Tip #1: Never Trust the Tourist OfficeBetween being quoted 500,000 Rp for a Gunung Sibayak trekking guide/transport, 700,000 Rp to leave at 4am to make it for the sunrise and finally showing us a documented exact same itinerary with a 300,000 Rp quotation, we decided we would manage on our own, thank you very much.
Thus began our adventures..(no regrets).
Riding in the Dark
We set off at 3am, based on the drawn map provided by the tourist office, which consisted of 2 roads looping up from the tourist office i.e. 1 to Gundaling Hill and 1 to Gunung Sibayak.
We went up and up, and where the road was supposed to bend towards Gunung Sibayak, we missed the turn and ended up enroute to Gunadaling Hill. Our third time asking for directions put us on a somewhat correct-looking path (there are only 2) to Gunung Sibayak.
"You go up and you will see a post to park your motorcycle. Then you walk up, there is only 1 way. You won't get lost."Well, try us.
The roads were pothole ridden (we thought), and it was dark and cold.
It started to drizzle.
There was only 1 way forward on the winding dirt road we were on, with trees and bushes on both sides. The headlights of the motorcycle shone forward, but not far, and ahead was an immense nothingness. I was assigned torch-bearer, to scan ahead and the sides for anything or anyone.
The road was taking us further than expected, with no road signs to indicate where or how far. The road wound up, and up and then it started heading down.
We were very sure we did not miss a 'post', or any trekking path along the wayWell, the road start winding down and I dreaded that we were on the wrong 'Gunung' (it was bigger than expected). But fortunately, or unfortunately, after a very long time shining into the trees and praying not to see anything I was not expecting or hoping to, we hit the main road leading back into town.
After 1 hour in the cold, dark and drizzle, we were back where we had started.
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