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So quick entry that is straight from my Journal. This part detials our travels from Medan, to Bromo, to Ijen, and onwards to Bali.
So this was a travel day going from Mt Toba all the way to Medan, where we would then fly to Java. We caught the earilerst ferry across the lake and then managed to get a public bus for super cheap all the way to Medan. The bus ride was crowded and noisy, and not comfortable, but we made it and didn't spend much money. We got in to Medan super early (around 130PM) and since our flight out wasn't until 7 we had lots of time to kill. So naturally we spent that time on the internet getting caught up on stuff and researching the next steps. We also found a Wendys, which was delicious. Our flight was packed as well, but uneventful, and we made it to the city of Surabaya, Java at around 10pm. From there we had to find a hotel, and since the airport hotel was not cheap, and we didn't wanna sleep on an airport bench, we took a cab to what we had hoped was a cheap hotel. It wasn't, but after walking around a bit I found a cheaper one that was pretty crappy but at that point we didn't need much so we took it and slept there for the night.
The next morning (Feb 23) we got up early and left Surabaya heading to Probolinggo, where we could then travel on to Mount Bromo. The bus to Probolinggo was cheap, and we got there sometime around midday, maybe a bit after. From there we knew we had to get on to Mount Bromo, and the bus had dropped us off at a tourist place where they can organize tours for a hefty price. We looked at the information given to us and after talking about it we decided to figure it out on our own. So we got a bus to the bus station and way overpaid (turns out the bus station was 300m away) and then tried to go to Mount Bromo. Here was our first problem for the week, turns out the bus wont leave unless the price is met. They typically need about $45usd (500,000rph) to leave, and the bus typically waits til they have 15 people so its affordable for everyone. Well this late in the afternoon there weren't many people waiting, and when we showed up we made for a total of 7 people. So we played the waiting game, but Ally was pretty unhappy with the guys running the buses so we spent about 2 hours debating, discussing, and exploring other options, before finally there were 11 people and we still paid more than we thought we should have. The best part of the negotiations was when we were tricked by a mentally disabled dude to get in his van where he said it was cheap. He had run from some building across the street, no joke, and grabbed us as we walked by someone elses van and motioned for us to get in while he said it would cost 20,000rupeah which was way less than the other guys. We were ready and typing our bags down, but fortunately the rest of the people all said no and eventually we realized he was crazy. Afterwards someone came from the building and led him back, and the locals all around seemed to get a good laugh. So we got on our way and made the 1.5hour ride up to Cemoro Lawang, getting there after dark. Our bus guys managed to get us to a decent hostel with hot shower and warm beds, and after a delicious meal at what looked like a local womans living room we turned in.
So then to hike Bromo we woke up at 4AM on the 24th and did the hike with two Spanish girls that we had kind of paired up with back in Probolinggo. The hike was in the dark, which was fun, and only took about 1hr to get to the first viewing spot, but we pushed on for another 20mins and made it to a better viewing spot. We made it there just in the nick of time and as we sat down the sun started to appear. It was pretty epic and a beautiful spot to watch from. After watching and taking a bunch of pictures we headed back down the mountain to the village, and from there we walked across the sand desert towards the actual crater of Mount Bromo. We hiked up the side, where they have built a set of stairs to aid all the tourists, and then Ally and I walked around the entire crater which was very cool. Afterwards we headed back and instead of walking the hour back to the hotel we rented horses for super cheap and rode across the desert. It turned out to be a lot of fun and my horse was tiny, but super spirited and it was all I could do to keep her from sprinting off with me on her back. Once back at the hotel we packed up and caught a bus back to Probolingo (made it there by about 10am) and then from there found a bus to Bondowoso, which was the jumping off point to go see Kawah Ijen. We also linked up with a Chinese tourist by the name of Ho, who was also going to Ijen. From Bondowoso we had to then get to the mountain, and after exploring a whole bunch of options we decided to pay to have someone drive us there that evening, sleep at a hostel there, hike up in the middle of the night, and then the dude would drive us back. It was expensive but it was speedy and a good option. The guy that had approached us was pretty pushy, but we went with him and in a few mins his brother showed up in a beat up old Mitsubishi truck/van, and we set off. The drivers name was Iproom, and was pretty quiet on account of not speaking much English. Along the way we passed some sort of celebration going on in one of the small villages, and so we stopped to check it out, turns out it was some sort of village game with two teams that looked a lot like tag, but the object is for one team to get form one side to the other without getting tagged, while the other team has players all over the field but they can only move along specific lines. There was pumping dubstep and the entire thing was a bit comical, more so once we showed up as everyone thought we were super interesting and they came to take a bunch of pictures with Ally.
