We went to a place with winter weather without any heater for this holiday.
Dieng was chosen thanks to countless reels that promote this place and it successfully brainwashed me to arrange a trip here.
Other reason is to to balance the city trips throughout this year and last one is to let both spoiled girls (me and my daughter) experience less comfortable situations and see different things out there.
In spite of lack of facilities here and there, maybe due to its geographical location, but, the hospitality we received from the locals we met here was pleasing.
Few that make a trip called acceptable : clean bathroom, good food is easily accessible, feel safe to go around, and proper internet connection.
I can tolerate washing dishes with freezing water, no refrigerator is available, less comfortable ride and bumpy road, cold piercing weather that makes us stay inside with three layers of clothes and socks to stay warm, last day in freezing weather without water, all the attractions that require us to pay no matter how ‘nothing to see’ they are, but, it’s okay. The tickets were totally affordable.
We only had two main itineraries during the stay. Sunrise in Sikunir and Mount Prau Hiking.
We climbed Sikunir on the second day and left our cabin house as early as 4am. It was freezing cold and quite tough when you traveled with a 9 year old.
But, the view up there was totally worth it.
On the third day, we climbed Mount Prau. I didn’t expect anything at first. But, along the way, we reached the first stop, then continued to the second one, then the third one till we finally reached the summit.
Mount Prau is considered as one of the beginner choices and I think it fits someone who has never experienced mountain climbing before. We departed from Dieng basecamp which is considered as the easiest route.
For someone who lived most of the childhood to adolesence dealing with genetically severe asthma, I climbed leisurely and happily, back and forth. We spent six hours climbing up and back down.
One thing about nature trip, if it’s done with the right group (actually, whatever trip is only good when you go with the right companions), it’s the most mindful trip one could have. We can’t rush, especially when we travel with a kid, we couldn’t be disappointed much, the focus is only to get to the next stop, and whatever view we get along the way, it’s nothing but beautiful.
I love the silence during the 8km of walk.
The view of blue sky, white clouds, and fog out there. The each step taken in the quiet forest.
Kind of trip that makes you really tired but happy and realize how tiny we are in this enormous world.
Doing daily exercise, no zero day, wherever I have been, regular morning walk, for the last four years, show its benefits during this climb.
This is such a personal huge milestone in this decade.
But, that wasn’t only about me. There is a 9yo who also reached the summit with her own two legs for the first time. We did several hiking too before when we visited Bajo and camping, but, she received a lot of help back then.
Several comments we heard a long the way :
“Wow, she’s so cool”.
“How old is she?”
“She went up to the summit? Amazing!”
Two climbs in two days for a nine year old is not a small feat indeed. She whined a lot, which is normal. She complained so much, which is more normal. She said she was exhausted and being grumpy, which is nothing but normal.
The parents who brought her to such trip and ‘enjoyed’ six hours of intense motivational coaching and mood lifting? Maybe that was the only one which was not normal.
But, enjoying such thing and left her behind is not an option. We’re suffering together is the only way to go.
Raising her, we never choose easy, and hopefully will never be, as much as we could.
She might not be impressed a lot about today, but I believe, her mind and body will keep score.
Life won’t get any easier, not always about fancy hotel and pool or beautiful city, but, we have to push through. We always finish what we have started, no matter how hard it is. I hope this trip teach her that.
Easier said and written than done.
Overall, Dieng is beautiful, cold, and worth the long road trip by train, car, and jeep, long hikes to enjoy the beautiful scenery in the highest village in Central Java.
In Dieng, we stayed in a modest cabin house without any heater in 10-15 degree. No proper hotel chain available in Dieng. Some good policy from the local government. So all the accommodation, restaurants here are owned and run by locals. No fancy coffee shops is seen here. No English speaking people heard except some few snobs from Menteng Dalem.
The scenery here is one of the places in Java Island that suits our tourism tagline : Wonderful Indonesia.
After Komodo-Labuan Bajo trip four years ago, this trip is another quite impressive domestic travel on the list.
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