Honeymoon
begins
This is my first blog since I got married in March 2021. From now, I will make a story about me and my husband. We choose “Ale-Ale” for our article. Why is Ale-Ale? Ale-ale is an acronym of Afrizal and Elin, our names. Okay, let’s start the first Ale-Ale story!
Three weeks after getting married, we still couldn’t have a honeymoon because I didn’t have much leave. Fortunately, there was a long weekend in April. At the same time, my friend held his wedding party in Solo, Central Java. So, I decided to honeymoon at Yogyakarta (Jogja). Why Yogyakarta? Because I missed Jogja (I lived there for 4 years) and Jogja is near Solo. So, I could attend my friend’s wedding. In Jogja, one of our bucket list was trekking Nglanggeran Ancient Volcano (700 mdpl), at Patuk, Gunung Kidul. From UGM, it took around 1 hour by motorcycle.
Let’s
Goo
Our trip started from the workshop because of the leaking tire. Actually, it didn’t take much time (maybe around 5-10 minutes), but there was a miscommunication with the mechanic. He didn’t inform us that the reparation has finished. He guessed that we wait for our friends. Hence, we wait for more than 30 minutes until we realized, the mechanic didn’t do anything again. Oh ya, we knew the leaking tire because a middle-aged woman informed us. It reminded us that the Jogja’s people are well known as kind and polite. I compare to Jakarta which is the people are more individualism.
We
Arrived !!
We arrived at the entrance gate around 8.14 am, a bit late from our plan and the sunshine was blazing. The entrance fee for local tourist is Rp15.000/pax for afternoon and Rp20.000/pax for night entrance, foreign tourist is Rp30.000/pax for afternoon and night entrance, and guide fee (optional) is Rp70.000 for afternoon entrance and Rp100.000 for night entrance.
Because we visited this mount on Friday and in Covid-19 pandemic situation, so there weren’t visitors except us. When we arrived at the entrance, the officers didn't come because on Friday the entrance opens lately than other days. We only met the cleaning services. So, we could pay the entrance fee after we finished the trekking. Because only two of us were trekking, we felt free.
Track
!!
The track was designed like the ancient age. The ambiance seemed like the cave in the old stone age with some accessories like a replica of spit-roast pig and dinosaurs carved at the rock walls. We walked leisurely while enjoyed the view of the rocks and the green plants. But, we had to walk carefully because of the slippery path. Some part doesn’t get the direct sunlight, so it is slippery because of mosses. Besides mosses, I also founded a kind of big millipede on the way. Luckily, it wasn’t annoying so we could continue our way.
The uniqueness of Nglanggeran trail is the narrow trail. Honestly, I didn’t like to pass that narrow trail. I imagined wild animals like snake would appear. However, it was just my imagination. I could pass the narrow trail smoothly without met any wild animal.
After 15-20 minutes tracked, we arrived at Bagong Peak. There is a pavilion for taking a break before continuing to ascend the mountain. At this peak, I could see the picturesque of Jogja from afar. After taking the selfie, we continue to the next peak, Gedhe Peak.
Not far from Bagong peak, there is another pavilion. I decided to take a break in this pavilion because I was struggling. Maybe because I didn’t exercise for a long time so I got tired easily. The view from this pavilion was stunning. I could see Jogja from afar and the big rock from aglomerates and volcanic breccia. Ready for the selfie!
Not only rocky
path but also passed through dirt path.
We walked through the path but we couldn’t find Gedhe Peak. There was no
direction board. Unhappily, we
didn’t remember or took photos of Nglanggeran maps at the entrance gate.
Finally, we just follow the path but it directed us to the exit gate. Because
we both were already hungry, we walked to the exit gate although we have not
arrived at Gedhe Peak yet. Oh ya, we tracked for around 1 hour from entry and
exit the mount area.
Pawon Purba is a javanese traditional restaurant in a Joglo house with Nglanggeran Mount view. We ordered javanese traditional food those are Nasi Goreng Kampung (Traditional Fried Rice), Ayam Goreng Kampung (The fried free-range chicken), mendoan (javanese tempeh), jenang (traditional sweet porridge), and Teh Telang (Butterfly Pea Flower Tea). We just spent Rp81.000 for all of that food!
Overall, Nglanggeran mount and Pawon Purba are a perfect combination to rekindle our memories about the atmosphere of the countrysides. A pleasant place with a pleasant food and of course with pleasant budget! Nglanggeran, thanks for the invaluable experience for us! See you on the next Ale-Ale journey!
Yogyakarta, 2 April 2021
For more information about Nglanggeran, please visit http://gunungapipurba.com/
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