A Long Journey To Curug Lawe And Curug Benowo
Tired with all the boring daily routines and longing for the melodious singing of nature brought my footsteps far into a waterfall hidden behind a lush forest under the foot of Mount Ungaran. According to the story that I heard from some friends, the track that must be traversed to be able to reach this waterfall is not easy at all. We can only rely on our own feet to explore the long and quite tiring paths. But when the heart is willing no one can stop these footsteps.
Initially access to the location is quite easy. From Semarang we drove the car to Sekaran, Gunung Pati. Approximately 2 kilometers from our sub-district office we turn left and follow the signs. Fortunately, there are already a lot of road signs scattered, making it easier for me, who is not at all familiar with this area.
After leaving the car in the parking lot, the real journey begins. From the entrance post we walked through the clove garden again to find the road downhill. After descending the steps we will begin to discover a new world. No more frenetic big cities, there are only dense trees and footpaths next to a cliff. Once the lush trees here even the sun could not penetrate the dense forest that we passed.
There was no sound other than the chirping of birds and the distinctive sounds of some insects that accompanied our trip. Along the way I found a wooden bridge under which flowing water was used as irrigation of the surrounding fields. At first glance this wooden bridge does look ordinary, but I don't know for me this bridge looks elegant and sturdy standing firmly among the thick trees in the middle of this forest. I think this bridge reminds me that even on the darkest and most heavy days there are still many beautiful things in life that we should be grateful for.
Apparently this red bridge attracts quite a lot of visitors for a moment to stop and enjoy the melodious sound of the flow of the river and flowing down below. Do not forget they also took selfies and some photos here,
After taking a few photos we continued our journey. Still walking farther and farther through the forest, this time again found a very narrow path even when we ran into other people we had to walk alternately. On the left side there is a gaping chasm without a protective fence. We should slow down the footsteps and stay alert, especially when the rainy season arrives, this path will certainly be more dangerous to pass.
Luckily on the right side there was the gurgling of water from a tributary flowing calmly, comforting our footsteps. The road that must be traversed is indeed heavy and long, miraculously it does not feel tired at all thanks to musical entertainment from various insects and of course the scent of soil and wet wood that burst. Ahhh ... the scent that I always miss.
The longer the trip the more uphill and increasingly heavy. This time we found a branching that would lead us to two different waterfalls. Curug Lawe and Curug Benowo. For a long time we debated whether to stop by both or just choose one of them. After this branching there is still another hour to go on our way and finally we choose the branch that goes to Curug Lawe first.
The road is still uphill and occasionally we will find a river flow with a small waterfall that seems to invite us to stop for a moment. While taking a break we took off our shoes and played water in this small river.
Fresh mountain water successfully eradicated tired and we continued on our way. From a distance I had begun to hear the sound of water falling against the rocks. Alhamdhulilah the journey was almost over. We were even more excited to walk.
It turned out that all the hard struggle was immediately imagined paid off when Curug Lawe appeared before. From the top of the hill the water flowed between the rocks. Its swift flow filled the river and soaked some of the visitors who laughed with joy playing underneath. No need to wait long for us to join them.
The journey isn't over yet. There is still one waterfall waiting to be visited. Approximately 1 hour more of our journey to get to the next waterfall, Curug Benowo. No need to go back to the branching earlier, because there is a special lane for Curug Lawe visitors to continue the journey to Curug Benowo, and vice versa. Curug Benowo was no less fascinating than Curug Lawe. No wonder that now more and more visitors are willing to fatigue through this long track to enjoy the beauty of these two waterfalls.
Amazing when we enjoy every process that we must go through to achieve the goals we want.
Such a heavy and far journey that we must travel to be able to enjoy these two amazing waterfalls. Believe me friends, all that tired will lead to happiness. As our fatigue is lost when we come in direct contact with Curug Benowo and Curug Lawe.(Muna Sungkar)
