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5 Things to Know Before You Hike Gunung Lawu via Cemoro Kandang

5 Things to Know Before You Hike Gunung Lawu via Cemoro Kandang at Night Without a Guide

Gunung Lawu is a dormant volcano that borders central and east Java. The peak sits at 10,712 feet (3,265 meters). It is a very popular mountain to climb among college students.

5 Things to Know Before You Hike Gunung Lawu via Cemoro Kandang

1. Price: The price is the same for locals and foreign tourists (RP 15,000). Parking a car cost RP 20,000.

2. Location: Basecamp for Cemoro Kandang. Here you can park your car or motorcycle, register (don’t forget your ID, you need it to register) and use the bathroom (the only one available on the whole trail).

3. Duration: Cemoro Kandang is around 7.5 mi/12 km from basecamp to peak. Mostly hard dirt/clay and some rocks. The trail zig-zags with some short cuts that are very steep.

4. What to bring:

  1. Water. We carried two 1500 ml bottles each.
  2. A small camp stove and pot to heat water and instant food.
  3. A cup and spoon to mix your drinks.
  4. Food. We packed some instant noodles, Snickers, Soy Joys, and homemade scones.
  5. Something to sit on. I cut open a small trash bag and used it to sit on. It was light to pack and waterproof. The Posts along the trail are really dirty. Having something clean and dry to sit on while I rested was a relief.
  6. An extra bag to carry your trash. PLEASE pack it out!
  7. Warm clothing. Don’t underestimate how cold it will get. The temperature can get as cold as 0 degrees Celsius/32 degrees Fahrenheit. When you are hiking you will be very warm, you will even get sweaty, but as soon as you stop moving you will get cold. You can see from our video that we didn’t wear heavy clothing at the beginning of the hike. Seth hiked in his shorts most of the way up, but when we stopped to rest and reached the summit we put extra clothing on. I recommend bringing an extra pair of socks to change into before heading back down the trail.
  8. Flashlight with extra batteries. This is essential if climbing at night.
  9. Good comfortable shoes with good tread. Your feet will thank you!
  10. GPS. While most of the trail is easy to follow it is important that you bring some sort of GPS device with you. You can download our GPS track and waypoints here. You don’t want to risk getting lost without a guide.
  11. You might consider bringing sunscreen too!

5. Important Facts: 

  1. The only bathrooms are at the base camp. Be prepared to find a bush!
  2. There is no water or food stalls along the trail. Bring plenty of both. You might get lucky and someone will be selling something, but don’t count on it!
  3. Weather. The trail gets very slippery when wet. I wouldn’t recommend hiking in the rain unless you are an experienced hiker.

Watch our video here to get a better picture of what to expect when you hike Gunung Lawu via Cemoro Kandang. We had a great experience and felt prepared. We hope these 5 Things to Know Before You Hike Gunung Lawu via Cemoro Kandang will help you get prepared for a great adventure!  Keepsm:)ing!

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Bakso Pak Sidan III | Indonesian Food

Kuliner Jogja Bakso Pak Sidan III

Kuliner Jogja Bakso Pak Sidan IIIHey guys,

Bakso is a popular food to eat in Indonesia. It is much like a meatball, but with maybe more surprises! The other day we went wondering around to try a new place to eat that was near our house. We came across Bakso Pak Sidan III, a small local restaurant. Three things you should know before you eat here. 

  1. Lots of bones. Be prepared to be served many parts of a chicken that the typical American doesn’t eat. Skin, bones, organs may all be swimming in your soup. If you don’t want to eat them or can’t identify them, don’t be embarrassed to eat around them.
  2. Noisy location. Bakso Pak Sidan III is right on the main road, so all of the traffic noise is in your face. You will get a good feel for Indonesian weather as well because there is no air-conditioning.
  3. Inexpensive prices. This is where locals eat so the whole meal is very reasonably priced. Eat a couple of bowls of bakso and have a drink or two and you still will have money left in your wallet.

Please watch this video to see for yourself the location and how the food is prepared.

Keep smiling!

Julie

Address for the restaurant: Jl. Raya Tajem 412, district. Depok, Sleman, Yogyakarta 55281

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Eating at R&B Grill, Western Food in Jogja

R&B Grill Jogja

 

R&B Grill JogjaHey guys!

