MOUNT BROMO, PROBOLINGGO
Us: “We are going Probolinggo for Mount Bromo tomorrow!”
Asep: “How are you girls going there?”
Us: “Idk….it says here to catch the train from the station. Do you know where the station is?”
Asep: “ No, no, no. Hold on girls. Let me book a tour for you. Much easier!”
If you remember from part 1 of my Indonesia
post, Asep was the helper in my Airbnb apartment in Jogja. As mentioned, he
takes care of everything and I was so grateful for him. He figured it would be
too risky for us girls to grab a public cab to the train station, buy the train
tickets and wait till the departure timing. So he booked for us a tour to
Probolinggo, which includes -
- · Pick up from our apartment to Jogja train station
- · Train tickets
- · Pick up from Probolinggo to our new apartment
- · Accommodation cost
- · Mount Bromo climb
- · Pick up from apartment to Mount Bromo
We left our Jogja apartment for the train
station real early the next morning. It roughly took an hour or two before we
reach the station and had just enough time to get our bookings scanned and we
boarded the train. The train station gave me the old-school vibes – pretty run
down state, for lack of a better word.
When we got our seats, we realized we were seated
sardine packed with other passengers. I got separated from Gillian (she sat
across). Here’s a heads up: the locals do not give any damn about personal
space. So when I mentioned that we were squeezed amongst them, it implies
getting elbowed each time they move, legs kicked when they extend, leaning
towards you when they fall asleep – none of which with any statement of apology.
There was no chance we would be able to tolerate this throughout our entire
journey, so we picked our bags and moved down the cabin to find empty seats.
Lucky for us, the back was empty. We got a
long seat for each of us to stretch our legs and be comfortable throughout the
rest of the journey. The train ride took 9 hours with short stops in between
for 10-15 minutes. Upon reaching, it was already late in the afternoon. Our
driver was waiting for us at the arrival and drove us to our hotel along with
four other tourists – which took us another 4-5 hours.
After what seemed like an eternity and innumerable
sleep wake cycle, we reached the front of our hotel. A few guys came out and
offered to help us with our huge bags. The moment we stepped out of the car, we
were freezing cold.
Me: “Mas, suhunya berapa? Kenapa sejuk sekali?” (What is the temperate? Why is it so cold?)
Driver: “Ahhh, suhunya 6 degres Celsius sekarang buk.” (Its 6 degrees now.)
For someone who has low tolerance for cold
weather, I knew I would be stuck in bed and getting all the warmth I needed.
True enough, after we checked in, the comfortable blanket and two layers of
jacket was all I need as I snuggled myself.
In the tour itinerary, it said that we have
to be ready by 3am so the jeep could drive us to the base of Mount Bromo just
in time for us to catch the sunrise. The weather got colder in the wee hours. We
rented a thicker jacket for 25,000 Rupiah ($2.60SGD) and gloves for 20,000
Rupiah ($2.10SGD) for the hotel before we left.
The ride to the base of Mount Bromo was
pretty thrilling. The weather was cold and it was still dark, the ride was
bumpy and the driver was happily telling us how this would be a ‘fantastic
adventure’ since it was our first time. Throughout the ride, he went ahead
about how Indonesia has very beautiful landscapes to which I cannot concur
more.
The place was already packed with tourists
when we arrived. Be that as it may, Gillian and I managed to squeeze through to
get a good spot for the sunrise and at that moment; the weather was 3 degrees
Celsius. God bless us.
The first stop was at the edge of the
Tengger crater rim to witness the beautiful sunrise views over the Bromo landscape.
If you look further from the crater of Mount Bromo, you would be able to see
Mount Semeru – which is the most active volcano and highest so far in Java. We
spent roughly 2 hours here before we proceeded with our ride over Laotian Pasir
(Sand Sea) to Poten – where you can choose to have a horse ride or hike 3km to
the base of Mount Bromo. Gillian and I decided not to squander our mone. But
alright, if you follow me on my Instagram, we all know that did not happen.
Here was what exactly happened: We were declining the locals right? And then
suddenly… I saw a white horse walking towards me. Oh my God what a
cutie!!!??!!!!
The
next thing I knew, I was sitting happily on top of the horse; excited for my
journey to the base.
Yup.
