0 Porters, guides, get training during Rinjani closure

At least 60 porters and hiking guides at Mount Rinjani in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) will receive training to improve their skills while the mountain is closed to climbers due to extreme weather. Mt. Rinjani National Park (TNGR) chief Agus Budiono said on Monday that the porters and tour guides who usually work around the trailheads in Senaru, North Lombok, and in Sembalun, East Lombok, would be idle for the next three months – from January 10 to March 30 – due to extreme weather that would endanger the climbers, so the center planned to offer them various training sessions. 

The training comprised lessons on English skills, environmental awareness to and small business skills. “The training is part of our annual activities. We hope that when the mountain reopens, they can perform better at their jobs,” he said. Agus added besides offering training sessions, the center would also repair public facilities around the mountain's entrance gates. Mt. Rinjani, the second-highest volcano in Indonesia after Mt. Kerinci in Sumatra, attracts thousands of local and foreign climbers every year. The park office recorded that 19,500 tourists climbed the mountain in 2012, up from 18,950 people in 2011. (cor/iwa)

source : the jakarta post