Sunday, 28 October 2007
Jakarta- the big (not so much) smoke
Got back from Jakarta this morning- great getaway for a few days! Everyone says how awful Jakarta is- dirty and busy, the traffic jams are terrible etc, so I just had to check it out for myself- and I really liked it! Sure, theres traffic but it is a capital city after all... Jess K and I got the night train up on Wednesday night- bit of a long night lol. It wasnt as easy as Id expected, sleeping on a train. It was fine, just not a lot of leg room and its really hard to sleep with the lights on lol! We arrived in Jakarta about 6am and got a taxi to the backpacker strip, which wasnt very far from the station. Took us a while but we found somewhere for breakfast (although the indonesians get up with the sun, they obviously dont expect tourists to- Ive noticed before barely anything is open before eight in the morning in touristy areas!) and then checked out some hotels about 7am and checked into a nice one. It was pretty central to the business and attractions area of Jakarta- we only had to walk about ten mins to get to Monas- the National Monument- a 140m tower which took about ten years to complete. As it was early we got there a little after it opened and had the place pretty much to ourselves (except of course for the huge gathering in the grounds- a meeting and practice for disaster strategies in Jakarta, there were hundreds of police and special service people, an expo or something). The views over Jakarta from the top were really good- on the ground it didnt feel like Jakarta was that poluted, but when you can see above the buildings and see them disappearing into clouds of smog... not so good. In the base of Monas, underground, is the national history museum, which is really just a massive room with displays on each side... they were complete with little figures and captions depicting important moments in Indonesian history (quite selective apparently). We had a walk around the grounds of Monas, which were really nice a sculptured, lots of trees (!!!) and grassy areas then onto the National Museum. The English Society provides free guides of the museum and we just happened to arrive at the right time, so a woman showed us around and told us heaps of little things, it was really interesting. There were lots of statues and relics from all over Indonesia- no wonder all of the temples and sights weve seen on Java have been missing the odd Buddha or statue- theyre all hiding in Jakarta! After lunch things caught up with us a bit so we had a rest then got our stuff together ready to head to the old city... and got halfway down the hotel stairs and it POURED! So what can you do in such a bustling city when its pouring outside? Go shopping of course! We went to a mall and passed the afternoon very nicely window shopping in Calvin Klein, Gucci, Bulgari and Yves Saint Laurent and browsing thru some normal shops and bakeries. And the best bit? A supermarket! Cos Jakarta needs to cater for all the expats living there, the supermarket had an international section... it was so exciting! Lol you dont realise how much you miss stuff til you cant have it and then find it again! I stocked up on my vegemite, savoys, corn thins, custard, sultanas, an Aussie Cleo... and Cadbury snack chocolate!! they have cadburys here but its some tropical variety, all this stuff added so it doesnt melt, and it doesnt taste so nice and they have crappy flavours... it was really exciting (I guess you had to be there...). To cap it off, we had pizza and coke for dinner :) Comfort. On Friday we got the train about an hour away to Bogor, where the botanical gardens are. They were once the gardens of the Governors palace there but are now open to the public and so beautiful! So green... I miss green! It was great, we wandered around for a couple of hours until it got too hot then had a drink in a cafe overlooking the beautiful green lawn and green trees then lay in the shade for a while reading. There was a lovely greenhouse with orchids (tho I dont know why they need a greenhouse, it was the same as the outside temperature) and lots of GREEN! We went for a walk thru Bogor, to hunt down a cafe that sold the best apple pies in Indonesia... and what a walk lol! Just kept that