Rinjani in Lombok

I landed in Denpasar when it was almost midnight.We were the last arriving passengers and I proceeded to the parking lot to look for the van that would take us to Padang Bai, the embarkation port to Lombok. I embarked on the ferry, found myself a seat I could stretched out and was soon fast asleep oblivious to the cold breeze and choppy sea. At sunrise the ferry arrived at Lombok and I took the winding road to East Lombok here Ranjini is situated.

Lombok appeared to me very rural with activities centering around agriculture, mainly paddy farming. The kampung looked clean and the farm well maintained. My journey to Sembalun Lawang on East Lombok was through winding mountain roads and deep revines. I reached Rinjani Information Centre, where all Rinjani hikers must report themselves before the ascent.

The start of the climb was through meadow of long and soft grasses.The landscape was times gentle but sometimes steep.As we climbed higher we got a majestic view of the hills and valley.With such a fantastic scene and cool fresh air, without realising we reached the first camping spot where we spent the night. The next day, we resumed our journey through yet another day of great landscape and steep terrain until we reached the next camping point at the Sembalun crater rim. The rest of the day we enjoyed ouselves looking at the Segara Anak Crater lake with the newly formed Gunong Baru in its midst. Beyond the horizon we could see the blue outline of Gunong Agong in Bali.

I didnt climb to the summit of Rinjani, but continue my way down the slope to Segara Anak. Segara Anak was a holy place for the Hindus and traces of prayer offering littered the shore. The water was suitable for bathing and teeming with fish which was my menu that night. The view was stunningly beautiful and I could spent the whole day appreciating nature's beauty. When the sun rose that morning, I was ready to make my the most ardous task of the expedition, that was climbing the steep rocky slope from Segara Anak to the other side of the crater rim at Senaru Crater rim.After 4 hours of climb, exhausted I reached the crater rim , rewarded with a picturesque view of Segara Anak and Gunong Baru.

The rest of the journey for the next 5 hours, I walked through barren grassland and lush tropical jungle teeming with birds and butterflies. We reached Senaru Village and continued our journey by bus to Mataram. This was a worthwhile trip, journeying through a beautiful unspoilt country and learning about the people and culture of Lombok