Indonesia – Dieng
Dieng might not be a prime destination in Indonesia for foreign tourists. It may have to do more so with its smell than any other reason, as the mountainous region is known for its naturally occurring sulfur lakes.
On our way we met many savoring sights of Indonesian life. Occasionally we passed by trucks transporting huge mammal livestock, and we the city dwellers would marvel at its novelty. Our route offered an all-around view of the neighboring villages and the agricultural lives that the villagers led. We spotted a harvest-in-progress. Workers were reaping baskets and baskets of cabbage from the field, then loading a field’s worth of them onto their trucks – by throwing them, one by one, to the receiver standing on the truck as if they were passing rugby. That was a novelty to us too.
A half-hour trail led us to a milky, creamy colored body of water. When we treaded closer to the lakeshore, we realized that the water was actually clear and unpolluted. Its pastel appearance came from the chemical settlement on the bottom of the lake. With the limited chemical expertise on board, we could not figure out if the chemical was sulfur. There was no sulfuric pungency that pierced our senses, but surely it was a mighty chemical that gave the lake its unusual texture. One might wonder what grows in this environment. The answer is all kinds: ferns, vines, bushes, trees, floral.
We then stopped by a cultural site with stone structures reminiscent of the Prambanan but on a much smaller scale (we would be visiting Prambanan after Dieng). There was no guide nor introduction, but from the way that the structures were arranged, we could gather that each structure serving different religious purpose was built to face a certain compass direction. What set this religious site apart from the Prambanan, however, was the way that it interacted with the cultivated fields hovering over this site. We met village children playing hide and seek amidst these ancient structures, and a would-be artist or architect sketching the intricacies of what bas relief that remained visible. There was no question that this site used to serve as a prime place of worship for the surrounding villages.
The sulfuric lakes were the first and might be the last that I ever see in this life. Its odor notwithstanding, the sight of sulfuric effervescence impressed greatly upon me, of heat and acid, erosive and exhuming in its path. We could not stand for too long there, but the imagery of a nature resembling hell lingered, as our olfactory senses were overwhelmed by thousands of rotten eggs all put together.
