Start of Trek

we are now back in senggigi and i am online to find a place that would be more comfortable for us to stay.

before that, we had just had lunch in an eating place. we were the only patrons beside a japanese family whom we were speculating to be a yakuza family coz the entire family the mummy, daddy, the kids had full bodied japanese tatoos.
and before that we shared a cab with another brit couple from bangsal harbour, after the boat ride from gili trawangan.

anyway, back to my rinjani trip.

we started off at 6am in the morning. they picked us up. and we proceded to drive northward. along the way we stopped at a market as the guides had to buy some grocery supplies for our meals up the mountain. we went out of the 4WD and walked around at the market place. the thing i liked about lombok also is the people here generally still has a nonchalant attitude towards tourists. no one begged for money or tried to sell us things. oh and another thing, at the market, you may just get to see clothes you have sold to the garang guni man some time back. a FAS shirt and a red singapore soccer jersey was on sale at this sunday market in lombok.

the drive northward was amazing. open spaces with padi field and the moutain ridges as the backdrop. we finally reached senaru. had breakfast and had our first taste of lombok coffee..it was POWER. got our caffeine fix and then proceeded to the park entrance. here our guides started packing their groceries which were to be carried by the local porter.

the local porter deserves a story on his own. the local mountain sasaks here work as porters carrying the heavy goods/bacpack/bags what have you on a bamboo pole slung on their shoulder up and down the mountain wearing selipar jepun as footwear.

anyway we started with our trek once the groceries have been packed.

we passed the rinjani trekking center where you would have to pay an entrance fee (but already included in our package). it was an uphill walk passing a few kampung houses. at that level, it was rather humid. i could hear myself and faizal's breathing. fifteen minutes of walking and i thought i could hear my heart beats loud and clear. half an hour later...we realised we have not even entered the park, coz lo and behold..at the end of that hike, was POS1, the real entrance to Rinjani National Park.

TBC