After I came back from Rinjani, I discovered that a fragment of the perimeter of the lens cap of my Olympus Stylus XZ 2 broke off. I did not drop the camera and it was okay when I was in Gili Trawangan. I was puzzled how it was damaged. So I tried to buy a […]
Gunong Rinjani National Park is slightly more than half the size of Singapore’s 716 square kilometres. The park is amazing and beautiful with a variety of vegetation and interesting geographical features from caldera-lake and hot springs, to active volcanoes and a recently formed new mountain; from grasslands to alpine and equatorial forest. The air is […]
At the end of our trek, we compared the level of difficulty of the Rinjani trek with the many Kinabalu treks we have done. Most of the trekkers have done Kinabalu a few times. It was unanimously agreed by all who have done both, that the Rinjani trek was tougher. I had talked about this […]
In my treks, I often feel the majesty, intelligence and beautiful designs of God’s creation. It could be the sunrise or the sunset. Sometimes it’s the feeling of being above the clouds. Sometimes it’s the waterfall or the vast grasslands or cultivated fields. Or the play of light on leaves and slopes and water. Other […]
Somebody said, “When you want to travel with others, start by looking for congenial companions, not for desirable destinations.” In my case it was relatively simple. I have been traveling with this group of mature, congenial friends of different backgrounds for years. Two common threads holds us together. One is a shared interest in trekking. […]
Loose volcanic gravel coupled with frustration is the big challenge of summiting Gunung Rinjani, the second tallest active volcano in Indonesia. At 3,726 m, not a frightening height, it is the fifth tallest mountain in Indonesia. The three tallest mountains are all in Papua province. We have made what we thought was adequate preparation but […]