Indonesia – Pickledpumpkins

(Damn lazy to edit the photos)

When people ask me about my grad trip destination, they tend to express an element of genuine surprise, which greatly amuses me. The destination usually is of secondary importance; what matters most to me is the company. I must admit I was a little apprehensive about travelling as a huge group (9 of us in total) because there was bound to be conflicting opinions, but I think all of us complemented each other rather well :>

Surabaya has to be one of the most rabak destinations I’ve been to. Our first night included a 2.30am hike to Kawah Ijen (Lake Ijen), a lake found in the crater of the Ijen volcano. Since it was raining when we started the hike, the path was slippery, and slopes were even more challenging to ascend. At one point, we had to stop every 50m or so to hydrate ourselves. I was also perspiring and desperate to remove my winter coat and my poncho but it was still drizzling. I would rather be warm than to be cold. Thankfully the path gradually became gentler as we arrived at the summit. The trek was only around two hours long, but because of the steep ascent, it felt much longer. Incredible legs day. Now, the million-dollar question is…

Was the view spectacular?

My honest answer: No.

Our sight was obscured due to the fog in the air as a result of the rain earlier. The lake was famous for its “blue fire”, a result of the highly concentrated amount of sulphur in it. Tourists were crowding around the edge of the lake; short people like me could only catch a glimpse of electric blue Bunsen fire-like sparks. I kid you not. The pungent smell of sulfur was so terribly strong we had to wear gas masks.

Although the trail comprised mostly tourists, we also saw sulphur miners working tirelessly. Armed with either a wheelbarrow or with baskets, I believe they do this for a living, with little to zero protection against the caustic fumes and in general, the perilous journey.

😦

The rabak-ness continued the next day, where we set off for Mt. Bromo! We took a bus ride to our homestay at Probolinggo, the town nearest to the mountain. Whew. The bus ride was truly… a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Throughout our 4h journey, no one alighted; the bus conductor kept allowing people onboard, and I soon found myself squashed against my backpack, the window, and this pakcik. But for SGD$2, it was the cheapest mode of transport to our destination. Would I do it again? Absolutely.

Upon arrival at our homestay, we shared our (ambitious) itinerary with the owner, which included camping at Mt. Bromo and its surrounding nature for four nights. Rabak not??? We only reduced it because the owner said a hiker died in the last week at one of the more difficult trails. We didn’t go to Indo to die!!!! Thank God we changed our itinerary; two nights was perfect!

After buying our necessities (i.e. more than 10 packets of Indomie) at a nearby Giant, our second adventure began: hiking up a short but steep trail to our campsite with our backpacks and duffels. So. Painful. All of us were whining and wincing in pain each time we stopped to catch our breaths. Even without our barang the hike up to our campsite was exhausting. Great exercise, though.

(I’m damn lazy to type out what we did at Bromo so here’s a list: we stargazed, cooked with mess tins, played the most hilarious Game of Mao – WB’s “honeyhaseyo” HAHAHAHA, went all Sherlock in Werewolves, huddled around our campfire… the list goes on)

From squeezing ourselves in a minivan with our backpacks AND one huge duffel bag placed on the roof WITHOUT any sort of protection (i.e. no straps), to camping two nights on a mountain with no toilet facilities, I daresay I was pushed out of my comfort zone. Nothing screams au naturel as much as doing your Small Business and Big Business in the bushes. City kids like us took four hours to start a fire; a kind makcik who tended to a provision shop near our campsite started hers in less than 10 minutes. (The secret was to get lots of dry leaves and twigs!) With the amount of smoke I inhaled over the two days, my sinus worsened and I could only sleep 2-3h each night no thanks to all the coughing I had. I didn’t even bother waking up for sunrise because I just wanted to sleep L O L.

Onward to our next destination: Yogyakarta!

(What an abrupt end.)