Samedi après-midi, au centre de Jakarta, gare routière de
Gambir, Rika et moi attendons Antoine et Valentine, qui doivent arriver en car
depuis l’aéroport.
Il y a quelques semaines, les deux voyageurs avaient fait les
malins en prenant le bus pour aller jusqu’à Sumatra ; mais cette fois-ci ils
ont préféré jouer la carte du confort. Il faut dire que les bus bon marché
indonésiens sont assez rudes : surpeuplés, surchargés et sur-sonorisés.
C’est une expérience intéressante en soit, mais ce n’est pas de tout
repos !
Les voici donc qui débarquent, et nous repartons en voiture
direction mon appartement. Ce dernier a vu pas mal de mouvement ces derniers
temps : la famille Française et les amis en visite pour le mariage, la
petite sœur qui a joué les prolongations, et Antoine et Valentine qui
reviennent une seconde fois profiter de la machine à laver et de la cuisine de
Rika !
Après une douche bien méritée, nous discutons de l’objectif du lendemain : Le Gunung Salak, un volcan situé au Sud de Jakarta. La pêche aux informations est toujours un peu difficile en Indonésie, mais apparemment ce volcan offrirait une randonnée facile jusqu’à son cratère, puis une seconde randonnée plus délicate jusqu’au sommet. Nous verrons bien !
J’espère qu’il y aura de quoi fatiguer Antoine et Valentine,
car leur dernière randonnée sur Sumatra s’est révélée décevante sur le plan
sportif…
Dimanche matin, nous nous levons très tôt et quittons
l’appartement à 4h30 du matin : direction Bogor puis le Gunung Salak.
Nous sommes 4 dans la voiture, avec Antoine, Valentine et
Rika, mais le début du trajet est bien silencieux : tous mes passagers se
rendorment peu à peu, bercés par les mouvements de la voiture.
En approchant du volcan, je n’ai pas besoin de les
réveiller : la route se rétrécit petit à petit, puis le goudron disparait
et nous retrouvons à rouler sur un chemin de montagne grossièrement empierré. Ça secoue dans tous les sens, et je dois bien faire attention de rouler sur les
pierres les plus hautes pour ne pas accrocher le dessous de la voiture.
Nous nous arrêtons plusieurs fois pour demander notre
chemin : les locaux confirment : c’est bien par là !
Un homme avec un carnet à la main nous arrête : il faut
payer le droit de passage. 2.000 roupies par passager, soit même pas 1€ pour la
voiture complète. Nous roulons encore un peu, et tombons sur un deuxième
péage : cette fois-ci il s’agit de l’entrée officielle du Parc Naturel. Le
premier ticket n’a aucune valeur, encore un péage sauvage… Espérons que ça aide
à améliorer la route !
Nous garons la voiture sur le parking d’une impressionnante
bâtisse hôtelière, et nous attaquons la randonnée rapidement : il est déjà
8h00 et nous ne voulons pas finir trop tard !
A peine partis, Rika décide de faire demi-tour :
l’ascension du Gunung Sibayak 3 semaines plus tôt avait été éprouvante, alors
finalement elle préfère rester en bas et profiter du spa de l’hôtel…
Nous continuons donc tous les 3, Valentine, Antoine et moi,
sur le sentir empierré qui doit nous mener jusqu'au cratère de la reine. En chemin,
nous croisons quelques groupes d’indonésiens qui sont étonnamment bien équipés.
D’habitude, les tongs sont de rigueur, mais ceux-ci ont tout l’attirail du
parfait explorateur. Il est plutôt agréable de ne voir aucun autre étranger
parmi les visiteurs, mais nous
n’échappons pas aux habituels
« Hello Mister, can we take a picture ? ».
1h30 après notre départ, nous arrivons au cratère. C’est une
large ouverture sur le flanc de la montagne, avec des fumerolles, une rivière
d’eau souffrée, des dépots sulfureux qui
colorent les rochers de jaune… C’est à la fois joli et impressionnant, mais
nous ne restons pas très longtemps. Les cratères, nous connaissons déjà,
l’important c’est de grimper !
Nous revenons sur nos pas afin de rejoindre le chemin qui
mène au sommet, et nous tombons avec surprise sur Rika qui s’est fait de
nouveau amis. Ils sont membres d’une association qui organise une campagne de
nettoyage de sentiers. Il faut dire que le Gunung Salak n’échappe pas à la triste
à la règle indonésienne : les
sentiers sont parsemés de sacs plastiques et de déchets en tous genres, laissés
par les randonneurs peu scrupuleux.
