'You hat Bromo?' is a phrase that we have heard lots these last few days. The hat sellers are everywhere - from the top of the volcanos to the outside of the windows of the hostels (giving a free hat-puppet show during dinner). Telling them you actually already have a hat, or even wearing said hat does nothing to put them off...
This is the view that greated us from the viewpoint at Gunung Penamjakan, in the Bromo-Tengger National Park. The volcano at the back is Gunung Semeru, the highest point in Java (3676m). It erupts every 20 minutes and looked pretty fierce when we were there. We are saving it for next time - due to money and time constraints... not to mention it's activity. Would you want to climb this?
The colours changed dramatically throughout the sunrise;
On our last morning in Solo, our new friend Yant took us to see some Batik being made;
A wax pattern is put onto the cloth, before it is dyed. The wax is then removed with hot water, leaving a negative pattern. This process is repeated. It was interesting to see just how much work goes into this (sadly dieing out) artform.
We then took a 9 hour bus ride to Cemero Lawang, to visit the volcanos, above. We heard on the bus that there had been another series of earthquakes/tsunamis off the south coast - 400+ people have died. Merapi's activity has also increased. We are now well away from the affected area(s), so no need to worry about us! It was nice to listen to some music on the bus. I have lots that I downloaded before coming away. Neil Young's new one is interesting. Songs such as 'Lets impeach the president for lieing'. Nice.
In Java, the equivalent of having your windscreen sponged down whilst waiting at the lights seems to be blokes with small guitars singing you a tune. Unfortunately, due to the noise, heat and pollution everybody has their windows shut. So you end up with a few seconds of guitar mime. Most people seem to donate, none the less. I guess it's easy to do. No talent (or soap) required.
We stayed at Yoshi's, a little further from Bromo than we had hoped - the closer accomodation was apparently full. After a 4am start the next morning, we shared a rented jeep with our travelling companions from Solo - one French and one Italian couple (incredibly, I heard no football banter). The jeep took us across the 'Sea of Sand' to Gunung Penanjakan just in time for sunrise. The photos of Bromo (the low, smoking one, front left), below give some sense of scale to the panorama. It took us a good half an hour to walk around the crater (2439m). Bromo is possibly the easiest volcano in the world to scale;
The sea of sand is actually the remains of a giant volcano cone (Gunung Tengger). The existing ones have sprung up out of it over the years.
We spent 3 more nights in Cemoro Lawang, at the Cafe Lava (a very nice, friendly and clean place). We especially enjoyed the breakfasts, after our early starts and walks to various viewpoints.
(The town of Cemoro Lawang, on the crater's edge)
Sulphur gives you some crazy-arse dreams. In Kerry's she was taking photos of a blue ducky alien thing (her words) which turned out to be me as a male gymnast. I was teaching a skipping class, and Kerry (as a female gymnast) was the best in the class - except for the people in wheelchairs, who were also skipping.
Volcano number 3 was Ijen (meaning 'lone'). They mine sulphur here.
They have managed to embed a series of pipes into the heart of the volcano, chanelling the liquid sulphur into the cool air where it solidifies and is broken up and collected. For transporting 1kg of sulphur out of the crater and down the flank of the volcano, a worker is paid about 400Rp - about 2 pence. They manage about 40kg per trip. Averaging 3 trips a day...
There is a huge acidic lake in the crater. I don't think there is much life in it;
Kerry has given me a list of tasks to choose one from. (1) Sleeping in the cockroach filled Gomantong cave to guard the swiftlet nests, (2) being a porter in Kinabalu, or (3) carrying sulphur out of a volcano for a living. I am undecided.
Comments