Another Victoria's Secrets

After non-stop drive from Jangkat by 11 p.m., we arrived at Lubuk Linggau on Monday morning at 8 a.m. The drivers needed sleep so we had 2 hours break. We had breakfast and some chat at a padangese restaurant. It was then when we decided that I had to go back by plane, and I went back to Jakarta with Kang Yaya and Kang Asep the driver.

we traveled the blue track all night long

the three-hour trip ended my Sumatran road trip with Robinson Journey

We didn't get ticket from Lubuk Linggau airport, so we carried on to Bengkulu's airport Fatmawati. We got the 6:20 p.m. flight to Cengkareng, Jakarta, and still had 2-3 hours to chill before the flight. But there was not so much to see around and we were too exhausted, so we just waited in the airport. Thus, my Sumatran Trip ended. I had to go back to reality, but I'm glad that I got so much to tell!

this was Kang Asep's first time traveling with airplane

What to pack?

When I first met Bang Robin for short briefing on early October, he didn't give me any briefing except that I had to bring stuff for all weather: cold, hot, and wet. So I gotta pack in my cabin luggage all of these for 5-6 days outfits (the plan was 3 nights for me, but apparently I extended to 8 nights instead.) If you want some break down, here are the things that went in my luggage:

seems like I love grey so much, huh?

Clothes

• 1 Pair of jeans
• 1 Pair of trousers (better be outdoor/waterproof/cargo pants)
• 1 Jogger pants (I wear them for sleep)
• 2 Short pants (one was jeans, one was quick-dry hot pants)
• Stacks of T-shirts and tank tops
• 1 Sweatshirt (I wear this for sleep)
• 1 Windbreaker jacket (compact folded)
• 1 Cotton shirt for semi-formal wear (which came handy on Day 2!)
• 2 Chambray shirts (for outerwear)
• 1 Infinity shawl (multi-purpose and very useful!)
• 1 Ikat scarf (bought mine at Boyanese)
• 1 Ikat blanket (bought mine at Noesa.Satu)
• Socks, underwear, sports bra and bralette (useful for sleep)

Others
(put in different smaller bags/pouches for easier organizing) 

• Toiletries (soap, shampoo, compact toothbrush, facial wash; put them in small containers)
• Make up (make it basic and simple; don't overdo it 'cause you won't have the time anyway)
• Dry shampoo (this is necessary if you can't shower for days in the wild)
• Medicines: paracetamol, ulcer medicine (O-blood type needs this the most), TolakAngin, minyak telon (better smell than minyak kayu putih to keep your body warm), balm, etc.
• Electronic chargers (for cameras and phone; and car charging jack)
• Umbrella and raincoat, just in case
• Cover bag (raincoat for your backpack)
• Coffee (I bring my own from Javanegra)
• Waterproof hiking boots (mine's from Rei, and I didn't need any other shoes for this trip)
• Flip-flops (they recommend multi-sport sandals/sandal gunung but I don't have any)

And these are what went inside my backpack:

• Mirrorless camera (mine's Fujifilm XA-2--bought the strap at Noesa.Satu)
• Action cam (mine's Brica B-Pro5 Alpha Edition)
• Power bank (and spare batteries, if you have)
• Memory cards (big capacity, emptied for this trip)
• Neck pillow (I bought mine at Miniso)
• Eye patches for easier sleep (I bought mine at BaliZen)
• Compact cutlery (spoon, fork, knife--pack this in your luggage)
• Reading book and notes (and a pen)
• Baseball cap
• Hair bands
• Buff
• Sunglasses
• Sunblock (better have 110 SPF)
• Tissue
• Wet tissue

 
I would highly suggest a bigger backpack than mine (Anello) because at one point you'll have to leave your suitcase and carry on with only backpack, especially when you have to hike or stay in the tent. Or, if you're a more adventurous person, just put everything in your backpack. But with this trip a suitcase is better because you don't have to carry it everywhere.

Anyhow, if you want to join the Robinson Journey team for their next adventure, click here and sign yourself up. Let's get on the journey!

I wasn't getting any brief for the day so I didn't expect we would go so far today. We departed from the house to another direction, which was west. Apparently we were driving around to the other side of the lake, on to Mount Masurai (that mountain on the left we saw from the house), and on, almost reaching Mount Kerinci. It was a full 4-hour off-road ride!

yes, Mount Masurai is the one on the left!

