Saturday 25 June 2011

Merapi - The Mountain of Fire

The city Yogyakarta is one of the interesting places to be visited in Indonesia. Not only Jogja, the nickname of the city, offers you the history of the Hamengkubuwono Sultanate and great choices of local cuisine, it is located close to a mountainous landscape where Gunung Merapi or Mount Merapi is located.


Literally translated as the mountain of fire in Javanese, the last eruption happened in late 2010. This is a must visit place as we are not only able to appreciate the elegant of Gunung Merapi which stands tall and surrounded by beautiful landscape but we would be able to understand the effect of its latest eruption and the human tragedy that came along with it. 


While most of the volcanic ashes had been cleared and cleaned, the bare surroundings, especially along the pathway of the lava flow, tells a heart touching story of the sufferings of the people who lived in that area. 


The effect of the eruption could also be seen kilometers away from the mountain, especially places which are located close to the flowing lava which carried large rocks together with it. At the same time, observing how people moved on with their lives after the tragedy is certainly inspiring.


The tragedy also claimed the life of Mbah Marijan, the official keeper of Gunung Merapi. He demonstrated commitments towards the cultural values and beliefs of the people in that area when he refused to be evacuated even though he understood the fatal consequences of such decision.




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