Yogjakarta Pt 3 - Jeep-ride to Mount Merapi

1 Dec 2014 

On the same day, 1 Dec 2014, we decided to head to Mt Merapi village to see the damage done by the Oct 2010 volcanic eruption, When we were heading towards the place, it started to rain.  And so, we almost changed our mind about the jeep-ride as our driver told us that the mountain may not be visible on a cloudy day.  We waited out the rain for a while at the foot of the hill where the jeep service is located.  But the boys were already excited after seeing the jeep.  So we decided to go up the moment the rain turned to drizzle.

At the jeep station

The ride

The price for the hiring of the jeep was Rp300,000 which is about MYR90 for a 2-hour ride.  The jeep is open hooded so the driver encouraged the boys to stand for a better view.  They enjoyed it especially when the jeep got more and more bumpier.  It was very cold all the way because of the drizzle but we asked the driver to keep the hood open.

At the village museum

Local villagers sell souvenir stones at the museum

The first stop was the village museum where a collection of
household items and many other stuff that were destroyed by the volcanic ash are displayed.  It seems about 350 people who lived on the slopes of the mountain in villages died during the eruption.  

Displayed at the museum - the actual photo when the volcano erupted

Somebody's motorbike after the disaster

The many stones in the area

The next stop was the final stop where you supposedly get the best view of Mt Merapi. Unfortunately, due to the rain that morning, the whole area was cloudy and misty.  We could hardly see the outline of the mountain.  But we spent some time there just looking at the soil and stones. The boys collected a little black sand in a bottle for memory and a few odd-shaped stones too.  After that we had our lunch at the food stall - instant noodles.  It tasted so good up there as the soup was hot and spicy just what we needed on a cold day.

The weird formation

One of the strangest formation that followed the disaster.  The shape of a human face with tears flowing.  The driver said the stone is 'keramat' meaning sacred.

The photo shoot

Part of the package is a photo-shoot with the mountain as background.  To jump with a pole. The above is without a visible mountain but still,  Harish posted for the shoot.

The not visible mountain

A village house after the eruption

TIPS:
If you are with children, go for the Jeep Lava Tour - the ride is fun!!!