apple pie in mind and finally we saw the wonderful sign and found it... mmmm good apple pie. Worth the walk. It started raining, very big drops as we left and got a couple of angkot, little minibus things, run on routes like buses, to the station and we ducked thru a market outside to get in before the rain really started. Our train was already at the station as we arrived and so we had to climb up and thru another train in the pouring rain to get to it lol... then back to Jakarta for dinner at a really nice resto near our hotel. Saturday we made it down to the old city of Jakarta,Kota, by bajaj... these funny little three-wheeled cars.. sort of like Mr Bean's car- quite squishy but we got thru the traffic pretty quickly (if scarily!). This is where the Dutch settled when they came to Jakarta, so there was lots of colonial architecture, which was interesting, a lot of it really run-down tho. We went to a church built in 1693 and an old drawbridge and heaps of buildings from the same era, then onto Sunda Kelapa, the port. There were heaps of old wooden boats, not terribly exciting but interesting to see anyway. And it was really really busy in Kota! SO this is where all the pollution and traffic jams were... lol. We headed off to see another market and it took ages to get there- traffic jam! BUt it was nice to sit down in air-con lol, so hot. The Mangga Dua market was just stall after stall of clothes and shoes and almost everything! Andthere were about 8 levels of it! Quite overwhelming lol. We moved onto apparently the best mall in Indonesia, which like the other, had lots of designer shops but normal shops too. It was really nice- great way to fill in a rainy afternoon lol... We got a different train back to Jogja, still an overnight one and almost the same price but much more leg room and comfier chairs :) Got a bit more sleep and arrived back in Jogja at about 4am. I really liked Jakarta, how it was set out and the atmosphere. The traffic wasnt unbearable and it was quite well set-out in the central areas where we and most of the attractions were. There were heaps of trees and things were in walking distance, I really enjoyed it :) I dont know what people are complaining about!
Saturday, 27 October 2007
Monday, 22 October 2007
My beautiful Idul Fitri package for our host family in Lombok
After the girls decided it wasnt necessary, I decided to organise an Idul Fitri hamper for the family after all. I mean, its like Christmas for them, they were giving up their home, their time and undoubtedly their money, so the least I could do is bring along a token of thanks and respect to their celebrations. And it was fun! I went to this little fruit shop near my place, cos they have heaps of food, jogja specialties, and got one of the girls there to help me and it turned out really well! Cookies, nuts, lollies, it looked awesome! And it was definitely worth carrying all the way to Lombok :)
Mid-semester break in Lombok
Lombok... what a wonderful trip! I was there for ten days and feel so relaaaxed now! Very beautiful, restored my faith in Indonesia being pretty and tropical... its not all dirty bitumen roads and dusty streets :) Lombok is an island on the other side of Bali from Java. People say its like Bali was before all the tourists came and it got crowded. Just beautiful! We left last Thursday and got to Mataram, the capital of Lombok, late afternoon after a stopover at Surabaya. I spent four days, including Idul Fitri (the muslim "Christmas Day" I think of it as) with a family in Mataram, friends of Jess S. Then on the Monday I met up with Jess K and we got a perahu boat to the Gilis: a group of three islands off the coast of Lombok, gorgeous and a major tourist hotspot cos you can hop straight over from Bali. We stayed one night at Gili Air, then two nights on Gili Trawangan (known as the party island) with a couple of other girls from Jogja, Rachelle and Sarah. Thursday morning we braved the seas again, and Jess and I headed back to the mainland, to a town called Mangsit. I spent one night with her there, one by myself and one with Sarah before we flew back to Jogja on Sunday... I was sad to leave! Wondeful holiday tho, the break actually made me look forward to getting back to my kos and class. Lol...