We made it to the entrance to Ijen after dark and what we found out was that there was limited lodging there at the entrance with only one room available and this was super s***ty, so since Ally didn't wanna sleep in the room we gave it to Ho and then she and I, along with the driver, all slept in the back of the his van. Well, ally and I put the middle seat down and then stretched out rather comfortably from the back to the middle, whilst Iproom had to sleep curled up in the front. Anyways, it wasn't that terrible for us, but he looked pretty uncomfy. We woke up at 230, after about 5hrs of sleep, to start the hike up Kawah Ijen so as to make it there when it was still dark so we could see the Blue Fire, which was spectacular. The hike up was 3k but took about 1.5hours, and the hike into the crater was pretty sketchy and dangerous, but we hired a guide at the top. The guide was actually one of the sulfur miners who had followed us up for this exact purpose, but it was a good decision cause without the guide it coulda been even more sketch and dangerous. We hiked down into the crater and from there could see the vents in the ground where the blue flames were spewing, along with some choking sulfur gas, which was not fun to breath. We had about 10mins of dark before the sun started coming up, but that was enough as the sulfur was getting to us pretty quickly. We explored around a bit more and as the sun came up more we could see that we were standing on the edge of a huge lake that was also in part of the crater. Very cool overall.
From the inside of the crater we left our guide to gather up his 80+ kg of sulphur blocks and then we made the trek back up the side of the crater. At the rim we hung out and took some more photos, as the view had become quite stunning while the sun was coming up over the tops of a neighboring mountain. From there we hiked back down, passing many of the miners in their yellow shirts and carrying their wicker baskets. At the half way point there is a resting point for the miners where they can weigh their loads. They get paid approximately 1000rupea for each kilo, which means if they carry a 90kg load (the average of what we saw) they would make just about $7usd. It amounts to a tiny amount given the extremely hard labour they have to do. After hanging out for a bit longer, and taking a survey by a local grad student, we walked back down to the car where we waited for a bit for our friend Ho to come down. In typical Asian fashion he had been taking pictures, but this was all good cause he let us copy them later on that day. Our camera and allys iphone had both died when we were in the crater, so the few photos we had taken before they died didn't really do the place justice, as such it was quite nice of Ho to let us copy his.
We took the van/car back to Bondowoso and at this point our driver, Iproom, was talking more and was pretty friendly with us. We had shared our food with him and tried to ask him questions and be friendly, and as such he loosened up a bit. He told us how to get on to Bali, and when we got into the city he dropped us at a point that wasn't the bus station and thus didn't have the millions of pushy dudes trying to sell you on a ride. He then proceeded to wait with us and put us on the correct bus to Bondo, where we then switched to another crappy local bus all the way to Ketapang. Iproom proved to be a good guy and when we paid him he even looked a bit ashamed, as if it was a lot of money for a small service.
The bus rides were bumpy and uncomfortable, and the worst transportation of our entire travels happened in Bali after we had caught a ferry ride across. But the ferry ride was cool, and I talked with a local for the whole time who proved to be a good guy with good English and some interesting insights into traveling in Bali. Anyways, the bus ride sucked. We walked around for a long time trying to find a bus from the ferry terminal all the way to Denpasar, but turns out the majority of these busses were all private. We finally figured out where to go for the public bus, and as we walked up we could clearly see the sign that said Denpasar above one of the buses. However, the local dudes all think that if they walk you to the bus, they then deserve a cut of the fare, and thus over charge you. But that's not how it works in Indonesia, you pay once you are going on the bus, not before. Anyways, we got into a bit of a yelling match with these dudes, all in front of the rest of the bus, and we kept saying when everyone else pays that we will pay. They finally gave in and left, and the bus took off, but even the people around us wouldn't be helpful and tell us the actual fare. It was rude and ridiculous and seriously turned me off to the country, you can only get f***ed for so long before you get fed up with the entire process. Then when the conductor came to collect money, he A. shielded everyone else paying so I wouldn't see the actual price and B. then charged us the same high price the original dudes had bee charging! We were so mad. Luckily Ho talked to a Chinese lady on the bus and she told us that she had paid 40,000, whether that was the correct price or not I'm not sure, but we paid it and it was done.
After the long bus ride was over we were in Denpasar, and after consulting with the Chinese lady we got a cab to Kuta beach, and after walking around a bit we parted ways with Ho (he was staying in a more expensive hotel) and we found a cheap but nice looking place for about 11usd / night. And thus ended an extremely long day, almost 22hours long, both physically and mentally exhausting. But, we had made it to Bali.
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