C’est un vrai problème en Indonésie : les gens ont
l’habitude de jeter instantanément tout ce qui les encombre. Sans doute un réflexe hérité du temps (pas si lointain) où tout était emballé dans des
feuilles de bananiers…
Mais les choses changent, et les membres de l’association en
sont la preuve ! Rika est déjà installée à leur tente, et discute comme si
elle les connaissait depuis toujours…
Ils nous invitent à nous asseoir et à partager leur café : c’est ça
aussi l’hospitalité indonésienne !
Nous discutons de notre projet de grimper jusqu’au sommet,
et ils tentent de nous en dissuader : c’est glissant, c’est fatiguant, et
il faut bien compter 10 heures aller-retour ! Ça peut paraître impressionnant, mais nous
commençons à savoir que les standards sportifs des Indonésiens sont largement
en dessous des habitudes Européennes. Allez, nous sommes venus pour ça, on
tente quand même !
Effectivement, le chemin qui mène au sommet est bien
différent de celui emprunté plus tôt : ça grimpe fort et il y
a régulièrement des zones boueuses que
nous tentons de traverser sans trop nous salir : chacun tente sa
technique : marcher sur les branches au sol, s’alléger en s’accrochant aux
lianes, ou couper tout droit en essayant de peser le moins possible !Ceci nous amuse beaucoup Antoine et moi (nous avons toujours aimé la boue, que ce soit en vélo ou à pied), mais cela fait moins rire Valentine. Combative, elle continue cependant et nous affrontons ensemble le sentier qui devient de plus en plus raide : il n’est pas rare de poser les mains pour grimper les grandes marches formées par les racines !
Au détour d’un lacet, Antoine remarque une surprenante
empreinte dans l’argile fraiche : on dirait une patte de chat, avec les
coussinets bien marqués, sauf que celle-ci est plutôt de la taille d’un petit
tigre !
Au bout de deux heures d’efforts intenses, Valentine finit par
abandonner. Nous répartissons l’eau et la nourriture, et Antoine et moi
continuons vers le sommet…
Après quelque minutes, nous réalisons que Valentine a bien
fait de faire demi-tour : le sentier est encore plus raide qu’avant !
Il y a maintenant des cordes pour nous aider à grimper, et nous commençons à
nous demander comment nous allons faire pour redescendre…
Cette randonnée est aussi l’occasion de discuter avec mon
ami voyageur. Nous partageons nos réflexions sur son voyage, sur les histoires
de famille, son futur retour à la vie normale…
Nous qui étions tous les 2 en Erasmus à Prague, nos vies sont bien différentes maintenant : lui parcoure le monde avec sa peluche et son sac à dos, tandis que moi je me transforme petit à petit en « Max Luttor », avec ma nouvelle vie d’expatrié et de nouveau marié.
Nous qui étions tous les 2 en Erasmus à Prague, nos vies sont bien différentes maintenant : lui parcoure le monde avec sa peluche et son sac à dos, tandis que moi je me transforme petit à petit en « Max Luttor », avec ma nouvelle vie d’expatrié et de nouveau marié.
Ces discussions intéressantes me permettent aussi de faire
ralentir Antoine qui doit ainsi gérer son souffle. Il faut dire que ses
crapahutages aux 4 coins du globe l’ont endurci : un vrai Robinson Crusoé
sans un poil de graisse ! Il est loin le temps où il s’accrochait pour me
suivre lors de nos randonnées VTT…
« Bon, c’est encore loin tu crois ? ». Il y a
des bornes qui longent la piste. Elles sont numérotées par centaines de mètres,
mais nous ne connaissons pas la distance finale. Nous consultons l’altimètre de
ma montre GPS pour nous donner une idée du chemin qui reste à parcourir :
altitude 1600m. Après tout ce chemin parcouru, il nous resterait donc encore 600m à monter ??
Pas possible, ce gadget doit forcément déconner… Nous avons fixé notre limite
de retour à 13h. J’espère que nous allons pouvoir rejoindre le sommet !
Nous montons et montons encore… les marches sont de plus en
plus grandes, et nous longeons maintenant le bord d’un mur rocheux assez
impressionnant ! Nous sommes au milieu des nuages et nous n’en voyons pas
le fond !
