One of my colleagues told me about her plan to hike Mount Bokong in Batu, East Java. Hearing that instantly sparked my curiosity, and I started asking her a few questions. Maybe she noticed how interested I was, because she ended up inviting me to join the trip. Honestly, I’ve always wanted to try hiking again. I once climbed Budug Asu near Lawang—if I’m not mistaken—and it left quite an impression on me. So, without thinking too much, I said yes to her invitation.
But then she mentioned she’d be going with her boyfriend. That made me hesitate. I’d be going alone, and I didn’t want to intrude on their time together, haha. She added that a few others would be joining too—her boyfriend’s friend, the friend’s wife, and the friend’s mother. So, there would be five people in total. That made me pause again. I didn’t know any of them, and I was worried I’d be disrupting their plans. But my colleague had already asked her boyfriend if it was okay for me to come along, and he said yes. Still, I felt unsure—just a bit awkward about it all. I thought maybe I could invite my younger sibling, but she couldn’t make it. I asked a few friends too, but they all had other plans. I really wanted to go but had no one to go with. In the end, I decided to just go on my own and join my colleague’s group. Well, what else could I do? Even if I might end up tagging along on someone’s “date,” haha, I still wanted to focus on the hike itself.
Eventually, I decided to buy my hiking ticket through an app called Tiket Pendakian. From there, you can choose which mountain to hike, which post to start from, how many people are going, and what kind of gear you’ll be bringing. Since my colleague had already purchased her ticket, I bought mine separately—just for myself. The hike was scheduled for Sunday, September 14th. With a mix of emotions—excited, nervous, unsure—I finally committed to preparing for the hike during the four days leading up to it. During the preparation days, to be honest—I didn’t really prepare, haha. I was mostly just waiting for the day to come. Usually, before a hike, people would train their bodies a bit—morning runs, brisk walks, anything to build stamina so they don’t get exhausted on the trail. But I just went about my usual routine: eating, sleeping, and playing with my cat.
October 13thMy actual preparation only happened the day before the hike. I packed some food and picked out an outfit. To be honest, I didn’t have any special hiking gear—this was my first time, after all—and I couldn’t afford to buy the equipment that I might not use again. So, I wore my everyday clothes, added a cap, and put on a pair of sneakers. The shoes were just regular ones, with worn-out soles that had gone completely flat. For food, I only brought two onigiri from convenient store. I bought them on the 13th and the expiration date on 14th. Luckily, they were still edible. I also packed a 650ml bottle of mineral water.
The night before the hike, I couldn’t sleep. I was excited but also worried I wouldn’t wake up on time.
October 14th (D-Day)My friend had said we’d leave after the dawn prayer, so I needed to be up before the call to prayer to get ready. Amazingly, I woke up at exactly 4 a.m.—just before the adzan. I messaged my friend to let her know I’d just woken up and apologized in case I was late. Turns out, her boyfriend hadn’t started getting ready yet, and she hadn’t been picked up either. While waiting, I washed my face, brushed my teeth—but didn’t shower because it was freezing, and then I prayed. After that, I still hadn’t heard anything from my friend, so I made a cup of instant noodles for breakfast. Even after finishing my meal, there was still no update. So, I changed clothes and then fed my cats.
Finally, I got a message saying their group had already left. She sent me a live location via WhatsApp, which let me track their movements. I waited until they were about 4 kilometers away from my house before heading out. But then I realized—I forgot to clean the litter box. In a rush, I cleaned it while constantly checking their location on the map. I managed to finish just in time and rode my motorbike to our meeting point: the Pendem gas station. While waiting there, I filled up my tank. The queue was surprisingly long, and my friend’s group was already just 200 meters away. Thankfully, I finished refueling just in time, and they didn’t have to wait too long for me.
I was already familiar with the route to the hiking post since I’m originally from Batu. But it had been a while since I passed through those roads—now that I work in Malang, I rarely have a reason to go back to Batu. During the ride, I looked around and noticed how much the city had changed. So many new eateries, new public facilities—it felt like a mini nostalgia trip.
After about 10–15 minutes, we arrived at the designated parking area for automatic scooters. Before reaching the entrance post, those riding automatic bikes are required to park in a specific lot. From there, you can either walk or take a local motorcycle taxi (ojek) to the post. The road ahead was quite steep, so riding an automatic bike could be risky. Thankfully, the locals had set up a few ojek services, charging Rp20,000 for a one-way trip. So, if you’re going round-trip, that’s Rp40,000. Not exactly cheap, huh? On the way up with the ojek, I saw quite a few people who chose to walk all the way to the entrance post. They were seriously impressive—the road was steep and fairly long.
