*This is the fourth chapter of the previous article.
I kept trying to walk. I ignored the sound. Yes, it was my stomach protesting, demanding to be fed. At the basecamp earlier, I had only a small breakfast because I didn’t want to feel too full. Now, it was only 11 AM, just about three hours of walking, but I already felt hungry. It seemed all the intake in my body had evaporated into energy.
“Let’s wait until pos 4. Just a little more,” Ari replied when I asked to eat first, which the others agreed with. Inside, I wanted to protest, but since I was clearly outvoted, I decided to stay quiet and give in. We were now between pos 3 and 4. The narrow trail didn’t really allow us to stop and eat. I tried to suppress my hunger with some Choki Choki chocolate.
An hour later, my stomach started to hurt. Just when I was about to give up, pos 4 welcomed us right at noon. I thanked loudly and immediately asked the others to set up a spot.
“Here, I brought a lot of trash bags,” Kintan said, pulling out two wide black plastic sheets from her bag. Aldi quickly spread one out in the middle so we could place our food on it. Brutally, I took out my wrapped rice from my bag.
Buying wrapped rice at the basecamp for lunch was the right decision. Cooking on the trail would have taken too much time. The intense hunger made me eat immediately without much talking. The bottled sambal KS, which Kintan and I loved, made the cold rice with omelette and tempeh taste luxurious. At moments like this, even fine dining food couldn’t compare.
In less than five minutes, my stomach began to feel calm. I wrapped the brown paper back, leaving just a little rice. I could have finished it, but once again, I was afraid of getting too full, which would hinder my movement.
“Why is it getting cold?” Ibun remarked. He immediately took out his jacket and put it on. After eating, we sat in silence, chatting while waiting for the food to settle. Suddenly, a thick fog rolled in, and the cold air pierced our skin. One by one, we started putting on jackets, flannel shirts, corduroy shirts, beanies, and gloves.
“Oh, I haven’t prayed Dhuhr yet. Should I pray now?” Kintan said, noticing two men nearby setting up to pray. He was one of my friends who was quite diligent about his prayers.
“Let’s do it at Surken, Tun. We’ll be there soon,” Ari replied. “Come on, let’s go.” Ari stood up, and we followed suit.
***
The trail from pos 4 to pos 5 in Surya Kencana was increasingly intense. There was no flat ground at all. My almost full stomach became a hindrance. The weight of my carrier bag felt heavier. If my shoulders could talk, they would probably curse.
The group split up again, but the pattern remained the same. Puput, Adi, and Ibun were in front, Ari always with Kintan, while the rest, Aldi and I, stayed together at the back. Besides the increasingly extreme trail, Aldi and I preferred to remain at the rear because we stopped several times to smoke.
Surya Kencana was close, but the sky was still very clear, and it was only 2 PM. In about an hour, we might arrive. This made Aldi and me feel relaxed. That’s good; I didn’t want to argue with him about the night trek he really disliked.
Because of our relaxed pace, the others were no longer in sight. It was fine; we’d meet up at Surya Kencana later.
***
The familiar view came into sight—the entrance to Alun Alun Surya Kencana. Memories of my first time here flashed clearly. After five years, this place hadn’t changed much, just busier. There used to be no stalls, but now it felt like a night market.
Blue tents selling fried snacks, bottled water, and similar items were crowded with dozens of people. The tranquility and mystical aura I once felt in Surya Kencana seemed like a distant dream. After swallowing my disappointment, Aldi and I continued searching for our group.
In the distance, I saw Adi waving his hand. His tall, skinny body in a red shirt and an orange rain cover made him instantly recognizable. It seemed my friends had arrived a while ago. Puput was sitting on a rock, while Kintan, Ari, and Ibun sat on the grass.
“Let’s keep going so we can set up the tents quickly. It looks like it’s going to rain,” Aldi suggested. The others quickly prepared to move again.
“Let’s camp near the trail to the summit for convenience tomorrow morning,” Ari added. We continued walking.
But just a few steps later, our progress was halted.
“Whoa, it’s so cool! The fog is coming down! Can someone take my picture?” Adi exclaimed happily. I agreed to his request. One of my hobbies is photography, so I always carry my DSLR while traveling.
As Aldi and I took turns capturing the moment, the others stopped and posed too. Only Aldi looked unenthusiastic. He chose to set down his bag and lie on the grass.
“My head really hurts. It feels like it’s being beaten,” he explained when I asked. I immediately knew the cause; he was the one who couldn’t function well with little sleep. To let him rest, I continued taking photos with the others.
After we had our fill of photos, we resumed our journey. Aldi and I led the way while the others were still enjoying their photos in the back. Just when we hadn’t found a spot to set up our tent, the rain poured down uncontrollably. We quickly moved to the nearest tree, hoping to find shelter from the falling drops.
I took the initiative to divide tasks. Kintan and I prepared hot drinks while the others worked together to set up the tent. The increasingly heavy rain forced Aldi, Ari, Adi, Ibun, and Puput to wear their raincoats. Kintan also put on hers, which was green. I was the only one reluctant to take my raincoat out of my bag.
After a long effort, finally, our two tents stood as they were. They couldn’t be called sturdy, but they were enough for shelter. We quickly moved all the scattered items from under the tree into the tents.
***
“Excuse me. Can I have some coffee?” A man peeked in from outside our tent.
“Oh sure,” Kintan replied loudly. “Hey, where’s the coffee?”
I handed two packets of instant coffee to Kintan, who distributed them to the bespectacled man. After thanking us, he returned to his tent next to ours.
I remarked that the man looked like Ardhito Pramono. Puput and Kintan, who were in my tent, immediately agreed. Our conversation turned to how much the man resembled Ardhito.
“I heard you, you know!” a voice chimed in amidst our laughter.
“Oh, sorry! He really does look alike!” Puput responded. We all continued to laugh.
Outside the tent, the rain was still pouring heavily. We all cooked and ate together while chatting. Except for Aldi. After a quick bite, he returned to sleep because the headache hadn’t gone away yet.
***
With our bellies full, clothes changed, and faces cleaned, it was time to rest and lie down. But before my entire body could lean on the mat, I felt something strange inside the tent.
To be continued.
