Plan gone awry

May 5th

This was the destined day. The day when I and my family will depart the northern shore of the island, to head to the southern shore.

It started the same as it had been before. We woke up early to pray Fajr, ate breakfast, took a bath, then packed all of our things. We later proceeded to input our belongings into the trunk of our car.

The proceedings were the same as that of yesterday's departure. That is, we took photos to commemorate and said our goodbyes. All before leaving them.

The difference between our departure and the previous one was that ours departed later than they did. Well, also the distance that needed to be covered.

Then began our journey to the southern shore. It started by descending the hill. The hill where grandmother's house is located.

After we had descended, it was a low-altitude road from that point on. Then after a while, we saw fields all around.

Bad pictures will be provided in this paragraph's comment.

From that point on, I don't remember all that we had covered, only bits and pieces. By the time I was writing this chapter, it had already been twelve hours since our departure. Then again, I slept. :P

When I woke up, it was already close to lunchtime. My dad decided to eat in the car beforehand. Spoon-fed by my mom.

After a while, we arrived at the location where we would be eating lunch at. It was between the borders of two cities. There, a swamp lay all around us.

We didn't take long to choose our food. We ordered a jug of liquid orange, an Indonesian grilled carp, a quarter of deep-fried chicken for my brother, then a small pot of rice for the four of us.

As we wait for the food to arrive at our table, we spent our time. We spent it taking photos of the nature that surrounded us. While also watching others fish in the restaurant. Then it arrived.

In my honest opinion, the food was not that enjoyable. The main reason is that they first fried the carp. I would've liked it if they had just straight-up grilled the fish.

We quickly ate and then took a trip to the loo before we paid and left the place. While leaving, I took some photos of the beautiful mountain.

Then when we left, I took notice of the structures. Structures that looked run down and in the shape of a square. So, I asked my parents and even they didn't know about it.

Upon further research on the place. I had found out that it was Fort Willem I, also known in Indonesian/Javanese as Benteng Pendem Ambarawa (Ambarawa's Sunken Fort), a 19th-century Dutch fortress.

I could very well explain the whole history of that place here, just to increase the word count. But I reckon the readers don't want a history lesson.

After a while on the low-altitude road, we were back going up a mountain. The road was what you had expected it to be. It bent left and right, while some parts penetrated through the mountain.

As always, this was the point where I couldn't remember much. But this time it was because I was enjoying the moment. So sorry I couldn't describe it. Just know it was a breathtaking experience.

By the time I realized it, it was already time for dinner. We stopped by a street stall that sold "Mie Ayam". So, the three of us had ordered "Mie Ayam with bakso" while my mom opted for the meal she brought with her.

Want the picture of what I had? Here, take this useless picture of mine.

It was already pitch black when we arrived at our destination. We each took a bath before we headed to sleep. This was because the original four-hour journey had become a ten-hour journey.