Gunung Merapi (Sumatra)

Gunung Merapi

Gunung Merapi, not to be confused with the better-known Merapi volcano in Java, is Sumatra's most active volcano. It is a massive complex Stratovolcano whose summit contains multiple partially overlapping craters constructed within the caldera. Volcanism generally migrates westwards and since the 18th Century has been recorded as displaying 50 eruptions, typically of small to moderate explosive activity.

According to legend, the mountain is the site first settled by the Minangkabau people after their ship landed on the mountain when it was the size of an egg and surrounded by water. There are now a large number of upright burial stones in the region which are oriented in the direction of the mountain, indicating it's cultural significance. Such spirtual and cultural importance is not an uncommon feature associated with volcanoes in Indonesia and in other parts of the world.

The volcano which literally translates to - 'mountain of fire' towers at an elevation of 2,891.3 m (9,485.9 ft) above sea level, and I was going to climb to it's smoking summit.

I hired a guide - his name was Andri and we set out at 10:00 pm. It's not far to reach the volcano base from Bukittinggi and we started our climb by 11:00 pm. It would take all night to trek to the top - so we could reach it's peak at sunrise. The climb starts off gentle, mainly through jungle at the base. It later becomes more difficult as the mountain steepens. We clambered up for 5 hours in the dark - only torch lighting our way. We had many breaks throughout, mainly because you don't want to reach the top too early as it is seriously cold at such altitudes.

Eventually the jungle disappears and it is instead replaced by volcanic rocky terrain which above all else is very crumbly and particularly slippery. The climb overall is quite difficult but luckily I been trained in the art of climbing mountains, when a few months before coming away - I had trekked up the UK's second highest peak - Mt. Snowden, with family and friends. Before the last hour of the climb - you reach a small valley. It was here that we slept for an hour before the final climb to the top. I can see why we were taking our time getting here. I got about 30 minutes sleep before waking up frozen to the bones.

The last part is the steepest but it's not too far to the top and when you reach it - all that climbing is worth it. At the summit - it's like a moon landscape, stretching out flat and barren. Quite eerie. The crater can be seen from a distance - smoking away every few seconds, accompanied with a strong smell of rotten eggs (sulphur) - reminded me of my trip to Iceland where you have a refreshing sulphur shower and come out smelling worse than you went in. For safety reasons you can't get too close to the crater.

As the sun comes up - you realsie your position and surroundings. At this altitude we were literally above the clouds and you can see for miles. The sun rising up with blazing colours gives the place an atmospheric feel. Then the clouds came over and covered us in mist.

The earthquake a few days ago had two main implications. The first was that I had lost time and so had to lose one volcanic site which I had intended to see. The second was that I had to climb Merapi on this night. Originally (no earthquake present) I would have climbed it one night previous and I would have had THIS night free. But no - the earthquake did happen and I had no choice but to climb the volcano on the night of the 21st / 22nd May 2008 which (because of time differences) just happened to be during the Champions League Final (Chelsea Vs Manchester United) which I thus ended up missing. Oddly - we got the final result on Andri's mobile phone while we watched the smoking crater, 3000m asl, at the very top of the most active volcano in sumatra (Indonesia)!!!

We were at the top for about an hour and a half before making our way down, now able to see what we had climbed up all night. Great views spread before us. it was quick and easy to get back down - arriving back at my bed by 10:00 am, where I proceded to sleep for the rest of the day.

So in 24 hours I had done three fairly incredible things - I had seen the world's largest flower, I had stood on the spot which splits the world into it's northern and southern hemispheres and I had climbed to the top of an active volcano. If you can beat that in 24 hours - then please write in with photo's.

I left Bukittinggi for another volcano. It would turn out to be the best of the bunch, and by a good mile. It is the site of one of the most famous volcanoes in the world and yet only peices of it remain today. It now has a child though, an active volcano of immense power. The region lies within the Sunda Strait in the very south of Sumatra - and the volcano goes by the name - of Krakatau......