Staying with Rezzas family in Mataram
On Thurs morning (the 11th) got up bright and early to get ready for our 6am flight, got a taxi to the airport and left Jogja behind... not a very eventful trip, stopover in Surabaya for a couple of hours then another flight to Mataram. When we got to the airport, it was a bit crazy. Another flight came in when we did, full of teenage guys and men and they were awful! They pushed, literally, to get past us to the luggage and they were very rude.. I hope they werent Lombokese... awful first impression lol. I hate to say it but the first thing I noticed was that people in Lombok are a lot darker-skinned than on Java. The people waiting arent allowed inside the airport so there were just rows and rows of people outside, standing by the landing leading outside, staring at us and the other passengers. It was quite creepy. Very happy to see Reza and his family to pick us up! Reza is a student at the local high school, who visited Jess S earlier in the year, her family hosted him when a group of students visited Victoria. So returning the favour, we stayed with them. And ohmygosh! What a luxurious place! Very rich (tho the dad works two jobs and the mum one), they had a little villa for the guests, complete with two massive bedrooms, two bathrooms, tvs, air con... wah!! Not to mention a pool, waterfall,gorgeous garden and house... very nice. And the family- so sweet! After meeting the parents, and two sisters, they insisted on taking us to see some of the sights of Mataram... namely up a big hill where all the luxury houses are owned by "rich aussies and euros" and where there was an amazing view of the city and beaches. Then we went to Senggigi beach, one of the big drawcards for tourists to the area, which was lovely. Strange, it was almost striped, some of the sand was white, some black from the volcano... and the water was so warm! It was really nice... On Friday the others wanted to lie around the pool and get a tan so we did that til after the afternoon prayers then went to south Lombok, about an hours drive, to Kuta Beach. It was gorgeous- white sand, aqua water... shame there was a reef so you cant swim that well! We just had a dip, bit of a lie in the sun, bit of harrassment by a dozen sellers cos there were no other people around... It was the eve of Idul Fitri, the big celebratory day, so there was a "carnival" in the city- a parade, like the christmas parade but the floats were all replicas of mosques in the city, and there were people singing prayers, holding lanterns and talking over microphones... and every now and then there was a trailer carrying a generator to power it all! It was pretty cool, tho we did mess up a few lines of parading people- they just stopped or turned to look at the white people and got all out of line... tsk.Saturday was a big day for the family, I didnt want to disturb them but saw them running aorund in traditional clothes and things before they went to the mosque to pray. After that it was all relaxed, jeans, and a trip to east lombok to visit family. It was a real honour to go along with them, we stopped at a graveyard and a mosque on the way to pay respects to the family no longer with us, and then went to one of the relatives house, and aunt i think. It was great! Like christmas day, everyone was happy and sitting around chatting and laughing. And the food! Wowww. Real Lombok food, all cooked by them... the best kind! It was delicious... after that we stopped at another familys house where we sat in the guest room and ate cookies with the kids. Cookies are huge this time of year. Apparently there are heaps of sorts they dont make unless its Lebaran/ Idul Fitri so pretty special... yum. There were lots of visitors to the family on the sunday too, family and neighbours, paying holiday respects. I felt a bit self-conscious lying around the pool in my bathers so I just enjoyed the shade and a good book.
Escape to Gili Air
