Advertisement
Published: September 5th 2023
If there is smoke, there must be fire… ~ Indonesian Proverb
HE SAID... Today we were travelling south from the Seloliman Nature Reserve to
Mount Bromo– by road.
We organised our packs, dropped our keys and left the Seloliman Ecolodge in the early afternoon. We had a three-hour drive to Mount Bromo ahead, and it was great to be travelling in a large minibus with a little more room than normal. We crawled over rough rural roads on our way out of the nature reserve, passing a noisy local wedding along the way. The narrow streets gave way to wider and smoother roads once we turned onto a major thoroughfare.
As we sped along the highway, the scene playing out on either side of the minibus was all too familiar – rice fields stretching for miles, with people working long hard hours in the hot sun. We also drove past fields full of sugarcane and corn. We stopped briefly at a roadside Indomaret around 3pm, and while we were milling around outside, I met an incredibly friendly family who lived beside the tiny store. They were sitting outside their house, and as I walked over to say hello, they offered me coffee and a packet of tobacco. The patriarch
suggested (in expressive hand gestures) that I roll a cigarette and join them. I politely declined, as we were minutes from leaving. They didn’t speak English, but I conveyed that we were from Australia and heading to Mount Bromo. They all smiled and laughed a lot. Possibly at my poor non-verbal communication.
We bid farewell, piled into the minibus and left the Indomaret. Soon after, we started to climb uphill. We were in the foothills of Bromo. Teak and banana plantations began to appear, and rice fields still prevailed – even in Java’s higher altitudes. The road gradually became steeper and steeper as we slowly ascended into the volcanic Bromo region.
We arrived at the Grand Whiz Hotel, our accommodation for the night, around 4pm. We discovered that our large comfy villa was not entirely ours, as a sharing arrangement appeared out of nowhere. A fellow traveller had to join us, so the room organisation process took a little longer than usual. We were setting off (via 4-wheel drive) to reach a sunrise viewing point of Mount Bromo at 3am, so we had an early start – which necessitated an early dinner. We settled at a long table
in the hotel’s narrow restaurant at 6pm and shared the following dishes:
>
nasi goreng wonomerto (fried rice)
>
bakmie ngepung (noodles)
Both meals were delicious. It felt peculiar to retire so early in a new region of Java, but the 3am start was front and centre in our thoughts. We wandered back to the villa and crawled into bed, hoping to get about five hours sleep…
We were wide awake at 2am, so we didn’t really need our phone alarms blaring on both sides of the bed – but it certainly spurred us into action. We dressed hastily, made a quick cup of tea and walked outside into the early morning darkness. We clambered into a very, very basic four-wheel drive (with bench seating in the back) and started a long and winding journey to our first destination – a popular viewing platform overlooking an extraordinary volcanic landscape. We had seen images of this place, and they were mesmerising… the remains of Mount Bromo smouldering in the foreground; the majestic Mount Semeru (an active volcano and Java’s highest peak) towering in the background. Soon we would be capturing our own images of this amazing vista. We just
needed to get there.
We had read and heard about this experience, and we knew it was very popular. This was further reinforced by the continual hum of four-wheel drives that had been groaning past the Grand Whiz Hotel since 2am (possibly earlier). But nothing had prepared us for what lay ahead – a never ending line of four-wheel drives and motor bikes grinding upwards to the same destination.
It was too dark to see beyond the side of the road, but our return journey (in daylight) confirmed my worst fears. There were some sheer drops along the way, and the wheels of our rickety old four-wheel drive were ever so close to the side of the road…
Before long we encountered countless four-wheel drives parked on both sides of a narrow mountain road, with barely enough room between them to pass. Locals on motor bikes zigged and zagged around the old vehicles, causing chaos on the road. People were also walking between the vehicles. It was completely chaotic…
We eventually reached an expansive opening that resembled a large desert. Little did we know we were driving past the base of Mount Bromo. However, it was
too dark to see anything apart from the tail lights of the archaic vehicle in front of us. We then began climbing to the viewing platform, and it felt like our four-wheel drive was at a constant 45% incline. We were sliding off the bench seats in the back.
We parked in a dark section of road, clambered out the back of the vehicle and started walking uphill. With our headlamps feebly showing what lay immediately ahead of our feet, we walked the final stretch of road to the viewing platform.