As I sat on the back of the motorbike, I looked around and took in the fresh morning air. It was around 5:30 a.m., and the scenery was stunning. From afar, I could see the mountains and other natural views that made me wish I could take a photo. But the ojek driver was speeding, so I had to hold on tightly with both hands. Can you imagine the scene? Honestly, thinking back on it now, I can’t help but laugh—it was such a ridiculous position to be in.
It probably took less than 10 minutes to reach the entrance post. There were already so many visitors there, and the motorbike parking area was packed. I was amazed to see that many people so early in the morning. But then again, every mountain offers its own sunrise and sunset magic—maybe some of them had arrived even before sunrise. Oh, and by the time I left home, the sun had already risen.
Parking area, roadside stalls, and ojek base.
While waiting for my friend to arrive, I got to know her boyfriend’s friend and his family. They were all incredibly kind, and honestly, I felt so grateful to my friend and her circle for letting me join their group. There was one moment that really surprised me. One of the people joining us was the mother of my friend’s boyfriend’s friend. When I shook her hand and saw her face up close, I was genuinely shocked—she looked so young. For someone whose child is around my age, I would’ve expected her to be at least 50. My mother is 52, and compared to her, this woman looked completely different—sorry, Mom 😅. I guessed she might be around 35 to 40. Once my friend arrived, we headed to the ticket post to confirm our identities and complete the payment. The queue was quite long. While waiting, I couldn’t help but ask about the woman who looked so youthful. My friend happened to have a photo of her ID card, and when I saw it—boom—she was 50 years old. Totally unexpected. Not only did she look incredibly youthful, but she also hiked a mountain at that age.
Moving on to the ticket payment process, we had to show the barcode and proof of purchase to the staff at the counter. They also asked us to leave our ID cards—probably as a form of deposit and a way to ensure we’d dispose of our trash properly. So, when buying the ticket through the app, we had to list the items we were bringing that could potentially become waste. And one more thing: when I showed my ticket purchase on my phone, the staff at the counter activated the tracking feature on my device—just in case I got lost or went missing during the hike.
We checked in at the ticket post and received a printed map along with a list of hiking regulations.
After confirming our tickets and completing the payment, we finally set off. At the beginning of the hike, we were all enjoying ourselves—it was still early, so we hadn’t felt tired yet, and the air was cool and refreshing. After walking a few meters, we were greeted by a gate that read “Welcome to Mount Bokong.” Of course, we didn’t let that moment pass us by—we stopped to take photos in front of the gate. Oh, and speaking of gear, I brought along my digital camera—the same one I mentioned in the Wlingi episode. I brought it again to capture my glorious lack of photography skills, haha.
A bamboo gate marking the entrance to Mount Bokong—our starting point that morning.
We started our hike from the bamboo gate at exactly 7:05 in the morning. Throughout the hike, we were treated to breathtaking natural scenery—lush green trees, cloud-covered mountains, and clusters of village homes nestled beneath the slopes. Fyi, the topography of Batu is mostly highland and hilly terrain, with deep valleys stretching along the ridges of two major mountain ranges: Arjuno-Welirang and Butak-Kawi-Panderman.
As we climbed, fatigue began to set in for some of us. We walked slowly, paused to catch our breath, and took a few photos along the way. Honestly, it’s not that I was trying to act tough or show off, but I genuinely didn’t feel tired during the hike. We took plenty of breaks, and I didn’t sweat nearly as much as I usually do. And here’s the funny part—along the trail, there were several signs marking checkpoints and giving reminders. One of them said: “Don’t be a show-off.” I felt personally called out, haha. Looking at myself and our group, it was oddly fitting. Since I wasn’t feeling tired, I ended up walking ahead of the group. I wanted to reach the top, but I didn’t want to walk ahead and leave them—especially after they’d kindly let me join.
After about an hour of walking, we reached Post 1. There, we found a small food stall and a camping spot. The stall sold drinks and snacks—mostly fried foods like gorengan. There was also long bamboo benches provided for visitors to rest and catch their breath.
Post I.
Food stall and resting area at Post I.