By Monday morning, I was well ready to go. As much as I loved the family and enjoyed spending time with them, thingswerent very comfortable with the other girls and I could just see my holiday in a wonderful new place getting wasted by the pool in a garden. So instead I moved on and met up with Jess K and not a single regret! Reza's dad insisted on us getting up at 5am to make the trip, I was heading to Senggigi to meet Jess then onto Gili Air (maybe Water Island, dont knwo if it has a translation), while Jess S and Amy, with Reza were heading to Gili Trawangan, another island a little bigger. Reza and his dad were great, helped me up this little laneway with my suitcase to jess' hotel lol then headed off up the coast to the ferry terminal. It was great to catch up with Jess K, shed been in Senggigi the last couple of days by herself and had a great (and cheap!) room. We had a walk along the beach and had pineapple pancakes for breakfast, with great Lombok coffee, then went down to the travel office in Senggigi. Although public boats go from Bangsal, further up the coast, its a notoriously bad port for cons and harrassment unless you have an indonesian accompanying you, so we decided to pay a little extra, get a direct boat to Gili Air, and avoid the hassle. It was quite funny- I didnt expect the boat to be pulled up on the beach and that id have to wade out in knee deep water to throw my suitcase into the boat! There were about ten other people, and all of us and our luggage fitted into this 10m boat, like a big canoe with a motor... There are three islands in a row, Gili Trawangan (the party island), Gili Meno (the quiet island) and Gili Air (somewhere in the middle), and we were recommended Air by a friend so decided to start there. We dropped everyone else off at Trawangan then continued to Air- if i was worried about there being lots of people in the boat to start with and it getting rocky, I shouldve been grateful! With only four of us going to Air, it was crazy! We were dripping wet by the time we pulled up on the beach and jumped out into the water... We got a cidomo (a horse drawn cart) to our hotel, the Sunrise Cottages. We took a lovely bungalow with a wondeful day bed, table and bathroom downstairs, and a balcony and mozzie-netted bed upstairs with views to the water, but as it was still being cleaned, we had no choice (sigh) but to sit in one fo the little huts by the beach to wait... lol and have a great fruit juice... mmm. Such a nice island! We went for a little walk, there were a string of hotels further up the coast and the whole beach was flanked by these huts where you could sit in the shade and enjoy the view or lunch. It was pretty quiet too, peaceful :) We had lunch and a rest then went snorkeling- I cant believe Ive never been snorkeling before! Its amazing- there were so many fish! Really relaxing, just swimming around watching them. My favourites were the electric blue ones, but there were quite a few beautiful rainbow ones... hundreds! It was strange, when a school of fish came along, I could hear them talking, it was like a high-pitched ticking filled the water til they passed, strange! One woman was feeding them, I put my hand out once and a fish almost touched me- and I almost had a heart attack! After a couple of hours the tide came in so we had to get out and just lie on the beach. Sigh... lol it was lovely.On Tuesday morning, we had breakfast in the huts again, a huge serving of pancakes, fruit salad and coffee- v generous for a free breakfast! We walked around the perimeter of the island, past all the hotels and to more deserted parts where people and fishermen lived. It only took about an hour lol, then we had a swim with some jellyfish and a relax. The boat back to Gili Trawangan in the afternoon was a bit more eventful... it was a charter, bigger boat by a few metres than the one wed come in and a bit less sturdy... we got v wet, v thrown around and the guy running it was bailing out water.. bit scary especially as the indo girl next to me was being all silly and overreacting, going on about throwing up and things. But we arrived, another jump into the water to disembark, and Jess went to check on our hotel while I looked after the bags and wrung out my sarong.
Gili Trawangan
Another friend from Jogja, Rachelle, was also going to Gili Trawangan by herself, shed arrived a few hours before us so we all got a room together in this lovely place, Beach Wind Bungalows. Just a room this time but with a verandah for sitting and a great central location, it was nice. All of the water supply, showers and taps, was salt water on the Gilis. Strange, and a nuisance- you can never get rid of that salty feeling if youre showering in it! The beach was close and Gili Trawangan was much busier than Air. Lots of tourists, lots of europeans. We figure that while Bali is the Aussie/ New Zealand hotspot, Lombok is the European hotspot, they were everywhere! But, even that didnt affect the accent of the locals trying to speak english. It was hideous. Some wierd mix of brit and aussie, and i dont know whod taught them to speak but they were so rude! Really crass, calling out, just quite unpleasant and its like they had no idea