Yogyakarta to Bromo

We take a train from Yogyakarta to Malang. Here we plan to journey to the village of Ngadisari in order to visit Mount Bromo (Mt Bromo is an active volcano). To get there we have to take a bus journey to Probolinggo and then another to Ngadisari.

The train staff in Southeast Asia never seem to have problems entertaining themselves; karaoke is the order of the day.

Because our train arrives in Malang so early in the morning we head into the town a bit to find something to eat and hopefully a cup of coffee. From the station exit, we take the road towards the centre of town and enter quite a plush hotel just off the next roundabout. It has a bakery-cafe annexed to it, were they they sell supposedly fresh breads and beverages to enjoy in their cozy surroundings. Well, the coffee was alright but I tried a piece of their chocolate cake from their display fridge (which, when I asked, was stated to have been baked that morning) and it was hard and dry as flour, so clearly had been standing there a few days.

In the bakery we meet a Dutch couple, Jasper and Karin.

They’ve also come to climb Bromo but they’re considering leaving their baggage behind at a nearby hostel and doing a different route, coming from Ngadisari and then down the other side of Bromo to Tumpang of something on that side. However this purports to be quite a mission so we eventually decide to journey together to Ngadisari and do the trek from there.

It turns out to be the beginning of a week long travel companionship. Jasper runs a pretty hip bar/club, Northern Lights or Noorderlicht, situated in an arted-up industrial estate in Amsterdam. Karen works there too. They’ve put a lot of work into getting the place up and running and now they’re in a position to take a couple of months off to travel.

The following days are filled with good company and plenty of activity, however there’s a notable decrease in velocity, as our bus journey times seem to be getting extrrreeeemely long for even relatively short stints. 🙂

In Ngadisari, about 2400m above sea level, we check into the Lava Cafe (150KRp/room/night, basic room; 35Rp/breakfast), which seems to be the only accommodation (of about three) with decent rooms. Even here it’s basic but at least it’s clean. The bonus is that even though we’re not supposed to have hot showers, somehow they are.

That evening, after several hours of journey from the hot Javanese planes to the cold peaks of this volcanic range, we sit together for a couple of beers and some food in the Lava Cafe’s restaurant (I recommend the Spaghetti or club sandwich). And it’s the first time since Lao that we’re wearing pullovers, socks, thermal underwear and trousers. It makes for a refreshing change, but one thing we’re still quite certain about is that we don’t like the cold.

The following morning we plan an early start, 4AM, to make it to Bromo’s crater for sunrise.

Unfortunately, but thankfully, when we wake up it’s raining and we therefore we have to delay our hike and get some more sleep.

Later that morning the weather has cleared up and we hike down into and across the wide, level plateau surrounding the Bromo and neighbouring calderas.

It’s a spectacular sight with the wind sweeping up clouds of dust across the plain and weather clouds blowing down upon us from above.

We pass an ancient Hindu temple about half way, which we don’t enter as is seems to be closed, but I’m told it is historically significant, as the Hindus, during a time of persecution here, found refuge here in this inhospitable place.

The walk up to Bromo’s crater is not too taxing at all and takes under an hour.

They’ve actually built steps all the way up there. On the rim you stand on a long circular mound of grit about 3 metres wide  with a dubious barrier standing between you and the deep, water-filled hole below.

It’s a scary place and with the strong winds we’re experiencing during our visit we have to keep a low profile to prevent being thrown off balance and into the crater.

Afterwards Ebru and I take a walk around the village. Though a seemingly barren and threatening environment, the slopes of this volcanic landscape are extremely fertile and the local people have worked a cascade of terraces into them as far as the eye can see.

Pools of green vegetation burst out from being the black terrace rims starting from miles high down to the baking planes below. It’s truly marvellous to see.

We see a few local folk gathered on the edge of the ridge falling down to the lava plateau. They’re building propellers bade from bamboo, pine branches and iron wire and nails. They test them in the powerful gust blowing in over the plateau; they spin at a dangerous rate and make a loud, chopping noise, which I guess they intend to use to frighten birds away from their crops.

We also have some lovely tea in a little tea shop in the village which is miraculously kept warm by a tiny little coal stove little larger than a coffee tin.

There’s another, even higher, peak nearby which we intend to visit the following morning, this time in company of a German fellow staying at the same guest house. Again we plan to get there before sunrise, but it’s raining so hard all morning that journey isn’t feasible at all. So, somewhat disappointed, we decide to depart back to Probolinggo with a minibus later that morning and move on.