Pretty uneventful day here. Don't think we even took a picture!

We were on a buses and ferries all day today. We booked a so called "tour" to Mt Bromo with Perama Tours expecting a proper tour bus would take us all the way to Bromo (about 9 hours). However, we soon learned the day would involve numerous transfers, drop offs, and changes of drivers.

We took a shuttle from Ubud to Kuta (about 1 hour), and that wasn't too bad. In Kuta we got on another Perama bus, and learned that instead of going all the way to Bromo, this bus would bring us to the public ferry that runs from Bali to Java. After about 4 hours we arrived at the end of Bali with just enough time to make the ferry. Our driver unceremoniously dropped us off and pointed to another driver who would escort us on the ferry. The ferry was pretty nasty and thankfully the ride was only about 1 hour. The real problems were that we literally had to run with all our bags to catch the ferry, and once we boarded the ferry, the new driver couldn't tell us what was next on our journey. Part of the reason for the rush was that the first driver stopped in Denpasar for at least 30 minutes waiting for a "mechanic" to show up so he could drive him 3 blocks down the road to somewhere he needed to be. Everything was very fishy….

We went with the flow and were pleased to learn this driver would take us to the city of Probolinggo, about 4 hours away. There we would catch a final bus to take us to Cemoro Lawang, the town at the lip of Mt. Bromo’s crater. The ride was long but comfortable. We stopped at a roadside place for lunch and were very surprised with how good the dishes were.

Upon arrival in Probolinggo, we were dropped at a café and waited around for awhile for our new driver to appear. We learned we were being joined by a delightful young English woman for this part of the journey. We were happy to have a new friend to discuss tales and stories about Indonesia. She had just spent 1 month in Bali (including 10 days on Nusa Lembongan), so we began to feel that our 3 week total trip was pretty skimpy!

We finally left in the darkness for Cemoro Lawang. We climbed and climbed and climbed. Think of the streets of San Francisco, but that go on for miles! Our ears were popping and we were being pushed back in our seats by the force of gravity!

We finally arrived at our hotel in Cemoro Lawang. The uninspiring Lava View Lodge was our home for the night. Accommodations are slim up here, so we couldn’t be too fussy. We grabbed a quick dinner and headed to bed. We needed to be up at 3:30am to visit the crater at sunrise. Unfortunately fog moved in and lightning was flashing all around us. We hoped for a clear sunrise – nothing would be worst than driving all this way and having the volcano socked in with clouds for our pre-dawn viewing!

By the way, around this time we learned that the volcano we had a bird’s-eye view of a couple weeks ago, Mt. Sinabung in Sumatra, had just erupted for the first time in 400 years! Let’s hope we don’t start a chain reaction and have Mt. Bromo erupt tomorrow!

Off to bed….

August 31
Alarm goes off at 3am. This better be worth it!

We were told to meet our guide at 3:30am for the sunrise tour. We waited outside the hotel in the bitter cold darkness waiting for Perama to show up. Well, 3:30 came and went with no tour guide. The clock was ticking, and we were starting to get nervous. A German tourist who was on the same tour really started to freak out, but at about 4am a van came trundling up to the hotel. We jumped in and were driven maybe 100m to a jeep and were told to get in. The reason for the delay, we were told, was a flat tire on the jeep. At this point, we don’t believe anything Perama tells us. The good thing is the fog had lifted and it was now crystal clear.

Anyway, squeezed into the jeep wearing our hats, gloves and jackets, we ascended a pothole strewn road that must have climbed at a 45 degree angle! All of this in total and complete darkness. What have we gotten into?

At about 5am we were dropped off and, in true Perama style, given little instruction other than "walk that way, and come back to jeep number 116". So nice. The reason we needed to remember the number for our jeep is that there were literally hundreds of jeeps parked up here bringing tourists to see this famed sunrise. We dragged ourselves up the steep, but mercifully short walk to the viewpoint. The sun was beginning to rise in the east with an incredible explosion of pinks and purples. Perched at the 2770m high Mt. Penanjakan viewpoint, the volcanoes were right in front of us, but in the darkness it was hard to see anything other than Mt Bromo’s steam.

Hundreds of tourists were packed to the edge of the viewpoint, smushed up against the safety rails, waiting for the sun to rise and for a glimpse of surreal Mt Bromo giving off its steam and being enhanced by the fiery colors of the sunrise. We waited in the frigid cold. Slowly, as the sun rose, a scene of incredible beauty unfolded before us.

Any descriptions we give won’t give this amazing scene justice – just look at the pictures. Needless to say, the arduous journey to get here was totally worth it!

After we viewed the sunrise yet another Perama driver drove us down to the crater so we could actually walk up Mt Bromo’s cone and peer down into the guts of the volcano. This walk was far more strenuous then advertised – a very steep ascent. All the while, we were harassed by touts trying to get us to jump on a horse to alleviate the difficulty of the walk. We refused and trudged onward. The top of the volcano indeed was a sight to see. Inside the steam and sulfur reminded us of Mt. Sibayak from a few weeks earlier. However, from this vantage point we could take in some impressive views of the surrounding area including green Mt. Batok right next door.

We walked back to the jeep (downhill was only slightly easier than uphill) and waited for the rest of our party to return to the hotel. We grabbed a quick breakfast (and saw our first cockroach of the trip in the restaurant!) before having our 7th Perama driver take us back down the hill to Probolinggo. On the ride up the night before we were unable to appreciate the beautiful scenery on this drive.

After about one hour we were dropped off and told we’d have to wait for our next driver to arrive who would bring us to our final destination in Indonesia, Yogyakarta.

The hour went by relatively quickly, and shortly after noon we were on our way to Yogyakarta. Every time we asked about the length of the journey we got a different answer, but we assumed it would be at least 10 hours. What joy! The van was airconditioned, but not very comfortable so we knew it was going to be a very long ride!

Finally, around 10pm, our driver (who happened to be the best of the Perama bunch), dropped us at our hotel in the Prawirotaman district of Yogyakarta. The hotel is the Ministry of Coffee, and immediately we liked this place! We checked in, ordered some food, and crashed after 2 days of sitting in incredibly uncomfortable buses. The road to/from Bromo was a challenge indeed, but we still are glad we made the trip as we got to experience the most serene and beautiful sunrise ever.

Tomorrow we are going to take it easy and explore the city of Yogyakarta. More details to follow!