September 23, 2006
Restday in Mt. Bromo: Sunrise over Mt. Bromo
A tapping at the door at 3am is the wakeup call for going to the ridge of the crater to see the sunrise. We layer with every piece of clothing we have and fleece jacket and rain jackets to block the wind. It is cold!
We are approached again with a seller of caps with the Mt. Bromo patch, it's tempting. We are in the back of a Toyota jeep, a guy from Oregon joins us. He has been travelling for 4 1/2 months in the tropics. We are stopped in front of the National Park office and asked to pay an additional 20,000Rp per person as an entrance fee. This was not included in the 75,000Rp per person for the tour. We are learning that signing up for a tour is really just signing up for transportation.
The ride is steep, curvy and bumpy, Rachel was happy that it was dark and couldn't see the drive. We are let out near more shops, more sellers of caps and Mt. Bromo T-shirts and heavy jackets to rent. It is interesting that the Javanese have an adaptation to the sarong. It is with the ends sown together so it's one piece and then worn like a poncho. They look cold too!
We are alone for a while at the viewpoint. It is dark and a mist fills the crater. Slowly there is color in the east and more and more people arrive, must have been a Dutch tour group. The stars are brilliant, and we think we recognize the Southern Cross. Slowly the shadows become more distinct, and Mt. Semuaru gives off a puff of smoke. It takes a while to see Mt. Bromo and through the mist the Hindu Temple. In '93 Patrick had pictures of this view having hiked to it rather than by jeep. After years of Rachel seeing this picture, she says it is nice to be here seeing this together.
We stay at the viewpoint long enough to see Mt. Semaru erupt three times. As the sun rises, the light on the mountains keeps changing until it gets high enough that the last of the colors disappear. We walk back to the land cruiser and drive down to the crater floor and across the sand to the temple and Mt. Bromo. Both us and the guy from Oregon climbed the crater yesterday so we only spend a little time there. It is quite a sight to see a mob of guys on small ponies chase the arriving land cruisers offering horse rides to the stairs.
Back at the hotel we have breakfast, do some laundry and rest the remainder of the day. Rachel is not feeling well today, she is cold and doesn't want to eat much. It's pretty warm in the sun, but stays cool in the shade of our room, Rachel lays all bundled up under the blankets.
We have decided that instead of heading down the mountain in the direction we came and therefore needing two days to get to Malang, we will cross the caldera in a four-wheel drive and descend from the west side directly into Malang. The guy at the hotel negotiates a fee of 300,000 Rp for this ride and then goes out to find a driver in town. Just about every house has a nice old style land cruiser parked in front. Shouldn't be too difficult to find a ride.
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