When we arrived, the place was packed. Absolutely packed. And it was only 4am. Sunrise was at 5am (or thereabouts). We had a bit of a wait, and it was chilly. Our hands started to tighten in the cold morning breeze. We decided to separate, as there was not enough room for the two of us to stand together. I volunteered to capture the sunrise in the eastern sky, while Ren agreed to capture Mount Bromo and Mount Semeru (which had started to spew smoke from its high crater). Steam and smoke were also rising from the craterous remains of Mount Bromo. The pre-dawn panorama unfurling before
us was beyond amazing.
I struggled to capture the rising sun, as the light was poor before the sun rose, and it was too bright after the sun rose. I was also battling tourists who wanted my spot. I’d worked hard to get it, and I’d settled in. It was a fantastic position. It was on a corner of the retaining rails, and it had a flat surface on the corner post, which I was using to stabilise my camera to prevent movement (and subsequent blurred photos) in the poor light. But then a foreign tourist appeared with a very large camera and a very long lens, and he simply couldn’t cope that I had a prime position with such a small, insignificant camera. He asked if he could have my spot for one minute. I said no, as I had been guarding the spot for an hour. He asked again, and I said no, explaining that I had been waiting there for an hour, and I had no intention of giving up such a good location when so many people were crushing behind me. He pleaded and pleaded and pleaded. “
One minute only, sir, one minute only.” I
relented, and the scoundrel settled in for ten minutes – just as the sun began to rise. I’ve never been closer to pushing someone off a mountain.
Without a word of thanks he left, and I pushed myself back into the corner of the retaining rails. I had recaptured my position, albeit with the sun now completely above the horizon. Between us, Ren and I managed to capture some good photographs, despite losing dexterity in our hands from the cold breeze. It was time to go, as we had another pressing destination – climbing the crater of Mount Bromo. We grabbed a mug of hot tea at one of the many stalls, then walked back to our four-wheel drive – this time with the aid of natural light. We could now see the terrain we’d driven through a few hours earlier. Bloody hell… it was steep, it was narrow, and it was sheer!
We clambered into the four-wheel drive and retraced our early morning route in one of the longest, narrowest traffic jams I’ve ever experienced. We literally crawled down from the viewing platform, all the while looking down at the grey volcanic sandy desert at the base
of Mount Bromo. We parked with hundreds of other four-wheel drives, jumped out of the back of our vehicle and began a slow trudge across loose volcanic sand to the base of the crater.
One reaching the base of Mount Bromo’s smouldering remains, we started climbing its sandy slopes, and we eventually arrived at a long set of stairs to the crater rim. On reaching the top, I couldn’t quite walk the last few metres to the hand rail, as the sudden incline into the deep smoking crater was a little too steep for my level of comfort. The smell of sulphur was intense, as was the dust, so it wasn’t long before we were heading back down. We retraced our steps across the volcanic sand, jumped into our four-wheel drive and headed back to Grand Whiz Hotel – arriving around 9am.
We had a quick breakfast (hot coconut milk with bananas, omelette with chilli/fish sambal, small pastries, guava juice, tea and coffee), then beelined for our villa. We quickly showered, organised our packs, jumped into a minibus and started the slow descent from Bromo. We were heading to Kalibaru, our final destination in Java, and it was
a five-and-a-half-hour drive to get there.
SHE SAID... After lunch we left the Seloliman Nature Reserve in our minibus and began a three-hour trip to Probolingo – our base for our visit to
Mount Bromo. We drove through tiny village streets (barely wide enough for our minibus), and then on a bouncy rural road which finally led us to a highway. Our driver Yoga was a local, and he clearly knew the back roads. He’d picked us up from the Mojokerto train station the day before, and he would be driving us until we left Java in a few days’ time.
As we drove further into East Java, the crops changed to predominantly sugar cane (one of East Java’s biggest products). I also noticed that there were increasing signs of Hinduism in the area, something we hadn’t noticed in West or Central Java.
We were heading to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, which is riddled with dormant and active volcanoes; and Susi (our group leader) chatted to us about volcanoes in the country. She recounted a devastating story of how her family lived through a massive earthquake in Yogyakarta when she was younger.
Indonesia experiences multiple earthquakes a day, and many volcanic eruptions have been deadly. There are more than 400 volcanoes in Indonesia, and they sit along the infamous Pacific Ring of Fire – a region of high volcanic and seismic activity, where the movement and collision of tectonic plates causes earthquakes and tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean. Not surprisingly, volcanoes have profoundly shaped the geology, history and culture of Java.
