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Published: January 15th 2007
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after some delayed goodbyes at the airport, lottie returned home and i was left to go it alone. the lack of enthusiasm and desire to prolong my stay in bali, due to the abundance of crazy surfer dudes who can only give directions to the beach and local irish bar and hold a limited conversation about a knarly tube or sick pipe, along with the persistent and some what flirty older massage ladies on the beach.
the following day and 6 hours of buses and 7 hours of trains later i had left the tourists and imitated western ways behind and reached east java. with the intent of climbing another volcano and relaxed beach-side week i was ready to go. a final 4 hours of travel and 2 hours of riding on the back of some guys motor bike through the jungle i had reached mt semeru. i was confident but with colder temperatures in the mountains i thought my supplies and clothing would get me through, what could go wrong with climbing an active volcano! a quick chat to the local ranger who gave me directions he seemed to forget to warn me about the poisonous gas at the
summit, so with my lack of knowledge i slogged the 17 km through the jungle alone to the first camp. luckily for me i met some indonesian students from jakarta who informed me about the gas and what to do if and when the volcano erupts.
we swapped phrases over a camp fire and i was offered a tent to sleep in, however 3 hours of sleep we woke at midnight to climb to the summit, 3 hours of scrambling through the undergrowth, a few slips and falls here and there we made it to the ash cone. 4 hours of climbing this we made it to the top for sunrise. half way up i saw my first eruption, silent but unmissable i noticed an ash cloud come tumbling down the side of the cone. looking forward it was heading straight for us but with a freezing wind blowing to the side by the time it was at our level it had drifted of to the right. some how the dramatic lightning storm that was surrounding us seemed to leave a clear patch of calm star light sky above us creating an even more scary environment.
from the
top as the sun rose and within our 3 hour calculated window frame to when the gas was at a safe level, we enjoyed the 3800 meter panoramic views and regular 20 minute eruptions. at first the not knowing where to stand or which part is safe from the blast sends everyone running as the ash towers overs us and rains down, you can really get a sense of how small you are and how insignificant you are to the power of the volcano.
by practicing my indonesian i met another guy from east java, here as a sponsor for some university charity, we chatted and planned to meet at the camp later that day. for some reason he decided to walk down alone before everyone, nothing thought of it at the time. later that day he never showed, search and rescue was called- but only in the form of hardy locals equipped with flip flops, torn clothes and a jacket who searched up and down the volcano in the endless gullys and deep pot holes. three days on only the worst could be assumed and he was never found.
awkward and silent moments along with questioning by rangers
of his possible where abouts greeted us as we returned.
a day on dates forced me to move on, i hitched a ride on the back of a truck with the guys i had met previously and we managed to talk the driver into a detour through the sand sea crater of another nearby smaller volcano. to the drivers regret the truck kept sinking and getting stuck in the sand, however there were enough guys to efficiently dig the truck out by hand and push it free. to us it was merely part of the journey and part of the experience.
as for mt bromo, an easy 30 minute climb but an overwhelming stench of sulphur, it supplied us with another great set of smoldering crater photos and excellent views around the valley.
a waiting ferry was docking back at bali, which encouraged my fast track return back to the island. 11 hours later, 5 forms or transport i had made it. it was 3.30 am and the only place open was the 24 hour mac donalds which had a a greatful yet very smelly and dirty visit from yours truly.
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