The Road to Bromo, part 4

the horsemen of Tengger

continued from The Road to Bromo
part 1
part 2
part 3

The Caldera of Tengger is a wonder to behold. Sitting 2,000 meters above sea level, it is a cauldron of fine volcanic from which numerous peaks rose, the most famous of which is Bromo.




Around this basin are pockets of communities which still subscribe to the old Hindu-Javanese religion. These highlands after all became the Hindus’ refuge during the ascendancy of Islamic rule in the 15th century. Today, this indigenous group of Tengger still practice a religion that is a mixture of Javanese animism, Buddhism and Hinduism, with some influence from Islam.




The people are a hardy lot, being used to the demands of living and working in such a high elevation. The main livelihood is agriculture (vegetable, fruits) although tourism is fast developing employment sector.




The men folk are known for their equestrian skill. While their native horses are small and look more like ponies, the Tengger horsemen are industrious, waking up in the early hours of dawn, to tend farms and pasture. Just before sunrise breaks, they generally would gravitate towards the caldera, offering their horses for as little as $5 dollars for the 3 kilometer ride to the brim of Bromo.




While the Tenggers are pretty much known for their tolerance and acceptance of strangers, they still generally keep to themselves. Their sense of pride is so strong that they generally resist attempts to part with their land even when the bids are high.




Their land is Tengger and they like to keep it that way.

Palm Sunday at the Surabaya Cathedral

a Lenten Special

Palm Sunday was to be our penultimate day in Indonesia. As Catholics, we were to hear mass and this day was a dedicated commemoration of Jesus’ triumphant and final entry into Jerusalem just before he would be persecuted and crucified as a common criminal.


Palm leaves for sale outside the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia


The mass is observed with much pomp and theatrics in the Philippines. For palm stalks, the preferred Filipino version is the intricately woven and folded palaspas that would be worthy of a feature in origami books. The priest, representing Jesus, would be accompanied by costumed disciples and sometimes would be astride a horse (there are no donkeys in the Philippines as what the Bible said). A full Passion reenactment would also supersede the sermon, almost as a stage play with local actors.


Palm leaves were available unfolded


Not in Indonesia, at least not in Surabaya. We chose to hear mass, said in the Indonesian language, at the Katedral Hati Kudus Yesus (Sacred Heart of Jesus) and saw austerity and simplicity. Palms were cleanly cut and unfolded. The officiating priest entered the church the regular way albeit with parishioners brandishing the palm leaves for blessing. Gone too are the costumes. And there were no long passion theatre, only the basic sermon that was short.


Palm leaves were lined inside the main aisle before the mass


All throughout, soberity persisted and hush prevailed. Regardless of the external presentation, spiritually, Lent is really that for Indonesians, and for the rest of the Christian world.


Palms were blessed at the start of the service



the Katedral Hati Kudus Yesus in Surabaya looked grand from the choir loft

The Road to Bromo, part 3

continued from the Road to Bromo

Bromo sunrise

The Bromo sunset experience was fabulous. While fog hang around from late afternoon through sunset, the air cleared up by twilight. We left as happy campers knowing that we were lucky. People go to Bromo almost solely for the sunrise experience which even locals admit to be a lot more colorful than any sunset. True word of mouth. We were alone that afternoon. Totally. And that made our sunset viewing divine.

After a quick dinner, we retired early as we had to get up before 5AM. Unfortunately, to my consternation, there was some misunderstanding with the driver, so we were picked up rather late. We only made it to the viewing deck of Mt Penanjakan a few minutes before the 5:31AM sunrise.

I was shocked! There were least a couple of hundred people crowding the small viewing deck. There was hardly a space for us to squeeze in. The rows of prime spaces in the bleachers were already filled with scores of photographers, most of them armed with the fanciest of tripods and longest or widest of lenses.

Unfortunately for everybody, the valley below was blanketed with thick fog. I asked around, and that magical 15-30 minute window before the Bromo sunrise famed for the shift of colors did not happen. It was a major disappointment for most. I guess we did not miss a thing despite our tardiness. Luckily, there were fleeting moments of clear skies. One just had to be quick to capture the elusive scenes in such a short window of time, such as this one taken exactly during sunrise.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 20s, f/16, 18mm, ISO 100
the Tengger massif exactly on sunrise at 5:31AM, the Bromo National Park, Probolinggo-Pasuruan, East Java, Indonesia


After sunrise, the fog was weaving in and out of the valley. The visitors already got shifty. Some groups started to leave and luckily, I was able to grab a choiced spot which suddenly became free. Just about the same time, the air cleared up. Although any grand changing of colors already had come to pass, the caldera and the myriad of volcanoes were now in full display. Seeing the majesty of Bromo steadily belching white sulfurous smoke and Semuru blowing puffs of black gases against the blue sky was worth the aggravation.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/320s, f/5, 40mm, ISO 100, +1/3EV
the Tengger massif shot, shot some 30 minutes after sunrise, the Bromo National Park, Probolinggo-Pasuruan, East Java, Indonesia


By about 6AM, the sun was up and we decided to call it a day. There is still the trek at the foot of Bromo so we asked the driver to take us to the valley. I would have loved to climb all the way to the top of Bromo but we just did not have the time. We had to get to Surabaya by noontime.