So I'm just gonna post some pictures of the never-ending hills we went through here. The trek was so heavy we had to leave the Jeep Rubicon in the first village. And we had to pass three villages--each 1-2 hours far away from the other--with off road trek, before we could finally get to our destination. We stopped at the last village to buy snack because it was way past lunch time and we were starving.





But then, out of despair, we arrived at the weathered wooden bridge with yellow gateway and our heart sunk. It's impossible for a car to get on the bridge, let alone three full-loaded 4WD vehicles!
Fortunately, our destination was right behind those trees and all we had to do was to park and walk the rest of the path.


This place is called Grao Sakti, at Renah Kemumu village, in Merangin District. It is actually a geothermal stone that heat up the flowing water in the river. It was roughly a 100-metre walk up from the bridge, and we came by the signage that led us to this view:

the stone heat up the water and built up hot steam

what does it look to you?

it doesn't look pretty actually, but wait till you try the water!

see? those guys couldn't miss a chance to play in the water

the crew: Erlangga, Kang Yaya, Mas Dimas, Jisel and Sedayu

our hosts: Bang Robin and Jisel

this is the best view I could get because I didn't wanna go wet

it's an estuary of two rivers; the left one was from Grao Sakti

check out the wooden bridge!

and we got a peeking hole here

checking for last shoot

We didn't stay too long here, because we still had a long way back and it was getting dark. The trip back was so tiring, but thankfully my car (RJ4) had this assistant guy, Acenk, who had tons of jokes and funny songs to keep us entertained. We stopped at the first village we passed to get a 5 p.m. super-late lunch of instant noodle. Sometimes, this kind of rush and messy schedule is what makes a trip memorable. I do now miss those times!

helping Jisel to go on track again

as you can see, there's no car access but to go offroad; tell you what, it's 4 hours drive!

 

Waking up in the highlands has been something I've missed--since we sold our house in Awiligar, Bandung. But today I woke up to a magnificent view: Pauh Lake right in front of our very own eyes. The house we stayed at is located just 100 metres from the lake, giving us spectacular morning view. Plus the fresh cool air, it was perfect!

the view of Danau Pauh and Gunung Masurai

the self-service station: fritters and hot beverages are always ready

behind that red curtain is the room I slept in

the view from living room

the wooden house we stayed in and its spectacular view

 

the wooden house may be 'cheap', but the view is priceless!

the forest is partly destroyed to give us way to get to the lagoon

check out the trek!

The rest of the journey should be pursued on foot. I didn't expect anything and was just as excited, but hey--the track was terribly crazy! We had to climb up, down, walking on tree trunks to avoid mud, going in the mud, crossing small river... all this for two hours! I was devastated for such heavy trek. But when I got to the blue lagoon, well, it was all paid. I bet you agree with me once you see the pics:

Mas Dimas asked me whether this trip really worth it

why, yes! it worth each and every sweat we spent!

across the bridge, we could hang out a bit

check out those algae and super clear water!

So after taking enough (we mean, a lot of) images, we packed up and went back. The deep pond wasn't for swimming and the water was too cold. It is 1,918 metres above sea level and we didn't want to be trapped in the damp tropical rain forest in the dark. But the trek wasn't getting easier as we went back. Just faster, because we weren't taking any picture this time. Still, I was super exhausted!

This staff had been very helpful with such trek

going back to civilization

the typical village planning in Merangin District

passing through this humble village

The road trip back was another hour to get to the main road, so imagine how excited we were when we found a restaurant? Yes, we were starving and it was 3 p.m. already. After that late lunch, we crossed the road and went into a beautiful garden, made by the regent's wife. Thus the garden is named after her: Hesti's Garden. We took a walk between the colourful flowers and enjoyed the wonderful panorama from the height.

we had lunch across this government office

they got nice food here!

this garden's like an oasis in the middle of nowhere

Mrs. Hesti's Garden

chilling on top of the garden

check out the vegetation and hilly contour

feels a bit like in Switzerland here

captured by Ary

called it off for the day with such beautiful sunset on the lake

We came back to the wooden house at around 5.30 p.m. and the sun was setting soon. We didn't have anything else to do that night and the rain made us gather around food and just chill. At least we got a break tonight. Read my next day's trip here. Check more pics on my Instagram feed and watch my journey with the team next Saturday (Dec 9) on Metro TV at 3:30 p.m.!