Fauziah Harun and Penny Tan of Corporate Communications Department together with Ainul Khalidah Idura Mohd Khalid from the Human Resources Division in the Head Office took advantage of the long weekend during the recent Merdeka holiday for an escapade to Brastagi located at the Karo Highlands and Samosir Island at Lake Toba in Medan, Indonesia.
It was the trio’s first outing together and definitely not their last as Fauziah shares with us the enjoyable time they had.
"Our flight to Medan was confirmed early this year, but we only finalised the itinerary for our trip in August. Upon reaching Polonia Airport in Medan, we were greeted by Lalahi, our driver. The roads in Medan are not as good or well-maintained as in Malaysia and have numerous bumps and potholes. The journey to Brastagi took about two hours with certain parts of the road narrow and winding. Lalahi, a seasoned driver drove carefully while we relaxed and admired the beautiful scenery along the way.
Erwin, our guide joined us at Brastagi town. After checking into the hotel, Erwin took us to a Padang restaurant where we had a sumptuous lunch. Later we went on a tour of the town and stopped at a hot water spring called Alam Sibayak where we soaked in the warm pool for hours.
The next morning after breakfast, I thought we would be continuing our journey to Samosir Island. However, when Erwin asked whether we would like to climb Mount Sibayak, we were shocked but excited. Our itinerary did not mention mountain climbing in the programme.
For someone not the outdoorsy type, it had never crossed my mind that I will be engaged in any challenging and adventurous activities. More importantly, I was not prepared at all, mentally or physically and was not even properly geared to climb a mountain! Erwin convinced us that Mount Sibayak was relatively easy to climb. We discussed and unanimously decided to take up the challenge.
Mount Sibayak is an active volcano located at 2,172 metres above sea level. Hiking is through a tropical forest, mostly on flat ground but the first leg of the journey was very challenging. It takes about three hours to reach the top and you need a guide.
We drove to the base point where Erwin went to register our names. We were charged Rp25,000 (approximately RM9.20) per person and given a bottle of mineral water each. Lalahi drove along the rugged route, riddled with potholes and puddles until we reached a steep tar road. There was an uprooted tree blocking the entire width of the road, which apparently had been there for some time. We were not able to continue our journey by car and had to walk for about 2 km to reach the point where the climb would start.
As we started our trek along the steep road which was slippery with some parts covered with moss, I was already having second thought about the whole idea. Five minutes later, Khalidah surrendered, saying that she was unable to go any further. It was also strenuous for me with the steep gradient of the road and my heart was beating fast and loud like a drum.
| 
Since we had just started, I thought it was too soon for us to give up and managed to convince Khalidah to continue and that I will accompany her back to the car if she could not finish the entire trek.
We continued walking, at times climbing over rocks as the road leading to the starting point was not maintained at all. There were no markings or signage to depict the starting point; for those who are not familiar with the area, one can easily miss the point .
We had to climb up a steep terrain, holding onto rocks and looking for footholds to place our feet. I was the first to climb and with all my might and effort, managed to reach the top. Avoiding puddles, holes, rocks etc, we carefully treaded our way along the sometimes slippery, mossy surface as we made our way through what Erwin called ‘laluan tikus’ (rat route). The first few kilometers were like walking under a canopy of leaves as the track was covered with tall shrubs and trees on both sides.
The scenery along the way was stunning. We could see the peak of Mount Sinabung, another mountain at the Karo Highlands which was mostly covered with fog, and Brastagi town. At times the clouds were so low as though we could touch them.
As we neared the peak, we sensed the smell of strong sulphur which was like rotten eggs. Mount Sibayak being an active volcano, we were able to see steam vents from the ground in between the rocks, while at certain areas, we could see the powdery yellow sulphur. According to Erwin, the locals would collect the sulphur and mix it with rice flour to be used as a mask for the skin as sulphur is good for curing skin disorders such as acne, eczema and psoriasis.
We managed to have a closer view of the crater. It was not deep and from the top, we were able to see ‘masterpieces’ comprising names in the form of stones arranged by those who had ventured into the crater. Near the crater, we were joined by a ‘Mat Salleh’ couple and their guide who were shocked to see us in such casual tees, jeans and sandals with me carrying a shopping bag!
Yes, we scaled Mount Sibayak, on the spur of the moment, without training or proper gear. We were not after any trophy or prize, but more for our personal achievement. As what I told Penny and Khalidah, if we made it to the peak, we would have bragging rights. We succeeded because we did not give up - if there’s a will there’s always a way.
Now, we have developed a new interest - hiking; and we are planning to scale the highest mountain in South East Asia: Mount Kinabalu in March 2008. We have three more colleagues from the Head Office joining us and will be starting our training soon."
(Editor’s comment : I am impressed!) |