The journey from Mt. Penanjakan back to the Tengger massif flats was rough. Traffic was heavy in the narrow road and visibility was difficult. However, right there in our jeep, we were treated with surreal sceneries. The fog, for starters, was like a white cloud rolling at the foot of the Mt. Penanjakan where we just came from.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/250s, f/8, 35mm, ISO 100, +1/3EV
a fog blanket at the foot of Mt Penanjakan, the Bromo National Park, Probolinggo-Pasuruan, East Java, Indonesia


the Sea of sand

In thirty minutes time, we arrived at our pit stop, in the middle of the caldera. There were already at least twenty cars parked by the road. Joining the throngs of visitors who are ahead of us, we began crossing the lautan pasir, literally the” sea of sand”. Trudging on the fine gray volcanic sand was enjoyable exercise. I’ve never walked over lava plain before. It felt like I was on a beach of fine gray sand only that there were no ocean. The sun was glaring but as the elevation was about a thousand meters above sea level, the temperature was mild, bordering on cold.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/160s, f/16, 55mm, ISO 400, -1.00 EV
the rows of 4x4 transports parking by the road of the Bromo National Park, Probolinggo-Pasuruan, East Java, Indonesia



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/160s, f/22, 18mm, ISO 400, 1/3EV
a Tengger horseman with Mt Batok at the background, at the sea of sand, the Bromo National Park, Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia

The first stop we made was at the Hindu temple nestled between Mt Bromo and Mt Batok, only about 10 minutes hike from the road where we parked. The temple was empty. Tourists were skipping it. As my Balinese friends said some prayers inside, I had plenty of time to take shots around the temple. Historically, the Bromo highlands became the haven of Javanese Hindus who were escaping from the wave of Moslem conquest in the 15th century so the towns around the caldera are still predominantly Hindu. I hear that every year, there is an annual grand ceremony where Tengger Hindus offer their agricultural offerings under a full moon. That would have been something to witness! Someday, I hope.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/640s, f/16, 18mm, ISO 400, -2/3EV
the Hindu temple set against Mt Batok, at the sea of sand, Bromo National Park, Probolinggo-Pasuruan, East Java, Indonesia



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/4000s, f/4.5, 85mm, ISO 200
a silhoutte of the entrance of the Hindu temple at the Tengger massif, the Bromo National Park, Probolinggo-Pasuruan, East Java, Indonesia


to be concluded in the fourth and final part of the Road to Bromo.

The Road to Bromo, part 2

continued from the Road to Bromo

The road trip from Bali to Surabaya was a spur of the moment. A friend told me that she and her husband had some business in Surabaya and invited me to go with them by car. We would just share expenses. The following day, the decision was made. I canceled my Bali-Surabaya plane ticket and bought a road map.

April 11, 2008

Planning the road trip was not hard. The internet is such a divine source of information. After studying the route, I realized one thing – Bromo is just about the only significant tourist destination in east of Surabaya. So Bromo here we come!

We covered the 160km stretch from Nusa Dua (South Bali) to Gilimanuk in Negara (West Bali) in 4 hours. I have to admit I was the drag as we made a stop at Tabanan for I photographed some terraces during sunrise. I also got curious and we swung by Pura Tampaksiring in Negara.

The 30 minute ferry ride from Gilimanuk to Banyuwangi was non-eventful. There was no traffic, no queue. It helped that it was 9AM. I hear that late afternoon and dawn crowds can get heavy so we missed those. We paid almost $10 for the car and extra fare for 2 persons as only the driver was free.

There is some 196km distance between the port of Banyuwangi and the city of Probolinggo where Bromo is. The national highway is, not surprisingly, smoothly paved as this is a major artery connecting the populated islands of Java and Bali. We did not get lost. I played navigator and with the map, I clicked off the towns one by one. At Penjaitan, I kept on looking out for a tea plantation but either it really was not there or it was nondescript and unmarked. Too bad. There was one other major city that we passed, Situbondo, but aside from the ubiquitous mosques, ricefields and farms, we did not see any cause to stop except to inflate a semi-flat tire and to have a Masakan Padang lunch in Pasir Putih, which obviously is a popular spot in the area gauging from the density of resorts.