During our break at Post 1, some of us ate our packed snacks and onigiri. I didn’t eat anything, though. I was worried I’d get a stomachache from eating too much—what we call suduken in Javanese. I’m not quite sure how to translate that exactly, maybe something like “overstuffed belly” or “food overload,” haha. After about 15 minutes of resting, we got ready to head to the next post. But we were delayed a bit because some of us wanted to take photos at the Post 1 sign. So, I had to be patient and wait. At first, I didn’t plan to join the photo session—I’m not really into taking pictures. But I was gently pressured into it, they said it was for showing to our office friends. So, I joined in. And when I saw the photo… oh no. I really didn’t look photogenic at all. I don’t want to say this, but I looked kind of awful, haha. So dull and tired looking. And of course, I can't upload that photo here 😐.
On the way to Post 2, the scenery was beautiful, and some of us took breaks along the trail. One member had kindly volunteered to be the sweeper, making sure no one was left behind. He brought a lot of laughter and kept the mood light, which made the hike more enjoyable. We did take frequent breaks, so our pace was a bit slower than expected. But honestly, I didn’t mind too much. He was the one who welcomed me into the group, and thanks to the slower pace, I had more time to rest and take photos. Maybe I was just a little too eager to reach the summit.
Eventually, we arrived at Post 2. Nothing much happened there—we simply continued our hike toward Post 3. I didn’t take any photos except for the trail marker.
Post II.
Earlier, I mentioned the trail signs posted along the path to the summit of Mount Bokong—here are a few of them captured in photos.
Litter-free hiking trail.
Beware of cliffs.
The hike from Post II to Post III didn’t take long. I didn’t keep track of the exact time, but it was definitely under 30 minutes. At Post III, the group took more photos—though not me, of course. To be honest, my goal for this hike was to capture the beauty of nature and document the experience itself to share in this post. Oh, I almost forgot—between the starting point and Post I, the trail was made of compact soil, flanked by thick shrubs on both sides. But from Post I onward, all the way to Post III and the summit, the ground became drier and sandier. Every step kicked up dust, and it was honestly quite uncomfortable. The dust got into my nose and eyes, and it was a bit of a struggle.
Early trail to Post I—firm soil flanked by dense shrubs, still gentle beneath our steps.
Beyond Post II—dominant with the dry, sandy path kicks up dust with every step, testing both breath and patience.
A few minutes after reaching Post 3, we finally arrived at the summit of Mount Bokong. Up there, we were immediately greeted by a breathtaking panorama of mountain ranges stretching far and wide. All the exhaustion from the climb felt worth it, it paid off by the view, and perhaps with plenty of emotional returns still to come. At the summit, we saw several tents already set up, people taking photos with their friends and families, and others simply relaxing on mats. Mount Bokong’s peak offers designated camping areas, as well as sunrise and sunset viewing spots. We chose to rest at the sunrise spot, mostly because it had more shade from the trees—perfect for escaping the harsh sunlight.
Sunset and sunrise spot, and camping ground.
We started by laying out a mat, dropping our bags, and immediately lying down to rest. Some of us took out our food—including me. But just as I was about to eat my onigiri, a monkey approached me with a predator-like stare. Well, not the kind that wants to eat me, but definitely the food I was holding. Apparently, the monkeys here are quite used to stealing food from visitors. I couldn’t eat in peace because that monkey kept staring at me. So, I gave up on eating, even though I was really hungry. Thankfully, one of my friend’s friends kindly offered to “guard” my food from the monkeys, taking turns to keep watch. It was hilarious—he even carried a wooden stick to shoo them away if they got too close. While I was eating, I saw another visitor’s food get snatched. And the funniest part? The monkey actually ate whole wheat biscuits and yogurt. Who knew they had such refined taste?
Caught in the act—this monkey had its sights set on our lunch.
While resting, our eyes began to grow heavy, and one by one, we took turns napping briefly on the mat. Some of us also took turns snapping photos at various spots with the mountains as our backdrop. Then came an unexpected moment—some monkeys nearby began engaging in rather inappropriate behavior right in front of us. Definitely a scene rated 21+, haha. Even though I’m over 21, it still felt… not exactly appropriate. But well, they’re animals after all.
After spending about two hours at the summit, we decided it was time to head back down. But of course, we couldn’t skip the group photo in front of the summit plaque. A fellow visitor kindly offered to take the photo for us.
The descent turned out to be much quicker—our loads felt lighter compared to the climb. We stopped to take photos at a few spots we had missed on the way up. But one thing that felt a bit uncomfortable was the lack of toilets. Then again, it’s understandable—building proper facilities on a mountain isn’t easy, especially with no access to pipelines and limited infrastructure. Since we had eaten and drink water quite a bit at the summit, the urge to pee hit us during the hike down. Some of the group relieved themselves in the bushes, taking turns to shield each other for privacy. As for me, I didn’t dare to—I’m a woman, and it just didn’t feel safe or comfortable.
