We set out for Prambanan Temple to catch the sunset after a lazy day at the homestay. This Hindu temple is from the 9th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
After sunset, we headed back for dinner and a couple hours rest before our next big adventure.
DAY 3/4: We left Bamboo Bamboo at 10pm and headed to a village at the foothills of Mount Merapi, the world's most active volcano. By midnight we were at the village and 1 am we began our hike. It was a grueling 4 hour hike to the top - very steep, narrow, and slippery. Sometimes we were even on our hands crawling up boulders with our flashlights clenched between our teeth. Y and I didn't go to the final summit as we were exhausted and thought it would be too dangerous, but we stopped at the plateau just below. We were very unprepared for this hike, thus were freezing at the top. It was around 5C or 40F and we were in thin workout clothes with trainers that offered little support. One of the guides made us a fire that the three of us hovered around for about 10 minutes until sunrise.
After the sunrise we made the 2.5 hour descent. It was probably more difficult than the climb due to the steep angle and slippery slopes. It was very crazy to see the path we climbed during the night, not knowing the steep cliffs we were inches from.
 |
| Just before sunrise |
 |
| Sunrise above the clouds |
 |
| Another volcano in the distance |
 |
| The descent |