Mount Semeru is the biggest volcano in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, but Mount Bromo is probably the most well-known. There are a worryingly high 45 active volcanoes in Java, including Mounts Semeru and Bromo. Our visit (especially our planned climb of Bromo) the next day was dependent on a safety assessment of the overnight volcanic activity of all the volcanoes in the area.
I loved that even though our group could be chatty and gregarious, we were predominantly quiet in the minibus… and I was able to nap for an hour and a half! I only woke when we pulled into an Indomaret supermarket at 3pm. The supermarket stops on this trip were also our toilet stops – with the added bonus of allowing us to replenish
our stock of drinks, snacks and ice creams.
Soon after this stop we started climbing uphill quite steeply. While I’d been napping, the rice fields had thinned out and we were now surrounded by a landscape dominated by teak, bamboo, banana trees and cassava plants. There were lots of small villages that hugged the hills, and they were surrounded by lush looking farms. The fertile volcanic soil was no doubt one of the trade-offs of living so close to volcanoes.
We finally arrived in the large town of Probolingo and kept driving uphill to the sprawling Grand Whiz Hotel Bromo. As soon as we drove up the driveway, it felt like we’d arrived at a mountain lodge. Framed by misty hills, there were rambling grounds, a large low central building, and villas further up the hill. The air definitely felt slightly cooler, and it was nice to be greeted with a welcome drink of hot spicy tea (with ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and star anise). It was delicious and warming. 😊
We all knew we’d be sharing villas at this hotel. However, when we were allocated our villas, two of the couples (us included) ended up with a
villa each. There was a bit of low-key argy-bargy, because the solo members of the group didn’t feel the allocations were fair. We try to stay out of these types of issues when they arise, and anyway, it was Susi’s role to sort the issue out. So, we walked off to get our bags from the minibus.
The villas were simple but lovely, with a really large loungeroom, small kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom between them. We ended up sharing our Villa #4 with Al. The whole set up was very comfortable, but it had a very strange lighting system, and we never quite figured out the light switches the entire time we were there.
We had a bit of time to relax before dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. We weren’t close to the town, and there really wasn’t much to do around the grounds of the hotel, so we got organised for our super early start the next day and hung out on our balcony catching up on travel notes. By the time we walked down to the restaurant for dinner at 6pm, it was cool enough for a cardigan and scarf!
We were clearly
a little concerned about our early start the next morning, and this showed in our conservative dinner choices – light and relatively bland. Andrew and I shared
nasi goreng (fried rice) and
bakmie ngupung (fried wheat noodles). The fried rice wasn’t anything special, but the
bakmie noodles were delicious. I would definitely order them again.
Our group was the only table having dinner at the hotel’s restaurant that night, but the service was still pretty weak. Orders were missed and some meals took far too long to arrive. And when they did arrive, at least half the table weren’t happy with their dishes. The group was pretty easy going on the whole, and we didn’t have any chronic complainers; so it meant that things were pretty bad when that many people complained. Our driver Yoga joined us for dinner, and it was interesting chatting to him (with some interpretation from Susi). His father and uncle were both drivers for Intrepid Travel, which explained how he was already such an experienced and good driver despite only being in his early 20s.
Most of us returned to our villas as soon as dinner was over, in preparation for the very
early start the next day. We tried to have an early night, but just couldn’t get ourselves organised. We didn’t make it to bed until 9pm – which isn’t great when the alarm is set for 2am!
I tried to get a good night’s sleep… but I never sleep well when I know it’s an early start. In spite of this, we were surprisingly able to get going quite quickly when the alarm went off. The cup of tea Andrew made me was very welcome, and before we knew it we were showered and dressed in all our layers. Susi had been constantly warning us of the very low temperatures and cold winds that we’d be facing. A few of the group were sceptical about how cold it would be, but I’m such a wuss with the cold that I was prepared with four layers! 😄
Everyone gathered outside reception at 3am, where three jeeps were waiting for us. Despite how ridiculously early it was, most of the group seemed chirpy. We were on the brink of an adventure, and there was a palpable buzz! We clambered into one of the jeeps and took off into the dark
pre-dawn morning that was lit only with a beautiful crescent moon.
There were four people per jeep (plus the driver), and we were sharing with Sebastian and Marina. Being the tallest, Sebastian sat in front. The back of a jeep is probably never a comfortable place, but it was made worse with cramped leg space and no seat belts to keep us secure. The road was so bouncy that we kept sliding off the bench seat, and Andrew and I kept hitting the front seats with our arms/shoulders whenever the driver braked. The most uncomfortable part for me was that I really had to engage my core muscles so I didn’t end up slumped on top of Marina every time we ascend a steep road or drove around a bend!
