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WHAT
YOU MIGHT TO SEE IN MT. RINJANI NATIONAL PARK
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.
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Bunut Ngengkang
The first place to rest, located where the paths
from Senaru and Semokan meet. Here is a Banyan tree
with a wide space on the lower part, which looks
like a person standing up with legs apart. That is
why it is called Bunut Ngengkang. Andongan Tambing
is one of the forest entry gates and the First Camp
on the Rinjani Trek. At this point the trekkers are
warned to be careful of the steep slopes. |
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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. |
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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). |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Eternal Flower or Edelweiss
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. |
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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. |
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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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