August 9, Thursday

August 9, Thursday

Oh GOD!  I have to get up at 3:30 this morning and be ready to leave by 4 am for an excursion up Mount Panajakan (2,700 meters / 9,088 ft)  to see the sun rise.  The hotel had prepared tea for us to drink before we left.  There were about 40 guests going up the mountain today.  Daniel and I had a jeep to ourselves, others were crammed into theirs.  Very basic jeep, absolutely no frills and definitely no springs left; the ride was incredibly bumpy.  After about ½ an hour further up the mountain on bumpy roads, we were dropped off at a curb in the mountain where venders had set up.  We walked up from there in the dark (thanks again to my head-lamp and my walking sticks) up a stone staircase. 

 
As the sky lightens, we can start to see the clouds below us, covering the surrounding valleys
 
 
Just around the corner, we change viewing points and see the Tengger Caldera before us.  I find out later that the tall one at the back is Mount Semuru.   In front are Mt. Kursi and Mt Batok.   I thought that the one in the foreground was actually Mt. Bromo.

 By moving just a few steps to the left,  I was able to see the entire caldera, and finally see Mt. Bromo, the smallest crater and lightest in colour.  The surrounding sandy area is appropriately named "The sea of sand".  But it is actually lava dust, not sand.

 Went back to the other side of the viewing area since the sun was about to make its appearance.

And then the sun came up. I WAS SPEACHLESS. It was SO beautiful.

The skies lighted gradually and before it was actually up, it was illuminating the other volcanic craters around us.   

From our view point we could actually see three of the craters or volcanoes within the Tengger caldera:  Mt. Bromo (2,329 m), Mt.Kursi (2,581 m) and Mt Batok (2,470 m). Mt Batok (in the foreground) is the only one that is extinct; it has trees growing on it.  We can also see Mt Semuru from here, Java’s highest peak.  (So, Daniel was correct with yesterday’s volcano; it was not Mt. Bromo although he did not know the name, it was probably Mt. Semuru that we were seeing in the distance.  Mt. Bromo is the light coloured crater, and much lower that the surrounding peaks.)  The island of Java has 42 volcanoes on it.

“The Tengger Caldera (ancient volcano Tengger) contains the Sand Sea which in turn is surrounded by a steep crater wall of the larger Tengger Caldera with height differences of about 200–600 meters.  This unique feature covers a total area of 5,250 hectares at an altitude of about 2,100 m.  The massif also contains the highest mountain in Java, Mount Semeru (3,676 m), four lakes and 50 rivers. Other mountains around the Tengger caldera are: Mount Pananjakan (2,770 m) Mount Cemorolawang (2,227 m), Mount Lingker (2,278 m), Mount Pundak Lembu (2,635 m), Mount Jantur (2,705 m), Mount Ider-ider (2,527 m) and Mount Mungal (2,480 m). The peak of Mount Pananjakan is the most popular place to watch the entire volcanic complex of Tengger. ”

And then a puff of smoke appeared from the top of Mt. Semeru.  We stared a long time at it, but that's all that came up.  Just a little hic-up!    Also known as Mahameru (Great Mountain) and is one of the most active volcanoes on earth.   Did I mention that Java is on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” …..  and I’m standing on top of it right now ! ! !    I need to get my head examined.  

The play of colours continued to dazzle us.

 Mount Bromo, the lightest in colour.  I’ve seen pictures on the internet showing lots of smoke coming out of it.  Glad that it is quiet today!

From the top of Mt Pananjakan (where I’m standing taking these pictures) we got back into our jeeps and went down into the HUGE Tengger caldera which contains all those craters. 

 The line of jeeps waiting for our return

 Other mountains become visible in the distance

Along the rim of the caldera sit many mountain villages

If I had thought the first part of the ride had been bumpy, it was nothing like this descent.  OH MY GOD !  There were no seat belts, and as I said previously, the jeep we were in  was very basic and had not padding.  I was hanging on with both hands and had both legs wedged in different directions to try to stay in my seat. 

 Driving down to the floor of the Tengger Caldera and its Sea of Sand

 Other jeeps have reached the floor and are kicking up dust.  Now that gives this picture perspective.  You can tell how huge the caldera is.

Finally we also reach the bottom and are zooming towards Mt. Batok (which is hiding Mt. Bromo).

