Wednesday August 19, 2015
We had a 6:30 wake-up call to prepare for our hike to a village below the active stratovolcano, Mount Merapi, literally Fire Mountain in Javanese. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. The bus parked among the “lava jeeps” which give tours up the mountain and we met our local guide who was a sturdy young woman with a sharp machete. 
Near the jeep and motor-bike rentals, there was a covered station of a group of women who provided motor-bike rides for hire to go up Merapi.
We hiked up the path to a village which had been devastated during the last major eruption in 2010.
Along the trail, we passed several women carrying huge bundles of grass on their backs. We were told they were farmers who hiked up to the high grounds to cut grasses then bring them down to their cattle in farms below the mountain.
After a while, we came upon a small farm with some chickens and animals. The house belonged to a charming 74 year old woman who lived alone on the mountainside. We were invited into her home and Josh translated for us. She had been forced to evacuate during the devastating 2010 eruption of Merapi, but chose to return to her family home. She supported herself by making, bagging, and selling charcoal to a supplier in the city.
We went out to see the woman’s charcoal pit and learned how she cuts trees, hauls them to the pit, and burns them to make charcoal.
We continued hiking up to a clearing where there was a snack bar, souvenir stand, and a small museum dedicated to the memory of Mbah Maridjan, Grandfather Maridjan, who was the spiritual guardian of Mount Merapi. Born in a village on the side of the mountain, like his father before him, he was appointed as spiritual guardian by the Sultan of Yogyakarta in 1982.
Local people believe the Mbah Maridjan has the power to speak to the spirits of the sacred mountain. In 2010, after he led ceremonies to appease the spirits, he refused to evacuate and died during the eruption. Below is a photo of the path leading down to the large lava flow area:
After walking almost four miles, we returned to our bus and rode to a very pleasant restaurant for an outdoor luncheon. I enjoyed the white, yellow, and black rice with satay and bean salad.
Afterwards, we went to the former home of the second president of Indonesia, General Soeharto, to meet with several Indonesian veterans who spoke about their experiences during the war for independence against Holland in 1946 to 1949. There was a modern informative museum and a veteran’s center.
Jess, one of the members of our group, brought and presented American military coins to each of the Indonesian veterans.
In the evening we went to a colorful dance performance of Ramayana at the folk arts theater. This is the epic story of Prince Rama and his wife Sita. Before the performance, we went backstage to see the dancers prepare for their roles.
