Our big day started at 12:30 am. An unwelcome wake-up call from reception informed us that our driver was at the reception waiting for us (a full 30 minutes early!!). We all rolled out of bed and sleepily packed our bags with things we thought we needed for our day of exploring.
We were greeted at reception by our guide, and his fluorescent yellow 1967 4×4 keep. To his credit, he had kept this tin container on wheels in good condition and even installed modern modifications such as air conditioning.
Our first port of call was to see Sunrise at Mount Bromo. Touted as being a magical thing you must see, we enjoyed our drive with very squeaky brakes on some incredibly challenging roads. This, of course, meant that none of us were able to gain precious sleep we had banked on.
Arriving in the pitch black, high up in the mountainous volcanic range, it was COLD! This wasn’t just the type of cold you get when you’ve settled into a warm country and a light cold snap hits. No sir, this was temperatures that would not be amiss from an autumnal to a winter day in Canada. I had managed to pick clothes reasonably well but had failed in the footwear department, where my new love of sandals had left me barefooted! Gracefully, Kat gave me her socks while Zara wrapped up in multiple layers, jogging on the spot.
We had arrived 2 hours before sunrise was due. This, in part, was to enable us to get back out of the area relatively quickly. It wasn’t hard to see why our guide had recommended this, as all the roadways for miles around were littered with identical jeeps! It was clear that the sunrise tours to Bromo are a valuable source of income for local tour guides, with demand being very high. Our guide informed us that it wasn’t rare to have over a thousand jeeps in the area.
Sunrise slowly made its presence felt as the pitch black, and the clear starry sky began to lose its fight to the radiant blue light from the sun. The landscape started to reveal itself and to be honest; it was an impressive sight. A few minutes later and the mass of flaming star made its appearance to exciting crowds on the mountain. However, the feeling of cold is something I won’t forget in a hurry.
After we had aaahed and ooohed enough, we went back to our jeep and drove to Mount Bromo. The active volcano is surrounded by ash and sand, which for us was being blown around by strong winds. We made our trek up the side of the volcano where at the top you can look into the crater; it was impressive to see this powerhouse of nature so close! Unfortunately, the strong winds and dust meant I wasn’t able to capture anything by drone, but we still snapped some great photos.
We then made progress to an area called the savannah. Inexplicably, a Teletubbies banner complete with four dressed up Teletubbies was in the area. This gave me a chance to mess about with the drone due to cover from the winds.
Our time at Mount Bromo came to an end. But our day was not over. We had managed to add getting to Tumpak Sewu Waterfall to our day trip. Having seen pictures online, we were very excited to see more water falling after our first trip.
Because Indonesia is such a massive place, we ended up getting transferred between guides, and therefore cars, midday. Moving from our old trusty jeep to a modern vehicle had its perks in terms of comfort for sleep.
When we arrived at the location for the waterfall, we sat down for some lunch. The usual gang of noodles and rice and chicken and sambal were there. I think that, by this point in our travels, I’ve had more rice in Indonesia than the rest of my existence. But as it is fried and tasty, it’s only my long term health which is complaining.
We left to get to the waterfalls. Stop one was the panoramic view. This platform provides a breathtaking view of the falls.
Now it was time to get to the waterfall itself. We descended from street level into the trees and making our way down to the river. We were ready for some trekking, but nothing could have prepared us for the adventure that awaited.
It all began when the path suddenly changed into a bamboo bridge that had seen better days. With a handrail what wobbled like jelly and missing rungs on the floor which had snapped, it was clear this would likely fail any health and safety check back in the UK (damn nanny state not allowing dilapidated cliff edge bridges). But this was just the beginning.
The descent included using rope systems, rocks and randomly placed metal scaffolding poles. Also at one point, the route was actually through a waterfall, which sounds cool but leaves you clinging on for dear life as the slippery rocks beneath you are only kept at bay by gripping onto molten metal which has been in the sun.
It was actually a blast! And when we made it, we had a sense of accomplishment. Level 1 explorer badge earned!
We walked around the side of the river bend and were greeted by the most fantastic view imaginable. The Cascades of water flowing freely from the trees high above, we took it in before going a bit camera mad!
The rest of our time here was used to see more waterfalls and adventuring activities. Our best efforts to stay dry were dismissed quickly when at one point we had to climb up a waterfall. At this point, the flood gates had opened, and it was water photos all the way. With our local guide taking our camera, we put our best modelling skills to work. Honestly, Versace hit me up; I’ll have your 2020 catalogue lit!!!
Shattered from our very, very long day; it was time to head back to Malang where a nice, and much-needed shower and bed, awaited us (after a cheeky Pizza Hut of course).
Next up on our list, our first trip to the island of Bali.
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