It was a moment they would never forget. Two best friends, Agus and Sugi, were spending their time together before each pursued college in a different city. They had only ten days to make as many memories as they could. The air was full of laughter, excitement, and the quiet sadness that comes before saying goodbye.
At around three in the afternoon, Agus suddenly spoke up.
"Hey," he said casually, "do you want to climb Mount Rinjani?"
Sugi stared at him, in complete shock. "Are you serious?"
Agus grinned and showed him his phone. "Look, I already rented all the climbing gear and planned out a safe route."
Sugi raised an eyebrow. "You actually did all that?"
"Of course, I'm ready," Agus said with a confident smile.
Sugi laughed. "You're crazy, but I'm in."
Without wasting time, Agus opened a travel app and looked for bus tickets to Banyuwangi. "Two hundred thousand rupiah each. Want to split it?
"Sure," Sugi said.
After buying the tickets, Agus looked at the departure time. "Five p.m.," he said.
Sugi's eyes opened wide. "That's in two hours!"
They quickly started packing their belongings into their bags, throwing in clothes, snacks, and equipment. In their haste, they nearly forgot the tent; fortunately, Sugi remembered it just before leaving.
They arrived at the bus terminal with minutes to spare. The bus arrived right on time, and they climbed aboard, hearts racing with excitement. It was a seven hour ride to Banyuwangi, and their seats were far apart, so they didn't talk much. The sound of the engine and the dim lights of the road soon lulled them to sleep.
The bus was dark and silent when Agus woke up, his phone screen glowing softly. "It's midnight," he said quietly. The driver and the conductor were already rousing Sugi. Half asleep, Sugi grabbed his bag and got off the bus in a daze.
"Did you buy the ferry tickets?" he said, yawning.
"Yeah," Agus said, pointing towards the dock. "That's our ferry."
They ran toward it, nearly forgetting one of their bags. Once on board, they leaned against the railing, feeling the cool sea breeze on their faces. They talked about their dreams, their fears, and how different life would be once they parted ways. After a few hours, they arrived at Mataram. They rented a motorbike ride to the trailhead of Rinjani. It was four in the morning when they arrived, the sky was dark with just a few stars that were gradually disappearing. This was the start of something new, their last great adventure together. With tired eyes but hearts full of excitement, Agus and Sugi took their first steps toward Mount Rinjani, ready for the unforgettable next nine days.