Sometimes I really crave eating food from back home. I love rice and noodles, but having a break in our diet is such a special treat!  A friend told me about this restaurant here in Jogja called R&B Grill. I have to say, I love it! Why do I love it?

  1. Salads – We have eaten here three times now and I have enjoyed each experience. The first and second time we ate here I ordered a salad! Salad!!! I love salad. Indonesians don’t typically eat a lot of raw vegetables and I don’t make them at home very often. Trying to get the lettuce sufficiently clean while keeping the leaves crisp is a challenge. R&B Grill makes delicious salads. As you can see in the video from Seth’s salad, they are gorgeous and full of tasty vegetables. This time I ordered tomato soup and it was also very good. I think next time I might try a burger like Marty did. OR, maybe another salad!
  2. Imported Foods – R&B Grill has a small grocery store that sells imported foods. They are the only place in Jogja where I have found to buy flour tortillas, refried beans and delicious tortilla chips in one location! Mexican night!!! Yes, please! The Johnson family loves Mexican food!
  3. Ambience – As you enter you step right into the grocery store. Continue towards the back for the restaurant and you can be seated inside with air conditioning or outside on the patio. The room is not large but well lit with music playing. Not too loud that you can’t enjoy your conversation with your friends though.

So, as an occasional treat for us, we will be headed back to R&B Grill. Please watch this short video to see inside the store and restaurant!

R&B Grill Address: Jl. R.W. Monginsidi No.37, Kota Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Google map link: http://ift.tt/1MnHFIy

Keep smiling!

Julie

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Best Microphone for the GoPro Hero 4 Silver

GoPro microphone test

I’m trying to find the best microphone for the GoPro Hero 4 Silver. As a travel vlogger living in Indonesia I get to vlog in many locations that are not ideal for recording sound. In my opinion, the ambient noise is interesting and should be part of any good travel video but I don’t want it to be overly distracting.

In this video I test five microphones with my GoPro Hero 4 Silver trying to find the best microphone for vlogging in challenging locations.

In order to record sound through an external microphone on the GoPro Hero 4 Silver the first thing that you will need is the GoPro 3.5mm Mic Adapter. This adaptor will allow you to plug your microphone in to the GoPro.

Here are the microphones I tested.

GoPro Hero 4 Silver Built in Microphone The built in microphone on the Hero 4 Silver sounds great in quiet locations. It doesn’t do too bad in semi-noisy locations either. However, when you get to a very noisy location like the side of a busy street it is not so good.

Audio Technica ATR-3350 The Audio Technica ATR-3350 does a great job of cutting out most of the traffic noise when compared to the on board microphone of the Hero 4 Silver. The sound seemed a little tinny but that may improve by changing the microphone’s location. One problem with this microphone is that it requires a battery and you have to remember to turn it on. That is hard for me!!

Sony ECMCS3 Microphone The sound produced by the Sony ECMCS3 microphone sounded a bit muffled and not as tinny as the Audio Technica ATR-3350. One thing that I noticed was that the background noise got progressively louder during pauses in speech. Once I started speaking again the background noise would drop back off. A big plus for this microphone is that it does NOT require a battery or to be turned on.

Rode SmartLav+ The Rode SmarLav+ also did a good job of cutting out the background noise. The sound was comparable to the other microphones already tested. One plus about using the Rode SmarLav+ is that it also works with your iPhone. So if you record a lot of video on you iPhone this might be a great option. However, when using it with the iPhone as an external audio recorder you will have to sync the sound in your video editor.

iPhone 6 DIY Earbuds Microphone As with the Rode SmarLav+ using a DIY earbuds mircophone might be a great option for you if you record a lot of video on your iPhone. However, you will also have to sync the sound in your video editor.

The Verdict

I like the built in microphone in most situations but when I’m in a really noisy situation I think I’m going to use the Rode SmartLav+ or my DIY microphone because I already use them a lot on my Indonesian daily vlog recorded almost exclusively on my iPhone.

Which microphone did you like the best and what other solutions have you found for getting great audio in difficult situations?