Home » Indonesia » I'm a kuta-n outta here

Ok so Bali has been visited 4 times now and has been the base for travel around Indonesia. The first part was covered in Gili Chillin. Second visit to Bali came after the Komodo and Kelimutu trip before making my way to oz. When changing the flights in Oz I had the choice to go to Singapore or come here, no contest really!! Plus it would give me the chance to go see Mt Bromo in Java.

I'm a kuta-n outta here

Gareth Penpraze
2007-04-20 23:59:12

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the bus and the bus driver isn't happy with me because he didn't know I had an onward ticket. The relief
is unreal when we leave the gas station and slowly drive onto Cemoro Lewang, the small town by Mt Bromo.

I finally arrive at the edge of the volcanoes around 5am and get checked in. Straight to bed for me to rest my nerves. There is absolutely nothing to do here except climb bromo so I'll do that the next norning for dawn and get on to Surabaya. I'm lying in bed watchin a bit of Indonesian news and it seems there's riots in Surabaya, great choice for my escape from Indonesia. I get speaking to a Dutch guy but he isn't staying so I'm literally the only foriegner in the whole town!! I sit about reading most of the day and manage to organise a jeep to take me round in the morning and get collected at 3.45am (4 times the price I expected, but only me in the jeep). As the day wears on I start to get a little bored so I think I'll have some food and just go to bed... a bemo arrives and out hops 3 people!! Yes lets fill this badboy jeep up!! A dutch couple inform me they aren't doing the sunrise and its meant to be crap at this time of year. Brilliant!! But the other girl, Alex is up for it so that's the price halfed - cheers me dear. Whats this, another bemo arrives and two more get out, one dutch and a french guy Alexandre. The French guy is wanting to do sunrise so it works out well - they have their transport organised and the price comes down a good bit!

3.45am and we are away in the dark and mist, bouncing all over the place going up a twisty lane - couldn't be described as a road. Our driver, Ammin, is a mad man and thinks he's Colin McRea. We get up to the viewpoint with plenty of time to spare for the sunrise. The view around Mt Bromo is amazing. The mist we drove through makes a white sea around the base of the 3 volcanoes - all of which used to be one huge volcano 11km wide!! We wait for the sunrise and then off to climb Bromo. As we go down Alexandre asks if he can drive - Ammin is happy to accept so we all take turns to rake the shit out of our "Ferrari" along the ash sea. I go last and bring the ferrari into the Bromo carpark all the while horses and guides are following us on each side to try and get some business. We climb the 260 odd steps to the edge of the crater and the sulphur is overpowering - Thanks Jay for the tip of a mouth guard!! We stay up for 10 or so minutes, just can't manage any more. It's an absolutely amazing site but worrying when black smoke starts to bellow out, I didn't want to have to run for it. The last victims of a Bromo erruption were 5 people only last June!!

We take the Ferrari back and get some food before me and Alexandre head for Probolingo. He has a ticket to Denpasar Bali, so I decide to take my original flight and avoid Surabaya and head with him. What a mistake!! Our bus is meant to go the whole way to Denpasar - 15 minutes from Kuta - but only manages 2 hours of the journey before packing up!! The driver hails down another bus a couple of hours later and we hop on. 5 hours later we make it to the boat where our through ticket is no good anymore!! We get the boat no problem but there isn't any transport the other side, excpet for the opportunist buggars who can rip the arse out of white tourists. We end up paying 150,000rp each instead of 22,000rp for the 3 hour journey to Kuta. It was some form of Muslem/Hindu holiday but the public buses didn't run after 3 anyway. Bastards.

So back in Kuta for a few days with a stinking cold getting ready to hit Singapore again. Flights are booked for Borneo next week and can't wait. Watch this space!!!

Gareth Penpraze
http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ASBO-Holidays/