Up to Bromo we go!

Yesterday Harry our dingy driver took us to shore where we cleared immigration, met our guide for the next 2 days emum and head on into the town for icecream. After we had licked our almond magnum sticks clean it was time to drive up to our lodge for the night; hotel lava, which sits 2700m above sea level.

Down at the port the weather was stinking hot, but as we made our way up into the mountain the weather became mild and fresh. Such a nice change from the warm weather we have been getting lately!

The mountain villages were gorgeous! Homes were painted crazy colours, tiers and ties of vegetables growing on the steep slopes of the mountains, clouds swallowing valleys and waterfalls plummeting into the gorges below! Simply stunning.

One we were checked in to our cute as lodge we walked along a mountain range and got or first glimpse of bromo! Now I found out bromo is a very active volcano. Is last eruption lasted for 6 months solid and that was only in 2010! As the sun set, and the temperature plummeted to 5 degrees, mount bromo puffed out huge smoke balls giving the sunset a red haze. So so beautiful!

In the evening we hAd a few beers (my first of the trip!!), enjoyed dinner, drank arak (the local rice wine bleughhhh!), oh and Marcel (wicked co owner), his dad and friend arrived. One big family!

Slightly hung over we up at 3:30am to make our way up to a view point to see bromo at sunrise... Then from there went down into the sea of sand and walked up to the lip of bromos crater! Some of the guys did the hugely touristy thing and rode a horse up... The fog wAs still very low, we couldnt see how far to go.. I was panting like a dog and just as I though "s*** I wish I got a horse" the fog cleared and the vertical steps to the top of the crater were looming in front of us! The view was awesome and looking into a crater of an active volcano is pretty damn cool!

Back to the hotel for breakfast.. HOT showers... Then back to the Jaya (via another icecream stop!).

What an experience. So stoked! Awesome time and great company!

Back on the jaya now. Bound for Bali! Another 15 hour trip. Bit rough tonight so see how we go!

8 more days to go.