Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads. —Henry David Thoreau

Restart. Starting over is not an easy thing to do. It takes energy and time-consuming thought to start all over again. Build what has been torn down, switch on what has been turned off. Starting over is not always fun. If something goes without a hitch, of course, the ending is not an option that we will choose. It’s a different story if we are forced to end something due to system damage. Shutting down is not an option when we still want to continue, so restarting is our only way out. Not a pleasant thing, considering there are still many, sometimes too many, which we haven’t had time to process; we save, we work on, but the steps must be continued, and a restart button is an option.

Taking a trip these days

A restart seems to be something to look forward to amid a pandemic like this. A week ago, our team was given a valuable opportunity to visit our relatives in Kemuning. It takes three hours by car continued by six hours by train to set foot on the land of Jogja. The atmosphere is always happy, and longing to meet family always greets you when you hear about a visit to Jogja, except this trip was carried out under pandemic restrictions. The most recent restrictions have been hammered by the government since the beginning of July.             

They named this restriction  PPKM: Implementation of Restrictions on Social Activities or Pemberlakuan Pembatasan Kegiatan Masyaraka. Initially, the PPKM period only lasted from July 25, 2021. But, hohoho, as expected, it’s not that easy. Around 25 evenings, the government announced that PPKM will be extended until August 2, while the tickets were already in our hands. So, with the help from online news and policymakers’ statement that people can still travel using public transportation under certain circumstances, such as work, we brace ourselves to go to Jogja. Oh, and of course, with a negative COVID-19 test result.

 

Distinct memories

Arriving in Jogja, the city felt very, very different from what the last time I remember. On a typical day, Jogja is bustling with tourists, students passing by, independent musicians on the streets, and office workers waiting for the weekend. Silence. Everyone close and shut down. It seems that this time the government and its citizens really intend to close and shut down everything momentarily to be turned on and restarted when the situation improves.

Kemuning is three hours by motorized vehicle from the city of Jogja. There weren’t many trucks and cars along the way, which was a joy not to inhale motor vehicle fumes and drive-through traffic while wiping sweat off. The sun was burning that day, and the protocol road connecting the provinces looked increasingly unfriendly. After entering the Temanggung district, the cold began to rise. Rows of green canopy began to appear, and a cool breeze began to be felt. The closer to Kemuning village, the smaller the road, and the wider the expanse of production forest. Stands of mahogany and pine-lined up as if to welcome our arrival. The small road leading to the village of Kemuning gives a clear sign to find pieces of the beauty of heaven on earth.

Red season

Like confetti, the red coffee cherry is like a welcoming ceremony upon us back to the village. The contrasting red and green colors blend seamlessly on the forest floor, giving a festive feel to the opening of the harvest season. We were told that this was not the peak yet the rest of the day, even though we had seen many ripe fruits. The scenery in the village really feels different than in the city. With houses that are still far from each other and few residents inhabit, interaction with each other feels rare, but at the same time feels very warm and friendly.

Stay safe!

There were not many things we can do while in Kemuning because all socialization activities are still limited and we do not want to meet many people as well. Our agenda is only carried out in the forest and everything related to the field. We visited the three civet traps that we put in Kemuning — hoping that the trap habituation process can go well and that the installation of collars can be realized as soon as possible. During our visit, we were accompanied by the trio trackers/comedians from Kemuning. The laughter never stopped accompanying our steps, even though it made our breath a little out of breath when dealing with the inclined road.

A visit to Kemuning felt like a restart button to me. After all the tiredness of the city that feels heavy in the chest, the contraction of the pupil of the eye that is only used to seeing the glass screen at close range, being in nature reopens all the senses I have. This makes me really very grateful because I am grateful that I still have the opportunity to experience being in the middle of the forest. Indeed, nature will never cease to surprise us.

Stay happy and healthy everyone! — Tungga