Mount Merapi of 2,911 meters or 9,551 feet
Our journey to work in Indonesia always went from Atlanta to Amsterdam, Singapore, Jakarta the capital of Indonesia and another one hour flight from the west of Java to Yogyakarta in Central Java.
Then the journey through the mountains, leaving Mount Merapi behind and traveling towards two other stratovolcanoes where we lived and worked in the Dieng area.
BREATHTAKING views, IF you're lucky with the weather.
Usually early mornings!
Yes, Mount Merapi is a very active volcano and has caused a lot of devastation due to eruptions being accompanied by pyroclastic flows. As late as in 1976 and November 22, 1994 and also in 2010.
Husband Pieter took this photo on his 1st trip in December of 1972, with Mount Merapi in the back.
Clearly you can see the terraces they create for growing vegetables and lots of rice, which they can irrigate with water flowing from the mighty Mount Merapi region.
This is the view of such rice fields or 'sawahs' that Pieter managed to beautifully capture in December of 1972.
All formed by young ash grounds and alluvial lands.
Plowing the rice fields 'sawahs' with their buffaloes and you also see ducks in the water.
Still with Mount Merapi in the background.
This sawa is lined by banana trees.
Quite a job... a muddy affair, and that's how we get our rice products!
Must be hard on the buffaloes...
In Java they seem to manage three crops annually, due to their climate right on the belt of the equator.
Has any of you ever seen such tropical rice fields or sawahs being plowed by buffaloes?