Once we reached Probolinggo, we headed south and followed the road markers to Bromo. As we climbed further up, the weather also began to change. Altitude does that to a place. Vegetation changes. Instead of rice, we began to see more cold-dwelling vegetable and flower farms and orchards. Palms turned into pines. The road slowly became more narrow and the traffic came to a trickle. There were no more large buses. The only local transportation are the bemohs, which are medium-sized vans and even then, they were rare. Apparently, locals can catch them at a terminal in Probolinggo. (For backpackers, sorry, I don’t know the fare and other details on frequency and stops). What also appeared on paper as a mere 30 kilometer turned out to be more because of the elevation. The ride became more bumpy, more difficult and more treacherous as we slowly scaled some 1,800 meters above sea level, probably even more until we reached the final 2 towns of Ngadisari and Cemara Lawang.

If you’d like to drive on your own without prior knowledge or a local guide like we did, there are imminent safety concerns:
(1) Landslides are frequent in the Sukarapura-Sapikerep-Ngadisari- Cemara Lawang highlands as evidenced by the four or five recently repaired sections that we passed by, two of which are still actively being reinforced by the public works personnel.
(2) Unexpected rain and heavy fog can swoop unexpectedly anytime. We had to drive slow when driving visibility shrank to five meters or so.
(3) Roads are bordered by steep mountain in one side and deep ravines in the other.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/250s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 100
typical brick houses of Cemara Lawang, Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia


The town of Sukarapura, about an hour ride from Cemara Lawang, is already dotted with several hostels and lodging houses. We skipped them. Upon reaching Ngadisari though, we were stopped at a community road block whereupon we were asked that a guide would already be necessary to reach Cemara Lawang. I am not sure whether this was compulsory but looking back, a guide is indispensable to visit Bromo so this place was as good as any in getting one. The guide offered us two accommodation options: lodging in Ngadisari (cheaper) or in Cemara Lawang. I opted for the latter which is where the entrance of the Bromo National Park is. Hey, the nearer to Bromo, the better.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 20s, f/16, 18mm, ISO 100
colorful hard top jeeps of the Bromo National Park, Probolinggo-Pasuruan, East Java, Indonesia


My friend squeezed out a deal of around 325,000Rp ($35) for an accompanied sunrise tour to Bromo the next morning inclusive of the prerequisite hardtop jeep transport from the crater to the Mt. Penanjakan mountain viewpoint. The Bromo National Park authorities only allows this official transport to traverse the crater towards Mt. Penanjakan, even if you bring the latest 4x4. The $35 deal already covered all three of us so it was not usurious (the jeep can actually carry 5 at most).


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/200s, f/5.6, 18mm, ISO 100, _1/3EV
typical brightly colored houses in Cemara Lawang, Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia


From Ngadisari, drove to Cemara Lawang, while the guide followed us on a motorbike (he later would rent an official 4x4 for the tour). The 6km distance covered another series of winding roads over even more dangerous cliff drops. It took us 20 more minutes away to get there. When we got to our hotel, the Cemara Indah, we knew we made the right decision. Its view floored us. The hotel sits on the very rim of the Tengger crater. Right directly below us is the vast plateau mastiff of gray volcanic sand, disrupted only by several volcanoes. Before us was the majestic Bromo, with its perpetual plume blast of white smoke.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1250s, f/4.5, 22mm, ISO 200, +4/3EV
the Mt Bromo and Mt Batok as seen from the outer rim of Tennger Crater at Cemara Lawang, Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia


The hotel offers rooms ranging from the premier ones with balconies facing the volcanoes (about 300,000Rp/night ($32) to the more modest “town” view at half the price. (TIP: At night, the crater and the volcano view disappear in pitch darkness unless the moon is up so check your lunar calendars before getting the more expensive room.)

Whatever your choice, you get free breakfast, hot water, a thick blanket and a heavily quilted jacket, musty I have to admit. You don’t have to bring bulky clothings after all! I didn’t have any. Again, this trip is unplanned. The temperature was in the 15-20C at mid afternoon and frightfully dips below 10C at night.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/5.6, 300mm, ISO 200
the Hindu temple at the foot of Mt Bromo and Mt Batok as seen from the outer rim of Tennger Crater, Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia


As it was still 3PM East Java time (or 4PM Bali time), we had time to spare. I decided on a sunset tour which we got for the same amount of $35. The hotel staff almost dissuaded us that the sunset tour was unnecessary as the best “colored” conditions would be during sunrise. However, this was April, a transition month between the rainy season of Jan-March and summertime starting August. I thought that there could be rains and no sun the next morning so we might as well spread the risk and try for the sunset as the sun was sunny that afternoon.

