Mount Merapi is again erupting, people who live around and on Merapi have been evacuated as the volcano continues to cover the surrounding area with ash. Many peoples livelihoods depend on Merapi. Their livestock grazes on Merapi's slopes and many have bravely returned to care for their animals, despite the danger posed by the current eruption.
This is a video closeup using time lapse of the lava flow from Merapi in 2009...
I visited Merapi in the 1990's with a friend who was a climber. We climbed Merapi, led by a local guide, through the night, to be at the summit for sunrise on the Indonesian New Years Day. It was one of the most memorable things I have ever seen. It was a tough hike to the top and freezing cold, but the earth up there was hot and steaming. There was molten lava, steam vents and the curve of the earth was visible on the horizon, as was the blackness of space. We sat at the top wrapped in blankets, waiting for the sunrise. This is a picture of the view that I saw back then...
