Java Lava. A quick jaunt.

We couldn’t leave Indonesia without stopping in at East Java could we! In a rush to fit everything in before our visa expired, we frantically planned the next 4 days with miraculous detail and a truck load of luck and assumptions. Luckily, the trains were not fully booked, the ferry did run all night and you can shoehorn in extra excursions if you’re willing to walk (why is it that Indonesian’s hate walking?) 

But first, the wonderful north Bali. How to get there? Cycle straight across the mountain range of course! Hopping on our bicycles at 6am to beat the heat, we cycled up through Canggu, Pererenan, and kept going west, avoiding the main road wherever possible. We had some surprising moments as corners were turned and a new local village popped up. Some of the roads (wide enough only for mopeds!) were so steep we could barely walk up them let alone push a bike with bags! We encountered 3 of these outrageous hills and it took 2 people per bike. Care was to be taken when pushing 25kg of bike up a hill, you’re brutally reminded that mountain bikes shoes with clips are not the best attire for a smooth tarmac hill. Regardless, these roads were the best of the day with luscious jungle, the occasional motorbike and many villages all with their personal temples and extravagant decor. We cycled over 1000m ascent that day (excluding those mystery hills). And as soon as you reach the foothills just outside of Pererenan, it’s a brutal ascent with few flat breaks. We managed to find an adorable cafe at the top of ‘horrible hill’ and enjoyed some really tasty Nasi Goreng – the best we’ve eaten so far! The lady was so pleased we stopped in and we spent a while taking photos and sharing our journey plans with her. The next section was the reward – a 30km cycle DOWNHILL and boy was it enjoyable. We wizzed right into the seaside town and found our favourite spot for dinner – a very local beachfront shack serving fresh bbq fish with rice and extras (still unsure what these things were but they tasted great). We watched the sunset reflect off the wet black sand and feasted on the most delicious fish. It was perfect.

Day 2 was the big one – a 130km cycle into western Bali, a ferry and then a cycle to Banyuwangi. With slightly tired legs, we got up early, ate porridge out of mugs in our room and headed out. We had a lovely pit stop planned in the National Park in West Bali – a tower restaurant that looked like it would have a fab view of the park itself (and allow us to dodge the entrance fee!). Once we got to the turn off, we were directed through what looked like a resort style maze of roads and were asked to leave our bikes at the gate post. Next thing we knew we were aboard a makeshift double decker safari van! It looked hilarious and a little unsafe but boy did we bounce on up to the top deck immediately. During the comically short ride to the restaurant we saw some monkeys in the trees, baby deer and some tree branches straight in the face! After such a unique arrival, we learned the tower is built around several huge tree trunks that had been ‘floated’ over on the sea from Borneo which was surprising! You could see the whole of the west coast and the national park from the top viewing platform and we noticed it looked more forest like than jungle. After lunch we had a quick change on the side of the road to put our damp cycle clothes back on and headed to the port.  When we arrived we realised the 15min ferry was as regular as catching a bus and so we coasted over quite casually. We checked in at the Ijen Backpacker hostel and met Gavan, a Chinese Australian who was doing a solo trip of Asia. He showed us the best street restaurant and we shared Campung which is a selection of things that are displayed in the window. Thinking that we must have toughened up by now, we risked it and enjoyed a tasty and very cheap meal – $1 each! 

Mount Ijen

Later that night, at 12.30am, we boarded a minibus to start our Ijen adventure. I couldn’t tell you much of this bus trip as I slept the whole way but we arrived in a small village at the base of Mount Ijen and warmed up with some very sugary packet coffee. Feeling slightly concerned that I’d not packed enough layers, we strode out in our group of 9 up the mountain in the dark. Light years ahead of Mount Rinjani, the track up Ijen was compacted dirt with some cobbled sections. This made for very easy hiking and we enjoyed talking to our fellow group members, listening to their travel adventures. The most popular destination was Kazakhstan! As we got further up we noticed some people had opted to be ‘pulled’ up the mountain. In small makeshift carts, you could pay 2 Indonesian locals to wheel you up the mountain. I was so shocked by this I had to ask some questions. We found out that miners get paid twice as much pulling someone up the mountain than guiding on foot. For most, this is how they make their living and it was a stark reminder of how lucky we are to have a choice in career. 

Once we’d got to the crater rim, our guide informed us we would now descend into the crater. I'd not done much research at all on this trip so this took me by surprise! But being a keen geographer, I was thrilled and made my way to the front. After what felt like an eternity gingerly walking down, passing sulphur deposits and volcanic vents, we arrived at the lake level to see the Blue Fire. This small area inside the crater was a sulphur source and emitted blue flames that can be seen in the dark. What struck me was the mysterious beauty of these vibrant blue flames. But this thought was quickly interrupted by the horrible sulphur stench that hits the back of your throat. We were handed ‘gas masks’ to put on (these left something to be desired) and told to not stand too close. Of course no one listens to this and I immediately witness one tourist stand right next to the blue flames and sulphur deposits. I retreated to a safer distance and enjoyed the spectacle (flames and all) from 10m by the lake. It was only 2 hours later that I found out this lake is highly acidic and has killed people as they’ve fallen in!