When we reached Post 1, I arrived first along with my friend’s friend’s mother. We asked the stall owner if there was a toilet, but unfortunately, there wasn’t. I had been holding it in since the summit, and honestly, I couldn’t take it anymore. So, without waiting for the others or saying goodbye to my friend, I asked permission from the mother to head down first. I rushed down the trail. At first, I jogged lightly, but then my pace picked up—partly because of gravity pulling me faster. I was exhausted, and to make things worse, it was around 10:30 a.m., the sun and the air had started to feel noticeably hot. On the way down, I almost got lost. Thankfully, I ran into another hiker and asked for directions. That’s when I realized—I had overtaken quite a few people on the trail because of how fast I was going, haha. After arriving back at the welcome gate, I asked a fellow hiker where the toilet was—and it turned out to be right in front of me. I immediately ran toward it, and once inside, I felt such a wave of relief. But because I had been running, my legs were trembling as I tried to squat. The toilet was the squat type, and the water felt incredibly fresh—completely opposite to how overheated my body felt.
After finishing my business, I headed to the food stall near the starting point to buy something cold to soothe my throat and cool down my body. I ordered iced chocolate, and it tasted incredibly refreshing. But I had forgotten I hadn’t cleaned my face or nose from all the dust. So, after finishing my drink, I went to the restroom to wash my face and, well… clear out my nose. What I found was quite a surprise—so much black dust. I hadn’t realized just how dirty my nose had gotten. After freshening up, I returned to the stall because I was still hungry. I ordered a cup of instant noodles and some fried tofu. It tasted amazing. Even though the weather was scorching hot, somehow, hot noodle soup still hit the spot.
I sat alone at the corner of a table, accompanied by my cup noodles. After about 30 minutes, the others finally arrived. But they didn’t notice me sitting at the stall—they chose a spot quite far from it. Still, I continued eating, even though I knew they were sitting elsewhere. Once I finished my meal, I went over to join them. Turns out, they thought I had already gone home. Honestly, I can’t even imagine heading home in that exhausted state—I probably would’ve passed out. And besides, I couldn’t just leave without saying goodbye and thanking them properly. Once everyone had arrived, we checked out at the ticket post and completed the waste inspection through the app. After verifying the amount of trash, we had brought down, we were allowed to retrieve our ID cards.
After retrieving our ID cards, we decided to head home. I hopped back on an ojek for 20,000 rupiah. The ride down wasn’t as intense as the way up—the driver had to go slowly and brake carefully. In less than 10 minutes, we arrived at the lower parking area. There, I said goodbye to my friend’s friend and her mother. Honestly, I didn’t have the energy to wait for the rest of the group. After picking up my motorbike, I headed straight home. Strangely, the ride didn’t feel as tiring as before—maybe thanks to the iced chocolate and cup noodles I had earlier.
Long story short, I got home, changed clothes, cleaned up, and took a warm shower. Then came laundry—washing my clothes and backpack. And yes, I ate noodles again—this time, grilled noodles. I didn’t forget to send a message to my friend to say thank you, even though it felt a bit brief. I’ve always been awkward and tongue-tied in face-to-face conversations, so the things I want to say often don’t come out. It’s only through chat that I can express myself fully. I thanked them as sincerely as I could and apologized for often walking ahead and seeming “cold” during the hike. It wasn’t intentional—I was just shy and didn’t feel comfortable being too casual with people older than me. Unlike my friend, who already knew them well.
The exhaustion was unreal, the dust got everywhere, and the monkeys brought their own drama. But I came home with stories, with gratitude, and with grilled noodles as the perfect ending. Thank you to everyone who was part of this journey—both those I saw, and those I simply felt.
This journey may have been simple, but it left a deep mark—not just on my aching legs, but on a heart learning to be more patient, more honest, and more open. Thank you for every step, every laugh, and even every awkward moment that became part of the story.
I may not have said much during the hike, but through this writing, I hope the feelings come through. Thank you to those who let me join, to those who guarded my food from monkeys, and to those who made this journey feel warm—even when I seemed distant.
Thank you for reading all the way through—quite a long post, isn’t it? I hope this story kept you company, brought a little smile, and maybe even inspired you to hike a mountain (or at least enjoy a cup of noodles and iced chocolate). See you in the next story.
Comments
Post a Comment