The front desk calls me at 3:30 a.m. just like they promised they would. It's crazy, but I did decide that this was a better option. Rather than travel through the night by car from Surabaya, I decided it would be better to spend the night - at least some of it - at Bromo Cottages. The accommodation is basic, but the view is rather spectacular.

After a quick cup of tea, I climb into the jeep for the trip the rest of the way up the mountain. After a winding drive of about 45 minutes, we arrive at the viewpoint. It's pitch black, cold and a sharp wind makes it even colder. Now I know why the cottages had parkas for rent!

When we reach the peak of the mountain, it's still very dark. Somewhere in the darkness below me is Mount Bromo, and I've come to see the sun rise on the mountain. My guide points out the best place to stand. I just have to take his word for it. There is a slight orange tint on the horizon to the southeast, signalling that the sun is on its way. In the meantime, I'm looking at the bright stars in the sky. I'm far away from the bright lights of the nearest city and well above the clouds, so arrayed above me is a spectacular sky full of stars. I wonder how many people today have even seen the sky the way our ancestors did just 200 years ago.

By 5:00 it's getting quite light, and I can now make out the shapes in the giant caldera below. Two cones rise up out of the flat plain of the caldera, the active vent that is Mount Bromo and its slightly larger dormant neighbor. I'm standing on one of the highest point of the caldera wall, looking down at the steaming vent. Beyond the opposite wall of the caldera, an even larger mountain occassionally puffs out its own plume of smoke and ash.

By about 5:30 the sun finally makes its appearance over the horizon, greeted by cheers from the gathered crowd. After that, we make our way back down to the jeep for the ride down inside the caldera. We reach the floor of the caldera on the opposite side from Mount Bromo, and set out across the dark gray volcanic sand. It's hardened in some spots, and quite soft in others, which is why we're in a big wheeled jeep.

As we round the base of the dormant cone, a couple of incongruous sights greet me. The first, and less strange, is a Hindu temple, built on a direct line between the dormant volcano and the caldera rim where the sun rises. The second, very strange sight is cowboys. They've come to sell us their services, or rather, that of their horses.

The base of Mount Bromo is reached crossing a sometimes steep field of sand that can be very hard going on foot, so ponies are used to ferry people up to the base. I'd rather pass, but the horse-fare is included in my tour and so I don't want to cheat someone out of their living. The horse selected for me looks so small, I should be carrying it! Once I'm on, it doesn't seem to be struggling too much.

Once the horse reached the base of the cone, it's time to clime a steep set of stairs up to the rim of the volcano. It's not easy, but once I reach the top, the views in every direction are fantastic. In the crater of Mount Bromo I can see the vent opening, spewing a constant stream of steam and lined with bright yellow deposits of sulphur. There is indeed a rotten egg smell in the air, but it's not overpowering. Since there are no virgins handy, some boys sell flowers to throw into the crater and appease the gods. At around US$2 a bunch, I hope the gods are happy.

See the online photo gallery for pictures of Mount Bromo.

Posted by michael under Just back from...