Bucket List No. 44

If you haven't watch the movie The Bucket List with Morgan Freeman then it's the lists of things that you want to do before you die. I read a quote once; "Make your goals in a way that they make you shiver"
Well people have wild crazy dreams, but I'm crazy enough to make it come true, even if it's risking my life, so on to number 44 !!!

44. Climb and watch the sunrise/sunset from the top of one of the highest mountain in Indonesia.

Semeru is the highest point in Java island, it's 3.676 m above sea level.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt40aCArtJI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9WM2sMs5Bc

A friend who is pretty experienced finally have time to guide me there but even he is worried cos he said I'm a beginner. Well last time I went on a very steep trekking track to a very secluded Baduy village and I made it. There were landslide 2 hours prior our arrival so we had to take a rounding track, but the thought it can rain anytime and we will be swept by landslide was constantly haunting us. It was tense so it's not my first time also to be in life risking situation.

It's rainy season so maybe the SAR won't let us climb up anyway, too dangerous. I'm not sure if I could too, but if I could I think I'd cry when I can make it. If not then next time.
One of famous activist died on top of it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soe_Hok_Gie#Notes)from the poisonous gas, that should be an honor to be there of if I die there :p

It's gonna be -5 C in the morning and I don't have jacket, special pant, gloves, headlamp and mask. We'll see if we work something out, in Indonesia people don't care so much haha...it's gonna be 1,5 to 2 weeks journey, cos we will try 2 other mountains, but I'm thinking to go to a secluded island and tried the Cast Away thing lol. I hope being used to live in Furtwangen will help me on breathing in such a high altitude haha...but I'm mostly worried to be a burden since I'm the only girl :/

so I'll close this blog with 2 great quotes, love this;

"Now I see the secret of the making of the best person. It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth".

"A Greek philosopher once wrote ... The best fate is that of the unborns, the second one is that of those born yet die young, and the worst is that of those who die in the old age. I feel that this is right: Happy are those who die young."

Sorry when I was a bitch :p but deep inside I'm sincere, I love you guys.

The journey is home

I feel like home when I'm on the road, it's highly addictive, not sure if it's curable, so here i go again lol
my friend said that some of us just have a more inborn Wanderlust -- we're stifled if we can't exercise it. He couldn't say it better, but I travel like every month, and just last weekend I went out of town for some safari, that's kinda excessive right?
I think this is my last for a while, since this is my 5th trip in 6 months :D
An extreme traveler friend of mine responded my complaint by saying "It is in you, it is in me, but some people do not have that courage to get out and do something different. They will never know how much they miss in life."

Well I'm glad I have the courage to get out and take my passions to actions, but honestly I kinda think this trip is a not so good idea on this rainy season, and yes I'm scared...

Have you ever heard of the Amish people? this one is similar concept, it's like Amish ppl of Indonesia, a village where the ppl choose to live like how it was hundreds years ago...this is where I'm going. They don't know what cellphone is, plane, and all. They live far in to the jungles of the mountains. Their religion is like hundreds years ago, they worship trees i heard (reminds me of Avatar lol),,so they live their life even way far behind the time of the Amish people.

So we're renting a truck from the army...then a minimum 6 hours trekking to the outter ring of their village. What has been worrying me is, it's been raining for the past week for literally 24 hours! so for the first stop (til you can rest) is 6 hours steep climbing under the rain, fog of the mountain, heavy backpack, LEECH ?!?!
No cellphone signals, no anykind of modern thing...complete darkness at night...

1st question: How am I gonna do this? I just hope I won't collapsed and giving people trouble :/

2nd question: If I go clean or pee by the river, how am i ignore the fact that someone is able to peek freely?

I stayed in the jungle for almost 2 months before when I was 21, I did this before (not on rainy season though) and survived. Why am I so scared now? maybe I'm germanized, everything so clean and safe..well time to sharpen it again, I won't think so much why I'm discouraged inside, nevertheless just incase, please forgive my mistakes and I love you guys hehe :) take care!

Friendship

1st story by Paulo Coelho

Once upon a time there was a poor but very brave man called Ali. He worked for Ammar, a rich old merchant.

One winter’s night Ammar said: “nobody can spend a night like this on top of the mountain without a blanket or food. But you need money, and if you can manage to do that you will receive a great reward. If you don’t, you will work for thirty days without pay”.

Ali answered: “tomorrow I shall do this test”.

But when he left the shop, he saw that a really icy wind was blowing and became scared, so he decided to ask his best friend, Aydi, if it was crazy of him to accept that bet.

After reflecting a while, Aydi answered: “I shall help you. Tomorrow, when you are at the top of the mountain, look ahead. I will be on the top of the mountain next to yours, where I will spend the whole night with a bonfire lit for you. You look at the fire and think about our friendship – that will keep you warm. You will manage, and later on I shall ask you something in return.”

Ali won the test, got the money, and went to his friend’s house: “You told me you wanted some payment.”

Aydi answered: ”Yes, but it isn’t money. Promise that if at any time a cold wind passes through my life, you will light the fire of friendship for me.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I was a little kid, my dad told me a story about a wise man who asked his son to build a house in each country or a place he visits. My dad told me that I should do the same. As a little girl I was thrilled by the idea and started asking questions on the amount of money I need and how I will get it to build a house for me in each country. He stopped me smiling and said, my little girl, a friendship is a solid – warm house that will incubate you through all the seasons of your life.. you have to build a friendship in each place you visit. This was his request and this is what I do.. build a house and sometimes few houses in each country I visit.. wonder how many houses I have now, thanks guys for making me a very wealthy girl :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One summer in Germany, I just started to hang out often with this girl from Mexico (she was exchange student for 1 semester, speak basic German), then she got really sick, got little stones in her kidney and was in great pain she had to stay 1 night in hospital and considering to go home early cos she needed operation. I thought, if I was her how would I feel, in pain, alone far from home? so I picked her up with a good friend, a guy (incase she colapsed), and put her in my room, i slept on the floor, took care of her for 3 days until she felt better, and then she can stay another 2 weeks in Germany to finished up things and during those times we became really close. She was so grateful and even her dad talked to me on the phone to say thanks. The news spread on how kind I was and my nick 'mamita' (cos i like to cook for people) became more popular cos of this. But soon I felt uncomfy, cos i thought it was normal thing to do, there's no way I'd let her alone like that right? and little do they know that a nice German girl took me in to her room for 1 month cos i was broke and i had to leave my room and i haven't found a new one, I almost slept on the street.

I think friendship is the basic of all relationship. So far in my life it is the most beautiful thing. Whatever the type of relationship I have, it all grounded on friendship. Relationship with God, I took God as my super sourceful , 'super knowledge about me' friend. My parents, if I dont have basic friendship with them, I won't have the patience :p Romance is surreal, I think it's needed for procreation, an art to get seducted and get the feeling like Marvin Gaye said 'when i get that feeling I need sexual healing' ...but if there's no friendhip, only physical attraction, it'll end so fast.

Today I'm just musing on how my main source of happiness beside myself (my decisions) is my friendships, especially the intercultural ones, very satisfying :) I dunno how to express my gratitude beside to become a good friend to my friends myself.

"Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is."

- Mary Anne Radmacher

For you all beautiful people who were there during my hard times, who forgave my mistakes, who knows me and love me anyway, thank you for the love also the chances you gave and you still will give for me to love you back, I love you guys :)