This is the fifth chapter of the previous article.
I sensed that something was wrong the moment I was about to lie down completely. The socks I had just put on suddenly became wet as they touched the edge of the mat. I began feeling around the entire surface of my sleeping pad and discovered that my hand touched the coldness of water almost everywhere.
I quickly grabbed my headlamp and shone it towards the edge of the tent. Sure enough, there was a puddle of water steadily resting there.
“Oh no. Why is this happening? I was about to sleep! Ah, this is so frustrating!!!” Kintan groaned as I asked her to wake up before her body got soaked.
Throughout our journey from the basecamp to Surya Kencana, Kintan had never complained like this. I saw frustration on her face and her tone wasn’t playful. I tried to calm her down.
Puput, who was already preparing to sleep, also began busy drying the mat. But our efforts were in vain. Eventually, we gave up and called for help.
“That front part seems to be sinking. Try fixing the tent,” Puput shouted from inside the tent. Ari, Adi, and Ibun stepped in to help. I felt bad disturbing their rest, but it seemed like the three men didn’t mind, even though they initially seemed reluctant.
“The water is still seeping in,” Puput shouted again.
“I think this is the water drainage route. No matter what we do, the tent’s going to flood,” Adi said, almost in despair. Without much talk, Ibun created a water diversion around the tent, but his effort was still futile.
“You guys should move to the men’s tent for now. Let’s shift this tent higher,” Ari suggested. Kintan and I followed his instructions and moved. To help Ari, Adi, and Ibun, Puput also stepped outside after putting on her raincoat.
From then on, I could only help with prayers. While listening to the murmurs of the rescue team, Kintan and I sat quietly, drowsy. Aldi, who still had a headache, also remained silent in his sleep.
“It’s safe now. But it’s still wet inside. We need to wipe it down. The important thing is the water isn’t coming into the tent anymore,” Adi reported from inside the women’s tent. Now it was only half a meter away from the men’s tent.
To rest quickly, I sacrificed my Doraemon T-shirt to use as a towel.
“Is this okay?” Adi asked after I tossed him the T-shirt. I reassured him to use it since it was already dirty from the hike up. Adi completed his last task.
“Thanks so much, guys. If it weren’t for you, I’d be sleeping in the wet,” Kintan said. I thanked them and immediately moved back to the tent.
To avoid anything unpleasant, I, Kintan, and Puput switched positions. We had been facing west, but now we were facing north. I admit that this position was very uncomfortable. Our legs couldn’t fully stretch out. We had to bend them a bit. But since we were exhausted and sleepy, I tried to sleep.
***
I could faintly hear the sound of rain still dominating outside the tent. My awareness suddenly came back as my body began to shiver. After gathering my strength, I opened the sleeping bag that was covering me to reach for my jacket. In a hurry, I put the jacket over my knitted sweater. If only my socks hadn’t gotten wet earlier. I could have worn two layers of socks now. But oh well, two layers of jackets would have to do.
I glanced to the left where Kintan and Puput were lying. There were no signs that they were cold. I went back into my sleeping bag.
***
My tent started rustling around 4 in the morning. It turned out that Puput had woken up and complained that her stomach hurt. I, not having had a deep sleep, also woke up.
“Ouch, ouch. I need to poop. Where’s my headlamp?” Puput said, panicking while looking for her headlamp.
“You need to poop, Put?” Ari’s voice could be heard from the adjacent tent.
“Yeah, Ri. I’m really about to go.”
“I’ll go with you. It’s still dark. If we wait until it gets light, it’ll be hard to find a spot.”
I agreed with Ari. In such a crowded place, like a night market, it would be hard to find a place to do your business. I wanted to join them, but my stomach hadn’t started contracting yet. The bottle of mineral water at the end of the tent became my target, hoping it would stir up a little movement in my stomach. But it was futile.
“Are you going or not, Din?” Puput asked.
I nodded and got up to leave the tent. Maybe in a squatting position, the things in my stomach would force themselves out.
The air wasn’t as cold as I expected. I was prepared for the sharp sting against my cheeks. Maybe because it had rained earlier, the temperature was a little more bearable.
I looked around. The colorful tents and faint lights decorated Surya Kencana. Laughter from other groups could be heard in the distance. In my hiking history, this was the first time I didn’t feel scared. There was a positive side to the busy atmosphere.
