Ijen.. hard & beautiful life eh?

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Voila! Finally I've reached Ijen plateau! :D :D :D

so the route I took to explore Ijen was: Bondowoso - Sempol - Belawan - Paltuding - IJEN!! - Taman Sari - Banyuwangi..


Let's start!!


DAY 1

Started from my lovely city, Malang, from 8 am with my new travelmate from German, Anna 😊 and sure we kept using the economic way. Economic bus with no air-con (hell yeah!) for almost 2 hours to reach Bondowoso. But when we passed Probolinggo town, all the bus passengers asked to change into another bus which looked more scary than the first one.. It felt like the bus can be easily broken and crashed only by gentle smack :P hehe.. Along our way to Bondowoso, the bus couldn't afford to stop every hundreds kilometres to pick other passengers or just stop to wait the bus fulled!! my goodness!! :O but my friend, Anna, not the only foreigner inside the bus. There's also a foreigner couple who probably will go the same way as we were to Ijen :P yay!
We passed great mountaineous landscapes when we're getting closer with Bondowoso. And the weather was getting colder and chiller too! 😊

After 8 hours being bumped on that lousy bus (with never-ending spanish guitar intro which next continued with lousy Indonesian songs :D), we finally arrived in Bondowoso! yay yay!
Right when we're going to take minibus to Sempol, they said that all minibus to Sempol already back home. Just noticed by that time if the minibus only run every 6.30am! And the "Lonely Planet" didn't mention anything about it ;( it means me and Anna stayed a night in Bondowoso.. and sure in cheap motel :P

time to sleep now... zzzz... zzz.... grokkk..grokk..zzzz...zzzzzzz...



DAY 2

By 6am, we already heading on Bondowoso bus station to wait for the minibus. Then few minutes later, the minibus driver offer to drive us straight to Paltuding (don't forget to bargain!!).. when we got the good price, we're ready to reach Ijen by 2 hours! 😊
BUT, unfortunately the minibus fulled with locals whose going to Sempol which make the minibus keep doing stop by to smaller town.. and hell yeah, we reached Ijen too late!
The funniest thing is, that minibus actually fit for 9 persons.. but somehow, there were 15 people (15!!!) ont he same time.. not only 15 people, there're also fishes, fruits, vegetables, two big rolls of carpet, bla bla bla.. and the other local's stuff they brought with them! No wonder some men were sitting on the car's roof.. fiuhh... what a life! :P

All those fishy smelly healed by the stunning views of mountaineous when we're getting close with Ijen.. and with coffee smell from the coffee plantation :P hehe.. MNust tell you too that along Sempol-Belawan-Paltuding, the road was very very bumpy and worst!!! you won't be able to sit comfortably in your car, especially with many peoples pressing you from many direction on that tiny minibus!! :P yet when we're arrive in Paltuding (the start point to hike Ijen), everybody already on their way back down..the officer also told us that's it's too late and too foggy to climb now 😞 it means me and Anna had a long day to wait doing nothing until the next early morning 😞(

Had nothing to do, we remembered that we're passing sulphur stream along our way from Belawan to Paltuding.. so we walked down again for 3 KM to see the stream.. Weird stream cause the water is yellow (sulphur affect), and it's time for photo shot! :P better than doing nothing right?? being bored, we diceded to back to Paltuding again..which means another 3 KM walking.. but STEEP ROAD! 😉 I think we can skip going to the gym for a month hehe..

On Paltuding, we stop in small "warung" and asked the owner kindly to permit us stayed in her place until early morning the next day 😊 lucky us we met Paul, british guy, whose came too late like us! And we spent the night with great chats and laughs, while he already had tent and we stayed in the "warung". I thought I would be able to stand the cold, but the fact it was freaking cold!! I couldn't stop freezing and shaking cause the bloody cold! Even Anna whose used with cold felt the same way with me! bbbrrrrrr... :'( and sure I couldn't sleep and kept looking on my watch wether it's the time to hike the Ijen..
Thanks to the owner who willing to let us came closer to her traditional stove, and it's very very warm!! :D and Paul joined us too to get more heat 😊

now time to hike!!!...

I'd like to say many many thanks to Anna and Paul who patiently willing to wait me for hiked so slow and stopped every few metres :P hehehe... muuahh muuuahhh muuuahhhh...

Indeed, Ijen has spectacular views! and the sulphur miner portraits, don't think your life so miserable before you know how hard they trying toget small amount of money! ;( LIfe is hard eh?? or life is too challenging for you eh?? :P you can answer it yourself..
We spent1-2 hours on the top to enjoy the great panorama.. and I felt like a stranger in my own country! Almost people there were all foreigners and too many French people there :O hehe.. je je je... bonjour..

After it's almost 9am, we had to go back down as soon as possible cause we need to catch the sulphur truck to hitchike with them! And again, we're lucky cause the truck almost ready to go right after we arrived Paltuding! :D and yep we're hitchike with them.. we sat on the back truck above sulphurs.. when we passed the bumpy road, you can felt the sulphur smacked your butt and your *&^%&$* :D hehehe.. it feels weird 😉
The truck dropped us in Taman Sari town, then from there we took motorbike to reach Banyuwangi...

again, time to sleep right after we checked-in on cheap hotel.. and explored a bit of Banyuwangi city side by the night 😊


DAY 4

Time to go back to Malangg...
we left Banyuwangi to Malang by 5 am..
the night before we're leaving, me and Anna said good bye to Paul cause he needs to continue his journey to Jogja, Central Java..
while we're supposed to arrive Malang in 1pm.. we arrived by 6pm cause the train was delayed for some ridiculuous and strange reasons! well, nevermind.. at least I'm back to my lovely bed and pillow again :D good night everybodyyy :D :D :D




some notes for you!!
- Make sure you ready in Bondowoso bus station at 6 am to catch moinibus to Sempol (or Paltuding, but bargain!!)
- It's safe to set tent anywhere in Paltuding
- Have a kind and warm chat with the "Warung" owner if you don't want to rent small and dirty cabin for a night in Paltuding
- The sulphur truck (if you want to hitchike) goes twice a day.. 9am and around day time or afternoon..

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