We left the jeeps at the bottom of the caldera, still quite a distance from Mt. Bromo crater.   I had a choice here:  I could walk up, or I could ride a horse.  Most of you are probably saying “Easy decision: ride the horse”.  The problem is that I’ve never really ridden a horse before.  My one and only experience goes back to when I was 16 or 17 at boarding school, when the nuns took us (residents who stayed over during weekends) out for a horse riding excursion somewhere along the Ottawa River on the way to Pembroke.  The other girls from boarding school came from rich families and had all ridden before.  I got on the horse and told the person helping us get on that my feet could not reach the stirrups.  Instead of helping me cinch/shorten the leather straps, she told me to just pull on the strap.  I don’t think she liked “rich” girls from private boarding schools!   I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA how to fix the stirrups and before I could say anything else we were off on our ride.  Big horses!  I had not gone far when my horse decided to gallop and I fell off.  It could probably tell I was NOT IN CONTROL.  I ended up on the ground and the horse headed back to the stables.   That was my first and only experience riding a horse.

So, here I was in Java with a decision that had to be made.  OK, I rationalised, I’ve petted a tiger, rode on an elephant, and recently petted a Komodo Dragon.  This trip is FULL of FIRSTS, so I’m going to ride the horse!   The great part was that although I was sitting on the horse (small in size and very gentle) the owner was holding the reins and leading it all the way up the hill.  But I MADE IT ! I was scared stiff the entire way, sure I would fall off. At one point we went down into a gully and back up on the other side, but the owner told me how to hold my body and my legs each time and I didn’t fall. {On the ride back to the jeeps I actually loosened up enough to enjoy the rhythm of the horse’s gait.}

 I'm riding a horse !   OK, I know it's really small, but it is still scary.

 I even managed to take a few pictures while I was riding

 Other riders pass us by

We make it to the first rise.  This is where we get off and walk the rest of the way.  The ride was quite a distance and I was glad I had not walked, since the horses were going through a thick layer of ash. 

 There is still a long way to go to get up to the rim.

 I'm half way up the staircase, looking back down.  Where the last of the people are standing is where we left the horses.  The building at the very bottom, on the sea of sand, is where we left the jeep.
Mt. Bromo is an active volcano and last erupted in January 2011 (AAAAHHHH !) and the ash is still just sitting there, being whirled around by the winds. We had to climb up a set of cement stairs up to the edge of the crater rim. Unfortunately the new ash covered the stairs completely and I only got a glimpse of the top of a few risers. We were trudging up this steep incline, up to our ankles in ash, and it was blowing around from people disturbing it and I breathed in a LOT of lava ash. Never thought to bring a dust mask! (I heard from other visitors that later that morning there was a wind storm and the tourists all got sand blasted by the loose ash.)

 I'm half way up the staircase, looking up at the steep climb that remains.  You can see people standing on the rim of the crater just along the skyline.  The lady on the left side of the picture is carrying a baby ! ! !  All the way up!   She and her husband also had a 4 year old girl and Daddy finally had to pick her up and carry her up the rest of the way.  NO KIDDING.  She's got tiny legs and that lava dust is about 4 inches deep on the staircase.

 I finally make it to the top.  Huffing and puffing, but I've made it.  WOW !  There is an inner, deeper crater.

 This is the rim on the right side from where I'm standing

and this is the left side.  Can you see the two people walking along the rim?   How's that for perspective.  THIS CRATER IS HUGE !

After taking pictures, Daniel and I went back down the covered staircase, very carefully so that we would not slip and slide all the way down. My jeans and shoes were covered in ash. 

From the top of the crater looking down.  WOW !   I climbed all those stairs ?   And now I have to go gack down without slipping and falling.

 It looks like huge sand dunes down there.   After getting off the staircase, I plop down in the lava dust to rest and to take the sand out of my shoes and socks.

 Daniel is checking his text.   Mt. Batok in the background.

 It's nice to just sit and rest for a bit.

Back on the horse for the ride to the jeep.   The owner took a picture of me before helping me off.  He got a nice tip and asked for one for his horse as well. 

We got back in the jeep for the return trip to the hotel; we made it back by 8 am.  It seemed like an entire day to me, but had only been 4 hours. 

I had time to go back to my room after breakfast and shower.  The change of clothes worked wonders.  I simply put the jeans and the shoes in a plastic bag and shoved it in my backpack to be washed when I reached the next hotel. 

We had a long drive ahead of us today.  By 10:30 we were on the road, driving back down from Tosari to Pasuruan and east to Probolinggo.   When we left the hotel, there was a young Parisian couple looking for a ride down the mountain so that they could catch a bus to their next destination.  They asked if I could provide them with a lift.  Daniel said it was my call, so we all climbed aboard for the ride down the mountain through the narrow winding road.  I had a great conversation with them, in French obviously, and it was nice to speak it again; a rare occurrence these days.   We dropped them off in Probolinggo and headed south from there then east towards Jember and Kalibaru.

I’m staying at the Margo Utomo cottages in Kalibaru; a really nice area if any of you plan to travel here.

Since I would be spending 2 nights here, I took the time to rinse my shoes and jeans as I showered, had an early dinner at 5 pm and was in bed and asleep by 9!   It had been an extremely long day.