From Balian Beach to Cemoro Lawang

The morning began in a peaceful chalet near Balian Beach in West Bali. The cocks were crowing, the cattle were lowing and all of this is true for those of you who think I'm quoting a nursery rhyme. After a breakfast by the river, Mike and I said our goodbyes to my Mama and sister and hit the road again.

Here I go again.

The helpful staff of Pondok Pisces put us on a bus filled with the usual scattering of people, chickens and parcels and off we went. Two hours later we were running towards a ferry that took us off the island of Bali and to Java, another Indonesian Island we decided to visit just two days before. Yet another bus and six hours later we were in the messy and un-charming town of Pondolinggo, kissing the ground and being thankful that we hadn't landed up off a bridge in a dried up river bed like another bus we saw on the way. In Pondolinggo we were persuaded to empty our wallets and pay enormous sums of money to reach the town of Cemoro Lawang, climb a volcano and make it to Yogyakarta by the next evening.

The most bizzare and nerve wracking time of the day was the 2 hour climb from sea level to the crater rim of Mount Bromo, a still active volcano that hundreds of thousands of tourists visit every year. The light was fading and the inside of the windscreen was fogging up as we wound our way up narrow pathways with hundred feet drops on either side. We climbed our way through the clouds with tree silhouettes shrouded in mist. Every twenty minutes we would pass through small mountain towns that looked like they were straight out of Northern England or Scotland. The whole experience was rather bizarre and, as we hadn't had more than two days to prepare the trip we were rather surprised to be climbing into the mountains. Upon arrival at Cemara Indah Hotel, we still hadn't seen another tourist since Balian Beach and were completely disoriented. It was 2 degrees outside, we had no idea where we were and were given the heaviest winter coats we had ever seen in our lives for our morning climb up Mount Bromo. Relieved to be anywhere but a bus we ate a quick dinner and curled up in heavy blankets to hide from the cold.

On Bali...



Setting out from Bromo