Finalement, le GPS avait raison ! A 13h15, nous
atteignons enfin le sommet à 2210 mètres ! Victoire !
Malheureusement, nous ne pouvons pas profiter de la vue : nous somme
toujours au milieu du nuage, et la végétation est très présente. Nous avons
rejoint un groupe d’indonésiens (les premiers que nous croisons depuis nous
avons quitté Rika). Mince, nous qui pensions faire quelque chose
d’exceptionnel, nous avons été devancés !
Il est temps de prendre un déjeuner bien mérité :
sandwichs au fromage et saucisson, avec un œuf à la terre (pas de quoi se laver
les mains, il faut économiser l’eau !)
Nous prenons la photo devant la pancarte du sommet, et nous
décidons de repartir rapidement : nous ne sommes pas les seuls à grimper
le sommet, mais nous pouvons encore être les plus rapides !
La descente est moins fatigante que la montée, et nous
avançons à un bon rythme. C’est à ce moment que les premières gouttes de pluie
se mettent à tomber ! Cela faisait un moment que nous entendions le
tonnerre au loin, et j’espérais qu’il s’agissait uniquement d’un orage sec,
comme cela arrive parfois à Jakarta…. Mais celui-ci est loin d’être sec !
Nous nous arrêtons pour enfiler nos vêtements de pluie, et
emballer les objets sensibles dans des sachets plastiques. La pluie tombe fort,
et les marches argileuses se transforment parfois en toboggans ! Le
sentier se mue en ruisseau de montagne, et nous marchons constamment dans 10cm
d’eau. Nous qui aimons la boue, nous sommes servis !
La foudre tombe vraiment très près : nous n’avons pas le temps de compter les secondes entre l’éclair et le tonnerre… L’abri le plus proche est à deux heures de marche : pas le choix, il faut foncer !
La foudre tombe vraiment très près : nous n’avons pas le temps de compter les secondes entre l’éclair et le tonnerre… L’abri le plus proche est à deux heures de marche : pas le choix, il faut foncer !
Ceci a au moins l’intérêt de renforcer notre
motivation : nous rattrapons et doublons le groupe d’Indonésiens, qui
étaient partis 15 bonnes minutes avant nous. Victoire, nos sommes les plus
rapides !
En redescendant, Antoine remarque un énorme vers de
terre : il doit bien faire 30cm de long, et il a le diamètre d’un doigt
d’adulte. Ses ondulations dessinent de jolis reflets bleutés sur sa peau
argentée. Décidément, il a l’œil le Vittecoq !
Nous arrivons bientôt aux passages boueux rencontrés à
l’aller. La pluie à transformé le tout en véritable piscine de boue. Maintenant,
plus question d’essayer d’esquiver : nous coupons tout droit ! C’est
très amusant (de notre point de vue), mais assez fatiguant : la boue
remonte parfois jusqu’aux genoux !
Ouf, nous rejoignons enfin le chemin empierré. Encore
quelques glissades sur les rochers mouillés, et nous voilà rentrés à la voiture, où Rika et Valentine nous
attendent patiemment. Valentine a eu de la chance, elle est rentrée juste avant
la pluie !
Nous sommes
complètement trempés, épuisés, et ravis de notre exploit ! Il est temps de
consulter le GPS : 2100m de dénivelé positif cumulé, et 18km parcourus au
total. L’aller-retour au sommet nous aura pris 6h45. Nous sommes loin des
10 heures annoncées par les locaux, mais c’était néanmoins un gros challenge
physique !
« Après l’effort, le réconfort ». J’enfile des
vêtements secs et Antoine emprunte le pantalon de rechange de Valentine, qui a
été plus prévoyante que lui. Nous nous dirigeons ensuite vers le complexe
hôtelier « Javana Spa ». Tout à l’air totalement vide, mais on nous
dit qu’il est bien possible de manger. On nous fait entrer dans une grande
salle en parquet, et nous installons à une table nappée de blanc. Tout ceci
contraste avec nos vêtements dégoulinants et les pieds nus d’Antoine, qui a
laissé ses chaussures trempées à la voiture.
