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WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE IN RINJANI, LOMBOK |
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 Over 20 villages surround Mt. Rinjani and there are many
routes up the mountain, but the main access is from Senaru in the
north and Sembalun Lawang to the east.
Gunung Rinjani national park lies
within the major transition zone (Wallace) where the flora and fauna
of south East Asia makes a dramatic transition into that which is
typical of Australia. The park has a rich variety of plants and
animals, although they can be hard to spot due to the terrain and
rainforest cover.
Sometimes seen early in the morning is the morning is the
rare black Ebony leaf monkey, know locally as lutung.
The long tailed gray macaque of kera is common in Lombok and
order males are seen on the crater rim. Rusa deer are forest
dwellers and are occasionally seen a long the Rinjani trek train.
 The smaller barking deer or kijang
has an alarm call with a distinct dog - like bark. Look for the
disturbed ground where the wild pig or babi hutan has been
foraging. Also found in the forest is the leopard cat or bodok alas, palm civet or ujat and porcupine or landak.
A variety of colorful birds live in the forest of
the park. Perhaps the best – know icon of the park is the crested
cockatoo that is not found any further west of Lombok. Many of the
forest-dwelling animals, insects, birds, civets, and monkeys
owe their survival to the wild fig tree or beringin as a provider of
food and shelter.
The pine-like
casuarinas species, Cemara, are a feature of the grassy
higher slopes. Orchids or anggrek are also a feature of the
grassland areas, as is edelweiss or bunga abadi growing above
the tree line, it is a beautiful icon of the park and one of the
park and one of our best-know sub-alvine plants.
The following stories are a
selection taken from a booklet for village guides containing a
collection of traditional stories that have been related for
generations by the people of Dusun Senaru.
Andongan Tambing
The first place to rest, located
where the paths from Senaru and Semokan meet. Andongan Tambing is one of the forrest entry gates and
the First Camp on the Rinjani Trek. At this point the trekkers are
warned to be careful of the steep slopes.
Half Way
Point (Pos II Campsite)
At the second resting place (Camp II) is a
stone which is called Batu Penyesalan. This marks the place where
the trekkers feels a conflict about whether to continue or to turn
back because we still have as far to go to our destination as we
have already walked.
Usually it takes about two hours
to walk here from Bunut Ngengkang.
Caves
One of the
three famous caves (Goa Susu, Goa Payung, dan Goa Manik), Susu Cave
is a good place for self reflection and is often used as a place to
meditate. The people with unclean and envious mind will have
difficulty entering Susu cave which has a narrow entrance, but
people with noble and pure mind will easily enter the
cave.
Inside the cave water drips from the tip of a stone which
looks like a nipple, so people say the water in Goa Susu tastes
different. Inside Goa Susu is hot and there is a lot of smoke which
looks like cooking steam so people call this Mengukus (hot house)
and sometimes people call it Rontgen (X-Ray).
Healing Hot
Springs
Aiq Kalak means hot water and it is used to cure
various deseases. One of the hot springs is named Pangkereman
Jembangan which is meant a place for dipping. The water which spurts
out of the spring is very hot. Weapons such as keris, swords, big
knives, and lances are dipped in the spring to test their magic
power. If the weapon become sticky it means that the weapon is bad
and has no magical power. However if the weapon remain unchanged it
means that the weapon has supernatural power and the power and the
strength will be increased.
People also use the hot spring to
make medicine from coconut cream. After dipping a bottle of coconut
cream in the hot spring if the liquid becomes clear oily it can be
used as medicinal oil. Then the medicinal oil is used for good
things and is called Siu Satus Tunggal or in Bayan language Siu
Satunggal which means that it can be used to cure a thousand kinds
of desease.
Segara Anak Crater Lake
Segara Anak Lake is
so wide it appears like the sea with its blue water. The name Segara
Anak means child of the sea.
Segara Anak Lake holds various
mysteries and invisible power.
People feel content to stay a long
time in this place because of the large community of mysterious
spirits which live arround the lake. The local people believe that
if the lake looks wide when seen at a distance it is a sign they
will live to an old age; or if the lake seems narrow it is a sign of
a short age. So in order not to be pessimistic, people quickly
purify themselves by lifting up their spirits and calm soul and look
at the lake contentedly.
In the area of the lake it is forbidden
to have sexual intercourse, to complain or say dirty things. We must
be patient when facing problems.
Local
Strawberry
This plant grows along the route to Mt. Rinjani.
It has thorns like the rose and the fruit is red like strawberry. It
has a sweet and slightly sour taste and is good to eat when trekkers
are hungry and thirsty.
Eternal Flower or Edelweis
The plant or the
flowers should not be taken because it grows in the park and in the
mysterious world of the spirit kingdom. In the past, someone who
wanted this flower must be brave enough to fight and gamble his
soul. That is why the flower is called Sandar Nyawa. The flower has
never wilted and is as old as the mysterious spirits.
The
Peak of Rinjani
The people of Lombok believe that the peak of
Mt. Rinjani is where Dewi Anjani, the queen spirit and ruler of Mt.
Rinjani lives. To the south-east from the peak in a sea of dust
called Segara Muncar is the invisible palace of the queen Dewi
Anjani and her followers. They are good spirits. According to a
story about the Queen Spirit Dewi Anjani she was the daugther of a
King who would not allow her to marry her boyfriend. At a spring
called Mandala she dissappeared and changed from the real world to
the spirit world.
Mount Baru Jari (Gunung Baru)
Gunung Baru is
the name of the new volcano which emerged in the center of Segara
Anak Lake. People believe that Gunung Baru is the navel of Mt.
Rinjani. That is why if Gunung Baru erupted it will not harm the
people of Lombok unless the eruption is from the peak of Mt.
Rinjani. Some people said that the 1994 Gunung Baru eruption was
caused by siprits who were building something because the stones
that erupted were arranged in an orderly and attractive way at the
foot of Gunung Baru.
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