Mountain of Ash

Comfort, peace, and a sense of right.

Mt. Merbabu overlooks the city of Salatiga (S.E. Fairbanks)

In the summer of 1997, I moved to the small mountain town of Salatiga to teach at Central Java Inter-Mission School (CJIMS). At that time, few of the buildings lining the street in the photo above existed. Mount Merbabu, however, has not changed. Then, as now, it looms large over this town that has grown rapidly over the past 25 years. Even so, Salatiga still has a small-town feel.

There is no mall in Salatiga — a fact that shocked the teenage daughter of a couple that I visited on the other side of the island. “How do you survive in a place that has no mall!” she questions me with fear in her eyes. It’s quite nice, actually.

Mount Merbabu is a dormant stratovolcano whose name can be loosely translated as mountain of ash. Although Merbabu rarely hiccups these days, directly behind Merbabu to the south is Mount Merapi, whose name can be translated as mountain of fire. This is an appropriate name as ash and lava are often seen exiting from its peak. In the 1500 meters separating the two peaks lies the village of Selo, the site of highly fertile farmland.

Photo by S.E. Fairbanks

There is no ski season at the top of Merbabu, of course, but flakes of snow have…