Le café, le thé et le Nasi Goreng sont chers et sans saveur,
mais ca fait quand même du bien ! De quoi nous redonner un peu de courage
pour le trajet du retour. Il faut dire que la région de Bogor est bien connue
pour ses bouchons du Dimanche soir, quand tous les citadins venus passer le
weekend à la campagne décident de rentrer chez eux…
Quatre heures plus tard, nous voici de retour à
Jakarta ! Valentine peut enfin savourer ce qui l’a motivée toute la
journée : une bière Bintang bien fraîche !
Il est déjà l’heure de dire au revoir aux 2 voyageurs, qui
décolleront demain vers Taïwan.
Bonne route Patate, et à bientôt en France !
------ English version --------
Saturday afternoon, in central Jakarta Gambir Station Road, Rika and I are waiting for Antoine and Valentine who arrive by bus from the airport.
A few weeks ago, the two travelers took the bus to go to Sumatra (doom choice), but today they chose the comfort. It must be said that the Indonesian buses are cheap but pretty rough: overcrowded, overworked with sound systems. It's an interesting experience to be in, but it is not easy!
So here they are disembarking, and we leave by car towards my apartment. After receiving the French family and friends visiting for the wedding, the little sister who went into overtime: Antoine and Valentine are returning a second time to enjoy the washing machine and Rika's cooking!
After a well deserved shower, we discuss the purpose of the day: The Gunung Salak, a volcano in south of Jakarta. Finding information is always a bit difficult in Indonesia, but apparently the volcano provide an easy hike to the crater, then a second more difficult hike to the top. We'll see!I hope this hike will be hard enought because Antoine and Valentine, in their last ride on Sumatra, has been disappointing in sport ...Sunday morning we get up early and leave the apartment at 4:30 in the morning towards the Bogor and Gunung Salak.We are four in the car, with Anthony Valentine and Rika, but the beginning of the journey is very quiet: all my passengers go back to sleep gradually lulled by the movement of the car.Approaching the volcano, I did not need to wake up: the road narrows gradually and tar disappears and we find to ride on a mountain path roughly paved. It shakes all over the place, and I have to be careful driving on the highest stone not to hang below the car.We stopped several times to ask for directions: local confirm that it is in there!A man with a notebook in hand stops us: you must pay the toll. 2,000 rupees per passenger, or even € 1 for a complete car. We still ride a bit, and come across a second toll: this time it is the official entrance of the Natural Park. The first ticket has no value, even a wild toll ... Hopefully it helps to improve the way!We park the car in the parking lot of an impressive hotel building, and we start the hike quickly: it is already 8:00 ET we do not want to end up too late!Hardly parties, Rika decides to turn: the ascent of Gunung Sibayak three weeks earlier had been trying, then finally she prefers to stay down and enjoy the spa ...We keep all 3, Valentine, Antoine and I feel the gravel which will take us to the crater of the Queen. Along the way we meet some that are surprisingly well-equipped Indonesian groups. Typically, flip flops are de rigueur, but they have all the trappings of a perfect browser. It is rather nice to see no one other foreign visitors, but we can not escape the usual "Hello Mister, can we take a picture? ".1:30 after we left, we reach the crater. This is a large opening on the side of the mountain, with fumaroles, a sulphurous water river of sulfur deposits that color yellow rocks ... It is both beautiful and impressive, but we did not stay very long. Craters, we already know, the important thing is to climb!We retrace our steps to reach the path that leads to the summit, and we fall with surprise Rika who became friends again. They are members of an association that organizes a cleanup campaign trail. I must say that the Gunung Salak does not escape the sad Indonesian rule the trails are littered with plastic bags and waste of all kinds, left by unscrupulous hikers.This is a real problem in Indonesia: people are used to instantly throw all that smoothly. Probably inherited a reflex time (not long ago) when it was all wrapped in banana leaves ...But things change, and the members are proof! Rika is already installed in their tent, and talk as if she had always known ... They invite us to sit down and share their coffee: this is also the Indonesian hospitality!
We discuss our plans to climb to the top, and they are trying to deter us: it's slippery, it's tiring, and it must be a 10-hour round trip! It may sound impressive, but we begin to know that sporting standards Indonesians are well below European habits. Come on, we came to it, we try anyway!
Indeed, the path leading to the summit is very different from the one used earlier: it climbs high and there are regular muddy areas we try to cross without too dirty us: everyone tries his technique: walking on the branches to the ground, s alleviate clinging to vines, or cut straight trying to weigh as little as possible!