We were first heading to Mount Penanjakan for a sunrise view of the volcanoes in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, after which we were driving to the foot of Mount Bromo and hopefully climbing it (if the safety assessment allowed). Jeeps are the only vehicles used to get to the volcanoes, and within about 30 minutes into our trip we were in a convoy of what seemed
like hundreds of jeeps! And even more surreally, they all seemed to be either Land Rovers or Land Cruisers from the 1960s or ‘70s!
We passed a few small towns that were buzzing with people and lengthy queues of jeeps – all of them heading to the same spot as us! Even though our jeep was uncomfortable, the drive was exciting. In complete darkness, we had no sense of the road we were driving on. With literally just the taillights of the jeep ahead of us and the headlights of the jeeps behind us marking the road, we journeyed on. At one point we felt like we were off-roading on a vast dirt space. Jeeps were taking different routes and overtaking with abandon. It looked like a rally car race, and it was total anarchy! I later realised that the vast dirt space was the ‘sea of sand’ I’d heard about.
Our jeeps sped through the dark, only stopping to buy tickets, or slowing down whenever our little convoy of three got separated. Very selfishly, I loved it whenever our jeep was leading the convoy. It meant we weren’t breathing in the swathes of dust being raised by
the jeep in front. In any case, we had been warned and had come prepared with scarves to cover our noses and mouths. We had a potential mishap when our jeep wouldn’t start after stopping at the first ticket gate. Thankfully they got it going again, but the fumes in the cabin weren’t ideal… even more reason why our scarves were definitely needed!
It was about an hour trip, and the more jeeps I saw the more concerned I got about how all these hordes of people were going to fit in one lookout space. Luckily there were multiple view points, and I think depending on how much people had paid, the jeeps stopped at different spots. We were heading to the highest point, but from photos I’ve seen, all the locations offer a decent view.
The jeep drivers seemed to know each other, which is probably why we didn’t see any aggression or issues with everyone trying to squeeze onto the narrow roads or even narrower parking spots on the side of the road. I thought there’d be a parking area for the jeeps at each view point, but it turns out they just park in an
endless line along the road. The later you come, the further you have to walk to the viewpoint.
It wasn’t a fun walk to the viewpoint from where our jeeps had parked. It felt like a bus station at peak time – we had to dodge jeeps trying to park, motorbikes whizzing past, jeep doors suddenly swinging open and groups of people just standing about in the most inconvenient of places… and all this on an uphill walk in the dark and cold. At some point we left the jeeps behind and hit rows of shops that lined the last uphill steps to the viewpoint. I was concentrating on the dark uneven steps and trying to catch my breath in the cold air, so I didn’t fully take in the people trying to sell us water, jackets and beanies.
The viewing platform was already crowded, and we still had another hour or so until sunrise. It was a large space that curved around the slope of the mountain, with a stack of concrete steps providing seating (and a more elevated view). Most of the people were standing around the east facing side for the sunrise, and hardly anyone
on the south side that faced the volcanoes.
Andrew and I divided and conquered – Andrew stayed for the sunrise and I found a spot at the railing that looked directly at the volcanoes. It was just dawning when we stationed ourselves, and as soon as I stopped moving, I felt the chill off the mountain start to hit my feet and hands. Susi hadn’t exaggerated the cold. We were about 2,770 metres high on Mount Penanjakan, and it felt like proper winter cold. I was so glad I’d opted for four layers and a beanie, and I really wished I’d packed a pair of gloves too.
The sellers of jackets were walking through the crowd, and they were doing an unexpectedly good trade with the large groups of locals. I guess many people hadn’t realised that it was going to be quite so cold at the lookout. I kept an eye out for anyone selling hot tea or coffee, but had no luck. By now even my side of the viewing platform was starting to fill up, and it wasn’t long before a challenge for my well-chosen spot was mounted!
I was standing at a railing
that allowed three to four bodies in sections between each post, and a group of four young backpackers were hanging about behind me debating where they should stand… I know they were backpackers because I had to listen to all their backpacker drama later on. They discussed that the view from the next section (which was empty) had a tall shrub blocking the view, and then decided the best spot was where I was standing. They talked about (in English!) squeezing themselves into my space in the hope that I would get pushed into the next section. Ha! They picked on the wrong person.