Once we'd made our way back to the top, we witnessed one of my favourite sunrises on Mount Ijen. It was something else to see the sun, the blue lake and the rest of East Java in the distance. Whilst we were staring at the view, we managed to lose our group and it turned out they'd been looking for us for a while (whoops?). Reunited, we headed down for a celebratory sugary packet coffee and some snacks. More sleeping on the bus and then a rapid change over to catch the train to Probolinggo. We had selected first class (for all of £12) and it came with a dreamy amount of leg room complete with foot rest. We invited Gavan up to our seats from economy and had a good natter. We learnt he was travelling to Northern Thailand next to visit a unique Chinese village left behind after the Chinese revolution, unable to flee to Taiwan. Gavan was fascinated with war history and had decided to travel the world to seek out more knowledge. You can follow him at @idiotwithoutboarders on instagram to see how he gets on. 

Probollingo was a funny town. Very large, seemingly quite a lot of tourism due to the popular Mount Bromo hike nearby. I enjoyed the small back streets with their interesting colourful graffiti, but we were pleased we were only staying for a few hours. Our room was mosquito central and our evening activity was quite literally a mosquito massacre. We managed to get our hands on an electrified tennis racquet/bug zapper and took it in turns to dance around the room frantically swiping left right and centre. Of course 2am came around very quickly and soon we’d hopped into our Jeep – a bright green luminous one which suited us right down to a T! We then joined the other Jeeps as we made our way across what seemed like a desert and up a very steep hill towards King Kong Hill viewpoint. 

Mount Bromo

This viewpoint blessed you with views across a huge mega crater that has several different volcanoes within it, including Mount Semeru (3,676m) and Mount Bromo (2329m). We encountered a bit of a blockage on the hill and our driver expertly navigated the continued hill starts with what seemed like a very low ratio gear set. At one point we passed a jeep that had lost a wheel – not just a tyre, the whole wheel had come off. Quite the sight, it was so stuck we had time to look at it again later as we came back down. The sunrise over Mount Bromo was fantastic and our driver seeing that we were fit people, guided us through the forest and past most of the tourists to get a great little viewpoint where we could take some uninterrupted photos. I was thrilled to realise that Mount Semeru ‘erupts’ every 20 mins, with a small puff of gas being released. I insisted we stay long enough for me to film the whole thing more than once just because it was so exciting. *2024 edit: Semeru actually erupted in December 2022 - only 4 months later!

Next up we realised that the tour we booked gave us much more than we bargained for and we found ourselves down the hill inside the mega crater, drifting about in the Sand Desert. Volcanic sand makes for some epic jeep riding and drone footage - our driver knew exactly what to do to get the best shot. It was great fun being right up on top of the jeep as we zoomed around, dust flying up behind us. Then we were taken to the start point of the Bromo hike and spent 45 mins hiking up the steps to the crater. Although an uneventful and very touristy hike, the noise from the volcano WAS INSANE. As you climbed up the stone steps, the rumble of the volcano became stronger and deeper and louder. It gave me goosebumps down my arms! Naturally we ploughed straight past the view point and opted to take the daring crater ridge round as far as we could get. Sketchy is a word you could use – live volcano on one side, steep sandy drop to the other. But the mouth of the volcano was enticing and we could peer right in! 

Next up on our whistle stop tour (and after a strong power nap) we found ourselves at the Madakaripura waterfall. Committing to fitting this in to our tight timetable, we teamed up with a guide who was the speediest walker we’ve met so far! We were practically running behind him. Although it’s very obvious that this walk does not require a guide, it’s clear that the money from guiding is important and we were happy to be taken straight to the action. Once we’d trotted through deep dense jungle on a rickety cement path, we were greeted with many stalls selling ponchos. The sellers were extremely insistent that we needed them but both Aaron and I in our stubbornness insisted that we were fine getting wet – I mean, how bad could it be? Turns out, you get drenched immediately by the spray from the introductory waterfall – and from there it’s just a continuous drenching until you leave. But not one to turn back, we succumbed to the inevitable and enjoyed the water cascade. The main waterfall at the back was breathtaking. Carving a route through a rock, this waterfall falls perfectly into the centre of a high cave, surrounded by cliffs with a beautiful pool beneath. The water was freezing, but we got some epic photos (courtesy of our guide) and had some group shots with very cute kids who were bewildered by my hair colour. 

We rushed back to our car and asked to be dropped off at the train station. We had just 30 minutes to spare before our departure back. Now that’s what I call an efficient tourist run!