This amuses us much Antoine and I (we always liked the mud, whether by bike or on foot), but it's less laughter Valentine. Combative, she continues, however, and we face together the trail becomes steeper: it is not uncommon to lay hands to climb the steep steps formed by the roots!
At the corner of a shoelace, Antoine noticed a surprising impression in the fresh clay: it looks like a cat's paw, with well-marked bearings, except that it is more the size of a little tiger!
After two hours of intense effort, Valentine finally gave up. We distribute water and food, and Antoine and I continue to the summit ...
After some minutes, we realize that Valentine did well to turn around: the trail is even steeper than before! Now there are ropes to help us to climb, and we begin to wonder how we're going to go down ...
This hike is also an opportunity to discuss with my friend traveler. We share our thoughts on his journey, the family stories, his future return to normal life ...We who were all Erasmus in Prague 2, our lives are very different now: he travels the world with his teddy and his backpack, while I am gradually transformed into "Max Luttor" with my new life expat and bridegroom.These interesting discussions also allow me to slow down and Antoine must manage his breath. I must say that its crapahutages the 4 corners of the globe have hardened: a real Robinson Crusoe without a bit of fat! Gone is the time when he clung to follow me during our bike rides ..."Well, it is still far do you think? ". There are terminals that line the track. They are numbered in the hundreds of meters, but we do not know the final distance. We consult the altimeter on my GPS watch to give us an idea of the path that lies ahead: 1600m altitude. After all this path, so it still remains for us to climb 600m? Not possible, this gadget necessarily messing ... We set our limit back to 13h. I hope we can reach the top!We climb and climb again ... the stairs are becoming larger, and now we walk along the edge of a rocky impressive wall! We are in the clouds and we do not see the bottom!Finally, the GPS was right! At 13:15, we finally reach the summit at 2210 meters! Victory! Unfortunately, we can not enjoy the view: we always sum in the middle of the cloud, and the vegetation is very present. We joined a (the first we meet since we left Rika) Indonesian group. Thin, we thought doing something exceptional, we were overtaken!It is time to take a well deserved lunch: sandwiches with cheese and sausage, with egg ground (nothing to wash your hands, you must save water!)We take the photo in front of the sign of the summit, and we decide to leave quickly: we are not the only ones to climb the summit, but we can still be the fastest!The descent is less strenuous than the climb, and we are moving at a good pace. This is when the first drops of rain begin to fall! It's been a while since we heard thunder in the distance, and I hoped it was only a dry thunderstorm, as sometimes happens in Jakarta .... But it is far from dry!We stopped to put on our rain gear and pack sensible objects in plastic bags. The rain falls hard, and clay steps sometimes turn into slides! The trail turns into a mountain stream, and we constantly walk in 10cm of water. We who love the mud, we served!Lightning really falls very close: no choice, you must go for: we do not have time to count the seconds between lightning and thunder ... The nearest shelter is two hours of walking!This at least has the benefit of strengthening our motivation: we catch duplicates and the Indonesian group, who left a good 15 minutes before us. Victory are our fastest!Going down, Antoine noticed a huge earthworms must do well 30cm long and has a diameter of an adult finger. Its ripples draw pretty bluish silver on his skin. Certainly, he has his eye on Vittecoq!We soon met the muddy passages to go. The rain turned the whole real mud pool. Now, more about trying to dodge: we cut straight! It's great fun (from our point of view), but tiring: sometimes the mud back to the knees!Whew, we finally join the paved road. Few slips on the wet rocks and we're back to the car, where Rika and Valentine patiently waiting for us. Valentine lucky she returned just before the rain!We are completely soaked, exhausted and excited about our accomplishment! It's time to consult the GPS: 2100m cumulative ascent and traveled 18km in total. The trip to the summit took us 6:45. We are far from 10 hours announced by the locals, but it was still a big physical challenge!"After the effort, the comfort." I put on dry clothes and Antoine borrows pants replacement Valentine, who has been more proactive than him. We then head to the resort "Javana Spa." Just completely empty air, but we are told that it is possible to eat. It takes us into a large room with parquet floor, and we set a table topped with white. All this contrasts with our dripping clothes and barefoot Antony, who left his soaked shoes in the car.Coffee, tea and Nasi Goreng are expensive and tasteless, but it's still good! What we give a little courage for the journey home. I must say that the Bogor region is well known for its caps Sunday night, when all the townspeople came to spend the weekend in the country decided to go home ...Four hours later, we are back to Jakarta! Valentine can finally enjoy what motivated all day a nice cold Bintang beer!It is already time to say goodbye to two travelers who take off to Taiwan tomorrow.Good road potato, and soon in France!