I was quite annoyed by their arrogance, but I was also very amused that they thought they could outwit me. I turned and ‘mock politely’ said: ‘I don’t think all you girls will fit in here’. Suitably shamed, two of them slunk off to the next section. I chuckled to myself and turned my attention back to my camera and the glorious view. On a related note, it was interesting that local tourists far outnumbered overseas tourists at the viewpoint.
My hands seemed to lose more and more feeling while we waited, and it
was getting difficult to manipulate the buttons on my camera. Even though the wait felt long, it was such an amazing experience to watch the volcanoes slowly taking shape and gaining definition as the sky lightened. Then as the sun slowly rose, we had the most incredible view of the constantly changing colours of the volcanoes.
When I’d read about watching the sunrise in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, I had no idea we’d have a single vista with a cluster of six volcanoes! Closest to us was dormant Mount Batok, and next to it was still-active Mount Bromo spewing constant smoke through its wide crater mouth. Behind them stood Mount Kursi, Mount Watangan and Mount Widodaren, blending into an almost seamless jagged brown wall. And then there was the majestic Mount Semeru standing tall over all of them... and puffing out a ball of smoke every 20 minutes or so. The volcanoes looked like guardians of another world! 😊
When it was light enough, the drones started. A few places we’d been to in Indonesia (and elsewhere) have banned drones… but not here. One of our group members was travelling with a drone, and his footage is
really fabulous. However, depending on how the owner of the drone chooses to fly it, it can sometimes ruin the experience for everyone else around them. One particular example was a drone that kept hovering just above our heads. I assumed it was either taking footage of the people, or trying to replicate our view of the volcanoes from eye level. Either way, it was bloody annoying and rude!
The view kept changing with increasing light. The long morning shadows were beautifully accentuating all the serrated lines on the sides of the volcanoes, and I just couldn’t get enough of it – especially when Mount Semeru periodically burped its ball of smoke into the air. I was very grateful that the weather was clear and we had such a good view. I took far more photos than I needed to… but I didn’t want to miss capturing any of it!
We eventually left the viewpoint to meet our group at 6am. Susi had allocated the first cafe on the way down as our meeting point, and it was so nice to have a cup of tea and warm our hands. We walked back to our jeeps and drove
down Mount Penanjakan. It was fascinating to see the view from the side of the mountain in daylight.
We kept seeing glimpses of the ‘sea of sand’ at the base of the volcanoes, and it was only then that I realised we’d driven on it earlier. The ‘sea of sand’ is a kind of desert landscape created by volcanic activity. We could also see a long line of jeeps that were all snaking down the mountain and heading to exactly the same place as we were – Mount Bromo.
Our jeeps eventually parked in a messy and hectic parking area on the ‘sea of sand’. It was full of hundreds of other jeeps. From here we walked the kilometre or so to Mount Bromo. We were walking on loose volcanic ash, and there was a lot of it! Getting whipped by dusty winds didn’t make for the most pleasant of walks, with volcanic dust covering us from head to foot in a matter of minutes. My scarf and sunglasses became indispensable! The dust situation was made monumentally worse by the hired horses trotting (and sometimes galloping!) past us.
This region is the ancient homeland of the Tenggerese
people who live in the mountains. It’s thought that they are descendants of the Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit empire, and had fled to these mountains after the fall of their kingdom (when Islam swept through Java). They now have a unique culture and religion which is a mix of Hinduism, Buddhism and animism. Mount Bromo and Mount Semeru are sacred sites, and they perform rituals to honour them. During an annual ceremony called Yadnya Kasada, all the different Tenggerese tribes descend from their respective mountains and gather here to make offerings to the volcanoes.
I had read that the Tenggerese were mainly farmers living off the rich and fertile volcanic soil in the area. However, they were clearly also skilled horsemen. As soon as we got out of the jeeps, we were offered horses to take us to the volcano. We were also constantly hassled by men on horseback as we walked. It became apparent that they worked the carpark as well as the base of the mountain for returning tourists – and they galloped between the two as if their lives depended on it. There were a few times when we had to jump out of their way. I honestly
don’t know why they hadn’t allocated a dedicated path for the horses… but I suppose that would prevent them from hassling the tourists and tempting the tired ones.
Volcanoes in Indonesia are known as
gugung (fire mountains), and Mount Bromo is an active volcano with a crater that emits sulphurous smoke. Susi didn’t walk with us, but cautioned us to not stay too long at the crater due to the stinky sulphur fumes. The walk to the base of the volcano was flat to begin with, but turned into small steep hills of volcanic ash and rock that weren’t easy to climb. Between the dust, the crowds, the horses and the ruts in the volcanic rock hills, it demanded a bit of concentration, and the walk took me longer than anticipated.
