Now tell the
world.

What trekkers say

I am about as far from an athlete as you can get. I didn't exercise and I smoked, and I am honest about that. I genuinely wasn't sure I would make it up Rinjani. I did the three-day route to the summit, the crater lake and the hot springs, and I reached the top.

The hardest part is the 2am summit push. You are deep in your own head, climbing loose scree in the dark, and more than once I thought, why am I doing this. Then the sun came up over the summit. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. It is the most breathtaking thing I have seen.

What got me up there was Zainal. He looked after the whole group the entire way. He kept checking everyone was together, and if someone fell behind we simply waited for each other. He kept us going with snacks, biscuits and chocolate whenever our energy dropped. He was genuinely interested in all of us, and we had real, deep conversations on that mountain. He is one of the most sincere people I have met, with a clear goal: to become the best guide in the region.

That is also why I am helping him now. I did this trek as an ordinary traveller from the Netherlands. Afterwards I offered to help Zainal get found online, because guides like him get drowned out by the big booking sites. I have nothing to sell here. I just think more people should get to climb with him.

If you are unfit and wondering whether you can do this: I was too, and I made it. With the right guide, you probably can.