Yogyakarta, Bromo and Ijen - temples and volcano of Eastern Java

Andy:-

Yogyakarta is in the centre of Java and the tourist hub of the country, we arrived via a very comfortable 8 hour train from Jakarta, given the state of the roads and the totally manic behavior of your average Javanese driver a method that has much to recommend it. 

On arrival our hotel choices in our budget consisted of either hot water and air conditioning or swimming pool, it says something for how our necessities have changed that we, with no hesitation, gave up the A/C and hot water for the pool! To be honest we have found that we can easily live with out A/C in anything under 40 degrees as we tend to switch it off anyway and as electricity is so expensive in Asia it does usually cost another 50% on a hotel room.

We had a day trip from Yogya (as it is always shortened to here) to see the worlds largest Buddhist  temple at  Borobudur, which if we had encountered it at the beginning of our trip would have been totally awe inspiring however having been to Angkor, Bangkok and Bagun (and most of Myanmar), while we found it worth the visit, did not really grab like it should. I think we have become templed out. The drab weather with, strange for Indonesia, a morning of persistent drizzle did not help. Anyway here are the photos:-

 Loved the happy lion!

 The temple is 118m square with 6 terraces you can climb up...

 Hummm!

 All of these domes have a Buddha inside!

 On our return we saw a smaller temple with a wonderful Banyan tree outside.

 And a small Buddhist monastery with a great sign and a nice elephant statue!

Liza:-

We got up at 7.30am for an 11 hour journey to Bromo.  Which is a beautiful volcano in the south of Java.

Unfortunately there was a fault in the minivan which meant that there was a very annoying intermittent squeal.  Eventually after two separate stops at mechanics it was fixed.  The next problem was trying to find some more fuel, we must have looked in over 30 stations as we passed them but nobody had any diesel and at about 9pm we ran out.  In the end Andy rounded up the prettiest girls in our party and sent them off to talk to the truck drivers who were going to be hanging around until some diesel was delivered in the morning begging a water bottle full here and there until we had enough to make it to Bromo.

Off we went again and arrived at our destination at 10:30pm.  This would not have been a problem under normal circumstances a delay of only 4 hours is quiet good in Indonesia but we had to get up at 3.30am to get to the volcano in time for the sunrise. 

In the brochure it said we would be delivered to the Pananjakan view point which looks out over Mount Bromo in a jeep.  This was not entirely true as we had to walk for about 15 mins to get to the view point once we had got dropped off, we think the change was because the road had got washed away during the rains making the road impossible by jeep and quite treacherous on foot.  If we had know we would have bought our head torches, as it was we were sharing a small torch between the two of us.

By this time I was a little bit grumpy and then the sun came up and the views were just amazing…..

 These shots were taken as the sun rose so more light on the scene as we progress!!

 No... I'm not awake yet!!

 Some people were not too impressed!

 The live volcano - which we did NOT climb exhales about every 15 mins w were told.

 The climb up looked steeper in the daylight!!

After this we got back in the jeep and went off to climb up to the crater at Mount Bromo.  This was a very steep climb but thankfully it was only 20 minutes and in the light.  It was a Sunday so we were joined here by lots of Indonesian tourists but despite the crowds it was amazing to see.  I have never been to a volcano which is that active.  A puff of smoke comes off it about once every 15 minutes. At some point it the future it is bound to have a major event.... Hopefully not on a Sunday!

 Ravines in the ash caused by the regular heavy downpours of rain.

 A slightly older crater... beginning to green over.

 It's quite smelly here!

 Not that quiet up the top!

So back in the bus and then off to the Sempol.  We arrived here at about 6pm.  There was a hot tub in our hotel which was filled up from hot spring water.  A few beers and a good soak latter and all seemed well with the world. 

Up again at 3.30am for a short drive to the bottom of Mount Ijen.  Then an hour and a half walk up the mountain until we made it to the top. 

 Views of the surrounding volcanoes as we climb.... sorry as we wander up the gentle incline!!

 Note the yellow sulphur where the miners dig it out!

This is a sulfur mining area run by a Chinese company.  The guys walk up the volcano, then walk down into the crater, carve out the sulfur in great big blocks, then walk up the crater and back down the volcano with baskets filled with the stuff. Each weighing about 40 kilos, for some reason these guy's life expectancy is below average!

The walk up the volcano could be easily paved so vehicles could be used, winches could be installed to bring the sulfur up to the top of the crater from the mining site and the miners should have breathing apparatus because the gas is very poisonous.  None of this is done as people are cheaper and apparently disposable.

So once again back in the mini-bus, a break in the middle of the day to change bus and then we broke down.  The vehicle had overheated, as no one had checked the water in the radiator for a while.... once we had let it cool down enough to take the radiator cap off we scrounged some water and made it home trouble free, making it back to Yogyakarta at 4.30am.

Was it worth it? – Definitely – It is amazing to see that much beauty.  The next day we mostly slept, lounged by the pool, read a bit and went to bed early so today I am feeling almost human again and ready to explore Malaysia tomorrow.

I have fallen in love with Indonesia, it is incredibly beautiful and I would love to come back and explore more.   There are tourist bubbles here where everything is clean, the loos are western, there’s hot water and western food, stunning golden beaches, water sports, souvenirs to buy and pumping nightlife or quiet get aways.  They have 20 years of experience so they know what we want; perfect for an idyllic beach holiday, I would highly recommend it.  

Indonesia is a massive place and there’s a wealth of other amazing stuff to see, unfortunately you have to give up your creature comforts, travel is awful and hygiene is suspect.