Farewell to Yogyakarta
January 25th, Yogyakarta. The time had come to leave this city I had grown comfortable in. With visa extensions and daily routines, I ended up staying around ten days. That made the farewell harder than I expected.
I packed my bags, checked out of the hotel, and headed to a familiar food stall for one last meal. The dishes here had become part of my everyday life—delicious, simple, and never more than a hundred yen. I wondered if I would hesitate to eat elsewhere after becoming so accustomed to the flavors here.
As I finished eating, another customer arrived. We started talking, and he told me he used to be an athlete and now worked as a coach. Before leaving, he insisted I drink coconut water. “When you play sports, or cycle like this, you lose water quickly—drink this,” he said. His kindness touched me, and I gratefully accepted.
The stall staff smiled as I said goodbye, and I left with the quiet hope that one day, we might meet again.
The Road Toward Merapi
Today’s destination was a campsite near Mount Merapi, an active volcano. Someone had told me, “If the morning sky is clear, the view is incredible.” That was enough to convince me to go.
The road out of Yogyakarta was straightforward—just keep pedaling toward the mountain. About halfway, I stopped for a break and ordered iced tea. After I finished, the owner refilled my cup without asking. I tried to refuse politely, but he said, “Climbing that mountain by bicycle is tough. You’ll need this.”
He was right. The climb ahead turned out to be one of the hardest stretches I had faced. That extra tea gave me the strength I didn’t know I would need.
Climbing Higher
At last, I reached what I thought was the destination—but it was only the entrance to Merapi. Fortunately, bicycles could pass through for free.
The road kept rising, steeper and steeper. At one point, I saw jeep tour groups coming down, their passengers soaked in rain gear. It was an unpleasant preview of the weather I was heading into.
Still, as I climbed higher, the scenery opened up. The view was wide and wild, and for a moment, I wished I had a drone to capture it all.
A Stop at Alien Park
Near the top, I stopped at a place called Alien Park, filled with stone formations and dozens of parked jeeps. Despite the tourist presence, the landscape beyond was breathtaking. The untouched nature across the valley made me want to leap into it.
Arrival at the Campsite
Finally, I reached the campsite. The staff greeted me with incredible warmth, instantly making me feel welcome. I ordered fried bananas for 10,000 rupiah (about 95 yen). Since there were no food stalls nearby, the campsite café was the only option unless travelers brought their own supplies.
I pitched my tent and settled in. Before long, a group of young men setting up their own tents invited me over for dinner. They served me Indomie, the famous Indonesian instant noodles. Until then, I thought the “Indo” in Indomie referred to India. It actually meant “Indonesian noodles.” A small but funny discovery.
The climb was grueling, but as I sat there sharing a meal, the exhaustion turned into something else—a quiet satisfaction, the kind of joy only hard effort can bring.