of boundaries. And when they found out we were aussies, there was no end to the crappy "Gday Mate" imitations. In the end, I snapped at one still trying to be funny that in fact you cant call a female mate! Grrr. Lots of "bloody" and "f-king" too. No boundaries. Gili Trawangan was much better set up for tourists. There were paved roads, heaps and heaps of restaurant, very varied, and a few bars... very much to cater for the young tourists wanting to party... We had a swim, the water was great, went deep quite quickly so you could swim only five meters from the beach. Sometimes a hazard, as i think the jetties are just for show, and all the boats just land on the beach! We finally narrowed down the choice for dinner after walking up and down the strip a few times and chose a nice resto. Just happened to be next to a bar advertising its "bloody Fking great magic mushrooms". Magic mushrooms. Everywhere. Tried some arak tho, Balinese rice wine, like sake, which was pretty nice. We moved onto the irish pub for some apple pie (ok, sometimes you crave home stuff!) and a strong irish coffee. Good atmosphere, music and quite a few people around. Had a wondeful sleep, must be the sea air. Wednesday was a lazy day. Woke quite early and had toast and eggs for breakfast (really an egg toasted sandwich). The other options were an omelette (omelette toasted sandwich) or jaffles (toasted sandwichh).. bit of a specialty. Gili Trawangan is a fair bit bigger so we just went for a walk to one end... there was a tall-ship in the waters, like Captain Cooks ship... bit random for some small island in Indonesia. Apparently it was chartered. Of course. Its not strange for someone to charter a tall ship for a month, complete with crew, to see the archipelago... lol. Things were adding up in price and although the meals werent expensive, were spoilt in Jogja, and couldnt really spend three times the price on lunch... so we hunted down a little warung, a cafe, off the main drag and it was beautiful! Cheap. Real food. What more can I say... we went back there for dinner lol... There were lots of diving schools and places on the island, very popular, one was advertising yoga classes, thought I might be able to fit one in while we were there, but no, the french instructor was too tired. Lol. After lunch I had a lie down, the heat can be so intense, until Sarah arrived, another girl from Jogja. She came by herself too, her mum had just left ot go back to Aus after a visit so she was a bit sad but it was great to catch up. We had a swim and a long chat and Sarah and Rachelle hired bikes to ride off and see the sunset, while Jess and I just walked. Theres a lookout in the middle of the island but we didnt make it there, we ended up cutting thru to the beach as the sun was turning red. Just in time. And just happened to end up in the same place as the others. Lol. Jess and I were planning ot have a drink at Horizontal,a bar mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide (the bible) as one of the top five must-do's in indonesia so the others headed off to another bar and we wandered down. It was creepy. Not the place, the guy who greeted, sat, served us. He was creepy, he wouldnt leave us alone, kept askingquestions and looking wierd. We faked having to meet friends and left. Too creepy for even one cocktail. We met Sarah and Rachelle at an indian restaurant, they had a sheesha going... a big... pipe thing to smoke flavoured tobacco. Smelt like grape, bizarre. We headed back to the Irish pub for "party night" and it sure was...so loud! Good for a couple of hours but after that, just couldnt take it lol, headed to bed about two.
Santai Beach Inn, Mangsit (Santai = Relaaaaax)
Jess and I planned to get the boat back to the mainland Lombok at 850 the next morning so got up at 745 and wandered down to the jetty to check about 8.. turns out it was leaving at 815 so we ran back, packed our stuff and joined the other 40 or so people on the chartered boats. Unfortunately this boat did go to Bangsal, the public port, and as the engine stopped about 200m from the shore for a couple of minutes (only in Indonesia), we were the last boat in and it was a bit of a dodgem-car job to get on shore. Lol. A man on shore grabbed my suitcase before i could even stand up and when he put it down he put his hand out for money. Like I asked. Gave him some and he had the cheek to ask for more! i shooed him away, also in the midst of negotiating a taxi back to Senggigi. Apparently they wanted to charge an excessive amount, set price, and there were so many people