Ihsan taking photos from the top of Gunung Api…
The clock was just ticking past five o’clock in the morning, the sun did not even rise over the horizon yet, when the four of us – Ela, Ihsan Reza and I – got busy preparing ourselves, went out from our hotel rooms and gathered around at the pier in front of the Hotel Maulana, where we were staying. This morning the four of us, accompanied by Pak Anwar – our guide for this Banda trip – and his companion, will climb to the peak of Gunung Api, which is one of the landmarks of the Banda archipelago which consists of 11 islands. Even though it is not such a significantly tall one, the mountain still presented a big challenge for us – who rarely climb any mountain and with limited stamina – to reach its peak. But it was our intention from the beginning that we must reach the peak of Gunung Api when we visit Banda. So that was it, the spirit and passion had overcome any challenge..
