Indonesia - Mt Bromo + Kawah Ijen

First trip of the year & my first hike to a Volcano & Crater in Indonesia. This trip have challenged both my body and soul together. Never did i hike up a Bukit Timah hill nor anything close in Singapore. Thus after this trip, my body highlighted to me that i need to exercise more. 

"No matter how well you planned, things may not work out the way you want them to be. "

Our plan to see stars in Penanjakan Peak was a disappointment. Although we did not manage to see any stars, we had the most awesome instant noodle. My hands were freezing thus the instant noodle and milo are the best thing i can ever ask for.

Just when i was feeling a little sad, the sky light up and my heart start to skip again.  

Nothing can beat the beauty of nature. 

Mt Bromo is easily accessible and convenient for most people. There are pony for hire and stairs to walk up. Our jeep driver drove us to the parking area and we were given options to ride the pony (IDR 100,000) or walk to reach the bottom of Mt Bromo. 

Tip: Start walking towards the bottom of Mt Bromo instead of agreeing to ride the pony that was arrange by the jeep driver. The jeep drivers will take huge cut of commission from the horseman. Thus, start walking and the horseman will offer you price as low as 50,000. The lowest offer we got was 30,000 IDR.   

Despite all the offers, we decided to go for a morning walk at Mt Bromo because H loves to walk. & we get to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way up. Although the steps up were steep, the reward you get standing at the top made it worth it. The view of Mt Bromo was magnificent & i thought i was in heaven. 

The next day, we took a 6-7 hour car ride for our next challenge, to Bondowoso area - Kawah Ijen. 

Kawah Ijen, famous for the 'blue flame' was located 6-7 hours away from Mt Bromo. Started our hike up to Kawah Ijen at 1.00 am and it was tougher than what i have expected. It was pitch dark & i have nothing but a head torch, a guide and H. The first half of the hike was not too bad. However, when we reach the peak of the crater, i was really dead tired. My legs were stick to the ground and my mind was mentally drained ( Like how all villain kill people in drama, i thought i was going to die with one wrong step!) Haha. Nevertheless i made it to the ' blue flame' with the help of the guide and H.

What amazed me the most was the miners. Everyday, they would carry 70kg - 90 kg worth of sulphur up and down Kawah Ijen. 1 Kg of Sulphur was selling at 950 IDR. Although the pay was better than the wage of an average Indonesian, the miners risk their life doing this every day. & guess what they were wearing nothing but slippers. 

When the sky light up, my breathe was taken away by the nature again. Never did i knew we had came so far. Thank you mother earth!

Be it kayaking or hiking, when we are left with no option, the only way out is faith & determination. The initial part of doing something new will always be exciting. Often, things get more difficult and tiring. We struggled along the way, whine or even thought of quitting before reaching the top.

However when we reach our goal, everything is worth the pain and effort you are fighting for.

Life is such, isn't it?