was the first time I used the camera. I also used the new film, My Heart 200! As you saw before, the first seven photos were using My Heart film. It was only 16 frames but the color was pretty good, I felt like using Fujifilm Superia 200 but with stronger tones. While using this new camera, I tried to capture good moments and gestures when we arrived on the spot to stay. But, there's something wrong - the winding lever and the shutter release button were both stuck. I assumed that it happened because of the cold temperature, I don't know. Sometimes they were stuck, sometimes they worked, but mostly after the sunset moment they were stuck so I was a little bit sad.
We built a tent and turned out it was quick enough for us to build it. Last time I built in Ranca Upas, it took about an hour because none of my friends was good enough to build a tent, haha! After we had built the tent, we prepared ourselves to cook for dinner, except for Danu - he prepared the bonfire. In front of the tent, we tried to bring the topics for killing time while we were cooking dinner and making bonfire. It was very valuable and positive for me personally to talk with your good friends through the night and we unconsciously started to have this bond with each other that we can't explain it.
We waited a little longer to see the stars at night but I think the nature didn't make us to watch the stars. At around 11.00 PM the sky's still cloudy and we could barely see the stars, so we decided to sleep to save more energy for tomorrow's sunrise.
We woke up at 5.00 AM and we put the tent facing the east. So, when we got out from the tent, we were welcomed by the very strong orange line from the skies. It was very beautiful. I really wanted to take this sunrise moment, but my button camera didn't work. It's still fine because I can still experience the atmosphere, the color of the sun, and how nature was connected by the sunlight.
After experiencing the sunrise and seeing it beautifully for about an hour, we had gone back to our tent and prepared for our breakfast. We had breakfast, but we felt like we didn't like the food... so we didn't finish it all, sorry. After that, we packed our things to go back to the base camp. We would go through Edelweiss field and dead forest of Papandayan (Hutan Mati). We started to walk at 10.00 AM. I did take some pictures from my phone when we arrived at Edelweiss field. It was very spacious and the sun's really friendly that day. We arrived at Hutan Mati and it was just... beautiful! How can I say something beautiful without the word beautiful? Err.., perhaps exquisite. :) We spent time at Hutan Mati for an hour, then we got back to the base camp or the parking lot.
As we were arriving to the parking lot at around 1.00 PM, Danu soon went to security's post to report our return. Then, went home safely. It's really sad to go back to reality... to be honest. We were stupid not to take lunch first, the traffic's very bad and we had to wait our lunch until we headed back to Bandung at 5.00 PM. When we got back to Bandung, we chose Iga Dullers for our hunger's revenge and our not-so-good food when we were in Papandayan, lol.
The two well-spent days are over, but I am very glad to be a part of this little spontaneous trip. People are sometimes saturated with their lives in the city, big city. People have their own problems and sometimes they need to get away from their busy-rush activities and look further to what the world actually has for us, one of them is to see its nature. It doesn't mean you run from your reality, but it means you appreciate yourself as a human and you maybe need to recharge your battery by doing this. After doing this trip, I feel like I have recharged myself and it's relieving for me.
So, here's to people who love to keep silent for awhile and remember what you have been through after all this time, a song to remind us that we are all worth to stay alive. :)
Last week I was able to go to Papandayan Mountain, finally! It's been years I'd been wanted to go there. And, there's one of my friend asked me and the other two friends to go to Papandayan. So, we agreed to go! I only prepared a full package of clothing (to change in case it'd be raining), medicines, food to be cooked on the overnight spot, water bottle (duh!), essentials like headlamp; pocket knife; thick jacket (it'd be super cold at night!); and climbing shoes. My friend said we needed buff to cover our nose to smell the sulfur.
Papandayan Mountain is located in Garut, West Java. It's not that far if you departure from Bandung. It is a stratovolcano and it contains so much sulfur and there are some active fumarole. We started to drive (by my car) at 10.00 AM and arrived in Cisurupan, Garut at 2.00 PM. To make it faster, we used the highway road. The traffic's fine, we enjoyed our little road trip.
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| We used the highway in Cilenyi Highway Road. The picture was only a half-frame because the rest was burned. |
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| I call them Oces, Danu, and Niti - my companions for this Papandayan trip! |
We were there for only two days, from Saturday to Sunday. When we got there, it was... crowded enough. It's a shame though, because we all wanted to have good times in Papandayan without a lot of people around us, he he. We took our carriers out and we bought rice and went to pray first. Before we started to climb, we had to sign ourselves up in security's post to make sure everyone who wants to climb will be back safely. All we needed to do was filling the form about ourselves.
