When I had finished passing all the exams in senior high school, my classmates and I went on vacation to climb the Batas hill of Riam Kanan. This hill is located near the Riam Kanan reservoir, Tiwingan Lama, Banjarbaru, in South Kalimantan. I was very excited when my vacation trip began. I prepared all the things related to climbing hills and looking for information about Batas hill. Climbing Batas hill was my first experience that was amazing because to reach the top of the hill, many obstacles had to be passed.
My classmates and I started the journey to the Batas hills at 5 a.m. using a bus. We took around 2-hour drive from Banjarbaru city to Tiwingan Lama, and after entering the Tiwingan Lama area, we passed through a very steep and winding road. At first, I was terrified because the entire way was filled with our bus. There were very few gaps left for other vehicles to overtake or be in the opposite direction. However, that feeling soon faded slowly because I was amazed to see that there were several hills around the trip. After that, we joked with each other and sang very happily.
When I arrived at the destination, my friends and I walked to the information centre there. We had to pay the boat in advance to cross the Riam Kanan reservoir to the climbing hill. After that, we arrived where a lot of pine trees were there. Even though it's not too big, people call it Pine Forest. Then, we continued our journey walked over the bridges and settlements. Our togetherness is very tight when climbing Batas hill, keeping and reminding each other to stay on the path that is not dangerous. The road was very slippery and steep, so we must be cautious not to fall. Therefore, we did the climb for more than one hour to get to the top of the hill. We sang and exchanged jokes together without the slightest fatigue.
After that, we arrived at the top of the Batas hill after going through various obstacles and twists and turns. The view from the top of this hill can pay for our struggle while climbing. I really enjoyed the natural beauty there. I felt thrilled and enjoyed every breath of fresh air. Then we took pictures together while taking a short break to go back down and go home. We did not plan to camp there because of the impossible conditions. A few moments later, suddenly, my three other friends; Muti, Rita, dan Nisa and I felt so exhausted.
“Are you okay, guys? You are looking very pale-faced.” My other friend, Aditya, asked me when he looked at my friends and me.
“I’m drained, and I’m getting a headache” I said.
And then, my friends worried to us, and they had to call some motorbike riders to pick us up using trail motorcycle. Actually, there have been provided motorbike riders either to take or even pick up climbers. I was very scared when I was ridden with motorbike riders because the road was steep and so it was hazardous for safety if I wasn't conscientious.
"Please, to be more careful, Sir. This is so terrible for me. I'm scared." I was scream to the motorbike rider.
"It's okay, I'm expert about this." He said.
After that, we stopped at settlement area to wait for the other friends who were walking down the hill to stay together back home.
Climbing Batas hill is an unforgettable experience. This experience made me feel very impressed that I have experienced so far. Many things can be used as learning, even if only climbing a hill but requires an extra struggle to reach the top of the hill. Riding motorbike riders were terrible and very challenging my adrenalin, but it made a valuable experience to be a fantastic memory. The togetherness that I had been through with my friends became the main point of happiness that I felt.
