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Published: July 30th 2008
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I don't know where I'm a gonna go...
...when the volcano blows. Mt. Bromo is the small crater on the left that is smoldering. The bigger one in the background has just started puffing smoke again. Although Java is Indonesia's largest island, I only really wanted to see two things there; Mt. Bromo and Borobudur. It is such a huge island, and I just didn't have enough days to explore it. Java is home to Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, as well. I have yet to hear one person say something positive about the capitol. It is just way too crowded and it lacks a proper city center. So my strategy was to steer clear of the city, other than the airport, and just to focus on Mt. Bromo (which is in the east part of the island) and Borobudur (which is almost central).
I started my journey to Java from Ubud in Bali. I took a taxi to the bus station, an overnight coach (including ferry ride) to Java, and a van ride up to Mt. Bromo. All in all, a little over 12 hours. The journey took place at the same time as the Euro Cup Final, so I had to wait until I reached the summit to learn that Spain had triumphed over Germany. I was lucky enough to arrive at the viewing point just in time for sunrise. It was beautiful! Mt. Bromo is
Staring at The Sun
This is me at Mt. Bromo just as the sun is coming up. the smallest of 3 volcanoes that are bunched together, and still active. It is always smoldering and the rising steam is a constant fixture. A larger one in the foreground is dormant and the biggest one is in the background. Almost on cue, every 15 minutes it releases a cloud of smoke into the air.
The morning is the best time to see the volcanoes before the air gets too hazy later in the day. I watched as the sun slowly crept over the mountain behind me to reveal Bromo in front of me. It erupted a few years ago and the land surrounding it is sandy and baron, not a single tree. My guide and I were the only ones present for the sunrise and I took a few moments for it to all soak in. Watching the larger volcano puff smoke was memorizing.
After taking a nap to neutralize the effects of my grueling journey, I set out to climb Bromo. The town is only about and hour's hike to the crater and there are concrete steps to take you all the way up. It was a little after mid day and the haze had set
Inside Mt. Bromo
This is what the smoldering inside of Mt. Bromo looks like. in. I could no longer see the biggest volcano puffing smoke in the distance. I took a big bottle of water with me as I was at a higher altitude. There were a few people making their way to and fro, but some of them seemed more interested in the Hindu temple at the base of the volcano. By the time I reached the crater I noticed that I had the volcano all to myself. I could see all the way down to the hole where the smoke was boiling out. There were traces of sulfur smell in the air, but it didn't seem to be as strong as when I was in Rotorua in New Zealand. However, every now and again, bits of it would get in my eyes and provoke a burning / stinging sensation. While I was up there, I realized that I had gone through most of my water bottle and my body was now done renting it. Since no one was around......, I figured it would be kinda cool to rid myself of the water into the crater. I found out later that night that the Hindu temple is at the bottom of the volcano
Roadside Shop
I don't think I want what they are selling. because it is considered sacred. Whoops! Good thing nobody saw that. I think my chi level just dropped a few notches.
After trekking down Mt. Bromo, I returned to my hostel to have a shower. The place I was staying at was pretty low budget. So much so, that it didn't even have a shower. It had a big sink where you could dip a scoop in to draw some water and then pour it over yourself. Old School! Most of my hostels didn't have hot water, but most of my hostels weren't up in the mountains either. That cold water woke me up pretty fast and made me glad I wasn't staying more than one night.
The next day, I embarked on a 15 hour journey in a cramped van to Yogyakarta. Jogja, as the locals refer to it, is the closest town to visit Borubodor, which is an ancient Buddhist stupa; the biggest in the world in fact. I found a local tour and headed there with some Spanish, Dutch, and German tourists. The temple fell into disarray and was painstakingly restored in 1985 only to be bombed a few years later by religious extremists. It
Stupafied
Here are some of the signature bell shaped stupas of Borobudur. has since been restored again and is breathtaking to see as it rises out of the jungle. It is a square tiered stone monument with bell shaped structures capping it off all around the top three tiers and one giant stupa in the center at the top. Within each bell structure is a sitting Buddha. Not all of the Buddhas' heads have survived unfortunately. It is said that you must be quiet and walk around the tiers in a clockwise direction, otherwise you will experience bad karma.
While we were on the top I saw a guy with a really
funny T-shirt. It had Hitler doing his salute and Churchill doing his V for victory sign. Underneath it said "Paper V Scissors, Mambo History Lesson." I thought it was pretty funny and complimented the guy on it who was from London. I forgot that the couple next to me was German. I felt a bit like Basil Fawlty. "Don't mention the war! I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it."
I had a few more days to kill before my flight to Jakarta and then onto Manilla, so I stuck around Jogja for a bit
Centerpiece
You can see the main large stupa that caps off the entire monument. more. I went to the local Sultan's palace, but it was a pretty poor excuse for a palace. We could only tour around the courtyard areas, but they were in need of a paint job. The place did not seem fit for royalty. I learned a lot about Indonessia from talking with Harry, one of the locals. He said that Indonesia still has about 1,000 sultans, just like the one in Jogja. He basically acts like the governor for the region and the people prefer him to a democratically elected official because he looks out for them whereas elected officials are usually corrupt and look out for themselves first. Crazy eh?
A trip to the local bird market rounded out my Jogja experience. In addition to birds, you can find snakes, lizards, bats, monkeys, and pretty much anything else that crawls or flys. Although the birds, other than the roosters, looked to be used for pets, I can't say that was true of everything else. One of the guys told me that eating a bat will cure asthma. Somehow I don't see that remedy replacing the inhaler in the west anytime soon.
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