Mt. Merapi

By now you probably have seen photos and videos of Mt. Merapi erupting and learned something about this volcano located in central Java about 20 miles north of Jogjakarta, and one of the most active in the Pacific "Ring of Fire." We got a glimpse of the volcano a week ago Tuesday from the steps of the Temple of Shiva at Prambanan. The mountain was letting off steam (literally). A few hours later it erupted--we safely back in our hotel--and a huge cloud of ash and gas (reaching 600 C) rolled down the mountain. Almost all of the inhabitants from the villages on the mountain had been evacuated except for Mbah Maridjan and several companions.

Mbah ("Grandfather") Maridjan was perhaps the most beloved of Javanese mystics. In 1974 he succeeded his father as "Gatekeeper of Mt. Merapi," a position of honor bestowed by the Sultan of Jogja. In his mid-eighties at the time of his death, he looked like a man in his sixties with the vigor of a man half his age, when he was interviewed for a film about him showed on Asia News International. Mbah  Maridjan described his work this way: his task was to commune with the mountain and the spirits who dwelt there, to "listen" to the mountain. He made regular walks to the villages and to the top of the volcano. Having survived unscathed the previous eruption he refused to leave this time ("I follow the orders of my King not the President," he said), although he advised all of the mountain inhabitants to evacuate. He died  of aphixiation while in prayer, along with several companions. Some say that that at the time of his death he might have been praying to the spirits to lessen their fury, to "gentle" the mountain.

Following the two major eruptions that Tuesday evening Jogja was covered with a millimeter or less of ash, and we who ventured out for tasks wore face masks. We were grateful to be far enough away not to worry about immediate threats, and very grateful that we had been able to visit Borobudur and Prambanan the day before they were closed. We did wonder if the airport would be open for our Sunday flight, but the mountain was quiescent for a day, and we got out. As we flew toward Surabaya, Maria looked out of the window and called Bob's attention to the bright red glow visible through the clouds from 15,000 feet. It was the lava flow from the smmit of Mt. Merapi.

UPDATE, November 7: Merapi had its worst of almost daily eruptions yesterday, sending a massive cloud of ash and hot gas 10 kilometers (six miles) into the air. This eruption has been described as the worst in 100 years, and the huge cloud spreading first to the north and west, then to the south and east, has forced cancellation of international flights. The government has had to move evacuees out of their camp ten kilometers down the mountain to another place ten kilometers further out and closer to Jogjakarta. A large indoor sports stadium in Jogja has been opened to refugees. Over 125 people have died, numerous others seriously burned or injured, thousands of survivors huddled in despair: shocked, ash-covered, frightened villagers, now forced to leave everything that means anything to them. As the English slogan on local TV urges, "Pray for Indonesia."