Promptly, we dropped our bags and the guide appeared with a hard top jeep. We were about to embark to our Bromo adventure.

the Bromo sunset

The guide said that it would take us 45 minutes from the entry gate of the National Park to our final destination of Mt Penanjakan. We first crossed the lava plain. Called lautan pasir or the sea of sand, the landscape is nothing short of moon-like. There were no paved roads and “craters” abound, which would not be strange as the crater was a product of a violent volcanic explosion in the past. The ride to Mt. Penanjakan was extremely bumpy and the steep climbs made my stomach lurch. I take it to the driver and to the trusty hard top that we made it to the promontory.

It was 4:30 PM.

The air was thin! At >2,770 meters, Mt Penanjakan which already is part of Pasuruan offers less concentrated oxygen and even the short climb to the viewing deck was killing us. I was literally out of breath by the time we get to the top. Disappointingly, the fog was extremely heavy and I was beginning to question the wisdom of us getting over there. There was one thing going for us. We were alone except for an enterprising boy who was selling local flower bouquets. We decided to wait.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/20s, f/5.6, 47mm, ISO 200, +2/3EV
A boy peddling mountain flowers at Mt Penanjakan, Pasuruan, East Java, Indonesia


The stakeout was excruciating. Almost all of the time, the fog enveloped the entire crater. It was hellishly cold especially when the sun began to disappear. Temperature was obviously below 10C already. My friends complained of lightheadedness and I too could barely feel anything with my fingers. Finally, at around sunset time, at 5:30, the fog began to clear up, intermittently at first. We could get glimpses of the orange light cascading down into the west so I was heartened.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/160s, f/5.6, 170mm, ISO 100
A mountain ridge of Mt Penanjakan, Pasuruan, East Java, Indonesia
phototip: In foggy conditions, watch out for quick shifts of light conditions.


Then suddenly, at about 5:40PM, the fog lifted completely. Multicolored magic had begun.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 25s, f/22, 40mm, ISO 100, +1/3EV
the Tengger Caldera featuring the volcanoes of Bromo, Semeru and Batok in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia
phototip: Take different exposures. This was an underexposed shot corrected later on by picasa2 software.

to be concluded in The Road to Bromo, part 3

The Road to Bromo, part 1

April 12, 2008, 5:30AM, sunrise overlooking Bromo

There I was, squinting through the fog swirling everywhere around where I stand in Mount Penanjakan, some 2,770 meters above sea level. Slowly, the sea of white started to dissipate to reveal a caldera as wide as 16 kilometers from end to end. The caldera, a product of a massive and violent eruption about a hundred fifty thousand years ago, lies flat below, strangely not looking anywhere as high as the 2,000 meters elevation it really is. As the white blanket of cold fog – or are they clouds? – sank deeper, a family of not one, not two, but probably around five peaks are revealed, all stately, reaching anywhere between 2,400 to 3,700 m. No, these are no ordinary mountains. They are volcanoes, mostly active and rambunctious. The most famous of them, easily recognizable by its seemingly endless spew of dense sulfurous white smoke is Bromo. My pictures, inasmuch as I tried, cannot do justice to the experience.


the Tengger Caldera featuring the volcanoes of Bromo, Semeru and Batok in Probolinggo, East Java, Indonesia
phototip: There is a short time around sunrise when the colors are still soft. This was taken 30 minutes after daybreak, when the fog lifted.



the mountain range at Malang bordering the Tengger caldera of East Java, Indonesia
phototip: The horizontality of layered mountain ranges can sometimes be served by panoramic crops.

flashback

April 9, 2008, Bali

So it came that after 15 years of visiting Indonesia, after always scurrying between the two cities of Bali and Surabaya in East Java, I came to decide that I would try a road trip. The journey appears simple. It is a popular trans-island 10-12 hour trip. The nearest point is between Gilimanuk in Negara, West Bali and Banyuwangi, East Java and a 24 hour ferry system services the short 20 minute crossing, at 15 to 60 minute intervals, depending on the time of day or night. With a map, I studied the numbers. From Denpasar, Bali to Bayuwangi, the nearest point in East Java, the distance is 145km. Some 285km more is Surabaya. Not bad. What really caught my interest, was that somewhere in between, in the city of Probolinggo is East Java’s premier attraction, Mount Bromo.

April 9, 2008, Bali

I checked out of my hotel in Nusa Dua at 5AM. We took it easy. I wanted to take in the sights. I particularly asked that we stopped at one of the countless ricefields peppering the regency of Tabanan. Not surprisingly, there seems to be always a temple nearby.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 20s, f/16, 18mm, ISO 100
Pura Desa Lan Puseh, Desa Pakraman Berembeng, Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia
phototip: Consider simple lines and forms when doing landscapes.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/60s, f/6.3, 55mm, ISO 100
ricefields in Desa Pakraman Berembeng, Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia

to be continued next week in The Road to Bromo, part 2