Bonne route Patate, et à bientôt en France !
------ English version --------
Saturday afternoon, in central Jakarta Gambir Station Road, Rika and I are waiting for Antoine and Valentine who arrive by bus from the airport.
A few weeks ago, the two travelers took the bus to go to Sumatra (doom choice), but today they chose the comfort. It must be said that the Indonesian buses are cheap but pretty rough: overcrowded, overworked with sound systems. It's an interesting experience to be in, but it is not easy!
So here they are disembarking, and we leave by car towards my apartment. After receiving the French family and friends visiting for the wedding, the little sister who went into overtime: Antoine and Valentine are returning a second time to enjoy the washing machine and Rika's cooking!
After a well deserved shower, we discuss the purpose of the day: The Gunung Salak, a volcano in south of Jakarta. Finding information is always a bit difficult in Indonesia, but apparently the volcano provide an easy hike to the crater, then a second more difficult hike to the top. We'll see!I hope this hike will be hard enought because Antoine and Valentine, in their last ride on Sumatra, has been disappointing in sport ...Sunday morning we get up early and leave the apartment at 4:30 in the morning towards the Bogor and Gunung Salak.We are four in the car, with Anthony Valentine and Rika, but the beginning of the journey is very quiet: all my passengers go back to sleep gradually lulled by the movement of the car.Approaching the volcano, I did not need to wake up: the road narrows gradually and tar disappears and we find to ride on a mountain path roughly paved. It shakes all over the place, and I have to be careful driving on the highest stone not to hang below the car.We stopped several times to ask for directions: local confirm that it is in there!A man with a notebook in hand stops us: you must pay the toll. 2,000 rupees per passenger, or even € 1 for a complete car. We still ride a bit, and come across a second toll: this time it is the official entrance of the Natural Park. The first ticket has no value, even a wild toll ... Hopefully it helps to improve the way!We park the car in the parking lot of an impressive hotel building, and we start the hike quickly: it is already 8:00 ET we do not want to end up too late!Hardly parties, Rika decides to turn: the ascent of Gunung Sibayak three weeks earlier had been trying, then finally she prefers to stay down and enjoy the spa ...We keep all 3, Valentine, Antoine and I feel the gravel which will take us to the crater of the Queen. Along the way we meet some that are surprisingly well-equipped Indonesian groups. Typically, flip flops are de rigueur, but they have all the trappings of a perfect browser. It is rather nice to see no one other foreign visitors, but we can not escape the usual "Hello Mister, can we take a picture? ".1:30 after we left, we reach the crater. This is a large opening on the side of the mountain, with fumaroles, a sulphurous water river of sulfur deposits that color yellow rocks ... It is both beautiful and impressive, but we did not stay very long. Craters, we already know, the important thing is to climb!We retrace our steps to reach the path that leads to the summit, and we fall with surprise Rika who became friends again. They are members of an association that organizes a cleanup campaign trail. I must say that the Gunung Salak does not escape the sad Indonesian rule the trails are littered with plastic bags and waste of all kinds, left by unscrupulous hikers.This is a real problem in Indonesia: people are used to instantly throw all that smoothly. Probably inherited a reflex time (not long ago) when it was all wrapped in banana leaves ...But things change, and the members are proof! Rika is already installed in their tent, and talk as if she had always known ... They invite us to sit down and share their coffee: this is also the Indonesian hospitality!
We discuss our plans to climb to the top, and they are trying to deter us: it's slippery, it's tiring, and it must be a 10-hour round trip! It may sound impressive, but we begin to know that sporting standards Indonesians are well below European habits. Come on, we came to it, we try anyway!
Indeed, the path leading to the summit is very different from the one used earlier: it climbs high and there are regular muddy areas we try to cross without too dirty us: everyone tries his technique: walking on the branches to the ground, s alleviate clinging to vines, or cut straight trying to weigh as little as possible!
This amuses us much Antoine and I (we always liked the mud, whether by bike or on foot), but it's less laughter Valentine. Combative, she continues, however, and we face together the trail becomes steeper: it is not uncommon to lay hands to climb the steep steps formed by the roots!
At the corner of a shoelace, Antoine noticed a surprising impression in the fresh clay: it looks like a cat's paw, with well-marked bearings, except that it is more the size of a little tiger!