Once we reached the volcano, Andrew walked up the crater steps while I caught my breath. I used the time to take photos of the ‘sea of sand’ and Mount Penanjakan (where we’d been at sunrise). I was very surprised to see that the base of Mount Bromo was a built-up area with small shrines and areas for people to rest. I guess they needed something concrete
(excuse the pun!) where people could gather for the annual Hindu festival rituals. I was also amazed that the 250 or so steps were well-constructed with railings.
Andrew isn’t great with heights, or rather he doesn’t like sheer heights when there isn’t a secure railing or barrier in place. The steps to the crater rim looked fine, but he wanted to check out how he’d feel at the top – and to do so at his own pace. By the time I was ready to walk up, Andrew had checked it all out and returned to the base. He’d loved the climb, so he decided to walk up again with me. The steps had a two-way system, and two small side timeout areas on each side where people could step into and rest. This allowed the steady stream of climbers to keep moving. Even though it wasn’t a huge climb, I was glad for the rest option while dragging myself up the steps!
Once we reached the top, Andrew stayed at the top of the steps while I walked around the crater rim for a few minutes. The guard rail around the rim that supposedly was there to
stop us from falling into the smoking heart of the volcano wasn’t the safest. And further shockingly, even though the entire rim is walkable, the barrier ended a few metres from the top of the steps. The ground was the same slippery substrate we’d been walking on earlier, and I wondered how many people have slipped into the fiery abyss over the years! Needless to say, I stayed well away from the abyss side of the rim.
Mount Bromo stands at about 2,300 metres, and the view of the surrounding bare volcanic landscape was amazing. After taking some photos of the smoky depths of the crater and the stunning view, I met Andrew for our return walk to the jeeps. Very weirdly, the sulphur fumes were smellier on the climb up than while at the top – possibly something to do with the wind direction.
The visit to the volcano had probably lasted about an hour, and by now the sun was quite hot and I was sweltering in my long-sleeved clothes. On the walk back to the jeeps, I began to realise what a once in a lifetime opportunity this had been. The other-worldly landscape of this
national park was stunning beyond words. Even though we’ve visited active volcanoes before, this landscape was more dramatic and remarkable, and I felt very lucky to be there.
On the ride back to the hotel we shared a jeep with Ramin and Naheed, and had lovely conversations about our previous travels and our never-ending wish lists of future travels! It was also interesting to see the passing scenery. In the earlier darkness, we hadn’t seen the pine forests and quaint little alpine-looking villages. The fertile volcanic soil has enabled the Tenggerese to cultivate the steep hills of the Tengger Valley with much success, and there were farms full of onions, corn and cabbages.
Back at the hotel, we eagerly walked towards the breakfast room – I was ravenous! It was a buffet breakfast laid out in two sections. From the hot section I had a bowl of
soto ayam (chicken soup) and a small serve of
nasi goreng (fried rice) with an omelette. From the next section I helped myself to a do-it-yourself
pecel – similar to
gado gado with cooked greens and beans, fresh sprouts, tofu and a peanut sauce. It sounds like a large meal for
breakfast… but we’d been up since 2am and my tummy thought it was lunch time.
The savoury food was okay, but nothing very special. However, a sweet dish called
kolak pisang was amazing! A hot banana and coconut milk soup with additions of palm sugar and pandan leaf may sound weird, but it was unexpectedly delicious! We ended our big breakfast with slices of fresh papaya and watermelon, and returned to our villa to shower and get ready for a day of travel.
Despite the ridiculously early start, I had immensely enjoyed the visit to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. We had been lucky on many fronts – there was no volcanic activity (which was highest on our ‘lucky’ list), we were blessed with good weather, and being there during the week meant we didn’t have to deal with the insane crowds that flock there on weekends and public holidays.
I can already tell that this Mount Bromo experience is going to be one of my highlights of our Indonesia trip – a truly once in a life time experience!
Next we travel east to Kalibaru, our last stop in Java.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.112s; Tpl: 0.023s; cc: 19; qc: 37; dbt: 0.0307s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
stephane vellet
non-member comment
A mountain with a bonus
Hello, I really enjoyed your blog. I have always been fascinated by volcanoes, and every time I visit a country where volcanoes can be found, they are always high in my list! For me, they are mountains with a bonus. From your photos, can see that the panoramic views must have been spectacular!