“Did you hear about the 6.1 SR earthquake that occured in Garut?” Asked one of my friends.
“Yes.” I answered.
“Are we still going there tonight?” She asked again.
“Why not?” I answered again.
Although short and easy, Papandayan was not at all risk-less. Since 2006, Mt. Papandayan’s warning status has been increased from “Vigilant” (level I) to “Alert” (level III). To me, the warning status was not comparable to the dreadful month I had in the city without any getaways.
If you know me well enough, you would know that I’m a city kid who hates the city. If you find the situation similar to you, here are some photos that I took at Papandayan. Consider it my postcard to you.
The view was exceptional. Although Papandayan is said to be the perfect mountain for beginners, it still offered a beautiful view. The challenge was small, yet the reward was huge! If you wish to travel here, travel light. You won’t need much as the locals are opening stalls that rent out equipment and even sell food!
I could hear the crater’s voice, as if it was communicating with the nature through its hiss. The others communicated in a different way. The river flows beautifully silent while reflecting the blue sky in a blurry image. The wind came on strong, as if it was competing with the sun who was shining so bright. At that moment, it felt like Papandayan was showcasing one of God’s masterpieces.
Think about this. Human beings live their daily lives trying to achieve something big. You name it: bigger muscles, bigger office space, bigger house, bigger ambitions, etc. In all these efforts, do we even know that as big as we will ever be, we are only a tiny fragment in this universe owned by a mighty God. The photo above reminded me to stay humble at all times.
I hope you enjoy the postcards. If you wish to read about my journey, visit http://www.demasryan.com to read about Papandayan and any other travel stories.
Currently, I am moving across Tohoku, Japan, taking photos of sakura, snow walls and even more. I am humbled to be collaborating with Venture Travel Mag and JTB Corp to cover Tohoku in its first ever foreign tourism campaign. Excitedly hoping to bring you more photos from Japan!
Keep exploring!
DR. (@demasryan)
GERSONHENRY 