Reservoir with a view of active volcano mountain

There are several reservoirs scattered around Indonesia and a lot of them are located in highlands. Selorejo reservoir is one of them. Located in the highlands of East Java offering a background of Mt Kelud, an active volcano mountain in the province. There are several ways to enter the reservoir and spots for different activities. This time, I visited a spot that is known to local fishermen and people who enjoy fishing. This spot is a lot more adventurous than the "tourist" spot that requires some entrance fee to also enjoy the amenities. In this reservoir, you can walk around the area, enjoying fresh air and also taking a boat trip circling this massive reservoir.

The trip to get into the place took about an hour drive for me. Throughout the meandering road, I saw beautiful scenes of pine trees and trees that are also changing their colors. This road is even more beautiful from early February to March as the flower blooms beautifully. It was also drizzling here and there that I almost felt somewhat unenthusiastic. Reservoir isn't something I am too interested in visiting for a walk. Many reservoirs in Indonesia aren't walkable/ jogging friendly, the only thing that you can do around is fishing or taking a boat trip. This time though, I had to take a walk through a muddy wet soil just to get near the water with the boats parked around. As usual, there was also trash everywhere that wasn't pleasant to the eye yet as soon as I looked up, the misty mountain, the hills and the mountain offered such a breathtaking view. It reminds me of lakes in Bali that also offer amazing highland views.Maybe after all, visiting a reservoir during a cloudy day wasn't a bad idea.

From the distance, I saw a man standing on a small boat. As I heard from the chatter, that guy was looking for fish for a while. I also overheard a lot of chatter about fishing and how they don't want to sit next to the man with an umbrella because of his bait. I mean, I know too little about fishing, so I didn't get what they were fussing about. I was also getting bitten by mosquitoes a lot and started to wonder how those fishermen were able to have some patience while getting bitten by mosquitoes, and possibly a dengue one.

The fishing area

I walked around for a bit until I was nearby the boats. While walking, I saw some birds trying to get fish in the small "island" in the middle of reservoir. There were a few of them but they moved swiftly so I was unable to capture them.

I was also approached by a man who offered the ride around the reservoir. I declined it because I wasn't intending to stay around more. Besides, I did that many times when I was a kid so it wasn't something I was curious about of trying. I was just checking out the boats and walked further nearby people who tried to fish. It was a different sight than the "paid" ones where it was more intended for a recreational place than this one.

Sometimes I think the most beautiful places in the country aren't those intended for "recreational" purposes. That place is one of many faces of "real" indonesia. The ones that we often see around is often commercialized and not too affordable even for locals.

After about 20 minutes, I left the place because I got bitten by mosquitoes and wasn't using any sprays. Since this is the rainy season, dengue fever is in full swing. So, to avoid that, I left the place a bit earlier than what I intended. But overall, it was such a refreshing walk given the air and the overall atmosphere was nice.

On my way back, I showed my mom how to take pictures with my camera. I showed her the new things I've been learning. It was also unfortunate because the volcano mountain was shrouded by the mist.