After two hours of intense effort, Valentine finally gave up. We distribute water and food, and Antoine and I continue to the summit ...
After some minutes, we realize that Valentine did well to turn around: the trail is even steeper than before! Now there are ropes to help us to climb, and we begin to wonder how we're going to go down ...
This hike is also an opportunity to discuss with my friend traveler. We share our thoughts on his journey, the family stories, his future return to normal life ...We who were all Erasmus in Prague 2, our lives are very different now: he travels the world with his teddy and his backpack, while I am gradually transformed into "Max Luttor" with my new life expat and bridegroom.These interesting discussions also allow me to slow down and Antoine must manage his breath. I must say that its crapahutages the 4 corners of the globe have hardened: a real Robinson Crusoe without a bit of fat! Gone is the time when he clung to follow me during our bike rides ..."Well, it is still far do you think? ". There are terminals that line the track. They are numbered in the hundreds of meters, but we do not know the final distance. We consult the altimeter on my GPS watch to give us an idea of the path that lies ahead: 1600m altitude. After all this path, so it still remains for us to climb 600m? Not possible, this gadget necessarily messing ... We set our limit back to 13h. I hope we can reach the top!We climb and climb again ... the stairs are becoming larger, and now we walk along the edge of a rocky impressive wall! We are in the clouds and we do not see the bottom!Finally, the GPS was right! At 13:15, we finally reach the summit at 2210 meters! Victory! Unfortunately, we can not enjoy the view: we always sum in the middle of the cloud, and the vegetation is very present. We joined a (the first we meet since we left Rika) Indonesian group. Thin, we thought doing something exceptional, we were overtaken!It is time to take a well deserved lunch: sandwiches with cheese and sausage, with egg ground (nothing to wash your hands, you must save water!)We take the photo in front of the sign of the summit, and we decide to leave quickly: we are not the only ones to climb the summit, but we can still be the fastest!The descent is less strenuous than the climb, and we are moving at a good pace. This is when the first drops of rain begin to fall! It's been a while since we heard thunder in the distance, and I hoped it was only a dry thunderstorm, as sometimes happens in Jakarta .... But it is far from dry!We stopped to put on our rain gear and pack sensible objects in plastic bags. The rain falls hard, and clay steps sometimes turn into slides! The trail turns into a mountain stream, and we constantly walk in 10cm of water. We who love the mud, we served!Lightning really falls very close: no choice, you must go for: we do not have time to count the seconds between lightning and thunder ... The nearest shelter is two hours of walking!This at least has the benefit of strengthening our motivation: we catch duplicates and the Indonesian group, who left a good 15 minutes before us. Victory are our fastest!Going down, Antoine noticed a huge earthworms must do well 30cm long and has a diameter of an adult finger. Its ripples draw pretty bluish silver on his skin. Certainly, he has his eye on Vittecoq!We soon met the muddy passages to go. The rain turned the whole real mud pool. Now, more about trying to dodge: we cut straight! It's great fun (from our point of view), but tiring: sometimes the mud back to the knees!Whew, we finally join the paved road. Few slips on the wet rocks and we're back to the car, where Rika and Valentine patiently waiting for us. Valentine lucky she returned just before the rain!We are completely soaked, exhausted and excited about our accomplishment! It's time to consult the GPS: 2100m cumulative ascent and traveled 18km in total. The trip to the summit took us 6:45. We are far from 10 hours announced by the locals, but it was still a big physical challenge!"After the effort, the comfort." I put on dry clothes and Antoine borrows pants replacement Valentine, who has been more proactive than him. We then head to the resort "Javana Spa." Just completely empty air, but we are told that it is possible to eat. It takes us into a large room with parquet floor, and we set a table topped with white. All this contrasts with our dripping clothes and barefoot Antony, who left his soaked shoes in the car.Coffee, tea and Nasi Goreng are expensive and tasteless, but it's still good! What we give a little courage for the journey home. I must say that the Bogor region is well known for its caps Sunday night, when all the townspeople came to spend the weekend in the country decided to go home ...Four hours later, we are back to Jakarta! Valentine can finally enjoy what motivated all day a nice cold Bintang beer!It is already time to say goodbye to two travelers who take off to Taiwan tomorrow.Good road potato, and soon in France!
Excellent récit Max ! immersif, je suis presque épuisé après la lecture :)
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