After walking a little farther from the tents, we stopped. Puput got the first turn because her situation was getting urgent. We didn’t want her to go before she had a chance to pull down her pants.
The second turn was taken by Ari. I waited while squatting, smoking a Samsu cigarette, hoping that the cramps would kick in soon. But it was really useless.
Finally, after a while of waiting, Ari emerged from the bushes. “Over there, Din. There’s still some space. But watch out, don’t step on my land mines,” Ari said with a chuckle. Puput and I laughed a little.
I walked towards the spot Ari pointed out. There was some bush with a small gap to squat. Carefully, I looked around. The first thing I feared was small animals, especially ticks. I was a bit traumatized by these relatives of leeches.
Back when I was traveling to Desa Juhu in the South Kalimantan jungle, a tick arrogantly wriggled, trying to jump at me while I was half-squatting and half-lowering my pants to pee. You can read the full story in my post titled Curhatan Eneng (The Highest Village in the Kalimantan Jungle).
But it seemed that Mount Gede wasn’t home to those little creatures. After making sure, I squatted down. Since my stomach hadn’t contracted yet, my position felt useless. Minutes went by as I tried to concentrate on inhaling the cigarette smoke, hoping it would stimulate my stomach contractions. But it was all in vain.
Finally, after my legs started shaking, the darned poop began to emerge, hesitantly. My knees started to protest as the process dragged on. I’m not someone who can squat for long. That’s why I dislike using squat toilets. I also had to support my weight by placing both hands on the ground, as my body felt heavier and heavier.
After what felt like an eternity, I stood up. Thousands of ants seemed to swarm around my legs. I paused for a moment to let the blood flow back into my legs. After making sure my “track” was fully buried, I walked back to Puput and Ari. The three of us returned to the tent.
***
The first light of the sun slowly illuminated Surya Kencana. The hikers, who had been hiding in the warmth of their tents, began to show their faces one by one.
“Let’s summit!” Kintan woke up with enthusiasm on her face. I just grumbled from inside my sleeping bag. I actually wanted to see the peak of Mount Gede again, but my legs felt too lazy to climb, even though it would only take about an hour and a half. My mind wandered, imagining other views in Surya Kencana that I had never seen before. In the end, I decided not to join.
“Seriously, no one wants to summit?! I feel like I’ve been set up, I swear,” Kintan exclaimed, disappointed, after hearing that I, Puput, Aldi, Ari, and Ibun weren’t going. We all just laughed at her complaint.
“Same with Adi,” Ari said, which was met with Adi’s reluctant look. The rest of us supported that decision. In the end, Adi, who lost the vote, gave in and agreed.
Kintan got ready and left with Adi. The rest of us had our own plans. Puput and Ari went for a run around Surya Kencana because there was a race. I didn’t know what kind of event that was. Only trail runners would understand.
Meanwhile, I invited Aldi to walk to the edge of Surya Kencana. Ibun, who was left behind by his friends, joined us.
***
There’s no need to brag if you want to be liked. That’s how the beauty at the edge of Surya Kencana was. Majestic, yet gracefully drawing the attention of anyone who saw it. The view greeted me gently. Its charm immediately calmed me. There weren’t many people there. Only two men, taking turns posing for photos. They left shortly after I, Aldi, and Ibun arrived. The place instantly became ours. The crowded, market-like atmosphere in Surya Kencana felt non-existent here.
After we were done taking photos, Aldi, Ibun, and I sat down, enjoying the beautiful sky and the hills before us.
***
I kept replaying songs from Payung Teduh and Vancouver Sleep Clinic to set the mood. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring any coffee with me. Just a bottle of water, half full.
Lalu mataku merasa malu
Semakin dalam, dia malu kali ini
Kadang juga ia takut
Tatkala harus berpapasan di tengah pelariannya…
—
Sing into the sky
I’ve had enough
Of living lost
Bring it in the night
I’m coming home
I won’t let go…
***
My drifting thoughts, floating along with the lyrics of the song, were interrupted by a woman asking me to take her photo. With a smile, I took her phone and snapped pictures of each pose she requested. That brief encounter gave me a little glimpse into who she was.
***
To be continued.