talking, it was quite overwhelming, then a guy started telling us about his bus and what a great price we could get... all the time everyone was moving and it was very hectic. We settled on a price, saved about a 6th of it altogether, and headed up the road with everyone else. I felt a bit silly, but the guy wanted us to go to his office and pay then go to the bus, but knowing the reputation of the place, I insisted we see the bus before we pay. It was ok, bit of a rough trip down, very windy, lots of roadworks. But once wed gotten supplies (ie cash) in Senggigi, we got a taxi to Mangsit, the next town up the coast. Or not so much a town but a string of hotels on the waterfront. Ours, Santai Beach Hotel, was divine. Heaven. Wedged between a couple of five-star resorts, it was delightful in its simpleness. Run by lovely relaxed friendly Indos, it was peaceful, a wondeful green garden and quite private bungalows. And butterflies. Sigh. Heaven. It backs onto the beach (well rocks, cos the other hotels built a wall along the shore), but in one direction a small cove beach and in the other, a nice stretch of beach and clear water. And the best bit? The food. We were recommended the place on the merits of its food. And i can see why... Ive turned into such a foodie in this place... We arrived before lunch and all the meals were served in this big pavillion with endless cushions around low tables, at night by the light of lanterns. You could see the water from there, divine. The best Indo food Ive ever had... There wasnt much else around, just the restaurants at other hotels so there wasnt really any need to leave. We spent the afternoon with a swim, reading, getting our nails painted with flowers... it was so quiet and peaceful. There were about 6 other people there for dinner, a group from Bali. A balinese woman, her brothers, and her Danish husband and his sister... As you do. Danes and Balinese. For brekkie we had fruit salad with coconut and honey, and jess left late morning for her flight back to denpasar. I was a little lonely for about an hour, then enjoyed the quiet, read my book, went for a walk, enjoyed my lunch by myself lol. Late afternoon it started thundering, then spitting then poured! For about 3 hours. Nice little storm, notwindy tho, just thunder, lightning and rain. I quite like tropical rain. One of the girls from the kitchen came and escorted me with her umbrella to dinner. Ill admit, I was a little worried about the waterproofness of my palm-roofedbungalow but not a drop got in. Really peaceful listening to the rain. If only it wasnt for that honking lizard...Saturday morning the seas were calm and clear from the storm, I had a nice walk and a lovely breakfast (no doubt), read for a bit and as promised the nail-painting lady returned for a massage. Id said I would, before I realised how low my finances were, so managed to haggle her down a bit for a wondeful hour massage. A nap and more reading filled in my morning before Sarah arrived. Cos it was a week after Idul Fitri, they had another big celebration, the closing of Lebaran festivities, so apparently all the roads along the coast were closed for stalls and fun, and all the staff at the hotel had the day off. The owner came in instead, a brittish woman whod been living there for the last twenty years. And before that... south bruny! lol. She was interesting. Was saying that there are lots of weddings this time of year cos its a big celebration so lots of young couples go out unchaperoned and past curfew so thats that, they have to get married... lol. Also special food, people from the villages spared some for us. The owner, her daughter, another american woman Id met a few days before, Sarah and I had dinner, then Sarahand I shared some pineapple wine... Quite nice. Lombok special.Sad to leave the next morning. If that was on Java, Id be back every weekend... I felt so relaxed and refreshed. Little piece of eden amongst the five-star luxury.
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Idul Fitri is in the air...
The atmosphere is building... its like Christmas! Its really hectic on the roads with people travelling and getting last-minute supplies, and shops are shutting down for the holidays already... Lebaran (the celebration at the end of the fasting period) is their Christmas! They all go back to their hometowns and spend time with their families, massive feasts and lots of presents... Im excited to see what happens next! Cos if its this electric now, and Idul Fitri (ie. Christmas Day) isnt until Saturday, it can only get more interesting!
