Where has all the coffee gone?!

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27 October 2009 - 28 October 2009

TOUR:
Coffee Plantation and Ijen Plateau 2 day tour, including transport to Ijen and then Banyuwangi port, one nights accommodation--Rp400,000


Tired but satisfied we had enough time for a warm cup of tea and some breakfast before we set off on our platation tour at 9.30am.
This is how the agent described it:

" We will drive to probolinggo where you will be transferred onto a nice big air conditioned bus that will then take you to Ijen. We will take you to a coffee plantation and factory and there you will stay at a nice hotel in the plantation grounds. You will also visit a hot spring. The next day you will wake up at 5am and head off to the ijen crater before being transported to the ferry port by air conditioned bus."

This is how the real version went.....
We set off in a private minibus for the 1 1/2 drive down to Probolinggo. The bus had no aircon.
We arrived at a travel agent in Probolinggo and waited around in the heat (the tour agencies fan was broken) for what seemed like hours, but was more in the region of an hour. We finally transfered to another private minibus (that looked identical to the first one). The bus had no aircon. We drove for about four hours and stopped for some lunch. The lunch was, hmmmm, not much. A small piece of meat with some rice. We set off again. Two hours later we reach the coffee plantations. We pass the coffee plantations. We ask the driver when we get to see some coffee. "Coffee season finish". Ok do we get to see the factory? "Factory closed. Everyone on holiday". So that was that. We arrive at the hotel. Not a bad hotel mind you, right outside the factory. Free coffee and tea is available. There's a cold pool, and a hot jacuzzi. Not bad with a cold Bintang. Dinner was better than lunch. Only slightly. Sleep wasn't bad, but could have been better if the toilets didn't stink. Our 5 am wake up call was actually at 3:30am. Breakfast, however, was free! It consisted of coffee. And a hard boiled egg. And a chocolate sprinkle sandwich. Trekker's food? We don't think so. We set off at 4. We got to the foot of Ijen at 5. And we set off 3km to the crater. An hour later we came to a rest stop, and Dan was almost dying with Man Flu and a severe bout of hunger. Dan had a Pop Mie. His energy was revived! An hour later we reached the crater...

And WOW!!!!
Never mind the damn coffee! We would have paid the Rp400,000 just to see what we were seeing. The crater was imense! We spent the next couple of hours exploring around the crater with our new-found travel buddy, Trish. Dan became revitalised all of a sudden and started to enjoy himself. One of the amazing thing about this volcano, amongst others, are the sulfur miners. These guys walk the three hours up to the crater and down into the sulfur. They collect 70-100kilos worth and set off back down to the bottom. They do this again once more and that is there day over with. They are paid Rp600 per kilo and their life expectancy, due to the demands and the sulfur, is about 40 years old. Tough work! We were complaining a bit about the fact that they kept asking us for money / cigarettes / wafers / drinks etc. But when we realised the effort they go through we did give in and give one guy the rest of our water, and another guy Trish gave her boiled egg to.
The views were absolutley stunning. This has got to be one the most rewarding trips we have been to, and makes Bromo look almost amateurish. Luckily, not too many tourists come here, so, apart from the pestering miners, you are virtually left alone.
After our little trip up, we headed back down again, and set off for the two hour drive to Banyuwangi port to catch the ferry to Bali.

Glad to be back down into the heat, we said goodbye to Java and what a way to do so!

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Photos

On the way to Ijen Plateau
How many Indonesian's can you fit into the back of a pickup? How long's a piece of string?

On the way to Ijen Plateau
For some reason around here, it felt like autumn as all the leaves were falling off the trees!

On the way to Ijen Plateau
The coffee plantations, which weren't growing any coffee!

On the way to Ijen Plateau
Nevermind, the long tree lined road was interesting enough!

On the way to Ijen Plateau
As were the very clean and neatly tendered villages!

On the way to Ijen Plateau
Not coffee

On the way to Ijen Plateau
"Can you see any coffee from up there??"

On the way to Ijen Plateau
No coffee, but the Bintang was cold and the tiny pool hot!

On the way to Ijen Plateau
This one was freezing!