We both spent 30 minutes up there before I
decided it was too stifling for my lungs so we climbed back to the base and
trekked back to our driver. It was the end for the day, and he drove us back to
our hotel before we hibernated for the rest of the night.
MOUNT IJEN, BANYUWANGI
Onwards to our third mountain in the list! Alright,
this is the part where I have to state my viewpoint of this mountain: Mount
Ijen was an arduous one. With that being said, yes, it was the toughest.
Mount Ijen has an elevation of 2,799m with
its last eruption way back in 1999. It is widely known for the blue flames and
the sulphur mines. There are two options for the tour: 1) Climb the mountain
and see the blue flames or 2) Climb the mountain. Many tourists would opt the
first option because we all know the sight of the blue flames is magical – but
do take note, it would require you to start trekking as early as 1am to be able
to catch the blue flames. If I do remember correctly, my guide mentioned that
it is best to catch them anywhere in between 1am-4am. Or else, option number
two means you’ll start trekking roughly at about 3am.
Gillian and I opted for option number 1
(because Blue Flames. Duh.) The ride from our hotel took us 45 minutes, and we
started from the base camp with a 4km trek to the rim of the crater for 2 hours
or so. The only easy thing about Mount Ijen is that it does not have many
rocks. Which means the route would be wide and straight – but steep, all
throughout for an hour plus of your trek up. It is best if you have a wooden
stick to keep you balanced as you climb. The guides would usually have one of
their own that they will kindly lend it to you or they will pick any long
sticks along the way. As you trek, you will get breathless - even for
someone with a normal fitness level. Just make sure you get a short 2-3 minutes
break and hydrate yourself enough with water! Bare in mind that the last 30
minutes would be a flat surface, so it is a much easier trek after all the hard
work.
To see the blue flames clearer, you would
need to hike down to the bank of the crater. It takes 45 minutes or later.
Because it is still dark and the track is rather rough, the space is only
enough for one person at a time on the path. It may be slippery and there is
not many wooden handrails or proper trail, thus you need to be extra careful. Remember
NOT to rush!
The atmosphere down at the bank can be
quite harsh. The amount of sulphur in the air is quite strong, so I encourage
you to wear the mask – which is provided under the tour.
Where the bank of the crater is, you’ll
notice their locals, also known as sulphur miners, carrying a heap of sulphur
on their shoulder as they balance to climb back to the top of the crater’s rim
and then 3km to deposit the load for weighing. I learnt from my guide that
these sulphur miners collect the sulphur materials to bring home the bacon. The
basket of sulphur can vary anywhere from 75kg-90kg per trip, and these miners
are paid roughly $10USD per day for two trips up and down the crater. If you
think about it, the amount they earned is little once it is compared to their
respiratory afflictions from lack of proper protection. I tried to breathe the
sulphuric air for 30 seconds without the mask and I felt breathless enough. I
truly respect these miners for working so hard, taking a chance with their lives
– just to raise their family. I don’t know how they do it, but it certainly
gives me the sense of awe and veneration.
KUTA, BALI
Straight after we reached the base camp of
Mount Ijen at 7am, our driver rushed us to the ferry terminal for us to catch
our ferry towards Bali. The journey took us 1 hour to reach, following a 3
hours public bus ride to Kuta itself. You can decide to take a private van that
will take a much shorter time – but with a slightly steep price.
Bali was our last stop and it was the place
we chose to relax and reward ourselves after accomplishing three mountains in
Indonesia. We spent literally two days sleeping in and only going out in the
night to get our dinner before we hibernated in our villa once more. We also
rented a bike to ride down to Seminyak to check the cafes out and around Kuta.
Apart from that, we also squeezed in a time to visit the Uluwatu Temple to see
what the hype was about and also to watch the sun set below the water horizon.
Bali was the place where we got fined
$100SGD for riding the bike with no license and helmet but it was also the
place we found the best nasi padang – so I guess it was a win-win situation.
And with that, I conclude my backpacking post filled with all the informations I provided best to my knowledge (+ memory). Also, end of year is fast approaching and you should have a getaway trip in mind! If you don't, I hope these blog posts will make you want to visit Indonesia and explore all the places like I did.
But in the meantime, here's a tip you can use right away - keep travelling. When you travel, it is like the earth moves with you and for you; and all the time in the world sits in the palm of your hands. x
Lots of love,
EzzaJay
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