We started to climb at 3.00 PM. The track was pretty good.
But you know... I didn't try to have any exercises before, so it was really TIRING I swore! God, all those climbs, especially when there were stairs! But, I finally made it, we made it halfway. I saw a fumarole between the cliffs. It was awesome to see it by my own eyes. I'd never seen an active sulfur smoke came out from the surface. We met a guard in the middle post and there were two tracks to go to the top. The guard explained those two tracks, the advantages and disadvantages. He recommended us to continue through the second track, the easier one. We took them because it's getting late already.
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| He's Danu, the one that asked me and my friends to go here - Papandayan Mt. |
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| She's Niti, my cousin. |
We looked for a comfortable spot and luckily we found one near the edge. Oh, I need to tell you something. I actually use a new rangefinder camera! He he he. It was Seagull DF-300X for body and Minolta for the lens. I was super excited because this trip was the first time I used the camera. I also used the new film, My Heart 200! As you saw before, the first seven photos were using My Heart film. It was only 16 frames but the color was pretty good, I felt like using Fujifilm Superia 200 but with stronger tones. While using this new camera, I tried to capture good moments and gestures when we arrived on the spot to stay. But, there's something wrong - the winding lever and the shutter release button were both stuck. I assumed that it happened because of the cold temperature, I don't know. Sometimes they were stuck, sometimes they worked, but mostly after the sunset moment they were stuck so I was a little bit sad.
We built a tent and turned out it was quick enough for us to build it. Last time I built in Ranca Upas, it took about an hour because none of my friends was good enough to build a tent, haha! After we had built the tent, we prepared ourselves to cook for dinner, except for Danu - he prepared the bonfire. In front of the tent, we tried to bring the topics for killing time while we were cooking dinner and making bonfire. It was very valuable and positive for me personally to talk with your good friends through the night and we unconsciously started to have this bond with each other that we can't explain it.
We waited a little longer to see the stars at night but I think the nature didn't make us to watch the stars. At around 11.00 PM the sky's still cloudy and we could barely see the stars, so we decided to sleep to save more energy for tomorrow's sunrise.
We woke up at 5.00 AM and we put the tent facing the east. So, when we got out from the tent, we were welcomed by the very strong orange line from the skies. It was very beautiful. I really wanted to take this sunrise moment, but my button camera didn't work. It's still fine because I can still experience the atmosphere, the color of the sun, and how nature was connected by the sunlight.
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| It's from Niti's camera, she's using Canon Prima Zoom 76 and film Kodak 200. |
After experiencing the sunrise and seeing it beautifully for about an hour, we had gone back to our tent and prepared for our breakfast. We had breakfast, but we felt like we didn't like the food... so we didn't finish it all, sorry. After that, we packed our things to go back to the base camp. We would go through Edelweiss field and dead forest of Papandayan (Hutan Mati). We started to walk at 10.00 AM. I did take some pictures from my phone when we arrived at Edelweiss field. It was very spacious and the sun's really friendly that day. We arrived at Hutan Mati and it was just... beautiful! How can I say something beautiful without the word beautiful? Err.., perhaps exquisite. :) We spent time at Hutan Mati for an hour, then we got back to the base camp or the parking lot.
 |
| This was captured by my iPhone 6s, Edelweiss field. |
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| We got into Hutan Mati. |
The two well-spent days are over, but I am very glad to be a part of this little spontaneous trip. People are sometimes saturated with their lives in the city, big city. People have their own problems and sometimes they need to get away from their busy-rush activities and look further to what the world actually has for us, one of them is to see its nature. It doesn't mean you run from your reality, but it means you appreciate yourself as a human and you maybe need to recharge your battery by doing this. After doing this trip, I feel like I have recharged myself and it's relieving for me.
So, here's to people who love to keep silent for awhile and remember what you have been through after all this time, a song to remind us that we are all worth to stay alive. :)
And remember, we are always finding our own light in our own time. It's always beautiful when the time has come to you, you just have to seek more to find it, in your own way. :)
All photos (except the ones that from Niti's camera and my phone) were taken by Seagull DF-300X with Minolta Lens and films: My Heart 200, Ektar 100, and Portra 160.