Sunday, 7 October 2007
Mount Bromo trip
Escaped from the city for a couple of days before exams and study set in, down to Mt Bromo in East Java. We left at about 930 on Thursday morning (they said 8, typical indo rubber time), and went by luxury mini-bus... it was really nice lol. It was thru a tour company so we just paid and they took car of the minibus there, the hotel, the tours, brekkie and getting back... such a cruisy trip! There were a couple of American hippies heading the same way so they came along with us. Met heaps of foreigners, I didnt realise it was such a tourist trap! Mount Bromo is an active volcano in the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru national park (the other attractions are surprisingly, Mount Tengger and Mount Semeru...) and seems to draw everyone on their way thru. It took about ten hours to get there, sounds like a long time, but it didnt feel like it... just felt like a luxury relaxing trip to Smithton, with reclining chairs and tinted windows and air con! We stopped at a restaurant in Madiun, a town about 3 hours outof Jogja, and had lunch... obviously the drivers get a commission for bringing us there... another three tour minibuses pulled up after us! By the time we got to Probolinggo it was dark and we were a bit anxious to get there but we had to change buses and pick up some extra passengers to get to Bromo itself. We arrived and the hotel was such a relief! We got our rooms and had some dinner... and it was a bit cold! Not like freezing, bit like Hobart weather, so i wasnt cold. I had a jumper and was just comfortable but the others hired ski jackets! I was feeling a bit stubborn, I mean how cold could it get, in Indonesia? I told them Id wait and see what the weather was like in the morning and maybe get a ski jacket then but they were so insistent! Noone is more stubborn than an Indonesian wanting to sell you something.. so i got one, grumpily and determined that i wouldnt need it. But ok, I admit I was wrong... We got up at 3 the next morning, it was a bit fresh but didnt feel the need for the jacket. We hopped in our jeep, one of the American-style ones with sideways seats in the back, and headed off up into the mountains with a couple of other european tourists, and it was like a race to the top! A whole convoy of jeeps, semi racing to get to the top! We arrived, got out and ohmygod it was freezing! We had to walk up a couple of streets, past ten or so shops selling scarves and beanies and hot coffee, who must make a killing, to the lookout and it was so windy, so cold I could see my breath! At the top was a bit of a shelter, all nicely developed and it cut out the wind so we could watch the sun rise above the hills and bring out the shape of the volcanoes. There mustve been about 50 people there, lots of people with pro cameras and tripods... i did my bit as an amateur paparazzi and snapped away. There was a guy there trying to sell batteries and rolls of film... it was just beautiful. There are about five volcanoes I think. The whole area is actually in an old volcano crater 10km wide, and Mount Semeru and Mount Bromo are still active. Mt Semeru is the tallest volcano in Indonesia, and it nicely put on a show of steam and ash for us. We stayed there for quite a while, it was so gorgeous and the sun was so warm... We left again in our jeep in a convoy of about five others and headed to Mt Bromo itself, the major drawcard for the area. From the first lookout, located on a hill on the outskirts of the original massive crater, we went down and had to cross a huge desert of grey sand (the Sea of Sand they call it), yet another jeep race (never mind the poor people getting thrown around in the back!). We stopped at the entrance and couldnt resist hiring horses to take us to the Bromo crater... Ive never ridden a horse before, but these were smaller breeds, a good way to start off! Mine was nice and slow anyway, the owner started off leading him and then gave me the reins! I didnt have to do much, a bit of steering here, a pull on the reins there. It was a bit hilly, but little Dekok and I made it. The horses stop short of the crater and we climbed up about 250 very VERY steep stairs to the edge of the crater. It was amazing- a bit scary- its still active, and was letting out heaps of steam from cracks in the base. I think it last erupted in 2003 (only spitting stones, no lava) but you could see where the lava had once flown out across the Sea of Sand towards the outer crater. We rode back down and then got the jeep to the hotel. I didnt realise in the dark, but our hotel was sitting right on the edge fo the outer crater, just below the first lookout and had the most amazing view over the area! So we ate our banana pancakes (actual pancakes thise time) sitting outside watching Mt Bromo and Semeru smoking in the distance. Our bus trip back out of the national park was a bit more crowded. Met an english couple backpacking around Asia for a year, and a German guy finding his path around the world solo. The trip back down to Jogja was a bit longer on the way back... plenty of time to catch up on some reading and zzzzzz's... :) Beautiful place. Ten hours may sound like a long way to go to see a volcano or five but I loved it. Just like a really long Sunday drive, its really nice to just watch and see new places, watch the island go by. Definitely worth all of it :)
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