Now I remember why I returned to Indo!!!
Trip Start
Feb 08, 2011
1
78
141
Trip End
Dec 21, 2011
Dieng, Java, Indonesia
Monday, May 23, 2011
4 buses and 5.5 hours later, I eventually get to the beautiful but misty Dieng and driving through I noyiced its as beautiful as Malaysia's Cameron Highlands and equally as cold (its like 5C here)! I explore the nearest multi-coloured lake upon arrival and find it airy and scary, with no tourists around, I'm like the only tourist here that I can see and bubbling sulphur and then all of a sudden a local man appears out of no where and says 'you want to walk with me, can I have you? I take photos for you?'. I walk about 20m with him and decide against it as I'm scared as he leads me into the woods and starts asking me if I'm tired etc and I tell him that I have a bf and leave promptly and go to the local village with another traveller instead and dozens and dozens of locals greet us and I can finally remember why I returned to Indo!
24.05.2011- This morning as the skies are clear I go to the coloured-lake again and get a little lost and bump into Faried (the scary guy from yesterday) and today he somehow seems not scary (probabaly coz its about 30C and I can see other people and its not misty) and he shows me around and guides me to the best view point for the lakes and I throw up as soon as I reach the summit, how embarrassing! I guess its a combination of 2 nights of rotten sleep, sheer exhaustion, being woken up by the Muslim prayers every morning at 4am, no water and no brekkie as I was in a hurry to get to the lakes before the mist sets in!
Bless Faried, he's so sweet and apologises non-stop for making me sick (although it wasn't his fault) and calls his friend to take me back to my hotel on his motorbike. Luckily I'm ok after a while and eat and chill at his friend's place and meet 2 sweet girls both aged 5- one called Nina and the one wouldn't speak to me and I played with Nita and we took several photos. Then I went off to get the pics developed and brought some chocs and biscuits for Nita and her friend and toothbrushes and toothpaste as I don't want to be the one responsible for them having bad teeth!
Afterwards, I was exploring the local area when a local guide- Sigit offered to take me around for free and as always theres a catch, he wants sex and as always I decline lol!
To round off my day, Nita calls me to ask if I'll play with her tomorrow and wish me a good night! So sweet, now I defo don't want to leave Dieng! :(
25.05.2011- this morning at the godly hour of 4am, I had to get up and went on the sunrise tour, which was spectacular and what made it better was that I had a decent guide and there was no one at the summit except us! The tour was defo worth it and it was truly the most spectacular sunrise that I have ever seen in my life! Then I went to see 2 lakes and a crater.
In the afternoon I went to play with Nita and used the last of the balloons that Akira gave to me and I was very sad to leave Nita! Afterwards, I went to the local village and was crowded by the locals and kids as if I was a celebrity and chatted with them in Bahasa Indo and I'm very proud of myself! Afterward, I managed to order dinner and for the first time managed to say everything in Bahasa Indo- woohoo!
